| NAME | |
|---|---|
| Chinese Name | 甘瑰, 甘瑰, Gān Guī |
| Nickname | Eldest son of Gan Ning (甘宁长子) |
| Other name | Cam Côi |
| INFORMATION | |
| Birth Place | Linjiang, Ba Commandery (巴郡临江; Ba Quận Lâm Giang) |
| Death Reason | Died in obscurity after exile to Kuaiji Commandery (会稽郡) |
| FAMILY | |
| Father | |
| Relatives | |
| CAREER | |
| Allegiance | Eastern Wu (stripped of command, exiled) |
| Battles |
|
Biography & Historical Record
Gan Gu (甘瑰, Cam Côi) was the eldest son of Gan Ning (甘宁, Cam Ninh), Wu’s flamboyant pirate-turned-general famed for the hundred-armored raid on Cao Cao’s camp at Xiaoyao Ford. Gan Ning had risen from river banditry to become one of Sun Quan‘s (孙权, Tôn Quyền) most trusted warriors — but his eldest son inherited the father’s fierce temper without his battlefield discipline or loyalty to command. Gan Gu repeatedly violated military law, engaged in violent misconduct, and abused his status as a famous general’s heir.
Sun Quan stripped Gan Gu of his hereditary military appointment and exiled him to Kuaiji Commandery (会稽郡, present-day Zhejiang), the southeastern backwater where disgraced officers were sent to fade from court politics. Gan Gu died in obscurity there, while his younger brother Gan Shu (甘述, Cam Thuật) took the opposite path — a scholarly civil official who became a Senior Secretariat Minister and restored the Gan name through culture rather than arms.
Role in Romance of the Three Kingdoms
Chapters 67–68, 115: Gan Ning (甘宁, Cam Ninh) fights at Xiaoyao Ford, serves Wu loyally, and dies of illness before the Battle of Yiling — the novel never names Gan Gu. The historical eldest son’s disgrace belongs to post-novel Wu registers: the contrast between the father’s heroic death in Chapter 115 and the son’s exile is entirely historical.
Gan Gu (甘瑰) — Historical & Literary Timeline
Son of Gan Ning
Eldest heir of Wu’s most colorful general — raised with privilege and martial reputation.
After Gan Ning’s death
Father dies before Yiling — Gan Gu inherits status without his father’s restraint.
Exile to Kuaiji
Sun Quan strips military command and banishes Gan Gu for repeated lawbreaking.
Obscure death
Dies in exile — the Gan martial line continues through younger brother Gan Shu.
See also Gan Ning and Gan Shu.
Key Relationships
Family
- Gan Ning (甘宁, Cam Ninh): Father — Wu general and former pirate lord of the Yangtze.
- Gan Shu (甘述, Cam Thuật): Younger brother — scholarly minister who redeemed the family name.
- Spouse and children: Not recorded in surviving chronicles.
Friends
- No attested allies — disgraced and exiled from Wu court circles.
Enemies
- Sun Quan (孙权, Tôn Quyền): Sovereign who stripped Gan Gu’s command and ordered exile to Kuaiji.
- Wu military law and censors who prosecuted his repeated misconduct.
Other
- Lü Meng (吕蒙, Lã Mông): Wu commander who valued Gan Ning — the father’s patronage network Gan Gu squandered.
- Lu Su (鲁肃, Lỗ Túc): Gan Ning’s ally at Xiaoyao Ford — the heroic standard Gan Gu failed to match.
In Novel
Chapters 67–68, 115
- Gan Gu (甘瑰, Cam Côi): Not named — Gan Ning (甘宁, Cam Ninh) fights at Xiaoyao Ford and dies of illness before Yiling in Chapter 115; the historical eldest son's later exile to Kuaiji is not dramatized in the novel.
In History
Summary
- Gan Gu (甘瑰, Cam Côi), eldest son of Gan Ning, was stripped of office and exiled to Kuaiji for military misconduct.
Year: 222 AD
- Gan Ning dies; Gan Gu soon loses command for lawbreaking — Sun Quan orders exile to Kuaiji Commandery.
Historical Record
- Sanguozhi, Wu 55 (甘宁传): Gan Ning's biography — Pei Songzhi notes on Gan Gu's disgrace and Kuaiji exile.
- Contrasted with younger brother Gan Shu's civil career in the same clan notices.
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