Xun Yu seemed gentle and approachable, and very easy to contact, yet his pride was almost etched into his bones, which was justified. As the world's top sage, he had the confidence and self-esteem to back it up.
Take Nanyang, for instance, touted as the richest place in the world. In reality, it couldn't actually support the massive number of troops under Cao Cao's command, but Xun Yu made it work. The reason was simple: drain the pond to catch all the fish, forget about the future, just empty Nanyang completely. It wouldn't recover its vital energy for ten years, and that's the essence of Cao Cao's rapid rise.
Xun Yu's approach was correct for the situation back then. Draining Nanyang dry, reclaiming Yanzhou through martial force, establishing military farms—all were part of the plan. From the start, Xun Yu wasn't focusing on Nanyang itself; he was using it as a stepping stone to take over Yongzhou.
