Sun Ce
Sun Ce | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tôn sách | |||||
 AQing dynastyillustration of Sun Ce as depicted in theWu Shuang Pu( vô song phổ, Table of Peerless Heroes) by Jin Guliang | |||||
| General Who Attacks Rebels ( thảo nghịch tướng quân ) | |||||
| In office 198–200 | |||||
| Monarch | Emperor Xian of Han | ||||
| Administrator ofKuaiji( Hội Kê thái thú ) | |||||
| In office 197–198 | |||||
| Monarch | Emperor Xian of Han | ||||
| Preceded by | Wang Lang | ||||
| Personal details | |||||
| Born | 175 | ||||
| Died | 5 May 200 (aged 24-25)[a] Dangtu County,Wu Commandery(modern dayZhen gian g,Jiangsu) | ||||
| Spouse | Da Qiao | ||||
| Children | |||||
| Parents |
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| Relatives | SeeEastern Wu family trees | ||||
| Occupation | General, politician, warlord | ||||
| Courtesy name | Bofu ( bá phù ) | ||||
| Peerage | Marquis of Wu ( Ngô hầu ) | ||||
| Military service | |||||
| Allegiance | Yuan Shu's forces Han Empire Wu | ||||
| Battles/wars | Conquests in Jiangdong Campaign against Yuan Shu | ||||
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Sun Ce(Chinese:Tôn sách;pinyin:Sūn Cè;Wade–Giles:Sun1Ts‘ê4) () (175 – 5 May 200),[a]courtesy nameBofu,was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived during the lateEastern Han dynastyof China.[2]He was the eldest child ofSun Jian,who was killed during theBattle of Xiangyangwhen Sun Ce was only 16. Sun Ce then broke away from his father's overlord,Yuan Shu,and headed to theJiangdongregion in southern China to establish his own power base there. With the help of several people, such asZhang ZhaoandZhou Yu,Sun Ce managed to lay down the foundation of the state ofEastern Wuduring theThree Kingdomsperiod.
In 200, when the warlordCao Caowas at war with his rivalYuan Shaoin theBattle of Guandu,Sun Ce was rumoured to be planning an attack onXuchang,Cao Cao's base. However, he was assassinated before he could carry out the plan. Sun Ce was posthumously honoured as "Prince Huan of Changsha" ( Trường Sa Hoàn vương ) by his younger brotherSun Quanwhen the latter became the founding emperor of Eastern Wu.
Chen Shou'sRecords of the Three Kingdoms(Sanguozhi) describes Sun Ce as a handsome man who was full of laughter. He was also a generous and receptive man who employed people according to their abilities. As such, his subjects were willing to risk their lives for him. One detractor namedXu Gong,in a letter toEmperor Xian,compared Sun Ce toXiang Yu,the warrior-king who overthrew theQin dynasty.As a result, Sun Ce was also referred to as the "Little Conqueror" in popular culture. Sun Ce is depicted in theWu Shuang Pu( vô song phổ, Table of Peerless Heroes) by Jin Guliang.
Early life and career
[edit]Born in 175, Sun Ce was the eldest son ofSun Jian,a military general serving under the Eastern Han dynasty. In 190, a year afterEmperor Lingdied, the warlordDong Zhuousurped power, placing in the throne the puppetEmperor Xian.Regional warlords in eastern China then launched acampaign against Dong Zhuo.Sun Jian rendered his service toYuan Shu,one of the leaders of the coalition. The attempt to oust Dong Zhuo soon failed and China slid into a series of massive civil wars. In the next year, Sun Jian was sent by Yuan Shu to attackLiu Biao,governor ofJing Province,but he was killed in an ambush.
