Sun Hao
Sun Hao (* 242 ; † 284 ) was the son of Sun He and the fourth and last emperor of the Wu dynasty .
Early life
Sun Hao was born in 242, the eldest son of Sun He, who had just become crown prince after his older brother Sun Deng died in 241. His mother was a concubine of Sun He.
250, when Sun Hao was only eight years old, Sun Quan sent his father to Guzhang and deposed him as crown prince because of the eternal controversy with his brother. In 252, Sun He was named Prince of Nanyang by Sun Quan shortly before his death. The new emperor Sun Liang wanted to eradicate every possible right of Sun He to the throne, degraded him to common and banished him to Xindu. He sent messengers there to force him to commit suicide. His wife Dowager He raised the four (half) brothers Sun De, Sun Qian , Sun Jun and Sun Hao from there.
After Sun Liang was deposed by Sun Lin in 258 , Sun Xiu became emperor. He made Sun Hao and his brothers Sun De and Sun Qian marquises. Sun Hao's title was Marquis of Wucheng, and he moved into his marrow. There he befriended the magistrate Wan Yu, who thought he was intelligent and learned.
In the summer of 264, Sun Xiu fell ill and entrusted his Prime Minister Puyang Xing with the reign of Crown Prince Sun Wan, but after his death, after consulting with Zhang Bu, Puyang instead appointed the elder Sun Hao as emperor.
Early government
At first, the people of Wu were impressed by the new emperor, as he reduced taxes, relieved the dispossessed and allowed many young women willing to marry into the palace to marry them. But hope was soon shattered as Sun Hao passed cruel sentences, became suspicious and superstitious, and indulged in wine and women. He also demoted his aunt, Sun Xiu's wife, Empress Mother Zhu, to Empress Jing and appointed his mother Empress Mother He and his father posthumously Emperor Wen. Puyang and Zhang were appalled and disappointed by what was reported to the emperor. He had them arrested and executed along with their families (264). In the same year he made his wife Empress Teng.
In 265, Sun Hao forced the former Empress mother Zhu to commit suicide, banished Sun Xiu's four sons, and soon had the two elderly executed. When he believed, because of prophecy, that the Imperial Aura had moved from Yang Province to Jing Province, and that the Jing forces would defeat the Yang forces, he made the costly move from the capital, Jianye, to Wuchang. From now on he had those officials who criticized his lavish policies executed. The only senior official left to speak freely was Lu Kai, Lu Xun's nephew and Prime Minister with Wan Yu.
When Jin Wudi (formerly Sima Yan) inherited the Wei Dynasty and founded the Jin Dynasty , he sought lasting peace with Wu. Instead, Sun Hao decided to attack the Jin, which he did not carry out. So he missed the chance for lasting peace in all of China, which had not existed since the times of the Han emperors .
In the same year, numerous communities rose up against Sun Hao's ostentation and gossip. They kidnapped his brother Sun Qian and reached Jianye, but were defeated by city commanders Ding Gu and Zhuge Jing. Although Sun Qian was apparently not involved in the riot, Sun Hao had him and his mother and younger brother Sun Jun executed. Sun Hao believed this was the fulfillment of the prophecy and moved back to Jianye.
In 268, Sun Hao began periodically attacking the Jin border areas. He had his general Zhu Ji attack Jiangxia City and Wan Yu attack Xiangyang City while taking position in front of Hefei. The Jin forces have been able to repel attacks this year and later.
In 269, Lu Kai died, and soon no one in the administration dared to speak because Sun Hao banished Lu Kai's clan to Jian'an. Lu Xun's son Lu Kang , who as a general defended the Western Empire, periodically sent petitions for reforms, but Sun Hao ignored them all, even if he did not punish Lu Kang.
Later government
In January or February 271, Sun Hao personally led a major campaign against the Jin. He took his mother Empress Dowager He, his wife Empress He and thousands of women from his harem with him, so that the soldiers complained about the pulling of the heavy wagons and thought about deserting. As soon as Sun Hao heard this, he withdrew to Jianye. Veteran Generals Wan Yu, Ding Feng, and Liu Ping had considered retiring beforehand, and when Sun Hao found out about this, he grew resentful.
