Gongsun Gong

Historical Record

Gongsun Gong was a native of Xiangping in Liaodong, a son of Gongsun Du and younger brother of Gongsun Kang. When his elder brother Gongsun Kang died, because Gongsun Kang's sons Gongsun Huang, Gongsun Yuan, and the others were young, Gongsun Gong was raised up by the assembly as Grand Administrator of Liaodong, holding the military and civil authority of the region ^c:4558.

After Emperor Wen of Wei, Cao Pi, took the throne, he recognized Gongsun Gong's governing position. He sent an envoy to Liaodong to formally appoint Gongsun Gong as General of Chariots and Cavalry with the staff of authority, and enfeoff him as Marquis of Pingguo. At the same time, Emperor Wen posthumously honored Gongsun Kang as Grand Marshal, as a gesture of conciliation and favor toward the Gongsun family ^c:4558. In the early years of the Cao Wei polity, Gongsun Gong's standing was notably elevated; in the third month of the third year of Huangchu (222 CE), Cao Pi even further appointed the Grand Administrator of Liaodong Gongsun Gong as General of Chariots and Cavalry, on a par with the later Grand General Cao Ren, which shows his importance on the frontier at that time ^c:4557.

Gongsun Gong's rule, however, was not smooth. The histories record that he suffered from illness which left his body weakened—indeed "his yin wasted away and he became like a eunuch"—so that he could not govern the state effectively ^c:181. This physical affliction may also have undermined his political prestige and his control over his subordinates. In the second year of Taihe (228 CE), Gongsun Kang's son Gongsun Yuan gradually grew up and came into his strength. Exploiting Gongsun Gong's physical condition and weak governance, Gongsun Yuan finally seized the office of Grand Administrator of Liaodong from Gongsun Gong by force ^c:181. Gongsun Gong thereby lost actual control of Liaodong. After Emperor Ming of Wei, Cao Rui, took the throne, in order to maintain stability in the Liaodong region he too went along with this and acknowledged Gongsun Yuan's position, appointing him General Who Spreads Valor and Grand Administrator of Liaodong ^c:181. Gongsun Gong's political career thus came to an end; though during his reign he received Cao Wei's investiture, in the end he was unable to securely pass on his power.

In the Novel

In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Gongsun Gong's character is chiefly shown in his political advice to his elder brother Gongsun Kang, and in his later succession and ouster from power. In Chapter 33, when the brothers Yuan Xi and Yuan Shang, defeated, fled to Liaodong, Gongsun Kang gathered his subordinates to deliberate on a course of action. Here Gongsun Gong plays an important advisory role. He analyzed the advantages and disadvantages for Gongsun Kang, pointing out that during his lifetime Yuan Shao had often harbored designs on annexing Liaodong, and now that Yuan Xi and Yuan Shang came to seek refuge at the end of their road, it was truly a case of "the dove seizing the magpie's nest" ^c:178. Gongsun Gong advised Gongsun Kang not to accept them lightly, but rather to "lure them into the city and kill them, presenting their heads to Lord Cao—Lord Cao will surely treat us generously" ^c:178.

This advice of Gongsun Gong's displays his keen insight into the political situation and his decisiveness, in contrast to the histories' image of him as "weak and unable to govern the state." Although Gongsun Kang at first hesitated, fearing Cao Cao would seize the chance to attack Liaodong, Gongsun Gong further proposed that they first send men to spy out Cao Cao's movements: if Cao's troops came to attack, they could keep the two Yuans as allies; if Cao Cao did not move, they could kill the two Yuans and present their heads to Cao Cao ^c:178. Gongsun Kang finally adopted Gongsun Gong's stratagem and sent men to gather intelligence. This episode has no clear record in the histories; it belongs to the novel's literary invention to shape character and advance the plot.

In Chapter 106, Gongsun Gong is mentioned again, chiefly concerning his succession and his ouster by Gongsun Yuan. The novel explicitly states that after Gongsun Kang died, because his sons Gongsun Huang and Gongsun Yuan were still young, Gongsun Kang's younger brother Gongsun Gong inherited the office of Grand Administrator of Liaodong ^c:188. In Cao Pi's time, Gongsun Gong was enfeoffed as General of Chariots and Cavalry and Marquis of Xiangping, which broadly matches the historical fact. The novel, however, also emphasizes that after Gongsun Yuan grew up, "accomplished in both civil and martial matters, of a fierce and combative temperament," he finally seized the office of his uncle Gongsun Gong ^c:188. The novel, in contrast to the histories, does not dwell on his physical affliction as the cause of his ouster, attributing it instead more to Gongsun Yuan's ambition and ability, which makes Gongsun Gong's deposition appear more passive and helpless.

Key Relationships

* Cao Wei (serves): During his reign, Gongsun Gong accepted the investiture of the Cao Wei polity, being appointed General of Chariots and Cavalry with the staff of authority and Marquis of Pingguo ^c:4558. This shows that he was nominally a subject of Cao Wei, and that the Liaodong region was under Cao Wei's loose suzerainty.
* The Gongsun Du clan (lord_of): As Gongsun Du's son and Gongsun Kang's younger brother, Gongsun Gong was an important member of the Gongsun family. After Gongsun Kang's death, he for a time held the family's governing authority over Liaodong ^c:4558.
* The Gongsun Du faction (lord_of): Gongsun Gong was the de facto power-holder of the autonomous Gongsun regime in Liaodong, representing the continuation of the Gongsun Du faction. His rule, however, was ultimately supplanted by his nephew Gongsun Yuan ^c:181.
* Gongsun Kang (advises_in): In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Gongsun Gong, as Gongsun Kang's younger brother, offered important political advice to Gongsun Kang, especially on how to handle the matter of Yuan Xi and Yuan Shang, displaying his strategic side ^c:178 (novel only).
* Gongsun Yuan (usurped_by): Gongsun Gong was finally coerced by his nephew Gongsun Yuan, who seized from him the office of Grand Administrator of Liaodong ^c:181.

Iconic Scenes

* Succeeding as Grand Administrator of Liaodong and receiving Cao Wei's investiture: After Gongsun Kang died, because his sons were young, Gongsun Gong was raised up as Grand Administrator of Liaodong. After Emperor Wen of Wei, Cao Pi, took the throne, he sent an envoy to invest Gongsun Gong as General of Chariots and Cavalry with the staff of authority and Marquis of Pingguo, and posthumously honored Gongsun Kang as Grand Marshal ^c:4558. This event established Gongsun Gong's governing position in Liaodong and won him the official recognition of the Cao Wei polity.
* Advising Gongsun Kang to behead Yuan Xi and Yuan Shang: In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Gongsun Gong offered Gongsun Kang the stratagem of luring in and killing the refugee brothers Yuan Xi and Yuan Shang and presenting their heads to Cao Cao to win Cao Cao's favor. This stratagem displays Gongsun Gong's political foresight and decisiveness ^c:178 (novel only).
* Ousted from power by Gongsun Yuan due to his frailty: The histories record that Gongsun Gong, suffering from illness and physically weak—"his yin wasting away so that he became like a eunuch"—was unable to govern the state effectively. In the second year of Taihe (228 CE), Gongsun Kang's son Gongsun Yuan seized the chance to coerce him and take the office of Grand Administrator of Liaodong ^c:181. This was the end of Gongsun Gong's political career and an important marker of Gongsun Yuan's rise.