Biography
Huang Gai was born in Quanling County, Lingling Precinct (present-day Yongzhou, Hunan), and first allied himself with Sun Jian during the Yellow Turban Rebellion in the 180s.
At the Battle of Red Cliffs in 208, Huang Gai suggested to Zhou Yu that a fire attack would be the best strategy to use in order to defeat Cao Cao's gigantic fleet and overwhelming numbers. Zhou Yu approved of this method, and Huang Gai sent word to Cao Cao claiming that he wished to defect. Huang Gai had earlier loaded his boats with wax and straw, and when his ships were within proximity of Cao Cao's fleet, he set them ablaze and steered them on a collision course with Cao Cao's lines. This, coupled with the fact that Cao Cao had chained his ships together to prevent their soldiers from being seasick, caused the fire to spread throughout the fleet, causing massive damage and casualties to Cao Cao's army and forcing him into retreat. This plot resulted in a critical victory for both Sun Quan and Liu Bei, who would now be granted more than enough time to rally their armies and further bolster their positions within their respective territories. During the battle, Huang Gai was hit by an arrow and fell from his boat, but was rescued by Han Dang. He is said to have been highly praised and deeply trusted amongst his colleagues, particularly his third lord, Sun Quan. Huang Gai received various titles throughout the years, including: Auxiliary Corps Commander, Acting Colonel of the Firm Attack, Chief Commandant of Danyang, General of the Gentlemen of the Household, and Governor of Wuling.
Read more about this topic: Huang Gai
Famous quotes containing the word biography:
“Had Dr. Johnson written his own life, in conformity with the opinion which he has given, that every man’s life may be best written by himself; had he employed in the preservation of his own history, that clearness of narration and elegance of language in which he has embalmed so many eminent persons, the world would probably have had the most perfect example of biography that was ever exhibited.”
—James Boswell (1740–95)
“As we approached the log house,... the projecting ends of the logs lapping over each other irregularly several feet at the corners gave it a very rich and picturesque look, far removed from the meanness of weather-boards. It was a very spacious, low building, about eighty feet long, with many large apartments ... a style of architecture not described by Vitruvius, I suspect, though possibly hinted at in the biography of Orpheus.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“A great biography should, like the close of a great drama, leave behind it a feeling of serenity. We collect into a small bunch the flowers, the few flowers, which brought sweetness into a life, and present it as an offering to an accomplished destiny. It is the dying refrain of a completed song, the final verse of a finished poem.”
—André Maurois (1885–1967)