公孙敖 / Gongsun Ao (Western Han)

Overview

公孙敖 / Gongsun Ao enters the wiki through Hanji 380-1 as the Yinwu General sent from Yanmen during 汉武帝’s large anti-匈奴 expedition. In this source, he is a supporting example of how the campaign’s scale does not translate into decisive success.

Current Profile

The episode says Gongsun Ao leads cavalry and infantry from Yanmen to attack Xiongnu, fights the Left Worthy King, loses, and withdraws. His role is campaign-contextual: his defeat helps prepare the narrative atmosphere for Li Ling’s later isolated battle and surrender.

Key Characteristics

• Western Han Yinwu General in the episode’s campaign list.
• Leads cavalry and infantry from Yanmen against Xiongnu.
• Loses against the Xiongnu Left Worthy King and withdraws.

Evidence

• Campaign route: Hanji 380-1 says Gongsun Ao leads ten thousand cavalry and thirty thousand infantry from Yanmen.
• Defeat and withdrawal: Hanji 380-1 says he fights the Xiongnu Left Worthy King, is defeated, and returns.

Qualifications

This page is bounded to Hanji 380-1 and does not reconstruct Gongsun Ao’s full career, exact force figures beyond the episode’s account, or other Western Han Gongsun figures.

What Changed

• Created this source-bounded page from Hanji 380-1’s Yanmen campaign notice.

Relationships

• 汉武帝 - ruler who orders the multi-route campaign.
• 匈奴 - campaign opponent.
• 李陵 - later contrast in the same episode’s tragic campaign arc.