Xun You | |
|---|---|
| 荀攸 | |
.jpg) | |
| Prefect of the Masters of Writing (尚書令) | |
| In office 213–214 | |
| Monarch | Emperor Xian of Han |
| Chancellor | Cao Cao |
| Master of Writing (尚書) (under Cao Cao) | |
| In office 196–? | |
| Monarch | Emperor Xian of Han |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 157[1] |
| Died | c.September 214 (aged 57)[1] |
| Relations | See Xun family of Yingchuan |
| Children |
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| Parent |
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| Occupation | Statesman, adviser |
| Courtesy name | Gongda (公達) |
| Posthumous name | Marquis Jing (敬侯) |
| Peerage | Marquis of Lingshu Village (陵樹亭侯) |
Xun You (157–c.September 214), courtesy name Gongda, was a statesman who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China and served as an adviser to the warlord Cao Cao.[2] Born in the influential Xun family of Yingchuan Commandery (around present-day Xuchang, Henan), Xun You was recruited into the civil service by the general He Jin. When the warlord Dong Zhuo hijacked and controlled the Han central government between 189 and 192, Xun You plotted with four others to assassinate him but was discovered and imprisoned. Following his release after Dong Zhuo's death, he wanted to serve as the Administrator of Shu Commandery (around present-day Chengdu, Sichuan) but eventually settled as an official in Jing Province.
In 196, after Cao Cao received the figurehead Han sovereign, Emperor Xian, and reestablished the new imperial capital in Xu (許; present-day Xuchang, Henan), he summoned Xun You to the capital to serve as a Master of Writing and Military Adviser. From then on, Xun You was simultaneously a Han statesman and a subordinate of Cao Cao. He accompanied Cao Cao on his military campaigns as a tactical adviser and occasional commander.[3] Between 198 and 207, he advised Cao Cao in the battles against rival warlords such as Zhang Xiu, Lü Bu, Yuan Shao and Yuan Shao's successors. In 207, on Cao Cao's recommendation, Emperor Xian made Xun You a village marquis to honour him for his contributions. In 213, after Cao Cao had been enfeoffed by Emperor Xian as the Duke of Wei, Xun You served as the Prefect of the Masters of Writing in Cao Cao's dukedom. In 214, while accompanying Cao Cao on a campaign against the southern warlord Sun Quan, Xun You died of illness along the way. Described as a highly profound and insightful thinker, Xun You was also known for keeping a very low profile and his discretion.[4][5]
Cite error: There are <ref group=Sanguozhi zhu> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=Sanguozhi zhu}} template (see the help page).
- ^ a b The Wei Shu recorded that Xun You died at the age of 58 (by East Asian age reckoning) in the 19th year of the Jian'an era (196-220) in the reign of Emperor Xian.[Sanguozhi zhu 1] By calculation, Xun You's birth year should be around 157.
- ^ de Crespigny (2007), p. 928.
- ^ de Crespigny, Rafe (2002). "A Question of Loyalty: Xun Yu, Cao Cao and Sima Guang". In Wang, Gungwu; de Crespigny, Rafe; de Rachewiltz, Igor (eds.). Sino-Asiatica: Papers dedicated to Professor Liu Ts'un-yan on the occasion of the eighty-fifth birthday. Canberra. p. 38.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Sanguozhi vol.10.
- ^ De Crespigny, Rafe (2007). A Biographical Dictionary of Later Han to the Three Kingdoms 23–220 AD. Boston: Brill. p. 928. ISBN 978-90-04-15605-0.