【Jia Xu】

If you look at the entire Three Kingdoms era, Jia Xu is undoubtedly one of the top strategists, but only in the early period of Cao Wei, Jia Xu's importance is relatively limited, after all, Jia Xu took refuge in Cao Cao on the eve of Guandu, and Jia Xu was also the latest one to take refuge in Cao Cao among the five major strategists.

But that doesn't mean Jia Xu isn't important.

Jia Xu's defection to Cao Cao is different from Xun You, Guo Jia and others who surrender to Cao Cao, Xun You and Guo Jia were recommended to Cao Cao, and Jia Xu persuaded his monarch Zhang Xiu to return to Shun and join Cao Cao by the way, Jia Xu gave Cao Cao a big gift called Nanyang. At that time, Cao Cao was facing great pressure from Yuan Shao, and Xuchang was close to Nanyang, if Zhang Xiu took refuge in Yuan Shao's side at that time, the threat to Cao Cao's rear was huge, even if Zhang Xiu did not act, Cao Cao had to expend a lot of energy to prevent Zhang Xiu.

But all this Jia Xu didn't let it happen, under Jia Xu's persuasion, Zhang Xiu not only did not move closer to Yuan Shao, but took refuge in Cao Cao, so that Cao Cao solved a huge hidden danger in his rear without spending a single soldier. So after Cao Cao knew, he even once elected Jia Xu as the pastor of Jizhou.

On the occasion of the decisive battle with Yuan Shao, Cao Cao asked Jia Xu for his plan, and Jia Xu said: "You are better than Yuan Shao in four aspects: shrewdness, bravery, employment, and determination. Later, Jia Xu and Xun You worked together to persuade Cao Cao to obey Xu You's strategy to attack the black nest, and Cao Cao finally won the victory in this key battle.

On the whole, Jia Xu was not very active compared with the other four strategists in the early stage of Cao Wei, and if he wanted to rank the five major strategists in the early stage of Cao Wei, Jia Xu could only be at the bottom with Guo Jia.

【Cheng Yu】

When it comes to foresight among Cao Cao's advisors, people often think of Guo Jia, who predicted Sun Ce's death, and Xun Yu, who judged Yuan Shao's command, but in fact, Cheng Yu was not inferior in this regard.

Cheng Yu had already gained a reputation in Yanzhou long before he defected to Cao Cao, and Liu Dai, the assassin of Yanzhou, recruited him at that time, but Cheng Yu did not agree. Before the Battle of Jieqiao, Liu Dai had to stand between Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zhan, he couldn't make a decision for days, and had to ask Cheng Yu for advice, Cheng Yu expected Gongsun Zhan to lose to Yuan Shao, thinking that Liu Dai should stand on Yuan Shao's side, and the situation was as expected.

After Cao Cao took control of Yanzhou, he summoned Cheng Yu, Cheng Yu agreed, others asked him why, Cheng Yu just smiled and said nothing, it seems that it is self-evident who should be chosen between Liu Dai and Cao Cao in later generations, but at that time, Liu Dai was a legitimate Yanzhou assassin and a relative of the emperor, and Cao Cao's Yanzhou pastor was only self-appointed, and Liu Dai's accuracy of seeing people can be seen.

There are more gods in the back, although Liu Bei inherited Tao Qian's Xuzhou before Jian'an, and also served as a prince, but his personal record is really average, and he did not see any very outstanding political achievements during the management of Xuzhou, and was later driven out of Xuzhou by Lu Bu in embarrassment. But such a person was regarded as a major threat by Cheng Yu, and in the Cao Wei Group in history, Cheng Yu was also the first man to regard Liu Bei as a direct threat. It's a pity that Cheng Yu persuaded Cao Cao to dispose of Liu Bei at that time, Cao Cao didn't listen, and later let the tiger return to the mountain to let Liu Bei return to Xuzhou.

If Cao Cao had gotten rid of Liu Bei at that time, then no one might have been able to stop him from dominating the world later.

