Gongsun Zhan (?) –199), courtesy name Bogui (一作伯珪), a native of Lingzhi, Liaoxi (present-day Qian'an, Tangshan, Hebei), was a military general of the late Eastern Han Dynasty and one of the heroes of the late Han Dynasty. Gongsun Zhan was born into an aristocracy, and because of his handsome appearance, loud voice, and witty eloquence, he was appreciated by Zhuo Jun's Taishou. Later, gradually becoming the general of Zhonglang, in the course of the confrontation between the nomads in the north, Gongsun Zhan fought bravely and violently, threatening the frontier. Gongsun Zhan was belligerent and disagreed with Liu Yu, the mu of Youzhou, who advocated a gentle strategy, and the contradictions between the two gradually intensified. In the fourth year of Chuping (193), Gongsun Zhan killed Liu Yu and held the emissaries of the imperial court hostage, and was authorized to take charge of the four northern states, becoming one of the most powerful princes in the late Eastern Han Dynasty.
However, it should be noted that Gongsun Zhan and Yuan Shao fought many times, initially occupying an advantage, but after the Battle of Longzhuo, their morale was suddenly reduced, and they adopted a strategy of self-preservation, gradually lost the trust of their subordinates, and were defeated by Yuan Shao. Eventually trapped in a tall building, he chose to commit suicide. Therefore, it is very obvious that the struggle with Yuan Shao for territory became the direct cause of Gongsun Zhan's demise. It is worth noting that for Gongsun Zhan, in addition to fighting yuan shao, it is actually possible to expand to the Liaodong area. So, the question is, at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, why did Gongsun Zhan not attack Gongsun Du, but instead compete with Yuan Shao for territory?
One
First of all, by the time Gongsun Zhan divided Youzhou, Gongsun Du had already occupied Liaodong and other places. Gongsun Du (?) –204), courtesy name Shengji, was a native of Xiangping, Liaodong (around present-day Liaoyang, Liaoning), and Taishou of Liaodong Commandery in the late Eastern Han Dynasty. In the first year of Chuping (190), because his compatriot Xu Rong was a lieutenant general under Dong Zhuo, he recommended Gongsun Du to be the Taishou of Liaodong. In 190 AD (the first year of Chuping), Gongsun Du learned that the Central Plains were in turmoil, and he had plans to divide Liaodong and disobey the orders of the imperial court.
Therefore, Gongsun Du divided Liaodong County into Liaoxi County and Zhongliao County, set up the post of Taishou, crossed the sea to collect Donglai Counties, and set up Yingzhou Assassin History; he declared himself the Marquis of Liaodong and the Pastor of Pingzhou, and posthumously named his father Gongsun Yan the Marquis of Jianyi. Therefore, in the eyes of some people, Gongsun Zhan can completely raise an army to attack Gongsun Du, if he can successfully capture Liaodong, then Gongsun Zhan's territory is actually more consistent with the Yan state in the Seven Heroes of the Warring States. In other words, after taking Liaodong, Gongsun Zhan not only had a more extensive territory, but also had sufficient strategic depth, which helped him to compete with Cao Cao, Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu, Lü Bu and other Central Plains princes. However, Gongsun Zhan obviously did not have this intention, and the reasons for this were mainly divided into the following points.
On the one hand, the distance from Tuyu (土垠, in present-day Fengrun, Hebei) to Xiangping (襄平, in present-day Liaoyang, Liaoning) was about a thousand miles. In the context of thousands of miles away, Gongsun Zhan wanted to conquer Gongsun Du, but also had to pass through the narrow terrain of western Liaoning, which can be said to be difficult to march. In the late Three Kingdoms period, Cao Wei did not decide that Sima Yi would attack Liaodong until Gongsun Yuan became king, also because it was not easy to march. Moreover, for the powerful Cao Wei, this was a relatively difficult thing, not to mention Gongsun Zhan, who did not even fully establish himself in Youzhou at that time.
Two
In contrast, the distance between Gongsun Yuan and Yuan Shao was closer and the threat was greater. In this regard, in the view of many historians, during the Spring and Autumn Period, The State of Qi Guan Zhong helped the Yan State to fight against the Lone Bamboo, and almost fainted there, but later relied on the old horse to know the way to save it. The location of the Lone Bamboo Kingdom is in western Liaoning, still so, not to mention the farther Liaodong? Therefore, for Gongsun Zhan, if he wanted to fight against Liaodong, he was likely to be demoralized and difficult to march halfway through, let alone engage the other side.
