Sun Huan

Sun Huan (onyomi: Son Kan) is an officer of Wu who was a favored by Sun Quan for his intelligence and virtue. He is one of the most prominent commanders during the Battle of Yiling surviving several months cut off from his kingdom and sallying out once Lu Xun's fire attack turned the tide of the battle.

Role in Games
Sun Huan first appears in Dynasty Warriors 7 at the battle of Chibi. He waits in ambush until the fire attack is launched by Huang Gai, when he rushes Cao Cao as part of the first wave, alongside Taishi Ci. During the battle of Yiling, Sun Huan fights the advance forces of Shu, around the river and beyond the inferno that keeps aid from reaching them until Yueying manages to extinguish the flames. In Dynasty Warriors 8, Sun Huan resumes his role at Yiling, fighting once more on the frontlines, attempting to defeat the Shu vanguard, who are under the protection of Guan Xing and Zhang Bao.

Sun Huan has been in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms series from the beginning, generally being present in the Wu army during scenarios when Wu campaigns against Guan Yu. He is usually deceased in scenarios set after Yiling. In recent titles, his stats across the board are good with nearly all being within the 70's range with leadership being his highest in the low 80's.

In the fourteenth title, his character traits favor defensive battles and logistics. He possesses the skills Defense and Supplier, which increases his army unit's defensive fighting ability and increases the amount of supplies his army can carry. His other skill, Castle Builder, allows him to build traps and facilities in cities faster then normal, further encouraging his use on frontier territories. Sun Huan's administrative policy significantly increases the durability of Castle Walls and Gates, all of which keeps in line with his exemplar defense against Liu Bei's forces in history.

Historical Information
Sun Huan was born Yu Huan to Yu He. His father was a distant relation to Sun Jian and for his devoted service, was adopted into the family and took the Sun surname at Sun Ce, Sun Jian's heir, insistence. Huan, despite being the third son of Sun He, was his own father's heir, as his two older brothers died young. Sun Huan was highly regarded by Sun Quan, who praised him for his good looks, charisma, and intellect. Sun Quan liked claiming Sun Huan was his clan's own Yan Yuan (the favored pupil of Confucius). Sun Huan was made a commander of military guards because of this favor.

In 219, Sun Huan took part in an invasion in Jing province, which belonged to Liu Bei and were under the protection of Guan Yu. This was a coordinated attack, catching Guan Yu's forces spread out and exposed, as he had been laying siege to Fan Castle. The Wu forces managed to capture most of Jing with very little combat, with Sun Huan personally confronting part of Guan Yu's forces and convincing about 5,000 of his men to surrender. These forces brought with them much of the equipment and livestock that Guan Yu's army relied upon.

At the age of 25, Sun Huan was promoted to cadet general who pacifies the east in 221. Sun Huan received his appointment as part of his assignment to join Lu Xun in the coming conflict at Xiaoting (also known as Yiling). During the early stages of the conflict with Shu, Sun Huan attacked Liu Bei's vanguard at Yidao, but was forced to take shelter within the city before the might of Liu Bei's fury. Thus Sun Huan had to settle down and endure a siege, cut off from his allies. Sun Huan sent a messenger seeking reinforcements, but Lu Xun rejected the call for aid on the grounds it would spread their forces out too thinly to properly counter the Shu forces. Other Wu officers did not want to leave Sun Huan isolated, but Lu Xun was confident that Sun Huan could hold out until they could properly support him. When Lu Xun managed to burn the vanguard camps of Liu Bei and turn the tide of the campaign, Sun Huan saw the besiegers falling back and led his troops out to avenge themselves on their foes. Sun Huan even managed to capture and block the route Liu Bei was retreating on, forcing Liu Bei to flee by the mountain paths instead. When Liu Bei heard who so skillfully blocked him, he said, "When I previously first visited the capital, Huan was merely a small child, but now he has oppressed me to this!".

Sun Huan was promoted to General Which Established Martial Might and enfeoffed as the Marquis of Dantu for his contributions in battle. The last we know about Sun Huan is he was ordered to Niuzhu where he supervised the repairs of the low wall at Jiang docks. While the exact date of his death is unknown, Sun Huan did pass shortly after this assignment.

Romance of the Three Kingdoms
Sun Huan first appears in the novel at chapter 82. He volunteers to help stop the oncoming Shu army currently poised to retake Jing province. He is described as athletic and militarily minded, and Sun Quan is quite pleased with the idea of Sun Huan defeating Liu Bei's army. Zhu Ran is made his joint commander, and Xie Jing and Li Yi as subordinate officers. Huan is the first Wu officer to give resistance to the Shu forces, arraying himself against the vanguard under Wu Ban's command. Guan Xing and Zhang Bao join the vanguard as junior officers and they fight and kill Sun Huan's subordinates Li Yi and Xie Jing, respectively. This defeat, followed by a night raid that forced Zhu Ran back down the river, forced Sun Huan to seek shelter at Yiling, where he is besieged.

Sun Huan sends for reinforcements, but no Wu officer is able to overcome the Shu forces making their way further east into Jing. Eventually Lu Xun is appointed commander of the Wu army and he refuses to continue trying to relieve Sun Huan for the time being. Instead, Lu Xun expresses confidence in Sun Huan's ability to hold out within Yiling until he could force the Shu forces to flee. When Lu Xun successfully pulls off his fire attack, Sun Huan sallies out from Yiling when he sees the siege lifted. Huan fights with Wu Ban, Zhang Nan, and Feng Xi during Shu's flight and manages to slay Zhang Nan and Feng Xi.