Gu Hui ( 200s),

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 ...

Zitan, was an official serving 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 ...

of China. He was a younger brother of

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 ...

, the second Imperial Chancellor of the state of

Eastern Wu Wu ( Chinese: 吳; pinyin: ''Wú''; Middle Chinese *''ŋuo'' <

Eastern Han Chinese

: ''*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.

Life

Gu Hui was from

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 ...

. His great-grandfather Gu Feng (顧奉) was a former Administrator (太守) of

Yingchuan Commandery Yingchuan Commandery ( zh, 潁川郡) was a Chinese commandery from the Warring States period to Tang dynasty, located in modern central Henan province. The name referred to the Ying River, which flowed through its territory. The commandery was es ...

(潁川郡; around present-day

Xuchang Xuchang (; postal: Hsuchang) is a prefecture-level city in central Henan province of China, province in Central China. It borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the northwest, Kaifeng to the northeast, Zhoukou to the east, Luohe to the s ...

Henan Henan (; or ; ; alternatively Honan) is a landlocked province of China, in the central part of the country. Henan is often referred to as Zhongyuan or Zhongzhou (), which literally means "central plain" or "midland", although the name is al ...

). He was a younger brother of

; they were also born to the same mother. In his youth, he travelled around for studies and was known for his oratorical talent. In the year 200, after

succeeded his brother

Sun Ce Sun Ce () () (175–200), courtesy name Bofu, was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He was the eldest child of Sun Jian, who was killed during the Battle of Xiangyang w ...

as the warlord ruling over the Jiangdong territories, he heard of Gu Hui's talent and recruited him to serve as his Registrar (主簿). One day, while taking a stroll in town, Gu Hui saw soldiers escorting a man to the town square for a public execution. After learning that the man was to be executed for stealing 100 coins, he asked them to delay the execution while he rushed to Sun Quan's office to plead for the man's life. He said: "As we are growing our population in preparation for war in the north, we should see this man as someone who can be a soldier. Besides, the amount of money he stole is a small amount. I humbly plead for him to be spared." Sun Quan was so pleased that he approved Gu Hui's request. He then reassigned Gu Hui to work in the east bureau of his office. Around 204, when Sun Quan received news that the northern warlord

Cao Cao Cao Cao () (; 155 – 15 March 220), courtesy name Mengde (), was a Chinese statesman, warlord and poet. He was the penultimate Grand chancellor (China), grand chancellor of the Eastern Han dynasty, and he amassed immense power in the End of ...

was planning to attack the Jiangdong region, he told Gu Hui: "You are someone I trust. Recently, I heard that Cao Cao has the intention of attacking us. I need someone to confirm this. I will send you on this mission." He then commissioned Gu Hui as a Commandant Who Upholds Righteousness (輔義都尉) and sent him as an emissary to meet Cao Cao. When Cao Cao asked him about the situation in Jiangdong, Gu Hui told him that Jiangdong was a prosperous region. He also told Cao Cao that the

Shanyue The Shanyue (山越) were an ancient conglomeration of upland Yue hill tribes living in what is today the mountainous regions of Southern China and Northern Vietnam during the Han dynasty. Since the Southern part of China was not yet controlle ...

tribes, who were known for being hostile towards Sun Quan's administration, had been pacified and were even willing to serve in Sun Quan's army. Cao Cao laughed and said: "I have marital ties with Sun Quan. We are now in the same family so we should work together to support the Han dynasty. Why are you telling me all this?" Gu Hui replied: "It is precisely because you, Wise Lord, and my lord have such strong ties and a shared loyalty towards the Han dynasty. I know that you would definitely want to know what is happening in Jiangdong. That is why I decided to tell you." Cao Cao treated Gu Hui generously and sent him back to Jiangdong. After Gu Hui returned to Jiangdong, Sun Quan asked him what he found out, and so Gu Hui replied: "It is indeed very difficult to assess the intentions of a rival state. However, based on the intelligence I gathered, I know that Cao Cao is at war with

Yuan Tan Yuan Tan (died 205), courtesy name Xiansi, was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who was the eldest son of Yuan Shao, a warlord who occupied much of northern China during the late Eastern Han dynasty. After Yuan Shao's death, Y ...

. He has no other designs at the moment." Sun Quan later appointed Gu Hui as the nominal Administrator of Badong Commandery (巴東郡; around present-day

Chongqing Chongqing ( or ; ; Sichuanese dialects, Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), Postal Romanization, alternately romanized as Chungking (), is a Direct-administered municipalities of China, municipality in Southwes ...

), which was not under his control. He also planned to entrust Gu Hui with greater responsibilities, but Gu Hui died shortly after.

Family

Gu Hui's elder brother,

, served as the second Imperial Chancellor of the state of

Eastern Wu Wu ( Chinese: 吳; pinyin: ''Wú''; Middle Chinese *''ŋuo'' <

Eastern Han Chinese

: ''*ŋuɑ''), known in h ...

founded by

in the

period after the fall of the

. Gu Hui's son, Gu Yu (顧裕), had the

Jize (季則). Already well known since he was a youth, Gu Yu served in the Eastern Wu government and the highest position he held was General Who Guards the East (鎮東將軍).(子裕，字季則，少知名，位至鎮東將軍。) ''Wu Shu'' annotation in ''Sanguozhi'' vol. 52.

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, Hui 2nd-century births 3rd-century deaths Officials under Sun Quan Han dynasty politicians from Jiangsu

Life

Family

See also

Notes

References