Ashina Sun

*Adoptive family:*
 Jieli Khan (father)
 Ashina She'er (brother)

**Ashina Sun** (阿史那隼) is the main hero and one of the two protagonists of Chang Ge Xing. He was one of the leaders under Jieli Khan of the Eastern Turkic Khaganate prior to his "death" during the battle against the Xueyantuo and Uyghurs.

He is currently held prisoner in Pusa's military camp with only a few knowing his true identity and presumed to have died. Since his imprisonment, he has decided to call himself simply **Ah Sun** (阿隼) to signify he no longer belongs to the Ashina clan.

## Appearance

Ashina Sun has long black hair and blue eyes. He has a wolf claw mark on his chest as the result of an attack by Ashina She'er's wolves.

## Personality

In the beginning, he was a powerful and extremely ruthless leader filled with bloodlust. He cared more about the victories and fighting than the loot that could be pillaged. In other words, Sun never considers tactics as his strength; instead, he prefers violence as an easy resort to most problems. However, under the influence of Changge, Sun starts to grow out of his violent nature and begins employing a more scheming approach instead. He starts thinking of what his actions may bring unto his companions, something that Mujin has expressed surprise at having to tell Sun: not to overthink.

He is also described as a righteous and fiercely loyal friend, who is willing to sacrifice for the people he considers kinsmen and brothers. This sometimes leaves Mujin and Chang Ge exasperated for resolving his selfless but reckless decisions.

## History

Sun was taken into the Eastern Turkic Khaganate by Jieli Khan who adopted him as a son and renamed him as 'Ashina Sun'. He was raised alongside of Ashina She'er as his cousin.

During his visit to the land of Khitan to find his true origins, Sun learns that he was, in fact, the missing son of the former Dahe clan chief and his wife. Nineteen years ago, when the Eastern Turkic Khaganate learned about the former Dahe chief's intentions to discharge his obligations to them, they demanded him to send over a hostage in their custody in exchange for good faith. Sun's father decided to send him, his only son, whose real name was originally "Mohui". However, when "Mohui" - the supposed hostage - arrived, the Turks turned back on their words and murdered the entire delivery delegation. This scheming successfully provoked a rebellion from "Mohui"'s father, which the Turks capitalized as a rightful excuse to kill him.

However, they did not expect that Khitan's fiercest fighter, Aodan, could bravely fought to protect the chief's son, "Mohui". To secure their escape, Aodan charged into Khatun's tent and held Ashina She'er hostage. Jieli Khan, who was a Tegin at the time, promised with Aodan that he will adopt "Mohui" as his son, if he agrees to release Khatun and She'er. From then on, unbeknownst to his Khitan kinsmen, "Mohui" began his life in Eastern Turkic Khaganate as "Ashina Sun" - the adopted child of Jieli Khan.

## Synopsis

### Introduction arc

Somewhere north to Tang, a falcon lands on Ashina Sun's arm as he holds a bloodied sword in the other while on horseback. With a sinister look on his face, he commands to kill all leftover soldiers ten miles ahead on the other side of a mountain.

## Relationships

### ***Eastern Turkic Khagnate***

#### Mujin

Sun's general and right-hand strategist. They first met when Mujin was being beaten up by She'er for throwing rocks at his wolves in Jieli Khan's camp . Sun intervened and bit She'er's hand, causing the angered She'er to release the wolves on him. After the whole ordeal, Sun accepted Mujin under his protection. Sun's reasoning was that although he was five and She'er was eight, they were already equally matched; therefore, he would definitely kick She'er's ass when he eventually turned eight. It was that moment, Mujin realized he must strive to become the smart one since his master "might be an idiot."

Sun considers Mujin a loyal companion and Mujin feels the same, referring to Sun as his only kinsman. Mujin is often the one responsible for cleaning up after Sun's selfless but reckless decisions. Therefore, he is extremely protective of Sun. Even when Sun decided to consider Chang Ge a "brother", Mujin remained cautious of her. Additionally, he even went as far as trying to assassinate the Jieli Khan's envoy to cover for Sun's late return from his Khitan's journey.

Mujin enjoys teasing Sun about his incompetence mathematics skills, his Han illiteracy, and his obvious crush on Changge. Later in the series, Mujin is genuinely surprised when Sun begins to show his conniving and thoughtful side, including going undercover as a Han, quick thinking to deceive the Jieli Khan's envoy, and hesitation to murder. Mujin also then teases Sun on his crush for Changge by tricking his Han-illiterate friend into writing "The little strategist looks pretty. I like." in a letter for Changge.

