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孫堅孫策
Sun Jian and Sun Ce.
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孫堅字文臺，吳郡富春人，蓋孫武之後也。 〈吳書曰：堅世仕吳，家於富春，葬於城東。 塚上數有光怪，雲氣五色，上屬於天，曼延數里。 眾皆往觀視。 父老相謂曰：「是非凡氣，孫氏其興矣！」 及母懷妊堅，夢腸出繞吳昌門，寤而懼之，以告鄰母。 鄰母曰：「安知非吉徵也。」 堅生，容貌不凡，性闊達，好奇節。〉
Sun Jian, whose courtesy name was Wentai, came from Fuchun in Wu Commandery and claimed descent from Sun Wu. 〈According to the Book of Wu, the Sun family had long served in Wu, settled at Fuchun, and buried their dead east of the walls. Strange lights often played above the tomb, and bands of five-colored mist rose to meet the sky, trailing for miles along the ground. People flocked from all around to see it. The elders murmured among themselves, “That is no common omen; the Sun clan is destined to flourish.” While carrying Sun Jian, his mother dreamed her entrails spilled forth and coiled around Wu’s Chang Gate; she woke in terror and confided in a neighbor. The neighbor replied, “Who can say it is not a blessing in disguise?” Sun Jian was born with striking features, an open disposition, and a taste for bold, principled deeds.〉
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少為縣吏。 年十七，與父共載船至錢唐，會海賊胡玉等從匏裡上掠取賈人財物，方於岸上分之，行旅皆住，船不敢進。 堅謂父曰：「此賊可擊，請討之。」 父曰：「非爾所圖也。」 堅行操刀上岸，以手東西指麾，若分部人兵以羅遮賊狀。 賊望見，以為官兵捕之，即委財物散走。 堅追，斬得一級以還。 父大驚。 由是顯聞，府召署假尉。 會稽妖賊許昌起於句章，自稱陽明皇帝， 〈灵帝纪曰：昌以其父为越王也。〉 與其子韶扇動諸縣，眾以萬數。 堅以郡司馬募召精勇，得千餘人，與州郡合討破之。 是歲，熹平元年也。 刺史臧旻列上功狀，詔書除堅鹽瀆丞，數歲徙盱眙丞，又徙下邳丞。 〈江表传曰：坚历佐三县，所在有称，吏民亲附。 乡里知旧，好事少年，往来者常数百人，坚接抚待养，有若子弟焉。〉
As a young man he served as a county clerk. At seventeen he shared a boat with his father bound for Qiantang when the bandit Hu Yu and his gang emerged from a reed covert to rob merchants; the robbers were ashore splitting the loot, and every craft hung back, afraid to pass. Sun Jian told his father, “We can take those thieves—let me deal with them.” His father answered, “That is no business of yours.” Sun Jian seized a blade, waded ashore, and waved his arms this way and that as though he were deploying soldiers to trap the raiders. The pirates mistook him for an official force and dropped their plunder, fleeing in panic. He gave chase, took one head, and came back. His father stared in amazement. Word of the deed spread, and the prefect called him in and named him acting commandant. In Kuaiji the sectarian rebel Xu Chang broke out at Gouzhang and proclaimed himself the Yangming Emperor, 〈Emperor Ling’s annals note that Xu Chang had his father styled King of Yue.〉 He and his son Shao incited the counties until their host ran into the tens of thousands. Sun Jian, serving as county marshal, raised over a thousand picked fighters and, joining the provincial and local forces, crushed the rising. This was the first year of the Xiping era (172). Inspector Zang Min reported his service to the throne; an edict named him assistant magistrate of Yandu, and after a few years he was moved to Xuyi, then to Xiapi. 〈The Jiang Biao Zhuan says Sun Jian served three counties in turn, won praise at each posting, and drew officials and people to his side. Hundreds of local friends and restless young men drifted in and out of his circle, and he fed and housed them like family.〉
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邊章、韓遂作亂涼州，中郎將董卓拒討無功。 中平三年，遣司空張溫行車騎將軍，西討章等。 溫表請堅與參軍事，屯長安。 溫以詔書召卓，卓良久乃詣溫。 溫責讓卓，卓應對不順。 堅時在坐，前耳語謂溫曰：「卓不怖罪而鴟張大語，宜以召不時至，陳軍法斬之。」 溫曰：「卓素著威名於隴蜀之間，今日殺之，西行無依。」 堅曰：「明公親率王兵，威震天下，何賴於卓？ 觀卓所言，不假明公，輕上無禮，一罪也。 章、遂跋扈經年，當以時進討，而卓雲未可，沮軍疑眾，二罪也。 卓受任無功，應召稽留，而軒昂自高，三罪也。 古之名將，仗鉞臨眾，未有不斷斬以示威者也。 是以穰苴斬莊賈，魏絳戮楊干。 今明公垂意於卓，不即加誅，虧損威刑。 於是在矣。」 溫不忍發舉，乃曰：「君且還，卓將疑人。」 堅因起出。 章、遂聞大兵向至，黨眾離散，皆乞降。 軍還，議者以軍未臨敵，不斷功賞。 然聞堅數卓三罪，勸溫斬之，無不歎息。 拜堅議郎。 時長沙賊區星自稱將軍，眾萬餘人攻圍城邑，乃以堅為長沙太守。 到郡親率將士，施設方略，旬月之間，克破星等。 〈魏书曰：坚到郡，郡中震服，任用良吏。 敕吏曰：「谨遇良善，治官曹文书，必循治，以盗贼付太守。」〉 周朝、郭石亦帥徒眾起於零、桂，與星相應。 遂越境尋討，三郡肅然。 漢朝錄前後功，封堅為烏程侯。 〈吴录曰：是时庐江太守陆康从子作宜春长，为贼所攻，遣使求救於坚。 坚整严救之。 主簿进谏，坚答曰：「太守无文德，以征伐为功，越界攻讨，以全异国。 以此获罪，何愧海内乎？」 乃进兵往救，贼闻而走。〉
When Bian Zhang and Han Sui revolted in Liangzhou, Colonel Dong Zhuo led the campaign against them and accomplished nothing. In Zhongping 3 (186) the court dispatched Minister of Works Zhang Wen, acting as General of Chariots and Cavalry, on a western expedition against Bian Zhang’s coalition. Zhang Wen petitioned to have Sun Jian serve on his staff and garrison Chang’an. Zhang Wen summoned Dong Zhuo by edict, and Dong Zhuo kept him waiting a long while before he appeared. Zhang Wen dressed him down; Dong Zhuo answered with open defiance. Sun Jian, who was present, murmured to Zhang Wen, “Dong Zhuo shows no fear of punishment—only swagger. Execute him for tardiness to the summons; military law demands it.” Zhang Wen replied, “Dong Zhuo’s dread reputation runs through Long and Ba; kill him now and the western column loses its backbone.” Sun Jian answered, “You command the imperial host in person and your name shakes the realm—what need have you of Dong Zhuo? Listen to his tone: he bows to no one above him; that is insolence toward authority—his first offense. Bian Zhang and Han Sui have swaggered for years and ought to be struck now, yet Dong Zhuo says the moment is wrong—he saps morale and breeds mistrust; that is his second count. He was given a command and achieved nothing, dallied when summoned, yet struts as though he were indispensable; that is his third crime. The great captains of old, axe in hand before their troops, always made an example with the executioner’s blade. Hence Tian Rangju beheaded Zhuang Jia, and Wei Jiang executed Yang Gan. If you indulge Dong Zhuo and spare him, you wound the majesty of the law. The case is before you now.” Zhang Wen shrank from the deed and told him, “Go back for now—Dong Zhuo will grow suspicious if we press further.” Sun Jian rose and left. Learning that a great host was closing in, Bian Zhang and Han Sui’s followers melted away and sued for peace. On the withdrawal, the councilors argued that no battle had been joined, so merit pay should not yet be fixed. Yet everyone who heard how Sun Jian listed Dong Zhuo’s three offenses and urged Zhang Wen to strike drew a long breath in admiration. Sun Jian was named Consultant Gentleman. When the Changsha rebel Qu Xing, calling himself a general, led over ten thousand men against the cities, the court named Sun Jian Grand Administrator of Changsha. He reached his jurisdiction, took the field in person, laid his plans, and within a month had smashed Qu Xing’s force. 〈The Book of Wei records that his arrival awed the commandery into order and that he appointed capable men. He told his clerks, “Cherish the law-abiding, keep the paperwork in good order, and hand robbers over to me.”〉 Zhou Chao and Guo Shi likewise raised bands in Lingling and Guiyang in concert with Qu Xing. He crossed his borders to hunt them down until three commanderies lay calm. The Han reckoned his earlier and later service and invested him as Marquis of Wucheng. 〈The Wu Lu says Lu Kang of Lujiang had a nephew who was magistrate of Yichun; when bandits besieged him he appealed to Sun Jian. Sun Jian drew up his host and marched to the rescue. His chief clerk objected, but Sun Jian replied, “An administrator without literary polish earns his reputation in the field; I may cross a border to save a neighbor’s people. If that earns me blame, I will still have nothing to blush for under Heaven.” He pushed his army forward; the raiders fled at the news.〉
