Sun Kuang

Historical Record

Sun Kuang, styled Jizuo, was the younger brother of Sun Yi ^c:1222. He was once recommended as a Filial and Incorrupt candidate and as a Flourishing Talent, but died before receiving any actual appointment, dying at just over twenty years of age ^c:1222.

When annotating the Records of the Three Kingdoms, Pei Songzhi raised doubts about the account of Sun Kuang in the Jiangbiao Zhuan. The Jiangbiao Zhuan states that when Cao Xiu sent troops out at Dongkou, Lü Fan led an army to resist him, and at that time Sun Kuang served as General of the Gentlemen of the Household Who Settles the Martial. Lü Fan once ordered Sun Kuang to set fire to the thatch in order to weaken the enemy's military supplies, but Lü Fan afterward memorialized to send Sun Kuang back to Wu Commandery. Sun Quan therefore changed Sun Kuang's clan's surname to Ding and kept them in confinement for life ^c:1222. However, Pei Songzhi pointed out that, according to the main biography in the Records of the Three Kingdoms, Sun Kuang died before being appointed, at just over twenty years of age. If Sun Kuang had at that time already been General of the Gentlemen of the Household Who Settles the Martial, this would contradict the statement that he was "never appointed." Moreover, Sun Jian died in the second year of Chuping, while the Battle of Dongkou occurred in the third year of Huangchu, the two being thirty-one years apart. If Sun Kuang were still alive at the time of the Battle of Dongkou, then his age would far exceed the recorded "just over twenty." Pei Songzhi held that the account in the Jiangbiao Zhuan may have mistaken Sun Quan's other younger brother Sun Lang for Sun Kuang ^c:1222.

Sun Kuang's son was named Sun Tai, a nephew of the Cao clan, who served as Changshui Colonel. In the third year of Jiahe, Sun Tai followed Sun Quan in besieging Xincheng and was unfortunately struck by a stray arrow and died ^c:1222. Sun Tai's son Sun Xiu rose to be General of the Vanguard and Commander of Xiakou. As a close kinsman of the imperial house holding heavy troops abroad, Sun Xiu drew the displeasure of Sun Hao. In the second year of Jianheng, Sun Hao sent He Ding to lead five thousand men to hunt at Xiakou. Beforehand there had been a popular rumor that Sun Xiu was about to be plotted against, and He Ding's hunting expedition further heightened Sun Xiu's anxiety, so that one night he took his wife and several hundred personal soldiers and defected to the Jin dynasty ^c:1222. Jin appointed Sun Xiu as General of Agile Cavalry and Equal in Ceremonial to the Three Excellencies, and enfeoffed him as Duke of Kuaiji. The Jiangbiao Zhuan records that Sun Hao was enraged at this and changed Sun Xiu's surname to Li (厉). Gan Bao's Jin Ji mentions that after Wu was pacified, Sun Xiu, then in Jin, on first hearing that Sun Hao had surrendered, while all the ministers offered congratulations, claimed illness and would not take part, but instead faced south and wept, sighing: "Of old, the General Who Suppresses Rebellion (Sun Ce), in the prime of his youth, founded the enterprise with a single colonel's command; now the latter ruler (Sun Hao) hands over the whole of Jiangnan with both hands, and the ancestral temple and imperial tombs from this day become ruins. O vast and distant Heaven, by whose doing is this!" The court therefore praised him. The Jin Zhugong Zan records that after Wu was pacified, Sun Xiu was demoted to General Who Quells the Waves, but still enjoyed the privilege of opening an office. He died in the Yongning era and was posthumously honored as General of Agile Cavalry with the privilege of an office. Sun Xiu's son was named Sun Jian, styled Zhongjie, who served as Palace Steward ^c:1222.

