孫堅

Profile

The "Tiger of Jiangdong," founding father of Wu in all but name. Famous at seventeen for hunting down pirates, he fought harder than any lord against the Yellow Turbans and Dong Zhuo — his troops the first into Luoyang. An ambush arrow killed him at thirty-seven in the war against Liu Biao, but his fire passed to his sons Sun Ce and Sun Quan, the seed of the southern empire.

Key events

1. 184

   Yellow Turban Rebellion

   Zhang Jiao’s Taiping followers rise across the empire, opening the Three Kingdoms era. Liu Bei, Cao Cao and Sun Jian first made their names in the suppression.

   Zhang JiaoLiu BeiCao CaoGuan YuZhang Fei

2. 190

   The Coalition Against Dong Zhuo

   The eastern lords raise arms against Dong Zhuo under Yuan Shao. Cao Cao and Sun Jian fought hardest of all.

   Yuan ShaoCao CaoYuan ShuGongsun Zan

3. 191

   Hulao Gate — Three Heroes vs. Lü BuNovel

   The novel’s famous duel of the three brothers against Lü Bu at Hulao Gate. In the histories it was Sun Jian, not Guan Yu, who slew Hua Xiong.

   Lü BuLiu BeiGuan YuZhang Fei

4. 192

   Death of Sun Jian

   Sun Jian, Tiger of Jiangdong, falls to an ambush while campaigning against Liu Biao. His son Sun Ce takes up his cause.

   Liu BiaoSun Ce

History vs. the novelHistoryvsNovel

The beheading of Hua Xiong, which the novel hands to Guan Yu, belongs to Sun Jian in the histories. The tale of hiding the Imperial Seal is likewise inflated — the historical Sun Jian was a loyalist of the Han to the end.