Guo Si
Encyclopedia
Guo Si also known as Guo Duo (郭多), was a general serving under the warlord Dong Zhuo
during the late Han Dynasty
period of Chinese history
. He assisted Dong in his many campaigns, and was placed under Dong's son-in-law after Dong relocate the imperial capital to Chang'an
. He later became one of the de facto regents of Emperor Xian
, wherein they occupied the capital and held the emperor and imperial officials hostage. However, his downfall came when he quarreled with another regent, Li Jue, and together with Li, they were defeated by Yang Feng
and Dong Cheng
, who assisted the emperor to flee the capital. Guo was eventually betrayed and murdered by one of his subordinate generals.
At the start of the war with the eastern warlords, Guo was sent to assist Niu Fu
to develop Mei into an invincible citadel, thus, they built up fortifications and stored 30 years of food supply there before Dong moved the capital to Chang'an from Luoyang. After Hu Zhen
and Lü Bu
suffered a major defeat from the hands of Sun Jian
and Dong's retreat to Chang'an, Niu, Guo and Li Jue were ordered to station in Shan (modern day Shaanxi
), which was the front against the anti-Dong-Zhou coalition. At the time the alliance was having internal conflicts and did not focus on fighting Guo and Li, so the senior imperial officer, Zhu Jun
could only ask his old friend, Tao Qian
to give him a hand in a futile effort to fight the forces of Dong. Tao, despite having a general alliance with Dong, indeed sent 3,000 elite danyang troops to Zhu to battle Guo and Li at Zhongmu, where Zhu was totally crushed. Guo, Li, and Zhang Ji
then performed raids around area of Chenliu and Yingchuan, wherein Cao Cao
and the likes were unable to stop them, and many residents there were hijacked and enslaved.
. Guo along with his comrades Fan Chou
, Li Jue, and Zhang Ji
initially wanted to make Niu their leader, but the later was so scared and listened to his strategist, Hu Chi'er
, to flee with the treasures he had been saved all his life. However, Hu murdered Niu after he decided to take the wealth of his master for himself. Guo, along the other three generals, then pleaded the de facto leader of Han court, Wang Yun
, for amnesty since they were Dong's most trusted aides. To the exact contrary, Wang granted amnesty to all of Dong's former generals except for these four, so they planned to relinquish their positions and go into hiding. Advisor Jia Xu
suggested that they should take this opportunity to launch a strike at Chang'an since the Liang Province power was actually unscathed after the coup. At the beginning of their campaign, not much Liang residents joined them, only several thousands soldiers followed the four, but the number grew along the way. Wang sent out Xu Rong and Hu Zhen to fight the Liang force en route at An'feng, but Xu was killed in the first encounter and Hu led his troops (which originated from Liang) to join the rebels and the size of the rebel force was now greatly inflated. A fierce battle was fought outside the wall of Chang'an, where Guo Si personally dueled the famous Lu Bu, even Guo was defeated and was pierced by Lu's spear, he survived the wound and the Liang army pushed Lu back into the city. The four then surrounded Chang'an with their army and lied that they would leave if Wang Yun would go with them. Wang, thinking that the four rebels only wanted his life and didn't have an intention to besiege the city, committed suicide. After Wang's death, the rebels managed to take control of Chang'an
and secured power for themselves within the Imperial Court by taking Emperor Xian hostage and selecting imperial officials for the emperor.
