RNo direct record — estimated from his being a general under Yuan ShaoWei 6 §54
NClashed with Xu Chu and cut down Liu Pi within three bouts, but fell to Zhao Yun's spearCh. 30 §7Ch. 31 §32Ch. 31 §33
Gao Lan 高覽
| Occupation | RGeneral NGeneral · Lieutenant General | Faction | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appears | RN | Biography in | |
| Existence | Historical | Mentions | R3 |
Profile
Gao Lan was a general under Yuan Shao. He has no biography of his own in the Records; his name appears once each in the Annals of Emperor Wu in Records of Wei 1 and in the Biographies of Dong Zhuo, the Two Yuans and Liu Biao in Records of Wei 6, in connection with the Battle of Guandu in the 5th year of Jian'an (200). While Cao Cao was away attacking Chunyu Qiong, Yuan Shao sent Zhang He and Gao Lan to attack Cao Hong, but when Zhang He and the others heard that Chunyu Qiong had been defeated, they came over and surrendered. Records, Wei 1 §58 · 68–70Records, Wei 6 §54
Chen Shou's main text does not record his courtesy name or origin, his offices and deeds after the surrender, or his death, and gives no assessment of him. In the Romance he first appears in Chapter 22, named by Kong Rong as one of the famous generals under Yuan Shao, and he appears in 3 of its 120 chapters; his name is not in any chapter title. In Chapter 30, when Yuan Shao summons him because of Guo Tu's slander, he beheads the messenger and surrenders to Cao Cao together with Zhang He, and in Chapter 31, while blocking Liu Bei, he cuts down Liu Pi but falls from his horse under Zhao Yun's spear. Records, Wei 1 §70Records, Wei 6 §54Romance, Ch. 22 §30Romance, Ch. 30 §47–49Romance, Ch. 31 §32–33
In the Records
In the 5th year of Jian'an (200) Cao Cao held out against Yuan Shao at Guandu for several months. In the 10th month, in winter, Yuan Shao had grain carried by cart and ordered Chunyu Qiong and four others to escort it with more than ten thousand troops, and they camped 40 li north of Yuan Shao's camp. When Xu You, who had fled from Yuan Shao, urged an attack on Chunyu Qiong and the others, Cao Cao left Cao Hong to hold the camp and set out by night, personally leading five thousand infantry and cavalry. Records, Wei 1 §58 · 68–69
According to the Annals of Emperor Wu, when Yuan Shao heard that Cao Cao was attacking Chunyu Qiong, he told his eldest son Yuan Tan that if he attacked and took the enemy's camp while they were attacking Chunyu Qiong and the others, they would have nowhere to return to. He then had Zhang He and Gao Lan attack Cao Hong. When Zhang He and the others heard that Chunyu Qiong had been defeated, they at last came over and surrendered; Yuan Shao's army collapsed, and Yuan Shao and Yuan Tan abandoned their troops, fled and crossed the Yellow River. Records, Wei 1 §70
The Biographies of Dong Zhuo, the Two Yuans and Liu Biao record the same events as follows. Ju Shou proposed sending the general Jiang Qi to post a separate detachment outside to cut off raids by Lord Cao, but Yuan Shao did not follow this advice, and Chunyu Qiong camped at Wuchao, 40 li from Yuan Shao's camp. Cao Cao crushed Chunyu Qiong and the others and beheaded them all, and as Cao Cao was returning, before he reached his camp, Yuan Shao's generals Gao Lan, Zhang He and others led their troops over to surrender. Yuan Shao's host collapsed, and Yuan Shao and Yuan Tan withdrew as lone riders and crossed the Yellow River. Records, Wei 6 §53–54
The Biography of Zhang He records that at this time Zhang He proposed going to the rescue of Chunyu Qiong, but Guo Tu proposed attacking Cao Cao's main camp; Yuan Shao sent only light cavalry to rescue Chunyu Qiong and attacked Cao Cao's camp with his main force, but could not take it. After Chunyu Qiong and the others were defeated, Guo Tu slandered Zhang He, and Zhang He, afraid, went over to Cao Cao and became Lieutenant General and Marquis of a Chief Precinct. Gao Lan's name does not appear in the Biography of Zhang He. Records, Wei 17 §42–45
In Chen Shou's main text, Gao Lan's name appears only in these two passages of the Annals of Emperor Wu and the Biographies of Dong Zhuo, the Two Yuans and Liu Biao. His courtesy name and origin, his offices and deeds after the surrender, and his death are not recorded, and there is no assessment of him. Records, Wei 1 §70Records, Wei 6 §54
In the Romance
