Gongsun Du faction 公孫度

Gongsun Du was originally a native of Xiangping in Liaodong; starting as a minor official of Xuantu Commandery, he served as Gentleman of the Imperial Secretariat and became Inspector of Ji Province, but was dismissed because of slanderous rumors. Xu Rong, a man of the same commandery, became Dong Zhuo's General of the Household and recommended him as Administrator of Liaodong. Looked down on by the people of Liaodong Commandery because he had risen from a minor official of Xuantu, Gongsun Du, on taking office, seized Gongsun Zhao, the acting Prefect of Xiangping, who had earlier summoned his son Gongsun Kang to serve as a squad leader, and had him flogged to death in the marketplace of Xiangping. He also had Tian Shao and other prominent powerful families who had formerly treated him without kindness put to death under the law, so that more than a hundred households were exterminated and the whole commandery trembled. Records, Wei 8 §36–37

Gongsun Du attacked Goguryeo to the east and the Wuhuan to the west, making his authority felt beyond the seas. The Biographies of the Wuhuan, Xianbei and Eastern Yi record that as Gongsun Du's power grew great east of the sea, Weiqiutai, king of Fuyu, which had originally belonged to Xuantu, switched his allegiance to Liaodong, and that Gongsun Du married a daughter of his clan into Fuyu, which lay between Goguryeo and the Xianbei. Bogu, king of Goguryeo, also sent the dajia Youju and others to help Gongsun Du defeat the bandits of Fushan. Records, Wei 8 §37Records, Wei 30 §40 · 55

In the 1st year of Chuping (190), knowing that the central lands were in turmoil, Gongsun Du said to the officials close to him, 'The Han's fortune is about to end; I must plan a royal enterprise together with you gentlemen.' At this time a great stone appeared at the shrine of the earth god in Yan Village of Xiangping, supported like feet by three small stones, and someone interpreted it as an auspicious sign that he would hold territory with the Three Excellencies assisting him; Gongsun Du was all the more pleased. When Li Min, former Administrator of Henei and well known in the commandery, who detested his conduct, took his family and went to sea, Gongsun Du dug up the grave of Li Min's father, burned the corpse and killed his kinsmen. Records, Wei 8 §38–39

Gongsun Du divided Liaodong Commandery to create Liaoxi and Zhongliao Commanderies with Administrators of their own, and crossed the sea to take the counties of Donglai, setting up an Inspector of Ying Province. He made himself Marquis of Liaodong and Governor of Ping Province, posthumously enfeoffed his father as Marquis of Jianyi and set up temples to the two founding emperors of the Han. Claiming to act on the emperor's authority, he built an altar south of the city of Xiangping and performed the suburban sacrifices to Heaven and Earth, ploughed the sacred field and drilled troops, and rode in a carriage hung with phoenix bells under banners with nine pendants. Records, Wei 8 §39–40

When the central lands fell into great turmoil, Guan Ning, hearing that Gongsun Du's orders were carried out even beyond the seas, came to Liaodong with Bing Yuan, Wang Lie and others, and Gongsun Du kept guest lodgings empty to await them. Wang Lie declined the post of Gongsun Du's Chief Clerk and became a merchant to sully his own name. When Cao Cao, as Minister of Works, summoned Guan Ning, Gongsun Du's son Gongsun Kang blocked the order and did not make it known. Records, Wei 11 §76–77 · 79

Gongsun Du arbitrarily detained Liang Mao, who was on his way to become Administrator of Lelang, and would not let him go to his post. He asked his generals who could stop him if, with Lord Cao away on a distant campaign and Ye undefended, he went straight for Ye with 30,000 infantry and 10,000 cavalry. The generals all agreed, but Liang Mao asked whether it was the way of a subject to command a host of a hundred thousand and sit watching success and failure, and said that if he raised troops and turned west, survival or ruin would be decided before the morning was out. After a long while Gongsun Du said, 'Lord Liang is right.' Records, Wei 11 §24–27

When Cao Cao memorialized to make Gongsun Du General of Martial Might (wuwei jiangjun) 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. When Gongsun Du died, his son Gongsun Kang succeeded to his position, and Gongsun Kang's younger brother Gongsun Gong was enfeoffed as Marquis of Yongning District. Chen Shou recorded this year as the 9th year of Jian'an (204). Records, Wei 8 §40

Gongsun Kang styled himself Governor of Ping Province. When Cao Cao was about to attack Yuan Tan, Gongsun Kang sent his envoy Han Zhong with the seal and ribbon of a chanyu to King Qiao of the Wuhuan at Liucheng to confer it on him provisionally, and when Qian Zhao, sent by Cao Cao, said that Liaodong was merely a lower-grade commandery, Han Zhong retorted that Liaodong commanded a million soldiers and could make use of Fuyu and the Huimo. Records, Wei 26 §47–48

In the 12th year of Jian'an (207), when Cao Cao crushed the Wuhuan, Yuan Shang and Yuan Xi fled to Liaodong together with Supuwan, chanyu of Liaodong, and others. Since Gongsun Kang, relying on his remoteness, had not submitted, someone urged Cao Cao to attack him while he was at it, but Cao Cao said that he would make Gongsun Kang behead Yuan Shang and Yuan Xi and send their heads, so there was no need to trouble the troops. In the 9th month, when Cao Cao returned from Liucheng, Gongsun Kang beheaded Yuan Shang, Yuan Xi, Supuwan and others and sent their heads, and Cao Cao explained, 'He has always feared Yuan Shang and the others. If I press them hard they will join forces; if I ease off they will turn on one another.' Gongsun Kang was enfeoffed as Marquis of Xiangping and appointed General of the Left. Records, Wei 1 §100–102Records, Wei 8 §41

During the Jian'an era Gongsun Kang attacked Goguryeo, which had repeatedly raided Liaodong, crushed the kingdom and burned its settlements, and Baqi of Goguryeo, who had failed to take the throne, came with the Juannu chief (jia), each leading more than 30,000 commoner households, and surrendered. He also split off the wasteland south of Tunyou County to form Daifang Commandery and sent Gongsun Mo, Zhang Chang and others to gather the scattered people while raising troops against the Han (韓) and the Ye; the former inhabitants gradually returned, and thereafter the Wa and the Han (韓) belonged to Daifang. Records, Wei 30 §56 · 86

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, Cao Pi, took the throne, he sent an envoy to make Gongsun Gong 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 Administrator of Liaodong Gongsun Gong was given the additional title of General of Chariots and Cavalry. But Gongsun Gong had become a eunuch through illness and was too weak to govern the state, and in the 2nd year of Taihe (228), when Gongsun Yuan coerced him and seized his position, Emperor Ming, Cao Rui, at once appointed Gongsun Yuan General Who Displays Valor and Administrator of Liaodong. Chen Shou wrote that after Gongsun Du seized Liaodong in the 6th year of Zhongping (189), the house was destroyed after three generations down to Gongsun Yuan, fifty years in all. Records, Wei 8 §41 · 43 · 50Records, Wei 2 §21 · 26

In his assessment in Records of Wei 8, Chen Shou said, 'Gongsun Du was cruel and tyrannical, without restraint, and Gongsun Yuan carried on his enterprise and added to its viciousness; it served only to overturn their clan', and wrote that, together with Gongsun Zan, Tao Qian and others, they held provinces and commanderies as their strongholds yet were worse than common men. Records, Wei 8 §71