Sun Liang
Encyclopedia
Sun Liang was the second emperor of Eastern Wu
during the Three Kingdoms
period of Chinese history
. He was the founding emperor Sun Quan
's youngest son and heir. He is also known as the Prince of Kuaiji (會稽王) or (less frequently) Marquess of Houguan (候官侯), which were his successive titles after his removal in 258 by the regent Sun Lin
following his failed attempt to remove Sun Lin from power. He was succeeded by his brother Sun Xiu
, who was successful in having Sun Lin killed. Two years after Sun Liang's removal, he was falsely accused of treason and demoted to marquess, and he committed suicide.
and one of his favorite consorts, Consort Pan
. As Sun Quan's youngest son, he was well-cared for by his father, who was very happy to have a son in his old age (61 at the time of Sun Liang's birth). He was also born into a palace atmosphere where officials were aligning themselves with either of his two older brothers who were fighting for supremacy -- Sun He
the crown prince
and Sun Ba (孫霸) the Prince of Lu, who had designs on the position. In 250, fed up with Prince Ba's constant attacks against Crown Prince He, Sun Quan inexplicably ordered Prince Ba to commit suicide and deposed Crown Prince He. At the urging of his daughter Sun Dahu (孫大虎), who had been involved with falsely accusing Crown Prince He and his mother Consort Wang of crimes and therefore wanted to see Crown Prince He removed, he created Prince Liang as the new crown prince. Princess Dahu then had Crown Prince Liang married to a grand niece of her husband Quan Cong (全琮). In 251, Sun Quan created Crown Prince Liang's mother Consort Pan empress.
In 252, Crown Prince Liang would lose both of his parents in rapid succession. Early that year, Empress Pan was murdered—but how she was murdered remains a controversy. Eastern Wu officials claimed that her servants, unable to stand her temper, strangled her while she was asleep, while a number of historians, including Hu Sansheng
, the commentator to Sima Guang
's Zizhi Tongjian
, believed that top Eastern Wu officials were complicit, as they feared that she would seize power as empress dowager
after Sun Quan's death. Later that year, Sun Quan died, and Crown Prince Liang succeeded to the throne.
's son Zhuge Ke
as the regent
for Sun Liang, at the endorsement of his trusted assistant Sun Jun (a great-grandson of his uncle Sun Jing (孫靜). The people of the empire also greatly admired Zhuge Ke, as he was already known for his military and diplomatic successes involving the indigenous Baiyue and for his quick wit. However, Sun's only reservation—that Zhuge was arrogant and had overly high opinion of his own abilities—would turn out to be prophetic.
In 252, in light of Sun Quan's death, Cao Wei
's regent Sima Shi
made a major three-pronged attack against Eastern Wu. Zhuge's forces, however, were able to defeat the main Cao Wei force, inflicting heavy losses. Zhuge's reputation became even more established. In 253, he carried out a plan he had for a while—to gather up nearly all service-eligible young men of Eastern Wu to make a major attack against Cao Wei—despite opposition by a number of other officials. He further coordinated his attack with ally Shu Han
's regent Jiang Wei
. However, his strategy turned out to be faulty—as he was initially targeting Shouchun (壽春, in modern Lu'an
, Anhui
) but, on his way, changed his mind and attack Hefei
instead, despite the fact that Hefei's defenses were strong and intended to withstand major Eastern Wu attacks. Zhuge's forces became worn out by the long-term siege and suffered plagues—which Zhuge ignored. He eventually withdrew after Cao Wei reinforcements arrived, but instead of returning to the capital Jianye
(modern Nanjing
) and apologize for his erroneous strategies, he remained from the capital for some time and never apologized to the people for the heavy losses suffered.
When Zhuge eventually did return to Jianye, he further sternly tried to wipe out all dissent, punishing all those who disagreed with him. Ke further planned another attack against Cao Wei, disregarding the recent heavy losses the people had suffered and their resentment. Sun Jun decided that he had to kill Zhuge. He told Sun Liang that Zhuge was planning treason, and he set up a trap at the imperial feast for Zhuge. (How much the young emperor knew of Sun Jun's plans and whether he concurred is unclear; traditional historians implied that Sun Liang knew and concurred, but he was just 10 years old at this point.) During the middle of the feast, assassins that Sun Jun had arranged for killed Zhuge, and Sun Jun's forces then wiped out the Zhuge clan.
