Guo Yuan

Who was Guo Yuan?

Guo Yuan was a military general serving under the warlord Yuan Shang during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. He was also the son of Zhong Yao's sister. During an expedition led by Cao Cao against Yuan Shang and his brother, Yuan Tan, Guo and Gao Gan were sent out to wait until Hedong had been captured. Pang De and Ma Chao were both sent to defend against Guo's front. Pang destroyed Guo and Gao's armies, and eventually beheaded Guo personally, not knowing Guo's identity. He later hung Guo's head in his camp. Zhong Yao, upon seeing his nephew's head, began to weep. Pang then realized the truth and tried to apologize to Zhong, but the latter replied, "Guo Yuan was my nephew, but he was also a traitor to the state. Why apologize?"