Sun Liang
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| Sun Liang | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emperor of Eastern Wu | |||||||||
| Reign | 21 May 252 – 9 November 258 | ||||||||
| Predecessor | Sun Quan | ||||||||
| Successor | Sun Xiu | ||||||||
| Crown Prince of Eastern Wu | |||||||||
| Tenure | December 250 or January 251 – 21 May 252 | ||||||||
| Predecessor | Sun He | ||||||||
| Successor | Sun Wan | ||||||||
| Prince of Kuaiji ( | |||||||||
| Tenure | 9 November 258 – 260 | ||||||||
| Marquis of Houguan ( | |||||||||
| Tenure | 260 | ||||||||
| Born | 243 | ||||||||
| Died | 260 (aged 17) | ||||||||
| Consort | Empress Quan | ||||||||
| |||||||||
| House | House of Sun | ||||||||
| Father | Sun Quan | ||||||||
| Mother | Empress Pan | ||||||||
Sun Liang (243[1] – 260), courtesy name Ziming, was the second emperor of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He was the youngest son and heir of Sun Quan, the founding emperor of Wu. He is also known as the Prince of Kuaiji or (less frequently) Marquis of Houguan (
Early life
[edit]Sun Liang was born in 243, to Sun Quan and one of his favourite 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[2] (60 at the time of Sun Liang's birth). He was also born in 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, the Prince of Lu, who had designs on the position.[3] In September or October 250,[4] fed up with Sun Ba's constant attacks against Sun He, Sun Quan ordered Sun Ba to commit suicide and deposed Sun He. At the urging of his eldest daughter Sun Luban, who had been making false accusations against Sun He and his mother Lady Wang and therefore wanted to see Sun He deposed, he made Sun Liang the new Crown Prince in December 250 or January 251.[5][6][7] Sun Luban then had Sun Liang married to Quan Huijie, a grandniece of her husband, Quan Cong.[8] In 251, Sun Quan instated Sun Liang's mother, Consort Pan, as the Empress.[9]
In 252, Sun Liang lost both his parents in rapid succession. Early that year, Empress Pan was murdered and in the winter Sun Quan died, so Sun Liang became the new emperor.[10][11]
Reign
[edit]Zhuge Ke's regency
[edit]Prior to his death, Sun Quan had selected Zhuge Ke as the regent for Sun Liang, on the advice of trusted kinsman Sun Jun,[12] but he would last only eighteen months.[13][14] In 17th February 253 Lady Quan was chosen to be his Empress.[15] That same year Zhuge Ke launched a major campaign against the larger rival state of Cao Wei at Hefei but suffered a disastrous defeat which, combined with his handling of the aftermath, led to Zhuge Ke becoming vulnerable. Sun Jun turned against Zhuge Ke, he told Sun Liang that Zhuge Ke was plotting treason, and he set up a trap at a feast for Zhuge Ke.[16] (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.[citation needed] The Wu lu by Zhang Bao, the son of a Wu minister,[17] claims Sun Liang denied responsibility for the order and had to be taken away by his wet-nurse[18] but Pei Songzhi dismisses the claim as Sun Jun would have been relying on Sun Liang's authority and needed him there at the banquet.[19]) During the middle of the feast, assassins that Sun Jun had arranged for killed Zhuge Ke, and Sun Jun's forces then wiped out the Zhuge family.[20][21][22]
Sun Jun's regency
[edit]After Sun Jun killed Zhuge Ke, he quickly moved to consolidate his power. He initially, on the surface, shared power with Teng Yin, but he, with control of the military, soon became even more dictatorial than Zhuge Ke. In particular, he falsely accused the former crown prince Sun He of conspiring with Zhuge Ke, and forced Sun He to commit suicide. His autocratic actions led to a conspiracy between Sun Ying (
In 255, in the midst of Cao Wei's having to deal with a rebellion by Guanqiu Jian and Wen Qin, 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 Qin 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 second daughter Sun Luyu, falsely implicated by her elder sister Sun Luban.
In 256, Sun Jun, at Wen Qin's urging, was planning an attack against Cao Wei, when he suddenly fell ill, and he commissioned his cousin Sun Chen to succeed him as regent and died soon after.