In the Novel

In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Sun Kuang appears as Sun Jian's fourth son, styled Jizuo, born of Lady Wu ^c:1223. The novel's depiction of Sun Kuang focuses mainly on the introduction of his family background, and grants him no independent military action or significant political role. He is mentioned together with his elder brothers Sun Ce, Sun Quan, and Sun Yi, jointly forming the legitimate line of Sun Jian's sons ^c:1223.

In Chapter 7 of the novel, when Sun Jian prepared to send troops against Huang Zu, Sun Jian's younger brother Sun Jing once remonstrated, urging him not to raise an army out of a momentary grudge, holding that Jiangdong had only just been settled and that it was no time to start war again. But Sun Jian would not heed him and insisted on the campaign. At this point Sun Ce expressed his willingness to go on campaign with his father, and Sun Jian agreed, boarding the ship together with Sun Ce. In this scene, Sun Kuang, along with the other brothers, bowed in a row before the horse and listened to Sun Jing's remonstrance, but there is no depiction of any words or actions on his part ^c:1223. This accords with the historical record that Sun Kuang "was never appointed and died," and the novel invents no merit or deeds for him. The novel also makes no mention of the deeds of Sun Kuang's descendants Sun Tai, Sun Xiu, and others; none of this material appears in the novel, belonging solely to the historical record.

Key Relationships

* Sun Yi (sibling_of): Sun Kuang was Sun Yi's younger brother ^c:1222. In the novel, they were both born of Sun Jian and Lady Wu ^c:1223.
* Sun Jian (kin_of): Sun Kuang was Sun Jian's son ^c:1223.
* Sun Ce, Sun Quan (sibling_of): Sun Kuang was the younger brother of Sun Ce and Sun Quan, and the novel explicitly mentions that they were brothers by the same mother ^c:1223.
* Sun Tai (kin_of): Sun Tai was Sun Kuang's son ^c:1222.
* Sun Xiu (kin_of): Sun Xiu was Sun Tai's son, that is, Sun Kuang's grandson ^c:1222.
* Lü Fan (interacted_with): According to the account in the Jiangbiao Zhuan (which Pei Songzhi doubts), Sun Kuang once interacted with Lü Fan at the Battle of Dongkou; Lü Fan once ordered Sun Kuang to set a fire, then sent him back to Wu Commandery ^c:1222 (no such record in the novel).
* Sun Lang (related_to): Pei Songzhi held that the account of Sun Kuang in the Jiangbiao Zhuan may actually refer to Sun Lang ^c:1222. In the novel, Sun Lang was the son born of Sun Jian and Lady Wu's younger sister, a half-brother of Sun Kuang ^c:1223 (novel only).

Iconic Scenes

* Dying before being appointed: The clearest record of Sun Kuang in the historical material is that he died before receiving any actual appointment, at just over twenty years of age ^c:1222. This indicates that he made no notable showing on the political or military stage, and that his life was relatively brief.
* Mention of his family background: In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Sun Kuang is mentioned mainly as Sun Jian's fourth son, appearing before Sun Jian's campaign, bowing in a row before the horse with his brothers and listening to Sun Jing's remonstrance ^c:1223. Although this scene involves no independent action by Sun Kuang, it establishes his standing within the Sun clan.
* The disputed account in the Jiangbiao Zhuan: Although Pei Songzhi doubts it, the account in the Jiangbiao Zhuan of Sun Kuang serving as General of the Gentlemen of the Household Who Settles the Martial at the Battle of Dongkou, interacting with Lü Fan, and even being punished by Sun Quan on that account, is a relatively concrete but disputed fragment of his life ^c:1222 (no such record in the novel). If true, this account would be the only record of Sun Kuang being given a military duty.
* The prominence of his descendants: Although Sun Kuang's own deeds are few, his descendants Sun Tai and Sun Xiu held important positions and had notable deeds in both Wu and Jin; especially Sun Xiu's conduct after defecting to Jin became an important chapter in the family's continuation through a troubled age ^c:1222. This indirectly reflects the transmission of Sun Kuang's bloodline as a member of the Sun imperial clan.