Sun Jian was originally a county magistrate in Xiapi. When the Yellow Turban Rebellion broke out, the imperial court appointed him as a Commandant of Auxiliary Troops, allowing him to recruit soldiers in the Huai and Si River regions to suppress the rebels. Sun Jian fought bravely and earned many military merits, quickly being promoted to Commandant of a Separate Division. After Dong Zhuo seized power, Sun Jian actively joined the campaign against him. Leading his army to Luyang (present-day Lushan, Henan), he formed an alliance with Yuan Shu. Fearing Sun Jian as a threat, Dong Zhuo repeatedly sent troops to attack Sun Jian's forces, but each time Sun Jian repelled them.
In 191 AD, Yuan Shu sent Sun Jian to attack another regional warlord, Liu Biao. After a fierce battle, Liu Biao's army was defeated and fled. Liu Biao's subordinate, Huang Zu, escaped into the bamboo groves of Xian Mountain to hide, preparing to shoot Sun Jian with an arrow. Sun Jian, focused solely on the pursuit, did not expect an ambush. Unfortunately, Sun Jian was struck by an arrow and, after returning, died from his wounds shortly thereafter.
Sun Jian had two sons: the elder was Sun Ce, and the younger was Sun Quan. When Sun Jian passed away, Sun Ce was only seventeen years old. He took his younger brother and transported their father's body back to Qu'a County for burial, then crossed the Yangtze River and settled in Jiangdu (present-day Yangzhou, Jiangsu). In Jiangdu, Sun Ce befriended many talented and extraordinary individuals and built his own army. Unlike other warlords who were brutal, he was courteous in his dealings with others, understood how to manage people, cared for his subordinates, and was open to advice, so people were happy to serve him. In a short time, Sun Ce gathered a large following.
To accomplish great deeds, one cannot rely solely on their own strength, so Sun Ce led his army to join Yuan Shu. To gain Yuan Shu's acceptance, he made a precise analysis of the situation in the realm and shared his thoughts with Yuan Shu, declaring his intention to continue his father's unfinished work. When he became emotional, Sun Ce wept bitterly. Yuan Shu understood that Sun Ce was a man of true talent, but he harbored suspicions, fearing that Sun Ce might threaten him. Yuan Shu devised a plan: Sun Ce's uncle, Wu Jing, was then the governor of Danyang, so Yuan Shu instructed Sun Ce to seek refuge with him. Left with no choice, Sun Ce led his troops to Danyang. With Wu Jing's support, Sun Ce's army expanded further, but unexpectedly, Danyang was attacked by Zu Lang, a chieftain from Jing County. Despite their fierce resistance, Wu Jing and Sun Ce were defeated, and Sun Ce's army was nearly annihilated. Seeing no clear path ahead, Sun Ce had no option but to seek help from Yuan Shu once again.
This time, Yuan Shu could not find a reason to refuse Sun Ce, so he had no choice but to allocate him over a thousand men. Sun Ce led these troops while serving under Yuan Shu, and his abilities gradually became apparent, earning praise from some people.
One day, Zhu Zhi, the Commandant of Danyang, said to Sun Jian, "Yuan Shu lacks grand vision and true talent; though he appears impressive now, it will not last. With your abilities, you are more than capable of contending for supremacy in your own right—why remain under his command? The Jiangdong region is a treasure land; you should seize and occupy it." Sun Ce carefully considered Zhu Zhi's advice and found it to be a sound plan. Coincidentally, Sun Ce's uncle, Wu Jing, was campaigning in Jiangdong, so Sun Ce petitioned Yuan Shu, hoping to gain his permission to go to Jiangdong and assist his uncle. To allay Yuan Shu's suspicions, Sun Ce also promised to recruit more men in Jiangdong to serve Yuan Shu. Initially, Yuan Shu was indeed conflicted, fearing that letting Sun Ce go would be like releasing a tiger back into the mountains. But upon reflection, he thought that the local powers around Jiangdong were all fierce and formidable; even if Sun Ce managed to occupy the region, he could not hold it for long. With that in mind, Yuan Shu felt reassured. Not only did he approve Sun Ce's request, but he also petitioned the imperial court to appoint Sun Ce as Colonel of the Agile Cavalry.
