公孫瓚

Profile

The "White Horse General" whose cavalry terrorized the northern tribes. Fame won on the frontier made him Yuan Shao’s chief rival for the north — and his camp was where the young Liu Bei and Zhao Yun first served. After the tide turned at Jieqiao he walled himself into the vast fortress of Yijing, and when the siege closed in, he died by his own hand with his family.

Key events

1. 190

   The Coalition Against Dong Zhuo

   The eastern lords raise arms against Dong Zhuo under Yuan Shao. Cao Cao and Sun Jian fought hardest of all.

   Yuan ShaoCao CaoSun JianYuan Shu

2. 199

   Fall of Yijing — Gongsun Zan’s End

   Gongsun Zan, the White Horse General, dies by his own hand in his besieged fortress of Yijing. The north falls to Yuan Shao.

   Yuan Shao

History vs. the novelHistoryvsNovel

A passing benefactor of Liu Bei in the novel; in the histories, a fully drawn tragedy — the frontier hero who curdled into tyranny and isolation until he destroyed himself.