生平

豪族出身

公孙瓒生年不详，只知年长于161年出生的刘备。

公孙瓒是豪族子弟，但因母亲出身低微，只能任书佐。因美貌、声音洪亮与才智受太守侯某赏识，被邀请为女婿。受岳父帮助曾与刘备和刘德然共同师事于卢植。

以义显名

公孙瓒后来在太守刘其（又作刘基）下任御车。在刘太守犯法被发配交州日南时敢于违法乔装成士兵沿途护送，途中刘其获赦还。公孙瓒归来后因此德行被举孝廉，任为辽东属国长史。

白马异雄

公孙瓒任长史间以数十骑兵击败数百鲜卑骑兵，升为涿令。光和（三国志）或中平（后汉书）年间，因要讨伐凉州贼被授与都督行事传。后因讨伐渔阳张纯与辽西乌丸丘力居等有功，升为骑都尉。因乌丸贪至王率众人降公孙瓒，公孙瓒被升为中郎将，封都亭侯。公孙瓒组织数十擅射骑兵尽骑白马，自号「白马义从」。乌桓因此互相告知躲避白马长史，并自此逃离塞外。

疏犷趫猛

公孙瓒因曾劝阻刘虞派兵助袁术，怕被袁术怪罪，因此派其从弟公孙越领千馀人，助袁术、孙坚在阳城之战反击袁绍部下周昂，但公孙越为流矢所中而死，使公孙瓒为此迁怒袁绍。袁绍初欲以自身勃海太守印绶给与公孙瓒弟公孙范作为巴结，但公孙范转为巴结公孙瓒。初平二年（191年），公孙范以勃海兵助公孙瓒率二万人大破青州黄巾军三十万人，斩首三万人，生擒七万馀人，公孙瓒升为奋武将军，封蓟侯。罗列袁绍十大罪状，冀州诸城官员向公孙瓒投降。公孙瓒自封三州刺史。严纲为冀州刺史，田楷为青州刺史，单经为兖州刺史。

• 初平二年（191年）冬，公孙瓒与袁绍发生界桥之战，被袁绍将麴义击败，严纲阵亡。公孙瓒退回蓟，屯军勃海。

• 初平三年（192年），公孙瓒在界桥之战后不久就派兵与袁绍在龙凑开战，被袁绍击败，公孙瓒退还幽州。

• 初平三年（192年），袁绍派崔巨业领兵围故安，久攻不下。撤退时被公孙瓒派三万人追击，在巨马水大破袁绍军，杀七八千人。

骄奢忘善

刘虞怕公孙瓒而欲先发制人，但被公孙瓒所败，并在居庸俘虏刘虞。汉献帝遣使者段训欲增加刘虞的城邑，升公孙瓒为前将军，封易侯。但公孙瓒诬蔑刘虞意欲谋反以威胁段训杀刘虞，并封自己为幽州刺史。至此公孙瓒尽有幽州之地。但杀害刘虞对公孙瓒的名声做成重大的损害，部下向心力大减，对日后部下纷纷向袁绍投降埋下伏笔。

犹据自全

公孙瓒有幽州后，迫害有名气及富有的人，任用亲信小人，有才能的将领都离开公孙瓒。刘虞旧部鲜于辅、齐周、鲜于银推举阎柔为乌桓司马与公孙瓒将邹丹战于潞河之北，斩杀邹丹等四千馀人。乌桓峭王及后与刘虞子刘和合袁绍兵于兴平二年(195年)，破公孙瓒于鲍丘，杀邹丹等二万馀人。公孙瓒所辖各地纷纷杀当地长吏而投奔刘和军。公孙瓒加强易京的守备，自此只守不攻。建安元年（196年），公孙瓒不援救其部下，被袁绍逐个击破。

