Guo Sheng

Historical Record

As for the record of Guo Sheng in the official histories, the currently verifiable historical material makes no direct mention of him. This means that in authoritative sources such as the Records of the Three Kingdoms, there is no clear record of the figure Guo Sheng's life, offices, or specific deeds. We therefore cannot give a detailed historiographical account of him. Against the historical background of eunuch domination at the end of the Eastern Han, many eunuchs left their names in history through their power struggles and political influence, but Guo Sheng evidently was not among those figures given prominent record. This may suggest that his actual influence in history was relatively small, or that his activities did not reach a level worthy of detailed record by the historians. This, however, cannot wholly rule out the possibility of his real existence; it is only that his historical face is blurred in the surviving sources.

In the Novel

In the literary world of Luo Guanzhong's Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Guo Sheng, as one of the "Ten Attendants," played an important role, especially against the background of eunuchs meddling in government and the realm falling into chaos at the end of the Eastern Han. He first appears in chapter one, listed together with Zhang Rang, Zhao Zhong, and seven others as the "Ten Attendants," described as members of a eunuch clique who "banded together for evil." ^c:6533 Relying on the emperor's favor—especially Emperor Ling of Han calling Zhang Rang his "foster father"—this clique made the governance of the court grow ever more corrupt, in the end bringing about a state in which "the hearts of the realm turned to disorder and bandits rose up like swarms." ^c:6533

Guo Sheng's most notable action in the novel occurs in chapter two. When the Grand General He Jin, together with Yuan Shao and others, sought to wipe out the eunuch faction, Jian Shuo, one of the Ten Attendants, was pursued by Yuan Shao. At this point Guo Sheng suddenly appeared and killed Jian Shuo beneath the shade of the flowers in the imperial garden. ^c:3932 This act seems rather sudden in the novel, and quite dramatic. On the surface, Guo Sheng's deed appears to be a response to He Jin and the others' move to purge the court of evil; but in fact it is more a power struggle and self-preservation strategy within the eunuch clique. By killing Jian Shuo, the Ten Attendants sought to lay all the blame on Jian Shuo alone in order to save themselves, and pleaded with Empress Dowager He, claiming that "the one who first plotted to harm the Grand General was Jian Shuo alone, and it had nothing to do with the rest of us." ^c:3932 Guo Sheng's action, while driving the plot forward to some degree, also reflects the cunning of the eunuch clique and the complex relations within it. He Jin in the end heeded Empress Dowager He's persuasion and gave up the plan to wipe out the eunuchs root and branch, so that Zhang Rang and the other remaining eunuchs were able to eke out their survival for a time. ^c:3932 Though Guo Sheng's appearances in the novel are few, his act of killing Jian Shuo is undoubtedly the most striking stroke in his characterization, displaying his decisiveness and ruthlessness at a critical moment, and laying the groundwork for the later conflict between the eunuchs and the consort kin.

Key Relationships

* Ten Attendants: Guo Sheng was a member of the "Ten Attendants" clique. ^c:6533 In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, this eunuch clique is one of the direct causes of the political corruption and the realm's descent into chaos at the end of the Eastern Han. They "banded together for evil" and held the great power of the court, so that the emperor heeded their every word, leading to social upheaval. (novel only)
* Jian Shuo: Guo Sheng and Jian Shuo were both among the Ten Attendants, but in Romance of the Three Kingdoms Guo Sheng killed Jian Shuo with his own hand. ^c:3932 This relationship reveals that the eunuch clique was not monolithic, and that in the face of an external threat its own members might slaughter one another for self-preservation. (novel only)
* He Jin: Guo Sheng's action indirectly affected He Jin's handling of the eunuch clique. His killing of Jian Shuo meant that He Jin, under the intervention of Empress Dowager He, failed to wipe out the eunuch faction root and branch, sowing the seeds of the later disaster of Dong Zhuo's entry into the capital. (novel only)

Iconic Scenes

Guo Sheng's most iconic scene in Romance of the Three Kingdoms is undoubtedly the episode in which he kills Jian Shuo in the imperial garden. ^c:3932 At the time, the Grand General He Jin, together with Yuan Shao and others, was about to wipe out the eunuch faction root and branch, and Jian Shuo, one of the Ten Attendants, was being pursued by Yuan Shao. At the critical moment, Guo Sheng suddenly appeared and killed Jian Shuo beneath the shade of the flowers. This scene not only displays Guo Sheng's decisiveness and ruthlessness, but also lays bare the complex power struggle within the eunuch clique. Guo Sheng's act may, on the one hand, be read as eliminating a scapegoat for self-preservation, and on the other hand it provided the opening for Zhang Rang and the other eunuchs to plead with Empress Dowager He and escape punishment for a time. ^c:3932 This scene is the only occasion in the novel on which Guo Sheng directly takes part in a major event, and is the moment when his image is most vivid, deeply influencing the direction of the political situation at the time and laying the groundwork for the later development of the plot. (novel only)