#### Jieli Khan

The Great Khan is Sun's adoptive father. He considers himself a powerful right-hand "sword" to the Great Khan and feels indebted to Jieli Khan and the Turks; hence, he is absolutely resolute to never betray them. However, the Great Khan is uneasy with Sun's growing military power and constantly in doubt about Sun's loyalty.

#### Ashina She'er

Sun's adoptive cousin, and supposed successor of the Great Khan. She'er is extremely threatened by Sun's presence and growing influence. They have had a rivalry relationship since they were children. This might be the result of that time when Aodan was holding She'er as a hostage, trying to rescue Sun. She'er once set the wolves on him when Sun was bit him to protect Mujin, who was still as slave at the time, in a fight.

Although Sun has expressed no desire whatsoever to be the next Khan, She'er still sees him as a threat. He often sends women slaves to infiltrate Sun's camp as spies or cause disruptions among his men.

#### Yaluo

He is a kinsman in Sun's camp, Sun's messenger and travelling companion.

### ***Yanhangmen***

#### Li Changge

After a rocky beginning, she slowly develops into Sun's love interest. Their first encounter began in the Siege of Zhangzhou, with Changge defending the city with the Hans versus Sun on the attacking side on behalf of the Turks. After the city Zhangzhou has surrendered, Sun captured Changge as a prisoner, intending to render her intellect useless under imprisonment. However, she later proved her political understanding to be extremely useful and convinced Sun to promote her as his strategist.

From then on, they begin to see each other in a different light and develop great trust in one another. Changge has advised Sun on how to best avoid the successor dispute with She'er by relocating his camp and saved Sun from She'er's trap. Sun even entrusted her with the hiding of his kin women and children while he leads the man to hold back She'er's attack. Later, when they met again at Liu Yun temple, Sun saved Changge from a blood bath against the thugs. She eventually confides in Sun her true identity as the "late" Yongning Princess of Tang, believing that he will never disclose it.

Their companionship has rapidly changed both of them. Changge, despite being cunning with her tactics ("Shu"), is struggling to find her true destiny ("Dao"). She is incredibly jealous of Sun, who is always wholehearted devoted to the cause ("Dao") that he believes to be righteous, regardless of the consequences. As a result, Sun is often impatient and resorts to violence as a quick but troublesome approach ("Shu"). Overtime, they learned from each other's "Shu" and "Dao". Changge realizes that her ultimate destiny (her "Dao") could not be as simple as a vow to revenge: assassinating Li Shimin for her own gain will be at the cost of the welfare of Tang - her own homeland and people. Sun, on the other hand, learns that being a blunt instrument for any cause is no longer the best way. He grows to care about the people close to him and to carefully consider the consequences of his actions (his "Shu").

It was hinted that they developed a mutual affection for each other. When Sun found out that Changge was in fact a girl, he blushed deeply at the thought. Before leaving for Khitan, Sun has subtly expressed his feelings to Changge, making her promise that if one day she has nowhere else to go, she'd turn to him. Even though Changge was seemingly reluctant to accept the offer, she secretly grinned to herself after he has gone.

#### **Qin Gu**

After Changge has gone missing, Ashina Sun joins Qin Gu's Yanhangmen to search for her. It is Qin Gu who tells Sun that Changge is in fact a girl, causing him to blush profusely at the thought.

Knowing that many of his people may hold a grudge against Sun for defeating Gong Sunheng, Qin Gu leaves him to confront them with fists to sort out any hard feelings. After Sun has squared up to all the men expresses his admiration for their loyalty, Qin Gu officially admits him to Yanhangmen.

### ***The Khitan people***

#### **Aodan**

He was the warrior accompanying Sun (whose name was "Mohui" at the time) on his journey to be a diplomatic hostage in the Eastern Turkic Khagnate. When the Turks went back on their words and murder the whole Dahe delegation, Aodan bravely fought back to protect "Mohui". To secure their escape, Aodan charged into Khatun's tent and held Ashina She'er hostage. Jieli Khan, who was a Tegin at the time, promised with Aodan that he will adopt "Mohui" as his son, if he agrees to release Khatun and She'er. From then on, unbeknownst to his Khitan kinsmen, "Mohui" began his life in Eastern Turkic Khaganate as "Ashina Sun" - the adopted child of Jieli Khan.