Sun Ce brought his father's body to Qu'e ( khúc a; present-dayDanyang, Jiangsu) for burial and settled his mother down before heading forDanyang,where his maternal uncleWu Jingwas the governor. There he raised a small militia a few hundred in strength. This small force was far from sufficient for him to establish his own power so in 194 Sun Ce went to Yuan Shu. Yuan Shu was very impressed with Sun Ce and often lamented that he had no son like him. He also returned Sun Jian's former division of troops to Sun Ce.
Initially, Yuan Shu promised to appoint Sun Ce the governor ofJiu gian gbut eventually gave the governorship to Chen Ji ( trần kỷ ). Later, when Yuan Shu was denied a large loan of grains from the governor ofLu gian g,he sent Sun Ce to attack the latter, promising to make Sun Ce the governor of Lu gian g should he succeed. When Sun Ce did, however, Yuan Shu again went back on his words and appointed someone else instead. The disappointed Sun Ce then began to contemplate leaving.
Meanwhile,Liu Yao,who was by imperial decree the governor ofYang Province,occupied Qu'e as the regional seatShouchunwas already occupied by Yuan Shu. He then forced Wu Jing back west across theYangtze Riverto Liyang ( lịch dương; present-dayHe County,Anhui). However, Yuan Shu claimed to be the rightful governor and sent Wu Jing and Sun Ce's cousinSun Bento attack Liu Yao. After they were unable to break down Liu Yao's defences for more than a year, Sun Ce requested to lead forces to assist the effort.
Conquest of Wu territory
[edit]
Though Yuan Shu knew Sun Ce intended to leave, he believed the latter would not be able to defeat Liu Yao. Thus he deployed the young general off with merely a thousand odd troops and a tiny cavalry force. Along with a few hundred more willing followers, Sun Ce proceeded to Liyang, where he boosted his strength to more than 5,000. He then launched an offensive across theYangtze Riverand successfully occupied the strategic position of Niuzhu ( ngưu chử; southwest of present-dayMa'anshan,Anhui) in 195.
Two of Liu Yao's allies then came south fromPengchengandXiapirespectively to aid him. Sun Ce chose to first attack one of them,Ze Rong,who made camp south of Moling. After suffering initial defeat in the hands of the aggressor, Ze Rong fell back in defence and refused to engage in battle. Sun Ce then marched further north and attacked Xue Li ( Tiết lễ ) in Moling. Although Xue Li soon gave up the city and escaped, Liu Yao's subordinate Fan Neng ( phàn có thể ) and others had regrouped their forces and launched a renewed attack on Niuzhu. Turning back, Sun Ce defeated Fan Neng and secured Niuzhu. He then began a second offensive against Ze Rong. However, he was struck by a stray arrow in the thigh. Returning to Niuzhu, he sent out false words that he was killed in battle. The exulted Ze Rong then sent a force to attack. Sun Ce led the enemies into an ambush and annihilated them. When Ze Rong heard that Sun Ce was still alive, he further reinforced his defences.
Sun Ce then temporarily gave up attacking Ze Rong and focused his forces on Qu'e. After all the surrounding areas were taken over by Sun Ce, Liu Yao gave up the city and escaped south toNanchang,capital ofYuzhang Commandery,where he died later.Hua Xin,administrator of Yuzhang, joined Sun's forces. As Sun Ce implemented strict discipline among his troops, he won the instant support of the local people and gathered many talented men, such asChen Wu,Zhou Tai,Jiang Qin,Zhang Zhao,Zhang Hong,Qin Song,andLü Fan.He then pushed his force deeper into Yang Province and conqueredKuaijialong the southern shore ofHangzhou Bay,whose governorWang Langsurrendered. Sun Ce made Kuaiji his base city and struck out at the wandering bandit army led byYan Baihu.Yan Baihu sent his younger brother Yan Yu ( nghiêm dư ) to offer Sun Ce a position alongside Yan Baihu, but Sun Ce showed no mercy and personally slew the emissary. As Yan Yu was known among Yan Baihu's men as a fierce warrior, his death struck fear into their hearts and they were soon defeated. Sun Ce then appointed his relatives and a trusted subject to govern Danyang and Yuzhang, from which he divided a newcommanderynamed Luling ( lư lăng ). His campaign, from the occupation of Niuzhu to the conquest of the entire region southeast of the Long River, took less than a year. He then defeated and received the services of Zu Lang ( tổ lang ), the Chief of Danyang, andTaishi Ci,the leader of the remnants of Liu Yao's forces; he then urged the surrender ofHua Xin,another one of the remnants of Liu Yao's forces. Thus, with the exception of the scattered but still numerous army of Yan Baihu, the lands south of the Yangtze were mostly pacified.