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靈帝崩，卓擅朝政，橫恣京城。 諸州郡並興義兵，欲以討卓。 〈江表传曰：坚闻之，拊膺叹曰：「张公昔从吾言，朝廷今无此难也。」〉 堅亦舉兵。 荊州刺史王睿素遇堅無禮，堅過殺之。 〈案《王氏谱》，叡字通耀，晋太保祥伯父也。 吴录曰：叡先与坚共击零、桂贼，以坚武官，言颇轻之。 及叡举兵欲讨卓，素与武陵太守曹寅不相能，杨言当先杀寅。 寅惧，诈作案行使者光禄大夫温毅檄，移坚，说叡罪过，令收行刑讫，以状上。 坚即承檄勒兵袭叡。 叡闻兵至，登楼望之，遣问欲何为，坚前部答曰：「兵久战劳苦，所得赏，不足以为衣服，诣使君更乞资直耳。」 叡曰：「刺史岂有所吝？」 便开库藏，使自入视之，知有所遗不。 兵进及楼下，叡见坚，惊曰：「兵自求赏，孙府君何以在其中？」 坚曰：「被使者檄诛君。」 叡曰：「我何罪？」 坚曰：「坐无所知。」 叡穷迫，刮金饮之而死。〉 比至南陽，眾數萬人。 南陽太守張咨聞軍至，晏然自若。 〈《英雄记》曰：咨字子议，颍川人，亦知名。 《献帝春秋》曰：袁术表坚假中郎将。 坚到南阳，移檄太守请军粮。 咨以问纲纪，纲纪曰：「坚邻郡二千石，不应调发。」 咨遂不与。〉 堅以牛酒禮咨，咨明日亦答詣堅。 酒酣，長沙主簿入白堅：「前移南陽，而道路不治，軍資不具，請收主簿推問意故。」 咨大懼欲去，兵陳四周不得出。 有頃，主簿復入白堅：「南陽太守稽停義兵，使賊不時討，請收出案軍法從事。」 便牽咨於軍門斬之。 郡中震慄，無求不獲。 〈吴历曰：初坚至南阳，咨既不给军粮，又不肯见坚。 坚欲进兵，恐有后患，乃诈得急疾，举军震惶，迎呼巫医，祷祀山川。 遣所亲人说咨，言病困，欲以兵付咨。 咨闻之，心利其兵，即将步骑五六百人诣营省坚。 坚卧与相见。 无何，卒然而起，按剑骂咨，遂执斩之。 此语与本传不同。〉
After Emperor Ling died, Dong Zhuo seized the government and ran riot in Luoyang. Provinces and commanderies everywhere raised loyal armies to bring him down. 〈The Jiang Biao Zhuan says Sun Jian smote his chest and cried, “Had Zhang Wen heeded me then, the capital would never be in this plight.”〉 Sun Jian raised a force of his own. Wang Rui, the Inspector of Jingzhou, had long slighted him, so Sun Jian cut him down as he passed through his territory. 〈The Wang genealogy gives Rui the courtesy name Tongyao and makes him the uncle of Jin’s Grand Protector Wang Xiang. The Wu Lu adds that Wang Rui had campaigned with Sun Jian against Ling and Gui and, thinking him a mere fighting man, spoke down to him. When Wang Rui mobilized against Dong Zhuo, he was on bad terms with Cao Yin of Wuling and vowed publicly to execute Yin first. Cao Yin, in fear, forged orders in the name of the credential-bearing envoy Guanglu dafu Wen Yi, listing Wang Rui’s crimes and instructing Sun Jian to arrest him, put him to death, and memorialize the result. Sun Jian accepted the commission at once, mustered his men, and fell upon Wang Rui. Wang Rui climbed a tower to watch; he sent a man to ask their purpose, and Sun Jian’s vanguard replied, “We have marched until we are worn threadbare; our bonuses will not clothe us—we only beg the inspector for more pay.” Wang Rui called back, “Would I begrudge you anything?” He threw open the granaries and treasury and told them to help themselves and see whether anything was left. As they pressed the tower, Wang Rui spotted Sun Jian and exclaimed, “The men want their bounty—why is Magistrate Sun here?” Sun Jian answered, “I hold orders from the envoy to put you to death.” “What is my offense?” Sun Jian said, “The crime of knowing nothing.” Cornered, Wang Rui scraped gold dust, swallowed it, and died.〉 By the time he reached Nanyang his column had swelled into the tens of thousands. Zhang Zi, Grand Administrator of Nanyang, heard the army was coming yet sat unruffled. 〈The Yingxiong Ji gives Zhang Zi the courtesy name Ziyi, from Yingchuan, and notes his reputation. The Xian Emperor Annals record that Yuan Shu petitioned to appoint Sun Jian acting General of the Household Who Smashes the Caitiffs. On reaching Nanyang, Sun Jian sent a requisition to the grand administrator for provisions. Zhang Zi consulted his chief clerk, who answered, “Sun Jian is another commandery’s two-thousand-dan officer—you owe him no levy.” Zhang Zi refused.〉 Sun Jian feasted him with oxen and wine; the next day Zhang Zi came to return the courtesy. Mid-feast the Changsha chief clerk stepped in to Sun Jian: “Our passage through Nanyang found the roads unmended and no supplies laid in—arrest your chief clerk and ask why.” Zhang Zi tried to rise, but rings of soldiers penned him in. Moments later the chief clerk returned: “The Grand Administrator of Nanyang has blocked the loyal host and delayed the strike against the rebels—take him out and try him by military law.” They hauled Zhang Zi to the camp gate and struck off his head. The commandery shook with dread, and from then on every demand was met. 〈The Wu Li says that at first Zhang Zi neither issued grain nor would receive Sun Jian. Wanting to march on but fearing trouble in the rear, Sun Jian feigned a sudden illness; the camp erupted in panic, shamans and doctors were summoned, and sacrifices were offered to hill and stream gods. He sent a confidant to Zhang Zi, claiming he was dying and wished to entrust the army to him. Zhang Zi, greedy for the command, rode straight to camp with five or six hundred horse and foot to inquire after Sun Jian. Sun Jian received him from his couch. In an instant he sprang up, sword in hand, cursed Zhang Zi, seized him, and struck off his head. This version disagrees with the main text.〉
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前到魯陽，與袁術相見。 術表堅行破虜將軍，領豫州刺史。 遂治兵於魯陽城。 當進軍討卓，遣長史公仇稱將兵從事還州督促軍糧。 施帳幔於城東門外，祖道送稱，官屬並會。 卓遣步騎數萬人逆堅，輕騎數十先到。 堅方行酒談笑，敕部曲整頓行陳，無得妄動。 後騎漸益，堅徐罷坐，導引入城。 乃謂左右曰：「向堅所以不即起者，恐兵相蹈藉，諸君不得入耳。」 卓兵見堅士眾甚整，不敢攻城，乃引還。 〈《英雄记》曰：初坚讨董卓，到梁县之阳人。 卓亦遣兵步骑五千迎之，陈郡太守胡轸为大督护，吕布为骑督，其餘步骑将校都督者甚众。 轸字文才，性急，预宣言曰：「今此行也，要当斩一青绶，乃整齐耳。」 诸将闻而恶之。 军到广成，去阳人城数十里。 日暮，士马疲极，当止宿，又本受卓节度宿广成，秣马饮食，以夜进兵，投晓攻城。 诸将恶惮轸，欲贼败其事，布等宣言「阳人城中贼已走，当追寻之； 不然失之矣」，便夜进军。 城中守备甚设，不可掩袭。 於是吏士饥渴，人马甚疲，且夜至，又无堑垒。 释甲休息，而布又宣言相惊，云「城中贼出来」。 军众扰乱奔走，皆弃甲，失鞍马。 行十餘里，定无贼，会天明，便还，拾取兵器，欲进攻城。 城守已固，穿堑已深，轸等不能攻而还。〉 堅移屯梁東，大為卓軍所攻，堅與數十騎潰圍而出。 堅常著赤罽幘，乃脫幘令親近將祖茂著之。 卓騎爭逐茂，故堅從間道得免。 茂困迫，下馬，以幘冠塚閒燒柱，因伏草中。 卓騎望見，圍繞數重，定近覺是柱，乃去。 堅復相收兵，合戰於陽人，大破卓軍，梟其都督華雄等。 是時，或間堅於術，術懷疑，不運軍糧。 〈江表传曰：或谓术曰：「坚若得洛，不可复制，此为除狼而得虎也」，故术疑之。〉 陽人去魯陽百餘里，堅夜馳見術，畫地計校，曰：「所以出身不顧，上為國家討賊，下慰將軍家門之私仇。 堅與卓非有骨肉之怨也，而將軍受譖潤之言，還相嫌疑！」 〈《江表传》载坚语曰：「大勋垂捷而军粮不继，此吴起所以叹泣於西河，乐毅所以遗恨於垂成也。 原将军深思之。」〉 術踧踖，即調發軍糧。 堅還屯。 卓憚堅猛壯，乃遣將軍李傕等來求和親。 令堅列疏子弟任刺史、郡守者，許表用之。 堅曰：「卓逆天無道，蕩覆王室。 今不夷汝三族，懸示四海，則吾死不瞑目。 豈將與乃和親邪？」 復進軍大谷。 拒雒九十里。 〈山阳公载记曰：卓谓长史刘艾曰：「关东军败数矣，皆畏孤，无能为也。 惟孙坚小戆，颇能用人，当语诸将，使知忌之。 孤昔与周慎西征，慎围边、韩於金城。 孤语张温，求引所将兵为慎作后驻。 温不听。 孤时上言其形势，知慎必不克。 台今有本末。 事未报，温又使孤讨先零叛羌，以为西方可一时荡定。 孤皆知其不然而不得止，遂行，留别部司马刘靖将步骑四千屯安定，以为声势。 叛羌便还，欲截归道，孤小击辄开，畏安定有兵故也。 虏谓安定当数万人，不知但靖也。 时又上章言状，而孙坚随周慎行，谓慎求将万兵造金城，使慎以二万作后驻，边、韩城中无宿谷，当於外运，畏慎大兵，不敢轻与坚战，而坚兵足以断其运道，兒曹用必还羌谷中，凉州或能定也。 温既不能用孤，慎又不用坚，自攻金城，坏其外垣，驰使语温，自以克在旦夕，温时亦自以计中也。 而渡辽兒果断 （蔡园） 〔葵园〕，慎弃辎重走，果如孤策。 台以此封孤都乡侯。 坚以佐军司马，所见与人同，自为可耳。」 艾曰：「坚虽时见计，故自不如李傕、郭汜。 闻在美阳亭北，将千骑步与虏合，殆死，亡失印绶，此不为能也。」 卓曰：「坚时乌合义从，兵不如虏精，且战有利钝。 但当论山东大势，终无所至耳。」 艾曰：「山东兒驱略百姓，以作寇逆，其锋不如人，坚甲利兵强弩之用又不如人，亦安得久？」 卓曰：「然，但杀二袁、刘表、孙坚，天下自服从孤耳。」〉 卓尋徙都西入關，焚燒雒邑。
