Gongsun Yue 公孫越
| Occupation | RGeneral | Faction | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appears | RN | Biography in | |
| Born | Native place | Liaoxi Commandery Lingzhi County Unverified | |
| Cause of death | RKilled in battle NKilled Unverified | ||
| Existence | Historical | Mentions | R2 |
Profile
Gongsun Yue was a younger cousin of Gongsun Zan. He has no biography of his own in the Records and appears twice in the account of Gongsun Zan in Records of Wei 8. Gongsun Zan had him lead 1,000 cavalry to Yuan Shu and so allied himself with Yuan Shu, and Yuan Shu sent him together with Sun Jian to attack Zhou Ang, who had seized Sun Jian's position on Yuan Shao's orders, but they did not prevail, and Gongsun Yue was struck by a stray arrow and died. Records, Wei 8 §11–12
Gongsun Zan, declaring that the disaster of his brother's death had arisen from Yuan Shao, sent out troops and stationed them at the Pan River. Chen Shou's main text did not record the year of his death. Records, Wei 8 §12
In the Romance he appears in Chapter 7 as Gongsun Zan's younger brother, and that is the only one of its 120 chapters in which he appears; he is not named in any chapter title. The Romance depicts him being killed by arrows from a band crying that they were household generals of Chancellor Dong, on his way back from going to Yuan Shao to propose dividing the land of Ji Province, and the fight in the chapter title, 'Yuan Shao Fights Gongsun at the Pan River', arises from that death. Romance, Ch. 7 §8–10
In the Records
When loyalist troops rose east of the passes, Dong Zhuo forced the emperor to move west. Liu Yu's son Liu He was a Palace Attendant in Chang'an, and the Son of Heaven, wishing to return east, secretly sent Liu He to Liu Yu to have him bring troops to escort him. On the way Liu He passed through Yuan Shu's territory and was detained; Yuan Shu promised to go west together with him once the troops arrived and had Liu He write a letter to Liu Yu. When Liu Yu was about to send several thousand cavalry to Liu He, Gongsun Zan, knowing that Yuan Shu had other designs, tried to stop him, but Liu Yu would not listen. Records, Wei 8 §9–10
Fearing that Yuan Shu would hear of this and resent him, Gongsun Zan for his part had his younger cousin Gongsun Yue lead 1,000 cavalry to Yuan Shu to ally himself with Yuan Shu, while secretly urging Yuan Shu to seize Liu He and take his troops. Because of this, the rift between Liu Yu and Gongsun Zan grew wider. Records, Wei 8 §11
At this time Yuan Shu had sent Sun Jian to garrison Yangcheng and hold off Dong Zhuo, but Yuan Shao had Zhou Ang seize that position. Yuan Shu sent Gongsun Yue together with Sun Jian to attack Zhou Ang, but they did not prevail, and Gongsun Yue was struck by a stray arrow and died. Chen Shou's main text did not record the year of his death. Records, Wei 8 §12
Gongsun Zan said in anger, 'The disaster of my brother's death arose from Yuan Shao,' and sent out troops and stationed them at the Pan River, intending to take revenge on Yuan Shao. Yuan Shao, afraid, gave the seal and ribbon of Administrator of Bohai that he himself wore to Gongsun Zan's younger cousin Gongsun Fan and sent him to Bohai Commandery, seeking to secure his support; Gongsun Fan used the troops of Bohai to help Gongsun Zan crush the Yellow Turbans of Qing and Xu Provinces, and Gongsun Zan's forces grew ever stronger, so that he advanced to Jieqiao. Records, Wei 8 §12
In the Romance
In Chapter 7 of the Romance, Yuan Shao, stationed at Henei and short of grain and fodder, followed the plan of his adviser Feng Ji and sent a letter to Gongsun Zan; seeing the proposal that they attack Ji Province together and divide its land equally, Gongsun Zan raised his troops that very day. Yuan Shao had someone secretly inform Han Fu, and Han Fu, after a flustered consultation with his advisers, invited Yuan Shao in, only to be stripped of all his power by Yuan Shao once he had entered Ji Province. Romance, Ch. 7 §2–5 · 7
