Gongsun Du was a military general and warlord of 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 did not get the opportunity to really get into battle until Dong Zhuo

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...

 seized power from Emperor Shao

Prince of Hongnong

The Prince of Hongnong , was briefly an emperor of China during the Han dynasty. He is also known as "Emperor Han Shao" , a name which he shares with several other emperors with brief reigns...

. Dong Zhuo, hoping to expand the empire, gave Gongsun Du the command to attack present-day Korea

Korea

Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...

 from across the sea. Du was successful in his attack and set up the Daifang and Lelang commanderies, among others.

Under another order of Dong Zhuo

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...

, Gongsun Du took over the Liaoning

Liaoning

' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the northeast of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "辽" , a name taken from the Liao River that flows through the province. "Níng" means "peace"...

 prefecture. This would be the beginning of the Gongsun power in the northeast. Gongsun Du would go on to send Gongsun Muo and Zhang Pi to present-day South Korea

South Korea

The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...

 in an attempt to gain more land. In the ninth year of Jian'an (204), Gongsun Du died and his son Gongsun Kang

Gongsun Kang

Gongsun Kang was a warlord during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. He became a vassal of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period.-Biography:...

 took his position and controlled the far northeast.

Appointments and titles held

• Commandery minor official (郡吏)
• Gentleman in the Imperial Secretariat (尚書郎)
• Inspector of Ji Province (冀州刺史)
• Administrator of Liaodong (遼東太守)
• General of Military Might (武威將軍)
• Marquis of Yongning (永寧鄉侯)

See also

• List of people of the Three Kingdoms