20 Facts About Sun Hao

Sun Hao was a son of Sun He, a one-time heir apparent of the founding emperor Sun Quan.

Sun Hao is known by other titles: Marquis of Wucheng, which he held before he became emperor; Marquis Guiming, the title given to him by the Jin dynasty after his surrender; Later Lord of Wu and Last Emperor of Wu, which were used by historians to refer to him.

Sun Hao's mother, Consort He, was a concubine of Sun He.

Sun Hao went from the status of eventual presumed heir to being the son of a commoner, albeit a grandson of the emperor.

Sun Hao's title was the Marquis of Wucheng and he was sent to his marquisate.

In summer 264, Sun Hao Xiu fell ill and was unable to speak but still could write so he wrote an edict summoning the chancellor Puyang Xing to the palace, where he pointed and entrusted his son, crown prince Sun Hao Wan, to Puyang Xing.

However, soon that hopefulness was shattered as Sun Hao started to be cruel in his punishments, superstitious, and indulging himself in wine and women.

In 265, Sun Hao forced the former Empress Dowager Zhu to commit suicide and exiled Sun Xiu's four sons.

Sun Hao soon executed the two eldest, Sun Wan and Sun Gong.

Sun Hao then, believing in a prophecy that the imperial aura had moved from Yang Province to Jing Province and that Jing Province forces would defeat Yang Province forces, undertook a costly move of the capital from Jianye to Wuchang.

Sun Hao started executing officials who showed disapproval of his wasteful ways regularly.

Sun Hao instead considered attacking the Jin dynasty, but while he did not do so at that moment, he did not make peace with the Jin dynasty.

Sun Hao believed this was a fulfillment of the prophecy that prompted his move of the capital to Wuchang; and later that year, he moved the capital back to Jianye.

In 268, Sun Hao began a policy of periodically attacking Jin border regions; he had his general Zhu Ji attack Jiangxia and Wan Yu attack Xiangyang, while he himself postured to attack Hefei.

Lu Xun's son Lu Kang, a general who was in charge of defending Wu's western borders, did periodically submit petitions requesting reforms, but Sun Hao generally ignored them, although he did not punish Lu Kang.

Only after Sun Hao heard this possibility did he make the decision to withdraw and return to Jianye.

Wan Yu and the senior generals Ding Feng and Liu Ping had already considered returning to Jianye themselves before Sun Hao chose to withdraw and when Sun Hao heard about this he bore grudges against them as generals who might leave him.

Sun Hao suspected that he was pretending and had him arrested and tortured by whipping and by subjecting him to saws and fires.

Sun Hao died under torture and his clan was exiled.

Sun Hao's sons were made junior officials in the Jin government.