Sun Quan

Historical Record

Sun Quan, styled Zhongmou, was only fifteen when his elder brother Sun Ce was pacifying the commanderies of Jiangdong, and was appointed Chief of Yangxian. ^c:4784 He was born while his father Sun Jian served as aide at Xiapi; with a square jaw and large mouth and a bright gleam in his eyes, he was regarded by Sun Jian as bearing a noble countenance. After Sun Ce's death, Sun Quan succeeded to his position, and Cao Cao memorialized to make him General Who Subdues Bandits and Administrator of Kuaiji, stationed at Wu. He took Zhang Zhao as his mentor, with Zhou Yu, Cheng Pu, Lü Fan, and others as commanders, and gathered talented men and sought out famous scholars, such as Lu Su and Zhuge Jin, all of whom became his guests. ^c:4786

In the thirteenth year of Jian'an (208 CE), Sun Quan again campaigned against Huang Zu; Lü Meng broke his vanguard, while Ling Tong, Dong Xi, and others assaulted the city, and they then put it to the sword. Huang Zu fled and was pursued by the cavalryman Feng Ze, who beheaded him. ^c:4790 That same year, Liu Biao died, and Lu Su was charged with offering condolences and observing the situation. Cao Cao advanced south; Liu Cong surrendered, and Liu Bei sought to cross the river southward. Lu Su met with Liu Bei, conveyed Sun Quan's intentions, and laid out the prospects of success and failure. Liu Bei advanced to garrison Xiakou and sent Zhuge Liang to meet with Sun Quan. ^c:4790 At this time Cao Cao had newly gained Liu Biao's host and was of great momentum, and most of those who debated urged Sun Quan to receive and surrender. Yet Zhou Yu and Lu Su firmly advocated resisting Cao, and Sun Quan adopted their counsel, sending Zhou Yu, Cheng Pu, and others to lead thirty thousand naval troops to join Liu Bei, and they greatly defeated Cao Cao's army at Chibi. ^c:4790 Cao Cao burned his ships and withdrew; his soldiers, starving and stricken by plague, died in more than half their number. Liu Bei, Zhou Yu, and others pursued to Nan Commandery, and Cao Cao then returned north.

In the nineteenth year of Jian'an (214 CE), Sun Quan campaigned against Wan and took it, capturing the Administrator of Lujiang Zhu Guang and the army adviser Dong He, along with several tens of thousands of men and women. ^c:5072 That same year, Liu Bei pacified Yi Province, and Sun Quan sent Zhuge Jin to demand the commanderies of Jing Province; Liu Bei refused. Sun Quan was enraged and sent Lü Meng to take the three commanderies of Changsha, Lingling, and Guiyang, and had Lu Su garrison Baqiu to ward off Guan Yu. Later, because Cao Cao entered Hanzhong and Liu Bei feared losing Yi Province, Liu Bei sent envoys to seek peace. Sun Quan then divided Jing Province with Liu Bei: Changsha, Jiangxia, and Guiyang eastward to Sun Quan; Nan Commandery, Lingling, and Wuling westward to Liu Bei. ^c:5072

In the twenty-fourth year of Jian'an (219 CE), Guan Yu besieged Cao Ren at Xiangyang, and Cao Cao sent Yu Jin to the rescue. The Han River flooded violently, and Yu Jin's seven armies were all submerged; Yu Jin surrendered. Sun Quan sent Lü Meng to seize Gong'an, and the Administrator of Nan Commandery Mi Fang surrendered. Lu Xun separately took Yidu. Guan Yu retreated to hold Maicheng, and was later cut off by Zhu Ran and Pan Zhang; Pan Zhang's marshal Ma Zhong captured Guan Yu, his son Guan Ping, and the commander Zhao Lei, and Jing Province was thereby settled. ^c:4791

