RNo direct record — estimated from his being stripped of his position by his nephew Gongsun YuanWei 3 §10
NProposed keeping the Yuans if Cao Cao's army came, and otherwise beheading them and presenting their headsCh. 33 §43
Gongsun Gong 公孫恭
| Occupation | RNRuler · Administrator of Liaodong | Faction | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appears | RN | Biography in | |
| Born | Native place | Liaodong Commandery Xiangping County Unverified | |
| Existence | Historical | Mentions | R6 |
Profile
Gongsun Gong was the son of Gongsun Du, Administrator of Liaodong, and the younger brother of Gongsun Kang. When Gongsun Du died in the 9th year of Jian'an (204) and Gongsun Kang succeeded to his position, he was enfeoffed as Marquis of Yongning District, and when Gongsun Kang died, his sons were all young, so the people set up Gongsun Gong as Administrator of Liaodong. He has no biography of his own in the Records; he appears in the records of Gongsun Du and Gongsun Yuan in the Biographies of the Two Gongsuns, Tao and the Four Zhangs (Records of Wei 8), in the Annals of Emperor Wen (Records of Wei 2) and the Annals of Emperor Ming (Records of Wei 3), and in the record of Guan Ning (管寧) in Records of Wei 11. Records, Wei 8 §40–41Records, Wei 2 §26Records, Wei 3 §10Records, Wei 11 §80
When Emperor Wen took the throne, Gongsun Gong was appointed General of Chariots and Cavalry with Provisional Credentials and enfeoffed as Marquis of Pingguo. However, an illness withered his genitals and made him a eunuch, and he was too weak to govern the state; in the 2nd year of Taihe (228) he was coerced by his elder brother's son Gongsun Yuan and stripped of his position. Chen Shou's main text does not record his later deeds or his death, and he does not appear in Chen Shou's assessment in Records of Wei 8. Records, Wei 8 §41 · 43 · 71Records, Wei 3 §10
In the Romance he first appears in Chapter 33 and appears in 2 of its 120 chapters, but his name is in no chapter title. In Chapter 33, when Yuan Xi and Yuan Shang come to seek refuge, he urges Gongsun Kang to lure them in, kill them and present their heads to Cao Cao, and in Chapter 106, as Gongsun Kang's younger brother, he succeeds to his post and is then stripped of his position by his nephew Gongsun Yuan. Romance, Ch. 33 §42–43Romance, Ch. 106 §1–2
In the Records
Gongsun Gong's father Gongsun Du, courtesy name Shengji, was originally a man of Xiangping in Liaodong. On the recommendation of Xu Rong, a man of the same commandery who had become Dong Zhuo's General of the Household, he became Administrator of Liaodong, and in the 1st year of Chuping (190), knowing that the central lands were in turmoil, he told the officials close to him that they should plan together for a royal enterprise. He then divided Liaodong Commandery to create the commanderies of Liaoxi and Zhongliao, and made himself Marquis of Liaodong and Governor of Ping Province. When Taizu memorialized to make Gongsun Du General of Martial Might and enfeoff him as Marquis of Yongning District, Gongsun Du said, 'I am king of Liaodong; what is this Yongning?' and stored the seal and ribbon in the arsenal. Records, Wei 8 §36–40
When Gongsun Du died, his son Gongsun Kang succeeded to his position, and the title of Marquis of Yongning District was conferred on Gongsun Kang's younger brother Gongsun Gong. Chen Shou recorded that this was the 9th year of Jian'an (204). In the 12th year of Jian'an (207), when Taizu campaigned against the Wuhuan, Yuan Shang and others fled to Liaodong, and Gongsun Kang cut off Yuan Shang's head and sent it on, for which he was enfeoffed as Marquis of Xiangping and appointed General of the Left. Records, Wei 8 §40–41
When Gongsun Kang died, his sons Gongsun Huang, Gongsun Yuan and others were all young, so the people set up Gongsun Gong as Administrator of Liaodong. When Emperor Wen took the throne, he sent an envoy to appoint Gongsun Gong on the spot as General of Chariots and Cavalry with Provisional Credentials and enfeoff him as Marquis of Pingguo, and posthumously granted Gongsun Kang the title of Grand Marshal. The Annals of Emperor Wen record that in the 3rd month of the 2nd year of Huangchu (221) the title of General of Chariots and Cavalry was added to the Administrator of Liaodong Gongsun Gong. Records, Wei 8 §41Records, Wei 2 §21 · 26
When the realm fell into great turmoil, Guan Ning (管寧), hearing that Gongsun Du's orders were obeyed even beyond the seas, had come to Liaodong. After Emperor Wen took the throne he summoned Guan Ning, and Guan Ning took his household across the sea and returned to his home commandery; Gongsun Gong saw him off as far as the southern suburbs and gave him clothing and goods as additional gifts. Ever since he had gone east, Guan Ning had accepted and stored away everything that Gongsun Du, Gongsun Kang and Gongsun Gong had given him in turn, and once he had crossed back west, he sealed it all up and sent it back. Records, Wei 11 §76 · 80
