Sun Jian (155-191) was a Chinese warlord of the late Han dynasty. Sun Jian was descended from the famed strategist, Sun Tzu, and he first distinguished himself during the Yellow Turban Rebellion and then during the quelling of the Liang Province rebellion and Ou Xing's Rebellion, becoming known as the "Tiger of Jiangdong". He was one of the main commanders of the Alliance against Dong Zhuo in 190, and he managed to obtain the Imperial Seal from a well in the burned-down imperial capital of Luoyang after Dong Zhuo's defeat at the Battle of Hulao Gate. In 191, he went to war with Liu Biao after he demanded the Imperial Seal from Sun Jian on behalf of Yuan Shao, and he was ambushed and killed by Liu Biao's general, Huang Zu at the Battle of Xiangyang. His children, Sun Ce, Sun Quan, and Sun Shangxiang became notable warriors in their own right, forging the kingdom of Eastern Wu in the family home of Jiangdong over the next few decades.
Biography[]
Sun Jian in 185.
Sun Jian was born in Fuchun County, Han China in 155, a descendant of the strategist Sun Tzu. When he was 17, he killed a pirate on the River Qiantang and became a renowned young warrior who was offered an imperial office.
He was made a magistrate, and, in 184 AD, he participated in the suppression of the Yellow Turban Rebellion. A year later, Sun Jian took part in the suppression of Bian Zhang's rebellion in Liang Province, followed by the suppression of Ou Xing's rebellion.
In 190, he also took part in the alliance against Dong Zhuo, serving as one of the coalition's major commanders; Yuan Shu was ordered to command the rear. Yuan Shu was jealous of Sun Jian's glorious position, leading to a rivalry between the two men which climaxed at the Battle of Sishui Gate, where Yuan Shu withheld supplies from Sun Jian's embattled forces until the Allies captured a nearby supply base from Dong Zhuo's army and used the supplies to feed Sun Jian's tired troops.
After the Battle of Hulao Gate, Sun Jian led his army into the burning capital of Luoyang, where he found the Imperial Seal in a well and took it for himself. Sun Jian then lied about his possession of the seal to Yuan Shao and sought to return home as the coalition fell apart. Yuan Shao sensed that Sun Jian had lied to him, so he persuaded Jing Province governor Liu Biao to attack Sun Jian as Sun Jian and his army marched through Jing. Sun Jian refused to hand over the Imperial Seal to Liu Biao, leading to war.
Sun Jian's army was badly beaten and barely escaped, and he allied with Yuan Shao's rival, Yuan Shu and attempted to avenge his earlier defeat with another attack on Jing. Sun Jian was lured into a trap by Lu Gong, whom he chased into a valley where Huang Zu ordered his archers to fire on Sun Jian. However, Sun Jian was killed by the arrows, and his son, Sun Ce led a fighting withdrawal through Jing and back to the family's home territory.
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