Gao Shun

Historical Record

Gao Shun, a general under Lü Bu, was renowned for his upright, austere character and for his elite unit, the "Camp of Trapped Battalions." He drank no wine and accepted no gifts; the force he led, numbering somewhat over seven hundred men, was called a thousand, its armor and weapons finely honed and well ordered, and every assault it made could break the enemy's line^[1]. Gao Shun was devotedly loyal to Lü Bu and repeatedly remonstrated, pointing out Lü Bu's faults in decision-making, holding that "in every ruined house and fallen state, it is not that there were no loyal and clear-sighted men, but only that they were not employed. Your conduct, General, refuses careful thought, and you take pleasure in careless words; your errors cannot be counted." Though Lü Bu knew of his loyalty, he could not adopt his counsel. After the rebellion of Hao Meng, Lü Bu grew still more distant from Gao Shun, even stripping away all the troops Gao Shun commanded and handing them over to Wei Xu, who was related to him by marriage. Yet when battle was needed, Lü Bu still ordered Gao Shun to lead Wei Xu's troops, and Gao Shun never harbored any resentment over this^[1].

In the third year of Jian'an (198 CE), Lü Bu betrayed Yuan Shu and dispatched Gao Shun to attack Liu Bei at Pei, successfully defeating him. Cao Cao sent Xiahou Dun to relieve Liu Bei, but he too was defeated by Gao Shun^[1]. In this campaign Gao Shun captured Liu Bei's wife and children and sent them back to Lü Bu^[2]. Cao Cao then personally led a great army to chastise Lü Bu, besieging Xiapi. Lü Bu had considered adopting Chen Gong's stratagem of going out of the city to maneuver against Cao Cao, but gave it up at his wife's dissuasion. After the city had been besieged for three months, Lü Bu's officers Hou Cheng, Song Xian, Wei Xu, and others bound Chen Gong and surrendered with their men. Lü Bu finally surrendered atop the White Gate Tower and was taken alive by Cao Cao. At this point Liu Bei spoke up, reminding Cao Cao that Lü Bu had betrayed Ding Yuan and Dong Zhuo, which led Cao Cao finally to decide to put Lü Bu to death. After Lü Bu was strangled, his head, together with the heads of Chen Gong, Gao Shun, and others, was sent to Xu to be exposed before they were finally buried^[1].

In the Novel

In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Gao Shun's image to some degree continues the loyalty and valor of the historical record, but his appearances and the events he takes part in are given greater dramatic color and detail. As an important general of Lü Bu, he repeatedly took part in military actions against Liu Bei. For example, in Chapter 14, Lü Bu adopted Chen Gong's stratagem of a night raid on Xuzhou; Gao Shun acted together with Lü Bu and Chen Gong, Lü Bu leading the way with five hundred cavalry and Gao Shun following with the main army^[3].

In the novel Gao Shun repeatedly attacked Liu Bei on Lü Bu's orders. Yuan Shu once promised Lü Bu grain and goods in exchange for Lü Bu joining in a pincer attack on Liu Bei, and Lü Bu ordered Gao Shun to lead fifty thousand troops to strike Liu Bei's rear. On learning of this, Liu Bei withdrew his troops under cover of rain, and Gao Shun could not overtake him. When Gao Shun met with Ji Ling, Ji Ling made excuses for failing to honor Yuan Shu's promise, and Gao Shun could only lead his army back to report to Lü Bu^[4]. On another occasion, when Lü Bu attacked Xiaopei, Gao Shun and Zhang Liao were ordered to assault the city; Gao Shun, beneath the enemy tower, demanded of Liu Bei why he had allied with Cao Cao and then attacked the city directly. Zhang Liao attacked the west gate; Guan Yu once tried to persuade Zhang Liao to surrender, but Zhang Liao gave no reply^[5].

The novel also depicts Gao Shun's military role within Lü Bu's faction; he was often dispatched by Lü Bu together with Zhang Liao, Chen Gong, and others to carry out missions. For instance, in Lü Bu's various clashes with Cao Cao and Liu Bei, Gao Shun was often one of the five divisions into which Lü Bu split his forces, charged with attacking a specific objective^[6]. When Lü Bu was besieged at Xiapi, Gao Shun's end accords with history: he was finally put to death by Cao Cao^[1]. The novel does not explicitly mention the name of Gao Shun's "Camp of Trapped Battalions," but his image as one of Lü Bu's fierce generals runs throughout.

Key Relationships

* Lü Bu's faction (serves): Gao Shun was an important general under Lü Bu, devotedly loyal, repeatedly offering counsel for Lü Bu and leading troops into battle. Although his remonstrances went unheeded and his command was even stripped away, he never voiced complaint, going to his death together with Lü Bu in the end^[1].
* Lü Bu (serves): Gao Shun and Lü Bu stood in a lord–retainer relationship. Gao Shun was loyal to Lü Bu and repeatedly pointed out his faults frankly, but Lü Bu "could not use" his words, even stripping his command on account of kinship ties. Despite this, Gao Shun would still fight wholeheartedly for him when needed^[1].
* Liu Bei (enemy_of): Gao Shun and Liu Bei were adversaries. In both history and the novel, Gao Shun repeatedly attacked Liu Bei on Lü Bu's orders and once successfully defeated him, capturing his wife and children^[1],^[2]. In the novel Gao Shun even directly challenged Liu Bei beneath the city wall and led his troops in the assault^[5].
* Cao Cao (enemy_of): As Lü Bu's general, Gao Shun was an adversary of Cao Cao. He once defeated the relief force sent by Cao Cao under Xiahou Dun, but after Cao Cao personally campaigned against Lü Bu, he was finally captured and executed together with Lü Bu^[1].

Iconic Scenes

* Defeating Xiahou Dun and capturing Liu Bei's wife and children: In the third year of Jian'an, Gao Shun attacked Liu Bei at Pei on Lü Bu's orders, not only defeating Liu Bei but also repelling the relieving Xiahou Dun and capturing Liu Bei's wife and children. This campaign fully displayed Gao Shun's military ability and the formidable fighting power of the "Camp of Trapped Battalions"^[1],^[2].
* Repeatedly remonstrating with Lü Bu, who could not use his counsel: Gao Shun repeatedly remonstrated with Lü Bu, pointing out his decision-making errors and foretelling the consequence of "a ruined house and fallen state." He frankly criticized Lü Bu's "conduct that refuses careful thought, takes pleasure in careless words, with errors beyond counting." Though Lü Bu knew of Gao Shun's loyalty, he never adopted his advice, which became one important cause of Lü Bu's eventual downfall and highlighted Gao Shun's foresight and loyalty^[1].
* Death at the White Gate Tower: After Xiapi fell and Lü Bu was captured, Gao Shun, together with Chen Gong and others, was put to death by Cao Cao. This scene marks the utter destruction of Lü Bu's faction and displays Gao Shun's final fate as Lü Bu's loyal retainer^[1].
* Ordered to attack Xiaopei and challenging Liu Bei: In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Gao Shun, on Lü Bu's orders, attacked Xiaopei and directly challenged Liu Bei beneath the city wall over why he had allied with Cao Cao, then led his troops in the assault. This episode vividly depicts Gao Shun's image as Lü Bu's vanguard and his direct conflict with Liu Bei^[5] (novel-only).