The barbarians ofShanyuetribe, however, were not easily dealt with. To counter the frequent rebellions of the Shanyue (who would continue to rebel for many years), Sun Ce appointedHe Qito a military rank with orders to subdue the Shanyue. He Qi became a highly successful general later; truly, his appointment by Sun Ce was the first important step to Wu's eventual subjugation of the Shanyue.
Later life
[edit]
In 197, Yuan Shu declared himself emperor – an act deemed treasonous against the Han dynasty. In a letter to Yuan Shu, Sun Ce denounced the move and broke ties with the former. In an effort to garner support from Sun Ce, the rising warlordCao Caothen recommended him to be appointed General Who Attacks Rebels ( thảo nghịch tướng quân ) and enfeoffed as the Marquis of Wu ( Ngô hầu ).[3]In 199 Yuan Shu died of sickness along with his short-lived Zhong dynasty. His cousin Yuan Yin ( Viên dận ) feared Cao Cao and gave up Shouchun. Bringing along Yuan Shu's coffin and his former troops, he headed to Wan County ( hoàn huyện; present-dayQianshan County,Anhui) to seek refuge underLiu Xun( Lưu huân ). As Liu Xun had insufficient food supplies in his realm to support the additional troops, he led a force south to pillage Haihun ( hải hôn; east of present-dayYongxiu County,Jiangxi).
Sun Ce was en route to attackHuang ZuinXiakouwhen he received the news. He then turned back and captured the poorly-defended Wan County, taking over all of Yuan Shu's 30,000 former troops. Hearing that his base city had been taken, Liu Xun headed west and sought help from Huang Zu, who sent a 5,000-strong naval force to assist him. Sun Ce pressed forward and defeated Liu Xun, who escaped north to Cao Cao. Sun Ce annexed more than 2,000 former troops and 1,000 ships of his enemy and came upon Huang Zu. Despite reinforcements from Liu Biao, Huang Zu was utterly defeated. During the battle, Sun Ce slew Liu Biao's officer, Han Xi ( Hàn hi ), and completely routed Huang Zu's son, Huang She ( hoàng bắn ).
The victorious Sun Ce in 199 looked poised to take over the entire southern China. As he was threatened by rivalYuan Shaoin the north and could not divide his attention, Cao Cao attempted to further reinforce the alliance with Sun Ce by marrying the daughter of his relativeCao Rento Sun Ce's youngest brotherSun Kuang.Sun Ce in turn agreed to marry Sun Ben's daughter to Cao Cao's sonCao Zhang.
The former administrator ofWu Commandery,Xu Gong,had long opposed Sun Ce. Xu Gong wrote to Emperor Xian, recommending the emperor to summon Sun Ce to the capital as he deemed Sun Ce to be a hero comparable toXiang Yuand too dangerous to be allowed to occupy a territory. However, the letter was intercepted by an official loyal to Sun Ce, who attacked and then had Xu Gong executed. Xu Gong's former servants then kept a low profile and waited for chance to revenge.
