The commander defending Spring Valley City was named Sun He, courtesy name Bo Hai. He was Sun Jian's clansman and the father of Sun Huan, the famed general of Eastern Wu.
He was loyal and upright by nature, sparing of words but swift in action. From his youth, he had followed Sun Jian through campaigns north and south, often serving as the vanguard.
After Sun Jian died and Sun Ce raised his army, he joined Sun Ce under Wu Jing, Lü Fan, and the others, becoming one of the founding members of Sun Ce's forces.
Sun Ce had originally possessed many generals from outside the Sun clan, but after these past two years of defeats, quite a few of those great generals had died in battle.
Thus, in resisting Liu Bei this time, Sun Ce had begun to draw upon the Sun family.
Though Sun Ce's rise had been difficult, the Sun family actually possessed no shortage of talent, especially military talent—such as Sun He, the defending commander.
After receiving Sun Ce's orders to guard against an attack on Spring Valley, Sun He ordered the city to be strictly defended and prevented Liu Bei's spies from infiltrating it.
Originally, scouts stationed around Spring Valley were meant to observe the movements of the naval forces.
But because Lu Su had received his orders and spent every day wandering back and forth, the scouts saw him so often that they no longer grew suspicious.
Thus, they remained unaware even when Taishi Ci quietly made his way to the reed marsh west of the city.
That night, dark clouds filled the sky, and beneath the city walls one could not see one's own hand before one's face. Sun He ordered his subordinates, "There is no moon tonight, and darkness lies all around. If