In 255, in the midst of Cao Wei's having to deal with a rebellion by Guanqiu Jian
and Wen Qin (文欽), Eastern Wu forces, led by Sun Jun, tried to attack Cao Wei's border region, but withdrew after Sima Shi quickly put down the rebellion. (Wen and his troops did surrender to him after they were defeated.) Later that year, another plot against Sun Jun was discovered, and a large number of officers were executed, along with Sun Quan's daughter Sun Xiaohu (孫小虎), falsely implicated by her sister Princess Dahu.
In 256, Sun Jun, at Wen's urging, was planning an attack against Cao Wei, when he suddenly fell ill, and he commissioned his cousin Sun Lin
to succeed him as regent and died soon after.
In 257, at the age of 14, Sun Liang began to personally handle some important matters of state. He established a personal guard corps, consistent of young men and officers with age similar to his, stating that he intended to grow up with them. He also sometimes questioned Sun Lin's decisions. Sun Lin began to be somewhat apprehensive of the young emperor.
Later that year, Cao Wei's general Zhuge Dan
, believing that the Cao Wei regent Sima Zhao
(Sima Shi's brother) was about to usurp the throne, declared a rebellion and requested Eastern Wu assistance. A small Eastern Wu detachment, led by Wen, quickly arrived to assist him, but Sun Lin led the main forces and chose to camp a long distance away from Shouchun, where Zhuge was being sieged by Sima, and did nothing. When Sun Lin instead ordered the general Zhu Yi to try to relieve Shouchun with tired and unfed troops, Zhu refused—and Sun Lin executed him, bringing anger from the people, who had admired Zhu's military skills and integrity. With Sun Lin unable to do anything, Zhuge's rebellion failed in 258, and Wen's troops became captives of Cao Wei.
, the Prince of Langye, emperor. Several months later, Sun Xiu set a trap for Sun Lin and had him arrested and killed. However, Sun Liang's position in exile did not become any safer, as Sun Xiu deeply feared that there would be plots to return Sun Liang to the throne. In 260, there were rumors that Sun Liang would be emperor again, and Sun Liang's servant girls falsely accused him of employing witchcraft. Sun Xiu demoted Sun Liang to the title of the Marquess of Houguan, and sent him to his march
(in modern Fuzhou
, Fujian
, then considered in deep wilderness). On the way, Sun Liang died—and while most historians believe that he committed suicide, an alternative theory is that Sun Xiu had him poisoned.
Eastern Wu
Eastern Wu, also known as Sun Wu, was one the three states competing for control of China during the Three Kingdoms period after the fall of the Han Dynasty. It was based in the Jiangnan region of China...
during the Three Kingdoms
Three Kingdoms
The Three Kingdoms period was a period in Chinese history, part of an era of disunity called the "Six Dynasties" following immediately the loss of de facto power of the Han Dynasty rulers. In a strict academic sense it refers to the period between the foundation of the state of Wei in 220 and the...
period of Chinese history
History of China
Chinese civilization originated in various regional centers along both the Yellow River and the Yangtze River valleys in the Neolithic era, but the Yellow River is said to be the Cradle of Chinese Civilization. With thousands of years of continuous history, China is one of the world's oldest...
. He was the founding emperor Sun Quan
Sun Quan
Sun Quan , son of Sun Jian, formally Emperor Da of Wu, was the founder of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. He ruled from 222 to 229 as King of Wu and from 229 to 252 as Emperor of Wu....
's youngest son and heir. He is also known as the Prince of Kuaiji (會稽王) or (less frequently) Marquess of Houguan (候官侯), which were his successive titles after his removal in 258 by the regent Sun Lin
Sun Lin
Sun Lin , style name Zitong , was a regent of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. He ruled as regent during the reigns of the emperors Sun Liang and Sun Xiu. His conflict with Sun Liang eventually led him to depose the emperor in favor of Sun Xiu...
following his failed attempt to remove Sun Lin from power. He was succeeded by his brother Sun Xiu
Sun Xiu
Sun Xiu , formally known as Emperor Jing of Wu, was the third emperor of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history.-Early life:...
, who was successful in having Sun Lin killed. Two years after Sun Liang's removal, he was falsely accused of treason and demoted to marquess, and he committed suicide.
Early life
Sun Liang was born in 243, to Sun QuanSun Quan
Sun Quan , son of Sun Jian, formally Emperor Da of Wu, was the founder of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. He ruled from 222 to 229 as King of Wu and from 229 to 252 as Emperor of Wu....
and one of his favorite consorts, Consort Pan
Empress Pan (Da)
Empress Pan , personal name unknown, was an empress of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. She was the only empress of the founding emperor, Sun Quan, even though he had a succession of wives before her....