When the western forces of Han Sui
, Ma Teng
and Liu Yan
formed an alliance to challenge the Han court controlled by the four, Li sent out his nephew (or son) Li Li, Guo, and Fan to counter the allied force. The allied force was dealt a major defeat with a casualty up to ten thousand about 12.9185 miles west to Chang'an. Knowing the allied force was low on grain, Li Li asked Fan to pursuit and wipe the enemy out, but was refused by the former because of his friendship with Han. This incident was reported by Li Li to Li Jue upon the army's return, and Li Jue assembled the officers in a banquet, whereins he had Fan openly executed. Meantime, Emperor Xian was anxiously waiting for someone capable to get rid of these hegemonists. Imperial minister Yang Biao, a court official loyal to Han
, came up with a plan to drive Guo Si and Li Jue apart when he saw the Liang generals became suspicious of Li after his murder of Fan. Yang sent his wife as a spy to make Guo Si's jealous wife Lady Qiong believe that her husband was having an affair with Li Jue's wife (or concubines), and that Li would kill Guo soon. Thus, Guo's wife made Guo believe this himself by poisoning food that Li Jue had given to them and feeding it to a dog. When the dog died, Guo Si believed that Li Jue indeed attempted to poison him. This drove Guo Si and Li Jue to battle with each other. The situation ended up with Li Jue kidnapping the Emperor and Guo Si kidnapping the Imperial court
.
Capitalizing on the chaos and massive confusion, the Emperor sneaked out of the capital, and was rescued by the leader of White Wave Bandits
, Yang Feng
, who, along with Dong Cheng
, Yang Ding, and subordinate Xu Huang
, defeated the army of Guo Si, who returned to Li Jue to make a last-ditch effort to recapture the Emperor. Li Jue and Guo Si gained initial success by defeating Yang Ding, but was defeated by the counter-attack of Yang Feng and Dong. Since then, Guo returned to Mei, and never took further action to retrieve the emperor, while Li occupied Chang'an.
By inciting his subordinate Liu Bei
to kill Yang Feng, Cao Cao became the next hegemonist to seize control of the Emperor as Dong Zhuo, Li and Guo had done before him, and the power of Li, Guo, and Zhang greatly diminished resulting from previous infighting and the lost of Emperor Xian. Guo Si was eventually slain by his own officer Wu Xi (伍習), who led his remnant to join Li in 197.
Dong Zhuo
Dong Zhuo was a politician and warlord during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. He seized control of the capital city Luoyang in 189 when it was in a state of turmoil following the death of Emperor Ling and a clash between the eunuch faction and some court officials led by...
during the late Han Dynasty
Han Dynasty
The Han Dynasty was the second imperial dynasty of China, preceded by the Qin Dynasty and succeeded by the Three Kingdoms . It was founded by the rebel leader Liu Bang, known posthumously as Emperor Gaozu of Han. It was briefly interrupted by the Xin Dynasty of the former regent Wang Mang...
period of Chinese history
History of China
Chinese civilization originated in various regional centers along both the Yellow River and the Yangtze River valleys in the Neolithic era, but the Yellow River is said to be the Cradle of Chinese Civilization. With thousands of years of continuous history, China is one of the world's oldest...
. He assisted Dong in his many campaigns, and was placed under Dong's son-in-law after Dong relocate the imperial capital to Chang'an
Chang'an
Chang'an is an ancient capital of more than ten dynasties in Chinese history, today known as Xi'an. Chang'an literally means "Perpetual Peace" in Classical Chinese. During the short-lived Xin Dynasty, the city was renamed "Constant Peace" ; yet after its fall in AD 23, the old name was restored...
. He later became one of the de facto regents of Emperor Xian
Emperor Xian of Han
Emperor Xian of Han , personal name Liu Xie, style name Bohe, was the last emperor of the Han Dynasty period of Chinese history...
, wherein they occupied the capital and held the emperor and imperial officials hostage. However, his downfall came when he quarreled with another regent, Li Jue, and together with Li, they were defeated by Yang Feng
Yang Feng
Yang Feng was a cavalry general during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. He was also a friend of Han Xian. During the beginning years of the campaign against Dong Zhuo, Dong Zhuo assigned Yang Feng under that of Li Jue...
and Dong Cheng
Dong Cheng
Dong Cheng was originally a subordinate general of Niu Fu during the late Han Dynasty, and later joined forces with the White Wave Bandits to protect the emperor from the hands of Li Jue and Guo Si. He was also Emperor Xian's father-in-law...
, who assisted the emperor to flee the capital. Guo was eventually betrayed and murdered by one of his subordinate generals.