He pushed on to Luyang and joined Yuan Shu. Yuan Shu petitioned the throne to appoint Sun Jian General Who Smashes the Caitiffs and acting Inspector of Yuzhou. There he trained his army inside the walls of Luyang. As he prepared to march against Dong Zhuo, he dispatched Chief Clerk Gongqiu Cheng with an escort to the province to press for the delivery of provisions. Outside the east gate he pitched canopies for the farewell banquet for Cheng, and every officer in his staff turned out. Dong Zhuo sent tens of thousands of foot and horse against him, and a few dozen light horsemen reached the scene first. Sun Jian went on pouring wine and chatting calmly while ordering his men to dress the ranks and hold their ground. As more enemy horsemen arrived, he rose without haste, saw his men through the gates, and withdrew into the city. He told his officers, “I stayed seated so our men would not panic and crush each other in the gateway—you needed a clear path in.” Dong Zhuo’s host saw how steady Sun Jian’s ranks were and dared not storm the walls; they turned back. 〈The Yingxiong Ji records that Sun Jian’s first move against Dong Zhuo brought him to Yangren in Liang County. Dong Zhuo likewise sent five thousand mixed troops to intercept him, with Hu Zhen of Chen as overall commander, Lü Bu as cavalry director, and a host of other colonels and captains under them. Hu Zhen, courtesy Wencai, was a hothead who announced beforehand, “This time we cut down one man in the green sash—only then will the army know discipline.” The generals took the remark as a threat against themselves and loathed him. They halted at Guangcheng, still dozens of li short of Yangren. Night was falling, men and mounts were spent, and Dong Zhuo’s orders had been to bivouac at Guangcheng, rest and feed the horses, then march by night and storm the walls at dawn. The commanders, nursing a grudge against Hu Zhen, resolved to wreck his plan; Lü Bu and his fellows spread word that “the rebels have already slipped out of Yangren—we must chase them now; or we lose them for good,” and so they pushed the column forward in the dark." Yangren’s defenses were fully manned; a sneak attack was impossible. The attackers arrived famished and parched at midnight, with no trenches or palisades to shelter them. They shed their armor to rest, until Lü Bu’s men raised another false cry that “the enemy is sallying from the town.” The host dissolved in panic, casting off mail and losing mounts in the rout. They fled several li before realizing no enemy was behind them; at daybreak they straggled back, gathered their arms, and prepared to renew the assault. By then the walls were manned and the ditches deep; Hu Zhen had no choice but to withdraw.〉 Sun Jian moved his camp east of Liang, where Dong Zhuo’s army fell on him in force; he cut his way out with only a few dozen horsemen. He always fought in his trademark crimson wool cap; he pulled it off and pressed it on his trusted officer Zu Mao. Dong Zhuo’s riders swarmed after the red cap, which let Sun Jian slip away down a side path. Zu Mao, cornered, leaped down, perched the cap on a charred grave-marker, and flattened himself in the weeds. The pursuers ringed the spot in tight circles until they saw it was only a post, then rode off. Sun Jian rallied his men, met Dong Zhuo’s army again at Yangren, shattered it, and took the head of commander Hua Xiong among others. Someone whispered poison into Yuan Shu’s ear; Yuan Shu began to doubt him and cut off the grain convoys. 〈The Jiang Biao Zhuan quotes a warning to Yuan Shu: “Let Sun Jian seize Luoyang and you will never leash him again—you trade a wolf for a tiger,” which fed Yuan Shu’s suspicions.〉 Yangren lies a hundred-odd li from Luyang; Sun Jian rode through the night to Yuan Shu, traced lines in the dust as he argued, and said, “I risked everything to serve the throne against a traitor and to avenge your own family feud. Sun Jian and Dong Zhuo are no blood enemies—yet you swallow gossip and turn on your ally!” 〈The Jiang Biao Zhuan gives his fuller speech: “Victory is within reach and the supplies stop—this is Wu Qi weeping west of the River, this is Yue Yi’s regret on the brink of triumph. Think hard on that, General.”〉" Yuan Shu squirmed, then ordered the grain released at once. Sun Jian rode back to his camp. Dong Zhuo, unnerved by Sun Jian’s ferocity, sent Li Jue and others to propose a marriage pact. He asked Sun Jian to register any relatives who might serve as inspectors or grand administrators, promising imperial confirmation. Sun Jian replied, “Dong Zhuo defies Heaven and the moral order; he has wrecked the Han. Unless I wipe out his three lineages and stake his heads for the realm to see, I shall not rest in my grave. Do you imagine I would treat with him?” He pushed his host on toward the Dagu pass. His front stood ninety li from Luoyang. 〈The Shanyang Gong Zaiji records Dong Zhuo telling Chief Clerk Liu Ai, “The coalition east of the mountains has lost again and again; they are terrified of me and can do nothing. Only Sun Jian is a stubborn fool, but he knows how to use men—you should warn our generals to beware of him. Once Zhou Shen and I marched west together: Shen pinned Bian Zhang and Han Sui inside Jincheng. I begged Zhang Wen to let me bring up the rear with my own command. Zhang Wen refused. I memorialized then on how the lines stood—I knew Shen could not win. The court archives still hold the whole sequence of those memorials. Before any reply came, Zhang Wen ordered me west again against the Xianling Qiang, sure the region could be pacified at a stroke. I knew it was folly but had to go; I left Adjutant Liu Jing with four thousand horse and foot at Anding as a feint. The mutinous Qiang tried to block our retreat until I hit them lightly and broke the trap—they still feared Liu Jing at Anding. They assumed Anding held a host in strength, never guessing it was only Liu Jing’s detachment. I sent another memorial laying out the map: Sun Jian was marching with Zhou Shen and urged him to detach ten thousand men to press Jincheng while Shen kept twenty thousand in reserve. Bian Zhang and Han Sui had no granaries inside the walls and had to haul grain from outside. They would flinch from Shen’s main body and would not dare meet Sun Jian lightly, yet Jian’s corps could choke their convoys—those rabble would be driven back into the Qiang hills, and Liangzhou might yet be brought to heel. Zhang Wen would not use me, and Zhou Shen spurned Sun Jian’s plan: Shen stormed Jincheng himself, broke the outer rampart, and sent couriers boasting that victory was a matter of hours—Zhang Wen thought the trap had sprung shut. Then the Wuhuan auxiliaries from beyond the Liao struck their blow (Manuscript gloss: “Cai Garden.”) [Alternate reading “Kuai Garden”: Zhou Shen threw away his baggage train and ran—exactly as I had predicted.〉 On that account the court invested me as Marquis of Duxiang. Jian, as assistant army major, what he saw was the same as other people; he himself thought it acceptable.” Liu Ai answered, “Sun Jian may have flashes of insight, but he is still no Li Jue or Guo Si. They say north of Meiyang Pavilion he took a thousand mixed troops against the Qiang, nearly died, and lost his seals of office—that is hardly genius.” Dong Zhuo retorted, “Sun Jian then led a scratch militia, not elite like the Qiang, and every battle has its good and bad days. Judge the larger picture east of the mountains—they will never get here.” Liu Ai said, “Those easterners live by raiding the people; their edge is dull, their armor and crossbows inferior—how long can that last?” Dong Zhuo answered, “True—kill the two Yuans, Liu Biao, and Sun Jian, and the world kneels to me.”〉 Soon afterward Dong Zhuo abandoned Luoyang, withdrew into the passes, and put the capital to the torch.
