Sun Jing

Historical Record

Sun Jing, styled Youtai, was the youngest brother of Sun Jian. When Sun Jian first raised troops, Sun Jing gathered five or six hundred men from his home district and clan, providing Sun Jian with a solid rear-area guarantee, and all flocked to him^[1].

After Sun Ce defeated Liu Yao and pacified the various counties, he advanced to attack Kuaiji Commandery. He sent to invite Sun Jing, and Sun Jing, bringing his household, joined Sun Ce at Qiantang. At that time, the Administrator of Kuaiji, Wang Lang, held fast at Guling; Sun Ce crossed the water to give battle several times but could not take it. Sun Jing offered Sun Ce a plan, saying: "Wang Lang relies on a strong city and holds firm; it will be hard to take quickly. Zhadu lies some tens of li south of Kuaiji and is the key route into Kuaiji. It would be better to strike into his interior from there—this is what is called attacking where he is unprepared and emerging where he does not expect. I am willing to lead the troops myself as the vanguard, and we will surely break the enemy." Sun Ce was delighted to hear this and adopted Sun Jing's plan^[1].

So Sun Ce feigned an order to the army: "In recent days there has been continuous rain, the water is turbid, and the soldiers who drink it mostly suffer stomach pains. Quickly prepare several hundred jars to let the drinking water settle." At dusk, Sun Ce had torches lit to make a show of strength and deceive Wang Lang, then divided his forces and raided Gaoqian Camp by night along the Zhadu byway. Wang Lang was greatly alarmed and dispatched the former Administrator of Danyang, Zhou Xin, and others to lead troops to meet them. Sun Ce defeated and beheaded Zhou Xin and the others, and finally pacified Kuaiji Commandery^[1].

Sun Ce memorialized the court to appoint Sun Jing as Colonel Who Stirs Up Valor, intending to entrust him with an even more important post. However, Sun Jing was attached to his native land and clan and did not wish to take office, requesting to remain in the rear to keep guard. Sun Ce granted his request. After Sun Quan took hold of power, Sun Jing was promoted to General of the Household Who Manifests Righteousness, and in the end died at home^[1].

Sun Jing fathered five sons: Sun Gao, Sun Yu, Sun Jiao, Sun Huan, and Sun Qian. Among them, Sun Yu, styled Zhongyi, began commanding troops in the post of Colonel Who Reveres Righteousness. He humbly comforted his retainers and generals and won their support. In the ninth year of Jian'an, Sun Yu held the post of Administrator of Danyang, with more than ten thousand troops under his command, and was additionally enfeoffed as General Who Pacifies Distant Regions. In the eleventh year of Jian'an, together with Zhou Yu he campaigned against the two camps of Ma and Bao and broke them. Later, Sun Yu followed Sun Quan to resist Cao Cao at Ruxu; Sun Quan wished to give battle to Cao Cao, and Sun Yu advised prudence, but Sun Quan did not heed him, and the campaign returned without result. Sun Yu was later promoted to General Who Manifests Might, still holding Danyang Commandery, and moved his garrison from Liyang to Niuzhu. Sun Yu also dispatched Rao Zhu, a man of Yongan, as Chief of Xiang'an, and Yan Lian, a man of Wuxi, as Chief of Juchao, to win over the two commanderies of Lujiang, and all submitted and attached themselves. He treated Ma Pu, a man of Jiyin devoted to learning and fond of antiquity, with generous courtesy, and had several hundred sons of officers from the two offices study under him, establishing a school official and holding banquets and lectures. While the various generals all valued military affairs, Sun Yu alone loved the classics and canons, and even while on campaign, the sound of his recitation never ceased. In the twentieth year of Jian'an, Sun Yu died, at the age of thirty-nine^[2].

Sun Jing's third son, Sun Jiao, styled Shulang, was first appointed Colonel of the Army Protector, commanding more than two thousand troops. When Cao Cao repeatedly sent forth troops at Ruxu, Sun Jiao went each time to resist the enemy, his forces renowned as elite. He was later promoted to Capital Protector and General Who Conquers the Caitiffs, replacing Cheng Pu in overseeing Xiakou. After Huang Gai and his elder brother Sun Yu died, Sun Jiao also absorbed their troops. He was granted Shaxian, Yundu, Nan Xinshi, and Jingling as his fief estate, and was permitted to appoint his own officials. Sun Jiao made light of wealth and was fond of giving, skilled at making connections, and was on deep terms with Zhuge Jin. He entrusted Liu Jing, a man of Lujiang, with handling matters of gain and loss; Li Yun, a man of Jiangxia, with handling general affairs; and Wu Shuo, a man of Guangling, and Zhang Liang, a man of Henan, with handling military affairs, and treated them all with heartfelt intimacy, so that all of them gave their utmost. Sun Jiao once sent troops to capture beautiful women belonging to Wei border officers and present them to him, but Sun Jiao instead changed their clothes and sent them back, issuing an order: "Now those whom we are to destroy are the Cao clan; what crime have their common people committed? From now on, you must not attack their aged and weak." For this reason, many people between the Jiang and the Huai attached themselves to him^[3].

