RWas ordered by Yuan Shang to hold Ye, yet tried to act as an inside accomplice for Cao CaoWei 6 §63
NNo direct record — estimated from his role as Yuan Shang's senior generalCh. 32 §13
Su You 蘇由
| Occupation | RNGeneral | Faction | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appears | RN | Biography in | |
| Existence | Historical | Mentions | R2 |
Profile
Su You held Ye under Yuan Shang, who had succeeded Yuan Shao. He has no biography of his own in the Records and appears once each in the Annals of Emperor Wu in Records of Wei 1 and in the Biographies of Dong, the Two Yuans and Liu in Records of Wei 6. In the 2nd month of the 9th year of Jian'an (204), when Yuan Shang set out again to attack Yuan Tan, he had Su You and Shen Pei hold Ye; when Taizu (Cao Cao) reached the Huan River, Su You tried to act as an inside accomplice, but his plan leaked out, and after fighting Shen Pei inside the city and being defeated, he left the city, fled to Taizu and surrendered. Records, Wei 1 §76 · 81Records, Wei 6 §63
Chen Shou's main text does not record his courtesy name, origin or offices, nor his deeds after his surrender or his death. In the Romance only his name appears, in Chapter 32, as a senior general whom Yuan Shang, going to rescue Yuan Tan at Liyang, leaves behind with Shen Pei to hold Ji Province firmly. He appears only in this one of the 120 chapters, and no chapter has his name in its title. Records, Wei 1 §81Records, Wei 6 §63Romance, Ch. 32 §13
In the Records
After Yuan Shao died and his youngest son Yuan Shang succeeded him, Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang raised troops and attacked each other. When Yuan Tan was defeated and fled to Pingyuan and Yuan Shang pressed his attack, Yuan Tan sent Xin Pi to Taizu to ask for help. Taizu turned back and reached Liyang in the 10th month, and Yuan Shang, hearing that Taizu was coming north, lifted the siege of Pingyuan and returned to Ye. Taizu reassured Yuan Tan by forming a marriage alliance with him and led his army back. Records, Wei 1 §76Records, Wei 6 §62–63
According to the Annals of Emperor Wu, in the 1st month, in spring, of the 9th year of Jian'an (204), Taizu crossed the Yellow River and dammed the Qi River so that it flowed into the Baigou, opening a route for transporting grain. In the 2nd month, when Yuan Shang attacked Yuan Tan again, he left Su You and Shen Pei to hold Ye, and when Taizu advanced to the Huan River, Su You surrendered. Taizu reached Ye and attacked it, building earthen mounds and digging tunnels. Records, Wei 1 §81
The account of Yuan Shang in Records of Wei 6 describes the circumstances in more detail. When Yuan Shang had Shen Pei and Su You hold Ye and again attacked Yuan Tan at Pingyuan, Taizu advanced to attack Ye and reached the Huan River, 50 li from Ye. Su You tried to act as an inside accomplice, but his plan leaked out, and after fighting Shen Pei inside the city and being defeated, he left the city and fled to Taizu. Taizu then attacked Ye and dug tunnels, and Shen Pei in turn dug trenches inside the city to counter them. Records, Wei 6 §63
These two passages are the only places in Chen Shou's main text where Su You's name appears, and what became of him after he fled to Taizu is not recorded. Records, Wei 1 §81Records, Wei 6 §63
In the Romance
In Chapter 32 of the Romance, when Yuan Shang does not send him relief troops, Yuan Tan, in a great rage, beheads Feng Ji and discusses surrendering to Cao Cao. Yuan Shang, hearing of this from a spy, says that if Yuan Tan joins forces with Cao Cao and attacks, Ji Province will be in danger; leaving Shen Pei and the senior general Su You behind to hold Ji Province firmly, he leads a great army in person to Liyang to rescue Yuan Tan. Romance, Ch. 32 §12–13
