Sun Jian, also known as Wentai, was from Fuchun in Wu County. He is said to be a descendant of Sun Wu. When he was young, he served as a minor official in the county. At the age of seventeen, he and his father took a boat to Qiantang. On their way, they encountered the pirate Hu Yu and his gang. These pirates emerged from Paoli, robbing merchants of their goods and were about to divide the loot on the shore. People nearby were too frightened to move, and the boat stopped in its tracks. Sun Jian said to his father, "I can take care of these thieves, let me deal with them!" His father said, "This is not something you can handle." Without hesitation, Sun Jian went ashore with a knife, waving his arms as if he were leading troops, surrounding the pirates. The pirates mistook him for official soldiers come to arrest them and were scared, dropping the loot and running away. Sun Jian caught up to them, beheaded one of the pirates, and returned with the head, which shocked his father. Word of this incident spread quickly, and he was summoned to the government office to serve as a minor official.
Later, a notorious bandit named Xu Chang appeared in Kuaiji, stirring up rebellion in Juzhang, who declared himself the "Emperor Yangming." He and his son Xu Shao instigated rebellions across several counties, with a following of tens of thousands. Sun Jian was appointed as the county's Sima, recruiting more than a thousand elite troops, and, alongside the local forces, defeated Xu Chang. That year was the first year of Xiping. Governor Zang Min reported Sun Jian's achievements to the imperial court, and he was appointed as the magistrate of Yandu. A few years later, he was transferred to Xuyi, and then to Xiapi as magistrate.
In the first year of the Zhongping era, the leader of the Yellow Turban rebels, Zhang Jiao, rebelled in Weijun. He falsely claimed to be acting on behalf of the gods and sent out eight messengers, claiming he would enlighten the world, but in reality, he was covertly recruiting followers, proclaiming to establish the "Yellow Sky Great Peace" dynasty. On the Jiazi day of the third month, thirty-six Yellow Turban armies simultaneously rebelled, and responses came from all over the country, with widespread burning, killing, and looting, as government officials and officers became their targets. The Han Dynasty dispatched Generals Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun to suppress the rebellion. Zhu Jun petitioned the court to appoint Sun Jian as his deputy military advisor. Young people from the villages around Xiapi eagerly sought to follow Sun Jian into battle. Sun Jian also recruited merchants as guards and elite soldiers from the Huai and Si regions, totaling more than a thousand people, and bravely fought alongside Zhu Jun, defeating the Yellow Turban army one after another. The Yellow Turban armies of Runan and Yingchuan were forced into a corner and fled to Wancheng to hide. Sun Jian led the charge and was the first to climb the city wall of Wancheng, with others following him, ultimately achieving a resounding victory. Zhu Jun reported the battle to the court, and the court appointed Sun Jian as a military officer in a separate division.
Meanwhile, in Liangzhou, Bian Zhang and Han Sui rebelled. The court sent Dong Zhuo to quell the rebellion, but he achieved nothing. In the third year of Zhongping, the court sent Zhang Wen, the Minister of Works, to serve as General of Chariots and Cavalry, leading troops to suppress Bian Zhang and his followers. Zhang Wen petitioned the court to have Jia Xu accompany him and be stationed in Chang'an. Holding the imperial edict, Zhang Wen summoned Dong Zhuo, who arrived after a long delay. Zhang Wen harshly criticized Dong Zhuo, who defiantly replied. Jia Xu, who was sitting nearby, leaned in and whispered to Zhang Wen, "Dong Zhuo is not afraid of punishment whatsoever, yet he is acting so arrogantly. He deliberately arrived late; he should be executed according to military law!"
