Gu Cheng ( third century),
courtesy name
A courtesy name (), also known as a style name, is a name bestowed upon one at adulthood in addition to one's given name. This practice is a tradition in the East Asian cultural sphere, including China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.Ulrich Theobald ...
Zizhi, was a military general of the state of
Eastern Wu
Wu ( Chinese: 吳; pinyin: ''Wú''; Middle Chinese *''ŋuo'' < : ''*ŋuɑ''), known in h ...
during the
Three Kingdoms
The Three Kingdoms () from 220 to 280 AD was the tripartite division of China among the dynastic states of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu. The Three Kingdoms period was preceded by the Han dynasty#Eastern Han, Eastern Han dynasty and wa ...
period of China.
Family background
Gu Cheng's
ancestral home
An ancestral home is the place of origin of one's extended family, particularly the home owned and preserved by the same family for several generations. The term can refer to an individual house or estate, or to a broader geographic area such as a ...
was in
Wu County
Wu County or Wuxian (; 221 B.C. – December 2000) is a former county and city located in modern Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province. Its name refers to its former status as the capital of the state of Wu during the Spring and Autumn period.
Histo ...
,
Wu Commandery
Wu Commandery was a commandery of imperial China. It covers parts of the contemporary Northern Zhejiang and Southern Jiangsu. The capital of Wu commandery was Wu (today's Suzhou). Major counties of Wu commandery include Wu (county), Yuhang county, ...
, which is present-day
Suzhou
Suzhou (; ; Suzhounese: ''sou¹ tseu¹'' , Mandarin: ), alternately romanized as Soochow, is a major city in southern Jiangsu province, East China. Suzhou is the largest city in Jiangsu, and a major economic center and focal point of trade ...
,
Jiangsu
Jiangsu (; ; pinyin: Jiāngsū, Postal romanization, alternatively romanized as Kiangsu or Chiangsu) is an Eastern China, eastern coastal Provinces of the People's Republic of China, province of the China, People's Republic of China. It is o ...
. The Gu clan, which he was from, was one of the four most influential clans in Wu Commandery and also in the
Jiangdong region at the time.
Gu Cheng's father,
Gu Shao
Gu Shao ( 188–218), courtesy name Xiaoze, was an official serving under the warlord Sun Quan in the late Eastern Han dynasty of China.
Family background
Gu Shao's ancestral home was in Wu County, Wu Commandery, which is present-day Suzhou, Ji ...
, served as the Administrator (太守) of Yuzhang Commandery (豫章郡; around present-day
Nanchang
Nanchang (, ; ) is the capital of Jiangxi Province, People's Republic of China. Located in the north-central part of the province and in the hinterland of Poyang Lake Plain, it is bounded on the west by the Jiuling Mountains, and on the east ...
,
Jiangxi
Jiangxi (; ; formerly romanized as Kiangsi or Chianghsi) is a landlocked province in the east of the People's Republic of China. Its major cities include Nanchang and Jiujiang. Spanning from the banks of the Yangtze river in the north int ...
) under the warlord
Sun Quan
Sun Quan (, Chinese: 孫權) (183 – 21 May 252), courtesy name Zhongmou (), posthumously known as Emperor Da of Wu, was the founder of the Eastern Wu dynasty, one of the Three Kingdoms of China. He inherited control of the warlord regime es ...
in the late
Eastern Han dynasty
The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–207 BC) and a warr ...
. Gu Cheng's grandfather,
Gu Yong
Gu Yong (168 – November or December 243), courtesy name Yuantan, was a minister and the second Imperial Chancellor of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. Born in the late Eastern Han dynasty in the Jiangdong r ...
, was the second
Imperial Chancellor of the state of
Eastern Wu
Wu ( Chinese: 吳; pinyin: ''Wú''; Middle Chinese *''ŋuo'' < : ''*ŋuɑ''), known in h ...
, founded by Sun Quan in the
Three Kingdoms
The Three Kingdoms () from 220 to 280 AD was the tripartite division of China among the dynastic states of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu. The Three Kingdoms period was preceded by the Han dynasty#Eastern Han, Eastern Han dynasty and wa ...
period after the fall of the Eastern Han dynasty. Gu Cheng's mother was a sister of
Lu Mao
Lu Mao (died 239), courtesy name Zizhang, was a Chinese politician of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He was a younger brother of Lu Xun, a prominent politician and general who served as the third Imperial Chan ...
and
Lu Xun
Zhou Shuren (25 September 1881 – 19 October 1936), better known by his pen name Lu Xun (or Lu Sun; ; Wade–Giles: Lu Hsün), was a Chinese writer, essayist, poet, and literary critic. He was a leading figure of modern Chinese literature. W ...