In the battle of Yanzhou, which was the most dangerous for Cao Cao, Cheng Yu's performance was also very crucial. At that time, Yanzhou had basically fallen, leaving only Juancheng, Fanxian, and Dong'e counties, and Xun Yu had to sit in Juancheng, Cheng Yu was ordered to lobby Dong'e and Fan counties in danger, and successfully persuaded Jin Yun to order Dong'e County, and killed Lu Bu's envoy Fan Ling, and then sent a cavalry to occupy Cangtingjin, and Chen Gongjun could not cross. Before Cao Cao's return, the three counties were preserved, and Cheng Yu had a great contribution.

Then Cao Cao and Lu Bu started a big war in Yanzhou, the situation was very unfavorable for Cao Cao at one time, Cao Cao was ready to give up Yanzhou to join Yuan Shao, at this time it was Cheng Yu who persuaded Cao Cao, it can be said that without Cheng Yu, the outcome of the battle of Yanzhou would be rewritten, and Cao Cao may not have such a brilliant future later.

At the same time, Cheng Yu is also a talent who can be independent, with considerable military talent, during the Jian'an period, Cheng Yu was originally appointed as a scholar, but Yanzhou has not yet been appeased, so Cheng Yu is the general of Dongzhonglang, leading Jiyin Taishou, and supervising Yanzhou affairs. Later, Cheng Yu was promoted to the general of Zhenwei, 700 soldiers guarded Juancheng, in the face of Yuan Shao's army of more than 100,000, Cheng Yu not only did not ask Cao Cao for help, but refused Cao Cao's reinforcements, and finally succeeded in defending Juancheng.

In the eighth year of Jian'an (203), Cao Cao attacked Liyang, Cheng Yu led the army to join Cao Cao, and was later sent by Cao Cao to dredge the waterways and break the Wei County Taishou Gaofan.

In the ranking of the five strategists in the early stage of Cao Wei, if it weren't for Xun You's extra points in the crucial Battle of Guandu, Cheng Yu would probably have to rank ahead of Xun You.

【Qualifying】

Since it is compared to the ranking of Cao Wei in the early stage, it mainly depends on the contribution of the strategists to the Cao Wei group, and the time is also limited to the second year of Chuping (191) to the thirteenth year of Jian'an (208).

On the eve of the Battle of Chibi, Xun Yu did not accept the appointment of the third duke, so his official position was still Shang Shuling, and the title was Long Live Pavilion Marquis, with 2,000 households; Xun You is the middle military division, the title is the Marquis of Lingshu Pavilion, and there are 700 households; Guo Jia's official position has not changed, he still serves as a military advisor and sacrificial wine, and his title is the Marquis of Weiyang Pavilion, with 200 households before his death, and 800 households added by Cao Cao after his death, a total of 1,000 households; Cheng Yu's official position at that time had been promoted to General Fenwu, and his title was Marquis of Anguo Pavilion, and the food should have been five hundred households at that time; Jia Xu was originally Cao Cao as the ruling Jinwu, the capital of the pavilion marquis, moved to Jizhou pastor, but because Jizhou was occupied by Yuan Shao at that time, so he stayed in the Sikong military, and later Cao Cao led Jizhou pastoral, so he moved Jia Xu to Taizhong doctor, at that time Jia Xu's food was 500 households or less.

On the whole, there is no dispute that Xun Yu is the first, and there is no problem for Xun Yu to rank second because of his outstanding performance in the decisive battle of Guandu, because Xun You has already occupied the second, Cheng Yu can only rank third. As for Jia Xu, in a sense, this ranking is not very fair to Jia Xu, because it does not include the performance of Cao Wei and the time is relatively small, Jia Xu is not very active in this time period, but after all, it is the top five strategists in the early stage of Cao Wei, not the five great strategists in the entire Three Kingdoms era.

So Jia Xu can only be at the bottom with Guo Jia, as for the two of them, which is four and who is five, this is not of great significance, but because the plans of the other four strategists are mainly in this time period, Jia Xu is relatively not very active in the early stage of Cao Wei, so it is more appropriate to rank Jia Xu fifth.