Zhang Wen said, "Dong Zhuo has a notorious reputation in Longxi and Shu areas. If we kill him now, no one on the western front will be able to control it." Jia Xu said, "You lead the troops yourself and command respect; why fear Dong Zhuo? Look at Dong Zhuo's attitude; he doesn't even see you as a threat, showing blatant disrespect for his superiors. This is the first crime! Bian Zhang and Han Sui have rebelled for several years; you should send troops to suppress them in time. But Dong Zhuo said the timing was wrong, which has undermined the army's morale. This is the second crime! Dong Zhuo failed to complete his mission and still hasn't arrived, displaying arrogance. This is the third crime! In ancient times, famous generals led their troops to fight, all of them used severe measures to establish authority. For example, Rang Ju killed Zhuang Jia for disobedience, and Wei Jiang killed Yang Gan for disobedience. If you continue to show leniency towards Dong Zhuo and don't kill him, it will weaken the credibility of the army, which could have dire consequences!" Zhang Wen hesitated a bit, didn't make up his mind, and said, "You should go back first; Dong Zhuo may suspect you." Jia Xu then got up and left.
Bian Zhang and Han Sui heard that the army was approaching; their subordinates scattered to escape, and they all surrendered. The army returned triumphantly; some thought it was premature to reward them before facing the enemy, but everyone was aware of Jia Xu's accusations against Dong Zhuo, and they all felt that Dong Zhuo should be killed. They all regretted that Zhang Wen did not do so. Later, the court appointed Jia Xu as a Yilang. At that time, there was a bandit chief in Changsha named Qu Xing, who called himself a general and had more than 10,000 men under him, attacking cities everywhere. The court sent Jia Xu to be the governor of Changsha. Jia Xu arrived in Changsha, led his troops and devised strategies personally, and defeated Qu Xing and his men in under a month. Zhou Chao and Guo Shi, who were from Lingling and Guiyang, also rebelled, working in concert with Qu Xing. Jia Xu pursued them and restored order in all three counties. The Han court recognized Jia Xu's past and recent achievements and appointed him as the Marquis of Wucheng.
Emperor Ling of Han died, and Dong Zhuo took control of the court, behaving tyrannically in the capital and ran rampant. Various provinces and counties rose up in arms against Dong Zhuo, and Sun Jian also led troops to respond. The Jingzhou Inspector, Wang Rui, had previously treated Sun Jian harshly, so when Sun Jian passed through, he killed him. By the time they reached Nanyang, Sun Jian's army had tens of thousands of soldiers. The Administrator of Nanyang, Zhang Zi, heard that Sun Jian's army had arrived, but he showed no signs of panic. Sun Jian entertained Zhang Zi with beef and wine, and the next day Zhang Zi returned the visit. While they were drinking, a clerk from Changsha entered to report to Sun Jian: "When we marched to Nanyang before, the roads were not well maintained, and our military supplies were not complete. I request that the clerk be arrested for questioning the reasons." Zhang Zi was terrified and attempted to flee, but surrounded by soldiers, he couldn't. After a while, the clerk came in again to report to Sun Jian: "The Administrator of Nanyang has delayed the campaign against the bandits and requests to punish him according to military law." So Zhang Zi was dragged to the camp's entrance and executed. The people of Nanyang were terrified, and Sun Jian could get whatever he wanted.
Sun Jian arrived in Luyang and met with Yuan Shu. Yuan Shu appointed Sun Jian as General Who Pacifies the Caitiffs and Governor of Yuzhou. Sun Jian reorganized his forces in Luyang to prepare for the attack on Dong Zhuo. When preparing to attack Dong Zhuo, Sun Jian sent his Chief Clerk, Gong Qiu, back to the state to urge the transport of military provisions. Sun Jian set up a tent outside the east gate of the city to bid farewell to Gong Qiu, and officials came to see him off. Dong Zhuo sent tens of thousands of infantry and cavalry troops to intercept Sun Jian, with dozens of light cavalry arriving first. Sun Jian was in the midst of drinking and chatting, ordered his subordinates to organize the troops and not act rashly. As Dong Zhuo's cavalry increased, Sun Jian slowly stopped drinking, lured Dong Zhuo's cavalry into the city, and remarked to those nearby, "Why didn't I get up immediately just now? I was afraid of the soldiers trampling each other and not being able to enter." Dong Zhuo's army saw that Sun Jian's soldiers were very organized and were too intimidated to attack the city and thus retreated.
