Gongsun Du 公孫度

Gongsun Du, courtesy name Shengji, was originally a native of Xiangping County in Liaodong Commandery. His father, avoiding an official, lived in Xuantu Commandery and had him made a commandery clerk. At that time the Administrator of Xuantu, Gongsun Yu, had a son, Gongsun Bao, who had died young at eighteen; since Gongsun Du's childhood name was Bao and he was the same age, Gongsun Yu grew fond of him, sent him to study with a teacher and found him a wife. Later he was recommended as 'Possessing the Way' and became Gentleman of the Imperial Secretariat, and was gradually promoted to Inspector of Ji Province, but was dismissed because of slanderous rumors. Records, Wei 8 §36

Xu Rong, a man of the same commandery, became Dong Zhuo's General of the Household and recommended Gongsun Du as Administrator of Liaodong. Because he had risen from a minor official of Xuantu, he was looked down on by the people of Liaodong Commandery; on taking office he arrested Gongsun Zhao, the acting Prefect of Xiangping, who had earlier made his son Gongsun Kang 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. He attacked Goguryeo to the east and the Wuhuan to the west, and his authority was felt beyond the seas. Records, Wei 8 §37

In the 1st year of Chuping (190), Gongsun Du, knowing that the central lands were in turmoil, said to his close officials Liu Yi, Yang Yi and others, 'The Han's fortune is about to end; I must plan a royal enterprise together with you gentlemen.' Just then a large stone appeared at the shrine of the earth god in Yan Village of Xiangping, supported like feet by three small stones, and someone interpreted this as an omen 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, who detested his conduct, took his family and went to sea, Gongsun Du was furious, 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 and posthumously enfeoffed his father as Marquis of Jianyi. He set up temples to the two founding emperors of the Han, built an altar south of the city of Xiangping, claiming to act on the emperor's authority, and performed the suburban sacrifices to Heaven and Earth; he ploughed the sacred field, drilled troops and rode in a carriage hung with phoenix bells. Records, Wei 8 §39–40

Gongsun Du detained Liang Mao, who was on his way to become Administrator of Lelang, and would not let him go. He asked his generals whether anyone could stop him if, while Lord Cao was away on a distant campaign and Ye was undefended, he went straight for Ye with thirty thousand infantry and ten thousand cavalry. The generals all agreed, but Liang Mao said: was it a subject's duty, when the realm was in chaos, to sit with a host of a hundred thousand and merely watch success and failure? If he raised troops and turned west, survival or ruin would be decided within a morning. After a long while Gongsun Du said, 'Lord Liang is right.' Records, Wei 11 §24–27

Fleeing the turmoil of the central lands, Bing Yuan, Guan Ning, Wang Lie and others came to Liaodong, and Gongsun Du kept guest lodgings empty to receive them. Wang Lie declined the post of Gongsun Du's Chief Clerk. When Gongsun Du, fearing Liu Zheng, a man of the same commandery as Bing Yuan, tried to kill him and arrested his family, Bing Yuan entrusted Liu Zheng to Taishi Ci and sent him away, then persuaded Gongsun Du to release the family. He married a daughter of his clan to Fuyu, and Bogu, the king of Goguryeo, sent troops to help Gongsun Du defeat the bandits of Fushan. Records, Wei 11 §68–70 · 76–77 · 79Records, Wei 30 §40 · 55

When Cao Cao 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. 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. This was the 9th year of Jian'an (204). Chen Shou wrote that after Gongsun Du seized Liaodong in the 6th year of Zhongping (189), the house was destroyed after three generations and fifty years, under his grandson Gongsun Yuan. Records, Wei 8 §40 · 50

In his assessment Chen Shou said, 'Gongsun Du was cruel and tyrannical, without restraint, and Gongsun Yuan carried on his enterprise with still more ferocity; it served only to overturn their clan', and wrote that though they held provinces and commanderies as their strongholds, they were worse than common men. Records, Wei 8 §71