荀彧是三国时代一个非常重要的人物，说他重要还不仅仅因为他为曹操平定中国北方做了多少多少贡献，而在于他的身份，他是什么身份呢？他出身士族，他是属于士族地主阶级的，他的祖父做过朗陵令，朗陵县令，他的父亲做过济南相，就是济南国的国相，他的叔叔位至三公，就是他的叔叔荀爽当过司空，所以荀彧这个家族是一个士族，荀彧本人是个名士。当时有一个著名的人物批评家叫做何颙的，何颙什么人？何颙南阳人，是当时名士集团的领袖，他和桥玄两个最早看好曹操的，何颙说荀彧是王佐才也，所以荀彧是士族兼名士。那么我们前面讲过，曹操建立的政权是非士族政权，曹操是对抗士族不喜欢名士的，比方说他杀孔融啊，杀边让啊，那么这样两个人怎么会合作呢？而且荀彧的重要还不光在于他的身份，还在于时机，就是荀彧去投奔曹操的时候是什么时候呢？是袁绍已经当了冀州牧，曹操是袁绍任命的一个东郡太守，打个比方说荀彧这个人从袁省长的手下跑到曹市长那儿去了，这个很奇怪，那么荀彧为什么要走呢？为什么要到曹操那儿去呢？《三国志》的说法是荀彧度绍终不能成大事，就是荀彧看透了袁绍是成不了大事的。那么我们要问荀彧的大事是什么呢？和诸葛亮一样兴复汉室，他就是要把东汉王朝重新恢复起来，那么荀彧要恢复东汉王朝为什么要去投奔曹操呢？因为荀彧认为要打鬼必须借助钟馗，现在鬼太多了，只有钟馗能打鬼，曹操就是钟馗，他想的是曹操把这个鬼打了以后，打完了以后这个东汉王朝恢复起来，交给汉皇帝，或者是汉献帝，或者是汉献帝的继承人，他万万没有想到这个钟馗在打鬼的过程中自己变鬼了，他要曹操奉天子以令不臣，他没有想到曹操变成挟天子以令诸侯了，他没有想到曹操最后要做魏公了，而荀彧认为曹操一旦做了魏公就意味着曹操要篡汉了。所以他只好痛苦的离开了曹操，至于是郁闷死的还是自杀死的，还是被曹操逼死的我认为已经不重要了，因为他们两个在政治上已经分道扬镖了，为什么会有这样一个结果呢？就因为荀彧和曹操都是有理想的人，他们的理想发生了冲突。荀彧的理想是恢复东汉的秩序，而曹操的是要重建新的秩序，一个不同于东汉秩序的秩序，要建立秩序、要统一中国这是一样的，问题是统一了以后走什么路？荀彧是想走东汉老路的，而曹操是想走一条新路的，而曹操为了实现自己的政治理想已经到了不择手段的地步，就是他属于这样的一种人物，所以这是一个悲剧性的冲突。所谓悲剧性的冲突一定是善的冲突，就是双方都有道理，放在一起是矛盾的，所以这是一场悲剧的冲突，最后是胳膊拧不过大腿，荀彧的胳膊拧不过曹操的大腿，曹操的胳膊拧不过士族地主阶级的大腿。等他死了以后他儿子马上就和士族地主阶级妥协了，历史又回到了士族阶级所希望的那个轨道上，从这个角度讲曹操也是悲剧人物。
画外音：曹操与荀彧之间有着难以调和的理想冲突，因为曹操想成就自己的霸业，而荀彧则一直以恢复汉室为己任。既然如此，两个最终分道扬镖则不可避免，东吴的孙权和鲁肃是目标一致的，鲁肃东吴版的隆中对也为孙权的霸业奠定了理论基础，但是孙权对鲁肃的评价却不是最高的，这是为什么呢？我们应该如何历史地看待孙权与鲁肃呢？
Xun Yu was a very important figure in the Three Kingdoms era. His importance is not only due to his contributions to Cao Cao’s pacification of northern China, but also due to his identity. What is his identity? He was born in a noble family, belonging to the gentry landlord class. His grandfather served as a Langling magistrate and a Langling county magistrate. His father served as a minister of Jinan, which was the state minister of the Jinan state. His uncle, who reached the rank of Sangong, was his uncle, Xun Shuang, who served as Sikong. Therefore, the Xunyu family is a noble family, and Xunyu himself is a famous scholar. At that time, there was a famous character and critic called He Yong, who was He Yong? He Yong, a native of Nanyang, was the leader of the famous scholar group at that time. He and Qiao Xuan were the first to value Cao Cao. He Yong said that Xunyu was Wang Zuocai, so Xunyu was a scholar and a famous scholar. As we mentioned earlier, the regime established by Cao Cao was a non aristocratic regime, and Cao Cao opposed the aristocratic regime and disliked famous scholars. For example, he killed Kong Rong and killed while making concessions. How could such two people cooperate? Moreover, the importance of Xunyu lies not only in his identity, but also in his timing. When did Xunyu go to join Cao Cao? It was Yuan Shao who had become a herdsman in Jizhou, and Cao Cao was a governor of Dongjun appointed by Yuan Shao. Let’s say that Xun Yu, a person who ran from the governor’s hand to Mayor Cao, was strange. So why did Xun Yu leave? Why go to Cao Cao’s place? According to the “Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms”, Xunyu Dushao could not achieve great things, which means Xunyu understood that Yuan Shao could not achieve great things. So what