Gao Changgong (541? – June or July 573) (), formal name Gao Su () or Gao Xiaoguan (), was a high-ranking general of the

Northern Qi Qi, known as the Northern Qi (), Later Qi (後齊) or Gao Qi (高齊) in historiography, was a Dynasties in Chinese history, Chinese imperial dynasty and one of the Northern and Southern dynasties#Northern dynasties, Northern dynasties during the ...

dynasty who was given a fiefdom in Lanling County, southern

Shandong Shandong is a coastal Provinces of China, province in East China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River. It has served as a pivotal cultural ...

, so he was also known as the Prince of Lanling (蘭陵王). Gao Changgong was the grandson of Gao Huan and the fourth son of

Gao Cheng Gao Cheng (; 521 – 15 September 549), courtesy name Zihui (子惠), formally Prince Wenxiang of Bohai (勃海文襄王), later further posthumously honored by Northern Qi as Emperor Wenxiang (文襄皇帝) with the temple name Shizong (世宗), ...

. According to the '' Book of Northern Qi and the Record of the Court Entertainment Bureau'', Gao Changgong had a beautiful face and feminine physical appearance. Thus, he always wore a terrible mask when he fought in battles.

Biography

Gao Changgong was born the fourth son of

, elder brother of the first emperor of

and therefore a prince of Northern Qi. He was given the title of Prince of Lanling on 1 May 560. Gao Changgong was also made a general by Emperor Wucheng of Northern Qi (Gao Zhan), his uncle, and his distinction in battles as well as personal kindness and bravery led him becoming widely loved and admired. Legend has it that he looked beautiful like a woman, so he wore a mask in battles to appear more fearsome to the enemy. Gao Changgong repelled the

First Turkic Khaganate The First Turkic Khaganate, also referred to as the First Turkic Empire, the Turkic Khaganate or the Göktürk Khaganate, was a Turkic khaganate established by the Ashina clan of the Göktürks in medieval Inner Asia under the leadership of Bu ...

when they attacked Jinyang (晉陽, now the city of

Taiyuan Taiyuan; Mandarin pronunciation: (Jin Chinese, Taiyuan Jin: /tʰai˦˥ ye˩˩/) is the capital of Shanxi, China. Taiyuan is the political, economic, cultural and international exchange center of Shanxi Province. It is an industrial base foc ...

). His most famous battle however was the rescue of the siege of Jinyong (金墉, near modern

Luoyang Luoyang ( zh, s=洛阳, t=洛陽, p=Luòyáng) is a city located in the confluence area of the Luo River and the Yellow River in the west of Henan province, China. Governed as a prefecture-level city, it borders the provincial capital of Zheng ...

) in 564 A.D. Gao Changgong led only 500 cavalrymen and fought through an army of

Northern Zhou Zhou (), known in historiography as the Northern Zhou (), was a Xianbei-led Dynasties in Chinese history, dynasty of China that lasted from 557 to 581. One of the Northern and Southern dynasties#Northern dynasties, Northern dynasties of China's ...

, which was attacking the city with 100,000 soldiers. He fought his way to the gates the city, surprising the defenders. The soldiers of Jinyong didn't recognize him, so he took off his helmet and mask. The soldiers in the city rejoiced at his arrival and were refilled with courage. They opened the gates and joined the battle outside the city. Soon the army of Northern Zhou was defeated. In order to celebrate the victory, the soldiers composed the famous song and dance "The song of the Prince of Lanling entering the battle camp” (蘭陵王入陣曲, also known as 大面, "The great mask"). According to the Record of the Court Entertainment Bureau (教坊記) of

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...

, the dance "Great mask" was one of the courts musics to be performed with the emperor's audience. The song and the dance are long lost in China; however, it was introduced into Japan during the

with Lanling known as , and is still being performed in some ceremonies today. After the death of Gao Zhan, Gao Changgong's cousin Gao Wei ascended the throne. Gao Changong's reputation, competence and influence over the army upset the young emperor. Gao Wei asked Gao Changgong about the battle at Jinyong: "You penetrated too deeply into the formation; if you had suffered a military reverse, it would be too late to regret such an action." Gao Changgong replied: "I am responsible for our family affairs, I did it without considering the consequences." The emperor, hearing the reference to "family affairs" became suspicious. He was afraid that Gao Changgong might overthrow him. Many members of the Gao family had met their ends at the hands of brothers and cousins, and he became paranoid that he would have the same fate. To avoid the emperor's suspicion and jealousy, Gao Changgong often pretended to be sick, staying away from wars and politics. No matter how low a profile he kept, the emperor still sent him a cup of poisonous wine one day in June or July 573 A.D. Gao Changgong drank the wine and ended his life, probably in his early 30s. Four years after Gao Changgong's death, having lost one of its greatest generals, Northern Qi was destroyed by

. All the members of the Gao royal family were slaughtered. In 1999, within the cave of Longmen, a message was found carved into a statue, indicating that the Prince of Lanling had living descendants.

Popular culture

Gao Changgong is one of the 32 historical figures who appear as special characters in the video game '' Romance of the Three Kingdoms XI'' by

Koei Koei Co., Ltd. was a Japanese video game publisher, developer, and distributor founded in 1978. The company is known for its historical simulation games based on the novel ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms'', as well as simulation games based o ...

. His story is also dramatized in the 2013 television series '' Prince of Lan Ling'' and 2016 television series ''Princess of Lanling''. Gao Changgong appears as a character in '' Fate/Grand Order'' as "Prince of Lan Ling" and is voiced by Mori Nanako. He also makes an appearance in the popular mobile game "Legend of the Phoenix" as a confidant and a partner, and in mobile MOBA Honor of Kings as an assassin jungler. In , the final story written by Japanese novelist

Yukio Mishima Kimitake Hiraoka ( , ''Hiraoka Kimitake''; 14 January 192525 November 1970), known by his pen name Yukio Mishima ( , ''Mishima Yukio''), was a Japanese author, poet, playwright, actor, model, Shintoist, Ultranationalism (Japan), ultranationalis ...

, members of the Tatenokai ("Shield Society") gather at the barracks after an exhausting day of training to listen to one of their ranks play a rendition of "Ranryō-Ō" on the yokobue.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gao, Changgong Northern Qi generals 573 deaths Northern and Southern dynasties imperial princes 6th-century births People from North China People executed by Northern Qi People executed by poison Suicides in Northern Qi