Sun It

Sun This (v. 175 - May 5th 200) also spelled Souen Ts' ö or Sun Ts' E (Chinese traditional: zh-Hant 孫策, simplified: Zh-Hans 孙策, pinyin: Sūn This), had for social Prénom Bofu (zh-Hant 伯符, Bófú ) and was a Chinese and born leader warrior of the end of the Dynastie Han.

With the assistance of his friend, the strategist Zhou Yu, it poses the bases of what will be Royaume of Wu which will occupy a good part of the south of China at the time of the period of the Three Kingdoms of China, and whose his/her brother, Sun Quan, will become emperor. He was assassinated at the 25 years age at the time of a business of revenge and will receive on a purely posthumous basis the title of king Huan de Changsha (zh-Hant 長沙桓王, Chángshā Huán wáng ).

Many elements of legend exist behind its character, who was immortalisé in the novel Histoire of the Three Kingdoms where it is presented like a young impetuous and charismatic warrior called “small the hégémon” (zh-Hant 小霸王, xiǎo bà wáng ). Sun It is known in Japan under the name of Sonsaku Hakufu and in Korea under that of Sonchaeng Baengbu (KB 손책백부).

Biography

The following biography is mainly inspired by the Chroniques of the Three Kingdoms.

Genealogy and adolescence

Sun This is born towards 175. He is the oldest son of Sun Jian, which one said to descend directly from the strategist Sun Zi, the author of the Art of the war . He is also the older brother of Sun Quan, which will be the first emperor of the kingdom of Wu.

According to the Chroniques of the supernatural investigations , when it was pregnant of him, his/her mother would have made the dream that the Moon entered in it. Later, when it was pregnant of Sun Quan, it dreamed that the Sun entered in it. When she questioned Sun Jian on this subject, this one answered: “The Moon and the Sun are the gasolines of Yin and Yang and are the sign of a supreme honor. My descendants will surely thrive! ” According to the Book of Wu , his/her grandmother would have made an equivalent dream when it was pregnant of Sun Jian.

In 189, the emperor Lingdi dies and a period of disorder appears during which Dong Zhuo seizes the power. In 190 (1 year of Chuping ), Sun Jian leaves to join the other war leaders in alliance against Dong Zhuo and moves its family in the prefecture of Shu (zh-Hant 舒). Sun This fact over there the knowledge of Zhou Yu which had the same age that him and both bind friendship. Both behave like two brothers. Zhou Yu goes until presenting its homages to the mother of Sun This, which testified to a great level of intimacy between-them, and would have also offered to Sun This its house so that it can install its family there.

During this time, Sun This is made a name in the area between the Rivière Hooted and the Yangzi. Sun This fact also the knowledge of Lu Fan. According to the Memories of the river Jiang , at the time of part of Play of go, Lu Fan impresses Sun It by his talents and the latter takes it with its service. This part of go remained celebrates, because it is about the oldest part recorded to date, although there exist doubts about its authenticity.

Towards end 191, (3rd year of Chuping ), Sun Jian takes along Sun It with him in a campaign against Liu Biao. However Sun Jian is killed in an ambush set-up by Lu Gong and Huang Zu. Sun It is constrained to beat a retreat by giving up the skin of his/her father. When it recovers the body of Sun Jian, Sun This repatriates it with Which has (zh-Hant 曲阿) for the funeral, then Sun This share then to live with Jiangdu.

Service under Yuan Shu

CAT Qian, the guard of the province of Xu (current the Jiangsu) fears Sun This and Jiangdu becomes in fact a too dangerous place. Sun This accompanies his/her mother with Whom has, then goes at his/her uncle, Wu Jing, the administrator of Danyang, in company of his/her brother Sun He and Lu Fan. It recruits a few hundreds of men, then, in 194 (first year of Xingping ), offers its services to the lord of war Yuan Shu. This one admires its talent, and the command of the troops offers to him which Sun Jian directed before its death.

The large tutor My Ridi then recommends Sun It to the rank of “colonel who cherishes uprightness” (zh-Hant 懷義校尉, huái yì xiàowèi ) and Sun This is made respect by the principal generals of Yuan Shu, of which Qiao Rui and Zhang Xun. Yuan Shu itself would have often sighed: “So only I could have a son like the sior Sun, I would not regret any per hour of my death”.

One day a soldier of Sun This commits a crime and hides in a stable of the camping of Yuan Shu. Sun This sends somebody to make it carry out and leaves to present its excuses in person to Yuan Shu for the behavior of its soldiers. Rétorque Yuan Shu: “The soldiers adore mutiner, satisfy us to scorn them. Why thus excuse itself? ”. Following this business, the soldiers of Sun This fear it still more.

