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 ...
Gongliu, gained a reputation for valour and loyalty comparable to
Han Hao
Han Hao ( 190s–215), courtesy name Yuansi, he gained a reputation for loyalty and valor, comparable to Shi Huan. A military officer serving under the warlords Wang Kuang, Yuan Shu and Cao Cao during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China, he b ...
. Shi Huan served the
Eastern Han
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 ...
dynasty 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 ...
from early on and was a trusted figure who helped supervise officials.
Life
Shi Huan was from
Pei Commandery
Pei Commandery ( zh, 沛郡) was a Chinese commandery from Han dynasty to Northern Qi dynasty. Its territory was located in present-day northern Anhui and northwestern Jiangsu, as well as part of Shandong and Henan.
Pei was established in early We ...
and as a youth, he acted as a ''xia'' (俠), gathering followers without official authority and often acting outside the law. Shi Huan gained a reputation for having a heroic spirit. When Cao Cao raised forces to face
Dong Zhuo
Dong Zhuo () (died 22 May 192), courtesy name Zhongying, was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived in the late Eastern Han dynasty. At the end of the reign of the Eastern Han, Dong Zhuo was a general and powerful minist ...
in 190, Shi Huan led his retainers to join Cao Cao as Acting Internal Army Colonel and became a trusted aide, helping supervise the officers on campaign. In 198, the warlord Zhang Yang was assassinated and in the turmoil, the former Heishan bandit Sui Gu gained control in
Henei
Henei Commandery ( zh, 河內郡) was a commandery of China from Han dynasty to Tang dynasty, located in modern Henan province, to the north of Yellow River.
In ancient China, Henei ("Inside the Yellow River") referred to the land north of the low ...
and sought an alliance with
Yuan Shao
Yuan Shao (, ; died 28 June 202), courtesy name Benchu (), was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived in the late Eastern Han dynasty. He occupied the northern territories of China during the civil wars that occurred to ...
. Seeking to prevent the alliance and secure his left flank, Cao Cao sent an army led by Shi Huan,
Cao Ren
Cao Ren () (168 – 6 May 223), courtesy name Zixiao, was a military general serving during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China under the warlord Cao Cao, who was also his older second cousin. He continued serving in the state of Cao Wei – f ...
Sanguozhi vol.1. and
Yu Jin
Yu Jin (died 221), courtesy name Wenze, was a Chinese military general serving under the warlord Cao Cao in the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He joined Cao Cao in 192 around the start of the civil wars leading to the collapse of the dyna ...
across the He river to intercept Sui Gu's march north. The forces met in a battle at Quancheng with Sui Gu killed and his forces brought under control.
During the
Battle of Guandu
The Battle of Guandu was fought between the warlords Cao Cao and Yuan Shao in 200 AD in the late Eastern Han dynasty. Cao Cao's decisive victory against Yuan Shao's numerically superior forces marked the turning point in their war. The victory ...
, Shi Huan was sent with
Xu Huang
Xu Huang () (died 227), courtesy name Gongming, was a Chinese military general serving under the warlord Cao Cao in the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He later served in the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period under the first ...
to raid Yuan Shao's supplies at Gushi, defeating the defenders and setting the supplies ablaze. Shi Huan was given a trusted police role within the army and in 207 there was a debate among Cao Cao's officers about whether to undertake a risky march to attack Liucheng to defeat the Yuan remnants and the
. Shi Huan feared the route was too long and dangerous so sought to gather support but he was unable to persuade Han Hao. The plan went ahead and Cao Cao was victorious at the
Battle of White Wolf Mountain
The Battle of White Wolf Mountain was a battle fought in 207 in the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. The battle took place in northern China, beyond the frontiers of the ruling Eastern Han dynasty. It was fought between the warlord Cao Cao ...
but after a difficult march back, Cao Cao rewarded those who had objected.''Cáo Mán zhuàn'' in ''Sanguozhi'' vol.1.
Shi Huan died in 209 with his son Shi Jing inheriting his estate.
Romance of Three Kingdoms
An officer under Xu Huang, Shi Huan captures and interrogates a spy who tells Xu Huang about the supplies at Gushi. Shi Huan then sets the supplies on fire. In the Battle of Cangting Shi Huan has a duel with
Yuan Shang
Yuan Shang (died December 207), courtesy name Xianfu, was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He was the third son and successor of the warlord Yuan Shao. In the 14th-centu ...
but when Yuan Shang fakes a retreat, Shi Huan is lured to follow him and is then fatally shot in the eye by Yuan Shang. Yuan Shao then orders his troops to attack.
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 ...
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– ...
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 ...