This single line is the only place in the Romance where Su You's name appears. Later in the same chapter, when Yuan Shang again sets out to attack Yuan Tan at Pingyuan, those he leaves behind to hold Ji Province are Shen Pei and Chen Lin, and Su You's acting as an inside accomplice and his surrender are not depicted. Romance, Ch. 32 §13 · 32
Where the Romance differs
When he held Ye: In Chapter 32 of the Romance, Yuan Shang, going to rescue Yuan Tan at Liyang, leaves Shen Pei and Su You behind to hold Ji Province. In the Records, the one who held Ye when Yuan Shang went to help Yuan Tan at Liyang was Shen Pei, and it was in the 2nd month of the 9th year of Jian'an (204), when Yuan Shang again attacked Yuan Tan, that Su You held Ye together with Shen Pei. Romance, Ch. 32 §13Records, Wei 6 §61Records, Wei 1 §81
The defense during the attack on Pingyuan: In Chapter 32 of the Romance, those Yuan Shang leaves behind to hold Ji Province when he goes to attack Yuan Tan at Pingyuan are Shen Pei and Chen Lin. In the Records, those who held Ye at this time were Shen Pei and Su You. Romance, Ch. 32 §32Records, Wei 1 §81Records, Wei 6 §63
Inside accomplice and surrender: In the Records, when Taizu reached the Huan River, Su You tried to act as an inside accomplice, but his plan leaked out, and after fighting Shen Pei inside the city and being defeated, he left the city, fled to Taizu and surrendered. This episode does not appear in the Romance. Records, Wei 6 §63Records, Wei 1 §81Romance, Ch. 32 §13
Title: Chapter 32 of the Romance calls Su You a 'senior general'. Chen Shou's main text does not record his office. Romance, Ch. 32 §13Records, Wei 1 §81Records, Wei 6 §63
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 total366 / 1000Rank 810 of 996 · Top 82%Romance total389 / 1000Rank 596 of 1,113 · Top 54%
Romance adaptation index+23Romance total − Records total
- LEA3848+10
- STR4045+5
- INT3538+3
- POL3538+3
- CHA3838±0
- VIR2845+17
- ADP5540−15
- SCH3131±0
- DIP3333±0
- DIS3333±0
Abilities shaped by the Romance — where it differs from the Records Differences of 10 or more
RWhen Cao Cao reached the Huan River, left the city and went over to Cao CaoWei 6 §63Wei 1 §81
NNo direct record — estimated from his role as Yuan Shang's senior generalCh. 32 §13
RFought Shen Pei inside the city of Ye and was defeatedWei 6 §63
NNo direct record — held Ji Province with Shen Pei as a senior generalCh. 32 §13
7 similar abilities — show evidence
RNo direct record — estimated from his role as Yuan Shang's generalWei 6 §63
NNo direct record — estimated from his role as Yuan Shang's senior generalCh. 32 §13
RHis plan to act as an inside accomplice for Cao Cao leaked outWei 6 §63
NNo direct record — estimated from his role as Yuan Shang's senior generalCh. 32 §13
RNo direct record — estimated from his role as Yuan Shang's generalWei 6 §63
NNo direct record — estimated from his role as Yuan Shang's senior generalCh. 32 §13
RNo direct record — estimated from his role as Yuan Shang's generalWei 6 §63
NNo direct record — estimated from his role as Yuan Shang's senior generalCh. 32 §13
RNo direct record — estimated from his role as Yuan Shang's generalWei 6 §63
NNo direct record — estimated from his role as Yuan Shang's senior generalCh. 32 §13
RNo direct record — estimated from his role as Yuan Shang's generalWei 6 §63
NNo direct record — estimated from his role as Yuan Shang's senior generalCh. 32 §13
RNo direct record — estimated from his role as Yuan Shang's generalWei 6 §63
NNo direct record — estimated from his role as Yuan Shang's senior generalCh. 32 §13
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 (1)
AppearsNot present Chapter list →
Related events (1)
- Battle of Ye 204 · Command
Includes automatic matching from Wikipedia infoboxes and source keywords (unverified).