7
堅乃前入至雒，修諸陵，平塞卓所發掘。 〈江表传曰：旧京空虚，数百里中无烟火。 坚前入城，惆怅流涕。 吴书曰：坚入洛，扫除汉宗庙，祠以太牢。 坚军城南甄官井上，旦有五色气，举军惊怪，莫有敢汲。 坚令人入井，探得汉传国玺，文曰「受命于天，既寿永昌」，方圜四寸，上纽交五龙，上一角缺。 初，黄门张让等作乱，劫天子出奔，左右分散，掌玺者以投井中。 《山阳公载记》曰：袁术将僭号，闻坚得传国玺，乃拘坚夫人而夺之。 江表传曰：案汉献帝起居注云「天子从河上还，得六玺於阁上」，又太康之初孙皓送金玺六枚，无有玉，明其伪也。 虞喜《志林》曰：天子六玺者，文曰「皇帝之玺」、「皇帝行玺」、「皇帝信玺」、「天子之玺」、「天子行玺」、「天子信玺」。 此六玺所封事异，故文字不同。 《献帝起注》云「从河上还，得六玉玺於阁上」，此之谓也。 传国玺者，乃汉高祖所佩秦皇帝玺，世世传受，号曰传国玺。 案传国玺不在六玺之数，安得总其说乎？ 应氏《汉官》、皇甫《世纪》，其论六玺，文义皆符。 汉宫传国玺，文曰「受命于天，既寿且康」。 「且康」「永昌」，二字为错，未知两家何者为得。 金玉之精，率有光气，加以神器秘宝，辉耀益彰，盖一代之奇观，将来之异闻，而以不解之故，强谓之伪，不亦诬乎！ 陈寿为破虏传亦除此说，俱惑《起居注》，不知六玺殊名，与传国为七者也。 吴时无能刻玉，故天子以金为玺。 玺虽以金，於文不异。 吴降而送玺者送天子六玺，曩所得玉玺，乃古人遗印，不可施用。 天子之玺，今以无有为难，不通其义者耳。 臣松之以为孙坚於兴义之中最有忠烈之称，若得汉神器而潜匿不言，此为阴怀异志，岂所谓忠臣者乎？ 吴史欲以为国华，而不知损坚之令德。 如其果然，以传子孙，纵非六玺之数，要非常人所畜，孙皓之降，亦不得但送六玺，而宝藏传国也。 受命于天，奚取於归命之堂，若如喜言，则此玺今尚在孙门。 匹夫怀璧，犹曰有罪，而况斯物哉！〉 訖，引軍還，住魯陽。 〈吴录曰：是时关东州郡，务相兼并以自强大。 袁绍遣会稽周喁为豫州刺史，来袭取州。 坚慨然叹曰：「同举义兵，将救社稷。 逆贼垂破而各若此，吾当谁与戮力乎！」 言发涕下。 喁字仁明，周昕之弟也。 《会稽典录》曰：初曹公兴义兵，遣人要喁，喁即收合兵众，得二千人，从公征伐，以为军师。 后与坚争豫州，屡战失利。 会次兄九江太守昂为袁术所攻，喁往助之。 军败，还乡里，为许贡所害。〉
Sun Jian pressed into Luoyang, restored the imperial tombs, and refilled the graves Dong Zhuo had opened. 〈The Jiang Biao Zhuan says the ancient capital lay deserted, with no hearth smoke for a hundred li around. When Sun Jian walked those streets he wept for the ruin of the city. The Book of Wu records that he swept the Han shrines and offered the highest grade of sacrifice. His camp stood south of town over the Zhenguan Well; at dawn five-colored vapors rose, and the whole army shrank from touching the water. He sent a man down the shaft and brought up the Han heirloom jade seal, carved “Ordered by Heaven; long life and glory steadfast,” four cun across, its knob wound with five dragons and one horn chipped away. When the eunuch Zhang Rang and his clique kidnapped the emperor and fled, the seal-bearer flung it into that well. The Shanyang Gong Zaiji adds that Yuan Shu, plotting to declare himself emperor, imprisoned Sun Jian’s wife until she surrendered the seal. The Jiang Biao Zhuan cites Emperor Xian’s diary—“six seals were recovered from the gallery when the court came back from the river”—and notes that when Sun Hao surrendered at the start of the Jin he handed over six gold seals, none of jade, which proves the tale false. Yu Xi’s Zhi Lin lists the six imperial chops: “Emperor’s seal,” “Emperor’s traveling seal,” “Emperor’s credential seal,” “Son of Heaven’s seal,” “Son of Heaven’s traveling seal,” and “Son of Heaven’s credential seal.” Each served a different function, hence the differing legends on the faces. The Xian Emperor’s diary speaks of “six jade seals recovered from the gallery”—that is the set Yu Xi means. The heirloom seal was the Qin emperor’s chop passed down to Han Gaozu—the fabled “transmission seal” handed from ruler to ruler. That heirloom lies outside the six-office set; conflating the two traditions only breeds confusion. Ying Shao’s Han offices treatise and Huangfu Mi’s chronicle both describe the six seals in matching terms. The Han court’s own record of the heirloom reads “Ordered by Heaven; long life and, moreover, peace.” “And peace” versus “ever flourishing”—two characters differ, and which manuscript is right remains unclear. Gold and jade naturally glow; a sacred relic shines all the brighter. To dismiss a wonder of the age as forgery, simply because the texts do not line up, is calumny. Chen Shou dropped the story from Sun Jian’s biography because he trusted the diary entry without noticing that six routine seals plus the heirloom make seven distinct pieces. Eastern Wu lacked craftsmen who could carve jade, so its emperors used gold seals instead. The metal changed, but the inscription remained the same. When Wu capitulated it handed over the six routine chops; the jade piece Sun Jian was said to have found was only an antique keepsake, not usable as the dynastic seal. To insist the heirloom “cannot exist” because one copy is missing is to miss the point entirely. I, Pei Songzhi, hold that Sun Jian won fame as the most gallant loyalist of the coalition: had he truly stolen the Han regalia and hidden it, he would have been a traitor in his heart, not the faithful servant the histories praise. Wu chroniclers turned the tale into a national treasure story, unaware that it tarnishes Sun Jian’s good name. Had the seal been real and passed down in the family, it would not be an object common mortals could hide: when Sun Hao yielded he could not have sent only six chops while secreting the heirloom. The motto “Ordered by Heaven” belongs on the Jin’s “Submission” plaque; if Yu Xi were right, that jade would still sit in Sun Jian’s line. The proverb says a commoner who clutches a jade invites disaster—how much worse for a prize like that!〉 When the work was done he withdrew his army and camped again at Luyang. 〈The Wu Lu observes that east of the mountains every warlord swallowed his neighbor to grow strong. Yuan Shao appointed Zhou You of Kuaiji as inspector of Yuzhou and sent him to wrest the province from Sun Jian. Sun Jian said with a bitter sigh, “We rose together to save the dynasty. The traitor is nearly broken, yet here we are clawing at each other—who is left for me to fight beside?” He broke off in tears. Zhou You, courtesy Renming, was Zhou Xin’s younger brother. The Kuaiji Dianlu records that when Cao Cao first raised his loyal army he summoned Zhou You, who mustered two thousand men, marched with him, and served as strategist. Later he fought Sun Jian for Yuzhou and lost again and again. When his elder brother Zhou Ang, prefect of Jiujiang, came under Yuan Shu’s attack, Zhou You rode to his rescue. His force was shattered; on his way home Xu Gong murdered him.〉
8
初平三年，術使堅征荊州，擊劉表。 表遣黃祖逆於樊、鄧之間。 堅擊破之，追渡漢水，遂圍襄陽，單馬行峴山，為祖軍士所射殺。 〈《典略》曰； 坚悉其众攻表，表闭门，夜遣将黄祖潜出发兵。 祖将兵欲还，坚逆与战。 祖败走，窜岘山中。 坚乘胜夜追祖，祖部兵从竹木间暗射坚，杀之。 吴录曰：坚时年三十七。 英雄记曰：坚以初平四年正月七日死。 又云：刘表将吕公将兵缘山向坚，坚轻骑寻山讨公。 公兵下石。 中坚头，应时脑出物故。 其不同如此也。〉 兄子賁，帥將士眾就術。 術復表賁為豫州刺史。
In Chuping 3 (192) Yuan Shu ordered Sun Jian to invade Jingzhou and bring Liu Biao to battle. Liu Biao sent Huang Zu to intercept him between Fan and Deng. Sun Jian routed him, crossed the Han in pursuit, and laid siege to Xiangyang; riding alone on Xian Mountain he was cut down by Huang Zu’s archers. 〈The Dianlüe gives this account: Sun Jian threw his whole army against Liu Biao, who barred the gates and slipped Huang Zu out by night with a relief column. As Huang Zu tried to withdraw, Sun Jian intercepted and attacked. Huang Zu broke and fled into the Xian hills. Sun Jian pressed the pursuit through the night; Huang Zu’s men ambushed him from the bamboo groves and shot him dead. The Wu Lu gives his age as thirty-seven. The Yingxiong Ji dates his death to the seventh day of the first month, Chuping 4 (193). Another version names Liu Biao’s officer Lü Gong, who moved along the ridge against Sun Jian while Sun Jian took light horse to hunt him down. Lü Gong’s men rolled rocks down the slope. A stone struck Sun Jian’s head; his brains spilled out and he died instantly. The accounts diverge in just this way.〉 His nephew Sun Ben gathered the command and went over to Yuan Shu. Yuan Shu again petitioned to name Sun Ben inspector of Yuzhou.
