窦固 / Dou Gu (Eastern Han)

Overview

窦固 / Dou Gu is Mingdi’s senior Western Regions frontier commander whose profile now begins with the 73 CE anti-Northern Xiongnu campaign and continues into the 74 CE Cheshi office-restoration campaign. Hanji 741 makes him the column commander whose route reaches Tianshan and takes Yiwu; Hanji 743 makes him the senior authority who integrates Geng Bing and Liu Zhang before restoring formal Han offices in the Western Regions.

Current Profile

Hanji 741 backfills Dou Gu’s earliest current layer. The source says he has Hexi familiarity through the Dou family’s older military and regional background, and Mingdi appoints him to lead one of four anti-Northern-Xiongnu routes. Dou and Geng Zhong lead a force out from the Jiuquan side, including commandery soldiers and Lushui Qiang-Hu. This is the route that produces the clearest result: it reaches Tianshan, attacks the Northern Xiongnu Huyan king, kills more than one thousand, takes Yiwu, and stations soldiers there.

Hanji 743 then turns Dou’s frontier role from raiding response into institution-building. In the 74 CE Dunhuang/Kunlun Barrier expedition against Cheshi, Geng Bing and Liu Zhang submit their command tallies to Dou. Dou initially wants to attack the Cheshi front king first, but Geng argues that the rear king is the strategic hinge and leads the vanguard. After the campaign succeeds, Dou petitions to restore the Western Regions Protector and Wuji Colonel structure, and Mingdi approves.

Dou’s current profile is therefore command-and-restoration rather than pure tactical genius. Hanji 741 credits his route with the main tangible 73 CE result; Hanji 743 credits him with senior command integration and institutional follow-through, while reserving the key Cheshi target judgment for Geng Bing.

Key Characteristics

• Mingdi-era frontier commander chosen for a major 73 CE anti-Northern-Xiongnu route.
• Hexi-familiar operator whose family and regional background make him legible for Western Regions campaigning.
• Commander of the route that reaches Tianshan, defeats the Huyan king’s force, takes Yiwu, and stations soldiers there.
• Senior 74 CE expedition authority who receives command tallies from Geng Bing and Liu Zhang.
• Institutional restorer who converts Cheshi success into a petition to revive Western Regions offices.
• Commander whose profile must distinguish senior authority from Geng Bing’s tactical target judgment.

Evidence

• 73 CE appointment and route: Hanji 741 says Mingdi appoints Dou Gu to lead one of the four anti-Northern-Xiongnu columns.
• Yiwu result: Hanji 741 says Dou’s route reaches Tianshan, attacks the Huyan king, kills more than one thousand, takes Yiwu, and stations soldiers.
• Senior command: Hanji 743 says Geng Bing and Liu Zhang submit their command tallies to Dou Gu before the Cheshi campaign.
• Tactical qualification: Hanji 743 says Dou first wants to attack the front king before Geng Bing redirects the attack toward the rear king.
• Office restoration: Hanji 743 reports Dou’s petition to restore the Western Regions Protector and Wuji Colonel offices.

Qualifications

The current page should not collapse all Western Regions success into Dou personally. Hanji 741 gives his 73 CE route the clearest concrete victory, but Hanji 743 explicitly credits Geng Bing with the key 74 CE target judgment and vanguard action. Geng Zhong, Liu Zhang, Qin Peng, route gates, and exact force counts remain source-scoped unless later evidence makes them durable.

What Changed

• Added Hanji 741 as the backfilled 73 CE layer before Dou Gu’s 74 CE Cheshi command.
• Reframed Dou’s profile around a two-step pattern: Yiwu capture first, Western Regions office restoration next.
• Clarified that Dou’s senior command and Geng Bing’s tactical judgment are separate contributions.

Relationships

• 汉明帝 / Emperor Ming of Han - ruler who appoints Dou to the 73 CE campaign and later approves the Western Regions office restoration.
• 北匈奴 / Northern Xiongnu (late Han) - opponent in Dou’s Tianshan/Yiwu route.
• 伊吾屯田 / Yiwu Garrison Farming (late Han) - captured and garrisoned as Dou’s concrete 73 CE result.
• 耿秉 / Geng Bing (Eastern Han) - subordinate and strategic partner whose 74 CE advice redirects the Cheshi target.
• 车师后王国 / Later Cheshi Kingdom (late Han) - Western Regions polity subdued in the campaign under Dou’s senior command.
• 翟戎 / Zhai Rong (Eastern Han) - parallel four-route commander whose failed route contrasts with Dou’s successful one.