. As Sun Quan's youngest son, he was well-cared for by his father, who was very happy to have a son in his old age (61 at the time of Sun Liang's birth). He was also born into a palace atmosphere where officials were aligning themselves with either of his two older brothers who were fighting for supremacy -- Sun He
Sun He
Sun He , style name Zixiao , formally known as Emperor Wen , was a son and crown prince of Eastern Wu's founding emperor Sun Quan during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history...
the crown prince
Crown Prince
A crown prince or crown princess is the heir or heiress apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The wife of a crown prince is also titled crown princess....
and Sun Ba (孫霸) the Prince of Lu, who had designs on the position. In 250, fed up with Prince Ba's constant attacks against Crown Prince He, Sun Quan inexplicably ordered Prince Ba to commit suicide and deposed Crown Prince He. At the urging of his daughter Sun Dahu (孫大虎), who had been involved with falsely accusing Crown Prince He and his mother Consort Wang of crimes and therefore wanted to see Crown Prince He removed, he created Prince Liang as the new crown prince. Princess Dahu then had Crown Prince Liang married to a grand niece of her husband Quan Cong (全琮). In 251, Sun Quan created Crown Prince Liang's mother Consort Pan empress.
In 252, Crown Prince Liang would lose both of his parents in rapid succession. Early that year, Empress Pan was murdered—but how she was murdered remains a controversy. Eastern Wu officials claimed that her servants, unable to stand her temper, strangled her while she was asleep, while a number of historians, including Hu Sansheng
Hu Sansheng
Hu Sanxing , born Hu Mansun , courtesy names Shenzhi , Meijian , and Jingcan , was a Chinese historian and commentator who lived during the late Song Dynasty and early Yuan Dynasty....
, the commentator to Sima Guang
Sima Guang
Sīmǎ Guāng was a Chinese historian, scholar, and high chancellor of the Song Dynasty, jinshi 1038.-Life, profession, and works:...
's Zizhi Tongjian
Zizhi Tongjian
The Zizhi Tongjian was a pioneering reference work in Chinese historiography, published in 1084, under the form of a chronicles. In 1065 CE, Emperor Yingzong of Song ordered the great historian Sima Guang to lead with other scholars such as his chief assistants Liu Shu, Liu Ban and Fan Zuyu, the...
, believed that top Eastern Wu officials were complicit, as they feared that she would seize power as empress dowager
Empress Dowager
Empress Dowager was the title given to the mother of a Chinese, Korean, Japanese or Vietnamese emperor.The title was also given occasionally to another woman of the same generation, while a woman from the previous generation was sometimes given the title of Grand empress dowager. Numerous empress...
after Sun Quan's death. Later that year, Sun Quan died, and Crown Prince Liang succeeded to the throne.
Zhuge Ke's regency
Prior to his death, Sun Quan had selected Zhuge JinZhuge Jin
Zhuge Jin , style name Ziyu , was a military general and politician of Eastern Wu during the late Han Dynasty and Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history.-Early life:...
's son Zhuge Ke
Zhuge Ke
Zhuge Ke , style name Yuanxun , was a military general and regent of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history. He was the son of Zhuge Jin and nephew of Zhuge Liang. He succeeded Lu Xun after the latter's death...
as the regent
Regent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
for Sun Liang, at the endorsement of his trusted assistant Sun Jun (a great-grandson of his uncle Sun Jing (孫靜). The people of the empire also greatly admired Zhuge Ke, as he was already known for his military and diplomatic successes involving the indigenous Baiyue and for his quick wit. However, Sun's only reservation—that Zhuge was arrogant and had overly high opinion of his own abilities—would turn out to be prophetic.
In 252, in light of Sun Quan's death, Cao Wei
Cao Wei
Cao Wei was one of the states that competed for control of China during the Three Kingdoms period. With the capital at Luoyang, the state was established by Cao Pi in 220, based upon the foundations that his father Cao Cao laid...
's regent Sima Shi
Sima Shi
Sima Shi , style name Ziyuan , was a military general and regent of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history. In 249, he assisted his father Sima Yi in overthrowing the emperor Cao Fang's regent Cao Shuang, allowing the Sima family to become paramount authority in the state, and he...
made a major three-pronged attack against Eastern Wu. Zhuge's forces, however, were able to defeat the main Cao Wei force, inflicting heavy losses. Zhuge's reputation became even more established. In 253, he carried out a plan he had for a while—to gather up nearly all service-eligible young men of Eastern Wu to make a major attack against Cao Wei—despite opposition by a number of other officials. He further coordinated his attack with ally Shu Han
Shu Han
Shu Han was one of the three states competing for control of China during the Three Kingdoms period, after the fall of the Han Dynasty. The state was based on areas around Sichuan, which was then known as Shu...