Later that year, the Wu finally recaptured Jiao Province, which had fallen apart since 264 (under Sun Xiu's rule). This encouraged Sun Hao to take his military actions against Jin seriously. He appointed the able General Tao Huang as the commander of Jiao Province to stabilize them.
In 272, Wang Jun, the governor of the Yi province of the Jin, began building a fleet with the support of the Wu, with which he wanted to subdue the Wu empire. When the waste wood poured down the Yangtze and General Wu Jan found out about it, he urged Sun Hao to reinforce the north-western border, but he refused.
During the year, Sun Hao tried to poison Generals Wan Yu and Liu Ping. When they found out, Wan committed suicide and Liu died in despair. In 274 Lu Kang died. His last request to Sun Hao was to reinforce the western border, but he refused. He also divided Lu Kang's forces among six different commanders, all of Lu Kang's sons.
In 275, Sun Hao's chief officer He Shao suffered a stroke and was paralyzed. Sun Hao suspected that he was just acting out and had him arrested and tortured by whipping, sawing, and fire. He died under torture and his clan was banished.
Over the next few years, people who wanted to please Sun Hao gave him strange items (real or fake) that foretold the emperor's one-time destruction of the Jin and unification of China under the Wu. Sun Hao's superstitious nature grew stronger and stronger, and he used all of his means to conquer Jin.
The case of Wu
After the Emperor Jin Wudi had accepted the instructions of Wang Jun and Du Yu, he finally started a huge campaign to conquer Wu in 279. The force was divided into six wedges and led by the emperor's uncle, Sima Zhou , and Wang Hun, Wang Rong, Du Yu, and Wang Jun. Most of the troops were held by Wang Hun and Wang Jun. The armies all advanced quickly and took the targeted border towns. Wang Jun's fleet sailed down the Yangtze and secured the banks. Wu Prime Minister Zhang Ti offered weak resistance but was beaten by Wang Jun and fell. Wang Hun, Wang Jun, and Sima Zhou moved to Jianye, and Sun Hao was forced to resign in the spring of 280.
Sun Hao and his clan were escorted to the Jin capital, Luoyang . As a prisoner, Sun Hao dishonored himself by smearing mud on himself and having his hands tied behind his back. The Jin Emperor had him untied and seated next to him at the Imperial Council. Jin Wudi said:
- "I had this seat set up for you for a long time."
Sun Hao replied:
- "I also had a seat for Your Imperial Majesty in Jianye."
When chief officer Jia Chong Sun Hao asked, in an attempt to shame him:
- “I heard that you have such cruel punishments as having your eyes peeled off or the skin peeled off. What kind of punishment is that? "
replied Sun Hao:
- "If a subordinate had planned to kill his emperor, or had been malicious, I would have punished him like that."
Jia Chong, who was closely involved in the murder of Wei Emperor Cao Mao , was ashamed and kept silent.
Jin Wudi released Sun Hao and made him Marquis of Guiming. His sons became junior officials in the Jin government administration. In 284, Sun Hao died without ever being punished for his cruelty.
progeny
Sun Hao left numerous children:
- Sun Jin, the Crown Prince (appointed 269)
- The Prince of Huaiyang (appointed 269, personal name unknown)
- The Prince of Dongping (appointed 269, personal name unknown)
- 11 other princes, appointed 278, personal names unknown, some could have been nephews or cousins rather than sons; the only known titles are the Princes of Chengji and Xuanwei
- 11 other princes, appointed 280, personal names unknown, some could have been nephews or cousins rather than sons; the only known titles are the Princes of Zhongshan and Dai - and some or all of these princes might be the same as 278.
Era names
- Yuanxing (元 興 yuán xīng) 264–265
- Ganlu (甘露 gān lù) 265–266
- Baoding (寶鼎 baǒ dǐng) 266–269
- Jianheng (建 衡 jiàn héng) 269–271
- Fenghuang (鳳凰 fèng huáng) 272-274
- Tiance (天 冊 tiān cè) 275–276
- Tianxi (天 璽 tiān xǐ) 276
- Tianji (天 紀 tiān jì) 277–280
Web links
- Family tree of the Sun family (English)
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| Sun Xiu |
Emperor of China 264–280 |
Wu from Jin |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Sun Hao |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Emperor of China |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 242 |
| DATE OF DEATH | 284 |