We all say that at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, there were three kingdoms, in fact, the real Three Kingdoms period appeared very late, because after the fall of the Eastern Han Dynasty, there were still some small forces entrenched in the local areas, maintaining subordinate relations with the central forces they were attached to. These small forces were only later completely eliminated by the stabilized central government, including Gongsun Yuan in the liaodong region.
The Gongsun family has been operating for four generations in Liaodong for decades, and can be called a major local "nail household". This nail household belonged to the Eastern Han Dynasty court at that time during the era of Gongsun Du, the fa family. After Gongsun Du's death, the eldest son, Gongsun Kang, succeeded to the throne and continued to maintain a subordinate relationship with the central government, and the two sides were at peace. Later, Cao Wei replaced the Eastern Han Dynasty, and Gongsun Kangjia entered the throne, and his rule over the Eastern Liaoning region became more stable.
Gongsun Kang died of illness in middle age, and because his two sons were still very young, his younger brother Gongsun Gong took over as the Taishou of Liaodong and became the actual master of Liaodong. However, Gongsun Kang had an ambitious son, the second son Gongsun Yuan, who grew up to be dissatisfied with his uncle becoming the Taishou of Liaodong, so he seized Gongsun Gong's position after gongsun Gong suffered from a disease of the male reproductive system and became a person who had lost his fertility.
Because the Liaodong region had a lot of autonomy, and because it was in a remote area, the central government's ability to rule was beyond its reach, so the Cao Wei ruling class could only open one eye and close one eye. Later, Sun Wu's regime communicated with Gongsun Yuan by sea, and wanted to achieve a strategic alliance with Gongsun Yuan's Liaodong forces against Cao Wei. Cao Wei knew this, and increased his efforts to woo Gongsun Yuan, giving him more rewards.
Over time, Gongsun Yuan became ethereal, and his ambitions gradually swelled to the point where it was difficult to clean up. In 237, the Wei Ming Emperor Cao Rui, dissatisfied with Gongsun Yuan's arrogance and rudeness, sent the general Yuqiu Jian to lead an army to attack Gongsun Yuan. Due to the unfavorable situation, Yuqiu Jian withdrew. Since the two sides had already torn their faces, Gongsun Yuan's mentality became even more arrogant after the victory, so he established himself as the King of Yan and sealed hundreds of officials, ignoring Cao Wei, the central imperial court that the Gongsun family had submitted to for decades.
However, Gongsun Yuan's arrogance ended the following year, as Cao Rui sent Sima Yi, the most powerful military force in the imperial court at the time, to lead troops to recruit him. Less than three months later, Gongsun Yuan was attacked by Sima Yi, and together with his son Gongsun Xiu, he was beheaded and sent to Luoyang for the emperor's probation.
Gongsun Yuan's criminal rebellion and being crusaded by the state army is a matter of course, but rebellion is a first-degree felony, and in China's ancient feudal society, it was necessary to condemn the nine ethnic groups. However, the Gongsun family did not appear in zhulian, and Gongsun Yuan's uncle Gongsun Gong was released by Sima Yi.
Why did Gongsun Yuan rebel, but Gongsun Gong was released by Sima Yi? Can the laws of the land be disobeyed?
In fact, Sima Yi was ordered to attack Gongsun Yuan, which on the surface appeared to be a crusade against the rebels, but in fact it was a war of annexation. For the Gongsun family, the de facto rulers of the Liaodong region, the Cao Wei regime had long wanted to eliminate them. However, the remote terrain of Liaodong, the harsh climate, and the conquest are not easy, so it has always adopted a Gentle strategy. Now that Gongsun Yuan is plotting rebellion, it is natural to use this to "uproot" the entire Gongsun family from the dominance of the Liaodong region.
When Gongsun Yuan's father and son were beheaded, the lineage of the Gongsun family had disappeared, after Gongsun Kang's eldest son, Gongsun Huang, was seated and executed along with his wife and children. Gongsun Gong was not the eldest son and grandson, and it didn't matter whether he killed or not, after all, the family that ruled the Liaodong region had completely lost its power and was no longer able to continue to stir up any storms in Liaodong.
The Gongsun family no longer posed a threat to the central government, which was the first reason why Gongsun Gong was spared.
Secondly, it was because Gongsun Gong lost his fertility, could not continue the bloodline of the Gongsun family, and also lost his majesty as the leader of the Gongsun family. According to historical records, Gongsun Gong suffered from a disease of the male reproductive system that necessitated the removal of his own genitals. At that time, medical conditions and technology were still very limited, and Gongsun Gong was difficult to get good medical treatment, but he was helpless, which was really the most painful for men.
Gongsun Gong, who could not pass on the succession, naturally had difficulty in continuing the Gongsun family without having children, and would not pose a threat to the central imperial court. Moreover, as a man, he had castrated his genitals and lost his innate ability and majesty as a man, and he could not continue to become the leader of the Gongsun family, and it was difficult to rely on the prestige of the family and individuals to rule Liaodong and command the military and people of Liaodong.
Gongsun Huang, who was a hostage in the DPRK, was still a complete man with a wife and children, so he was connected, which was similar to what happened to Gongsun Gong, but with a different ending. It was precisely because Gongsun Gong lost his majesty and prestige that he was easily ousted by Gongsun Yuan.
The last reason is to appease the locality and promote the prestige of the country. The Gongsun family ruled Liaodong for decades, and although Gongsun Du, Gongsun Kang, and Gongsun Yuan were all cruel and unkind monarchs, at least they maintained the tranquility of one side and allowed the people of Liaodong to live and work in peace and contentment.
Although Gongsun Yuan was militaristic and did not know what to call it, Gongsun Du and Gongsun Kang expanded their territory and struck a blow at the surrounding ethnic minority armed forces that were eyeing the land of China. Therefore, the Gongsun family has made great contributions to the stable development of Liaodong, and the people of Liaodong also recognize the governance of the Gongsun family.
During Gongsun Gong's tenure as the Taishou of Liaodong, although he could not be as talented as his father and brother, his shoucheng maintained the foundation and maintained the stability of the Liaodong region. Gongsun Gong did not have any bad deeds in his life, nor was he as cruel as his father and brother, so during the period when he ruled Liaodong, the people of Liaodong must have lived the most peacefully. For this monarch, the people of Liaodong must still have feelings, and killing him will only lose the hearts and minds of the people of Liaodong.
Besides, Gongsun Gong was deprived of his throne and was disabled, and the world could not help but sympathize with him, even Sima Yi, who had been in the military for a long time and was accustomed to life and death. Therefore, Gongsun Gong finally got to see the light of day and ended the bitter days of imprisonment after being seized of the throne.
Although there are not many records of Gongsun Gong in the history books, nor do they record his experience after being released by Sima Yi, for a person who is about to enter his old age after the "destruction of the country and the death of his family", even if Gongsun Gong can die well, he will inevitably be depressed in the last time of his life.
In the chaotic world of division and integration, the transition from division to unification is a cycle of Heavenly Dao. Even if Gongsun Gong did not take the throne and continued to maintain loyalty to the central court, it was inevitable that Liaodong would be repossessed by the central government. However, with The Shoucheng of Gongsun Gong, the Gongsun family can at least continue to become local nobles and enjoy honor and favor.
References: Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Volume VIII, Wei Shu VIII, Second Gongsun Tao Sizhang Biography VIII
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