In the Novel

In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Sun Jing's image is given more literary color and incident. He first appears when Sun Jian wished to attack Huang Zu to avenge his father. The novel describes Sun Jian as having four sons, all born of Lady Wu, and additionally one son and one daughter born of Lady Wu's younger sister, as well as one adopted son of the Yu clan. Sun Jing is clearly identified as Sun Jian's younger brother^[4].

Before Sun Jian's campaign, Sun Jing led the sons to bow before his horse and remonstrated with Sun Jian: "Now Dong Zhuo monopolizes power, the Son of Heaven is weak, all within the seas is in great chaos, and each man holds his own region as overlord; the Southland has only just come to some peace, and to raise heavy troops over a small grudge is not fitting—I beg my brother to consider it carefully." Yet Sun Jian did not heed him, but instead declared, "I shall range freely across the realm—how can a grudge go unavenged!"^[4] This episode has no clear record in the histories; it is a creation of the novel to shape Sun Jian's character and set the mood for his campaign.

When Sun Ce attacked Kuaiji, the novel also depicts Sun Jing offering his plan, largely in accord with the historical facts. Sun Jing advised Sun Ce: "Wang Lang relies on a strong city to hold firm and can hardly be taken at a stroke; the grain and provisions of Kuaiji are for the most part stored at Zhadu, a place some tens of li from here. It would be better to seize his interior with troops first—this is what is called attacking where he is unprepared and emerging where he does not expect." Sun Ce was delighted to hear this and praised Sun Jing: "A marvelous device—enough to break the foe!"^[5] He then adopted the plan, raided Zhadu by night, and finally took Kuaiji—consistent with the course of events in the histories.

After Sun Ce's death, in the novel Sun Jing was assigned by Zhang Zhao to handle the funeral arrangements, while Sun Quan, on Zhang Zhao's advice, came forth to the hall to receive the obeisances of the civil and military officials^[6]. This detail is not mentioned in the histories, but it accords with Sun Jing's status as a senior member of the imperial clan.

On the eve of the Battle of Red Cliffs, in the novel Sun Quan, to guard against Cao Cao, built warships on a large scale and divided his troops to guard the riverbank. At this time, Sun Jing was appointed to "lead a body of troops to guard Wuhui"^[7], which further emphasizes his standing and role in the Eastern Wu regime, although the histories do not record in detail his specific military dispositions during this period.

Key Relationships

* Sun Jian (sibling_of): Sun Jing was Sun Jian's youngest brother. In the early days when Sun Jian raised troops, Sun Jing gathered five or six hundred men from his home district and clan, providing Sun Jian with important support and protection^[1]. In the novel, Sun Jing also remonstrated with Sun Jian not to raise heavy troops over a small grudge, displaying fraternal affection and concern for his elder brother^[4].
* Sun Ce (advises_in): When Sun Ce attacked Kuaiji, Sun Jing offered the plan of a surprise raid on Zhadu, helping Sun Ce successfully take Kuaiji and displaying his military strategy^[1]. The novel likewise emphasizes the role of this key counsel^[5].
* Sun Quan's Faction (serves): After Sun Quan took hold of power, Sun Jing was promoted to General of the Household Who Manifests Righteousness and finally died at home^[1]. Although he "was attached to his ancestral graves and clan and did not wish to take office," he was always an important member of the imperial clan of the Sun-Wu regime. In the novel, Sun Jing handled the funeral after Sun Ce's death and was later appointed to guard Wuhui, reflecting his important standing in Sun Quan's faction and his clan influence^[6],^[7].

Signature Scenes

* Offering the plan for the surprise raid on Kuaiji: When Sun Ce attacked Kuaiji Commandery and faced Wang Lang's firm defense, Sun Jing proposed the strategy of "attacking where he is unprepared and emerging where he does not expect," advising a surprise raid by the Zhadu byway. This plan was adopted and successfully carried out by Sun Ce, finally taking Kuaiji—a concentrated display of Sun Jing's military talent^[1]. The novel also depicts this scene in detail, with Sun Ce greatly praising Sun Jing's stratagem^[5].
* Remonstrating against Sun Jian's campaign: In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, before Sun Jian set out to campaign against Huang Zu, Sun Jing bowed before his horse and remonstrated with Sun Jian not to raise troops over personal enmity, holding that the Southland had only just been settled and was not the time for more warfare. This scene displays Sun Jing's character of considering the larger picture and cherishing the people's strength, and also sets off, by contrast, Sun Jian's fierceness and resolve (novel only)^[4].
* Unwilling to take office, remaining to guard the rear: After Sun Ce pacified Kuaiji, he memorialized to make Sun Jing Colonel Who Stirs Up Valor and wished to entrust him with an important post, but Sun Jing, because he "was attached to his ancestral graves and clan and did not wish to take office," requested to remain guarding the rear. This choice reflects Sun Jing's character of indifference to fame and contentment with his native land, and also provided the Sun-Wu regime with a stable rear-area guarantee^[1].
* Handling Sun Ce's funeral: In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, after Sun Ce was assassinated, Zhang Zhao assigned Sun Jing to handle the funeral arrangements while having Sun Quan come forth to handle affairs of state and the army. This shows that Sun Jing, as a senior member of the imperial clan, played an important role in family affairs (novel only)^[6].