In spite of the many praises which it made of Sun This, Yuan Shu does not decide to entrust a post office to him to the height of its talents. He prefers to keep it under his cut and to monopolize merit of his successes, which prodigiously irritates Sun This and its men. Yuan Shu considers a time to name Sun It like large administrator of Jiujiang, then changes idea and Chen Ji prefers to him.

Later, Yuan Shu wishes to attack the province of Xu and for this purpose begs: 30000 hu (approximately: 600000 liters) of rice with Lu Kuang, the large administrator of Lujiang. This one refuses, and Yuan Shu, furious, sends Sun to him It for a visit of courtesy and to point out its duties of vassal to him, but Lu Kuang does not even take the trouble to receive it and is restricted to dispatch a guard of annals to divert it. Sun This guard of this treatment a deep rancour. Yuan Shu entrusts the task then to him to besiege Lu Kuang and says to him: “I had preferred Chen Ji with you and I regret today not having followed my original intention. If you subject Lu Kuang, Lujiang will be with you. ”. Sun They are victorious and take indeed the command of Lujiang, but Yuan Shu offers the post of large administrator to Zhang Xun. Sun It is largely depity.

At the time, Sun Ben, the cousin of Sun This, was commander-in-chief it of Danyang and lived there with his/her uncle Wu Jing. The inspector of Yang, Liu Yao, walk on Which has and forces Sun Ben and Wu Jing to be exiled towards Liyang. Liu Yao starts to be threatening for Yuan Shu which orders in Sun Ben and Wu Jing to attack Zhang Ying, one of faithful of Liu Yao, which face it without success during one year.

Conquest of Jiangdong

In 195, Sun This manages to convince Yuan Shu to let it assist Wu Jing in the pacification of the area of Jiandong. Yuan Shu offers the title of “colonel to him who breaks the enemy lines” (zh-Hant 折衝校尉) as well as a thousand of men and a few tens of riders. During time that it was necessary to go to Liyang, its army had grown bigger until: 6000 men. It benefits from its forwarding to move his mother of Liyang with Fuling, then crosses the Yangzi and all the cities fall on its way. The autochtones are favorably impressed by the great discipline of its army and the severity with which the plunderers are punished.

According to the Chroniques of the river Yangzi , Sun This book battles against Ze Rong, a partisan of Liu Yao and a defeat so brutal inflicts to him that this one does not dare any more to leave behind the ramparts of Xiannan to face it again. Sun This then learns the arrival from Fan Neng and Yu Mi, two officers of Liu Yao, who came to plunder the village of Niuzhu. Sun this attack and captures more than ten thousand men before setting out again to attack Ze Rong. It is wounded with the thigh by an arrow which makes it fall from horse, and makes pass the rumor that it was killed to encourage Ze Rong has to make leave its army. Ze Rong bites with the hook and fall into an ambush set-up by Sun It. When the soldiers see Sun This always alive, they take the legs with their neck. Ze Rong, learning that Sun It is always alive, remains cut off behind its ramparts and does not dare to face the army of Sun This, so that Sun This ends up giving up the seat. Sun This then inflicts in Liu Yao a series of defeats in Hailing, Hushu and Jiangcheng.

During its countryside against Liu Yao, Sun This fact the meeting of Taishi Ci, an officer of Liu Yao, and faces it in duel. At the time of the combat, Sun This manages to take in Taishi Ci one its short lances while Taishi Ci manages to conceal the heaume of Sun It. The duel was stopped by the arrival of the troops of Liu Yao, and the two combatants left each one on their side.

Finally Liu Yao east demolishes and flees. The governors of the cities prefer to give up their cities and to flee to have to face Sun It. According to the Chronic of the river Yangzi , Sun This manages to maintain the discipline in its army and those are not let go to plunder the villages given up by their governors, nor to even fly of vegetables or the animals. The villagers, grateful, brought to them-even wine and cattle with the army of Sun It. After having overcome Liu Yao, Sun This goes with Which has and rewards its men. It sends its general Chen Bao to go in Fuling to seek his mother and her brothers to bring back them to That A. In the space of ten days, its army is reinforced with twenty thousand infantrymen of thousand riders.

The February 6th 196, Yuan Shu names Sun This “general who destroys the criminals” (zh-Hant 殄寇將軍) in reward of his services. However, about the month of September, Yuan Shu thinks of being made proclaim emperor. When he learns his intentions, Sun This sends a letter to him to try from of to dissuade it. When it realizes that Yuan Shu refuses to listen to its councils, Sun This decides to cut any relation with him.

