| NAME | |
|---|---|
| Chinese Name | 苟安, 苟安, Gǒu Ān |
| Nickname | Li Yan's commandant (李严都尉); traitor of the fourth expedition |
| Other name | Câu An |
| INFORMATION | |
| Death Reason | Fictional character; fate after fleeing to Wei not narrated |
| CAREER | |
| Allegiance | Shu Han (defected to Cao Wei) |
| Battles |
|
Biography & Historical Record
Gou An (苟安, Câu An) is a wholly fictional character in Luo Guanzhong’s Romance of the Three Kingdoms. He does not appear in Chen Shou’s Sanguozhi or standard Han histories. In the novel he serves as a commandant (都尉) under Li Yan (李严, Lý Nghiêm), the Shu minister charged with forwarding grain from Yong’an (永安) to Zhuge Liang’s northern expedition camps. Gou An’s role is deliberately small — a cowardly, vindictive functionary — yet his actions trigger one of the most damaging political crises of Zhuge Liang’s late career.
His story illustrates how a single disgruntled subordinate, exploited by Wei intelligence, can undo battlefield advantage: lateness becomes desertion, desertion becomes slander, and slander reaches the ears of a credulous court through eunuch channels. Readers should not confuse him with the unrelated Shu general Ju An (句安), who defends Qushan in later chapters.
Role in Romance of the Three Kingdoms
Chapter 100 (Raiding a Camp, the Shu Soldiers Defeat Cao Zhen; Sima Yi Takes Command in the Central Plains): During Zhuge Liang’s fourth northern expedition, Li Yan at Yong’an dispatches Gou An with a grain convoy to the Qishan camps. Gou An is a drunkard who loiters on the road and arrives ten days late. Zhuge Liang, furious at the delay that threatens the army’s supplies, sentences him to death. Yang Yi (杨仪, Dương Nghi) intervenes, arguing that executing Li Yan’s officer may discourage other transport duty; the punishment is reduced to eighty lashes. Humiliated and resentful, Gou An deserts at night with a handful of followers to Sima Yi (司马懿, Tư Mã Ý), who sends him back to Chengdu to spread rumors that Zhuge Liang intends to usurp the throne. The eunuchs persuade Liu Shan (刘禅, Lưu Thiện) to recall the Chancellor — aborting a favorable campaign.
Gou An (苟安) — Historical & Literary Timeline
Chapter 100
Late grain convoy from Yong’an
Li Yan sends Commandant Gou An with supplies to Qishan; Gou An’s drinking delays the convoy ten days past the limit Zhuge Liang will tolerate.
Chapter 100 (same arc)
Eighty lashes and desertion
Yang Yi saves Gou An from execution; Gou An defects overnight to Sima Yi and recounts his grievances against Zhuge Liang.
Chapter 100 (same arc)
Slander in Chengdu
Sima Yi tasks Gou An with telling court eunuchs that Zhuge Liang plans to seize the throne; Liu Shan issues recall orders, forcing the northern army back.
Chapter 100 (aftermath)
Exposed and fled
When Liu Shan repents and Zhuge Liang investigates, the source is traced to Gou An — but he has already escaped to Wei and is not captured.
For detailed historical records, archives, and official chronicles, explore fictional Three Kingdoms characters on Wikipedia.
Key Relationships
Family
- No family recorded; fictional stock character.
Friends
- Li Yan (李严, Lý Nghiêm): His superior who entrusted him with the Yong’an grain convoy — Yang Yi cites Li Yan’s broader supply efforts when begging mercy.
Enemies
- Zhuge Liang (诸葛亮, Gia Cát Lượng): Sentenced Gou An to death for lateness; the eighty-lash punishment drives Gou An’s defection.
- Yang Yi (杨仪, Dương Nghi): Intervened to spare Gou An’s life — indirectly enabling the later slander plot.
Other
- Sima Yi (司马懿, Tư Mã Ý): Receives the deserter and weaponizes his resentment into a Chengdu rumor campaign.
- Liu Shan (刘禅, Lưu Thiện) and court eunuchs: Believers of Gou An’s lies who recall Zhuge Liang mid-campaign.
- Jiang Wei (姜维, Khương Duy) and northern Shu commanders: Their expedition momentum is lost when the Chancellor is recalled.
In Novel
Chapter 100
- Gou An (苟安, Câu An): Li Yan's commandant sent with grain from Yong'an; arrives ten days late because he "was a drunkard and loitered on the road." Zhuge Liang upbraids him: "Three days' delay ought to mean the death penalty; what can you say to this delay of ten?"
- Gou An (苟安, Câu An): After eighty lashes, deserts to Sima Yi at night; accepts a mission to return to Chengdu and tell eunuchs "that the Prime Minister was too proud of his services and meant to usurp the throne," prompting Liu Shan to recall Zhuge Liang.
In History
Summary
- Gou An (苟安, Câu An) has no attested historical biography. He is a Luo Guanzhong invention in Chapter 100, embodying the danger of internal betrayal during Shu-Han expeditions.
Literary function
- His arc parallels real tensions between Zhuge Liang and Li Yan over logistics and authority, dramatized through a disposable villain who carries rumors to Chengdu.
Historical Record
- Not in Sanguozhi. Listed among fictional ROTK characters in modern catalogs (Wikisource appendix, en.wikipedia fictional list).
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