建安四年（199年），袁绍率兵攻公孙瓒。公孙瓒屡战屡败后退守易京，与张燕联合，希望夹击袁绍。袁绍将计就计，设下伏兵。公孙瓒中伏后，心知必败，退回城中自杀。

家庭

妻

• 侯氏：侯某之女

兄弟

• 公孙越：公孙瓒从弟。被公孙瓒派往助袁术与孙坚一同攻打周昂，为流矢所中而死。

• 公孙范：公孙瓒从弟。以勃海兵助公孙瓒。在界桥之战中与公孙瓒一同败走。

子女

• 公孙续：公孙瓒之子。被公孙瓒派往黑山求张燕来救已迟，后为屠各所杀。

部下

• 严纲：被公孙瓒任为冀州刺史，界桥之战中带领先锋，被杀。

• 田楷：被公孙瓒任为青州刺史，在巨马水之战中领军。

• 单经：被公孙瓒任为兖州刺史。

• 邹丹：在鲍丘之战中领军，被杀。

• 关靖：长史，劝阻公孙瓒出击冀州，公孙瓒死后与袁绍军决战，战死。

• 刘备：平原令，与田楷共拒袁绍，后与田楷到徐州救陶谦抗拒曹操，后为陶谦部下。

• 赵云：随刘备守平原，领导骑兵。

• 田豫：东州县令，王门叛变时众人欲降，田豫说服王门退兵。

• 王门：叛变获袁绍给与万馀人来攻，田豫说服王门退兵。

• 范方：率领公孙瓒支援刘岱的部队，后因刘岱听从程昱之意见接近袁绍而遭撤回。

• 季雍：公孙瓒麾下鄃县令。初从袁绍，后雍以鄃县叛绍而降公孙瓒，瓒遣兵卫之。绍遣朱灵攻之，力战拔之，生擒雍。

• 文则：建安四年（199年），黑山帅张燕与公孙续率兵十万，分三路相救公孙瓒。援兵还没到，公孙瓒秘密派部下文则送信给公孙续，途中被袁绍劫得了信。

• 李邵：钜鹿太守，在公孙瓒讨伐袁绍时倒向公孙瓒，但被董昭用计摆平。

• 孙伉：亲公孙瓒一方，在董昭摆平李邵时被杀。

• 张吉：公孙瓒的部下，董昭利用他散布假情报摆平了李邵、孙伉。

• 刘纬台（算命的），李移子（卖布的），乐何当（小商贩）：公孙瓒拜把兄弟，都受公孙瓒亲待。王粲《英雄记》有载。

• 公孙纪：原是刘虞的部下，因公孙瓒以同姓而兄弟相待，而把刘虞要杀公孙瓒的消息告诉公孙瓒。

艺术形象

演义记载

在演义中，公孙瓒犹如刘备恩人一般的存在。因与刘备有学友之谊，在讨伐渔阳张举、张纯之乱时就起用了刘备，后使其驻守平原。

讨伐董卓时，公孙瓒也参予其中，并接纳刘备成为部将，同往会盟。汜水关之战中，公孙瓒于袁绍面前引荐刘备，称其为汉室之胄，袁绍乃赐座予刘备；虎牢关之战中，公孙瓒部队被指示前往参战，在关东联军折损数将后，麾下刘备、关羽、张飞三人与吕布于关前大战，最后逼退了吕布。

关东联军因诸侯产生嫌隙而解散后，公孙瓒与袁绍图谋合作夺取冀州，不料由袁绍捷足先登。公孙瓒派遣其弟公孙越至袁绍处求取冀州土地，袁绍反悔不与，甚至在其回程中派遣部将假借董卓名义，将之杀害；公孙瓒得知后勃然大怒，遣军进攻袁绍，对峙于磐河。

序战中，袁绍部将麴义骁勇善战，一马当先斩杀公孙瓒部将严纲，瓒军士气低落而大败；而后赵云出现，加上刘备率领援军适时到来，战况随之扭转。两军在长期对峙后，接受了董卓的调停而撤兵。

董卓被王允与吕布暗杀后，在徐州又爆发曹操为报父仇而兴兵的复仇战，徐州牧陶谦听从麾下谋士糜竺的建议，请求孔融为援军，而孔融也推荐平原相刘备，于是刘备以此为契机，向公孙瓒借取赵云与数千兵马前往救援徐州。曹操因为长时间于徐州征战，导致后防空虚，被吕布、陈宫、张邈等人夺取根据地，不得已而撤退，完成了救援使命的赵云也带著兵马返回了公孙瓒处。