Earlier, an illness had withered Gongsun Gong's genitals and made him a eunuch, and he was too weak to govern the state. In the 2nd year of Taihe (228), when Gongsun Yuan coerced Gongsun Gong and seized his position, Emperor Ming at once appointed Gongsun Yuan General Who Displays Valor and Administrator of Liaodong. The Annals of Emperor Ming likewise record that when Gongsun Yuan, the son of the elder brother of the Administrator of Liaodong Gongsun Gong, seized Gongsun Gong's position, Gongsun Yuan was made acting Administrator of Liaodong. Records, Wei 8 §43Records, Wei 3 §7 · 10
Gongsun Yuan made himself King of Yan in the 1st year of Jingchu (237), and the following year, attacked by the Grand Commandant Sima Xuanwang (Sima Yi), he was beheaded together with his son Gongsun Xiu in the 8th month. Chen Shou recorded that from Gongsun Du's seizure of Liaodong in the 6th year of Zhongping (189) down to Gongsun Yuan, the house lasted three generations and was destroyed after fifty years in all. Chen Shou's main text does not record what became of Gongsun Gong after he was stripped of his position, or when he died. Records, Wei 8 §46–47 · 49–50 · 43
In his assessment in Records of Wei 8, Chen Shou said that Gongsun Du was cruel and tyrannical, without restraint, and that Gongsun Yuan, carrying on his enterprise, only added to its viciousness and overturned his own clan. Gongsun Gong does not appear in the assessment. Records, Wei 8 §71
In the Romance
In Chapter 33 of the Romance, when Yuan Xi and Yuan Shang flee to Liaodong with several thousand horsemen, the Administrator of Liaodong Gongsun Kang gathers the officials of his own command to discuss the matter. There Gongsun Gong says that while Yuan Shao was alive he always meant to swallow Liaodong, and that the two men, now with their armies defeated, their generals dead and nowhere to lodge, coming here to seek refuge is like a dove trying to seize a magpie's nest. If they are taken in, they will surely plot against us later, so it would be better to lure them into the city, kill them and present their heads to Lord Cao, who will surely treat us with great favor. Romance, Ch. 33 §42–43
When Gongsun Kang says that he fears Cao Cao may lead his army down on Liaodong and that it might be better to take the two Yuans in and have them help, Gongsun Gong proposes sending men to find out: if Cao Cao's army comes to attack, they should keep the two Yuans, and if it does not move, they should kill the two Yuans and send them to Lord Cao. Gongsun Kang follows his advice, and when he receives a report that Cao Cao's army is stationed at Yizhou with no intention of coming down on Liaodong, he hides axemen and has the two men beheaded, sending their heads to Cao Cao. Cao Cao enfeoffs Gongsun Kang as Marquis of Xiangping and General of the Left, and shows his officials that this has gone just as Guo Jia reckoned in the letter he left before he died. Romance, Ch. 33 §43–47
Chapter 106, relating Gongsun Yuan's background, states that when Gongsun Kang died his two sons Huang and Yuan were both young, so Gongsun Kang's younger brother Gongsun Gong succeeded to his post, and that under Cao Pi, Gongsun Gong was enfeoffed as General of Chariots and Cavalry and Marquis of Xiangping. In the 2nd year of Taihe (228), when Gongsun Yuan, grown up, accomplished in both letters and arms, and of a stubborn and quarrelsome nature, seizes the position of his uncle Gongsun Gong, Cao Rui enfeoffs Gongsun Yuan as General Who Displays Valor and Administrator of Liaodong. These two chapters are the only places where Gongsun Gong appears in the Romance. Romance, Ch. 106 §1–2
Where the Romance differs
Dealing with the Yuan brothers: In Chapter 33 of the Romance, Gongsun Gong proposes luring the two Yuans in and killing them, and Gongsun Kang follows his advice to deal with them after finding out what Cao Cao will do. The Annals of Emperor Wu in the Records say that Gongsun Kang beheaded Yuan Shang, Yuan Xi, Supuyan and others and sent their heads on, and the record of Gongsun Du in Records of Wei 8 likewise states only that Gongsun Kang cut off Yuan Shang's head and sent it on; Gongsun Gong does not appear in this affair. Romance, Ch. 33 §42–43Records, Wei 1 §101Records, Wei 8 §41
