Xun Yu was an important strategist under Cao Cao at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, who had both moral integrity and ability, and was stable and reliable, so he was compared by Cao Cao with Zhang Liang, the founding hero of the early Han Dynasty: "My son Fang Ye. In addition to Cao Cao, another tyrant, Sima Yi, also praised Xun Yu: "I have seen and heard from my ears and ears that in the hundreds of years since I arrested him, the sages have not reached the level of Xun Lingjun. ”
What is very valuable is that Xun Yu did not reject talents like Li Linfu, the traitorous minister of the Tang Dynasty, because he was afraid that his position would be shaken, and coaxed Cao Cao to be "wild and unavoidable", but was keen on discovering and recommending people who could be wise. On the recommendation of Xun Yu, many talents joined Cao Cao's camp to help him conquer the north and unify the north. So, among the many talents that Xun Yu recommended for Cao Cao in his lifetime, what were the heavyweights?
According to the Chronicle of the Three Kingdoms, Xun Yu initially recommended To Cao Cao a person who was also a member of Yingchuan County, who was skilled in planning and was deeply valued by Cao Cao. Unfortunately, Xi Zhicai unfortunately died young in the first year of Jian'an (196), which made Cao Cao feel quite sorry. After The death of Xi Zhicai, Cao Cao, who was eager for talents, thought of letting Xun Yu recommend talents, so Xiu Shu asked in a letter: "Since Zhicai died, Mo Ke and the planner. Ru, Yinggu Doqishi, who can follow? ”
After careful consideration, Xun Yu recommended a Fellow Yingchuan to Cao Cao, Guo Jia. Guo Jia was originally serving Yuan Shao at that time, and was summoned by Cao Cao after being recommended by Xun Yu, and after some conversation, Cao Cao immediately said excitedly: "The one who makes the lonely one a great cause, he must also be this person." Guo Jia also had great respect for Cao Cao, and sighed after walking out of the tent: "True Lord." From the mutual fit and mutual appreciation of Cao Cao and Guo Jia, it can be seen that Xun Yu really has an excellent vision.
Compared with the early death of Xi Zhicai, although Guo Jia also died of illness at the age of thirty-eight, he can be said to have made great contributions in the more than ten years around Cao Cao. When Cao Cao was afraid of the powerful Yuan Shao, Guo Jia proposed that Cao had ten victories and Yuan had ten defeats, and proposed a plan to take Lü Bu first and then fight Yuan Shao. It is worth mentioning that Guo Jia saw Liu Bei's extraordinary early on, so he had spoken to get rid of it, and Cao Cao did not adopt it for the sake of the people's hearts, and finally regretted it.
Also joining Cao Cao's camp in the same year as Guo Jia was Xun Yu's nephew Xun You. Xun You was imprisoned for planning to assassinate Dong Zhuo, and after Dong Zhuo's death, he was spared, and in order to stay away from the war, he even embarked on a journey to Shudi. However, a letter from Cao Cao succeeded in impressing him and causing him to agree to go out of the mountain to assist him. Later, Cao Cao asked Xun Yu, "Who can be the conspirator on behalf of Qing Qing?" Xun Yu replied, "Xun You, Zhong Yu." With Xun Yu's recommendation, Xun You was more trusted and valued by Cao Cao, and he also lived up to expectations and came up with many clever strategies. In the Battle of Guandu alone, Xun You offered to kill Wen Ugly, persuade Cao Cao to attack the soldiers, and accept Zhang Guo's surrender, with countless merits.
As mentioned above, Xun Yu also mentioned Zhong Xuan while recommending Xun You, as a figure who is mainly famous for calligraphy, in fact, Zhong Yu is also quite politically talented. When Li Dai and Guo Feng were in Chang'an, Zhong Xuan persuaded them to hand over Emperor Han to Cao Cao, and later, he assisted Emperor Han in his escape, which can be said to have played a very crucial role in Cao Cao's process of blackmailing Tianzi to order the princes. On the other hand, in fact, Xun Yu also praised Zhong Yu many times in front of Cao Cao, and Shi Zai said: "Taizu not only listened to Xun Yu's title, but also heard him say that he was good at being humble. ”
With the merit of assisting the Han Emperor and the strong recommendation of Xun Yu, Zhong Xuan was able to be described as a smooth step under Cao Cao, gradually rising from Yushi Zhongzhong to the positions of Servant of Shangshu and other positions, and when Cao Cao became king, Zhong Xuan was directly appointed to xiangguo. After the establishment of Cao Wei, Zhong Xuan was ranked as the third duke, and after his death, he was also entitled to the honor of cao caozong temple, and his treatment and status were obvious.
Finally, among the sages recommended by Xun Yu were Chen Qun and Du Xun. Chen Qun was proficient in the law, and was the proposer of the "Nine Pins Zhongzheng System", the main talent selection system during the Wei and Jin Dynasties and the Southern and Northern Dynasties, and the main compiler of the Cao Wei Code of Law wei. Like Zhong Xuan, Chen Qun was able to enjoy the Zongmiao Temple after his death, which reflected his importance to Cao Wei. As for Du Raid, he once served as a military division of Cao Zhen and Sima Yi, resisted the attack of Shu Han, and made great achievements.
According to the Chronicle of the Three Kingdoms, "Taizu took Yu as his confidant, and all the people who entered were competent, but Yanxiang was Yangzhou, and Wei Kang was Liangzhou, and he was defeated." That is to say, Cao Cao was well aware of Xun Yu's knowledge of people, and the talents he recommended were indeed basically dutiful. However, there are also special cases, that is, Yan Xiang and Liangzhou Assassin Shi Weikang, who were appointed as the Yangzhou Assassins, and they were killed by Sun Ce's Lujiang Taishou Li Shu and Ma Chao, respectively.
In summary, Xun Yu did recommend many top talents for Cao Cao, including Guo Jia and Xun You, which showed that he had a unique vision and did not have the slightest jealousy of Xian's ability. On the other hand, Cao Cao's attitude toward the courage of the wise men to be bold is also commendable. Unfortunately, the fundamental purpose of Xun Yu's recommendation of talents was still to revive the Han Dynasty, while Cao Cao relied on these talents to consolidate his power, and the differences between the two eventually led to tragedy, which was lamentable.