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115-482: In 200, when the warlord Cao Cao was at war with his rival Yuan Shao in the Battle of Guandu , Sun Ce was rumoured to be planning an attack on Xuchang , Cao Cao's base. However, he was assassinated before he could carry out the plan. Sun Ce was posthumously honoured as "Prince Huan of Changsha" (長沙桓王) by his younger brother Sun Quan when the latter became the founding emperor of Eastern Wu. Chen Shou 's Records of

230-521: A campaign against Dong Zhuo . Sun Jian rendered his service to Yuan Shu , one of the leaders of the coalition. The attempt to oust Dong Zhuo soon failed and China slid into a series of massive civil wars. In the next year, Sun Jian was sent by Yuan Shu to attack Liu Biao , governor of Jing Province , but he was killed in an ambush. Sun Ce brought his father's body to Qu'e (曲阿; present-day Danyang, Jiangsu ) for burial and settled his mother down before heading for Danyang , where his maternal uncle Wu Jing

345-459: A 5,000-strong naval force to assist him. Sun Ce pressed forward and defeated Liu Xun, who escaped north to Cao Cao. Sun Ce annexed more than 2,000 former troops and 1,000 ships of his enemy and came upon Huang Zu. Despite reinforcements from Liu Biao, Huang Zu was utterly defeated. During the battle, Sun Ce slew Liu Biao's officer, Han Xi (韓希), and completely routed Huang Zu's son, Huang She (黃射). The victorious Sun Ce in 199 looked poised to take over

460-462: A campaign to retake Xu Province from Liu Bei, defeated him, and captured his family. Liu Bei's general Guan Yu , who was guarding Xu Province's capital, Xiapi ( 下邳 ; present-day Pizhou , Jiangsu), surrendered and temporarily served Cao Cao. Liu Bei fled north to join Yuan Shao after his defeat. Some of Cao Cao's subordinates initially expressed worries that Yuan Shao might attack them while Cao Cao

575-669: A ceremonial axe and appointed him Manager of the Affairs of the Imperial Secretariat ( 錄尚書事 ) and Colonel-Director of Retainers ( 司隷校尉 ). As Luoyang was in bad shape, Dong Zhao and others advised Cao Cao to move the imperial capital to Xu ( 許 ; present-day Xuchang , Henan). So, in October or early November 196, Cao Cao and his forces escorted Emperor Xian to Xuchang, which became the new imperial capital. Cao Cao had himself appointed General-in-Chief ( 大將軍 ) and promoted from

690-513: A district security chief in the capital and the chancellor of a principality . He rose to prominence in the 190s during which he recruited his own followers, formed his own army, and set up a base in Yan Province (covering parts of present-day Henan and Shandong ). In 196, he received Emperor Xian , the figurehead Han sovereign who was previously held hostage by other warlords such as Dong Zhuo , Li Jue , and Guo Si . After he established

805-591: A fief covering parts of present-day Hebei and Henan. In 216, he was elevated to the status of a vassal king under the title "King of Wei" and awarded numerous ceremonial privileges, of which some used to be reserved exclusively for emperors. Cao Cao died in Luoyang in March 220 and was succeeded by his son Cao Pi who accepted the abdication of Emperor Xian in November 220 and established the state of Cao Wei to replace

920-540: A force to attack. Sun Ce led the enemies into an ambush and annihilated them. When Ze Rong heard that Sun Ce was still alive, he further reinforced his defences. Sun Ce then temporarily gave up attacking Ze Rong and focused his forces on Qu'e. After all the surrounding areas were taken over by Sun Ce, Liu Yao gave up the city and escaped south to Nanchang , capital of Yuzhang Commandery , where he died later. Hua Xin , administrator of Yuzhang, joined Sun's forces. As Sun Ce implemented strict discipline among his troops, he won

1035-614: A garrison in Henei Commandery ( 河內郡 ; around present-day Wuzhi County , Henan). Yuan Shao and Han Fu thought of installing Liu Yu , the Governor of You Province , on the throne to replace Emperor Xian. When they sought Cao Cao's opinion, Cao Cao refused to support them and reaffirmed his allegiance to Emperor Xian. Yuan Shao's plan turned out to be unsuccessful because Liu Yu himself did not want to be emperor. Yuan Shao once invited Cao Cao to sit beside him and showed him