's regent Jiang Wei
Jiang Wei
Jiang Wei was a military general and regent of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history. He originally served Shu's rival state, Cao Wei, as a middle-level military officer, but defected to the Shu strategist Zhuge Liang, leaving his mother in Wei. After that, Jiang...
. However, his strategy turned out to be faulty—as he was initially targeting Shouchun (壽春, in modern Lu'an
Lu'an
Lu'an , is a prefecture-level city in western Anhui Province, People's Republic of China, with a population of 5,612,590 inhabitants at 2010 census. Its built up area is home to 1,482,729 inhabitants spread out on 2 urban districts...
, Anhui
Anhui
Anhui is a province in the People's Republic of China. Located in eastern China across the basins of the Yangtze River and the Huai River, it borders Jiangsu to the east, Zhejiang to the southeast, Jiangxi to the south, Hubei to the southwest, Henan to the northwest, and Shandong for a tiny...
) but, on his way, changed his mind and attack Hefei
Hefei
Hefei is the capital and largest city of Anhui Province in Eastern China. A prefecture-level city, it is the political, economic, and cultural centre of Anhui...
instead, despite the fact that Hefei's defenses were strong and intended to withstand major Eastern Wu attacks. Zhuge's forces became worn out by the long-term siege and suffered plagues—which Zhuge ignored. He eventually withdrew after Cao Wei reinforcements arrived, but instead of returning to the capital Jianye
Jianye
Jianye may refer to:*Jianye District, in Nanjing, Jiangsu, China*Jiankang, also known as Jianye, ancient city in China*Henan Jianye, Chinese football club...
(modern Nanjing
Nanjing
' is the capital of Jiangsu province in China and has a prominent place in Chinese history and culture, having been the capital of China on several occasions...
) and apologize for his erroneous strategies, he remained from the capital for some time and never apologized to the people for the heavy losses suffered.
When Zhuge eventually did return to Jianye, he further sternly tried to wipe out all dissent, punishing all those who disagreed with him. Ke further planned another attack against Cao Wei, disregarding the recent heavy losses the people had suffered and their resentment. Sun Jun decided that he had to kill Zhuge. He told Sun Liang that Zhuge was planning treason, and he set up a trap at the imperial feast for Zhuge. (How much the young emperor knew of Sun Jun's plans and whether he concurred is unclear; traditional historians implied that Sun Liang knew and concurred, but he was just 10 years old at this point.) During the middle of the feast, assassins that Sun Jun had arranged for killed Zhuge, and Sun Jun's forces then wiped out the Zhuge clan.
Sun Jun's regency
After Sun Jun killed Zhuge Ke, he quickly moved to consolidate his power. He initially, on the surface, shared power with the prime minister Teng Yin (滕胤), but he, with control of the military, soon became even more dictatorial than Zhuge. In particular, he falsely accused the former crown prince Sun He of conspiring with Zhuge, and forced Sun He to commit suicide. His autocratic actions led to a conspiracy between Sun Ying (孫英) the Marquess of Wu (the son of Sun Quan's first crown prince Sun Deng (孫登)) and the army officer Huan Lü (桓慮), but he discovered the plan in 254, and both Sun Ying and Huan were executed.In 255, in the midst of Cao Wei's having to deal with a rebellion by Guanqiu Jian
Guanqiu Jian
Guanqiu Jian , style name Zhonggong , was a military general of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history.-Biography:...
and Wen Qin (文欽), Eastern Wu forces, led by Sun Jun, tried to attack Cao Wei's border region, but withdrew after Sima Shi quickly put down the rebellion. (Wen and his troops did surrender to him after they were defeated.) Later that year, another plot against Sun Jun was discovered, and a large number of officers were executed, along with Sun Quan's daughter Sun Xiaohu (孫小虎), falsely implicated by her sister Princess Dahu.
In 256, Sun Jun, at Wen's urging, was planning an attack against Cao Wei, when he suddenly fell ill, and he commissioned his cousin Sun Lin
Sun Lin
Sun Lin , style name Zitong , was a regent of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. He ruled as regent during the reigns of the emperors Sun Liang and Sun Xiu. His conflict with Sun Liang eventually led him to depose the emperor in favor of Sun Xiu...
to succeed him as regent and died soon after.