此后随著刘备长期转战徐州，几乎没有与公孙瓒有任何联系。最终由曹操麾下的满宠告知刘备，公孙瓒已败于袁绍之手，死于易京的消息。

动漫作品

• 三国演义

• 《横山光辉三国志》（横山光辉）

• 《苍天航路》（王欣太）

• 《火凤燎原》（陈某）

影视

• 中国中央电视台电视剧《三国演义》（1994年）：杨凡，同时饰演中年时期的赵云。

• 台湾华视电视剧《三国英雄传之关公》（1996年）：管谨宗，在剧中有一名女儿叫公孙小婴，在公孙瓒带著自家人自焚时是唯一存活下来的，后来公孙小婴嫁给关羽为妻，为电视剧虚构杜撰的，真实历史的公孙瓒并没有女儿。

• 中国中央电视台电视剧《武圣关公》（2004年）：贺琳

• 中国电视剧《三国》（2010年）：王宝刚

• 电视剧《武神赵子龙》（2016年）：范雨林，在剧中有一名女儿叫公孙宝月，和蜀汉名将马超相爱，为电视剧虚构，真实历史的公孙瓒并没有女儿。

评价

• 魏攸：「瓒，文武才力足恃，虽有小恶，固宜容忍。」（《后汉书·袁绍刘表列传第六十四上》）

• 袁绍：「超然自逸，矜其威诈。」（《后汉书·袁绍刘表列传第六十四上》）

• 《三国志》作者陈寿：「瓒遂骄矜，记过忘善，多所贼害」；「公孙瓒保京，坐待夷灭。」

• 《后汉书》作者范晔：「伯圭疏犷，武才趫猛。」；「瓒恃其才力，不恤百姓，记过忘善，睚眦必报，州里善士名在其右者，必以法害之。」；「自帝室王公之胃，皆生长脂腴，不知稼穑，其能厉行饬身，卓然不群者，或未闻焉。刘虞守道慕名，以忠厚自牧。美哉乎，季汉之名宗子也！若虞、瓒无间，同情共力，纠人完聚，稸保燕、蓟之饶，缮兵昭武，以临群雄之隙，舍诸天运，征乎人文，则古之休烈，何远之有！」

• 乞伏昙达：「昔伯圭凭险，卒有灭宗之祸；韩约肆暴，终受覆族之诛。」（《晋书·卷一百二十五·载记第二十五》）

• 王勃：「区区公路，欲据列郡之尊；琐琐伯圭，谓保易京之业。瓒既窘毙，术亦忧终。」（《三国论》）

• 洪迈：「公孙瓒筑京于易，以为足以待天下之变，不知卫梯舞于楼上，城岂可保耶？」（《容斋随笔》卷十四）

• 郝经：「瓒挟劲气，辄害宗子。百楼虽多，云胡不死。」（《续后汉书》）

• 王夫之：「顽悍而乐杀者公孙瓒，而犹据土以自全。」（《读通鉴论》）

• 柳从辰：「卓虽受诛，豪杰并起，跨州连郡如刘虞、公孙瓒、陶谦、袁绍、刘表、刘焉、袁术、吕布者，皆尝雄视一时，其权力犹足匡正帝室。」

• 蔡东藩：「公孙瓒之致死，其失与袁术相同。术死于侈，瓒亦未尝不由侈而死。观其建筑层楼，重门固守，妇女传宣，将士解散，彼且诩诩然自夸得计。一则曰吾有积谷三百万斛，食尽此谷，再觇时变。再则曰当今四方虎争，无一能坐吾城下。谁知绍兵骤至，全城被围，鼓角鸣于地中，柱火焚于楼下，有欲免一死而不可得者，较诸袁术之结局，其惨尤甚！」

注释

Life

Little is known of Gongsun Zan's early life. He and Liu Bei studied under the tutelage of Lu Zhi. At the time, the administrator of his home commandery appreciated Gongsun Zan's impressive looks and booming voice, so he arranged for his daughter to marry him. Gongsun Zan was deployed by He Jin to quash rebellions in the north which he did successfully. Following a misunderstanding with his lord, Liu Yu, Gongsun attacked Liu and won control of the surrounding areas; however, contrary to popular belief, he was never formally appointed as a commandery administrator. During this time his former classmate Liu Bei came to serve him and was allocated the city of Pingyuan to defend.

