Gongsun Zan
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Gongsun Zan (公孫瓚; pinyin: Gōngsūn Zàn; Wade-Giles: Kungsun Ts'an) (?-199), courtesy name Bogui, was a warlord of northern China active toward the end of the second century AD.
He was commander of a cavalry force and served on the northern and eastern frontiers of the Han Dynasty empire fighting against various non-Chinese peoples. In 191, Gongsun enlisted as part of the coalition against Dong Zhuo, the nobleman who had seized power in Luoyang and held the emperor hostage, but used the opportunity to enlarge his territories. In late 191, Gongsun Zan appointed the later great Shu general, Zhao Yun. Zhao Yun later joined another member of the attack on Dong Zhuo, Liu Bei. Throughout the 190s he fought a series of battles with the warlord Yuan Shao for control of north China, starting with the Battle of Jieqiao. He was defeated by Yuan in 199 and committed suicide.
Gongsun Zan was known as the 'General of Baima' and renowned for his brigade of elite cavalry from Baima, made up completely of horses of pure white (Bai Ma means white horse in Chinese). It seems he hit on the tactic of using all white horses in battle when he learned the barbarians he was then fighting against considered the animals sacred and would run from them instead of fighting.
He had one son, Gongsun Xu.
| Prominent people of the Three Kingdoms Era | |
| Rulers | Han: Emperor Ling of Han>Emperor Ling - Emperor Xiao - Emperor Xian Wei: Cao Cao - Cao Pi - Cao Rui - Cao Fang - Cao Mao - Cao Huan Shu: Liu Bei - Liu Shan Wu: Sun Jian - Sun Ce - Sun Quan - Sun Liang - Sun Xiu - Sun Hao Jin: Sima Yan Others: Dong Zhuo - Gongsun Zan - Han Fu - Liu Biao - Liu Yao - Liu Zhang - Lü Bu - Ma Teng - Meng Huo - Yuan Shao - Yuan Shu - Zhang Jiao - Zhang Lu |
| Advisors | Wei: Guo Jia - Sima Yi - Xun You - Xun Yu Shu: Fei Yi - Jiang Wan - Jiang Wei - Pang Tong - Zhuge Liang Wu: Lu Su - Lu Xun (Three Kingdoms)>Lu Xun - Zhou Yu - Zhuge Jin Others: Li Ru - Tian Feng |
| Generals | Wei: Dian Wei - Xiahou Dun - Xiahou Yuan - Xu Chu - Xu Huang - Zhang He - Zhang Liao Shu: Guan Yu - Huang Zhong - Ma Chao - Wei Yan - Zhang Fei (Three Kingdoms)>Zhang Fei - Zhao Yun Wu: Huang Gai - Lü Meng - Taishi Ci - Zhou Tai Others: Ji Ling - Wen Chou - Yan Liang |
| Others | Diaochan - Guan Lu - Hua Tuo - Sun Shangxiang - Sima Hui |
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