In the year 200, Cao Cao engaged in the decisiveBattle of GuanduwithYuan Shaoalong the shores of theYellow River,leaving the capital and his base cityXuchangpoorly guarded. Sun Ce is said to have then plotted to attack Xuchang under the banner of rescuing Emperor Xian, who was a figurehead under Cao Cao's control. Preparations were underway for the military excursion when Sun Ce ran into three former servants of Xu Gong during a solo hunting trip. One of them managed to plant an arrow into Sun Ce's cheek before Sun Ce's men arrived and slew the assassins. Many differing accounts of Sun Ce's death exist (seebelow). One generally accepted scenario is that he died that same night.
Another possible scenario has Sun Ce living for quite some time. The physician told Sun Ce to rest still for a hundred days to allow the wound to heal, but Sun Ce looked into the mirror one day and, seeing his scar, became so enraged that he slammed his table. The large movement caused the wound to break and he died in the same night. Although he was survived by one son, Sun Ce passed his legacy to his younger brother,Sun Quan.When Sun Quan declared himself emperor of the state ofEastern Wuin 222, he honoured Sun Ce with theposthumous title"Prince Huan of Changsha" ( Trường Sa Hoàn vương ).
Sun Ce was succeeded by aposthumous son,Sun Shao ( tôn Thiệu ), as well as at least two (possibly three) daughters, married toGu Shaoand later Zhu Ji ( chu kỷ ), andLu Xunrespectively. Sun Shao bore one son, Sun Feng ( tôn phụng ), who was executed bySun Haofor alleged treason due to his popularity.[4]
Dispute over cause of death
[edit]Sun Sheng( tôn thịnh ) in hisExposition on Disparities and Similarities( dị đồng bình ) discounted the theory that Sun Ce made plans to attackXuchang.He believed that although Sun Ce was a rising power, he was threatened in the west byHuang Zu,who was defeated but not eliminated, in the north byChen Deng,governor ofGuangling Commandery,and in the south by indigenous tribes yet to be assimilated. These prevented Sun Ce from striking far out at Xuchang and moving the emperor to southeastern China. He further argued that Sun Ce died on the fifth day in the fourth month of 200, before theBattle of Guandueven took place.
Pei Songzhi,whoannotatedtheRecords of the Three Kingdoms,rebutted Sun Sheng, arguing that Huang Zu was newly broken and had yet to recollect his forces while the indigenous tribes were scattered and not much of a threat. Pei Songzhi believed that the first objective of Sun Ce's planned northward excursion was to attack Chen Deng, which would provide a platform for capturing Xuchang. On the other hand,Cao CaoandYuan Shaohad been engaging in skirmishes and small-scale battles before Sun Ce's death. Thus there was in fact no discrepancy in timing.
A historically implausible legend regarding Sun Ce's death involves a highly respectedTaoist priestof his time,Gan Ji( làm cát ), whom he condemned as a sorcerer due to his popularity. Despite petitions from his subjects and his own mother, Sun Ce ordered Gan Ji's execution. According toIn Search of the Supernatural( Sưu Thần Ký ) byGan Bao( làm đậu ), a compilation largely based on legends and hearsay, Sun Ce began to see apparitions of Gan Ji ever since the execution of the latter. After he was injured by assassins, Sun Ce was told by the physician to rest still to allow the wound to heal. However, he looked into the mirror one day and saw Gan Ji's face, whereupon he let out a cry and slammed the mirror. His wound broke and he died shortly. This version was adopted and further dramatised in the 14th-century historical novelRomance of the Three Kingdoms,in which Gan Ji's name was taken to be "Yu Ji" ( với cát ).[5]
Family
[edit]In popular culture
[edit]Chinese opera
[edit]InPeking opera,Sun Ce's role is usually that of a hero or tragic hero, while his brother,Sun Quanis usually portrayed as a villain at worst or self-seeking at best. Several operas even toy with the idea that Sun Quan had Sun Ce assassinated so that he could take control of the warlord state, though there is no historical evidence to support this view. In the operaFenghuang Er Qiao,Sun Ce borrows 3,000 troops from Yuan Shu and allies with the Qiao army, which is led by theTwo Qiaos.Sun Ce, the protagonist of the opera, eventually gains Da Qiao's hand in marriage through a martial arts contest with the help of Zhou Yu and Xiao Qiao.
