Guo Jia
Encyclopedia
Guo Jia was a strategist and advisor to the warlord Cao Cao
during the late Han Dynasty
period of Chinese history
. During his 11 years of service, Guo Jia's brilliance greatly aided Cao Cao in his victories over rival warlords Lü Bu
and Yuan Shao
, as well as chief of the Wuhuan tribe
, Tadun. As a result, he was one of the most trusted and favored subjects of Cao Cao.
, Henan
). He initially sought a position under Yuan Shao, the most powerful warlord in northern China at that time. However, he judged Yuan Shao to be an indecisive man who did not know how to fully make use of talented people. Thinking that Yuan Shao had little hope of achieving great things, Guo Jia left his service.
In 196, Guo Jia was recommended to Cao Cao by Xun Yu
. After a discussion about the state of China at that time, both found each other likable. Cao Cao then made Guo Jia his military advisor.
During the campaign against Lü Bu
in 198, Cao Cao's force won three consecutive battles, forcing his enemy to retreat and fortify itself within the city of Xiapi. By then Cao Cao's troops were exhausted from fighting, and he intended to withdraw. However, Guo Jia persuaded Cao Cao to press on and not give Lü Bu time to recuperate. Cao Cao took the advice and ultimately prevailed against his opponent.
In 200, Cao Cao confronted Yuan Shao's forces at the Battle of Guandu
, leaving his base city Xuchang
sparsely guarded. Seeing this opportunity, Sun Ce
, a warlord in the south, planned to move north and attack Xuchang. Everyone despaired at the news, but Guo Jia foretold that Sun Ce, being proud and impulsive, would be killed by his own people before reaching Xuchang. True to his prediction, Sun Ce was assassinated before he could even cross the Yangtze River
. Cao Cao then scored a great victory against Yuan Shao, solidifying his position as the strongest warlord in the north.
After losing the Battle of Guandu, Yuan Shao soon died. His legacy was contested between two of his sons, Yuan Tan
and Yuan Shang
. Many urged Cao Cao to seize the opportunity to root out the heirs. However, Guo Jia advised Cao Cao to turn his attention south to attack Liu Biao
in Jing Province and let the brothers destroy themselves in battle with each other.
Cao Cao accepted Guo Jia's counsel and prepared for a campaign against Liu Biao. The Yuan brothers did indeed wear themselves out, resulting in the overmatched Yuan Tan seeking Cao Cao's aid. Cao Cao moved his force north again and easily defeated Yuan Shang, who escaped to Tadun, chief of the Wuhuan tribes. Cao Cao then conquered Yuan Tan in Nanpi and took control of Ji Province.
At this time, Cao Cao intended to launch an expedition deep into the north to eradicate Yuan Shang and the Wuhuan tribes, but many feared that Liu Biao would attack from the south. Guo Jia encouraged Cao Cao to quickly take up the expedition to prevent a resurgence of Yuan Shang's power. Under Guo Jia's counsel, the army travelled light, leaving behind the bulk of supplies. The resulting swift strike caught the Wuhuan unprepared in the Battle of White Wolf Mountain
. Tadun was killed and Yuan Shang went into exile in present-day Heilongjiang
and Jilin
.
Guo Jia died of a sickness in 207 at the young age of 37. He was conferred the posthumous title of "Marquis Zhen" (贞侯). A year later, after Cao Cao was defeated at the Battle of Red Cliffs
, he lamented, "If Fengxiao (Guo Jia's style name) were alive, I would not be in this state."
in Koei's Dynasty Warriors
video game series. He also appears in Koei's Dynasty Tactics
and Romance of the Three Kingdoms
series.
Cao Cao
Cao Cao was a warlord and the penultimate chancellor of the Eastern Han Dynasty who rose to great power during the dynasty's final years. As one of the central figures of the Three Kingdoms period, he laid the foundations for what was to become the state of Cao Wei and was posthumously titled...
during the late Han Dynasty
Han 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...
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...
. During his 11 years of service, Guo Jia's brilliance greatly aided Cao Cao in his victories over rival warlords Lü Bu
Lü Bu
Lü Bu was a military general and later a minor warlord during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. According to the Records of Three Kingdoms, Lü Bu was highly-skilled in horse-riding and archery, and was thus nicknamed "Flying General"...
and Yuan Shao
Yuan Shao
Yuan Shao was a warlord during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. He occupied the northern territories of China during the civil war that occurred towards the end of the Han Dynasty and the beginning of the Three Kingdoms era...
