孫亮
Sun Quan died in 252 and was succeeded by his youngest son, Sun Liang, as emperor of Wu. After his coronation, Sun Liang promoted Lu Kang to the rank of General under the title "General of Vehement Might" (). In 257, Zhuge Dan, a general from Wu's rival state Wei, started a rebellion in Shouchun (壽春; present-day Shou County, Anhui) and requested reinforcements from Wu. Sun Liang appointed Lu Kang as the Area Commander of Chaisang (柴桑; around present-day Jiujiang, Jiangxi) and ordered him to lead troops to Shouchun to support Zhuge Dan. Although the rebellion was ultimately suppressed by Wei forces, Lu Kang managed to defeat some Wei forces in battle. In recognition of his efforts, the Wu government promoted him to the position of General Who Attacks the North ().