Sun Huan

Sun Huan is a young commander in Sun Quan’s service, described as his nephew by adoption. During Xuande’s invasion of Wu, he volunteers to defend the kingdom and receives a force of fifty thousand. His military confidence is quickly tested: Zhang Bao and Guan Xing defeat his troops in successive engagements, and Sun Huan retreats to Yiling. His reverses contribute to the alarm spreading through Wu and to Sun Quan’s decision to advance with a much larger army.

Identity and Appointment

At a moment of crisis, Sun Quan laments the absence of trusted advisers such as Lu Su and Lü Meng. Sun Huan steps forward to offer his services, promising that with thirty to fifty thousand soldiers he can bring Xuande’s head to Sun Quan, with help from Li Yi and Xie Jing. Zhu Ran also volunteers to serve in the campaign, and Sun Quan authorizes fifty thousand troops for the force.

The appointment gives Sun Huan a prominent part in Wu’s response to the invasion, but it also places him against two of Xuande’s young relatives and commanders. The Shu commander Wu Ban is astonished that so young a man has been sent to oppose him. Xuande, meanwhile, sends Guan Xing and Zhang Bao to meet Sun Huan, cautioning them to take care because he fears losing them.

Battles with Zhang Bao and Guan Xing

The first encounter turns on Sun Huan’s taunting of Zhang Bao. He invokes Zhang Bao’s father, Zhang Fei, to provoke him into charging. Xie Jing initially blocks Zhang Bao, but Zhang Bao overcomes him and then faces Li Yi. As the fighting remains unresolved, Tan Xiong shoots at Zhang Bao; the arrow misses him but strikes his horse, which carries him back to the Shu line before collapsing.

Li Yi moves in to attack Zhang Bao as he falls. Guan Xing intervenes, kills Li Yi, and presses into Sun Huan’s army with his troops. Sun Huan suffers a major defeat. The episode establishes the danger of his provocative approach: the insult that drives Zhang Bao into battle does not unsettle the Shu commanders, while Guan Xing’s intervention turns the moment into a rout.

Sun Huan taunts the two young commanders again the following day. This time Zhang Bao kills Xie Jing, and Wu’s troops scatter. Guan Xing disappears during the fighting, alarming Zhang Bao, who declares that he cannot live if Guan Xing is lost and goes to search for him. He finds Guan Xing holding Tan Xiong, the archer whose shot brought down Zhang Bao’s horse. The Shu commanders execute Tan Xiong and use his blood in a sacrifice to the horse’s spirit.

Retreat to Yiling and Consequences

Despite the defeats of Sun Huan’s troops, the Shu commanders hesitate to advance directly against Zhu Ran’s still-powerful navy, fearing an attack from behind. They send men posing as deserters into Zhu Ran’s camp to draw his forces into an ambush. The plan succeeds: Wu Ban sacks the camps, while Zhang Bao and Guan Xing trap Cui Yu, whom Zhu Ran has sent to relieve them.

Sun Huan barely escapes and flees to the fortified town of Yiling, where he is soon surrounded. When Xuande executes Cui Yu, fear spreads through Wu. The report of these setbacks devastates Sun Quan. Zhang Zhao recommends new commanders and a renewed response, and Sun Quan advances with an army of one hundred thousand to confront Xuande. Sun Huan’s campaign thus forms the opening sequence of a broader confrontation: his initial confidence and substantial force give way to retreat, helping precipitate Wu’s larger mobilization.