courtesy name
A courtesy name (), also known as a style name, is a name bestowed upon one at adulthood in addition to one's given name. This practice is a tradition in the East Asian cultural sphere, including China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.Ulrich Theob ...
Yuancai, was a minor warlord who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He was a maternal nephew and subordinate of the warlord
Yuan Shao
Yuan Shao (, ; died 28 June 202), courtesy name Benchu (), was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived in the late Eastern Han dynasty. He occupied the northern territories of China during the civil wars that occurred t ...
.
Life
Gao Gan was from an influential family in Yu County (), Chenliu Commandery (), which is around present-day Qi County, Kaifeng,
Henan
Henan (; or ; ; alternatively Honan) is a landlocked province of China, in the central part of the country. Henan is often referred to as Zhongyuan or Zhongzhou (), which literally means "central plain" or "midland", although the name is al ...
. He was also a maternal nephew of the warlord
Yuan Shao
Yuan Shao (, ; died 28 June 202), courtesy name Benchu (), was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived in the late Eastern Han dynasty. He occupied the northern territories of China during the civil wars that occurred t ...
, who controlled most of the territories in northern China from the 190s to his death in 202. Gao Gan held the appointment of Inspector () of
Bing Province
Bingzhou, or Bing Province, was a location in ancient China. According to legend, when Yu the Great (c. 2200 BC-2100 BC) tamed the flood, he divided the land of China into the Nine Provinces. Historical texts such as the ''Rites of Zhou'', and "Tr ...
, which was one of the four provinces in northern China under Yuan Shao's control around 200 CE. He governed Bing Province for about seven years.
In 200 CE, Yuan Shao lost the
Battle of Guandu
The Battle of Guandu was fought between the warlords Cao Cao and Yuan Shao in 200 AD in the late Eastern Han dynasty. Cao Cao's decisive victory against Yuan Shao's numerically superior forces marked the turning point in their war. The victo ...
against his rival, Cao Cao, who controlled the Han central government and the figurehead
Emperor Xian
Emperor Xian of Han (2 April 181 – 21 April 234), personal name Liu Xie (劉協), courtesy name Bohe, was the 14th and last emperor of the Eastern Han dynasty in China. He reigned from 28 September 189 until 11 December 220.
Liu Xie was a so ...
. After Yuan Shao's defeat, only the troops under Gao Gan's command in Bing Province, numbering about 50,000, were the most organised and highest in morale among all of Yuan Shao's forces.
After Yuan Shao's death in 202, Gao Gan gained support from Guo Yuan and the southern
Xiongnu
The Xiongnu (, ) were a tribal confederation of nomadic peoples who, according to ancient Chinese sources, inhabited the eastern Eurasian Steppe from the 3rd century BC to the late 1st century AD. Modu Chanyu, the supreme leader after 20 ...
leader Huchuquan to counter Cao Cao's advances into northern China. However, he decided to surrender to Cao Cao in 203 after Guo Yuan's defeat and after internal conflict broke out between Yuan Shao's sons
Yuan Tan
Yuan Tan (died 205), courtesy name Xiansi, was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who was the eldest son of Yuan Shao, a warlord who occupied much of northern China during the late Eastern Han dynasty. After Yuan Shao's death, Y ...
and Yuan Shang. Cao Cao allowed him to continue serving as the Inspector of Bing Province after his surrender.
Although Gao Gan surrendered to Cao Cao, he was only pretending to do so. In 205, when Cao Cao was away on a campaign against Yuan Shang and the
tribes, Gao Gan seized the opportunity to start a rebellion in Bing Province. He took the Administrator of Shangdang Commandery (上黨郡; a commandery in Bing Province) hostage and fortified his defences at Hu Pass (壺關; west of present-day Lucheng, Shanxi). Cao Cao's forces, led by
Li Dian
Li Dian ( 180 – 217), courtesy name Mancheng, was a Chinese military general and politician serving under the warlord Cao Cao during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He participated in the Battle of Guandu in 200 between Cao Cao and Yua ...
and
Yue Jin
Yue Jin () (died 218), courtesy name Wenqian, was a military general serving under the warlord Cao Cao in the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He was noted as much for his short stature as for his valour and ferocity on the battlefield. Yue ...
, attacked Gao Gan at Hu Pass but could not overcome him even after some months of siege.
In 206, Cao Cao turned back and personally led his forces to attack Gao Gan. Gao Gan fled from Hu Pass, leaving behind his subordinates Xia Zhao () and Deng Sheng () to defend the pass, and went to seek help from the Xiongnu. After the Xiongnu refused to help him, Gao Gan headed south towards Jing Province to seek aid from
Liu Biao
Liu Biao () () (151 – September 208), courtesy name Jingsheng, was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived in the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He is best known for serving as the Governor of Jing Province (coveri ...
, the provincial governor. However, along the way, Wang Yan (), the Colonel-Director of Retainers (), led his troops to intercept Gao Gan and kill him and then present his head to Cao Cao.