Gan Ning

Gan Ning
甘寧
A Qing dynasty illustration of Gan Ning
General Who Breaks and Charges
(折衝將軍)
In office
215 (215)–? (?)
Administrator of Xiling (西陵太守)
In office
c. 214 (c. 214)–215 (215)
Personal details
BornUnknown
Zhong County, Chongqing
DiedUnknown
Children
  • Gan Gui
  • Gan Shu
OccupationMilitary general
Courtesy nameXingba (興霸)

Gan Ning (pronunciation) (c.early 170s[1] - c. 220[a]), courtesy name Xingba, was a Chinese military general serving under the warlord Sun Quan in the late Eastern Han dynasty. Originally a notorious pirate, he gave up the life of a marauder in the late 190s and became a subordinate of Huang Zu, the Administrator of a commandery in present-day east-central Hubei. Disheartened by Huang Zu's indifferent attitude towards him, Gan Ning eventually left Huang and made his way into Wu territory (present-day eastern and southeastern China), where he found his calling and became a military officer under the warlord Sun Quan. Throughout his years of service under Sun Quan until his death, Gan Ning fought in numerous battles for his lord, including the battles of Jiangxia (208), Red Cliffs (208–209), Xiaoyao Ford (214–215) and Ruxu (217).

  1. ^ According to the chronology of Gan Ning's biography in Sanguozhi, he gave up his life as a marauder while in his 20s after his defeat in the aftermath of Liu Yan's death in 194. Thus by calculation, his birth year should be in the late 160s or early 170s.


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