9
堅四子：策、權、翊、匡。 權既稱尊號，謚堅曰武烈皇帝。 〈吴录曰：尊坚庙曰始祖，墓曰高陵。 志林曰：坚有五子：策、权、翊、匡，吴氏所生； 少子朗，庶生也，一名仁。〉
Sun Jian left four sons—Ce, Quan, Yi, and Kuang. After Sun Quan took the throne he canonized his father as Emperor Wu Lie. 〈The Wu Lu records that Sun Jian’s shrine was styled First Ancestor and his mausoleum Gaoling. Pei’s Zhi Lin counts five sons—Ce, Quan, Yi, and Kuang, all born to Lady Wu; and a younger son, Lang, born to a concubine, who was also called Ren.〉
10
策字伯符。 堅初興義兵，策將母徙居舒。 與周瑜相友，收合士大夫，江、淮間人咸向之。 〈江表传曰：坚为硃俊所表，为佐军，留家著寿春。 策年十餘岁，已交结知名，声誉发闻。 有周瑜者，与策同年，亦英达夙成，闻策声闻，自舒来造焉。 便推结分好，义同断金，劝策徙居舒，策从之。〉 堅薨，還葬曲阿。 已乃渡江居江都。 〈魏书曰：策当嗣侯，让与弟匡。〉
Sun Ce bore the courtesy name Bofu. When Sun Jian first raised the loyal army, Sun Ce escorted his mother to settle at Shu. He befriended Zhou Yu, drew in gentlemen from every quarter, and won the allegiance of the Huai–Yangzi region. 〈The Jiang Biao Zhuan notes that Zhu Jun recommended Sun Jian as army adjutant and that the family stayed at Shouchun. Before he was out of his teens Sun Ce had already befriended noted men and his name was abroad. Zhou Yu, his contemporary, was equally precocious; hearing Sun Ce’s repute he traveled from Shu to call on him. They swore brotherhood as firm as split metal, Zhou Yu persuaded him to move to Shu, and Sun Ce agreed.〉 After Sun Jian’s death the family brought his body home for burial at Qu’e. They then crossed the Yangzi and settled at Jiangdu. 〈The Book of Wei says Sun Ce should have inherited the marquisate but ceded it to Sun Kuang.〉
11
壽春，術已據之，繇乃渡江治曲阿。 時吳景尚在丹楊，策從兄賁又為丹揚都尉，繇至，皆迫逐之。 景、賁退捨歷陽。 繇遣樊能、于麋東屯橫江津，張英屯當利口，以距術。 術自用故吏琅邪惠衢為揚州刺史，更以景為督軍中郎將，與賁共將兵擊英等，連年不克。 策乃說術，乞助景等平定江東。 〈江表传曰：策说术云：「家有旧恩在东，原助舅讨横江； 横江拔，因投本土召募，可得三万兵，以佐明使君匡济汉室。」 术知其恨，而以刘繇据曲阿，王朗在会稽，谓策未必能定，故许之。〉 術表策為折沖校尉，行殄寇將軍，兵財千餘，騎數十匹，賓客願從者數百人。 比至歷陽，眾五六千。 策母先自曲阿徙於歷陽，策又徙母阜陵，渡江轉鬥，所向皆破。 莫敢當其鋒，而軍令整肅，百姓懷之。 〈江表传曰：策渡江攻繇牛渚营，尽得邸阁粮谷、战具，是岁兴平二年也。 时彭城相薛礼、下邳相笮融依繇为盟主，礼据秣陵城，融屯县南。 策先攻融，融出兵交战，斩首五百餘级，融即闭门不敢动。 因渡江攻礼，礼突走，而樊能、于麋等复合众袭夺牛渚屯。 策闻之，还攻破能等，获男女万餘人。 复下攻融，为流矢所中，伤股，不能乘马，因自舆还牛渚营。 或叛告融曰：「孙郎被箭已死。」 融大喜，即遣将于兹乡策。 策遣步骑数百挑战，设伏於后，贼出击之，锋刃未接而伪走，贼追入伏中，乃大破之，斩首千餘级。 策因往到融营下，令左右大呼曰：「孙郎竟云何！」 贼於是惊怖夜遁。 融闻策尚在，更深沟高垒，缮治守备。 策以融所屯地势险固，乃舍去，攻破繇别将於海陵，转攻湖孰、江乘，皆下之。〉
Yuan Shu held Shouchun, so Liu Yao crossed the river and set up his government at Qu’e. Wu Jing still controlled Danyang, and Sun Ben served as its commandant; when Liu Yao arrived he drove them both out. Wu Jing and Sun Ben fell back to Liyang. Liu Yao posted Fan Neng and Yu Mi eastward at the Hengjiang crossing and Zhang Ying at Dangli mouth to block Yuan Shu. Yuan Shu appointed his old retainer Hui Qu from Langya as inspector of Yangzhou, restored Wu Jing as supervising colonel, and with Sun Ben besieged Zhang Ying’s line for years without success. Sun Ce then talked Yuan Shu into letting him reinforce Wu Jing and win the east. 〈The Jiang Biao Zhuan quotes him: “We still have friends east of the river—I want to help my uncle take the Hengjiang line; once that bridgehead falls I can go home, raise thirty thousand men, and help you restore the Han.” Yuan Shu knew Sun Ce nursed a grudge, yet with Liu Yao dug in at Qu’e and Wang Lang in Kuaiji he gambled that the young commander could not finish the job—and said yes.〉 Yuan Shu’s memorial named him Colonel Who Breaks the Charge and acting General Who Exterminates Bandits, with a thousand-odd cash, a few dozen mounts, and a few hundred volunteers. By the time he reached Liyang he had five or six thousand men. Lady Wu had already shifted from Qu’e to Liyang; Sun Ce moved her again to Fuling, then crossed the river and swept all before him. No one could stand against his spearhead, yet his discipline was iron and the people loved him for it. 〈The Jiang Biao Zhuan dates his storming of Liu Yao’s Niuzhu depot—seizing grain and ordnance—to Xingping 2 (195). Pengcheng chancellor Xue Li and Xiapi chancellor Ze Rong backed Liu Yao as league chief: Xue Li held Moling while Ze Rong camped south of the county seat. Sun Ce struck Ze Rong first, killed five hundred in the field, and penned him inside his walls. He then crossed to hit Xue Li, who bolted from Moling, while Fan Neng and Yu Mi rallied and snatched back the Niuzhu camp. Sun Ce wheeled about, crushed Fan Neng’s force, and took ten thousand captives. On his second push against Ze Rong a stray bolt wounded his thigh; unable to ride, he had himself carried back to Niuzhu in a litter. A defector told Ze Rong, “The Young Commander is dead of his wound.” Ze Rong rejoiced and sent a column to Zi township to finish Sun Ce. Sun Ce baited him with a few hundred skirmishers, feigned flight into an ambush, and annihilated the sortie—over a thousand heads. He rode straight under Ze Rong’s walls and had his men bellow, “What news of the Young Commander now?” The garrison panicked and fled in the dark. When Ze Rong learned Sun Ce still lived, he deepened his ditches, raised his ramparts, and rebuilt his defenses. Finding Ze Rong’s position too strong to rush, Sun Ce slipped away, crushed one of Liu Yao’s detachments at Hailing, then stormed Huzhu and Jiangcheng in turn.〉
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策為人，美姿顔，好笑語，性闊達聽受，善於用人。 是以士民見者，莫不盡心，樂為致死。 劉繇棄軍遁逃，諸郡守皆捐城郭奔走。 〈江表传曰：策时年少，虽有位号，而士民皆呼为孙郎。 百姓闻孙郎至，皆失魂魄； 长吏委城郭，窜伏山草。 及至，军士奉令，不敢虏略，鸡犬菜茹，一无所犯，民乃大悦，竞以牛酒诣军。 刘繇既走，策入曲阿劳赐将士，遣将陈宝诣阜陵迎母及弟。 发恩布令，告诸县：「其刘繇、笮融等故乡部曲来降首者，一无所问； 乐从军者，一身行，复除门户； 不乐者，勿强也。」 旬日之间，四面云集，得见兵二万餘人，马千餘匹，威震江东，形势转盛。〉 吳人嚴白虎等眾各萬餘人，處處屯聚。 吳景等欲先擊破虎等，乃至會稽。 策曰：「虎等群盜，非有大志，此成禽耳。」 遂引兵渡浙江，據會稽，屠東冶，乃攻破虎等。 〈《吴录》曰：时有乌程邹他、钱铜及前合浦太守嘉兴王晟等，各聚众万餘或数千。 引兵扑讨，皆攻破之。 策母吴氏曰：「晟与汝父有升堂见妻之分，今其诸子兄弟皆已枭夷，独餘一老翁，何足复惮乎？」 乃舍之，餘咸族诛。 策自讨虎，虎高垒坚守，使其弟舆请和。 许之。 舆请独与策会面约。 既会，策引白刃斫席，舆体动，策笑曰：「闻卿能坐跃，剿捷不常，聊戏卿耳！」 舆曰：「我见刃乃然。」 策知其无能也，乃以手戟投之，立死。 舆有勇力，虎众以其死也，甚惧。 进攻破之。 虎奔餘杭，投许昭於虏中。 程普请击昭，策曰：「许昭有义於旧君，有诚於故友，此丈夫之志也。」 乃舍之。 臣松之案：许昭有义於旧君，谓济盛宪也，事见后注。 有诚於故友，则受严白虎也。〉 盡更置長吏，策自領會稽太守，復以吳景為丹楊太守，以孫賁為豫章太守，分豫章為廬陵郡，以賁弟輔為廬陵太守，丹揚朱治為吳郡太守。 彭城張昭、廣陵張紘、秦松、陳端等，為謀主。 〈江表传曰：策遣奉正都尉刘由、五官掾高承奉章诣许，拜献方物。〉
Sun Ce was striking to look at, quick to laugh, open-minded, and a natural leader of men. Gentry and commoners alike gave him their hearts and would gladly die in his service. Liu Yao threw away his army and ran; every magistrate abandoned his walls and fled. 〈The Jiang Biao Zhuan says that though Sun Ce already held rank, everyone called him “Young Lord Sun.” When word ran that Young Lord Sun was coming, folk were terrified; magistrates bolted from their towns and cowered in the hills. Yet his troops obeyed orders to the letter—no looting, not a chicken or cabbage touched—and the people flocked with oxen and wine to welcome them. After Liu Yao’s flight Sun Ce entered Qu’e, feasted his army, and sent Chen Bao to Fuling to fetch his mother and brothers. He proclaimed across the counties: “Men who once served Liu Yao or Ze Rong may surrender without fear; those who enlist will have their entire household tax burden lifted; those who decline will not be pressed.” Within ten days twenty thousand men and a thousand horses rallied to him, and his name shook the east.〉 Band chiefs such as Yan Baihu of Wu mustered ten thousand men apiece in strongholds across the land. Wu Jing wanted to crush Yan Baihu before marching on Kuaiji. Sun Ce answered, “Yan Baihu is only a hill bandit with no larger design—he is already in the net.” He crossed the Zhe, took Kuaiji, stormed Dongye, and broke Yan Baihu’s league. 