Gou An 苟安

In Chapter 100 of the Romance, Zhuge Liang, together with Guan Xing and Jiang Wei, attacks Sima Yi from three directions and inflicts a great defeat on the Wei army, and Sima Yi falls back to the southern bank of the Wei River and holds fast. When Zhuge Liang returns to Qishan, Li Yan at the city of Yong'an sends the Commandant Gou An to escort grain to him, but Gou An, fond of drink, dawdles on the road and overruns his deadline by a full ten days. Zhuge Liang is enraged: in the army grain alone is regarded as the greatest matter, so even three days' delay warrants beheading, and Gou An is ten days late; he orders him dragged out and beheaded. Romance, Ch. 100 §43–45

When the Chief Clerk Yang Yi says that Gou An is a man employed by Li Yan, and that since most of the money and grain come from Xichuan, if this man is killed no one will dare to send grain afterwards, Zhuge Liang has him untied, gives him eighty strokes of the rod and lets him go. Having been punished, Gou An harbors a grudge in his heart, and that very night he takes five or six riders of his close followers and races straight to the Wei camp to surrender. Romance, Ch. 100 §46

Sima Yi says that since Zhuge Liang is full of schemes, Gou An's words are hard to believe, and that if he achieves one great deed, Sima Yi will report it to the Son of Heaven and recommend him as a senior general. He then tells him to go back to Chengdu and spread a rumor that Zhuge Liang resents his sovereign and means to proclaim himself emperor before long, so that his master will recall Zhuge Liang. Gou An agrees, goes straight back to Chengdu, meets the eunuchs and spreads the rumor that Zhuge Liang, relying on his great achievements, will surely usurp the state before long. Romance, Ch. 100 §46–47

Hearing the eunuchs, the Later Sovereign, even when Jiang Wan asks the reason, says that there is a confidential matter and issues an edict recalling Zhuge Liang. Receiving the edict at Qishan, Zhuge Liang looks up to heaven and sighs that there must be a treacherous minister at his sovereign's side, and withdraws his troops in five columns while having the cooking stoves increased each day. Sima Yi, who expected Gou An's scheme to have worked and was waiting for the Shu army to withdraw, sees the increased stoves and does not dare to pursue, and Zhuge Liang withdraws without losing a single man. Romance, Ch. 100 §48–52

In Chapter 101, when Zhuge Liang, back in Chengdu, says that some treacherous minister must have slandered him, the Later Sovereign confesses that he listened wrongly to the eunuchs. Zhuge Liang questions the eunuchs closely and only then learns that it was a false rumor spread by Gou An; he quickly sends men to arrest him, but Gou An has already fled to Wei. Zhuge Liang beheads the eunuch who made the false report, drives the rest out of the palace, and severely rebukes Jiang Wan, Fei Yi and others for failing to detect the wicked man and remonstrate with the Son of Heaven. Romance, Ch. 101 §1–3