Gu Yong

Gu Yong (onyomi: Ko yō) is a student of Cai Yong, and an official of Sun Quan. Known for his personal conduct, Gu Yong became Chancellor of Wu shortly after Sun Quan declared himself emperor.

Role in Games
Gu Yong is a recurring officer of Wu, appearing as early as Chibi to Sun Quan's later battles such as those in Shiting.

In Dynasty Warriors 8, Gu Yong will protect one of the southern garrisons at Jianye in Wei's hypothetical story.

Historical Information
Born in Wu county in Wu prefecture, Gu Yong was a member of the Gu family, one of the four illustrious houses of Wu.

When Cai Yong fled south to escape the wrath of the eunuchs, he met Gu, who became Cai's student for calligraphy and classics.

After his tutelage, Gu Yong would become the governor of multiple prefectures in Yang Province, and ensured the prefecture's stability during his tenure. Gu Yong would later be an integral factor to helping the capable Zhang Wen rise to power in Wu.

In 229, Sun Quan distanced himself from Cao Pi of Wei, and declared himself emperor; Gu Yong would become chancellor shortly afterwards.

As he was known for remaining quiet as a sign of disproval, Sun Quan would often test theories and potential policies on Gu to see if everything was in order. If Gu did not respond, Sun would have the papers reviewed once more.

Gu Yong was also well-known for upholding proper conduct, speaking confidently and with reason wherever he went, and he punished his enemies only in accordance to the law.

In 243, Gu Yong died, and he was succeeded by Lu Xun. He was also posthumously honoured as Marquis Su.

Romance of the Three Kingdoms
Gu Yong is first mentioned to be one of Zhang Hong's friends, and becomes a deputy governor with his friend's recommendation. When Zhuge Liang comes to Wu seeking an alliance against Cao Cao, Gu Yong was among the scholars that debated with Zhuge, and was among those who opposed resistance against Cao Cao.

Despite his opposition, Sun Quan ultimately decided to resist, and the Sun-Liu alliance successfully defeated Cao Cao at Chibi. At this point, the real issue, Jingzhou, came to light, and Liu Bei, who had married Lady Sun, was away at Yizhou with his relative, Liu Zhang. During Liu Bei's absence, Gu Yong recommended that Sun Quan launch an attack at Jingzhou while Liu Bei was gone, but the idea was scrapped when Lady Wu heard of it and scolded her son for not showing concern for his sister.

Later, Gu Yong appears with Zhang Zhao when Liu Bei takes Liu Zhang's land, and the two recommend Sun Quan to "torture" Zhuge Jin's family in order to get back the land at Jingzhou through Zhuge Liang. The plan later fails due to Guan Yu's refusal to comply with Zhuge Liang's letter to return the portion of the province. Shortly before Guan Yu's assault on Fancheng, a messenger from Cao Cao arrived proposing a joint assault while Guan Yu is busy, and Gu Yong was among those that agreed to the proposal of a joint attack. Guan Yu's refusal to betroth his daughter to Sun Quan's son and insulting remarks eventually convinced Sun to join Cao Cao's attack. Soon after Guan Yu's death at Maicheng, Liu Bei launched a punitive expedition against Wu, and Gu Yong was among those who were in opposition of using the young Lu Xun, but Kan Ze insisted on using Lu, and Lu Xun would defeat Liu Bei at Yiling with a fire attack. Shortly before the battle, Cao Pi offered princely titles to Sun Quan, but Gu Yong opposed this decision vehemently. Going against Gu, Sun Quan accepted the titles, citing how Liu Bang once accepted a title from Xiang Yu.

After Liu Bei's death, Cao Pi sent a messenger to Wu requesting an assault force in a joint attack against Wu, both Zhang Zhao and Gu Yong recommended to Sun Quan to consult Lu Xun first before acting. Following Lu Xun's advice, Sun Quan feigned inability to immediately attack, and did not send an army to answer Wei's call, thus maintaining relations with Shu. When Cao Xiu led an attack at Shiting, it was Gu Yong who recommended that Lu Xun take the lead for the battle. Some time after Cao Xiu's defeat, Sun Quan declared himself emperor, and Gu was to become his prime minister.