In the second year of Huangchu (221 CE), after Emperor Wen of Wei, Cao Pi, took the throne, Sun Quan declared himself a vassal and returned Yu Jin and the others. ^c:4793 Cao Pi enfeoffed Sun Quan as King of Wu and conferred the Nine Bestowals. ^c:4794 That same year, Liu Bei attacked Wu, reaching Wushan and Zigui, and sent envoys to entice the Wuling Man barbarians, granting them seals and credentials and promising rewards. Sun Quan made Lu Xun supervisor, in command of Zhu Ran, Pan Zhang, and others to resist him. ^c:4795

In the Novel

In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, after Sun Ce's death, Sun Quan wept and collapsed before the bed, and Zhang Zhao admonished him, "This is no time for the general to weep." ^c:4813 Zhou Yu also urged him to inherit the enterprise of his father and brother, and offered Sun Quan counsel, pointing out, "Since ancient times, 'he who gains men flourishes, he who loses men perishes.' The present plan must seek out men of lofty insight and far vision as aides, and then Jiangdong can be secured." ^c:4883 The novel describes Sun Quan's appearance as "a square jaw and large mouth, blue-green eyes and a purple beard," and cites Liu Wan's assessment that he was "of striking form and extraordinary frame, the mark of great nobility, and would also enjoy long life." ^c:4813

On the eve of the Battle of Red Cliffs, with Cao Cao's great army bearing down, most of Jiangdong's advisors advocated surrender. Lu Su, however, firmly urged Sun Quan that he must not surrender to Cao, pointing out, "All others may surrender to Cao Cao, but the general alone may not surrender to Cao Cao." ^c:4895 Sun Quan, hearing this, sighed and said, "The arguments of the others have greatly disappointed my hopes. Zijing's exposition of the grand plan accords exactly with my own view—this is Heaven bestowing Zijing upon me!" ^c:4897 After Zhuge Liang's debate with the scholars of Jiangdong, Sun Quan still hesitated. The Lady Wu Guotai reminded Sun Quan, "Your late sister's testament said, 'Bofu at his death spoke thus: for internal affairs that cannot be decided, ask Zhang Zhao; for external affairs that cannot be decided, ask Zhou Yu.' Why not now invite Gongjin and ask him?" ^c:4826 Sun Quan then invited Zhou Yu to deliberate, and at last resolved to resist Cao.

In the novel, when Sun Quan attacked Huang Zu, Gan Ning offered a plan, and Sun Quan was overjoyed, declaring, "With Xingba, I am sure to crush Huang Zu." ^c:4887 After Huang Zu was captured, Gan Ning pleaded on behalf of Su Fei, and Sun Quan pardoned Su Fei. ^c:4818 Ling Tong, because Gan Ning had shot dead his father Ling Cao, wished to take revenge; Sun Quan dissuaded him and promoted Ling Tong to Commandant Who Upholds Valor, while ordering Gan Ning to guard Xiakou to avoid Ling Tong. ^c:4819 These episodes all highlight Sun Quan's weighing and decisiveness in employing men and governing the army.