, the third Imperial Chancellor of Eastern Wu.
Life
Gu Cheng started his career in the Jiahe era (232–238) of
Sun Quan
Sun Quan (, Chinese: 孫權) (183 – 21 May 252), courtesy name Zhongmou (), posthumously known as Emperor Da of Wu, was the founder of the Eastern Wu dynasty, one of the Three Kingdoms of China. He inherited control of the warlord regime es ...
's reign when he, along with his maternal uncle
Lu Mao
Lu Mao (died 239), courtesy name Zizhang, was a Chinese politician of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He was a younger brother of Lu Xun, a prominent politician and general who served as the third Imperial Chan ...
, were offered positions in the
Eastern Wu
Wu ( Chinese: 吳; pinyin: ''Wú''; Middle Chinese *''ŋuo'' < : ''*ŋuɑ''), known in h ...
government.
[( 字子直,嘉禾中與舅陸瑁俱以禮徵。) ''Sanguozhi'' vol. 52.] Sun Quan wrote to Gu Cheng's grandfather
Gu Yong
Gu Yong (168 – November or December 243), courtesy name Yuantan, was a minister and the second Imperial Chancellor of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. Born in the late Eastern Han dynasty in the Jiangdong r ...
: "Your grandson Zizhi is well known for his talent. After I met him, I realised that he is more talented than what I heard about him. You should be proud of him."
Sun Quan thus commissioned Gu Cheng as a Cavalry Commandant (騎都尉) and appointed him as a commander of the Yulin (羽林; "feathered forest") imperial guards. Gu Cheng was later reassigned to the position of Commandant of the West Section of
Wu Commandery
Wu Commandery was a commandery of imperial China. It covers parts of the contemporary Northern Zhejiang and Southern Jiangsu. The capital of Wu commandery was Wu (today's Suzhou). Major counties of Wu commandery include Wu (county), Yuhang county, ...
(吳郡西部都尉). During this time, he joined the Wu general
Zhuge Ke
Zhuge Ke (203 – November or December 253), courtesy name Yuanxun (元逊), was a Chinese military general and politician of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He was the eldest son of Zhuge Jin, a military gene ...
in pacifying the rebellious
Shanyue tribes and succeeded in recruiting 8,000 elite troops from among the Shanyue. After he returned to a garrison at Zhangkeng (章阬), he was promoted to the rank of General of the Household under the title "General of the Household of Righteous Illustriousness" (昭義中郎將). He was also concurrently appointed as a Palace Attendant (侍中).
In the summer of 241, the Wu general
Quan Cong
Quan Cong (196–247 or 198–249), courtesy name Zihuang, was a Chinese military general of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. Born in present-day Hangzhou towards the end of the Eastern Han dynasty, Quan Cong ...
led Wu forces into battle at Quebei (芍陂; south of present-day
Shou County
Shou County or Shouxian () is a county in the north-central part of Anhui Province, China, and is located on the southern (right) bank of the Huai River. It is the southernmost county-level division of the prefecture-level city
A prefectur ...
,
Anhui
Anhui , (; formerly romanized as Anhwei) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, part of the East China region. Its provincial capital and largest city is Hefei. The province is located across the basins of the Yangtze River ...
) against
Wei forces led by
Wang Ling. The battle did not go well for the Wu side initially, and they lost five units to the Wei forces. Gu Cheng and his friend
Zhang Xiu, who were serving in the Wu army at the time, led their units to resist the Wei forces and managed to halt their advance. Quan Cong's eldest son Quan Xu (全緒) and relative Quan Duan (全端), who were also serving in the Wu army, led their troops to attack the Wei forces after they stopped advancing, and succeeded in driving them back.
After the battle, when Sun Quan was giving rewards to his officers, he deemed Gu Cheng and
Zhang Xiu's contributions greater than those of Quan Xu and Quan Duan because he believed that it was more difficult to halt the enemy advance than to drive back the enemy. As a result, he promoted Gu Cheng and Zhang Xiu to the rank of General, while Quan Xu and Quan Duan were respectively promoted to Lieutenant-General and Major-General only. Due to this incident, the Quans bore a grudge against Gu Cheng and Zhang Xiu and, by extension, against Gu Cheng's brother
Gu Tan
Gu Tan ( 205–246), courtesy name Zimo, was an official of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China.
