Sun Jian faction 孫堅

The foundation of the faction was the troops Sun Jian commanded as an official of the Han. In the 1st year of Zhongping (184), when the Yellow Turbans rose, Sun Jian became Assistant Army Major on the memorial of Zhu Jun, General of the Household, and gathered a thousand or so men, including young men of his home district who had followed him at Xiapi, merchants and travellers, and picked soldiers from the Huai and Si region; when Wancheng was attacked he was first to scale the wall, and became Major of a Separate Command. Later, as Administrator of Changsha, he defeated the bandit Ou Xing in little more than a month, and crossing the border he also attacked Zhou Chao and Guo Shi, who had risen in response in Lingling and Guiyang, bringing quiet to the three commanderies; for his merits before and after he was enfeoffed as Marquis of Wucheng. Records, Wu 1 §6–7 · 11–12

From this time those who followed him became the backbone of the faction. Cheng Pu of Youbeiping followed Sun Jian in attacking the Yellow Turbans at Wan and Deng and in defeating Dong Zhuo at Yangren; Huang Gai of Lingling joined Sun Jian when he raised his loyalist troops; and Han Dang of Liaoxi won favor for his archery and horsemanship and became Major of a Separate Command. Zhu Zhi of Danyang became a Major in the 5th year of Zhongping (188) and joined in attacking the bandits of the three commanderies. Wu Jing, younger brother of Sun Jian's wife Lady Wu, also constantly followed his campaigns and won merit; his elder brother's son Sun Ben left his post to follow Sun Jian when he raised loyalist troops at Changsha; and his youngest brother Sun Jing gathered men of the district and five or six hundred members of the clan as a defense force. Records, Wu 10 §2 · 8 · 16Records, Wu 11 §2Records, Wu 5 §2–3Records, Wu 6 §25 · 2

When Emperor Ling died and Dong Zhuo seized control of the government, the provinces and commanderies raised loyalist troops, and Sun Jian too raised an army. On the way he killed Wang Rui, Inspector of Jing Province, who had always treated him rudely, and by the time he reached Nanyang his host numbered several tens of thousands. When Zhang Zi, Administrator of Nanyang, neither repaired the roads nor provided military supplies, Sun Jian beheaded him at the gate of his camp for the crime of delaying the loyalist army, and the whole commandery trembled, so that nothing he asked for was withheld. The Biography of Yuan Shu records that it was because Sun Jian killed Zhang Zi that Yuan Shu was able to take Nanyang Commandery. Records, Wu 1 §13–14Records, Wei 6 §72

Sun Jian met Yuan Shu at Luyang, and Yuan Shu memorialized making him acting General Who Smashes the Caitiffs and concurrently Inspector of Yu Province. Sun Jian put his troops in order at the city of Luyang and sent his Chief Clerk Gongqiu Cheng back to the province to press for provisions. While Sun Jian was seeing Gongqiu Cheng off outside the east gate of the city, several tens of light horsemen, the vanguard of the tens of thousands of infantry and cavalry sent by Dong Zhuo, arrived first, but Sun Jian told his retainers to keep their ranks in order and not move, then calmly ended the gathering and went into the city. Dong Zhuo's soldiers, seeing how orderly his troops were, did not dare attack the city and withdrew. Records, Wu 1 §15–16

Having moved to camp east of Liang, Sun Jian came under heavy attack from Dong Zhuo's army and broke out of the encirclement with several tens of horsemen, while his close commander Zu Mao put on his red woolen headcloth and drew off Dong Zhuo's cavalry. Sun Jian gathered his troops again, fought at Yangren and inflicted a great defeat on Dong Zhuo's army, beheading its Area Commander Hua Xiong and others and displaying their heads. According to the Biography of Gongsun Zan, Yuan Shu stationed Sun Jian at Yangcheng to hold off Dong Zhuo, but Yuan Shao had Zhou Ang seize that position, and Gongsun Yue, sent by Yuan Shu, attacked Zhou Ang together with Sun Jian without success. Records, Wu 1 §16–17Records, Wei 8 §12

When someone slandered Sun Jian, Yuan Shu grew suspicious and did not send provisions. Sun Jian galloped by night to Luyang, more than a hundred li from Yangren, and argued that he risked his life without regard for himself in order to punish the rebels for the state above and to avenge the private enmity of the general's family below, and Yuan Shu at once sent the provisions. Dong Zhuo sent his general Li Jue and others to seek peace, offering to employ Sun Jian's sons and younger kinsmen as inspectors and administrators, but Sun Jian refused and advanced to Dagu, ninety li from Luoyang. When Dong Zhuo moved the capital west into Guanzhong and burned Luoyang, Sun Jian entered Luoyang, repaired the imperial tombs and filled in the places that had been dug up, and then returned to stay at Luyang. Records, Wu 1 §18–20

While in Nanyang, Yuan Shu allied with Sun Jian, intending to seize Liu Biao's province. In the 3rd year of Chuping (192) Sun Jian, setting out on Yuan Shu's orders to attack Jing Province, defeated Huang Zu, sent by Liu Biao, between Fan and Deng, crossed the Han River and besieged Xiangyang, but while riding alone past Mount Xian he was killed by an arrow shot by Huang Zu's soldiers. The Biography of Liu Biao records that Sun Jian was killed by a stray arrow and his army was defeated, so that Yuan Shu never overcame Liu Biao. Records, Wei 6 §83Records, Wu 1 §21

Sun Ben gathered the remaining followers, escorted the coffin, and then led the officers, men and followers to join Yuan Shu, who again memorialized making him Inspector of Yu Province. Sun Jian's son Sun Ce, who had moved with his mother to live at Shu County when Sun Jian raised his loyalist troops, buried his father at Qu'e, and when he joined Yuan Shu in the 1st year of Xingping (194), Yuan Shu, thinking him remarkable, returned Sun Jian's retainers to him. Zhu Zhi helped Sun Ce and went with him to rely on Yuan Shu, and Cheng Pu and Huang Gai also followed Sun Ce after Sun Jian's death. After Sun Quan proclaimed himself emperor, he gave Sun Jian the posthumous title Emperor Wulie. Records, Wu 1 §21–22 · 24–25Records, Wu 6 §25Records, Wu 11 §3Records, Wu 10 §3 · 8

In his assessment Chen Shou said that Sun Jian was brave, resolute, upright and steadfast, rose from a lonely and humble station, urged Zhang Wen to execute Dong Zhuo and filled and closed the imperial tombs, and so had a loyal and heroic spirit. But he wrote that he and Sun Ce were both rash and hasty, so that they lost their lives and came to failure. Records, Wu 1 §41