Guo Si facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Guo Si
郭汜
After Dong Zhuo's death, Guo Si and Li Jue sacked the Han capital at Chang'an. This is a Qing dynasty illustration depicting the attack.
General of Chariots and Cavalry (車騎將軍)
In office 195–197
Monarch	Emperor Xian of Han
General of the Rear (後將軍)
In office 192–195
Monarch	Emperor Xian of Han
Personal details
Born	Unknown Yongchang County, Gansu
Died	197 Mei County, Shaanxi
Occupation	Military general, politician, warlord
Peerage	Marquis of Meiyang (美陽侯)
Other name	Guo Duo (郭多)

Guo Si (died 197), also known as Guo Duo, was an important military general and warlord in ancient China. He lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty. Guo Si worked for another powerful warlord named Dong Zhuo. He helped Dong Zhuo in many battles.

After Dong Zhuo moved the capital city to Chang'an, Guo Si became one of the main people in charge. He and his friend Li Jue took control of the capital. They held the young Emperor Xian and his government officials as prisoners. However, Guo Si and Li Jue started fighting each other. This led to their downfall. They were eventually defeated by other generals who helped the emperor escape. Guo Si was later betrayed and killed by one of his own men.

Early Military Career

Guo Si was a strong supporter of Dong Zhuo from the beginning. He fought in many of Dong Zhuo's major battles. This included helping to stop the Yellow Turban Rebellion, which was a big uprising of farmers. He also fought in the war against a group of warlords who teamed up against Dong Zhuo.

When the war against these eastern warlords began, Guo Si helped improve the defenses of Mei County. They built strong forts and stored enough food for 30 years. This was before Dong Zhuo moved the capital to Chang'an. Later, Guo Si, Li Jue, and Zhang Ji were sent to guard the front lines. They raided areas like Chenliu and Yingchuan. The famous general Cao Cao could not stop them, and many people were captured.

Taking Control of Chang'an

Guo Si was outside the capital when Dong Zhuo was killed by Lü Bu. Guo Si and his friends, Fan Chou, Li Jue, and Zhang Ji, wanted to get amnesty (forgiveness) from the government. However, the leader, Wang Yun, refused to forgive them.

A smart advisor named Jia Xu told them to attack Chang'an. He said they still had a strong army. At first, only a few thousand soldiers joined them. But more and more people joined along the way. Wang Yun sent his generals to fight them, but they were defeated. One general even joined Guo Si's side!

A big battle happened outside Chang'an. Guo Si himself fought Lü Bu, but Lü Bu wounded him with a spear. Even though he was hurt, Guo Si's army pushed Lü Bu back into the city. The four generals then surrounded Chang'an. Wang Yun, thinking they only wanted him, took his own life. After Wang Yun's death, Guo Si and his allies took control of Chang'an. They held Emperor Xian as a hostage and controlled who became government officials.

Ruling as Regents

After taking control, Guo Si and Li Jue became very powerful. They even thought about killing the emperor to take the throne themselves. But their friends, Fan Chou and Zhang Ji, convinced them not to. With Li Jue as the main leader, they had almost complete power over the emperor's court. They could promote or demote anyone they wanted.

Later, some western warlords, Han Sui, Ma Teng, and Liu Yan, formed an alliance to challenge them. Li Jue sent Guo Si and Fan Chou to fight them. The allied forces suffered a huge defeat, losing many soldiers. However, Fan Chou refused to completely destroy the enemy because he was friends with Han Sui. Li Jue found out and later killed Fan Chou for this. This made other generals distrust Li Jue.

Around this time, Guo Si's wife, Lady Qiong, became very jealous. She didn't want her husband to trust Li Jue. She even made Guo Si believe that Li Jue had poisoned him. This made Guo Si very angry, and the two powerful leaders started fighting each other. The situation became very chaotic. Li Jue kidnapped Emperor Xian, and Guo Si kidnapped the emperor's important ministers.

Downfall and Death

The fighting between Li Jue and Guo Si caused huge problems in Chang'an. There were battles every day in the streets. Life became impossible for the people living there. Emperor Xian asked Jia Xu to arrange a truce between the two warlords, and they agreed to stop fighting for a while.

Emperor Xian used this chance to sneak out of Chang'an. He was rescued by a general named Yang Feng. Yang Feng, along with Dong Cheng and others, defeated Guo Si when he tried to chase the emperor. Guo Si went back to Li Jue to try one last time to get the emperor back. They had some early success but were pushed back again. After this, Guo Si went back to Mei County and stopped trying to get the emperor. Li Jue stayed in Chang'an.

Eventually, another powerful warlord, Cao Cao, took control of Emperor Xian. The power of Li Jue and Guo Si had greatly weakened because of their constant fighting and losing the emperor. Guo Si was finally killed by one of his own subordinates, Wu Xi, in the year 197. Wu Xi then joined Li Jue.

See also

• Lists of people of the Three Kingdoms