Cao Cao’s giving Xun Yu an empty box does not exist in history, but there is such a plot in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. In the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Xun Yu received the empty box that Cao Cao gave him, and then committed suicide. People feel that Cao Cao sent an empty box and forced Xun Yu to death. There are still many people who make various guesses about Cao Cao’s sending the empty box. For example, they understand that there is no food, and some people even say that sending an empty box means sending a coffin. Because the Romance of the Three Kingdoms is to express that Cao Cao forced Xun Yu to death.
Actually, Cao Cao did not record in the official history that Cao Cao sent empty boxes to Xun Yu, although Cao Cao likes to give things to others for a certain purpose. For example, Cao Cao once sent Tai Shici a letter, letter. There is nothing written in it, only the medicine "Angelica". Tai Shici can definitely understand what it means. For example, Cao Cao gave Zhuge Liang five kilograms of chicken tongue fragrance. Chicken tongue fragrance is clove, a Shangshu of the Han Dynasty. Lang wanted to show off to the court with the fragrance of chicken tongue, which meant that Zhuge Liang was invited to the court as an official.
Regarding the origin of Cao Cao’s sending empty boxes to Xun Yu, it is recorded in "The Story of Xun Yu in the Later Han Dynasty":
Huinan Zheng Sunquan, please ask Yu Laojun Yu Xun, The emperor follows it. Until the end of the day, the sickness stays in the spring of life, the food that feeds, the vision is empty, so he drank medicine and died.
Here it is said that Cao Cao brought food to Xun Yu, but when he opened it, it was an empty container. There was no food in the food container. So Xun Yu killed himself after taking the poison, although he did not know what container he used as fashion food. It is estimated that it is more reasonable than shorting the box. This is why Cao Cao gave Xun Yu the empty box. In fact, it is an empty container for food. Empty container = empty box.
Cao Cao obviously sent food to Xun Yu to eat, but did not put any food in the container. Does the implication really drive Xun Yu to death?
may not be right, you must understand the cause and effect of this matter, and you can’t take it out of context. Xun Yu was originally a Shangshu decree of the Han court, and he intervened in the imperial court and rarely went out to fight with Cao Cao. This time, Xun Yu was called by Cao Cao to come to work, but he fell ill and stayed in Shouchun. Then it was Cao Cao who gave Xun Yu the empty container.
Why did Cao Cao call Xun Yu to work on the front line? "The Story of Xun Yu in the Later Han Dynasty" also remembered very clearly, because of a very important matter, at that time Dong Zhao wanted to persuade Cao Cao to call Wei Gong and add Jiuxi, and he visited Xun Yu secretly to inquire about Xun Yu’s attitude on the matter. At that time, Xun Yu said:
Cao Gongben prospered the righteous soldiers and used Kuang to revitalize the Han Dynasty. Although Xunyu worshipped it, he still held the festival of loyalty. It is not appropriate for a gentleman to love others with virtue.
Xun Yu rejected Dong Zhao’s advice that Cao Cao called Wei Gong when Cao Cao’s uprising was Kuang assisting the Han family. Cao Cao found it difficult to calm down after learning about it. You must know that Xun Yu was a firm supporter of Cao Cao’s early launching of an army. From joining Cao Cao in 191 AD to his death in 212 AD, the two have worked together for more than 20 years, knowing each other, and finally parted ways in front of the ultimate political ideal.
Xun Yu’s political ideal was Kuang to help the Han Dynasty, and Cao Cao’s political ideal was to build the Wei Dynasty to the Han Dynasty. There was a fundamental conflict between the two in politics, so Cao Cao would still use it as a book in the court. Ling's Xun Yu called out, and made a final test. Cao Cao likes to test them. All the monarchs like to test. Cao Cao deliberately didn't give Xun Yu any food. Instead, he gave Xun Yu the last one. opportunity.