Towards October 196, Sun This turns its attention towards Yan Baihu, a small lord of war which had assembled an army of more than dix-mille in favor, posted in many garrisons through the area. Advised by his/her uncle Wu Jing, Sun This cross-piece the Zhe river with its army, captures the towns of Huiqi and Dongye, and overcomes Yan Baihu. He proclaims large administrator of Huiqi then, and appoints his uncle Wu Jing large administrator of Danyang and his cousin Sun Ben large administrator of Yuzhang.

Reinforcement of the conquered areas

Towards February - March 197, Yuan Shu proclaims emperor and an important coalition is formed against him. Sun This joined this coalition and according to its official biography, the lord of war CAD CAD names it “general which punishes the rebels” (zh-Hant 討逆將軍) and the title of marquis de Wu offers to him (zh-Hant 吳侯). According to the Chronic of the river Yangzi and the Zizhi Tongjian , Sun It is in fact appointed colonel of the cavalry (zh-Hant 騎都尉) and marquis of Wucheng (zh-Hant 烏程侯).

In 198, Zhou Yu envisages the imminent fall of Yuan Shu, and manages to leave its service to go to join Sun What offers to him the title of “general-in-chief who establishes the power” (zh-Hant 建威中郎將). Little time after, Sun This and Zhou Yu marry each one one of the girls of Qiao Gong, famous both of great beauty. Sun This wife the elder one, Da Qiao, and Zhou Yu made of Xiao Qiao its wife.

This same year, Sun This again crosses Taishi Ci, which had proclaimed large administrator of Danyang meanwhile. After a seat, Sun This manages to capture it. It demolishes its bonds to him, takes to him the hand as a sign of friendship and asks him: “Te do you remember our meeting with Shenting? So at this time you, whom would you had captured me have made? ” Taishi Ci answers: “Which can the knowledge? ” Sun This bursts of laughing and says to him: “Starting from aujourd' today, I will divide all with you. ”

In 199, towards July - August, besieged of all share and without vivres, Yuan Shu dies of disease and its partisans of disperse to find other Masters to be been useful. Its adviser Yang Hong and his general-in-chief Zhang Xun leave with their partisans to join Sun It. In way, they are attacked and captured by Liu Xun, the large administrator of Lujiang, which seizes as of the their possessions. When Sun This learns the news, it makes pretense be combined in Liu Xun. While the army of Liu Xun enlarges former partisans of Yuan Shu, tens of thousands of men of the area of Yuzhang flee towards Jiangdong. Sun This convinces Liu Xun to capture them, and while Liu Xun is absent, it attacks and captures Lujiang. The majority of the partisans of Liu Xun are subjected to Sun This, except for Liu Xun itself and of an small group of a few hundreds the faithful ones which start from place under the orders of CAD CAD.

At that time, the capacity of CAD CAD is still weak and this one must deal with Yuan Shao in north. CAD CAD fears that Sun It in the south does not launch a campaign against him and takes it out of clipper. It tries to arrange a marriage between its nephew and Sun Kuang, the young brother of Sun This, and another marriage between the nephew of Sun This and his own son, CAD Zhang. It also makes announce its intention to make name mandarins the Sun Quan and Sun Yi, the brothers of Sun This, and is arranged to make recommend Sun Quan to the Court as “an accomplished Talent” (zh-Hant 茂才).

In 200, CAD CAD is besieged by Yuan Shao with Guandu. The actions and intentions of Sun It during this period are not clear and several versions of the facts exist. According to its official biography, taken again by the Chroniques of the nine provinces , Sun This profits that CAD CAD is with the catches with Yuan Shao to prepare a forwarding to attack Xu and to seize the emperor. But in the month of May, before to have been able to launch its forwarding, it undergoes an attempted murder on behalf of partisans of Xu Gong, a former large administrator of Wujun that Sun It had formerly killed. Several versions of the attempted murder exist. According to the version of the facts of his official biography, whereas it was alone, with horse, a traveller approaches him and attacks it, wounding it seriously.