Early to mid-career
As an early supporter of Dong, he participated most of Dong's major battles, including the subjugation of the Yellow Turbans, the battle of Liang Province, and the war with the coalition against Dong Zhou.At the start of the war with the eastern warlords, Guo was sent to assist Niu Fu
Niu Fu
Niu Fu was a general serving under the warlord Dong Zhuo during the late Han Dynasty era of Chinese history.Niu Fu served under Dong Zhuo, who was also his father-in-law. When Dong Zhuo burned Luoyang to the ground and retreated to Chang'an, Niu Fu was sent to defend Anyi. After Dong Zhuo was...
to develop Mei into an invincible citadel, thus, they built up fortifications and stored 30 years of food supply there before Dong moved the capital to Chang'an from Luoyang. After Hu Zhen
Hu Zhen
Hu Zhen, style name Wencai , was a general serving under the warlord Dong Zhuo during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. He was described as a man of influence in Liang Province ....
and Lü Bu
Lü Bu
Lü Bu was a military general and later a minor warlord during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. According to the Records of Three Kingdoms, Lü Bu was highly-skilled in horse-riding and archery, and was thus nicknamed "Flying General"...
suffered a major defeat from the hands of Sun Jian
Sun Jian
Sun Jian was a military general and warlord during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. He allied himself with Yuan Shu in 190 when warlords from eastern China formed a coalition to oust Dong Zhuo, a tyrannical warlord who held the puppet Emperor Xian in his power...
and Dong's retreat to Chang'an, Niu, Guo and Li Jue were ordered to station in Shan (modern day Shaanxi
Shaanxi
' is a province in the central part of Mainland China, and it includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River in addition to the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of this province...
), which was the front against the anti-Dong-Zhou coalition. At the time the alliance was having internal conflicts and did not focus on fighting Guo and Li, so the senior imperial officer, Zhu Jun
Zhu Jun
Zhu Jun , style name Gongwei , was a politician during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. As a character in Luo Guanzhong's historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, he was attributed certain actions that he did not actually carry out.Zhu Jun achieved a number of victories over...
could only ask his old friend, Tao Qian
Tao Qian
Tao Qian , better known as Tao Yuanming , was a Chinese poet. Born in modern Jiujiang, Jiangxi, he was one of the most influential pre-Tang Dynasty Chinese poets....
to give him a hand in a futile effort to fight the forces of Dong. Tao, despite having a general alliance with Dong, indeed sent 3,000 elite danyang troops to Zhu to battle Guo and Li at Zhongmu, where Zhu was totally crushed. Guo, Li, and Zhang Ji
Zhang Ji
Zhang Ji , style name Derong , was a a military general of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. During the Battle of Tong Pass, Zhang helped defend Chang'an together with Xiahou Yuan. According to the records of history, Zhang Ji later became the protector of Yong Province...
then performed raids around area of Chenliu and Yingchuan, wherein Cao Cao
Cao Cao
Cao Cao was a warlord and the penultimate chancellor of the Eastern Han Dynasty who rose to great power during the dynasty's final years. As one of the central figures of the Three Kingdoms period, he laid the foundations for what was to become the state of Cao Wei and was posthumously titled...
and the likes were unable to stop them, and many residents there were hijacked and enslaved.
Battle of Chang'an
Due to the fact that he stationed outside the capital, he was able to return to Liang Province when Dong Zhuo was assassinated by Lü BuLü Bu
Lü Bu was a military general and later a minor warlord during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. According to the Records of Three Kingdoms, Lü Bu was highly-skilled in horse-riding and archery, and was thus nicknamed "Flying General"...
. Guo along with his comrades Fan Chou
Fan Chou
Fan Chou was a general serving under the warlord Dong Zhuo during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history.After Dong Zhuo died by his adoptive son Lü Bu by an assassination plot by Wang Yun. He along with Li Jue, Guo Si, and Zhang Ji defeated Lü Bu then defeated Wang Yun, which they taken...
