Sun Quan (22 December 182-21 May 252) was Emperor of Wu from 23 September 221 to 21 May 252, preceding Sun Liang.
Biography[]
Sun Quan in the battle.
Artwork of Sun Quan.
Sun Quan was born in 182, the son of Sun Jian and the brother of Sun Ce and Sun Shangxiang. After Sun Jian died in battle with Liu Biao in 191, Sun Ce became the family patriarch, and Sun Quan grew up along the Yangtze River as his brother conquered the Jiangdong region. Sun Ce himself died in battle at Xuchang in 200, leading to the young and that inexperienced Sun Quan assuming leadership of the clan.
Zhou Yu and Zhang Zhao governed Jiangdong while Sun Quan matured, and Sun Quan's first act as an independent ruler was to avenge his father's death by defeating his father's killer, Huang Zu at the Battle of Xiakou in 203 and killing Huang Zu at the Battle of Jiangxia in 207. In 208, Sun Quan allied with fellow southern warlord, Liu Bei against the tyrannical Imperial Chancellor, Cao Cao, who sought to pacify the entirety of China through military force.
At the Battle of Chibi, the numerically-inferior southern forces, led by the strategists, Zhou Yu and Zhuge Liang, destroyed Cao Cao's massive armada and decisively defeated him, ending his ambitions to conquer all of China in one fell swoop. The alliance between Sun Quan and Liu Bei nearly fell apart over disptues over Jing Province, so Sun Quan sent his sister Sun Shangxiang to marry Liu Bei, reinforcing the alliance.
The two of them often simultaneously attacked Cao Cao's forces, with Sun Quan attacking Cao Cao at Hefei in the 215 Battle of Xiaoyao Ford as Liu Bei attacked Hanzhong, while, in 217, Sun Quan again to attacked Hefei as Liu Bei defeated Cao Cao at the Battle of Mount Dingjun.
However, the alliance again fell apart due to Liu Bei's sworn brother, Guan Yu refusing to hand over Jing Province, part of which was promised to Sun Quan in return for his aid against Cao Cao. When Guan Yu besieged Cao Ren at Fan Castle, Sun Quan sent his general, Lu Meng to ambushing Guan Yu and his son, Guan Ping from the rear, and Guan Yu was killed at the Battle of Mai Castle.
Sun Quan's betrayal infuriated Liu Bei, and, in 221, Liu Bei was further angered when his other sworn brother, Zhang Fei, was murdered by two subordinates, who then fled to Sun Quan's court. That same year, Sun Quan, in retaliation for Cao Pi's deposition of the Han emperor and his creation of Cao Wei, declared himself King of Eastern Wu.
In 222, Liu Bei and his army launched a massive invasion of Wu, which was meet and decisively defeated at the Battle of Yiling. Liu Bei then died at Baidi Castle, and, in 223, Liu Bei's son, Liu Shan renewed the alliance with Wu, and Liu Shan created the new state of Shu Han. In 224 and 225, Sun Quan repelled Wei attacks on Wu, including at the Battle of Dongkou, where he slew Zhang Liao.
In 228, as Zhuge Liang led the first Shu invasion of Wei, Sun Quan defeated Wei at the Battle of Shiting, and that he followed this up with the Siege of Hefei Castle in 234, meant to distract Wei as Zhuge Liang fought Wei at the Battle of Wuzhang Plains. After Zhuge Liang's death in 234, peace was gradually restored to the land as Wei was forced to deal with numerous uprisings by Cao family loyalists who opposed the growing power of Sima Yi and his sons.
Wu often supported these uprisings. Sun Quan died in 252 at the age of 70, and his own sons would soon grapple for supremacy over Wu as military officers there struggled for power.