1150-468: A hero. The protagonist of the manga/anime Ikki Tousen , Sonsaku Hakufu , is loosely based on the historical figure Sun Ce ("Sonsaku Hakufu" being the Japanese reading of Sun Ce's name and courtesy name). Her guardian, Shuuyu Koukin , bears the same name and personality as Zhou Yu . In the anime Kōtetsu Sangokushi , Sun Ce is portrayed as a once kind-hearted and virtuous hero who was corrupted by

1265-463: A highly respected Taoist priest of his time, Gan Ji (干吉), whom he condemned as a sorcerer due to his popularity. Despite petitions from his subjects and his own mother, Sun Ce ordered Gan Ji's execution. According to In Search of the Supernatural (搜神記) by Gan Bao (干竇), a compilation largely based on legends and hearsay, Sun Ce began to see apparitions of Gan Ji ever since the execution of

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1380-399: A jade seal, indicating his imperial ambition, and a tacit request for Cao Cao's support. Finding this despicable, Cao Cao laughed at him. Between 191 and 192, Yuan Shao appointed Cao Cao Administrator of Dong Commandery ( 東郡 in Yan Province ; near present-day Puyang , Henan. This position allowed him to exact taxes and conscript soldiers. His first territorial command in that respect marks

1495-415: A plot initiated by Dong Cheng and others to get rid of Cao Cao. After leaving Xuchang, Liu Bei headed to Xu Province, killed the provincial inspector Che Zhou ( 車冑 ), and seized control of Xu Province. Cao Cao sent Liu Dai ( 劉岱 ) and Wang Zhong to attack Liu Bei but they were defeated. In February 200, Cao Cao got wind of Dong Cheng's plot and had all the conspirators arrested and executed. He then led

1610-420: A position alongside Yan Baihu, but Sun Ce showed no mercy and personally slew the emissary. As Yan Yu was known among Yan Baihu's men as a fierce warrior, his death struck fear into their hearts and they were soon defeated. Sun Ce then appointed his relatives and a trusted subject to govern Danyang and Yuzhang, from which he divided a new commandery named Luling (廬陵). His campaign, from the occupation of Niuzhu to

1725-657: A primary antagonist in the story, but also introduced, fictionalised, and exaggerated certain events to enhance Cao Cao's "villainous" image. The authoritative historical source on Cao Cao's life is his official biography in the Records of the Three Kingdoms written by Chen Shou in the third century. His sources for his work on the Wei portion of his book ( 魏志 ; Wei Zhi ) included the Dongguan Ji ( 東觀記 ; now lost),

1840-618: A recruitable ally in Team Ninja 's Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty , also published by Koei. Sun Ce is also a legendary character in Creative Assembly 's Total War: Three Kingdoms , the 12th mainline instalment in the Total War video games series. Sun Ce is also a playable character in the fighting game Sango Fighter 2. In the collectible card game Magic: The Gathering there is a card named "Sun Ce, Young Conqueror", in

1955-635: A relative of Empress Song . In 178, when Emperor Ling deposed Empress Song in the aftermath of a political scandal, the empress's family and relatives got into trouble as well. Because of his relationship with Song Qi, Cao Cao was implicated in the scandal and dismissed from office. However, he was pardoned later and recalled to Luoyang to serve as a Consultant ( 議郎 ) under the Minister of the Household because of his expertise in history. The general Dou Wu and senior minister Chen Fan plotted to get rid of

2070-461: A series of campaigns against Yuan Shao's sons and allies over the following seven years, defeated them, and unified much of northern China under his control. In 208, shortly after Emperor Xian appointed him as Imperial Chancellor , he embarked on an expedition to gain a foothold in southern China, but was defeated by the allied forces of the warlords Sun Quan , Liu Bei , and Liu Qi at the decisive Battle of Red Cliffs . His subsequent attempts over

