RNo direct record — estimated from his role as Yuan Shao's chief adviserWei 6 §49
NTook the people's property in Ji Province, and his sons and nephews levied heavy taxesCh. 30 §23
Xu You 許攸
| Occupation | RNStrategist | Faction | Yuan Shao faction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appears | RN | Biography in | |
| Born | Native place | Nanyang Commandery | |
| Died | Place of death | NJi Province | |
| Cause of death | RExecuted NKilled Unverified | ||
| Existence | Historical | Mentions | R18 |
Profile
Xu You, courtesy name Ziyuan, was a man of Nanyang. In the time of Emperor Ling he plotted with Wang Fen, Inspector of Ji Province, and others to depose Emperor Ling but failed, and he later became a chief adviser to Yuan Shao. Records, Wu 17 §32Records, Wei 1 §4Records, Wei 6 §49
In the 5th year of Jian'an (200), when Yuan Shao and Cao Cao faced each other at Guandu, Yuan Shao failed to satisfy his greed for wealth and Shen Pei arrested his wife and children, so he fled to Cao Cao and urged him to attack Chunyu Qiong and the others, whereupon Yuan Shao's army collapsed. Later, presuming on old ties and behaving disrespectfully, he was put to death by Cao Cao. Records, Wei 10 §31–32Records, Wei 1 §69–70Records, Wei 12 §19
The Records have no separate biography of Xu You and thus no assessment of him by Chen Shou. In the Romance he first appears in Chapter 7 as one of those to whom Yuan Shao divides the affairs of Ji Province and features in 6 of its 120 chapters, and his name appears in the title of Chapter 32, 'Xu You Offers a Plan to Breach the Zhang River'. In Chapter 30 he offers Cao Cao the plan to burn the provisions at Wuchao, and in Chapter 33 he is killed by Xu Chu. Romance, Ch. 7 §7Romance, Ch. 32 §46Romance, Ch. 30 §32Romance, Ch. 33 §7
In the Records
The Records have no separate biography of Xu You, and his deeds are scattered through the Annals of Emperor Wu and the biographies of Yuan Shao, Xun Yu, Xun You, Cui Yan and others. According to the Annals of Emperor Wu, in the time of Emperor Ling, Wang Fen, Inspector of Ji Province, Xu You of Nanyang, Zhou Jing of Pei State and others formed ties with powerful men and plotted to depose Emperor Ling and set up the Marquis of Hefei, and informed Taizu (Cao Cao) of it, but Taizu refused, and Wang Fen and the others eventually failed. Records, Wei 1 §4
After Yuan Shao defeated Gongsun Zan at Yijing and absorbed his followers, he prepared to attack Xu, putting Shen Pei and Feng Ji in overall command of military affairs, making Tian Feng, Xun Chen and Xu You his chief advisers, and Yan Liang and Wen Chou his generals. Records, Wei 6 §49
According to the Biography of Xun Yu, Kong Rong said to Xun Yu that Tian Feng and Xu You were men of wisdom and stratagem planning for Yuan Shao, so would he not be hard to overcome? Xun Yu replied that Yuan Shao's troops were many but his laws were not in order, and that Xu You was greedy and did not govern his own conduct. He added that Shen Pei and Feng Ji would stay behind in charge of affairs in the rear, and if Xu You's family broke the law they would surely not overlook it, in which case Xu You would surely turn against Yuan Shao. Records, Wei 10 §29–30
In the 5th year of Jian'an (200) Taizu held Guandu and faced Yuan Shao. In the 10th month of winter that year Yuan Shao had Chunyu Qiong and four others lead more than 10,000 troops to escort grain carts, and they camped 40 li north of Yuan Shao's camp. Yuan Shao's adviser Xu You was greedy for wealth, and when Yuan Shao could not satisfy him he fled to Taizu and urged him to attack Chunyu Qiong and the others. The Biography of Xun You records that Xu You came to surrender and said that Chunyu Qiong and the others were meeting the transported provisions with more than 10,000 troops, their commanders arrogant and their soldiers lax, so they could be intercepted and attacked. Records, Wei 10 §31 · 59Records, Wei 1 §68–69