Died of Sun It

Several versions and anecdotes surrounding death of Sun This exist, certain utilizing sorcery and the fantastic one. According to its official biography in the Chronic of the Three Kingdoms , the wounds which undergoes Sun It during the attack are mortals. On its bed of death, it makes mander Zhang Zhao and its other generals immediately available and officially makes of Sun Quan its heir: “China is plunged in chaos. Protected by the armies from Wu and Yue, as by the barrier which the three rivers form, it is possible for us to observe which will triumph and which will be overcome CAD CAD and Yuan Shu. Messeigneurs, please then assist my young brother. ” It makes then mander Sun Quan and its seal tends to him while saying to him: “As regards mobilizing the people of the Jiangdong, to judge good moment to tackle and claim the victory in this world, never you could not be my equal. But as regards rewarding the virtue, exploiting the talented ones advisedly and to leave the best the men to protect Jiangdong, it is me who could never be your equal. ” During the night, Sun This dies of its wounds.

According to another version, counted to the History of Wu , the wounds of Sun They are serious but not mortals. The doctors advise at least hundred days of complete rest to him. One day, Sun This master key by chance in front of a mirror and sees its face, the lost and used features, as well as the badly healed wound left by the arrow which had struck it. He says to his servants: “With such a face, how could I never carry out large things and establish my merit? ” Opposed, it strikes the body against its balustrade, reopening its wounds. He dies during the night which follows, having lost any will to live.

According to the Chronic of the supernatural investigations , Sun This fact of carrying out a taoist of the name of Yu Ji (or Gan Ji). After the execution, with each time it is only found sitted, it seems to him to see appearances of Yu Ji. While passing in front of a mirror, it Yu Ji inside, then the moment according to does not see it any more. Of anger, it crashes to pieces the mirror, reopening its wounds and dying shortly after.

The Zhilin and the Zizhi Tongjian go back death to Sun It of the May 5th 200 (day of the Bingwu ), at the 25 years age.

The posterity

When Sun Quan proclaims emperor of Wu in the 3rd year of Tai He (229), it will name Sun It on a purely posthumous basis king Huan de Changsha (长沙桓王), and offers to his son the title of marquis de Wu. Sun Quan will be sometimes criticized by the future generations perhaps not to have testified all the respect which it owed in Sun It: on the one hand the funeral monticule of this one, described in the biography of Zhuge daN, was particularly small, other the son of Sun It forever received any capacity.

Polemics

The life of Sun It was particularly short, but intense and without pointing out that of Alexandre the Large one under many aspects is not. If the impassioned character of Sun This and its charisma are recognized from many testimonys of the time, there exists nevertheless much of unknown factors. The greatest current polemic relates to its intentions before the attack which cost him the life: Did Sun It intend really to attack Xuchang and to control the Emperor as Dong Zhuo and CAD CAD did it? This act would have indeed made of him the equivalent of a traitor to his suzerain, and yet its actions seem to indicate that such was however its intention. Its official biography so makes even mention which moreover agrees perfectly with the personality of conqueror of Sun It.

However its position was far from being enough strong to ensure the success of such a plan, and if one underlines indeed his personality of conqueror, Sun It did not remain about it less one strategist (even if it were not proven, his family ties with Sun Zi seem probable), moulded by many experiments on the ground. To this argument the following is added: although it had been glorifié by its successors, Sun It could be considered by its contemporaries at the time of his death only as one small war leader who controlled only one piece of province, although strategic. Too much young person to have gained sufficient merit, its social status was far from being sufficiently admitted to control the Emperor in all quietude, as the example of Dong Zhuo had shown him. Even if it had reached that point, it would have been the target of a coalition directed by CAD CAD or Yuan Shao and would then have finished like Yuan Shu. It is strong of its arguments which some affirm that Sun This aimed in fact to attack Chen Deng, in order to show with CAD CAD that one did not have to take it with the light one. The debate remains at the present time open while waiting to find other documents which would provide arguments in a direction or the other.

The character in the popular tradition

In the popular tradition, Sun This incarnated the ardor and courage pushed until temerity. Its charisma and its generosity attract with him all the talents. Its men admired it and révèraient it, while its enemies very often will sign their rédittion and will open to him the doors of the city without very thinking only once of seeking to defend oneself.

According to the legend told in the History of the three kingdoms , after having captured an unfavourable officer, a rider was going to strike it as a traitor. Prevented by its men in time, it is turned over while pushing a terrible howl. The rider, seized of fear, falls from its horse and breaks the neck. As for the prisoner, Sun This had tightened the head to him so strong while it pushed his cry which it had died him too. Indicator that Sun It in a few seconds had killed two unfavourable officers, its men give him the nickname of “Small prince hégémon” (小霸王 - Xiao Ba wang), in reference to Xiang Yu (项羽 232-202 av.JC), the rival of Liu Bang, founder of the Han dynasty. Xiang Yu had indeed carried the nickname of “the prince hégémon” (霸王 - Ba Wang whom one could also translate by “the conqueror” or “the Suzerain”).

