Gan Ning 甘寧

Gan Ning, courtesy name Xingba, was a man of Linjiang County in Ba Commandery. In his youth he was strong and loved the ways of the knight-errant, becoming the leader of a band of reckless young men. They went about in a pack carrying bows and crossbows and wearing bells, so that the people knew Gan Ning had come as soon as they heard the sound of bells. He associated with senior officials who received him lavishly; otherwise he let his followers loose to seize their goods. He lived this way for more than twenty years. Records, Wu 10 §53

Later he gave up plundering and read a good deal of the works of the various philosophers. He went to attach himself to Liu Biao and stayed in Nanyang, but was not given office; he moved on to Huang Zu, but Huang Zu too treated him as an ordinary man. He then came over to Wu, where Zhou Yu and Lü Meng together recommended him, and Sun Quan treated him on the same footing as his long-serving retainers. Records, Wu 10 §54–55

Gan Ning presented a plan: the Han dynasty was declining day by day and Cao Cao would in the end usurp the throne, so Jing Province, the strategic western flank of the state, had to be secured before Cao Cao could take it, and the first step was to strike Huang Zu, who was old and senile and whose army had no discipline. Once Huang Zu was broken and they had established themselves at the Chu Pass in the west, they could gradually plan to take Ba and Shu as well. When Zhang Zhao objected that he feared disorder would break out once the army left, Gan Ning retorted by asking whether one entrusted with the role of Xiao He should be worrying about disorder, and Sun Quan raised his cup and said he would entrust the campaign to Gan Ning. Records, Wu 10 §55–57

Sun Quan at last went west, captured Huang Zu and took over all his soldiers and followers, and gave Gan Ning troops and stationed him at Dangkou. The Biography of the Lord of Wu dates this to the spring of the 13th year of Jian'an (208) and says that Huang Zu was beheaded as he fled by the cavalryman Feng Ze. Records, Wu 10 §57Records, Wu 2 §11

Later, following Zhou Yu, he resisted and defeated Lord Cao at Wulin. When they attacked Cao Ren at Nan Commandery and could not take it, Gan Ning proposed first seizing Yiling, went there, took the city and held it. Even with the men newly gained, he had barely a thousand soldiers, and Cao Ren surrounded him with five or six thousand and rained arrows on the city from tall towers. The soldiers were all afraid, but Gan Ning alone talked and laughed as calmly as ever. When Gan Ning reported his situation, Zhou Yu followed Lü Meng's plan, left Ling Tong to hold off Cao Ren, and went to lift the siege. Zhou Yu and Gan Ning also together urged Sun Quan to take Shu. Records, Wu 10 §58–59Records, Wu 2 §14Records, Wu 9 §60–61 · 49

In the 19th year of Jian'an (214), when Sun Quan attacked Wan, Lü Meng recommended Gan Ning as Commander of the Wall-Scaling Troops to lead the assault at the front. Gripping a silk rope in his hand, Gan Ning climbed the wall himself ahead of the officers and soldiers, and at last the city was taken and Zhu Guang captured. In the reckoning of merit Lü Meng came first and Gan Ning second, and Gan Ning was made General Who Breaks Assaults. Records, Wu 2 §19Records, Wu 9 §67Records, Wu 10 §61

Later, following Lu Su, he guarded Yiyang and resisted Guan Yu. When Guan Yu picked 5,000 elite troops and sent them to a shallow ford a little over ten li upstream of the county, intending to cross by night, Gan Ning, who then commanded 300 soldiers, said that if he were given just 500 more men, Guan Yu would not dare cross on hearing so much as his cough, and if he did cross he would be captured. Lu Su added a thousand men to his force, and when Gan Ning went there by night, Guan Yu did not cross but built a camp of bound brushwood. Chen Shou noted that the place is now called Guan Yu's Shoal. Sun Quan made Gan Ning Administrator of Xiling, with the two counties of Yangxin and Xiazhi under him. Records, Wu 10 §59–60

Later, when Lord Cao came out to Ruxu, Gan Ning became Commander of the Front Division and was ordered to strike the enemy's forward camp. He shared out the rice, wine and food Sun Quan had bestowed among the hundred-odd men under him, and after first drinking two bowls himself from a silver bowl, he poured wine for his commander (dudu). When the commander did not readily accept it, Gan Ning drew his sword, laid it across his knees and rebuked him: even Gan Ning did not begrudge his life, so why should he alone begrudge his? At the second watch they went out with gags in their mouths and struck the enemy, who were startled and withdrew. Gan Ning was held in still higher esteem, and his troops were increased by 2,000 men. Records, Wu 10 §62–63

In the 20th year of Jian'an (215) he went along on the attack on Hefei; after an epidemic broke out and the whole army had withdrawn, only the thousand-odd tiger guards by Sun Quan's carriage and Lü Meng, Jiang Qin, Ling Tong and Gan Ning remained with Sun Quan north of Xiaoyao Ford. Zhang Liao, spying this, suddenly fell on them with infantry and cavalry; Gan Ning drew his bow and shot at the enemy, fighting to the death together with Ling Tong and the others. When Gan Ning loudly demanded why the drums and pipes were not playing, Sun Quan especially praised his bold spirit. Records, Wu 10 §64–65Records, Wu 2 §22

Chen Shou wrote that although Gan Ning was rough and fierce and fond of killing, he was open-hearted and resourceful, made light of wealth and respected men of quality, so that his soldiers gladly gave their lives for him. According to the Biography of Lü Meng, whenever Gan Ning disobeyed Sun Quan's orders and Sun Quan grew angry, Lü Meng asked him to be tolerant, saying that a fighting general like Gan Ning was hard to find. According to the biographies of the ruling house, when Sun Jiao, General Who Conquers Caitiffs, slighted Gan Ning at a drinking party, Sun Quan wrote to Sun Jiao to rebuke him, saying that Gan Ning, though rough and unrestrained, was on the whole a true man; Sun Jiao apologized and afterwards became a close friend of Gan Ning. Records, Wu 10 §64Records, Wu 9 §88–89Records, Wu 6 §12–13 · 16

Once a kitchen boy of Gan Ning's did wrong and ran away to Lü Meng. Lü Meng returned the boy after obtaining Gan Ning's promise not to kill him, but Gan Ning went back to his boat, tied the boy to a mulberry tree and shot him dead with his bow. Lü Meng, enraged, gathered his troops to attack Gan Ning, but Lü Meng's mother came out barefoot and rebuked him for wanting to kill Gan Ning out of private anger. Lü Meng's anger melted away and he called to Gan Ning with a laugh; Gan Ning, weeping, said, 'I have wronged you,' and went back with him, and they feasted happily until the day was done. Records, Wu 10 §66–67

When Gan Ning died, Sun Quan grieved deeply for him. The Records do not give the year or place of his death. The Biography of Pan Zhang records that on Gan Ning's death Pan Zhang took over his troops as well, and then goes on to Liu Bei's advance to Yiling. His son Gan Gui was banished to Kuaiji for a crime and died not long after. In his assessment, Chen Shou said that the generals of this volume were all tiger-like servants of Jiangbiao, men whom the Sun family treated generously. Records, Wu 10 §68 · 92 · 109