Those around Taizu doubted this, but Xun You and Jia Xu urged him on, so Taizu left Cao Hong to hold the camp and personally led 5,000 infantry and cavalry by night, crushed Chunyu Qiong and the others and beheaded them all. Yuan Shao's generals Zhang He and Gao Lan came over in surrender and Yuan Shao's army collapsed, and Yuan Shao and Yuan Tan abandoned their army and fled across the Yellow River. Records, Wei 1 §69–70
The Biography of Xun Yu records that when Shen Pei arrested Xu You's wife and children on the ground that his family had broken the law, Xu You turned against Yuan Shao in anger, and says that this, together with Yan Liang and Wen Chou losing their heads on the battlefield and Tian Feng being executed for his remonstrance, all turned out just as Xun Yu had reckoned. Records, Wei 10 §32
According to the Biography of Cui Yan, Taizu was jealous by nature and did not let alone those he could not bear, and Kong Rong of Lu State and Xu You and Lou Gui of Nanyang were all put to death for presuming on old ties and behaving disrespectfully. Chen Shou's main text does not give the year of Xu You's death. Records, Wei 12 §19
Later Hu Zong of Wu composed a letter of surrender in the guise of the Wei general Wu Zhi, which contains a passage saying that long ago Xu Ziyuan (Xu You) left the Yuan for the Cao and laid plans that were at once accepted, so that the Yuan army was finally broken and the Cao's great enterprise secured, and that had the Cao distrusted him and hesitated then, the realm would have belonged to the Yuan. As Xu You has no separate biography, there is no assessment of him by Chen Shou. Records, Wu 17 §19 · 32
In the Romance
In Chapter 7 of the Romance, Yuan Shao enters Ji Province, strips Han Fu of all his power and divides the affairs of the province among Tian Feng, Ju Shou, Xu You and Feng Ji, and it is here that Xu You first appears. In Chapter 22, when Yuan Shao, having received Zheng Xuan's letter, hesitates over whether to raise troops, Xu You comes in with Xun Chen and the two answer with one voice that raising troops is right, since it means attacking the traitor to the Han and upholding the royal house. Yuan Shao makes Tian Feng, Xun Chen and Xu You his advisers. In the same chapter Xun Yu tells Kong Rong that Xu You is greedy and unwise. Romance, Ch. 7 §7Romance, Ch. 22 §8–9 · 30
In Chapter 30 the Romance introduces Xu You as having the courtesy name Ziyuan and as a friend of Cao Cao in his youth. When an envoy Cao Cao sent to press Xun Yu for provisions is captured and brought in, Xu You finds his letter and urges Yuan Shao to send a detachment overnight to make a surprise attack on Xuchang, which must surely be empty. Yuan Shao refuses, calling it a trick, and just then Shen Pei sends a letter saying that Xu You had freely taken the people's property in Ji Province and let his sons and nephews levy heavy taxes, and that he has put them in prison. Yuan Shao denounces Xu You as Cao Cao's spy and drives him out, and Xu You, about to cut his own throat with his sword, goes over to Cao Cao at the urging of those around him. Romance, Ch. 30 §21–25
Hearing that Xu You of Nanyang has come, Cao Cao rushes out barefoot without putting on his shoes to greet him and bows to the ground first. When Xu You asks how much provisions remain, Cao Cao changes his answer from a year to half a year, three months and this month's worth, and Xu You produces the captured envoy's letter and points out that the provisions have already run out. He then says that Yuan Shao's provisions are all stored at Wuchao, where the guard Chunyu Qiong is fond of drink and keeps no watch, and that Cao Cao should enter by pretending that Yuan Shao's general Jiang Qi has come to guard the provisions and burn them. Zhang Liao suspects Xu You of deceit, but Cao Cao uses his plan. Romance, Ch. 30 §27–33
When, after the loss of the provisions at Wuchao and the departure of even Zhang He and Gao Lan, morale in Yuan Shao's army is shaken, Xu You urges Cao Cao to advance quickly. In Chapter 32, when Cao Cao turns his army to attack Ji Province, Xu You proposes breaching the Zhang River to flood the city, and Cao Cao digs a trench 40 li around outside the city. Romance, Ch. 30 §51Romance, Ch. 32 §46