, Li Jue, and Zhang Ji
Zhang Ji (warlord)
Zhang Ji was a general serving under the warlord Dong Zhuo during the late Han Dynasty era of Chinese history. He was the uncle of Zhang Xiu and was married to the beautiful Lady Zou...
initially wanted to make Niu their leader, but the later was so scared and listened to his strategist, Hu Chi'er
Hu Chi'er
Huchi'er was a general serving under Niu Fu during the Han Dynasty era of Chinese history. He was not of Chinese origin, and some historians believe he may have come from a Slavic background, although others assert it is much more probable that he was of Magyar, Hun or Persian ancestry. When Li Jue...
, to flee with the treasures he had been saved all his life. However, Hu murdered Niu after he decided to take the wealth of his master for himself. Guo, along the other three generals, then pleaded the de facto leader of Han court, Wang Yun
Wang Yun
Wang Yun was a Minister over the Masses under Emperor Xian during the late Eastern Han Dynasty of China. During Wang Yun's time, the emperors were mere puppets under the power of eunuchs and warlords. In 192, Wang Yun plotted and successfully staged Lü Bu's assassination of Dong Zhuo, the...
, for amnesty since they were Dong's most trusted aides. To the exact contrary, Wang granted amnesty to all of Dong's former generals except for these four, so they planned to relinquish their positions and go into hiding. Advisor Jia Xu
Jia Xu
Jia Xu , style name Wenhe , was an advisor to the warlord Cao Cao during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. He previously served Dong Zhuo, Li Jue and Zhang Xiu before finally joining Cao Cao...
suggested that they should take this opportunity to launch a strike at Chang'an since the Liang Province power was actually unscathed after the coup. At the beginning of their campaign, not much Liang residents joined them, only several thousands soldiers followed the four, but the number grew along the way. Wang sent out Xu Rong and Hu Zhen to fight the Liang force en route at An'feng, but Xu was killed in the first encounter and Hu led his troops (which originated from Liang) to join the rebels and the size of the rebel force was now greatly inflated. A fierce battle was fought outside the wall of Chang'an, where Guo Si personally dueled the famous Lu Bu, even Guo was defeated and was pierced by Lu's spear, he survived the wound and the Liang army pushed Lu back into the city. The four then surrounded Chang'an with their army and lied that they would leave if Wang Yun would go with them. Wang, thinking that the four rebels only wanted his life and didn't have an intention to besiege the city, committed suicide. After Wang's death, the rebels managed to take control of Chang'an
Chang'an
Chang'an is an ancient capital of more than ten dynasties in Chinese history, today known as Xi'an. Chang'an literally means "Perpetual Peace" in Classical Chinese. During the short-lived Xin Dynasty, the city was renamed "Constant Peace" ; yet after its fall in AD 23, the old name was restored...
and secured power for themselves within the Imperial Court by taking Emperor Xian hostage and selecting imperial officials for the emperor.
As a regent
The four then demanded high ranks, and Guo and Li even thought about assassinating the emperor to take the throne, however was dissuaded from doing so by Fan and Zhang. With Li as the leader of the rebels, the four took almost complete control of the court and demoted and promoted anyone at will.When the western forces of Han Sui
Han Sui
Han Sui was a warlord during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. For most of his life he was active in Liang Province and was involved in several rebellions against the Han Dynasty and against the warlord Cao Cao.-Biography:With the backing of the Qiang people who populated much of...