Sun Ce led his troops toward Jiangdong, and upon hearing of his departure, many people flocked to join him; by the time he reached Danyang, he already had over five thousand men under his command. Zhou Yu, the nephew of Danyang's governor Zhou Shang and a childhood friend of Sun Ce, upon learning of Sun Ce's arrival, transported a large amount of grain from his uncle to supply Sun Ce and expressed his desire to join Sun Ce's camp, leaving Sun Ce so overjoyed that he did not know how to thank him.
After crossing the Yangtze River, Sun Ce first attacked Niu Zhu, capturing a large amount of grain and weapons in this battle, and then launched an assault on Rongcheng. Rongcheng was then under the control of Liu Yao's forces, guarded by his subordinate Ze Rong. During the first clash, Sun Ce was hit by an arrow in the leg, and his soldiers hastily carried him back to camp in a flurry. Sun Ce had a clever idea and ordered his men to spread a false rumor that he had been killed by the arrow. So the soldiers loudly shouted in the camp, "Sun Ce has been shot dead by an arrow!" The news spread from one person to ten, and from ten to a hundred, quickly reaching Ze Rong's camp. Delighted by the news, Ze Rong ordered his troops to launch a surprise attack on Sun Ce's forces. However, Sun Ce had already set up an ambush. Ze Rong's sneak attack failed, and when he learned that Sun Ce was still alive and well, he was furious. He had no choice but to order his men to fortify their defenses, leaving Sun Ce no opportunity to exploit.
Seeing that Ze Rong's defenses were impenetrable, Sun Ce simply turned around and attacked Qu'a County, and Liu Yao panicked at the news. As soon as Sun Ce's troops set up camp outside Qu'a County, Liu Yao fled with his trusted followers. Sun Ce easily took Qu'a County, posting notices throughout the city urging Liu Yao and Ze Rong's soldiers to surrender, promising not to force them into military service—if anyone chose to join Sun Ce's army, their family's taxes would be reduced, but if they refused, there would be no coercion.
Once the announcement was made, people flocked to join him in an endless stream, and the common people were deeply grateful to Sun Ce, with every household offering wine and grain to reward the army. Before long, Sun Ce's forces grew from a few thousand to over twenty thousand men, and his prestige shook the entire Jiangdong region.
If no unexpected events had occurred, Sun Ce would certainly have achieved even greater success. However, things turned out contrary to his wishes. In the year 200 AD, Sun Ce was struck by a hidden arrow while hunting. Although doctors did their utmost to treat his wounds, his condition worsened day by day, and he passed away not long after. Before his death, Sun Ce summoned all his capable subordinates to his bedside and asked them to give their full support to Sun Quan. With tears in their eyes, the subordinates agreed.
Sun Quan was not yet twenty years old at the time. Amidst his grief, he inherited his elder brother's position as general and officially began his rule over Jiangdong. His first act was to launch a campaign against Huang Zu, the Grand Administrator of Jiangxia. Huang Zu had a formidable general named Gan Ning, who had never been given proper recognition by Huang Zu. Thus, Gan Ning left Huang Zu and defected to Sun Quan, offering him many practical suggestions. Following Gan Ning's advice, Sun Quan trained a highly skilled and battle-ready naval force and declared war on Huang Zu. Huang Zu hastily deployed his own navy, forming a battle array along the riverbank, and even used two large ships to block the river. Sun Quan's navy showed no fear; clad in heavy armor, they charged shouting all the way to Huang Zu's ships and quickly seized both vessels. Huang Zu was intimidated by the morale of Sun Quan's navy and took a long time to recover his wits before ordering a counterattack, but most of the soldiers he sent out were killed. Left with no choice, Huang Zu abandoned the city and fled, but ultimately could not escape death. Sun Quan captured Xiakou City and won the support of all his troops. Those who had previously harbored doubts about him no longer dared to show disloyalty, and they all earnestly followed Sun Quan into battle, obeying his commands.
After this, Sun Quan repeatedly recruited ambitious individuals and launched wars against surrounding regions, further expanding his sphere of influence, gaining more support, and steadily increasing his prestige in the Jiangdong area.