Sun Jun 孫峻

Sun Jun, courtesy name Ziyuan, was a great-grandson of Sun Jing, the younger brother of Sun Jian. Sun Jing fathered Sun Gao, and Sun Gao fathered Sun Gong, a Cavalier Attendant Gentleman, who fathered Sun Jun. From youth he was skilled at archery and riding, swift, decisive and very bold. In Sun Quan's last years he was transferred to Commandant of the Martial Guard and then became Palace Attendant. Records, Wu 19 §72

When his illness became critical, Sun Quan summoned Zhuge Ke, Sun Hong, the Minister of Ceremonies Teng Yin, the general Lü Ju and the Palace Attendant Sun Jun and entrusted them with affairs after his death. Sun Jun concurrently became General of the Martial Guard, continuing in charge of the palace guard as before, and was enfeoffed as Marquis of a Chief Village. When Sun Quan died, Sun Hong, who was on bad terms with Zhuge Ke, concealed the death and tried to do away with Zhuge Ke by a forged edict, but Sun Jun told Zhuge Ke of it, and Zhuge Ke killed Sun Hong. Records, Wu 19 §22–23 · 72

In the winter, in the 10th month of the 2nd year of Jianxing (253), when Zhuge Ke had returned from the New City and the people resented him and many disliked him, Sun Jun took advantage of this to accuse him falsely of plotting a revolt, and conspired with Sun Liang to hold a banquet. Sun Jun hid soldiers behind the curtains and, worried that the plan would leak if Zhuge Ke did not come in promptly, went out to the palace gate himself and sounded him out, saying, 'If Your Excellency is unwell, it may be put off until later.' The Cavalier Regular Attendants Zhang Yue and Zhu En secretly sent a note of warning, and Zhuge Ke was about to turn back, but Teng Yin, unaware of Sun Jun's scheme, urged him to go in. Records, Wu 3 §6Records, Wu 19 §48 · 50–51

When Zhuge Ke, suspicious, would not drink, Sun Jun urged him to have the medicinal wine he usually took brought and drink that. After the wine had gone round several times and Sun Liang had withdrawn inside, Sun Jun went to the privy, changed into short clothes, came out crying, 'There is an edict to arrest Zhuge Ke!' and cut him down before Zhuge Ke could draw his sword. Zhang Yue struck at Sun Jun from beside him but only wounded his left hand, and Sun Jun at once cut off Zhang Yue's right arm. When the soldiers of the Martial Guard rushed up into the hall, Sun Jun told them that the man to be seized was Zhuge Ke and that he was already dead, had them sheathe their blades, and then had the floor cleaned and went on drinking. Records, Wu 19 §52–53

Sun Jun sent a cavalry commander to kill Zhuge Ke's son Zhuge Song, who was fleeing. Sun Yi and others attacked Zhuge Rong, Area Commander of Gong'an, and drove him to suicide. Using this affair as a pretext, Sun Jun took away Sun He's seal and ribbon, moved him to Xindu, and then sent an envoy ordering him to die. Nie You, who had foreseen Zhuge Ke's downfall, was disliked by Sun Jun, who wanted to send him out as Administrator of Yulin; Nie You fell ill with worry and died. Records, Wu 19 §55 · 64Records, Wu 6 §21Records, Wu 14 §31

Sun Jun became Chancellor and General-in-Chief, overseeing all military affairs inside and outside the capital with the Staff of Authority (jiajie), and was promoted to Marquis of Fuchun. When Teng Yin, the father-in-law of Zhuge Ke's son Zhuge Song, tried to resign, Sun Jun dissuaded him, saying, 'Even Gun and Yu did not share each other's guilt,' and raised him to Marquis of Gaomi. The two were not close at heart but outwardly tolerated each other. Records, Wu 19 §72–73Records, Wu 3 §7

Chen Shou wrote that Sun Jun had never had great renown, that he was arrogant, treacherous and harmful, and that he put so many to death by punishment that the people were in an uproar. He debauched the palace women and had an affair with Princess Sun Luban. In the Jianxing era, when Sun Jun monopolized power, the imperial clan all feared him, and only Princess Quan enjoyed his protection, since Quan Shang's wife was Sun Jun's elder sister. In the autumn of the 1st year of Wufeng (254), Sun Ying, Marquis of Wu, plotted to kill Sun Jun, but the plot leaked and he committed suicide. Records, Wu 19 §73Records, Wu 5 §31Records, Wu 3 §8Records, Wu 14 §15

In the first month of the 2nd year of Wufeng (255), when Guanqiu Jian and Wen Qin of Wei raised troops in Huainan, Sun Jun set out in the intercalary month with Lü Ju and Liu Zan to take Shouchun by surprise. On reaching Dongxing he heard that Wen Qin and the others had been defeated, and when he advanced to Tuogao, Wen Qin came and surrendered. As Zhuge Dan of Wei had already entered Shouchun, Sun Jun turned his army back, and Liu Zan was defeated and killed at Gupi by the pursuing Wei army. A Wei record states that Sun Jun's host was said to number 100,000. Records, Wu 3 §9–10Records, Wu 19 §75Records, Wei 28 §33Records, Wei 4 §56

In the autumn, in the 7th month of that year, when an envoy from Shu arrived, the general Sun Yi and others tried to kill Sun Jun at the gathering. The plot leaked; Sun Yi committed suicide and dozens died, and when Princess Quan said that Princess Zhu, Sun Luyu, had also been in the plot, Sun Jun put her to death unjustly. When Sun Jun wanted to build a city wall at Guangling, the court officials were afraid and dared not speak; only Teng Yin remonstrated, but Sun Jun did not heed him, and the work was never completed. Records, Wu 19 §75–76Records, Wu 3 §10Records, Wu 5 §32

In the 1st year of Taiping (256), at Wen Qin's urging, Sun Jun decided to attack Wei, and in the 8th month he sent Wen Qin, Lü Ju, Zhu Yi, Tang Zi and others from Jiangdu into the Huai and Si rivers to make designs on Qing and Xu provinces. Sun Jun and Teng Yin saw them off as far as Shitou, and he entered Lü Ju's camp with a hundred or so followers, but, disliking the strict order in which Lü Ju kept his troops, he left on the pretext of a pain in his chest. Afterwards he dreamed that Zhuge Ke struck him, fell ill from fear and died on the dinghai day of the 9th month. He was thirty-eight, and he entrusted affairs to Sun Chen. Records, Wu 19 §76–77Records, Wu 3 §12

After Sun Chen was put to death, Sun Jun's coffin was dug up, his seal and ribbon were taken away, and the coffin was whittled down before being reburied, because he had killed Sun Luyu and others. Ashamed to be of the same clan as Sun Jun and Sun Chen, Sun Xiu struck Sun Jun from the register of the imperial clan and called him 'the late Jun', and, saying that Zhuge Ke, Teng Yin and Lü Ju had been harmed by the brothers Sun Jun and Sun Chen though guiltless, had them reburied. Records, Wu 19 §101–102

In his assessment Chen Shou said that Sun Jun and Sun Chen were vicious petty men brimming with arrogance and not worth discussing in the first place. He also wrote that Teng Yin, having kept his high position even in Sun Jun's time, was bound by the nature of things to come to danger. Records, Wu 19 §108–109