Guan Hai

Historical Record

Guan Hai was a leader of one branch of the Yellow Turban Army at the end of the Eastern Han. His activities are recorded chiefly in Beihai Commandery, where he posed a serious threat to the locality. According to the Records of the Three Kingdoms, Guan Hai once led the Yellow Turban Army to besiege Kong Rong, the Chancellor of Beihai, at Duchang ^c:6050. At that time, because of the Yellow Turban uprising, Kong Rong had moved his troops out to garrison Duchang, only to find himself heavily surrounded by the bandits Guan Hai commanded ^c:6050. With the city besieged and outside relief slow to arrive, Kong Rong tried to seek aid from Liu Bei, the Chancellor of Pingyuan, but no one in the city was able to break through the encirclement ^c:6050.

Against this backdrop, Kong Rong's old acquaintance Taishi Ci returned from Liaodong. His mother, mindful of the attentive care Kong Rong had earlier shown her household, ordered Taishi Ci to go to Duchang to help ^c:6050. Taishi Ci broke into the besieged city of Duchang single-handed on horseback and volunteered to break out and seek relief. Although Kong Rong was at first doubtful, thinking the siege too tight for a breakout to be easy, Taishi Ci persuaded him with his mother's charge and his own ability ^c:6050. Taishi Ci then adopted an unexpected method of breaking out: for several mornings in a row he took two horsemen, carried archery targets, opened the city gate, and rode down to the moat to shoot at the targets, in order to lull the besieging Yellow Turbans ^c:6050. Once the Yellow Turbans grew accustomed to this and dropped their guard, Taishi Ci seized the chance to spur his horse and break out, successfully bursting through Guan Hai's encirclement ^c:6050. Reaching Pingyuan, he laid out Kong Rong's plight before Liu Bei and finally prompted Liu Bei to dispatch three thousand crack troops to the rescue ^c:6050. On learning that relief was coming, Guan Hai's forces lifted the siege and dispersed ^c:6050. The historical sources end their account of Guan Hai here, and his final fate is not clearly recorded.

In the Novel

In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Guan Hai's image is developed further into a more aggressive and provocative Yellow Turban general ^c:2968. The novel places the siege of Kong Rong against the background of Cao Cao's attack on Xu Province and Tao Qian's appeal to Kong Rong for aid ^c:2968. At this point, Kong Rong was discussing with Mi Zhu, the envoy from Xu Province, how to relieve Tao Qian, when Guan Hai suddenly led tens of thousands of Yellow Turban bandits charging toward Beihai ^c:2968.

In the novel, Guan Hai directly demanded ten thousand piculs of grain from Kong Rong, threatening that if he refused, he would storm the city and spare neither old nor young ^c:2968. As a loyal subject of the Han, Kong Rong sternly rejected Guan Hai's unreasonable demand and denounced him as a bandit ^c:2968. The two sides then joined battle. Below the walls, Kong Rong's general Zong Bao charged out with his spear to fight Guan Hai, but in only a few bouts Zong Bao was cut down from his horse by Guan Hai with a single stroke ^c:2968. This episode appears nowhere in the historical sources; it is the novel's artistic embellishment, meant to highlight Guan Hai's valor and Kong Rong's plight. Zong Bao's death threw Kong Rong's army into disorder, forcing it back into the city, while Guan Hai split his forces to besiege the city on all sides, plunging Kong Rong into extreme distress ^c:2968.

The novel's portrayal strengthens Guan Hai's ferocity and brutality as a Yellow Turban leader, making him the concrete embodiment of the external threat Kong Rong faced. Compared with the relatively plain historical record, the novel gives Guan Hai a sharper villainous character through specific dialogue and battle scenes.

Key Relationships

* Yellow Turban Army (member_of): Guan Hai was an important member of the Yellow Turban Army and led one of its forces ^c:6050.
* Kong Rong (enemy_of): Guan Hai led troops to besiege Kong Rong, Chancellor of Beihai, making him Kong Rong's direct enemy ^c:6050.
* Taishi Ci (adversary): To relieve Kong Rong's siege, Taishi Ci successfully broke through Guan Hai's encirclement ^c:6050.
* Liu Bei (indirect adversary): At Taishi Ci's request, Liu Bei sent troops that lifted Guan Hai's siege of Beihai ^c:6050.
* Zong Bao (victim): In the novel, Kong Rong's general Zong Bao was cut down from his horse by Guan Hai ^c:2968 (novel only).

Iconic Scenes

* The Siege of Duchang: Guan Hai led the Yellow Turban Army to besiege Kong Rong, Chancellor of Beihai, within Duchang, plunging Kong Rong into a desperate situation and ultimately prompting Taishi Ci to step forward and seek aid ^c:6050.
* Standoff with Kong Rong before the Walls: In the novel, Guan Hai spoke directly with Kong Rong below the walls, demanding that he hand over grain or face an assault and slaughter ^c:2968 (novel only).
* Slaying Zong Bao: In battle against Kong Rong's army, Guan Hai cut down Kong Rong's general Zong Bao within a few bouts, displaying his martial prowess ^c:2968 (novel only).
* Frightened Off by Relief Forces: Guan Hai's siege was ultimately broken up by the approach of the relief troops Liu Bei sent, showing that his forces lacked the strength to stand against regular armies ^c:6050.