Sun Jian was stationed in Liangdong and came under fierce attack from Dong Zhuo's army. He led dozens of cavalrymen to break through the encirclement. Sun Jian typically wore a red felt hat. He took off his hat and had his trusted general Zu Mao wear it. Dong Zhuo's cavalry chased after Zu Mao, which allowed Sun Jian to escape down a side road. Zu Mao found himself in a tight spot, dismounted, placed the hat on a post beside a grave, and hid in the grass. Dong Zhuo's cavalry saw this, surrounded the area multiple times, and upon closer inspection realized it was merely a post, and then they left. Sun Jian regrouped his army and fought Dong Zhuo's army at Yangren, defeating them and killing Dong Zhuo's commander Hua Xiong and others. At this time, someone slandered Sun Jian in front of Yuan Shu, leading Yuan Shu to become suspicious and halt the supply of military provisions. Yangren was more than a hundred miles from Luyang. Sun Jian rushed to Yuan Shu overnight, drew a map in the dirt, and said, "I risked everything to lead the troops not only to defend the country against bandits but also to settle a personal score for your family. There is no deep-seated hatred between me and Dong Zhuo, yet you believed the slander and became suspicious of me!" Yuan Shu felt embarrassed and quickly provided military supplies. Sun Jian returned to his station. Dong Zhuo, worried about Sun Jian's bravery, sent generals like Li Jue to seek a peace agreement and marriage alliances, promising to appoint Sun Jian's family members as governors and officials. Sun Jian said, "Dong Zhuo's actions go against the heavens and harm the royal family. If we don't wipe out his entire clan as a warning, I won't be at peace. How could I possibly reconcile with him?" Sun Jian then marched toward Daguan, which is ninety miles from Luoyang. Dong Zhuo subsequently moved his capital to the west into Guanzhong, setting fire to Luoyang. Sun Jian then entered Luoyang, repaired the tombs, and leveled the areas dug up by Dong Zhuo. After finishing this, Sun Jian led his army back to camp in Luyang.
In the year 192 AD, Cao Cao sent Liu Biao to attack the territory of Jingzhou, which was governed by Liu Biao. Liu Biao sent Huang Zu to intercept between Fancheng and Dengxian. As a result, Huang Zu defeated Liu Biao, who was pursued relentlessly, crossed the Han River, and directly surrounded Xiangyang. Liu Biao rode alone to Xianshan and was shot dead by Huang Zu's soldiers. His nephew Liu Ben, with his army, surrendered to Cao Cao, who appointed Liu Ben as the governor of Yuzhou.
Liu Biao had four sons: Liu Ce, Liu Bei (the text originally refers to him as Liu Quan, but historically he is known as Liu Bei), Liu Yi, and Liu Kuang. Later, after Liu Bei became emperor, he posthumously honored his father Liu Biao as Emperor Wulie.
Liu Ce, styled Bofu. When his father Liu Biao first raised troops, Liu Ce and his mother relocated to Shu County. He was good friends with Zhou Yu and united a large group of scholars, gaining the allegiance of the people in the Jianghuai region. After Liu Biao's death, Liu Ce arranged for his burial in Qu'e and then crossed the Yangtze River to live in Jiangdu.
The Xu Province Inspector, Tao Qian, was wary of Sun Ce. Sun Ce's uncle Wu Jing was then the Prefect of Danyang. Sun Ce relocated to Qu'e with his mother and sought the support of Lu Fan and Sun He, recruiting several hundred men along the way.