, as well as chief of the Wuhuan tribe
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....
, Tadun. As a result, he was one of the most trusted and favored subjects of Cao Cao.
Biography
Guo Jia was born in the county of Yangdi (present-day YuzhouYuzhou
Yuzhou is a county-level city in Xuchang, central Henan province in the People's Republic of China...
, Henan
Henan
Henan , is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the central part of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "豫" , named after Yuzhou , a Han Dynasty state that included parts of Henan...
). He initially sought a position under Yuan Shao, the most powerful warlord in northern China at that time. However, he judged Yuan Shao to be an indecisive man who did not know how to fully make use of talented people. Thinking that Yuan Shao had little hope of achieving great things, Guo Jia left his service.
In 196, Guo Jia was recommended to Cao Cao by Xun Yu
Xun Yu
Xun Yu was a strategist and statesman who served as an advisor to the warlord Cao Cao during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history.-Early life:...
. After a discussion about the state of China at that time, both found each other likable. Cao Cao then made Guo Jia his military advisor.
During the campaign against Lü Bu
Battle of Xiapi
The Battle of Xiapi was a battle fought by the forces of Lü Bu against the allied armies of Cao Cao and Liu Bei in 198 during the prelude to the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history...
in 198, Cao Cao's force won three consecutive battles, forcing his enemy to retreat and fortify itself within the city of Xiapi. By then Cao Cao's troops were exhausted from fighting, and he intended to withdraw. However, Guo Jia persuaded Cao Cao to press on and not give Lü Bu time to recuperate. Cao Cao took the advice and ultimately prevailed against his opponent.
In 200, Cao Cao confronted Yuan Shao's forces at the Battle of Guandu
Battle of Guandu
The Battle of Guandu was a military conflict between the warlords Cao Cao and Yuan Shao in 200 during the prelude to the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. The battle, which concluded with victory for Cao Cao, was a turning point in the war between the two warlords...
, leaving his base city Xuchang
Xuchang
Xuchang is a prefecture-level city in central Henan province in Central China. It borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the northwest, Kaifeng to the northeast, Zhoukou to the east, Luohe to the southeast, and Pingdingshan to the southwest....
sparsely guarded. Seeing this opportunity, Sun Ce
Sun Ce
Sun Ce was a military general and warlord during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. He was the oldest of the children of Sun Jian who was killed during the Battle of Xiangyang when Sun Ce was only 16. Sun Ce then broke away from his father's overlord, Yuan Shu, and headed to...
, a warlord in the south, planned to move north and attack Xuchang. Everyone despaired at the news, but Guo Jia foretold that Sun Ce, being proud and impulsive, would be killed by his own people before reaching Xuchang. True to his prediction, Sun Ce was assassinated before he could even cross the Yangtze River
Yangtze River
The Yangtze, Yangzi or Cháng Jiāng is the longest river in Asia, and the third-longest in the world. It flows for from the glaciers on the Tibetan Plateau in Qinghai eastward across southwest, central and eastern China before emptying into the East China Sea at Shanghai. It is also one of the...
. Cao Cao then scored a great victory against Yuan Shao, solidifying his position as the strongest warlord in the north.
After losing the Battle of Guandu, Yuan Shao soon died. His legacy was contested between two of his sons, Yuan Tan
Yuan Tan
Yuan Tan was the oldest son of the warlord Yuan Shao during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. After Yuan Shao's death, Yuan Tan split with his youngest brother Yuan Shang over the successorship to their father's realm. Yuan Tan sought help from the warlord Cao Cao and defeated Yuan...
and Yuan Shang
Yuán Shàng
Yuan Shang , style name Xianfu , was a warlord during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. He was the third son of the warlord Yuan Shao, and succeeded his father...
. Many urged Cao Cao to seize the opportunity to root out the heirs. However, Guo Jia advised Cao Cao to turn his attention south to attack Liu Biao
Liu Biao
Liu Biao , style name Jingsheng , was a warlord and the governor of Jing Province during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. He was a member of the extended family of the Han Dynasty emperors...
in Jing Province and let the brothers destroy themselves in battle with each other.