To the south, the two brothers Yuan Shao in the north and Yuan Shu in the south vied for supremacy over central China. Gongsun Zan formed an alliance with Yuan Shu and sent his second cousin, Gongsun Yue, to help Yuan Shu's general, Sun Jian, retake Yangcheng. However, Gongsun Yue died in the campaign. Using this as pretext, Gongsun Zan attacked Yuan Shao after his initial plan to gain Han Fu's lands went awry. However, Gongsun Zan was defeated by Yuan Shao at the Battle of Yijing. He committed suicide by setting himself on fire, after killing his sisters, wife and children.

Family

• Gongsun Yue, Gongsun Zan's younger second cousin. Gongsun Zan sent him with 1,000 troops and supplies to assist the warlord Yuan Shu, who was in a proxy war with his half-brother Yuan Shao. Gongsun Yue died after being hit by a stray arrow during the Battle of Yangcheng in 191 while fighting alongside Sun Jian (Yuan Shu's proxy) against Zhou Yu (Renming) (Yuan Shao's proxy). Gongsun Zan used Gongsun Yue's death as an excuse to declare war on Yuan Shao.

　• In the 14th-century historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Gongsun Yue is Gongsun Zan's younger brother. Gongsun Zan sends Gongsun Yue as a messenger to demand that Yuan Shao keep his promise by dividing Ji Province between him and Gongsun Zan after seizing it from Han Fu, but Yuan Shao refuses. While Gongsun Yue is on his return journey, Yuan Shao orders his men to pretend to be Dong Zhuo's soldiers and then ambush and kill Gongsun Yue. Gongsun Zan sees through Yuan Shao's ruse and subsequently declares war on him.

• Gongsun Fan, Gongsun Zan's younger second cousin. He leads troops from Bohai Commandery (勃海郡) to join Gongsun Zan. He also fought in the Battle of Jieqiao alongside Gongsun Zan against Yuan Shao.

• Gongsun Xu, Gongsun Zan's son. During the Battle of Yijing (198–199), Gongsun Zan sent him to seek reinforcements from the Heishan bandits led by Zhang Yan. They returned too late as Gongsun Zan had already been defeated by Yuan Shao and had committed suicide along with the rest of his family. Gongsun Xu later met his end at the hands of the Tuge (屠各), a Xiongnu tribe.

In Romance of the Three Kingdoms

Gongsun Zan is a character in the 14th-century historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, which romanticises the events before and during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He leads an elite cavalry unit called the "White Riders" and has served on the northern and eastern frontiers of the Han Empire by defending the borders from incursions by various non-Han Chinese tribes. In 191, Gongsun Zan joins the coalition against Dong Zhuo, the warlord who seized power in Luoyang and holds the figurehead Emperor Xian hostage. After the coalition breaks up, he gets into a rivalry with Yuan Shao over the territories in northern China and engages him in a series of battles throughout the 190s, starting with the Battle of Jieqiao and ending with his defeat and death at the Battle of Yijing.

In the novel, Gongsun Zan is nicknamed "White Horse General" because the elite cavalry unit he leads is made up completely of horses of pure white. The reason for doing so is that he knows that the non-Han Chinese tribes consider white horses sacred animals so they will run away when they encounter an enemy unit riding white horses in battle.

In Records of the Three Kingdoms

Gongsun Zan's white horse volunteers has historical basis, and appears in the historical records as an elite mounted unit on white horses which formed the core of his fighting force. The Records of Three Kingdoms describes how their "flags and armour lit up Heaven and Earth" at the Battle of Jieqiao.