During their stay at Jieli Khan's territory, Aodan once saved Sun from a fatal wolf attack by Ashina She'er. However, after this incident, Aodan was sent away, causing Sun to assume that he belonged to the Turkic tribe. Due to this misleading impression, Sun's attempt to search for his savior never succeeds. However, Aodan was dismissed because he has discovered "Mohui"'s death was a bait to eliminate his father, the former Dahe clan chief. When he manages to inform Duo Luo - "Mohui"'s uncle, that he is still alive, Duo Luo disregards Aodan words and banished his family from the Dahe clan.

Much to Sun's surprise, they coincidentally meet again when Sun moves up to the North to avoid disputes with Ahina She'er. Seeing that Aodan's Piki clan is now struggling to survive, Sun wants to include their clan to his new trade route. This is included in Mimi's secret report to She'er, who exploits Sun's sympathy with Aodan to trigger Jieli Khan's outrage. The Great Khan orders Sun to immediately eliminate the Piki Clan and if he resists, She'er may get rid of Sun, too. Much to his reluctance, Sun leads his army to the Piki clan's camp just to see Aodan's body. This turns out to be a death trap by She'er, who has already massacred the Piki Clan to bait Sun their and kill him at the same time.

When Sun finally learns about his true origin from Duo Luo, he eventually clears Aodan's name and refers to him as the hero of the Dahe clan.

#### **Ah'er Tai**

He is Aodan's grandson. While his clan was being massacred by She'er, Aodan has sent Ah'er Tai away just in time to seek shelter under Ashina Sun. After Ah'er Tai Sun has revealed Sun about his Khitan origin, pleading him to avenge their clan, Sun brings him back to the Dahe Clan to investigate into who he really is.

#### **Mohui**

He is Ashina Sun's cousin, son of Duo Luo. "Mohui" was Sun's original name when he was sent to the Eastern Turkic Khagnate to be a hostage. After his brother and nephew were killed, Duo Luo has named his son "Mohui" to comfort his insane sister in law, Sun's mother, who only calms down when seeing Mohui.

Mohui greatly admires Sun's archery skills after he saves him from a deadly confrontation with the Shiwei clansmen. However, Sun is infuriated at their recklessness, saying that if Mohui was his real brother, he would have thrashed him. Later that night, when Sun beats the Turkic envoy to defend Duo Lou's wife honor, he is taken aback by Sun's resemblance to his brother. When Duo Luo finally reveals the true story behind Sun's origin, Mohui is furious with his father's past decision but is comforted by an understanding Sun. After bidding Sun goodbye, Mohui starts crying, saying that all of the love and privileges he is entitled to should righteously belong to Sun since he is, in fact, his big brother.

## Abilities & Powers

### Archery

Sun is extremely proficient with the bow and arrow, and very skilled at wielding a sword. When he was 12, he could precisely aim at the eye of his preys, killing them with one blow. When visiting the Da he clan, he hunts down a leopard by shooting it straight in the eye, skinning a perfect pelt as a visiting gift. The Turks have said that nobody can beat the sharpness of his "eagle" eyesight.

### Intellect

Before his companionship with Changge, Ashina Sun's tactical and calculating side was not so established. According to Mujin, he "might be an idiot" due to his incompetent mathematics skills. When Sun was five and She'er was eight, they were already equally matched, therefore, Sun believed that when he'd turn eight, he would be able to kick She'er's ass, forgetting that She'er would be 11 by then. Mujin also notices that Sun does not have a great sense of irony either.

However, Sun is a brave warrior and a seasoned military leader. In Chang'an, after several tactical game matches, Li Jing also claims that even though Sun is almost "blind" in combat theories, but has great battle instincts and clear military talents.

### Languages

Sun is fluent in the language of the Turks. In his younger days, he learned the language of the Han in order to please his father as the Great Khan greatly admires Khatun and her Han strategist, however he is illiterate in the language and only recently began taking lessons from Mujin in order to be able to read and write. Additionally, he has shown to be able to speak and understand some Uyghur in order to communicate with Pusa.

## Trivia

* His name means *falcon* (隼). This corresponds to his title, "Leader of the Eagles".