Gongsun Du

{{Short description|Han dynasty general and warlord (150-204)}}

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{{more footnotes needed|date=May 2013}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Gongsun Du

| native_name = 公孫度

| image =

| image_size =

| caption =

| alt =

| office = General of Military Might (武威將軍)

| term_start = {{circa}} 196

| term_end = {{End date|204}}

| monarch = Emperor Xian of Han

| office1 = Governor of Ping Province (平州牧)
(self-appointed)

| term1 = ?–?

| monarch1 = Emperor Xian of Han

| office2 = Administrator of Liaodong (遼東太守)

| term2 = 190–204

| monarch2 = Emperor Xian of Han

| successor2 = Gongsun Kang

| birth_date = {{circa}}150

| birth_place = Liaoyang, Liaoning

| death_date = 204{{sfnp|de Crespigny|2007|p=266}}

| father = Gongsun Yan

| children = {{unbulleted list|Gongsun Kang|Gongsun Gong}}

| occupation = Military general, politician, warlord

| blank1 = Courtesy name

| data1 = Shengji (升濟)

| blank2 = Peerage

| data2 = Marquis of Yongning District
(永寧鄉侯)

}}

{{family name hatnote|Gongsun|lang=Chinese}}

File:End of Han Dynasty Warlords.png

Gongsun Du ({{audio|Gongsun Du.ogg|pronunciation}}) ({{circa}}150Gongsun Du's age when he died was not recorded in his biography in Sanguozhi. This birth year was based on the assumption that he was 18 (by East Asian reckoning) in 167 when he met Gongsun Yu, the Administrator of Xuantu, who took an interest to Du as Yu had a deceased son who was of the same age and had the same milk name (Bao, "leopard") as Du (时玄菟太守公孙琙，子豹，年十八岁，早死。度少时名豹，又与琙子同年，琙见而亲爱之...) Sanguozhi, vol.08. It is unknown when Gongsun Du met Gongsun Yu, although this meeting likely took place latest by 167. It was recorded in vol. 85 of Book of the Later Han that Yu had driven back a raid by Buyeo in the 1st year of the Yongkang era (167 in the Julian calendar); the same volume also recorded that by 169 (2nd year of the Jianning era), the Administrator of Xuantu was one Geng Lin (耿临). – 204Jian'an 9, per Vol. 8 of the Sanguozhi.), courtesy name Shengji, was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China.{{sfnp|de Crespigny|2007|p=266}} He was not able to participate in battle until Dong Zhuo seized power from Emperor Shao. Dong Zhuo, hoping to expand the empire, gave Gongsun Du the command to attack the Korean peninsula from across the sea. Gongsun Du was successful in his attack and also took control of the existing Daifang and Lelang commanderies established during the earlier period of the Han dynasty, among others.

Under another order from Dong Zhuo, and recommended by Xu Rong as Xu and Gongsun were from the same commandery,(同郡徐荣为董卓中郎将，荐度为辽东太守。) Sanguozhi, vol.08 Gongsun Du took over Liaoning. This presaged the development of Gongsun Du's power base in the northeast. Gongsun Du later sent Gongsun Mo and Zhang Pi to present-day South Korea in an attempt to gain more land. He died in 204 and was succeeded by his son, Gongsun Kang, who continued to rule northeastern China.