Sun Chen's regency
[edit]Sun Jun's death would precipitate a major confrontation. The general Lü Ju, who was set to lead the main force against Cao Wei, was angry that the autocratic Sun Jun appointed Sun Chen, who had not distinguished himself in any way. Lü Ju openly called for Teng Yin to become regent instead, and Teng Yin agreed to act with him. Sun Chen struck back militarily, and his forces defeated Teng Yin and Lü Ju. Teng Yin and his family were executed, while Lü Ju committed suicide. In light of his defeat of Teng Yin and Lü Ju, Sun Chen 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, consisting of young men and officers with age similar to his, stating that he intended to grow up with them. He also sometimes questioned Sun Chen's decisions. Sun Chen began to be somewhat apprehensive of the young emperor.
Later that year, the Cao Wei general Zhuge Dan, believing that the 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 Qin, quickly arrived to assist him, but Sun Chen led the main forces and chose to camp a long distance away from Shouchun, where Zhuge Dan was besieged by Sima Zhao, and did nothing. When Sun Chen instead ordered the general Zhu Yi to try to relieve Shouchun with tired and unfed troops, Zhu Yi refused so Sun Chen executed him, bringing anger from the people, who had admired Zhu Yi's military skills and integrity. With Sun Chen unable to do anything, Zhuge Dan's rebellion failed in 258, and Wen Qin's troops became captives of Cao Wei.
Removal
[edit]Sun Chen 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 defences. Sun Liang became angrier, and plotted with his sister Sun Luban, the general Liu Cheng (
After removal
[edit]Sun Chen then made Sun Liang's elder brother, Sun Xiu, the Prince of Langye, the new emperor. Several months later, Sun Xiu set a trap for Sun Chen 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 July to November 260,[24] there were rumours that Sun Liang would be emperor again, and Sun Liang's servants falsely accused him of witchcraft. Sun Xiu demoted Sun Liang to a marquis under the title "Marquis of Houguan" and sent him to his marquisate in Houguan (present-day Fuzhou, Fujian). Sun Liang died on the journey. While most historians believe that he committed suicide, an alternative theory is that Sun Xiu had him poisoned.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ According to Sun Liang's biography in Sanguozhi, he was 16 (by East Asian reckoning) when he was demoted to Prince of Kuaiji in Nov 258. Thus by calculation, his birth year should be 243. Vol.03 of Jiankang Shilu indicated that Sun Liang was born in the 7th year of the Chi'wu era, which corresponds to 244 in the Julian calendar.
- ^
孫 亮 字 子 明 ，權 少子 也。權 春秋 高 ，而亮最少 ，故 尤 留意 。Sanguozhi vol.48. - ^ De Crespigny, Rafe (2019). Dien, Albert; Knapp, Keith (eds.). The Cambridge History of China: Volume 2, the Six Dynasties, 220-589. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 60–61. ISBN 9781107020771.
- ^ According to Sun Quan's biography in Sanguozhi, Sun He was deposed as crown prince and Su Ba died in the 8th month of the 13th year of the Chiwu era of his reign. This corresponds to 14 Sep to 12 Oct 250 in the Julian calendar. ([
赤 烏 十 三 年 ]八 月 ， ...廢 太子 和 ，處 故 鄣。魯王霸賜死 。) Sanguozhi vol. 47 - ^ According to Sun Quan's biography in Sanguozhi, Sun Liang was made crown prince in the 11th month of the 13th year of the Chiwu era of his reign. This corresponds to 11 Dec 250 to 9 Jan 251 in the Julian calendar. ([
赤 烏 十 三 年 ]十 一 月 ，立子 亮 為 太子 。) Sanguozhi vol. 47 - ^ De Crespigny, Rafe (1997). Generals Of The South: The Foundation And Early History Of The Three Kingdoms State Of Wu (2018 ed.). pp. 376–377. ISBN 9780731509010.
- ^ De Crespigny, Rafe (2019). "Wu: The Succesion to Sun Quan and the Fall of Wu (252-280)". In E.Dien, Albert; N.Knapp, Keith (eds.). The Cambridge History of China: Voume 2 The Six Dynasties 220-589. Cambridge University Press. pp. 60–61. ISBN 978-1-107-02077-1.