is the major event that we need to ask Xun Yu? Like Zhuge Liang, he was trying to restore the Eastern Han Dynasty. So why did Xunyu go to Cao Cao to restore the Eastern Han Dynasty? Because Xunyu believed that to fight ghosts, it was necessary to rely on Zhong Kui. There were too many ghosts now, and only Zhong Kui could fight ghosts. Cao Cao was Zhong Kui. He thought that after Cao Cao had beaten the ghost, the Eastern Han Dynasty would recover and hand it over to the Emperor of Han, either Emperor Xian of Han, or the successor of Emperor Xian of Han. He never imagined that Zhong Kui had changed his ghost during the process of fighting ghosts, and he wanted Cao Cao Cao to serve as the Son of Heaven to disobey him, “He didn’t expect that Cao Cao would become the prince of heaven to order the princes. He didn’t expect that Cao Cao would eventually become the Duke of Wei, and Xun Yu believed that once Cao Cao became the Duke of Wei, it would mean that Cao Cao would usurp the Han Dynasty.”. So he had to leave Cao Cao in pain. As for whether he died of depression or suicide, or was forced to die by Cao Cao, I don’t think it matters anymore, because the two of them have split up politically, so why did this result come about? Just because Xunyu and Cao Cao were both idealistic people, their ideals collided. Xunyu’s ideal was to restore order in the Eastern Han Dynasty, while Cao Cao’s goal was to rebuild a new order, which was different from the order in the Eastern Han Dynasty. It was the same to establish order and unify China. The question was what path to take after reunification? Xunyu wanted to follow the old path of the Eastern Han Dynasty, while Cao Cao wanted to follow a new path. Cao Cao had reached the point of unscrupulous means in order to achieve his political ideals. It was precisely he who belonged to such a character, so this was a tragic conflict. The so-called tragic conflict must be a conflict of good, that is, both sides have reasons, and when put together, it is contradictory. Therefore, this is a tragic conflict. Finally, the arm cannot twist the thigh, Xun Yu’s arm cannot twist the thigh of Cao Cao, and Cao Cao’s arm cannot twist the thigh of the aristocratic landlord class. After his death, his son immediately compromised with the aristocratic landlord class, and history returned to the track that the aristocratic class had hoped for. From this perspective, Cao Cao was also a tragic figure.
Voice over: There is an irreconcilable conflict of ideals between Cao Cao and Xun Yu, because Cao Cao wants to achieve his hegemony, while Xun Yu has always taken restoring the Han family as his own responsibility. Since this is the case, it is inevitable that the two ultimately split paths to raise darts. Sun Quan and Lu Su of the Eastern Wu Dynasty share the same goal. The Longzhong interpretation of Lu Su’s Eastern Wu version also laid the theoretical foundation for Sun Quan’s hegemony, but Sun Quan’s evaluation of Lu Su is not the highest. Why is this? How should we view Sun Quan and Lu Su historically?