In Chapter 22 of the Romance, on news that Yuan Shao is coming to attack, Kong Rong says that Yuan Shao must not be called a man of no use and lists the advisers and generals under him, saying that Gao Lan, Zhang He, Chunyu Qiong and others are all generals famed throughout the world. Xun Yu replies that the rest of that mediocre crowd, even if they numbered a million, would not be worth mentioning. Romance, Ch. 22 §30–31
In Chapter 30, when Yuan Shao, having advanced to Guandu, reins in his horse before his lines, Zhang He, Gao Lan, Han Meng, Chunyu Qiong and others are ranged to his left and right. When Zhang Liao and Zhang He fight forty or fifty bouts without either winning, Xu Chu rides out brandishing his blade to help, Gao Lan meets him with levelled spear, and the four generals fight in pairs. Then, under Shen Pei's crossbowmen and archers, Cao Cao's army is badly defeated and falls back to Guandu. Romance, Ch. 30 §5 · 7–8
In the same chapter, when fire breaks out at Wuchao, Zhang He offers to go with Gao Lan to save it, but Guo Tu, arguing that Cao Cao must have gone in person, repeatedly urges that Cao Cao's empty camp be attacked first. Yuan Shao sends Zhang He and Gao Lan with five thousand troops to Guandu to attack Cao Cao's camp, and sends Jiang Qi with ten thousand troops to save Wuchao. The two who attack Cao Cao's camp are surrounded by a three-pronged attack from Xiahou Dun, Cao Ren and Cao Hong and by Cao Cao returning from behind; they are badly defeated and barely escape by forcing their way out. Romance, Ch. 30 §42–43 · 46
Guo Tu, afraid that the two will come back and argue over who was right, slanders them to Yuan Shao, saying that Zhang He and Gao Lan had long intended to surrender to Cao Cao and deliberately did not exert themselves, and he first sends someone to tell the two that their lord means to kill them. When Yuan Shao's messenger arrives, Gao Lan asks why they are being summoned, and when the messenger says he does not know, Gao Lan draws his sword and beheads him. To the startled Zhang He, Gao Lan says that Yuan Shao believes slander and will surely be captured by Cao Cao, and that rather than sit and wait for death they should go and surrender to Cao Cao; Zhang He answers that he too has long had this in mind. Romance, Ch. 30 §47–48
When the two lead their own troops over to surrender, Xiahou Dun says it is impossible to know whether they are sincere, but Cao Cao says that if he treats them with kindness, even those with divided loyalties will change, and he opens the camp gate to let them in. To the two, who prostrate themselves with spears reversed and armour removed, Cao Cao says it is like Weizi leaving Yin and Han Xin coming over to Han, and he enfeoffs Zhang He as Lieutenant General and Marquis of a Chief Precinct and Gao Lan as Lieutenant General and Marquis of Donglai. The two ask to serve as the vanguard and raid Yuan Shao's camp that same night. Romance, Ch. 30 §49–51
In Chapter 31, when Cao Cao adopts Cheng Yu's plan of the ten-sided ambush, Gao Lan takes the fifth unit on the right, and he bursts out together with Xiahou Yuan on the left to strike the fleeing Yuan Shao. In the same chapter, when Liu Bei, having come to attack Xudu, is defeated and flees, Gao Lan leads troops out from the foot of a hill after Zhang He has blocked the way ahead. When Liu Bei draws his sword to cut his own throat, Liu Pi stops him and comes forward, but in fewer than three bouts Gao Lan cuts Liu Pi down from his horse with a single stroke. Then Gao Lan's rear troops are suddenly thrown into disorder and Zhao Yun breaks through the lines; where his spear flashes up, Gao Lan tumbles from his horse. The Romance does not bring Gao Lan on again after this. Romance, Ch. 31 §15 · 17 · 22–23 · 29 · 31–33
Where the Romance differs
The first clash at Guandu: In Chapter 30 of the Romance, Gao Lan fights Xu Chu before Yuan Shao's lines. In the Records, Gao Lan's name appears only in the passage on the surrender after Chunyu Qiong's defeat, and there is no fight with Xu Chu. Romance, Ch. 30 §7Records, Wei 1 §70Records, Wei 6 §54
The attack on Cao Cao's camp: In Chapter 30 of the Romance, Zhang He and Gao Lan attack Cao Cao's camp with five thousand troops, are badly defeated by Xiahou Dun, Cao Ren and Cao Hong, and escape back to Yuan Shao. In the Annals of Emperor Wu in the Records, Yuan Shao had the two attack Cao Hong, and when Zhang He and the others heard that Chunyu Qiong had been defeated, they came over and surrendered. Romance, Ch. 30 §43 · 46Records, Wei 1 §70