, Ma Teng
Ma Teng
Ma Teng was a warlord during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. He controlled Liang Province together with his sworn brother Han Sui...
and Liu Yan
Liu Yan
Liu Yan , courtesy name Bosheng , was a general of one of the major uprisings against China's Xin Dynasty and its emperor, Wang Mang. Although he would have military successes, he would die early as a victim of political intrigue...
formed an alliance to challenge the Han court controlled by the four, Li sent out his nephew (or son) Li Li, Guo, and Fan to counter the allied force. The allied force was dealt a major defeat with a casualty up to ten thousand about 12.9185 miles west to Chang'an. Knowing the allied force was low on grain, Li Li asked Fan to pursuit and wipe the enemy out, but was refused by the former because of his friendship with Han. This incident was reported by Li Li to Li Jue upon the army's return, and Li Jue assembled the officers in a banquet, whereins he had Fan openly executed. Meantime, Emperor Xian was anxiously waiting for someone capable to get rid of these hegemonists. Imperial minister Yang Biao, a court official loyal to Han
Han Dynasty
The Han Dynasty was the second imperial dynasty of China, preceded by the Qin Dynasty and succeeded by the Three Kingdoms . It was founded by the rebel leader Liu Bang, known posthumously as Emperor Gaozu of Han. It was briefly interrupted by the Xin Dynasty of the former regent Wang Mang...
, came up with a plan to drive Guo Si and Li Jue apart when he saw the Liang generals became suspicious of Li after his murder of Fan. Yang sent his wife as a spy to make Guo Si's jealous wife Lady Qiong believe that her husband was having an affair with Li Jue's wife (or concubines), and that Li would kill Guo soon. Thus, Guo's wife made Guo believe this himself by poisoning food that Li Jue had given to them and feeding it to a dog. When the dog died, Guo Si believed that Li Jue indeed attempted to poison him. This drove Guo Si and Li Jue to battle with each other. The situation ended up with Li Jue kidnapping the Emperor and Guo Si kidnapping the Imperial court
Imperial Court
An Imperial Court is the noble court of an empire .For example:*The noble court of an Emperor of China, Emperor of Japan, Emperor of Ethiopia, Emperor of Austria, Emperor of India, Emperor of Persia, etc....
.
Downfall and death
However, the situation was totally out of control: there were several tens of battles fought per day in the alleys or market at its peak! The frequent battles had made Chang'an untenable for its inhabitants. Therefore, Emperor Xian asked Jia Xu to request a truce between Guo and Li, who they listened to Jia's words and temporarily ceased fire.Capitalizing on the chaos and massive confusion, the Emperor sneaked out of the capital, and was rescued by the leader of White Wave Bandits
White Wave Bandits
White Wave Bandits were remnants of the Yellow Turban Rebellion that rose up in Baibo Gorge in 188. It said they numbered in the hundreds of thousands and even the Imperial Court could not quell them....
, Yang Feng
Yang Feng
Yang Feng was a cavalry general during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. He was also a friend of Han Xian. During the beginning years of the campaign against Dong Zhuo, Dong Zhuo assigned Yang Feng under that of Li Jue...
, who, along with Dong Cheng
Dong Cheng
Dong Cheng was originally a subordinate general of Niu Fu during the late Han Dynasty, and later joined forces with the White Wave Bandits to protect the emperor from the hands of Li Jue and Guo Si. He was also Emperor Xian's father-in-law...
, Yang Ding, and subordinate Xu Huang
Xu Huang
Xu Huang was a military general serving under the warlord Cao Cao during the late Han Dynasty era of Chinese history. He served the state of Cao Wei, founded by Cao Cao's successor Cao Pi, during the Three Kingdoms period...
, defeated the army of Guo Si, who returned to Li Jue to make a last-ditch effort to recapture the Emperor. Li Jue and Guo Si gained initial success by defeating Yang Ding, but was defeated by the counter-attack of Yang Feng and Dong. Since then, Guo returned to Mei, and never took further action to retrieve the emperor, while Li occupied Chang'an.
By inciting his subordinate Liu Bei
Liu Bei
Liu Bei , also known as Liu Xuande, was a warlord, military general and later the founding emperor of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history...
to kill Yang Feng, Cao Cao became the next hegemonist to seize control of the Emperor as Dong Zhuo, Li and Guo had done before him, and the power of Li, Guo, and Zhang greatly diminished resulting from previous infighting and the lost of Emperor Xian. Guo Si was eventually slain by his own officer Wu Xi (伍習), who led his remnant to join Li in 197.