In the first year of the Xingping era, Sun Ce sought refuge with Yuan Shu. Yuan Shu held him in high regard and entrusted him with his elite troops. The Grand Tutor, Ma Midi, was tasked with pacifying the eastern territories and invited Sun Ce with courtesy in Shouchun, appointing him as Colonel of Huaiyi. Yuan Shu's important generals Qiao Rui and Zhang Xun greatly admired him. Yuan Shu often lamented, saying, "If only I had a son like Sun Ce, I would die without regrets!"
One time, a cavalryman from Sun Ce's forces committed an offense and fled to Yuan Shu's camp, hiding in the stables. Sun Ce sent someone to kill the cavalryman and then went to Yuan Shu to apologize. Yuan Shu said, "Soldiers deserting is common; we should deal with it together. Why apologize to me?" From that point onward, the army held Sun Ce in even greater esteem.
Yuan Shu initially promised to give the post of Governor of Jiujiang to Sun Ce, but later appointed Chen Ji, a Danyang native. Later, Yuan Shu wanted to attack Xuzhou and asked Lu Kang, the Governor of Lujiang, for thirty thousand hu of grain. Lu Kang refused, which infuriated Yuan Shu. Sun Ce had visited Lu Kang before, but Lu Kang did not see him and only sent a clerk to receive him. Sun Ce resented this incident. Yuan Shu sent Sun Ce to attack Lu Kang, saying, "I've regretted replacing you with Chen Ji." Now, if you can take down Lu Kang, Lujiang will truly belong to us." Sun Ce captured Lu Kang's territory, but Yuan Shu appointed Liu Xun, Lu Kang's former subordinate, as the Governor, which only deepened Sun Ce's disappointment.
Before this, Liu Yao was the Inspector of Yangzhou, and the old capital of Yangzhou was located in Shou Chun. Shou Chun had already been occupied by Yuan Shu, so Liu Yao crossed the Yangtze River to relocate the capital to Qu'e. At that time, Wu Jing was still in Danyang, and Sun Ce's cousin, Sun Ben, was appointed as the Commandant of Danyang. After Liu Yao arrived, they were all driven away. Wu Jing and Sun Ben retreated to Liyang. Liu Yao stationed Fan Neng and Yu Mi east of the Hengjiang crossing and stationed Zhang Ying at Dangli Kou to fend off Yuan Shu. Yuan Shu appointed his old subordinate, Hui Qu, a man from Langye, as the Inspector of Yangzhou, and appointed Wu Jing as the Supervisor of the Army, along with Sun Ben, to lead the attack against Zhang Ying and others, but they struggled to secure a victory for several years.
Sun Ce urged Yuan Shu to assist Wu Jing and the others in pacifying the eastern Yangtze region. Yuan Shu appointed Sun Ce as the Commander of the Cavalry, acting General of Pacification, providing him with over a thousand soldiers, dozens of horses, and several hundred loyal followers. By the time they reached Liyang, his forces had grown to five or six thousand. Sun Ce's mother had first moved from Qu'e to Liyang, and Sun Ce then moved her to Fuling for the upcoming river battle. Everywhere they went, they achieved victory, with no one able to withstand his might, and his army was disciplined, with the people rallying behind him.