In Chapter 33, Xu You points his whip at Cao Cao as he enters the gate of the city of Jizhou and calls out, 'A Man, if you had not had me, how could you have entered this gate?', arousing the resentment of the generals. To Xu Chu, too, whom he meets at the east gate, he boasts that without him they could never pass through this gate and that they are all mere commoners, and he is killed by Xu Chu's sword. Cao Cao rebukes Xu Chu, saying that Xu You, an old friend, was only joking, and has Xu You given a generous burial. In Chapter 45 Zhou Yu says that Cao Cao defeated Yuan Shao because he used Xu You's plan and first cut off the provisions at Wuchao. Romance, Ch. 33 §3 · 7–8Romance, Ch. 45 §3
Where the Romance differs
When he joined Yuan Shao: In Chapter 7 of the Romance, Yuan Shao divides the affairs of the province among Xu You and others when he enters Ji Province and takes Han Fu's power. The biography of Yuan Shao in the Records says that after defeating Gongsun Zan he made Tian Feng, Xun Chen and Xu You his chief advisers. Earlier still, the Annals of Emperor Wu include Xu You of Nanyang in Wang Fen's plot to depose Emperor Ling, but this plot does not appear in the Romance. Romance, Ch. 7 §7Records, Wei 6 §49Records, Wei 1 §4
The proposal to raid Xuchang: In Chapter 30 of the Romance, Xu You captures Cao Cao's envoy and urges Yuan Shao to make a surprise attack on Xuchang. This proposal does not appear in the Annals of Emperor Wu or the biographies of Xun Yu and Xun You in the Records, where Xu You appears only as having fled over and urged an attack on Chunyu Qiong. Romance, Ch. 30 §21–22Records, Wei 1 §68–69Records, Wei 10 §32 · 59
Why he defected: In Chapter 30 of the Romance, Shen Pei sends a letter saying he has imprisoned Xu You's sons and nephews, and Yuan Shao denounces Xu You as Cao Cao's spy and drives him out. The Annals of Emperor Wu in the Records say that Xu You was greedy for wealth and fled because Yuan Shao could not satisfy him, and the Biography of Xun Yu records that he turned against Yuan Shao in anger when Shen Pei arrested his wife and children on the ground that his family had broken the law. Romance, Ch. 30 §23–24Records, Wei 1 §69Records, Wei 10 §32
Cao Cao's welcome: In Chapter 30 of the Romance, Cao Cao rushes out barefoot to greet Xu You, and is caught out changing his answer when asked how much provisions he has. The Annals of Emperor Wu in the Records say only that Xu You fled over and urged an attack on Chunyu Qiong and the others; the barefoot welcome and the exchange about provisions do not appear. Romance, Ch. 30 §27–30Records, Wei 1 §69
The decision to raid Wuchao: In Chapter 30 of the Romance, Xu You advises entering by posing as Yuan Shao's general Jiang Qi, and Zhang Liao suspects Xu You. In the Annals of Emperor Wu in the Records, those around Taizu were doubtful, but Xun You and Jia Xu urged him on. In the biography of Yuan Shao in the Records, Jiang Qi is the general whom Ju Shou proposed to Yuan Shao sending as a separate force to cut off Lord Cao's raids. Romance, Ch. 30 §32–33Records, Wei 1 §69Records, Wei 6 §53
The flooding plan: In Chapter 32 of the Romance, Xu You proposes breaching the Zhang River to flood the city of Jizhou. In the biography of Yuan Shao and the Annals of Emperor Wu in the Records, Taizu surrounded Ye with a trench 40 li around, dug it shallow at first and then deepened it in a single night, and breached the Zhang River to flood the city, and who devised this plan is not recorded. Romance, Ch. 32 §46Records, Wei 6 §64Records, Wei 1 §82
Death: In Chapter 33 of the Romance, Xu You boasts to Xu Chu and is killed by Xu Chu's sword, and Cao Cao rebukes Xu Chu and gives Xu You a generous burial. The Biography of Cui Yan in the Records records that Taizu put Xu You to death for presuming on old ties and behaving disrespectfully, and Xu Chu does not appear. Romance, Ch. 33 §7–8Records, Wei 12 §19
Written by 3KDEX (not yet reviewed) — The tags at the end of each paragraph link to the exact passage in the Records volume or Romance chapter it is based on.