How he surrendered: In Chapter 30 of the Romance, Guo Tu slanders Zhang He and Gao Lan together, and Gao Lan beheads Yuan Shao's messenger and is the first to propose surrender. The Biography of Zhang He in the Records records that the man Guo Tu slandered was Zhang He and that Zhang He went over out of fear; there is nothing about Gao Lan beheading a messenger or urging surrender. The Biographies of Dong Zhuo, the Two Yuans and Liu Biao record only that Gao Lan, Zhang He and others led their troops over to surrender before Cao Cao returned to his camp. Romance, Ch. 30 §47–48Records, Wei 17 §44Records, Wei 6 §54
Titles after the surrender: In Chapter 30 of the Romance, Cao Cao welcomes the two with the precedents of Weizi and Han Xin and enfeoffs Zhang He as Lieutenant General and Marquis of a Chief Precinct and Gao Lan as Lieutenant General and Marquis of Donglai. In the Records, the one who heard those words and became Lieutenant General and Marquis of a Chief Precinct was Zhang He alone, and Gao Lan's office and title are not recorded. Romance, Ch. 30 §49–50Records, Wei 17 §45Records, Wei 6 §54
Cangting: In Chapter 31 of the Romance, Gao Lan takes the fifth unit on the right in Cao Cao's ten-sided ambush and strikes Yuan Shao. The Annals of Emperor Wu in the Records say only that in the 4th month, in summer, of the 6th year of Jian'an (201), Cao Cao attacked and defeated Yuan Shao's army at Cangting, and Gao Lan does not appear. Romance, Ch. 31 §15 · 17Records, Wei 1 §73
Liu Pi and his end: In Chapter 31 of the Romance, Gao Lan blocks Liu Bei, who had come to attack Xudu and been defeated, cuts down Liu Pi, and falls from his horse under Zhao Yun's spear. The Annals of Emperor Wu in the Records say only that when Cao Cao marched south against Liu Bei, Liu Bei fled to Liu Biao and Gong Du and the others scattered; Gao Lan does not appear, and Chen Shou's main text does not record Gao Lan's death. Romance, Ch. 31 §32–33Records, Wei 1 §73 · 70Records, Wei 6 §54
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 total409 / 1000Rank 551 of 996 · Top 56%Romance total443 / 1000Rank 264 of 1,113 · Top 24%
Romance adaptation index+34Romance total − Records total
- LEA5558+3
- STR5070+20
- INT4048+8
- POL3131±0
- CHA4045+5
- VIR3830−8
- ADP5862+4
- SCH3131±0
- DIP3335+2
- DIS3333±0
Abilities shaped by the Romance — where it differs from the Records Differences of 10 or more
9 similar abilities — show evidence
RYuan Shao entrusted him with Zhang He with attacking Cao Hong's campWei 1 §70
NLed five thousand in the raid at Guandu, and after surrendering took the vanguard and an ambush unitCh. 30 §43Ch. 30 §51Ch. 31 §17
RNo direct record — estimated from his being a general under Yuan ShaoWei 6 §54
NForesaw that Yuan Shao, trusting slander, would be captured by Cao CaoCh. 30 §48
RNo direct record — estimated from his being a general under Yuan ShaoWei 6 §54
NNo direct record — estimated from his career as a military commanderCh. 30 §50
RNo direct record — estimated from his leading his troops over in surrenderWei 6 §54
NNamed by Kong Rong as a general famed throughout the worldCh. 22 §30
ROn hearing that Chunyu Qiong was defeated, led his troops over to surrender to Cao CaoWei 6 §54Wei 1 §70
NCut down Yuan Shao's messenger with his sword and surrendered to Cao CaoCh. 30 §48Ch. 30 §49
RSurrendered with Zhang He just before Yuan Shao's army collapsedWei 1 §70Wei 6 §54
NLearning of the slander, was first to decide on surrender and became Lieutenant General and Marquis of DonglaiCh. 30 §48Ch. 30 §49Ch. 30 §50
RNo direct record — estimated from his being a general under Yuan ShaoWei 6 §54
NNo direct record — estimated from his career as a military commanderCh. 30 §50
RNo direct record — estimated from his being a general under Yuan ShaoWei 6 §54
NNo direct record — estimated from his leading Zhang He into surrenderCh. 30 §48
RNo direct record — estimated from his being a general under Yuan ShaoWei 6 §54
NNo direct record — estimated from his career as a military commanderCh. 30 §50
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 (3)
AppearsNot present Chapter list →
Related events (3)
- Yuan Shao Defeated at Guandu 200 · Appears (Romance scene)
- Battle of Guandu 200 · Command
- Cao Cao Defeats Yuan Shao at Cangting 201 · Appears (Romance scene)
Includes automatic matching from Wikipedia infoboxes and source keywords (unverified).