Family background
Gu Tan's ancestral home was in Wu County, Wu Commandery, which is present-day Suzhou, Jiangs ...
as well. Gu Cheng held the rank of General under the title "General of Vehement Might" (奮威將軍) along with the appointment of Capital Superintendent (京下督).
The Quans later found an opportunity to report Gu Cheng,
Zhang Xiu and Gu Cheng's brother
Gu Tan
Gu Tan ( 205–246), courtesy name Zimo, was an official of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China.
Family background
Gu Tan's ancestral home was in Wu County, Wu Commandery, which is present-day Suzhou, Jiangs ...
for committing serious offences. They claimed that Gu Cheng and Zhang Xiu had secretly collaborated with Chen Xun (陳恂), a staff officer in the Wu army during the Battle of Quebei, to make false submissions about their contributions during the battle. As a result, Gu Cheng and Zhang Xiu were arrested and thrown into prison, while Gu Cheng's brother Gu Tan was implicated in the case because of his relationship with them. Sun Quan was reluctant to find them guilty so he thought of a plan to appease the Quans without convicting the Gu brothers and Zhang Xiu.
During an imperial court session, Sun Quan ordered Gu Tan to publicly apologise for the mistake. He expected Gu Tan to do so, after which he could then pardon and release the three of them. However, Gu Tan refused to apologise and he told Sun Quan: "Your Majesty, how can you let baseless accusations have their way?" Later on, an official accused Gu Tan of showing great disrespect towards the emperor when he protested his innocence, and argued that Gu Tan should be punished by execution. Sun Quan took into consideration that Gu Tan's grandfather
Gu Yong
Gu Yong (168 – November or December 243), courtesy name Yuantan, was a minister and the second Imperial Chancellor of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. Born in the late Eastern Han dynasty in the Jiangdong r ...
had rendered meritorious service in the past, and decided to reduce Gu Tan's punishment from execution to exile.
Gu Cheng, along with his brother Gu Tan and
Zhang Xiu, were exiled to the remote
Jiao Province
Jiaozhou (; Wade–Giles: Chiao1-Cho1; vi, Giao Châu) was an imperial Chinese province under the Han and Jin dynasties. Under the Han, the area included Liangguang and northern Vietnam but Guangdong was later separated to form the province of ...
in the south. He died in exile in
Jiaozhi
Jiaozhi (standard Chinese, pinyin: ''Jiāozhǐ''), or Giao Chỉ (Vietnamese), was a historical region ruled by various Chinese dynasties, corresponding to present-day northern Vietnam. The kingdom of Nanyue (204–111 BC) set up the Jiaozhi Co ...
(around present-day
Hanoi
Hanoi or Ha Noi ( or ; vi, Hà Nội ) is the capital and second-largest city of Vietnam. It covers an area of . It consists of 12 urban districts, one district-leveled town and 17 rural districts. Located within the Red River Delta, Hanoi is ...
,
Vietnam
Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...
) at the age of 36.
[(數年,與兄譚、張休等俱徙交州,年三十七卒。) ''Sanguozhi'' vol. 52.]
See also
*
Lists of people of the Three Kingdoms
The following are lists of people significant to the Three Kingdoms period (220–280) of Chinese history. Their names in Mandarin pinyin are sorted in alphabetical order.
Fictional characters in the 14th-century historical novel ''Romance of ...
Notes
References
*
Chen, Shou (3rd century). ''
Records of the Three Kingdoms
The ''Records or History of the Three Kingdoms'', also known by its Chinese name as the Sanguo Zhi, is a Chinese historical text which covers the history of the late Eastern Han dynasty (c. 184–220 AD) and the Three Kingdoms period (220– ...
'' (''Sanguozhi'').
*
Pei, Songzhi (5th century). ''
Annotations to Records of the Three Kingdoms
Annotations to Records of the Three Kingdoms () by Pei Songzhi (372-451) is an annotation completed in the 5th century of the 3rd century historical text ''Records of the Three Kingdoms'', compiled by Chen Shou. After leaving his native land, Pei ...
'' (''Sanguozhi zhu'').
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gu, Cheng (Three Kingdoms)
Year of birth unknown
Year of death unknown
Eastern Wu generals