Ganshi

Ganshi (甘氏, onyomi: Kanshi) is Koei's original name for Lady Gan (甘夫人, onyomi: Kanfujin), Liu Bei's first wife and Liu Shan's mother. She was posthumously declared an empress by her son.

Role in Games
Dynasty Warriors 7 references Lady Gan in the quiz section of Conquest Mode.

She is a recruitable character in the twelfth Romance of the Three Kingdoms game which lists her birth year as 175. While most of her stats are mediocre at best, her only saving grace is politics.

Voice Actors

 * Yuko Sumitomo - Romance of the Three Kingdoms drama CD series

Historical Information
Lady Gan (180 - 221) was born to a family of commoners in Pei, though a diviner predicted a bright future in store for her. In 194, she met the warlord Liu Bei and became his concubine. By the time she turned eighteen, Lady Gan had already matured into a seductive beauty. It was said that Liu Bei once commissioned a 3-foot jade sculpture carved in his consort's likeness and kept it inside her quarters where he would admire its sleek figure every night. When the other concubines directed their jealousy at Lady Gan and the sculpture, she convinced her husband to have it removed.

As his principle wife, Lady Gan was often responsible for managing Liu Bei's household. The two of them moved to Jing Province in 200 where Lady Gan would give birth to Liu Shan in 207. When Liu Bei was forced to abandon his wife and child during the Battle of Changban, they were both rescued by Zhao Yun.

Lady Gan was buried in Nan Commandery following her death in 221, though her remains were reinterred to Shu when Liu Bei proclaimed himself emperor. She was given the posthumous titles of Lady Huangsi (皇思夫人) and Empress Zhaolie (昭烈皇后) from her spouse and son respectively.

Romance of the Three Kingdoms
Lady Gan first appears in Chapter 15 of the novel alongside Liu Bei's other consort Lady Mi. The two of them had been treated well by Lu Bu who sought to maintain his alliance with their husband. They were also used as a bartering chip to ensure Guan Yu's loyalty to Cao Cao. Lady Gan urged her brother-in-law to escape upon hearing news of Liu Bei's whereabouts. She also provided him with advise during the journey, even helping pacify Zhang Fei who mistook his brother's ties to Cao Cao as treachery.

After reuniting with her husband, Lady Gan eventually gave birth to Liu Shan. She was among those Zhao Yun saved when the conflict at Changban occurred. Her death in Chapter 54 inspired Zhou Yu to entrap Liu Bei in Wu by arranging a marriage between him and Lady Sun.