Because in a sense, Cao Cao wanted to tell Xun Yu that your food was provided by Cao Cao, not by the Han Dynasty. Now I will give you an empty container. You will have no food to eat. Remember who is the one who will provide you with food. Now I will give you one last chance. I am only sending you an empty container. If you are smart, please ask Cao Cao for food and support my political ideals called Wei Gong If you can’t agree, then you Xun Yu will have no food for life. This is Cao Cao’s idea when giving empty containers to Xun Yu.
This is nothing more than probing Xun Yu's further actions, because Dong Zhao previously asked Xun Yu secretly about Cao Cao's name Wei Gong, but Cao Cao himself did not personally ask, so Cao Cao gave Xun Yu another one. Chances, as long as Xun Yu agrees, nothing will happen, and then Cao Cao will give a lot of foodTo Xun Yu, if you don’t agree, then I’m sorry, I don’t need you anymore. Cao Cao gave Xun Yu the choice of life and death. This is not Cao Cao forcing Xun Yu to die, but Xun Yu’s decision and choice. , Because Xun Yu has actually been living in contradiction.
Xun Yu was born in a large family of scholars and was a famous family in the late Eastern Han Dynasty. Xun Yu’s first major decision in life was to move the entire family to Hebei to avoid the war in the Central Plains. This was for the entire family. interest. At that time, the people in the Central Plains were displaced due to the war. Even large families would inevitably be looted by warlords. What the large families lack is force. Only by choosing a powerful force can they survive. This is Xun Yu seeking to protect the whole The power of the family.
Xun Yu's second major decision in life is to take refuge in Cao Cao. Moreover, it gave up Yuan Shao, who was still strong at the time, and turned to the weak Cao Cao. This is a choice to find potential stocks. Abandoning the strong and choosing the weak is something that most people cannot understand, but Xun Yu The reason for daring to do this is that Cao Cao and Xun Yu share the same ideals. In his early years, Cao Cao was definitely the person in the world who most wanted to rejuvenate the Han Dynasty. For this reason, Cao Cao punished corrupt officials, killed eunuchs, beat Dong Zhuo, and flattened the Yellow Turban. Not only from ideals, but also from actions, it can be seen that Cao Cao supported Han. , So Xun Yu chose Cao Cao because of the same ideals.
Xun Yu's third major decision in life is: Kuang Fu Han Room. Refuge with Cao Cao and Kuangfu Han room were the same in the early days, but as Cao Cao's power gradually became stronger, the differences between these two decisions became bigger and bigger. Xun Yu had been living in contradictions and couldn't get rid of it. Xun Yu's ideal is one To protect his family, the second is to help the Han family, but Cao Cao has become more and more ambitious, more disrespectful to the emperor, and gradually has the desire to represent the Han. Can a smart person like Xun Yu not see it? ?
of course can be seen, but what use is Xun Yu seeing that Cao Cao has the heart to usurp the throne? With Xun Yu’s power, it is impossible to influence Cao Cao’s ideals, nor can he change Cao Cao’s views. Now even his political ideals are far from Cao Cao’s. The break between Xun Yu and Cao Cao is separated by a layer of window paper, but there is no one. Temporarily pierced.
And this action of piercing the window paper was finally done by Cao Cao, which is the empty container. The last time Cao Cao forced Xun Yu to express his attitude, I would rather believe that Cao Cao did not kill. Xun Yu’s heart was unwilling to believe that Xun Yu’s death was caused by Cao Cao’s death. On the one hand, Xun Yu insisted on his own ideals, and on the other hand, he played against Cao Cao’s political ideals. Xun Yu wanted to ease the relationship between Cao Cao, the Han family, and his family. However, the contradiction has already deepened into the bones of the bone. This is not something Xun Yu can change.
If things go on like this, if Xun Yu does not make a break, he will be schizophrenic. He knows that this contradiction is irreconcilable, but Xun Yu is powerless, so when he sees the empty container, he feels that he should use himself The time had come for Xun Yu's death, so Xun Yu died. The "Three Kingdoms" says that Xun Yu died of illness, and the "Book of the Hou Han" said Xun Yu died after drinking poison. In fact, it was Xun Yu's suicide after all.