Titles: In Chapter 106 of the Romance, Gongsun Gong is enfeoffed as General of Chariots and Cavalry and Marquis of Xiangping under Cao Pi. In the Records, Gongsun Gong was enfeoffed as Marquis of Yongning District in the 9th year of Jian'an (204), and when Emperor Wen took the throne he was appointed General of Chariots and Cavalry with Provisional Credentials and enfeoffed as Marquis of Pingguo. Marquis of Xiangping was the title Gongsun Kang received in the Records. Romance, Ch. 106 §1Records, Wei 8 §40–41
How he succeeded: Chapter 106 of the Romance says only that because Gongsun Kang's sons were young, his younger brother Gongsun Gong succeeded to his post. In the Records, because Gongsun Kang's sons were all young, the people set up Gongsun Gong as Administrator of Liaodong. Romance, Ch. 106 §1Records, Wei 8 §41
Why he lost his position: Chapter 106 of the Romance says that Gongsun Yuan, grown up, accomplished in both letters and arms, and of a stubborn and quarrelsome nature, seized his uncle's position. The Records state that Gongsun Gong had been made a eunuch by illness and was too weak to govern the state, and that Gongsun Yuan coerced him and seized his position. Romance, Ch. 106 §2Records, Wei 8 §43
Guan Ning's return home: Chapter 66 of the Romance says only that Guan Ning (管寧) took refuge in Liaodong and lived there, never willing to serve Wei all his life, and Gongsun Gong does not appear. In the Records, when Emperor Wen summoned him, Guan Ning crossed the sea and returned to his home commandery, and Gongsun Gong saw him off as far as the southern suburbs and gave him clothing and goods as additional gifts. Romance, Ch. 66 §44Records, Wei 11 §80
Written by 3KDEX (not yet reviewed) — The tags at the end of each paragraph link to the exact passage in the Records volume or Romance chapter it is based on.
Abilities
The Records score (Chen Shou’s Records of the Three Kingdoms, main text) is the baseline. Each ability compares how the Romance redrew the same person, and the evidence from both sources explains the difference.
Records total411 / 1000Rank 541 of 996 · Top 55%Romance total443 / 1000Rank 264 of 1,113 · Top 24%
Romance adaptation index+32Romance total − Records total
- LEA4040±0
- STR3535±0
- INT4260+18
- POL4442−2
- CHA4040±0
- VIR5240−12
- ADP3866+28
- SCH4040±0
- DIP4242±0
- DIS3838±0
Abilities shaped by the Romance — where it differs from the Records Differences of 10 or more
RNo direct record — estimated from his post as Administrator of LiaodongWei 2 §26
NSaw through the designs of Yuan Xi and Yuan Shang, who had come intending to swallow LiaodongCh. 33 §42
RSaw Guan Ning off as far as the southern suburbs and gave him clothing and goodsWei 11 §80
NNo direct record — estimated from his proposing to behead the Yuans and present their headsCh. 33 §43
7 similar abilities — show evidence
RNo direct record — estimated from his posts as Administrator of Liaodong and General of Chariots and CavalryWei 2 §26
NNo direct record — estimated from his succeeding to Liaodong as Gongsun Kang's younger brotherCh. 33 §42
RNo direct record — estimated from his being Administrator of LiaodongWei 2 §26
NNo direct record — estimated from his being a member of the ruling house of LiaodongCh. 33 §42
RNo direct record — estimated from his post as Administrator of LiaodongWei 2 §26
NNo direct record — estimated from his succeeding Gongsun KangCh. 106 §1
RNo direct record — estimated from his post as Administrator of LiaodongWei 2 §26
NNo direct record — estimated from his succeeding to Liaodong as Gongsun Kang's younger brotherCh. 33 §42
RNo direct record — estimated from his post as Administrator of LiaodongWei 2 §26
NNo direct record — estimated from his succeeding to Liaodong as Gongsun Kang's younger brotherCh. 33 §42
RNo direct record — estimated from his post as Administrator of LiaodongWei 2 §26
NNo direct record — estimated from his succeeding to Liaodong as Gongsun Kang's younger brotherCh. 33 §42
RNo direct record — estimated from his post as Administrator of LiaodongWei 2 §26
NNo direct record — estimated from his succeeding to Liaodong as Gongsun Kang's younger brotherCh. 33 §42
Records Romance Unverified No direct record; scored from their actions (evidence grade C)
3KDEX scoring — the Records use the main text of Chen Shou’s Records of the Three Kingdoms; the Romance uses the 120-chapter Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Click a source tag to open that passage in the reader.
Romance chapters (2)
AppearsNot present Chapter list →
Allegiance history
- Gongsun Du faction (~228) · Records · 「眾立恭為遼東太守」 · 「淵脅奪恭位」(sgz-wei-08:s43)
Relations
- Gongsun Du faction Led by · Records
Family
| Siblings | Gongsun Kang Romance |
|---|
Based on Wikidata items for the historical and Romance figures. Relations without the Unverified badge were also confirmed in the Records.