Sun Ce is quite a handsome guy, is a great speaker, has a particularly cheerful personality, and has a real knack for putting the right people in the right roles, so everyone respects him and would go to great lengths for him. Liu Yao abandoned his army and ran away, and the governors of various counties abandoned their cities to save their skins. Yan Baihu and others in Wu territory, each leading tens of thousands of troops, set up camp all over the place. Sun Jing and the others wanted to defeat Baihu and his crew first, so they ran to Kuaiji. Sun Ce said, "Baihu and his crew are just a bunch of bandits with no real ambitions; they're just sitting ducks." So he led his troops across the Zhejiang River, occupied Kuaiji, wiped out Dongye, and then broke through Baihu and his crew. Sun Ce swapped out the original officials, made himself the Governor of Kuaiji, appointed Wu Jing as the Governor of Danyang, and Sun Ben as the Governor of Yuzhang; he also split Yuzhang and established Luling County, appointing Sun Ben's younger brother Sun Fu as the Governor of Luling, and Zhu Zhi of Danyang as the Governor of Wu. Zhang Zhao of Pengcheng, Zhang Hong of Guangling, Qin Song, Chen Duan, and others became his strategists. At that time, Yuan Shu declared himself emperor, and Sun Ce wrote a letter harshly criticizing him and then cut him off. Cao Cao recommended Sun Ce as the General Who Conquers Rebels and appointed him as the Marquis of Wu. Later, when Yuan Shu died, his Chief of Staff Yang Hong, General Zhang Xun, and others wanted to team up with Sun Ce, while the Governor of Lujiang, Liu Xun, wanted to attack them. As a result, he captured them all and snagged all their loot. After hearing about this, Sun Ce played nice with Liu Xun and formed an alliance with him. Liu Xun had just received Yuan Shu's army, and at this time, more than ten thousand households from Yuzhang were in Jiangdong, so Sun Ce advised Liu Xun to attack them. The moment Liu Xun left, Sun Ce swiftly and stealthily took over Lujiang, and Liu Xun's army surrendered completely, with Liu Xun barely escaping with a few hundred men to Cao Cao.
At that time, Yuan Shao's power was strong, and Sun Ce had already controlled Jiangdong. Cao Cao couldn't do anything about him for the time being, so he wanted to win him over. He married his daughter to Sun Ce's brother Sun Kuang, arranged for his son Cao Zhang to marry Sun Ben's daughter, extended special favor to Sun Ce's brothers, Sun Quan and Sun Yi, and had the Governor of Yangzhou, Yan Xiang, to recommend Sun Quan as a man of talent.
In the year 190 AD, Cao Cao confronted Yuan Shao at Guandu. Sun Ce secretly planned to attack Xuchang, welcome Emperor Xian of Han, secretly prepared his army, and assigned tasks to various generals. Before he could take action, he was assassinated by an assassin who had previously served under Xu Gong, the Prefect of Wu County. Here's how it happened: Sun Ce had killed Xu Gong, so Xu Gong's son and his followers fled to the riverside to hide. Sun Ce went out alone on horseback and ran into the assassin, who stabbed him. Seriously injured, Sun Ce called for Zhang Zhao and others to come over, saying, "The whole country is in chaos. By leveraging the military strength of Wu and Yue, along with the strategic advantages of the three branches of the Yangtze River, it is enough to determine the success or failure of this chaotic era. Make sure to support my brother!" He then called Sun Quan over, handed him the seal, and said, "Lead the army of Jiangdong, determine victory or defeat on the battlefield, compete with heroes for supremacy in the world. You may not be as good as me, but you must select talents, employ capable individuals, and unite to protect Jiangdong. I’m not sure if you can pull this off." That night, Sun Ce died, at the age of 26.
After Sun Quan ascended to the throne, he posthumously honored Sun Ce with the title of Marquis of Changsha, and his son Sun Shao as the Marquis of Wu, which was later changed to the Marquis of Shangyu. After Sun Shao's death, his son Sun Feng inherited the title. When Sun Hao took the throne, rumors spread that Sun Feng should be the emperor, leading to the assassination of Sun Feng.
Historical records comment: Sun Jian was brave and resolute, coming from a modest background yet achieving remarkable feats. He led his army to attack Dong Zhuo, ultimately dying in battle, demonstrating loyalty and bravery. Sun Ce was charismatic, exceptionally talented, bold, and driven, aiming to unify the Central Plains. However, both possessed a somewhat frivolous and impulsive disposition, which ultimately led to their premature deaths. Sun Ce's accomplishments in Jiangdong formed the basis for Sun Quan's rise to power, yet Sun Quan's posthumous honors for Sun Ce were rather modest, with his son receiving merely a marquis title. From a moral perspective, this was rather inadequate.