Learning that Yuan Shao had already taken Ji Province, Gongsun Zan sent his younger brother Gongsun Yue to see Yuan Shao and propose dividing the land. Yuan Shao replied that Gongsun Yue should ask his elder brother to come in person, as he had matters to discuss with him. Gongsun Yue took his leave and set off back, but before he had gone fifty li a band of troops burst out from the roadside, crying that they were household generals of Chancellor Dong, and shot him dead with a hail of arrows. His attendants fled back and reported to Gongsun Zan that Gongsun Yue was dead. Romance, Ch. 7 §8
Gongsun Zan, in a great rage, declared that Yuan Shao had lured him into attacking Han Fu and then taken over in the midst of it, and now had shot his brother dead in the guise of Dong Zhuo's troops, and that he would avenge this wrong; he raised all the troops under his command and marched on Ji Province. The two armies met at the Pan River, and Gongsun Zan, standing on the bridge, denounced Yuan Shao as a man who had betrayed righteousness, but he was chased by Wen Chou and tumbled down a hillside; while a young general, Zhao Yun, who emerged from a grassy slope, fought Wen Chou, a relief force arrived and Gongsun Zan escaped the danger. Romance, Ch. 7 §9–13
Where the Romance differs
Relationship: Chapter 7 of the Romance records Gongsun Yue as Gongsun Zan's younger brother. The account of Gongsun Zan in the Records calls him a younger cousin, and Gongsun Zan, speaking of his death, calls him 'my brother'. Romance, Ch. 7 §8Records, Wei 8 §11–12
Where he was sent as envoy: In Chapter 7 of the Romance, Gongsun Yue goes to see Yuan Shao to propose dividing the land of Ji Province that Yuan Shao had taken. In the Records, Gongsun Zan, fearing to incur Yuan Shu's resentment, had him lead 1,000 cavalry to Yuan Shu and so allied himself with Yuan Shu, and there is no mention of Gongsun Yue going to see Yuan Shao. Romance, Ch. 7 §8Records, Wei 8 §11–12
His death: In the Romance, on his way back from seeing Yuan Shao, a band crying that they are household generals of Chancellor Dong bursts out from the roadside and shoots him dead with a hail of arrows. In the Records, Yuan Shu sent him together with Sun Jian to attack Zhou Ang, but they did not prevail, and he was struck by a stray arrow and died. Romance, Ch. 7 §8Records, Wei 8 §12
Yuan Shao's responsibility: In Chapter 7 of the Romance, Gongsun Zan rages that Yuan Shao shot his brother dead in the guise of Dong Zhuo's troops. In the Records, Gongsun Zan said that the disaster of his brother's death arose from Yuan Shao, but that fight came about because Yuan Shao had Zhou Ang seize the position at Yangcheng where Sun Jian was stationed, and there is no mention of Yuan Shao having Gongsun Yue killed. Romance, Ch. 7 §9Records, Wei 8 §12
After his death: In the Romance, Gongsun Zan raises all the troops under his command, marches on Ji Province and fights Yuan Shao at the bridge over the Pan River. In the Records, Gongsun Zan sent out troops and stationed them at the Pan River, intending to take revenge on Yuan Shao, and Yuan Shao, afraid, gave the seal and ribbon of Administrator of Bohai to Gongsun Zan's younger cousin Gongsun Fan, seeking to secure his support. Romance, Ch. 7 §9–10Records, Wei 8 §12
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.
- LEA4235−7
- STR3835−3
- INT3538+3
- POL3338+5
- CHA3540+5
- VIR4548+3
- ADP3538+3
- SCH3135+4
- DIP4540−5
- DIS3133+2
Abilities shaped by the Romance — where it differs from the Records Differences of 10 or more
No ability differs by 10 or more — the Romance portrays this person much as the Records do.
10 similar abilities — show evidence
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 (1)
AppearsNot present Chapter list →
Family
| Siblings | Gongsun Zan Romance |
|---|---|
| Relatives | Gongsun Zan Records |
Based on Wikidata items for the historical and Romance figures. Relations without the Unverified badge were also confirmed in the Records.
Related events (1)
- Battle of Yangcheng · Command
Includes automatic matching from Wikipedia infoboxes and source keywords (unverified).