| NAME | |
|---|---|
| Chinese Name | 戈定, 戈定, Gē Dìng |
| Nickname | Fictional Hefei infiltrator (同乡); novel text 戈定 |
| Other name | Qua Định |
| INFORMATION | |
| Birth Place | Same home region as Taishi Ci (novel: fellow townsman) |
| Died | 209 |
| Death Reason | Beheaded by Zhang Liao after Li Dian's capture (Chapter 53; fictional) |
| CAREER | |
| Allegiance | Eastern Wu |
| Battles |
|
Biography & Historical Record
Ge Ding (葛定, Qua Định) — the novel’s text writes 戈定 (Gē Dìng) — is a fictional Wu infiltrator in the Hefei campaign arc. A townsman of Taishi Ci, he slips into Cao Cao’s fortified Hefei (合淝) with the army and contacts a stable hand in the rear corral to plot an inside assassination of Zhang Liao. The scheme fails: Li Dian captures Ge Ding and the groom; Zhang Liao executes both before Taishi Ci’s night assault — one of the novel’s crisp examples of Zhang Liao reading Wu psychology before the ambush that mortally wounds Taishi Ci.
No Ge Ding or 戈定 appears in Chen Shou, Zizhi Tongjian, or Hefei battle records. Historically Taishi Ci died of illness before Red Cliffs (206 AD); the novel extends his life to the 209 AD Hefei sortie. Ge Ding exists only to motivate Taishi Ci’s doomed night attack in Chapter 53.
Role in Romance of the Three Kingdoms
Chapter 53 (Taishi Ci Fights Alone at Hefei; Sun Quan Is Besieged at Mount Xiankou): Sun Quan asks Taishi Ci for a plan to take Hefei. Taishi Ci reports that Ge Ding has already mixed into the city with the army and will signal from inside. Ge Ding meets the stable groom; they agree that when Taishi Ci fires rockets outside, the groom will kill Zhang Liao in the chaos while Ge Ding opens the gate. Zhang Liao anticipates the plot — Li Dian seizes Ge Ding and the groom and beheads them at the horse. Taishi Ci charges into the trap, is shot full of arrows, and dies of wounds in Sun Quan’s camp.
Ge Ding (葛定) — Historical & Literary Timeline
209 AD (novel)
Hefei campaign
Sun Quan besieges Hefei; Taishi Ci devises inside-outside coordination — Ge Ding infiltrates the city as a fellow townsman.
Chapter 53
Plot with stable groom
Ge Ding tells the groom he has notified Taishi Ci; on rocket signal the groom will stab Zhang Liao — Ge Ding calls it “此计大妙!”
Chapter 53 (same night)
Captured and executed
Li Dian presents Ge Ding and the groom to Zhang Liao; both are beheaded immediately before Taishi Ci’s assault begins.
Aftermath
Taishi Ci’s death
With inside help gone, Taishi Ci rides into Zhang Liao’s prepared ambush — Ge Ding’s failure foreshadows the hero’s fall.
For detailed historical records, archives, and official chronicles, explore Battle of Hefei on Wikipedia.
Key Relationships
Family
- Fellow townsman of Taishi Ci (同乡) — no named relatives.
Friends
- Taishi Ci (太史慈, Thái Sử Từ): Fellow townsman and commander who plants Ge Ding inside Hefei and launches the outer assault.
- Stable groom (养马后槽): Co-conspirator inside Hefei who agrees to assassinate Zhang Liao on signal — executed alongside Ge Ding.
Enemies
- Zhang Liao (张辽, Trương Liêu): Target of the assassination plot; orders Ge Ding beheaded after Li Dian’s capture.
- Li Dian (李典, Lý Điển): Captures Ge Ding and the groom before the gate opens.
Other
- Sun Quan (孙权, Tôn Quyền): Wu lord who approves Taishi Ci’s plan and asks “葛定何在?” — the novel uses 戈定 in the body text.
- Cao Cao (曹操, Tào Tháo): Defender whose generals hold Hefei against Wu’s night attack.
In Novel
Chapter 53
- Ge Ding (葛定/戈定, Qua Định), Taishi Ci's fellow townsman: Infiltrates Hefei with the army; meets the stable groom and says he has already sent word to Taishi Ci — on rocket signal the groom will kill Zhang Liao while Ge Ding opens the gate. "此计大妙!"
- Li Dian (李典, Lý Điển) captures Ge Ding and the groom; Zhang Liao (张辽, Trương Liêu) "立斩于马前" — executes them at once before Taishi Ci's doomed charge.
In History
Summary
- Ge Ding (葛定, Qua Định) / novel form 戈定 is fictional — no historical infiltrator at Hefei. Taishi Ci historically died of illness (206 AD), not at Hefei.
Literary tradition
- ROTK Chapter 53 invents the double-agent plot to dramatize Zhang Liao's foresight and Taishi Ci's tragic end.
Historical Record
- Not in Sanguozhi or Zizhi Tongjian. Novel only: Chapter 53.
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