〈The Wu Lu lists Wucheng’s Zou Ta and Qian Tong, ex-prefect of Hepu Wang Sheng of Jiaxing, and others, each with hosts in the thousands or tens of thousands. Sun Ce campaigned against each in turn and overthrew them. Lady Wu said, “Wang Sheng was your father’s friend—he sat in our hall as family. His sons are dead; only the old man is left—why fear him?” She persuaded Sun Ce to spare Wang Sheng while the rest were extirpated to the last cousin. Sun Ce besieged Yan Baihu, who held his high walls and sent his brother Yan Yu to sue for peace. Sun Ce agreed. Yan Yu asked for a private parley to seal the pact. At the meeting Sun Ce slashed the mat with his sword; Yan Yu flinched, and Sun Ce laughed, “They say you can jump from a sitting start—I was only teasing.” Yan Yu muttered, “Anyone would start at a naked blade.” Seeing the cowardice, Sun Ce hurled a short halberd and killed him on the spot. Yan Yu had been the band’s strongman; his death terrified Yan Baihu’s followers. Sun Ce pressed the assault and shattered them. Yan Baihu fled to Yuhang and threw himself on Xu Zhao’s protection among the outlaws. Cheng Pu urged an attack on Xu Zhao, but Sun Ce said, “He keeps faith with his old master and his old friends—that is the mark of a hero.” He let Xu Zhao be. Pei Songzhi glosses the “old lord” as Sheng Xian, whom Xu Zhao rescued—see the later commentary. The “old friend” is Yan Baihu, whom he once harbored.〉 He replaced every county magistrate, took Kuaiji himself, reappointed Wu Jing to Danyang, Sun Ben to Yuzhang, carved Luling out of Yuzhang for Sun Fu, and named Zhu Zhi prefect of Wu. Zhang Zhao of Pengcheng, Zhang Hong of Guangling, Qin Song, and Chen Duan became his principal advisers. 〈The Jiang Biao Zhuan records that he sent Liu You and Gao Cheng to the capital with tribute and a memorial of allegiance.〉
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時袁術僭號，策以書責而絕之。 〈《吴录》载策使张纮为书曰：「盖上天垂司过之星，圣王建敢谏之鼓，设非谬之备，急箴阙之言，何哉？ 凡有所长，必有所短也。 去冬传有大计，无不悚惧； 旋知供备贡献，万夫解惑。 顷闻建议，复欲追遵前图，即事之期，便有定月。 益使怃然，想是流妄； 设其必尔，民何望乎？ 曩日之举义兵也，天下之士所以响应者，董卓擅废置，害太后、弘农王，略烝宫人，发掘园陵，暴逆至此，故诸州郡雄豪闻声慕义。 神武外振，卓遂内歼。 元恶既毙，幼主东顾，俾保傅宣命，欲令诸军振旅， （於） 河北通谋黑山，曹操放毒东徐，刘表称乱南荆，公孙瓚炰烋北幽，刘繇决力江浒，刘备争盟淮隅，是以未获承命櫜弓戢戈也。 今备、繇既破，操等饥馁，谓当与天下合谋，以诛丑类。 舍而不图，有自取之志，非海内所望，一也。 昔成汤伐桀，称有夏多罪； 武王伐纣，曰殷有罪罚重哉。 此二王者，虽有圣德，宜当君世； 如使不遭其时，亦无繇兴矣。 幼主非有恶於天下，徒以春秋尚少，胁於强臣，若无过而夺之，惧未合於汤、武之事，二也。 卓虽狂狡，至废主自与，亦犹未也，而天下闻其桀虐，攘臂同心而疾之，以中土希战之兵，当边地劲悍之虏，所以斯须游魂也。 今四方之人，皆玩敌而便战斗矣，可得而胜者，以彼乱而我治，彼逆而我顺也。 见当世之纷若，欲大举以临之，適足趣祸，三也。 天下神器，不可虚干，必须天赞与人力也。 殷汤有白鸠之祥，周武有赤乌之瑞，汉高有星聚之符，世祖有神光之徵，皆因民困悴於桀、纣之政，毒苦於秦、莽之役，故能芟去无道，致成其志。 今天下非患於幼主，未见受命之应验，而欲一旦卒然登即尊号，未之或有，四也。 天子之贵，四海之富，谁不欲焉？ 义不可，势不得耳。 陈胜、项籍、王莽、公孙述之徒，皆南面称孤，莫之能济。 帝王之位，不可横冀，五也。 幼主岐嶷，若除其偪，去其鲠，必成中兴之业。 夫致主於周成之盛，自受旦、奭之美，此诚所望於尊明也。 纵使幼主有他改异，犹望推宗室之谱属，论近亲之贤良，以绍刘统，以固汉宗。 皆所以书功金石，图形丹青，流庆无穷，垂声管纮。 舍而不为，为其难者，想明明之素，必所不忍，六也。 五世为相，权之重，势之盛，天下莫得而比焉。 忠贞者必曰宜夙夜思惟，所以扶国家之踬顿，念社稷之危殆，以奉祖考之志，以报汉室之恩。 其忽履道之节而强进取之欲者，将曰天下之人非家吏则门生也，孰不从我？ 四方之敌非吾匹则吾役也，谁能违我？ 盍乘累世之势，起而取之哉？ 二者殊数，不可不详察，七也。 所贵於圣哲者，以其审於机宜，慎於举措。 若难图之事，难保之势，以激群敌之气，以生众人之心，公义故不可，私计又不利，明哲不处，八也。 世人多惑於图纬而牵非类，比合文字以悦所事，苟以阿上惑众，终有后悔者，自往迄今，未尝无之，不可不深择而熟思，九也。 九者，尊明所见之餘耳，庶备起予，补所遗忘。 忠言逆耳，幸留神听！」 《典略》云张昭之辞。 臣松之以为张昭虽名重，然不如纮之文也，此书必纮所作。〉
When Yuan Shu declared himself emperor, Sun Ce wrote to denounce him and severed their alliance. 〈The Wu Lu preserves a letter drafted by Zhang Hong for Sun Ce: “Heaven posts a star to watch for misrule; the sage kings hung a drum for frank counsel—why, if not because every strength has its blind side? Power always walks with weakness. Last winter rumors of your great design left everyone shaken; then we heard you were merely assembling tribute for the court, and a hundred thousand fears melted away. Now fresh advice urges you back toward that throne—some even name the very month. That rumor leaves us heartsick—I pray it is only idle talk; but if it were true, what hope would the people have? We took up arms because Dong Zhuo set aside emperors at will, killed the Dowager and the Prince of Hongnong, ravaged the harem, opened the imperial tombs, and outraged Heaven and earth—so every warlord rose for justice. Your might shattered him from without, and his own wickedness consumed him within. The arch-rebel is dead; the boy emperor faces east again while his tutors issue edicts for every army to stack arms and go home. (Manuscript gloss: possibly insert yú, “at,” in the preceding clause.) Yet north of the river the Black Mountain league plots with Yuan Shao, Cao Cao ravages Xu, Liu Biao seethes in Jing, Gongsun Zan blusters in You, Liu Yao clung to the Yangzi, and Liu Bei sparred along the Huai—so we never received orders to disarm. Liu Bei and Liu Yao are broken; Cao Cao starves—this is the hour to join the world in cutting down the villains. First fault: you would ignore those rebels while grasping for the throne yourself—the realm will not call that righteous. Tang of Cheng attacked Jie because Xia was piled high with crimes; King Wu marched on Zhou because Shang’s guilt was heavy and the sentence clear. Those two sages deserved the mandate, yet neither would have struck had tyranny not given them the hour. Second fault: the boy on the throne has not wronged the people—he is only young and bullied. To oust him without crime is no Tang–Wu revolution. Dong Zhuo, for all his brutality, never dared take the throne himself; the empire rose as one and crushed him with militia that seldom saw battle—he became a flickering ghost overnight. Today every soldier knows how to fight; victory lies in our discipline against their chaos, our legitimacy against their rebellion. Third fault: to launch a great war merely because the times look messy is to invite catastrophe. The mandate cannot be seized in a void—it needs Heaven’s sign and human effort together. Tang saw white birds, Wu a red crow, Gaozu a star-cluster, Guangwu a blaze of light—each struck when the people could no longer bear Jie, Zhou, Qin, or Wang Mang. Fourth fault: the people do not blame the child emperor; no heaven-sent portent backs you; to leap to the throne overnight is without precedent. Who would not want the throne and the wealth of the world? Duty forbids it, and the times will not bear it. Chen Sheng, Xiang Yu, Wang Mang, Gongsun Shu—all crowned themselves and all fell. Fifth fault: the dragon throne is not a prize for the reckless. The emperor is bright; clear the thorns from his side and you midwife a true restoration. Guide him to the glory of King Cheng while you earn the name of the Duke of Zhou—that is what we beg of you. Even if the boy emperor later falters, you can still seat another Liu of talent and keep the Han line alive. That path wins you bronze inscriptions, portrait galleries, endless blessing, and music in the temples. Sixth fault: to shun the hard right and choose the reckless wrong—your own clarity has never tolerated that. Five generations of your house held the chancellorship—no clan ever wielded such weight. Loyal men will say you must shore up a tottering state, rescue the altars, honor your ancestors, and repay the Han. The reckless will whisper, “Everyone is my client or pupil—who would refuse me? The world is either my peer or my serf—who can stand against me? Why not use that piled-up power and seize the throne? Seventh fault: those two voices are not the same—listen to which is Heaven and which is appetite. The wise judge the moment and move with care. Eighth fault: a hopeless gamble that unites your enemies and breaks your own men serves neither honor nor interest. Ninth fault: apocryphal prophecies and forced word-play have ruined many who flattered a fad—study the past before you trust such glosses. These nine points are only what your own light may have missed—take them as footnotes to your conscience. Truth grates on the ear—yet please hear us out." The Dianlüe attributes the letter to Zhang Zhao. Pei Songzhi argues that Zhang Zhao, famous as he was, could not match Zhang Hong’s prose—this piece must be Hong’s work.〉
