Ju Shou

Ju Shou (died 200) was an advisor serving under the warlord Yuan Shao in the late Eastern Han dynasty.

Life

Ju Shou first started his career as a local clerk under the Governor of Ji Province, Han Fu. In AD 191, Han Fu's former ally, Yuan Shao overtook Ji Province. Ju Shou was made the Army Controller to help keep the discipline of Yuan Shao's forces. Ju Shou was much involved in the war fought between Yuan Shao and the Yan Province warlord, Gongsun Zan.

However, Yuan Shao later grew weary of Ju Shao's suggestion, as they contradicted the advice of Guo Tu, who was a favorite of him. Prior to the Battle of Guandu, Ju Shou advised against having Yan Liang strike Cao Cao's forces at Boma and Yanjing (延津) based on the general's impetuousness. Yuan Shao ignored the advisor, resulting in a major defeat, in which Yan Liang was slain in battle. In Luo Guanzhong's historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Ju Shou advised Yuan Shao to kill Liu Bei (who was with Yuan at the time to avoid Cao Cao) since it is highly likely Liu was acting as a mole for Cao Cao as Liu Bei's general Guan Yu slew Yan Liang and Wen Chou. However Yuan Shao was tricked into thinking that an enemy general who resembled Guan Yu had slain his general and refused to execute Liu Bei.