Sun Lin's regency
Sun Jun's death would precipitate a major confrontation. The general Lü Ju (呂據), who was set to lead the main force against Cao Wei, was angry that the autocratic Sun Jun appointed Sun Lin, who up to that point had not shown himself distinguished in any way. Lü openly called for Teng to become regent instead, and Teng agreed to act with him. Sun Lin struck back militarily, and his forces defeated Teng's and Lü's. Teng and his clan were executed, while Lü committed suicide. In light of his defeat of Teng and Lü, Sun Lin began to become extremely arrogant.In 257, at the age of 14, Sun Liang began to personally handle some important matters of state. He established a personal guard corps, consistent of young men and officers with age similar to his, stating that he intended to grow up with them. He also sometimes questioned Sun Lin's decisions. Sun Lin began to be somewhat apprehensive of the young emperor.
Later that year, Cao Wei's general Zhuge Dan
Zhuge Dan
Zhuge Dan , style named Gongxiu , was a military general of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. When he held military positions during his middle to late career, he got involved in all Three Rebellions in Shouchun, which aimed to drive the de facto ruler of Cao Wei, Sima...
, believing that the Cao Wei regent Sima Zhao
Sima Zhao
Sima Zhao was a military general, politician and regent of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history...
(Sima Shi's brother) was about to usurp the throne, declared a rebellion and requested Eastern Wu assistance. A small Eastern Wu detachment, led by Wen, quickly arrived to assist him, but Sun Lin led the main forces and chose to camp a long distance away from Shouchun, where Zhuge was being sieged by Sima, and did nothing. When Sun Lin instead ordered the general Zhu Yi to try to relieve Shouchun with tired and unfed troops, Zhu refused—and Sun Lin executed him, bringing anger from the people, who had admired Zhu's military skills and integrity. With Sun Lin unable to do anything, Zhuge's rebellion failed in 258, and Wen's troops became captives of Cao Wei.
Removal
Sun Lin knew that the people and the young emperor were both angry at him, and chose not to return to Jianye, but instead sent his confidants to be in charge of the capital's defenses. Sun Liang became angrier, and plotted with Princess Dahu, the general Liu Cheng (劉丞), his father-in-law Quan Shang (全尚), and his brother-in-law Quan Ji (全記), to have Sun Lin overthrown. However, Quan Shang did not keep the plot secret from his wife, who was Sun Lin's cousin, and she told Sun Lin. Sun Lin quickly captured Quan Shang and killed Liu, and then surrounded the palace and forced the other officials to agree to depose Sun Liang—falsely declaring to the people that Sun Liang had suffered psychosis. Sun Liang was demoted to the title of the Prince of Kuaiji.After removal
Sun Lin then made Sun Liang's older brother Sun XiuSun Xiu
Sun Xiu , formally known as Emperor Jing of Wu, was the third emperor of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history.-Early life:...
, the Prince of Langye, emperor. Several months later, Sun Xiu set a trap for Sun Lin and had him arrested and killed. However, Sun Liang's position in exile did not become any safer, as Sun Xiu deeply feared that there would be plots to return Sun Liang to the throne. In 260, there were rumors that Sun Liang would be emperor again, and Sun Liang's servant girls falsely accused him of employing witchcraft. Sun Xiu demoted Sun Liang to the title of the Marquess of Houguan, and sent him to his march
Marches
A march or mark refers to a border region similar to a frontier, such as the Welsh Marches, the borderland between England and Wales. During the Frankish Carolingian Dynasty, the word spread throughout Europe....
(in modern Fuzhou
Fuzhou
Fuzhou is the capital and one of the largest cities in Fujian Province, People's Republic of China. Along with the many counties of Ningde, those of Fuzhou are considered to constitute the Mindong linguistic and cultural area....
, Fujian
Fujian
' , formerly romanised as Fukien or Huguing or Foukien, is a province on the southeast coast of mainland China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, and Guangdong to the south. Taiwan lies to the east, across the Taiwan Strait...
, then considered in deep wilderness). On the way, Sun Liang died—and while most historians believe that he committed suicide, an alternative theory is that Sun Xiu had him poisoned.
Era names
- Jianxing (建興 jiàn xīng) 252-253
- Wufeng (五鳳 wǔ fèng) 254-256
- Taiping (太平 taì píng) 256-258
Family
- Father: Sun QuanSun QuanSun Quan , son of Sun Jian, formally Emperor Da of Wu, was the founder of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. He ruled from 222 to 229 as King of Wu and from 229 to 252 as Emperor of Wu....
(Emperor Da)
- Mother: Empress PanEmpress Pan (Da)Empress Pan , personal name unknown, was an empress of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. She was the only empress of the founding emperor, Sun Quan, even though he had a succession of wives before her....
- Spouse: Empress QuanEmpress QuanQuan Huijie, formally known as Empress Quan, was an empress of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. She was married to Sun Liang, the second emperor of Eastern Wu....