In the chaotic aftermath of the warlords’ campaign against Dong Zhuo, one man stood out for his valor and military prowess—Sun Jian, known as “Tiger of Jiangdong”, the fearless warrior of the Three Kingdoms Era. As the coalition of eastern lords hesitated, Sun Jian pressed forward, defeating Dong Zhuo’s forces in battle after battle. In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Chapter 6, he becomes the first and only warlord to enter the ruined capital of Luoyang, where he finds the imperial city reduced to ashes by Dong Zhuo’s retreat.
The Imperial Seal
Fulfilling his duty as a loyal Han general, Sun Jian ordered his troops to restore the imperial ancestral temples and repair the desecrated tombs of the Han emperors. Amid the rubble, while clearing the ruins, a soldier made a discovery of legendary treasure—the Imperial Seal of the Han Dynasty, the sacred Heirloom Seal of the Realm, lost since the turmoil of the Ten Eunuchs’ Rebellion.
This jade seal, carved from the legendary Heshi Bi and inscribed with eight characters by Prime Minister Li Si of Qin, was the ultimate symbol of Mandate of Heaven—the divine right to rule all under heaven.
The temptation of power
Yet instead of reporting the discovery, Sun Jian chose secrecy. His advisor, Cheng Pu, warned him of the consequences, but another voice prevailed:
“I have heard that the Ten Eunuchs caused chaos, seized the young emperor, and the seal was lost. Now Heaven has bestowed it upon you, Master—surely this means you are destined to ascend the throne! This place is no longer safe. Return swiftly to Jiangdong and plan your great undertaking.”
— Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Chapter 6
Convinced by this omen, Sun Jian concealed the seal and made a fateful decision. He declared himself ill and announced his intention to withdraw from the campaign and return to his base in Jiangdong.
“Your words align perfectly with my thoughts. Tomorrow, I shall feign illness and request to leave.”
— Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Chapter 6
He ordered his men to keep the matter secret, but the seed of betrayal had already been sown.
The Oath and the Betrayal
News of the seal reached Yuan Shao, the nominal leader of the coalition. Furious and suspicious, Yuan Shao summoned a soldier who had witnessed the discovery and confronted Sun Jian.
Sun Jian, cornered, swore a solemn oath:
“If I truly possess this treasure and hide it for myself, may I die by sword or arrow, never meet a peaceful end!”
— Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Chapter 6
The other lords, momentarily appeased, began to believe him. But Yuan Shao pressed on, revealing the soldier’s testimony. Enraged, Sun Jian drew his sword to kill the witness. Yuan Shao responded in kind, drawing his own blade. Their generals—Yan Liang and Wen Chou for Yuan Shao, Cheng Pu, Huang Gai, and Han Dang for Sun Jian—drew weapons, and the coalition teetered on the brink of civil war.
Only the intervention of the other lords prevented immediate bloodshed. Sun Jian, now openly alienated, marched his army away from Luoyang that very night.
Yuan Shao, seething with anger, wrote a secret letter to Liu Biao, the Governor of Jing Province(Jingzhou), urging him to ambush Sun Jian on the road and seize the seal by force.
Ambush at the Border: The cost of greed
Liu Biao, swayed by Yuan Shao’s plea, dispatched Kuai Yue and Cai Mao with 10,000 troops to intercept Sun Jian’s forces.
When Sun Jian confronted them, Kuai Yue accused him:
“You are a subject of Han—how dare you secretly hide the Imperial Seal? Surrender it now, and we shall let you pass!”
— Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Chapter 6
Sun Jian, furious, sent Huang Gai to fight Cai Mao. In a fierce duel, Huang Gai struck Cai Mao’s breastplate with his whip, forcing a retreat. Sun Jian pressed forward—only to be met by Liu Biao himself, arriving with reinforcements.
Liu Biao demanded:
“Why do you hide the Imperial Seal? Do you intend to rebel?”
— Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Chapter 6
Sun Jian swore again:
“If I possess it, may I die by sword and arrow!”
— Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Chapter 6
But Liu Biao insisted:
“Let me search your baggage.”
— Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Chapter 6
Sun Jian refused. As battle loomed, Liu Biao feigned retreat, luring Sun Jian into a trap. From both flanks, ambush forces surged forth, and from behind, Cai Mao and Kuai Yue closed in. Sun Jian was surrounded on all sides, barely escaping with his life.
Though he survived this encounter, the damage was done. The seal had turned friend into foe, and Sun Jian was now a marked man.
The Death of the Tiger
Yuan Shu exploited Sun Jian’s desire for revenge and incited him to launch an attack against Liu Biao.
Yuan Shu wrote Sun Jian urging him to attack Jingzhou. The note read as follows:
When Liu Biao blocked your way south, he was acting in collusion with my brother Benchu [Yuan Shao], Now the two of them are conspiring to attack your lands south of the Great River. You should raise an army as swiftly as possible and attack Liu Biao while I deal with Benchu for you. Two accounts will be settled. You will gain Jingzhou; I will gain Jizhou. Don’t let the opportunity pass.
After reading the letter, Sun Jian said, “Oh, to be rid of Liu Biao! He cut me off that time. I may not get another chance at him.”
— Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Chapter 7
In 191 AD, during the campaign against Liu Biao, Sun Jian led a daring night assault on Xiangyang. After defeating Liu Biao’s forces and pursuing them into the hills, he charged alone into Xian Mountain, only to be ambushed by Huang Zu’s troops.
Arrows rained down from the cliffs. Sun Jian, the indomitable warrior, fell dead on the battlefield—fulfilling his own oath: “May I die by sword or arrow.”
His death was not just a military loss—it was a direct consequence of the Imperial Seal. What began as a moment of glory in the ruins of Luoyang ended in tragedy on a lonely mountain pass.
What If? The path not taken
Historians and readers of Romance of the Three Kingdoms have long debated: What should Sun Jian have done with the seal?
The optimal strategies were clear:
Present the Seal to the Coalition
Sun Jian could have publicly revealed the discovery and handed the seal to Yuan Shao or a Han representative, positioning himself as a loyal servant of the Han dynasty. This would have earned him immense prestige, neutralized suspicion, and secured his moral high ground.
Declare custodianship, Not ownership
If he feared the seal would be lost in the chaos, he could have announced its recovery and pledged:
“I shall safeguard it until the emperor is restored and the capital rebuilt.”
This would have transformed him from a suspected usurper into a guardian of legitimacy, wielding the seal as a symbol of unity, not ambition.
Instead, by hiding the seal, Sun Jian turned it from a treasure into a curse.
Legacy of the Lost Seal
The consequences of Sun Jian’s choice were profound:
- Political Isolation: The secret bred suspicion. The fragile anti-Dong Zhuo alliance turned against him. Especially, Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu’s hostility is fatal.
- Liu Biao’s Ambush: Under Yuan Shao’s instigation, Liu Biao ordered Huang Zu to ambush Sun Jian during his return south, directly sparking the war between Sun Jian and Jingzhou.
- Death on the Battlefield: His final charge was not for conquest, but for survival—a hero brought low by the weight of a jade stone.
The Imperial Seal, meant to symbolize divine authority, became the instrument of Sun Jian’s downfall. In the end, it passed into the hands of Yuan Shu, who would later use it in a failed bid for the throne—only to die in disgrace.
Sun Jian’s story is a timeless lesson: In the game of thrones, even the most powerful treasure can be the heaviest burden.
As the novel reminds us:
“The world belongs not to the strong, nor to the wise, but to those who understand the moment, know the times.”
Sun Jian was strong. But in that moment, he failed to see the seal not as a prize—but as a trap.
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