Key Relationships

* Liu Bei (friend_of/fights_in): Sun Quan and Liu Bei allied at the Battle of Red Cliffs to jointly oppose Cao Cao. ^c:4778 However, as Guan Yu carelessly lost Jing Province, the Sun–Liu alliance broke down, and the Battle of Xiaoting erupted between Sun Quan and Liu Bei. ^c:4795 In the novel, Zhuge Liang debated the scholars of Jiangdong and goaded Sun Quan into resisting Cao, bringing about the formation of the Sun–Liu alliance. ^c:4822
* Cao Wei (serves/fights_in): Sun Quan maintained a complex relationship with Cao Wei at different times. At the Battle of Red Cliffs, Sun Quan and Liu Bei joined forces to greatly defeat Cao Cao. ^c:4778 Later, Sun Quan once declared himself a vassal of Cao Wei and was enfeoffed as King of Wu. ^c:4794 But he also fought Cao Wei many times, as in the Battle of Hefei. ^c:4775 In the novel, Cao Cao once wished to attack Wu during Sun Ce's mourning, but later heeded Zhang Hong's remonstrance and enfeoffed Sun Quan as general. ^c:4814
* Wen Ping (fights_in): Sun Quan once attacked Jiangxia Commandery, where the Administrator Wen Ping held firm. Cao Rui reckoned that Sun Quan was practiced in naval warfare and this move sought to catch him off guard, but the postures of attack and defense differed, and Sun Quan in the end dared not stay long. Later Xun Yu led troops to raise fires, and Sun Quan withdrew. ^c:4774
* Sun Quan's Faction (lord_of): Sun Quan was the heir and leader of the Jiangdong enterprise. He gave heavy responsibility to civil and military men such as Zhang Zhao, Zhou Yu, and Lu Su, jointly governing Jiangdong and warding off enemies. ^c:4786 In the novel, Sun Quan broadly gathered worthy men, such as Kan Ze, Yan Jun, Xue Zong, Gu Yong, Lü Meng, and Lu Xun, making Jiangdong abundant in talent. ^c:4815

Signature Scenes

* Battle of Red Cliffs: Sun Quan joined forces with Liu Bei to greatly defeat Cao Cao at Chibi, laying the foundation for the tripartite division of the Three Kingdoms. ^c:4778 In the novel, Zhuge Liang goaded Sun Quan into resisting Cao, and Zhou Yu firmly advocated battle, ultimately bringing about this decisive victory. ^c:4825
* Seizing Jing Province: Sun Quan, taking advantage of Guan Yu's northern campaign against Cao Wei, sent Lü Meng to raid Jing Province by stealth, captured and killed Guan Yu, and successfully recovered Jing Province. ^c:4791 This event directly led to the breakdown of the Sun–Liu alliance.
* Battle of Hefei: Sun Quan attacked Hefei many times but never succeeded. On one occasion, Sun Quan led a host of a hundred thousand to besiege the city for over a hundred days, but as continuous rain threatened to collapse the city walls, he withdrew because Zhang Xi's reinforcements were about to arrive. ^c:4775 In the novel, Sun Quan was ambushed by Zhang Liao north of the ford, and only thanks to the desperate fighting of Ling Tong, Gan Ning, and others, and by spurring a swift horse to leap across the ford bridge, did he escape danger. ^c:4790 (novel-only)
* Weighing the elephant: Sun Quan once presented Cao Cao with a giant elephant, and Cao Cao wished to know its weight; his son Cao Chong proposed the method, "Place the elephant aboard a large boat, mark where the water reaches, then load it with objects weighed against it—and a comparison will reveal the answer." ^c:4777 (novel-only)
* Discussing the realm with Deng Zhi: When Deng Zhi came on an embassy to Wu, Sun Quan asked him, "If the realm were at peace, with two sovereigns dividing the rule, would that not be delightful?" Deng Zhi answered, "Heaven has no two suns, the land no two kings." Sun Quan laughed heartily and praised Deng Zhi's loyalty. ^c:5065
* Parting with Zong Yu: When Zong Yu came on an embassy to Wu, Sun Quan grasped his hand and wept at the parting, sighing, "Now you are advanced in years, and I too grow old; I fear we shall not meet again!" and presented him with a peck of great pearls. ^c:5071
* Blue-green eyes and purple beard: Sun Quan's physical features were described as "a square jaw and large mouth, blue-green eyes and a purple beard," ^c:4813 an image emphasized in the novel and become his distinctive mark. Liu Wan once prophesied that he bore "the mark of great nobility, and would also be longest-lived." ^c:4784
* Asking counsel of Lu Su: Sun Quan once talked through the night with Lu Su, asking how to hold his enterprise, and Lu Su proposed the strategy of "standing tripod-like in Jiangdong to watch for the realm's fissures." ^c:4886 (novel-only)