⚓

Gan Ning

Courtesy nameXingba

The Silk-Sail Fierce General, Raider of the Wei Camp with a Hundred Riders

Best of the Rank and File · Fierce Generals & Fine Strategists

Naval WarChivalryFerocity

Who they are

A river pirate in his youth, whose sails were all trimmed in brocade and whose men wore bells to swell their presence, earning the name "the Silk-Sail Bandit"; after joining Sun Quan he became Wu’s foremost naval fighter. At the Battle of Ruxukou he led just over a hundred crack riders in a night surprise on Cao Cao’s great camp, in and out at will without a single loss, throwing the morale of Cao’s host into dread — the most legendary night raid in Three Kingdoms history.

Primary sourcesChen Shou, Records of the Three Kingdoms, Book of Wu, Biography of Gan Ning

Key stories

Raiding the Wei Camp with a Hundred Riders

At the Battle of Ruxukou, with Cao Cao’s army holding the advantage in numbers, Gan Ning volunteered to lead a hundred crack riders in a night surprise on Cao’s camp; Sun Quan agreed and rewarded him with fine wine. Gan Ning and his men slipped into Cao’s camp at midnight, cut down dozens, and withdrew at leisure without losing a man. On learning of it, Cao Cao was shaken and furious, and for days after his camp stood on high alert with sagging morale — a hundred-man raid that struck with the force of a thousand.

Relationships

Serves

🌊Sun Quan

Echoes today

Below are how modern works borrow or reinterpret this name or story — not the original material. The two differ, so keep them apart.

"The Silk-Sail Bandit"The nickname from his youthful pirate days, often used in game character design to heighten his image as an untamed swashbuckler.

← Back to Figures