Gongsun Yuan
Encyclopedia
Gongsun Yuan style name
Wenyi (文懿), was a warlord and vassal of the state of Cao Wei
during the Three Kingdoms
period of Chinese history
.
warlord Gongsun Kang
, who controlled Liaodong, Xuantu, Lelang and Daifang commanderies. Gongsun Kang became a vassal of the state of Cao Wei
during the Three Kingdoms
period. After Gongsun Kang's death, his younger brother Gongsun Gong
succeeded him. In 228, Gongsun Yuan took control of the territories from his uncle Gongsun Gong.
Although Gongsun Yuan was nominally a vassal of the Cao Wei state, he considered switching allegiance to Cao Wei's rival Eastern Wu
. Gongsun eventually yielded under pressure from the Cao Wei emperor Cao Rui
. He killed the Eastern Wu delegates but some of them fled to Goguryeo
. Eastern Wu attempted to ally with Goguryeo to launch a pincer attack on Gongsun, but Goguryeo eventually sided with Cao Wei as well.
In 237, Cao Rui felt insecure about Gongsun's influence in the northeast, so he sent Guanqiu Jian
to lead an army of Chinese, Wuhuan
and Xianbei
troops to attack Gongsun, but the campaign was aborted due to floods. Gongsun proclaimed himself King of Yan (燕) and concluded an alliance with Eastern Wu. The following year, Sima Yi
and Guanqiu Jian led a campaign
against Gongsun. Gongsun was defeated and killed while his clan was exterminated. As a consequence, Liaodong and present-day northwest Korea became part of Cao Wei's territories.
Chinese style name
A Chinese style name, sometimes also known as a courtesy name , is a given name to be used later in life. After 20 years of age, the zì is assigned in place of one's given name as a symbol of adulthood and respect...
Wenyi (文懿), was a warlord and vassal of the state of Cao Wei
Cao Wei
Cao Wei was one of the states that competed for control of China during the Three Kingdoms period. With the capital at Luoyang, the state was established by Cao Pi in 220, based upon the foundations that his father Cao Cao laid...
during the Three Kingdoms
Three Kingdoms
The Three Kingdoms period was a period in Chinese history, part of an era of disunity called the "Six Dynasties" following immediately the loss of de facto power of the Han Dynasty rulers. In a strict academic sense it refers to the period between the foundation of the state of Wei in 220 and the...
period of Chinese history
History of China
Chinese civilization originated in various regional centers along both the Yellow River and the Yangtze River valleys in the Neolithic era, but the Yellow River is said to be the Cradle of Chinese Civilization. With thousands of years of continuous history, China is one of the world's oldest...
.
Biography
Gongsun Yuan was the son of the Han DynastyHan Dynasty
The Han Dynasty was the second imperial dynasty of China, preceded by the Qin Dynasty and succeeded by the Three Kingdoms . It was founded by the rebel leader Liu Bang, known posthumously as Emperor Gaozu of Han. It was briefly interrupted by the Xin Dynasty of the former regent Wang Mang...
warlord Gongsun Kang
Gongsun Kang
Gongsun Kang was a warlord during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. He became a vassal of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period.-Biography:...
, who controlled Liaodong, Xuantu, Lelang and Daifang commanderies. Gongsun Kang became a vassal of the state of Cao Wei
Cao Wei
Cao Wei was one of the states that competed for control of China during the Three Kingdoms period. With the capital at Luoyang, the state was established by Cao Pi in 220, based upon the foundations that his father Cao Cao laid...
during the Three Kingdoms
Three Kingdoms
The Three Kingdoms period was a period in Chinese history, part of an era of disunity called the "Six Dynasties" following immediately the loss of de facto power of the Han Dynasty rulers. In a strict academic sense it refers to the period between the foundation of the state of Wei in 220 and the...
period. After Gongsun Kang's death, his younger brother Gongsun Gong
Gongsun Gong
Gongsun Gong was a minor warlord during the late Han Dynasty and Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. He was the younger brother of Gongsun Kang and son of Gongsun Du. Gongsun Gong advised his brother to kill Yuan Xi and Yuan Shang and deliver their heads to Cao Cao. After the death of Gongsun...
succeeded him. In 228, Gongsun Yuan took control of the territories from his uncle Gongsun Gong.
Although Gongsun Yuan was nominally a vassal of the Cao Wei state, he considered switching allegiance to Cao Wei's rival Eastern Wu
Eastern Wu
Eastern Wu, also known as Sun Wu, was one the three states competing for control of China during the Three Kingdoms period after the fall of the Han Dynasty. It was based in the Jiangnan region of China...
. Gongsun eventually yielded under pressure from the Cao Wei emperor Cao Rui
Cao Rui
Cao Rui , formally known as Emperor Ming of Wei, was the second emperor of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. He was a son of Cao Wei's first emperor Cao Pi according to Liu Song dynasty historian, Pei Songzhi, but was a son of Yuan Xi according to modern...
. He killed the Eastern Wu delegates but some of them fled to Goguryeo
Goguryeo
Goguryeo or Koguryŏ was an ancient Korean kingdom located in present day northern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula, southern Manchuria, and southern Russian Maritime province....
. Eastern Wu attempted to ally with Goguryeo to launch a pincer attack on Gongsun, but Goguryeo eventually sided with Cao Wei as well.
In 237, Cao Rui felt insecure about Gongsun's influence in the northeast, so he sent Guanqiu Jian
Guanqiu Jian
Guanqiu Jian , style name Zhonggong , was a military general of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history.-Biography:...
to lead an army of Chinese, Wuhuan
Wuhuan
The Wuhuan were a proto-Mongolic nomadic people who inhabited northern China, in what is now the provinces of Hebei, Liaoning, Shanxi, the municipality of Beijing and the autonomous region of Inner Mongolia....
and Xianbei
Xianbei
The Xianbei were a significant Mongolic nomadic people residing in Manchuria, Inner Mongolia and eastern Mongolia. The title “Khan” was first used among the Xianbei.-Origins:...
troops to attack Gongsun, but the campaign was aborted due to floods. Gongsun proclaimed himself King of Yan (燕) and concluded an alliance with Eastern Wu. The following year, Sima Yi
Sima Yi
Sima Yi was a general and politician of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history. He is perhaps best known for defending Wei from Zhuge Liang's Northern Expeditions...
and Guanqiu Jian led a campaign
Sima Yi's Liaodong campaign
Sima Yi's Liaodong campaign occurred in 238 during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. Sima Yi, a general of the state of Cao Wei, led a force of 40,000 troops to attack the warlord Gongsun Yuan, whose clan had ruled independently from the central government for three generations in the...
against Gongsun. Gongsun was defeated and killed while his clan was exterminated. As a consequence, Liaodong and present-day northwest Korea became part of Cao Wei's territories.
See also
- List of people of the Three Kingdoms