Sun Shao

Historical Record（史载）

Sun Shao, styled Gongli, was the nephew of Sun He, styled Bohai, who was originally surnamed Yu and was later, because Sun Ce favored him, granted the surname Sun and entered into the Sun family genealogy^[1]. Sun He campaigned under Sun Jian, and later followed Sun Ce in pacifying Wu and Kuaiji, and accompanied Sun Quan in the campaign against Li Shu; for his merit he was appointed Gentleman of the Household Who Subdues Bandits, concurrently Grand Administrator of Lujiang, garrisoning the capital city. At the age of seventeen, Sun Shao succeeded to his uncle Sun He's remaining troops, and set about repairing the capital city, building watchtowers and preparing weapons and equipment to defend against the enemy^[2].

Hearing that there were unusual stirrings at the capital city, Sun Quan returned from Jiaoqiu, passed through Danyang, and then led his army back to Wu. He arrived by night and made camp below the capital city, attempting through a probing attack to alarm the defenders within the city. The officers and men in the city at once mounted the walls to make ready for battle; their cheers shook heaven and earth, and they shot arrows out of the city. Only after Sun Quan sent men to explain did the defenders cease shooting. The next day, Sun Quan summoned Sun Shao, greatly praised his performance, and forthwith appointed him Colonel Who Upholds Ardor, in command of Sun He's old troops, with the revenue of the two counties of Qu'e and Dantu as his fief, and the right to appoint his own senior officials—all his treatment being in accordance with Sun He's former arrangements^[2].

Thereafter, Sun Shao successively held the posts of Grand Administrator of Guangling and Subordinate General. When Sun Quan styled himself King of Wu, Sun Shao was promoted to General Who Spreads Awe and enfeoffed as Marquis of Jiande. After Sun Quan proclaimed himself emperor, Sun Shao was further appointed General Who Guards the North. Sun Shao served as a frontier general for several decades and was renowned for being skilled at nurturing his soldiers, so that his soldiers were all willing to fight to the death for him. He always made vigilance at the border and dispatching scouts far afield his chief concerns, and was able to perceive the enemy's movements in advance and prepare against them, so that he rarely suffered defeat^[2]. Under his governance, many in Qing, Xu, Ru, and Pei went over to him, and the garrison posts of Huainan along the river all withdrew their troops and migrated far away, so that the several hundred li of land between Xu, Si, Jiang, and Huai became uninhabited, forming a natural barrier.

After Sun Quan campaigned west and moved the capital to Wuchang, Sun Shao went more than ten years without coming to court for an audience. Only when Sun Quan moved the capital back to Jianye was Sun Shao able to have an audience. Sun Quan questioned him about the strategic garrison points throughout Qing and Xu, the numbers of horse and foot near and far, the names of the Wei generals and commanders, and so forth, and Sun Shao was able to answer in detail, replying to every question. He stood eight chi tall and was dignified and refined in bearing. Seeing this, Sun Quan said with delight, "I have long not seen Gongli; I did not expect his progress to be so great!" He thereupon further appointed him Governor of You Province and bestowed upon him the staff of authority^[2]. In the fourth year of Chiwu, Sun Shao died. His son Sun Yue succeeded him and rose in office to General of the Right. Sun Yue's elder brother Sun Kai rose to Grand General of the Martial Guard and Marquis of Lincheng, and later succeeded Sun Yue as Capital Commandant. Sun Kai's younger brother Sun Yi rose to General Who Leads the Army; Sun Yi served as Minister of the Imperial Clan; and Sun Hui served as Grand Administrator of Wuling. In the first year of Tianxi, Sun Kai was summoned to be General of Agile Cavalry under the Palace. After Wu was pacified, Sun Kai surrendered to Jin and was appointed General Who Crosses the Liao, dying in the first year of Yong'an^[2].

In the Novel（演中）

In the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Sun Shao's identity is set as an adopted foster son of Sun Jian, originally surnamed Yu, styled Gongli^[3]. This differs from the historical record that Sun Shao was Sun He's nephew and that Sun He was granted the Sun surname; the Romance, by "adopting a son of the Yu family," brings him directly into Sun Jian's family system, strengthening his blood ties to the Sun clan.

Sun Shao first appears in the Romance in chapter 7, when Sun Jian was preparing to campaign against Liu Biao, and Sun Jing remonstrated with Sun Jian not to raise troops rashly; Sun Shao, as Sun Jian's foster son, bowed in line with Sun Ce before the horse, but is given no direct speech or action^[3].

Sun Shao's most prominent showing in the Romance comes in chapter 86. At that time Cao Pi's great army bore down, and the King of Wu, Sun Quan, ordered Xu Sheng to be Chief Commander, leading troops to resist Wei. Sun Shao, as General Who Spreads Awe, young and high-spirited, of exceptional courage, actively volunteered, wishing to lead three thousand elite troops across the river to intercept Cao Pi at Guangling. He held that Guangling was the place he had formerly garrisoned, that he knew the terrain, and that if he did not go to meet the enemy early, then once Cao Pi's troops reached the Yangtze, Eastern Wu would be imperiled^[4]. However, Xu Sheng held that Cao Pi's force was great and had fierce generals as vanguard, that it was unwise to cross the river to meet the enemy, and advocated waiting until the enemy army gathered on the north bank before carrying out a plan to break them. Sun Shao would not accept this; he insisted on his own view again and again, angering Xu Sheng, who wished to behead him to enforce military law^[4].