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後術死，長史楊弘、大將張勳等將其眾欲就策，廬江太守劉勳要擊，悉虜之，收其珍寶以歸。 策聞之，偽與勳好盟。 勳新得術眾，時豫章上繚宗民萬餘家在江東。 策勸勳攻取之。 勳既行，策輕軍晨夜襲拔廬江，勳眾盡降，勳獨與麾下數百人自歸曹公。 〈江表传曰：策被诏敕，与司空曹公、卫将军董承、益州牧刘璋等并力讨袁术、刘表。 军严当进，会术死，术从弟胤、女婿黄猗等畏惧曹公，不敢守寿春，乃共舁术棺柩，扶其妻子及部曲男女，就刘勋於皖城。 勋粮食少，无以相振，乃遣从弟偕告籴於豫章太守华歆。 歆郡素少谷，遣吏将偕就海昏上缭，使诸宗帅共出三万斛米以与偕。 偕往历月，才得数千斛。 偕乃报勋，具说形状，使勋来袭取之。 勋得偕书，使潜军到海昏邑下。 宗帅知之，空壁逃匿，勋了无所得。 时策西讨黄祖，行及石城，闻勋轻身诣海昏，便分遣从兄贲、辅率八千人於彭泽待勋，自与周瑜率二万人步袭皖城，即克之，得术百工及鼓吹部曲三万餘人，并术、勋妻子。 表用汝南李术为庐江太守，给兵三千人以守皖，皆徙所得人东诣吴。 贲、辅又於彭泽破勋。 勋走入楚江，从寻阳步上到置马亭，闻策等已克皖，乃投西塞。 至沂，筑垒自守，告急於刘表，求救於黄祖。 祖遣太子射船军五千人助勋。 策复就攻，大破勋。 勋与偕北归曹公，射亦遁走。 策收得勋兵二千餘人，船千艘，遂前进夏口攻黄祖。 时刘表遣从子虎、南阳韩晞将长矛五千，来为黄祖前锋。 策与战，大破之。 吴录载策表曰：「臣讨黄祖，以十二月八日到祖所屯沙羡县。 刘表遣将助祖，并来趣臣。 臣以十一日平旦部所领江夏太守行建威中郎将周瑜、领桂阳太守行征虏中郎将吕范、领零陵太守行荡寇中郎将程普、行奉业校尉孙权、行先登校尉韩当、行武锋校尉黄盖等同时俱进。 身跨马栎陈，手击急鼓，以齐战势。 吏士奋激，踊跃百倍，心精意果，各竞用命。 越渡重堑，迅疾若飞。 火放上风，兵激烟下，弓弩并发，流矢雨集，日加辰时，祖乃溃烂。 锋刃所截，猋火所焚，前无生寇，惟祖迸走。 获其妻息男女七人，斩虎、 （狼） 韩晞已下二万餘级，其赴水溺者一万餘口，船六千餘艘，财物山积。 虽表未禽，祖宿狡猾，为表腹心，出作爪牙，表之鸱张，以祖气息，而祖家属部曲，扫地无餘，表孤特之虏，成鬼行尸。 诚皆圣朝神武远振，臣讨有罪，得效微勤。」〉 是時袁紹方強，而策並江東，曹公力未能逞，且欲撫之。 〈吴历曰：曹公闻策平定江南，意甚难之，常呼「猘兒难与争锋也」。〉 乃以弟女配策小弟匡，又為子彰取賁女，皆禮辟策弟權、翊，又命揚州刺史嚴象舉權茂才。
After Yuan Shu died, Yang Hong and Zhang Xun tried to lead his host to Sun Ce, but Liu Xun of Lujiang ambushed them, took all, and pocketed the loot. Sun Ce pretended friendship with Liu Xun. Liu Xun had just absorbed Yuan Shu’s army, while ten thousand clan households of Shangliao in Yuzhang still camped east of the river. Sun Ce urged him to conquer Shangliao. When Liu Xun marched off, Sun Ce stormed Lujiang by night, accepted his army’s surrender, and drove Liu Xun himself to Cao Cao with a few hundred riders. 〈The Jiang Biao Zhuan says an edict bound Sun Ce with Cao Cao, Dong Cheng, and Liu Zhang in a league against Yuan Shu and Liu Biao. The host was ready to march when Yuan Shu died; Yuan Yin, Huang Yi, and the rest, dreading Cao Cao, abandoned Shouchun, bore Yuan Shu’s coffin, and shepherded family and troops to Liu Xun at Wancheng. Liu Xun ran short of food and sent his cousin to borrow grain from Hua Xin in Yuzhang. Hua Xin’s granaries were thin; he sent an escort to Shangliao near Haihun and squeezed thirty thousand hu from the clan headmen for Liu Xun’s envoy. The envoy lingered a month and brought back only a few thousand hu. He wrote Liu Xun that rich stores lay at Shangliao and baited him to march. Liu Xun read the letter and slipped a column toward Haihun. The headmen emptied their forts and vanished; Liu Xun seized nothing. Sun Ce was already marching against Huang Zu; at Shicheng he learned Liu Xun had gone to Shangliao. He sent Sun Ben and Sun Fu with eight thousand men to block Pengze, then took twenty thousand foot with Zhou Yu, stormed Wancheng, captured Yuan Shu’s artisans, musicians, and thirty thousand troops, together with both families. Liu Biao named Li Shu prefect of Lujiang with three thousand guards, while Sun Ce marched the captives east to Wu. Sun Ben and Sun Fu smashed Liu Xun again at Pengze. Liu Xun fled up the Chu water, trudged from Xunyang toward the courier station, learned Wancheng had fallen, and bolted for Xisai. At Yi he threw up walls, begged Liu Biao for help, and called on Huang Zu. Huang Zu sent five thousand marine archers in war boats to reinforce him. Sun Ce struck again and shattered Liu Xun. Liu Xun and his cousin fled north to Cao Cao, and Huang Zu’s bowmen scattered as well. Sun Ce picked up two thousand prisoners, a thousand hulls, and swept on to Xiakou against Huang Zu. Liu Biao sent his nephew Liu Hu and Han Xi of Nanyang with five thousand pikemen to spearhead Huang Zu’s line. Sun Ce met them in battle and broke them utterly. The Wu Lu quotes Sun Ce’s memorial: “On the eighth of the twelfth month I reached Huang Zu’s camp at Shaxian in Xiayi. Liu Biao sent reinforcements to hurry against me. Before dawn on the eleventh I sent Zhou Yu, Lü Fan, Cheng Pu, Sun Quan, Han Dang, and Huang Gai—each in his acting river command and colonel’s rank—forward in one line. I myself rode the line, beat the war drum, and set the tempo of the assault. The men surged forward with redoubled fury, each striving to spend his life well. They vaulted the trenches like birds in flight. We fired upwind, charged under the smoke, and poured volleys until, past mid-morning, Huang Zu’s line collapsed. Blade and flame left no standing foe—only Huang Zu broke and ran. We took his household, seven souls, struck down Liu Hu, (Manuscript variant for the preceding name.) We struck down Han Xi and more than twenty thousand besides; over ten thousand drowned trying to escape; we seized six thousand boats and mountains of plunder. Liu Biao himself escaped, but Huang Zu was his claws; with Zu’s clan wiped out, Liu Biao is a headless shell, a corpse still walking. All this is Your Majesty’s distant awe; I only did my small part against a criminal.”〉" Yuan Shao still dominated the north while Sun Ce held the east; Cao Cao could not yet strike east and chose to conciliate him. 〈The Wu Li says Cao Cao groaned that Sun Ce had pacified the south—“that pup is a foe you cannot meet head-on.”〉 He married a niece to Sun Kuang, wed Cao Zhang to Sun Ben’s daughter, summoned Sun Quan and Sun Yi with court ceremony, and had Yan Xiang nominate Sun Quan as maocai.
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先是，策殺貢，貢小子與客亡匿江邊。 策單騎出，卒與客遇，客擊傷策。 〈江表传曰：广陵太守陈登治射阳，登即瑀之从兄子也。 策前西征，登阴复遣间使，以印绶与严白虎餘党，图为后害，以报瑀见破之辱。 策归，复讨登。 军到丹徒，须待运粮。 策性好猎，将步骑数出。 策驱驰逐鹿，所乘马精骏，从骑绝不能及。 初，吴郡太守许贡上表於汉帝曰：「孙策骁雄，与项籍相似，宜加贵宠，召还京邑。 若被诏不得不还，若放於外必作世患。」 策候吏得贡表，以示策。 策请贡相见，以责让贡。 贡辞无表，策即令武士绞杀之。 贡奴客潜民间，欲为贡报雠。 猎日，卒有三人即贡客也。 策问：「尔等何人？」 答云：「是韩当兵，在此射鹿耳。」 策曰：「当兵吾皆识之，未尝见汝等。」 因射一人，应弦而倒。 餘二人怖急，便举弓射策，中颊。 后骑寻至，皆刺杀之。 《九州春秋》曰：策闻曹公北征柳城，悉起江南之众，自号大司马，将北袭许，恃其勇，行不设备，故及於难。 孙盛《异同评》曰：凡此数书，各有所失。 孙策虽威行江外，略有六郡，然黄祖乘其上流，陈登间其心腹，且深险强宗，未尽归复，曹、袁虎争，势倾山海，策岂暇远师汝、颍，而迁帝於吴、越哉？ 斯盖庸人之所鉴见，况策达於事势者乎？ 又案袁绍以建安五年至黎阳，而策以四月遇害，而志云策闻曹公与绍相拒於官渡，谬矣。 伐登之言，为有证也。 又江表传说策悉识韩当军士，疑此为诈，便射杀一人。 夫三军将士或有新附，策为大将，何能悉识？ 以所不识，便射杀之，非其论也，又策见杀在五年，柳城之役在十二年，《九州春秋》乖错尤甚矣。 臣松之案：《傅子》亦云曹公征柳城，将袭许。 记述若斯，何其疏哉！ 然孙盛所讥，未为悉是。 黄祖始被策破，魂气未反， （但） 刘表君臣本无兼并之志，虽在上流，何办规拟吴会？ 策之此举，理应先图陈登，但举兵所在，不止登而已。 于时强宗骁帅，祖郎、严虎之徒，禽灭已尽，所餘山越，盖何足虑？ 然则策之所规，未可谓之不暇也。 若使策志获从，大权在手，淮、泗之间，所在皆可都，何必毕志江外，其当迁帝於扬、越哉？ 案 〈魏武纪〉 ，武帝以建安四年已出屯官渡，乃策未死之前，久与袁绍交兵，则《国志》所云不为谬也。 许贡客。 无闻之小人，而能感识恩遇，临义忘生，卒然奋发，有侔古烈矣。 诗云：「君子有徽猷，小人与属。」 贡客其有焉。〉 創甚，請張昭等謂曰：「中國方亂，夫以吳、越之眾，三江之固，足以觀成敗。 公等善相吾弟！」 呼權佩以印綬，謂曰：「舉江東之眾，決機於兩陳 （陣） 之間，與天下爭衡，卿不如我。 舉賢任能，各盡其心，以保江東，我不如卿。」 至夜卒，時年二十六。 〈吴历曰：策既被创，医言可治，当好自将护，百日勿动。 策引镜自照，谓左右曰：「面如此，尚可复建功立事乎？」 椎几大奋，创皆分裂，其夜卒。 《搜神记》曰：策既杀于吉，每独坐，彷彿见吉在左右，意深恶之，颇有失常。 后治创方差，而引镜自照，见吉在镜中，顾而弗见，如是再三，因扑镜大叫，创皆崩裂，须臾而死。〉
