Deep Roots and Secure Base, Receiving the Emperor
When Cao Cao, campaigning everywhere in his early years, had no secure footing, Xun Yu argued for "sinking deep roots and securing the base to master the realm," advising him first to consolidate the Yan province base, and then, against all opposition, urging him to receive the exiled Emperor Xian at Xuchang — "to serve the sovereign and thus follow the people’s hopes." This move gave Cao Cao the great political cause of "serving the emperor to command the unruly," one of the most crucial strategic decisions of his rise.
Opposing the Dukedom, Dying of Grief
In 212, when Cao Cao sought the title "Duke of Wei" and the Nine Bestowments — seen as a prelude to usurping the Han — Xun Yu opposed him to his face, holding that Cao Cao ought to "keep the sincerity of loyalty and the substance of deference," and that this betrayed his original purpose. Cao Cao grew estranged from him, and Xun Yu soon died at Shouchun; the Spring and Autumn of the House of Wei records that Cao Cao sent him an empty food box, hinting "decide for yourself," and Xun Yu took his own life in grief and rage — the lord he followed half his life became the one who drove him to death.