Film and television
[edit]In the 1983Shaw Brothers StudiofilmThe Weird Man,Sun Ce has Yu Ji executed and the sorcerer becomes avengeful ghost.In this film Sun Ce is portrayed as the anti-hero and Yu Ji as the hero due to the controversy between them in the novel. The 1993 Hong Kong filmNinja in Ancient Chinais also adapted from this story except Yu Ji's apprentices try to avenge him.
Sha Yi portrayed Sun Ce in the 2010 Chinese television seriesThree Kingdoms.
Comics and anime
[edit]In theanimeYokoyama Mitsuteru Sangokushi,Sun Ce fights alongside his father againstDong Zhuoand is befriended byLiu Bei,Guan Yu,andZhang Fei,with whom he trains to become a hero.
The protagonist of the manga/animeIkki Tousen,Sonsaku Hakufu,is loosely based on the historical figure Sun Ce ( "Sonsaku Hakufu" being the Japanese reading of Sun Ce's name and courtesy name). Her guardian,Shuuyu Koukin,bears the same name and personality asZhou Yu.
In the animeKōtetsu Sangokushi,Sun Ce is portrayed as a once kind-hearted and virtuous hero who was corrupted by the power of the Imperial Seal, causing him to kill its protector.
In the ChinesemanhuaThe Ravages of Time,Sun Ce is a cunning, ruthless and manipulative character.
Video games
[edit]Sun Ce appears inKoei'sRomance of the Three Kingdomsstrategy game series.
Sun Ce is featured as a playable character inKoei'sDynasty Warriorsvideo game series, as well asWarriors Orochi,a crossover betweenDynasty WarriorsandSamurai Warriors.
Sun Ce appears as a recruitable ally inTeam Ninja'sWo Long: Fallen Dynasty,also published by Koei.
Sun Ce is also a legendary character inCreative Assembly'sTotal War: Three Kingdoms,the 12th mainline instalment in theTotal Warvideo games series.
Sun Ce is also a playable character in the fighting game Sango Fighter 2.
Card games
[edit]In the collectible card gameMagic: The Gatheringthere is a card named "Sun Ce, Young Conqueror", in thePortal Three Kingdomsset.
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^abSun Ce's biography in theSanguozhirecorded that he died at the age of 26 (byEast Asian age reckoning) in the 5th year of the Jian'an era (196–220) of the reign ofEmperor Xian of Han.[1]Pei Songzhiadded an annotation fromYu Xi'sZhilinin Sun Ce's biography whereby Yu calculated that Sun died on the 4th day of the 4th month of that year, which corresponds to 5 May 200 in the Julian calendar.
References
[edit]- ^( Kiến An 5 năm,... Đến đêm tốt, khi năm 26. )Sanguozhivol. 46.
- ^de Crespigny (2007),p. 764.
- ^Sun Ce was supposed to inherit his father's peerage "Marquis of Wucheng" but he gave it to his younger brother,Sun Kuang.
- ^Sanguozhivol. 46.
- ^The Chinese characters for "Gan" ( làm ) and "Yu" ( với ) in this case look very similar. It is believed that Luo Guanzhong made an error when referring to historical texts.
- Chen, Shou(3rd century).Records of the Three Kingdoms(Sanguozhi).
- de Crespigny, Rafe(2007).A biographical dictionary of Later Han to the Three Kingdoms (23–220 AD).Leiden: Brill.ISBN978-90-04-15605-0.
- Luo, Guanzhong(14th century).Romance of the Three Kingdoms(Sanguo Yanyi).
- Pei, Songzhi(5th century).Annotations to Records of the Three Kingdoms(Sanguozhi zhu).
- Sima, Guang(1084).Zizhi Tong gian.