page_title: Kong Rong
section_title: Early life and career
hierarchical_section_title: Kong Rong / Early life and career
caption_attribution_description: English: Map showing the major warlords in China in the 190s, before the definitive end of the Han dynasty in 220. Dong Zhuo faction: When Emperor Ling died in 189, Dong Zhuo was appointed protector over Emperor Shao, a position he abused to control the government and install Emperor Xian. Cao Cao and Yuan Shao launched the Campaign against Dong Zhuo (190–191), forcing Dong Zhuo's faction and the captive Emperor Xian to flee from Luoyang to Chang'an. Lü Bu staged a coup and killed Dong Zhuo in 192, but was expelled by Li Jue and Guo Si. These entered into war in 195, lost the emperor to Cao Cao in 196 and were eliminated in 198. Cao Cao faction: Cao Cao began his gradual conquest of Yan Province in 191, completing it by 195 and expanding into the neighbouring provinces of Xu, Yu and Sili (completed by 199), capturing the emperor in 196 and defeating numerous minor warlords until he clashed with the powerful and wealthy but indecisive Yuan Shao. Cao Cao's victory over Yuan Shao at Guandu in 200 and successive victories made him the most powerful warlord in China, laying the foundation of the later Kingdom of Wei. By 214, he had also conquered the northwestern provinces. Sun Ce faction: Sun Ce, son of Sun Jian, served under Yuan Shu until the latter declared himself emperor in 197, and was defeated by a coalition of warlords. Sun Ce seceded from Yuan Shu, established his own territory in Jiangdong, defeated Liu Yong in 198, and was succeeded by his brother Sun Quan in 200, laying the foundation of the later Kingdom of Wu. In 215, Sun Quan and Liu Bei divided the Jing Province between them, but in 219 Sun Quan conquered the whole province. In 226, Wu ally Shi Xie died and Wu general Lü Dai conquered and annexed Jiao Province from Shi Xie's sons. Liu Bei faction: Liu Bei succeeded Tao Qian as the governor of Xu Province in 194. He was captured by Lü Bu in 195, but escaped to Cao Cao in 196; in 199 they jointly defeated and executed Lü Bu and captured Xu Province. Liu Bei then defected to Yuan Shao, but when the latter was defeated by Cao Cao in 200, he fled south and eventually allied himself with Sun Quan. In 212–214 he conquered Yi Province, laying the foundation of the later Kingdom of Shu. He tried to remain allies with Wu while attacking Wei, conquering Hanzhong in 217–219. Yuan Shao faction: In 191, Yuan Shao tricked governor Han Fu into surrendering Ji Province to him. Yuan Shao's son Yuan Tan conquered Qing Province from Kong Rong in 196. Around 199, Yuan Shao's nephew Gao Gan became governor of Bing Province. Gongsun Zan was definitively defeated by Yuan Shao in 199, giving him control of most of You Province. Cao Cao heavily defeated Yuan Shao in the 200 Battle of Guandu, and successively eliminated the entire Yuan clan and conquered their four provinces by 207. 中文（中国大陆）‎: 东汉末年的群雄军阀割据示意图，包括曹操、袁绍、刘表、孙策、公孙瓒、士燮、马腾、刘璋、刘备、吕布、袁术、公孙度、张鲁、张绣、李傕等 العربية: خريطة تظهر أمراء الحرب الرئيسيين في الصين في حوالي العام 190م، قبل نهاية سلالة هان في العام 200م.
context_page_description: Kong Rong, courtesy name Wenju, was a singer, scholar and minor warlord who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He was a 20th generation descendant of Confucius. As he was once the Chancellor of Beihai State, he was also known as Kong Beihai. He was defeated by Yuan Tan in 196 and escaped to the capital Xuchang. For being a political opponent of Cao Cao and humiliating him on multiple occasions, Kong Rong was eventually put to death on various charges.
  Famed for his quick wits and elaborate literary style, Kong Rong was ranked among the Seven Scholars of Jian'an, a group of representative literati of his time. However, most of his works had been lost. Those that survived can be found in compilations from the Ming and Qing dynasties.
  A well-known story commonly used to educate children – even in contemporary times – on the values of courtesy and fraternal love involves a four-year-old Kong Rong giving up the larger pears to his older and younger brothers. This story, commonly known as "Kong Rong giving up pears", is also mentioned in the Three Character Classic, a text used for elementary education since the Song dynasty.
context_section_description: Born in the former Lu state (present-day southern Shandong and northern parts of Henan, Anhui and Jiangsu), Kong Rong showed quick wit from a young age. His father was Kong Zhou. According to the Epilogue of Han (續漢書) by Sima Biao (司馬彪), when he was a teenager, Kong Rong paid a visit to an official named Li Ying, who received no one but the very eminent and his own relatives. Claiming to be a relative, Kong Rong was brought before Li Ying, who asked how they were related. Kong Rong answered that his ancestor Confucius was a student and friend of Lao Tzu (whose family name was Li). Another guest present was not impressed, however, commenting that a person who showed great ability at a young age might not grow up to be especially capable. Kong Rong immediately retorted, "I suppose you were really smart when you were young." Li Ying laughed at this and predicted the child would grow up to be a great man.
  When he grew older, Kong Rong entered the bureaucracy of the Eastern Han dynasty. He was successively promoted and in 190 was appointed Chancellor of Beihai State, situated in Qing Province, the area most heavily contested by the Yellow Turban rebels during the 180s. Upon taking up office, Kong Rong concentrated on reconstruction of the city and the establishment of schools. He promoted Confucian studies and provided proper burial for deceased refugees who had no family members to look after their funeral affairs. During this time, he was besieged by a remnant Yellow Turban army led by Guan Hai (管亥). Kong Rong sent Taishi Ci to seek help from Liu Bei, then the Prefect of Pingyuan County. Taishi Ci returned with 3,000 elite troops, whereupon the rebels dispersed. In 195, through Liu Bei's nomination, Kong Rong was further promoted to be the Inspector of Qing Province.
caption: Map showing the major warlords of the Han dynasty in the 190s, including Kong Rong
exif: {}