Lu Su

Lu Su
A Qing dynasty illustration of Lu Su
Diplomat, general and politician of Sun Quan
Born	172
Died	217 (aged 45)
Names
Traditional Chinese	魯肅
Simplified Chinese	鲁肃
Pinyin	Lǔ Sù
Wade–Giles	Lu Su
Courtesy name	Zijing (Chinese: 子敬; pinyin: Zǐjìng; Wade–Giles: Tzu-ching)

Lu Su (172–217),courtesy name Zijing, was a diplomat, military general and politician serving under the warlord Sun Quan in the late Eastern Han dynasty. In 200 CE, when Sun Quan had just taken over the reins of power, his adviser Zhou Yu recommended Lu Su as a talent to him. Lu Su started his service under Sun Quan since then. As one of Sun Quan's most important subjects in the warlord's early career, Lu Su is best known for making the following contributions. Firstly, in 200 CE, he drafted a long-term strategy for Sun Quan's power bloc to emerge as one of three major contending powers in China – a plan similar to Zhuge Liang's Longzhong Plan, which was proposed about seven years later. Secondly, before the Battle of Red Cliffs in late 208, he was the first person to persuade Sun Quan to ally with Liu Bei against Cao Cao. Thirdly, he succeeded Zhou Yu as the frontline commander of Sun Quan's forces in 210 after Zhou's death and maintained the Sun–Liu alliance. Fourthly, in 215, he represented Sun Quan at the negotiations with Liu Bei's general Guan Yu during the Sun–Liu territorial dispute over Jing Province.

Lu Su was from Dongcheng County (東城縣), Linhuai Commandery (臨淮郡), which is located southeast of present-day Dingyuan County, Anhui. He lost his father not long after he was born, so he lived with his grandmother. Lu Su was very generous with his family's wealth as he used it to help the needy. The Wu Shu (吳書; Book of Wu), by Wei Zhao, described Lu Su as having a stalwart and extraordinary appearance. He had great ambitions since he was young and was very fond of strategy.

Towards the end of the Han dynasty, when chaos broke out throughout China due to the Yellow Turban Rebellion and Dong Zhuo's tyranny, Lu Su sold his family's lands and properties and used the money to help the poor. He also spent his time associating with other reputable and talented persons. He was well-loved by his fellow townsfolk.