At the critical moment, Sun Quan, hearing of it, hurried over and saved Sun Shao. Sun Shao tearfully pleaded his own strategic reasoning, holding that Xu Sheng's decision was mistaken. Although Sun Quan saved Sun Shao, Xu Sheng insisted that military law could not be abrogated. Sun Quan explained that, although Sun Shao was originally surnamed Yu, his elder brother Sun Ce had loved him dearly and granted him the surname Sun, and that Sun Shao had merit toward Eastern Wu, so that he could not bear to kill him, and asked Xu Sheng, for his own sake, to spare him the death penalty for now^[5]. However, Sun Shao was not grateful; on the contrary, he declared sternly that he recognized only the leading of troops to break Cao Pi, and that even in death he would not submit to Xu Sheng's view, which made Xu Sheng change countenance. Sun Quan rebuked Sun Shao and withdrew him, and told Xu Sheng that even without Sun Shao there would be no harm to Eastern Wu, and that he would not employ him henceforth^[5].

However, that very night Sun Shao led his own three thousand elite troops and quietly crossed the river. Fearing that Sun Shao might come to harm, Xu Sheng sent Ding Feng to lead three thousand troops across the river in support^[5]. Later, on his retreat, Cao Pi met with an ambush by Sun Shao. Sun Shao led his troops in a charge; the Wei troops could not withstand them and suffered heavy losses, with countless men drowned^[6]. This episode has no record in the histories and is a fabrication of the Romance to shape Sun Shao's valor and strategic vision.

Key Relationships

* Sun He (kin_of): In history, Sun Shao was Sun He's nephew and succeeded to Sun He's troops and fief^[2]. In the Romance, Sun He is not mentioned, and Sun Shao is set directly as Sun Jian's adopted foster son, with his relation to Sun He diluted.
* Sun Jian (kin_of): In the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Sun Shao is set as Sun Jian's adopted foster son, of the same generation as Sun Ce and Sun Quan, strengthening his standing within the Sun family^[3]. In history, Sun Shao had no direct blood tie to Sun Jian but was connected to the Sun clan through his uncle Sun He.
* Sun Quan's Faction (serves) / Eastern Wu (serves): In both history and the Romance, Sun Shao was an important general of Sun Quan's faction, serving the Eastern Wu regime. In history, he long garrisoned the frontier with distinguished merit and was greatly esteemed by Sun Quan^[2]. In the Romance, though he clashed with Xu Sheng, he nonetheless in the end won merit for Sun Quan^[6].
* Sun Ce (kin_of): In history, Sun Ce, out of affection for Sun He, granted him the surname Sun, indirectly bringing about Sun Shao's connection to the Sun clan^[1]. In the Romance, Sun Quan, in pleading for Sun Shao, mentioned that "my elder brother loved him dearly and granted him the surname Sun," implying Sun Ce's affection for Sun Shao^[5].
* Xu Sheng (colleague): In the Romance, Sun Shao and Xu Sheng had a serious disagreement over the strategy of resisting Cao Pi, and Sun Shao was even nearly beheaded. This conflict is a key episode in the Romance's shaping of Sun Shao's character^[4].

Signature Scenes

* Repairing the Capital City and Winning Sun Quan's Esteem: At the age of seventeen, Sun Shao succeeded to his uncle Sun He's remaining troops, repaired the capital city, and prepared to defend against the enemy. When Sun Quan launched a night probe against the capital city, Sun Shao commanded with skill, winning Sun Quan's great praise, who appointed him Colonel Who Upholds Ardor in command of the old troops^[2]. This scene displays Sun Shao's precocious composure and his military talent in keeping calm amid danger.
* Garrisoning the Frontier, Dispatching Scouts Far Afield to Prepare for War: As a frontier general for several decades, Sun Shao was renowned for being skilled at nurturing his soldiers, and always made vigilance at the frontier and dispatching scouts far afield his concern, perceiving the enemy's situation in advance and preparing against it, so that he rarely suffered defeat. Under his governance, many in Qing, Xu, Ru, and Pei went over to him, and the garrison posts of Huainan along the river all withdrew their troops and migrated far away, forming a no-man's-land of several hundred li^[2]. This embodies Sun Shao's outstanding frontier-defense strategy and military wisdom.
* An Audience with Sun Quan, Answering Fluently: After Sun Quan campaigned west and moved the capital to Wuchang, Sun Shao went more than ten years without seeing him. When Sun Quan moved the capital back to Jianye, Sun Shao was able to have an audience. Sun Quan questioned him about the strategic garrison points of Qing and Xu, the numbers of horse and foot near and far, the names of the Wei generals and commanders, and so forth, and Sun Shao was able to answer in detail, replying to every question, delighting Sun Quan, who further appointed him Governor of You Province with the staff of authority^[2]. This scene displays Sun Shao's thorough grasp of military intelligence and his exceptional memory.
* Requesting Battle at Guangling, Quarreling with Xu Sheng: When Cao Pi's great army bore down, Sun Shao actively volunteered, wishing to lead three thousand elite troops across the river to intercept Cao Pi at Guangling, holding that he knew the terrain of Guangling and should not sit waiting for death. He had a serious disagreement on strategy with the Chief Commander Xu Sheng, insisted on his own view, and was even nearly beheaded by Xu Sheng^[4]. This scene is a highlight of the Romance's shaping of Sun Shao's character, displaying his youthful high spirits, exceptional courage, and dedication to military affairs (unique to the Romance).
* Crossing the Yangtze by Night to Ambush Cao Pi: Heedless of Xu Sheng's objection, Sun Shao led his own three thousand elite troops across the river quietly by night. On Cao Pi's retreat, Sun Shao led his troops in a charge, inflicting heavy losses on the Wei army and sending Cao Pi fleeing in disarray^[6]. This scene highlights Sun Shao's boldness and military execution, and won him victory in actual combat (unique to the Romance).