The battles where Sun It intervenes are among épiques of the novel. Its combat against Taishi Ci is undoubtedly the duel in which the author puts the most details. Ironically, it has also a time of appearance of shortest: it is enough for him to a chapter to establish its territory and to another to establish its succession before dying…

Another famous aspect of Sun It was the friendship which it carried in Zhou Yu. Indeed, in the novel, Sun This and Zhou Yu are sworn brothers, like are also Liu EIB, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei. Historically, both married the two Qiao sisters, and Rams Wu, the mother of Sun This affirmed to regard Zhou Yu as his/her own son. In the novel, at the time of its anguish, Sun This regrets bitterly the absence of Zhou Yu to its bedside. It indeed wished to entrust in person the foreign policy of the kingdom to him and feared that (by modesty?) refuse this task. When it expiera, its last words will be for his wife, but will relate to mainly Zhou Yu: “Alas, we must be left in this life, while we are both during the most vigorous time of our life! Present your regards to my mother. And when your sister (the woman of Zhou Yu), will come to visit you, request him to beg her husband to help my brother in all things and that it keeps my brother in the way which I traced. ”.

Lastly, a whole myth surrounds its death. Mown in full youth before even being with the apogee of its glory, of many anecdotes surround its death. The most known version, that advanced by the novel of the “Three Kingdoms”, is of order supernatural and wants to be moralisatrice. Like the majority of the other main characters of the novel, the death of Sun It is tragic: wounded in an attack by poisoned arrows, Sun This escapes from little with death, but must according to its doctors remain calm more than 100 days if he wants to hope to cure. Unfortunately Sun This, depicts in the novel as a man who carries himself violently for the small things like the large ones, found quite difficult to follow this treatment.

One day that he walked, he made the meeting of a taoist, Gan Ji (which one calls also sometimes Yu Ji) which looked after the diseases of the people free. Of a not very supersticieux naturalness, and hating those which benefit from the ignorance of the people, it made it throw in prison wrongfully. Let us specify that at that time, one suspectait the doctrines taoist to be at the origin of the rebellion of the Yellow Turbans which had taken place a few years before and which one was wary of them.

The people and the men of Sun It could not believe that Sun This was going to carry out the saint man, as were persuaded as this one would slacken it and the prsonnier was treated with many regards. Furious of what he regarded as an affront with his authority, Sun This made the following market with the taoist: to make fall three inches from feet of rain before the following day, at midday. Time was splendid and Sun This exultait, however the monk, little before midday made jallir the clouds and three feet of pliue had actually fallen at midday crushes. Sun This, frustrated, condemned nevertheless to dead Yu Ji, by affirming that it was only the fruit of the chance. Shortly after the body disappeared.

From now on, Sun It was cursed by the heart of Yu Ji and was put to see it everywhere. It once tried to cross through these appartitions with its sword and did nothing but kill keeps it which had received the task to decapitate the monk.

On the authority of his mother, it went to the temple to request, but could not be solved be sorry the heart of the taoist. He saw the head of the monk again appearing, and, feeling to become insane, orders to set fire to the temple. But in the flames, he sees the monk taoist again.

On her return, the mother of Sun It is horrified by appearance at her son: through being obsessed by the appearances of the monk, Sun It pushed its body, tired by the wounds of the last attack, until its ultimate forces. Seeing itself in a mirror, it understands that it does not remain to him a long time any more to live. It has time to transmit the kingdom to his brother, Sun Quan before dying.

Last note, a little with share: Sun It would have been one of the players of the oldest part of Jeu of go which one kept trace (one knows approximately the first 40 blows of them, the play was played already on a goban 19x19 and the hoshis were already occupied at the beginning of partieselon the old Chinese rule - a copy of the part is available here).

The anecdote is the following one: Sun This played the first blow and its beginning of part was bad. Lu Fan (the governor of Wan Ling, who had followed Sun It in his first campaigns), its adversary, says to him by pointing the goban finger: “Please forgive me to be also direct, but you made a capital sin. It is as if you made a combat without commander-in-chief! ”. Sun This answered him: “It is easy to gather an army, but it is not easy to find a good ordering. ”.

Lu Fan played an excellent blow then and murmured: “I suppose that only a ordering good could have played such a blow. ” The counterpart can appear proud, but it was a way diverted to require of Sun It to be precisely the commander-in-chief that he sought.

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