Sun Jian

Sun Jian (c. 155–191),courtesy name Wentai, was a military general and warlord who lived in the late Eastern Han dynasty. He allied himself with Yuan Shu in 190 when warlords from eastern China formed a coalition to oust Dong Zhuo, a tyrannical warlord who held the puppet Emperor Xian in his power. Although he controlled neither many troops nor much land, Sun Jian's personal bravery and resourcefulness were feared by Dong Zhuo, who placed him among Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu and Liu Biao as the most influential men at that time. After the coalition disbanded in the next year, China fell into massive civil war. In 191, Sun Jian was killed in battle during an offensive campaign against Liu Biao.

Sun Jian was also the father of Sun Quan, one of the central figures of the Three Kingdoms era who eventually established the Eastern Wu state and declared himself its first emperor in 229, whereupon Sun Jian was given the posthumous title "Emperor Wulie" (武烈皇帝).

Early life and career

Born in the Fuchun Prefecture of the Wu Commandery (吳郡富春, present day Fuyang, Zhejiang), Sun Jian was said to be a descendant of the renowned military strategist Sun Tzu, author of The Art of War. No more immediate records survive, indicating his family probably played a very small part during the Han dynasty. Even his father's name is unrecorded, although a folk tradition gives it as Sun Zhong (孫鍾).

Sun Kuang

Sun Kuang (birth and death dates unknown), courtesy name Jizuo, was a younger brother of Sun Quan, a warlord who lived in the late Eastern Han dynasty and later became the founding emperor of the state of Eastern Wu in the Three Kingdoms period.

Life

Sun Kuang was the fourth son of the warlord Sun Jian, who lived in the late Eastern Han dynasty, and Sun Jian's wife, Lady Wu. Little is known about his life. When he was around the age of 19, he was nominated as a xiaolian and maocai (茂才) to join the civil service. However, he never held any offices and died in his early 20s.

Sun Jian was killed in action at the Battle of Xiangyang in 191 and was succeeded by his eldest son, Sun Ce. The Wei Shu recorded that Sun Ce, who should rightfully inherit his father's title "Marquis of Wucheng" (烏程侯), declined to accept the title and offered it to Sun Kuang instead. Between 194 and 199, Sun Ce embarked on a series of conquests in the Jiangdong region (present-day southeastern China) and established his domain in the area. Around the time, the warlord Cao Cao, who controlled the Han central government and the figurehead Han ruler, Emperor Xian, became wary of Sun Ce's growing influence in the southeast, so he sought to build marital ties with Sun. Cao Cao's son, Cao Zhang, married the daughter of Sun Ben, a cousin of Sun Ce, while Cao Cao's niece married Sun Kuang.