- ^ 姊全
公主 嘗譖太子 和子 母 ，心 不 自 安 ，因 倚權意 ，欲 豫 自 結 ，數 稱 述 全 尚 女 ，勸 為 亮 納 。赤 烏 十 三 年 ，和 廢 ，權 遂 立 亮 為 太子 ，以全氏 為 妃 Sanguozhi vol.48. - ^
太 元 元年 夏 ，亮 母 潘 氏 立 為 皇后 Sanguozhi vol.48. - ^
權 不 豫 ，夫人 使 問 中書 令孫 弘 呂 后 專制 故事 。侍 疾 疲勞 ，因 以羸疾 ，諸 宮人 伺其昏臥，共 縊殺之 ，託 言 中 惡 。後事 泄，坐 死者 六 七 人 。權 尋 薨，合 葬 蔣陵。Sanguozhi vol.50. - ^
夏 四 月 ，權 薨，時 年 七 十 一 ，謚曰大 皇帝 Sanguozhi vol. 47. - ^
吳 書 曰：權 寢 疾 ，議 所 付託 。時 朝臣 咸皆注意 於恪，而孫峻 表 恪 器 任 輔政，可 付 大事 。權 嫌 恪 剛 很自用 ，峻 以當今 朝臣 皆 莫及，遂 固 保之 ，乃徵恪 Wushu annotation to Sanguozhi vol. 64. - ^
冬 ，權 寢 疾 ，徵 大將軍 諸 葛 恪 為 太子 太 傅 ，會 稽太守 滕胤為 太 常 ，並 受詔輔太子 Sanguozhi vol.48. - ^
久之 ，權 不 豫 ，而太子 少 ，乃徵恪 以大將軍 領 太子 太 傅 ，中書 令孫 弘 領 少 傅 。權 疾 困 ，召恪、弘 及太常 滕胤、將軍 呂 據 、侍 中 孫 峻 ，屬 以後 事 Sanguozhi vol.64. - ^
二 年 春 正月 丙 寅 ，立 皇后 全 氏 ，大赦 Sanguozhi vol.48. - ^
孫 峻 因 民 之 多 怨，眾之所 嫌 ，搆恪欲 為 變 ，與 亮 謀 ，置 酒 請恪 Sanguozhi vol.64. - ^ De Crespigny, Rafe (1997). Generals Of The South: The Foundation And Early History Of The Three Kingdoms State Of Wu (2018 ed.). pp. 343–344. ISBN 9780731509010.
- ^
吳 錄 曰：峻 提 刀 稱 詔 收 恪 ，亮 起立 曰：「非我 所為 ！非我 所為 ！」乳母 引亮還 內 Wulu annotation Sanguozhi vol.64. - ^
吳 歷 云 ：峻 先 引亮入 ，然 後 出 稱 詔 。與本 傳 同 。臣 松 之 以為峻 欲 稱 詔 ，宜 如本傳 及吳歷 ，不 得 如吳錄 所 言 。Pei Songzhi's commentary to the wu lu and the wu li in Sanguozhi vol.64. - ^
中子 竦，長 水 校 尉 。少子 建 ，步兵 校 尉 。聞恪誅，車載 其母而走。峻 遣 騎 督 劉 承 追 斬 竦於白都 。建 得 渡江 ，欲 北 走 魏 ，行 數 十 里 ，為 追 兵 所 逮。恪 外 甥 都 鄉 侯 張 震 及常侍 朱 恩 等 ，皆 夷 三 族 。Sanguozhi vol.64. - ^ De Crespigny, Rafe (1997). Generals Of The South: The Foundation And Early History Of The Three Kingdoms State Of Wu (2018 ed.). pp. 367–377. ISBN 9780731509010.
- ^ De Crespigny, Rafe (2019). "Wu: The Succesion to Sun Quan and the Fall of Wu (252-280)". In E.Dien, Albert; N.Knapp, Keith (eds.). The Cambridge History of China: Voume 2 The Six Dynasties 220-589. Cambridge University Press. p. 61. ISBN 978-1-107-02077-1.
- ^ Volume 77 of Zizhi Tongjian recorded that Sun Chen killed Liu Cheng on the wuwu day of the 9th month of the 3rd year of the Ganlu era of Cao Mao's reign. This corresponds to 9 Nov 258 on the Julian calendar. [(
甘露 三 年 )九 月 ，戊 午 ，𬘭夜 以兵袭尚，执之，遣 弟 恩 杀刘承于苍龙门外 ...] Zizhi Tongjian, vol.77 - ^ Volume 77 of Zizhi Tongjian placed the events surrounding Sun Liang's death between the guihai day of the 6th month and the 10th month of the 1st year of the Jingyuan era of Cao Mao's reign. This corresponds to 6 Jul to 19 Nov 260 on the Julian calendar.
- Chen, Shou (3rd century). Records of the Three Kingdoms (Sanguozhi).
- Pei, Songzhi (5th century). Annotations to Records of the Three Kingdoms (Sanguozhi zhu).