On the other hand, the lips and teeth between Jizhou and Youzhou were interdependent, and for Yuan Shao of Jizhou at that time, he also looked at Gongsun Zhan as a tiger, which became an important reason for the conflict between the two. Yuan Shao was born in the "Yuan clan of Runan", the fourth and third dukes. For Yuan Shao, at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the great general (He Jin) was appointed as a lieutenant of the Middle Military Academy and a lieutenant of the Division, and participated in the command of the killing of eunuchs. Angrily rebuking Dong Zhuo, he was appointed as the Taishou of Bohai and was enthroned as the Marquis of Kwong Township. In the first year of Chuping (190), he served as the leader of the Kwantung Coalition Army, led an army against Dong Zhuo, and called himself a general on horseback. Throughout Yuan Shao's life, after he obtained Jizhou in 191 AD, it was obvious that he would not stop here. In other words, even if Gongsun Zhan did not take the initiative to attack Yuan Shao in Jizhou, the latter would still attack Youzhou in the north. Therefore, instead of sitting still, it is better to take the initiative.
Three
It is worth noting that for Yuan Shao, there was Gongsun Zhan in the north of Jizhou and Yuan Shu in the south, which were two fierce enemies of Yuan Shao. Although Yuan Shu was Yuan Shao's younger brother, the two brothers had always been at odds. In the winter of the second year of Chuping (191), Yuan Shu appointed Sun Jian as the Assassin of Yuzhou, Tunbing Yangcheng. When Sun Jian sent an army to attack Dong Zhuo, Yuan Shao took the opportunity to appoint Zhou Ang as the assassin of Yuzhou and sent troops to attack Yangcheng. Yuan Shu sent Gongsun Yue's younger brother Gongsun Yue to assist Sun Jian in returning to save Yangcheng, and Gongsun Yue was killed by a stray arrow during the battle. At that time, Gongsun Zhan, who was suppressing the Yellow Turban Army in Qingzhou, said angrily: "My brother's death was caused by Yuan Shao. ”
Therefore, Gongsun Zhan raised an army to attack Yuan Shao. Gongsun Zhan attacked fiercely and threatened Hebei. In this regard, in the author's opinion, Yuan Shao killed Gongsun Zhan's younger brother, which gave Gongsun Zhan an excuse to send troops to attack Yuan Shao. Moreover, Gongsun Zhan also formed an alliance with Yuan Shu, and the two were united in order to further compress Yuan Shao's living space. For Gongsun Zhan, the contradiction between Yuan Shu and Yuan Shao's brothers is also an opportunity that he must take advantage of.
Correspondingly, for Gongsun Du, who was guarding Liaodong, there was no revenge with Gongsun Zhan, which made Gongsun Zhan have no excuse to attack Liaodong. In the Three Kingdoms period at the end of the Han Dynasty, the contest between various princes often required a famous division, for example, Cao Cao attacked Xuzhou in 194 AD, because Xuzhou Mu Taoqian killed his father Cao Song, so it was a matter of course for Cao Cao to send troops. For example, if Yuan Shao launched the Battle of Guandu, it was under the banner of Cao Cao's usurpation of the power of the Han Dynasty.
Four
Finally, in addition, during the Three Kingdoms period at the end of the Han Dynasty, the population of Liaodong was relatively sparse and there was not much contention value. In the twelfth year of Jian'an (207), Cao Cao personally conquered Wuhuan. In August, at the Battle of White Wolf Mountain, Wu Huan and Yuan Shangjun were destroyed. Liaodong Shan Yu Su Shu Maru (一作苏仆延) defected to Gongsun Kang with the brothers Yuan Shang and Yuan Xi, followed by thousands of cavalry. Someone advised Cao Cao to take advantage of the situation to pursue, and Cao Cao said: "I will let Gongsun Kang send yuan shang and yuan xi's heads, and there is no need to work hard to move the masses." "Then from Liucheng class master." Compared with the Central Plains, in Cao Cao's mind, there was really no need for a labor expedition in the Liaodong area. In other words, with Cao Cao's strength at that time, he could completely eliminate Gongsun Kang, who had divided Liaodong. However, Cao Cao did not do so.
Therefore, for Gongsun Zhan, how to choose between the rich Jizhou and the barren Liaodong is naturally something that does not need to be thought about. In the last years of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the people of Jizhou were prosperous and the food was good, which can be said to be a place where soldiers must fight, for example, after Cao Cao defeated Yuan Shao, he set up the capital of the State of Wei in Yicheng, Jizhou. Therefore, Gongsun Zhan also had a tiger's eye on Jizhou under Yuan Shao, and if Gongsun Zhan really occupied Jizhou, perhaps he would replace Yuan Shao and become the most powerful prince at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty. Of course, Gongsun Zhan fought Against Yuan Shao from 191 AD, and although he persisted for eight years, by 199 AD, Gongsun Zhan was still destroyed by Yuan Shao. After eliminating Gongsun Zhan, Yuan Shao, who had no worries, was able to launch the Battle of Guandu and target Cao Cao, while Gongsun Du, who had divided Liaodong, continued to compete with the princes of the Central Plains.