Earlier Sun Ce had executed Xu Gong; the prefect’s young son and his clients hid along the riverbank. Sun Ce rode out alone, blundered into them, and they wounded him. 〈The Jiang Biao Zhuan names Guangling’s prefect Chen Deng—nephew of Chen Yu—who ruled from Sheyang. Before Sun Ce marched west, Chen Deng secretly armed the remnants of Yan Baihu, hoping to stab him in the back for the ruin of Chen Yu. On his return Sun Ce turned against Chen Deng. His army halted at Dantu waiting for grain boats. Sun Ce loved the chase and often rode out with a mixed escort. He spurred a superb mount after deer and outdistanced every follower. Once Wu’s prefect Xu Gong memorialized the throne: “Sun Ce is another Xiang Yu—honor him and recall him to the capital. If summoned he must obey; if left abroad he will plague the age.” A patrol seized Xu Gong’s memorial and handed it to Sun Ce. Sun Ce called Xu Gong in and rebuked him. Xu Gong denied writing it; Sun Ce had him strangled on the spot. Xu Gong’s household hid in the countryside, plotting revenge for their master. One day on the hunt three of Xu Gong’s men turned up in his path. Sun Ce demanded, “Who are you?” They lied, “We’re men of Han Dang’s command, out after deer.” Sun Ce said, “I know every man in Han Dang’s unit—I’ve never seen you.” He loosed an arrow and dropped one where he stood. The other two panicked, shot back, and tore his cheek open. His escort galloped up and speared them dead. The Jiuzhou Chunqiu claims Sun Ce heard Cao Cao had gone north against Liucheng, called out every southern soldier, named himself grand marshal, and meant to strike the capital—overconfident and unguarded, he courted death. Sun Sheng’s comparative review says each of those sources errs in its own way. Sun Ce’s fame ran south of the river and he held six commanderies, yet Huang Zu still straddled the upper Jing, Chen Deng gnawed at his flank, and powerful clans in the hills had not all yielded; Cao Cao and Yuan Shao were tearing the north apart—could he spare troops for a march on Run–Ying or for dragging the emperor down to Wu–Yue? Any dullard could see that—let alone Sun Ce, who read the strategic map. Yuan Shao did not reach Liyang until Jian’an 5, while Sun Ce died in the fourth month of that year; to say he heard of Guandu is simply wrong. The story that he was marching against Chen Deng rests on firmer ground. The Jiang Biao Zhuan adds that Sun Ce knew every face in Han Dang’s ranks, saw through the impostors, and shot one— —yet hosts always include new recruits; no commander knows every private by sight. To kill strangers on suspicion is another matter; Sun Ce died in 200, Cao’s Liucheng campaign was in 207—the Jiuzhou Chunqiu is wildly off. Pei Songzhi notes that the Fuzi repeats the tale of a northern raid on the capital from Liucheng. When memorials contradict dates this badly, the editing was slipshod. Even so, Sun Sheng’s dismissal goes too far. Huang Zu had just been shattered by Sun Ce and was still reeling. (Manuscript gloss: “only.”) Liu Biao’s court never dreamed of swallowing the southeast; holding the upper river did not mean they could strike at Wu. Sun Ce’s next move should have been Chen Deng, but his columns had more than one target. Zu Lang, Yan Hu, and the other band chiefs were already gone; the scattered Yue hillmen hardly threatened a great army. So Sun Ce was not without time for further design. Had his luck held and power stayed in his hands, the Huai–Si plain offered many sites for a capital; he need not have chained himself to the lower Yangzi or dreamed of hauling the court to Yangzhou. Pei Songzhi cites 〈the Wei Annals’ “Basic Annals of Emperor Wu”〉 shows Cao Cao already camped at Guandu in Jian’an 4, before Sun Ce died, locked with Yuan Shao for months—so the Guo zhi is not mistaken on timing. The clients of Xu Gong. Obscure men who repaid a patron’s kindness with their lives, rising like heroes of old. The Classic of Poetry says, “The nobleman lays wise plans, and lesser men cleave to them.” Xu Gong’s men lived up to that verse.〉 His wounds were grave; he called Zhang Zhao and the rest and said, “The heartland is in turmoil; with our hosts south of the Yangzi and the barrier of the three rivers we can wait out the storm. Gentlemen, serve my brother well.” He summoned Sun Quan, hung the seal and ribbon on him, and said, “To marshal the armies east of the river and settle the issue between two battle lines (Manuscript variant reads zhen, “formation.”) and wrest the empire for advantage—you are not my equal. To raise able men and let each give his utmost in guarding the southeast—that is where I fall short of you.” He died that night at the age of twenty-six. 〈The Wu Li says the physicians promised a cure if he rested quietly for a hundred days. He lifted a mirror and asked his attendants, “Could a face like this ever lead armies again?” He smashed the table in fury; his wounds tore open, and he died before morning. The Soushen Ji claims that after executing the Daoist Yu Ji he thought he saw the ghost at his elbow and grew unhinged. When the wounds had begun to heal he looked again and saw Yu Ji in the glass—turned his head and saw nothing—three times over, until he dashed the mirror and screamed; the cuts burst and he was dead in moments.〉
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權稱尊號，追謚策曰長沙桓王，封子紹為吳侯，後改封上虞侯。 紹卒，子奉嗣。 孫皓時，訛言謂奉當立，誅死。
After Sun Quan took the throne he canonized Sun Ce as Prince Huan of Changsha, made Sun Shao marquis of Wu, later shifted the fief to Shangyu. Sun Shao died and his son Sun Feng inherited the title. Under Sun Hao a rumor named Sun Feng as the true heir; the court put him to death.
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作者評論
Commentary by the compiler.
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評曰：「孫堅勇摯剛毅，孤微發跡，導溫戮卓，山陵杜塞，有忠壯之烈。 策英氣傑濟，猛銳冠世，覽奇取異，志陵中夏。 然皆輕佻果躁，隕身致敗。 且割據江東，策之基兆也。 而權尊祟未至，子止侯爵，於義儉矣。」 〈孫盛曰：孫氏兄弟皆明略絕群。 創基立事，策之由也，自臨終之日，顧命委權。 夫意氣之間，猶有刎頸，況天倫之篤愛，豪達之英鑑，豈吝名號於既往，違本情之至實哉？ 抑將遠思虛盈之數，而慎其名器者乎？ 夫正本定名，為國之大防； 杜絕疑貳，消釁之良謨。 是故魯隱矜義，終致羽父之禍； 宋宣懷仁，卒有殤公之哀。 皆心存小善，而不達經綸之圖； 求譽當年，而不思貽厥之謀。 可謂輕千乘之國，蹈道則未也。 孫氏因擾攘之際，得奮其縱橫之志，業非積德之基，邦無磐石之固，勢一則祿祚可終，情乖則禍亂塵起，安可不防微於未兆，慮難於將來？ 壯哉！ 策為首事之君，有吳開國之主； 將相在列，皆其舊也，而嗣子弱劣，析薪弗荷，奉援則魯桓、田巿之難作，崇之則與夷、子馮之禍興。 是以正名定本，使貴賤殊邈，然後國無陵肆之責，後嗣罔猜忌之嫌，群情絕異端之論，不逞杜覬覦之心； 於情雖違，於事雖儉，至於括囊遠圖，永保維城，可謂為之於其未有，治之於其未亂者也。 陳氏之評，其未達乎！〉
The historian’s verdict runs: “Sun Jian was bold and iron-willed, a man of no pedigree who still defied Zhang Wen, cut down Dong Zhuo, and refilled the looted tombs—a loyal champion. Sun Ce blazed with genius, outfought every rival of his day, and aimed his spear at the Central Plain. Yet both were rash and headstrong, and their impatience cost them their lives. The carve-up of the southeast was Sun Ce’s founding stroke. Sun Quan’s later honors stopped short of an imperial shrine for his brother, and the heir held only a marquisate—mean by any standard of right.” 〈Sun Sheng adds that both brothers were strategists without peer. Sun Ce laid the state’s foundations; with his dying breath he handed the seal to Sun Quan. Friends swear to die for each other—would brothers bound by blood stint on a posthumous throne-name and betray their own hearts? Or did he weigh the balance of power and guard the symbols of rule? Setting the right heir and the right title is the dyke that holds a realm; cutting off rival claimants is the surest way to smother civil war. Duke Yin of Lu clung to petty honor and brought down Yufu’s revolt; Duke Xuan of Song’s soft heart ended in the tragedy of Duke Shang. They cherished small kindness and missed the larger design; they chased the praise of the moment and forgot the succession. They gambled a great state on sentiment and never reached the true path. The Suns seized a moment of chaos; their power rested on the sword, not on long virtue, and their realm lacked bedrock—unity bought peace, a rift brought storm—so the wise watch the first spark and plan before the flood. How magnificent a beginning! Sun Ce was the founder in the field, the true begetter of Wu; yet his generals were his veterans while the boy heir was frail—support him and you risk Lu Huan’s coup, exalt him and you court the ruin of Yi Yin’s wards. Name the true line, widen the gap between sovereign and subject, and the state escapes mutiny, the sons escape mutual murder, rumor dies, and ambition stays leashed; painful as it looks in the ledger, it is the sealed purse and the long wall—the work done before crisis comes. Chen Shou’s verdict never climbed to that height.〉