Cao Cao accepted Guo Jia's counsel and prepared for a campaign against Liu Biao. The Yuan brothers did indeed wear themselves out, resulting in the overmatched Yuan Tan seeking Cao Cao's aid. Cao Cao moved his force north again and easily defeated Yuan Shang, who escaped to Tadun, chief of the Wuhuan tribes. Cao Cao then conquered Yuan Tan in Nanpi and took control of Ji Province.
At this time, Cao Cao intended to launch an expedition deep into the north to eradicate Yuan Shang and the Wuhuan tribes, but many feared that Liu Biao would attack from the south. Guo Jia encouraged Cao Cao to quickly take up the expedition to prevent a resurgence of Yuan Shang's power. Under Guo Jia's counsel, the army travelled light, leaving behind the bulk of supplies. The resulting swift strike caught the Wuhuan unprepared in the Battle of White Wolf Mountain
Battle of White Wolf Mountain
The Battle of White Wolf Mountain was a battle fought in 207 during the prelude to the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. The battle took place in northern China, beyond the frontiers of the ruling Later Han Dynasty. It was fought between the warlord Cao Cao and the nomadic Wuhuan tribes,...
. Tadun was killed and Yuan Shang went into exile in present-day Heilongjiang
Heilongjiang
For the river known in Mandarin as Heilong Jiang, see Amur River' is a province of the People's Republic of China located in the northeastern part of the country. "Heilongjiang" literally means Black Dragon River, which is the Chinese name for the Amur. The one-character abbreviation is 黑...
and Jilin
Jilin
Jilin , is a province of the People's Republic of China located in the northeastern part of the country. Jilin borders North Korea and Russia to the east, Heilongjiang to the north, Liaoning to the south, and Inner Mongolia to the west...
.
Guo Jia died of a sickness in 207 at the young age of 37. He was conferred the posthumous title of "Marquis Zhen" (贞侯). A year later, after Cao Cao was defeated at the Battle of Red Cliffs
Battle of Red Cliffs
The Battle of Red Cliffs, otherwise known as the Battle of Chibi, was a decisive battle at the end of the Han Dynasty, immediately prior to the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. It was fought in the winter of 208/9 AD between the allied forces of the southern warlords Liu Bei and Sun Quan...
, he lamented, "If Fengxiao (Guo Jia's style name) were alive, I would not be in this state."
Family
- Son: Guo YiGuo YiGuo Yi, style name Boyi , was a minister of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. He was also a son of Guo Jia....
, inherited the title "Marquis Zhen", served as Crown Prince's Tutor in Wei
- Grandsons:
- Guo Shen (郭深), Guo Yi's son, inherited the title "Marquis Zhen"
- Guo Chang (郭敞), served as Cavalry Attendant
- Great-grandson: Guo Lie (郭獵), Guo Shen's son, inherited the title "Marquis Zhen"
Appointments and titles held
- Libationer of the Excellency of Works' Army (司空軍祭酒)
- Marquis of Weiyang (洧陽亭侯)
- Marquis Zhen (貞侯) - granted to Guo Jia posthumously
Modern references
Guo Jia is first introduced as a playable character in the Xtreme Legends version of the seventh installmentDynasty Warriors 7
is a hack and slash video game and the seventh official installment of the Dynasty Warriors series. It is developed by Omega Force and published by Koei. The game has been confirmed to be PS3 exclusive in Japan. The story is based on Luo Guanzhong's historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms....
in Koei's Dynasty Warriors
Dynasty Warriors
is a series of tactical action video games created by Omega Force and Koei. The award-winning series is a spin-off of Koei's turn-based strategy Romance of the Three Kingdoms series, based loosely around the Chinese classical novel of the same name. The first game titled Dynasty Warriors,...
video game series. He also appears in Koei's Dynasty Tactics
Dynasty Tactics
is a series of strategy games for the Sony PlayStation 2. The titles are set in the same time-period as several of Koei's other series, including the action-oriented Dynasty Warriors series and the strategy Romance of the Three Kingdoms series...
and Romance of the Three Kingdoms
Romance of the Three Kingdoms (video game series)
, or Sangokushi in Japanese, is a series of turn-based tactical role-playing simulation grand strategy wargames produced by Koei. Originating from Japan in 1985, eleven installments of the game have been published in Japan, Korea, Taiwan, China and North America to date.-Overview:The games are...
series.