Abilities
The Records score (Chen Shou’s Records of the Three Kingdoms, main text) is the baseline. Each ability compares how the Romance redrew the same person, and the evidence from both sources explains the difference.
Records total407 / 1000Rank 569 of 996 · Top 58%Romance total424 / 1000Rank 348 of 1,113 · Top 32%
Romance adaptation index+17Romance total − Records total
- LEA3635−1
- STR3131±0
- INT8086+6
- POL3825−13
- CHA3535±0
- VIR1820+2
- ADP4045+5
- SCH3840+2
- DIP5565+10
- DIS3642+6
Abilities shaped by the Romance — where it differs from the Records Differences of 10 or more
RPersuaded Taizu to raid Chunyu Qiong, and told Taizu of the deposition plot but was refusedWei 1 §4Wei 1 §69
NSaw through Cao Cao's claims of three months' and then one month's provisions, pointing out that his grain was already exhaustedCh. 30 §29
8 similar abilities — show evidence
RNo direct record — estimated from his role as an adviserWei 1 §69
NNo direct record — estimated from his role as an adviserCh. 30 §32
RNo direct record — estimated from his role as an adviserWei 1 §69
NNo direct record — estimated from his role as an adviserCh. 30 §27
RUrged the attack on Chunyu Qiong that drove back Yuan Shao, and was called a man of wisdom and stratagemWei 1 §69Wei 10 §29Wei 10 §32
NProposed the raid on Xudu, the attack on Wuchao and flooding with the Zhang River, and a poem laments that his plans were not usedCh. 30 §22Ch. 30 §32Ch. 30 §26
RNo direct record — estimated from the record of his disrespect in presuming on old tiesWei 12 §19
NNo direct record — estimated from his description as Cao Cao's old friendCh. 33 §7
RGreedy for wealth and unable to govern his conduct, and disrespectful in presuming on old tiesWei 1 §69Wei 10 §30Wei 12 §19
NGreedy for wealth, boasted of his merit and looked down on Cao Cao and his generalsCh. 30 §23Ch. 33 §3Ch. 33 §7
RWent over to Taizu when his greed went unsatisfied, and was put to death for his disrespectWei 1 §69Wei 12 §19
NWent over to Cao Cao when cast out by Yuan Shao, but was killed by Xu Chu for boasting of his meritCh. 30 §25Ch. 33 §7
RNo direct record — estimated from his forming ties with powerful menWei 1 §4
NNo direct record — estimated from his calling himself a commoner without officeCh. 30 §28
RNo direct record — estimated from his overall careerWei 6 §49
NSaid that he had been unable to choose his lord well and had bowed to Yuan ShaoCh. 30 §28
Records Romance Unverified No direct record; scored from their actions (evidence grade C)
3KDEX scoring — the Records use the main text of Chen Shou’s Records of the Three Kingdoms; the Romance uses the 120-chapter Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Click a source tag to open that passage in the reader.
Romance chapters (6)
AppearsNot present Chapter list →
Allegiance history Changed allegiance 1 times
Related events (3)
- Battle of Wuchao 200 · Command
- Battle of Guandu 200 · Command
- Cao Cao Raids Wuchao and Burns the Grain 200 · Appears (Romance scene)
Includes automatic matching from Wikipedia infoboxes and source keywords (unverified).