2185-646: A stalemate for months and Cao Cao's supplies were gradually running out and his men were growing weary. During this time, Yuan Shao sent Liu Bei to contact a rebel chief, Liu Pi ( 劉辟 ), in Runan Commandery ( 汝南郡 ; near present-day Xinyang , Henan) and join Liu Pi in making a sneak attack on Cao Cao's base in Xuchang while Cao Cao was away at Guandu. However, Liu Bei and Liu Pi were defeated and driven back by Cao Cao's general Cao Ren . During this time, Sun Ce ,

2300-468: A village marquis to a county marquis under the title "Marquis of Wuping" ( 武平侯 ), later characterised as ten thousand households. Since Dong Zhuo moved the capital from Luoyang to Chang'an in 190, the imperial court had been in a state of disorder. However, after Cao Cao received Emperor Xian and established the new imperial capital in Xuchang, order was restored, although Cao Cao did have the emperor's confidante Zhao Yan ( 趙彥 ) killed for secretively keeping

2415-526: A warlord based in the Jiangdong region, also contemplated attacking Xuchang and taking Emperor Xian hostage. However, he was assassinated before he could execute his plan. Ze Rong Ze Rong ( pronunciation ) (died 195 C.E.) was a minor warlord and Buddhist leader who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He was active in Xu Province and was nominally a subordinate of

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2530-653: A work which Pei Songzhi denigrated in very strident terms. The official standard history of the Eastern Han dynasty , the Book of the Later Han by Fan Ye , was not available to Pei Songzhi. He and Fan Ye were contemporaries, but Fan Ye did not begin work on his history until a few years after Pei Songzhi completed his. The Book of the Later Han does not contain a full biography of Cao Cao, but records of him and his actions can be found scattered in disparate locations in

2645-433: A year, Sun Ce requested to lead forces to assist the effort. Though Yuan Shu knew Sun Ce intended to leave, he believed the latter would not be able to defeat Liu Yao. Thus he deployed the young general off with merely a thousand odd troops and a tiny cavalry force. Along with a few hundred more willing followers, Sun Ce proceeded to Liyang, where he boosted his strength to more than 5,000. He then launched an offensive across

2760-429: Is historically known as Emperor Shao. As Emperor Shao was still young, his mother Empress Dowager He and maternal uncle He Jin ruled as regents on his behalf. He Jin plotted with Yuan Shao and others to eliminate the eunuch faction , and shared their plan with his sister. When the empress dowager was reluctant to kill the eunuchs, He Jin thought of summoning generals stationed outside Luoyang to lead their troops into

2875-404: Is negative. Cao Man zhuan has been characterised as "hostile propaganda", and certain contents as "slanderous". Such a work cannot be considered a reliable source, but informs an exaggerated perspective contraposed to the glowing portrait painted by his own dynasty's official history. For much of his career, Cao Cao hosted and controlled the final Han emperor, whose doings and correspondence it

2990-475: Is stereotypically portrayed as a sly, power-hungry, and treacherous tyrant who serves as a nemesis to Liu Bei, often depicted in contraposition as a hero trying to revive the declining Han dynasty. During the Ming dynasty (1368–1644), when Luo Guanzhong wrote the epic novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms which dramatises the historical events before and during the Three Kingdoms period. He not only cast Cao Cao as

3105-544: The Portal Three Kingdoms set. Cao Cao Cao Cao ( pronunciation ; [tsʰǎʊ tsʰáʊ] ; Chinese : 曹操 ; c.  155  – 15 March 220), courtesy name Mengde , was a Chinese statesman, warlord, and poet who rose to power during the end of the Han dynasty ( c.  184–220 ), ultimately taking effective control of the Han central government. He laid

3220-649: The Book of Wei , and possibly other records. Chen Shou worked in the history bureau and had access to a variety of sources, but followed the traditional method of incorporating information into a single synthesis without citing his sources, so it is not clear how broad a pool of documentation he drew upon. In the fifth century, Pei Songzhi annotated the Sanguozhi by incorporating information from other sources to Chen Shou's original work and adding his personal commentary, as well as commentary from other historians. One of

3335-497: The Jian'an style of Chinese poetry . Opinions of him have remained divided from as early as the Jin dynasty (265–420) that came immediately after the Three Kingdoms period. There were some who praised him for his achievements in poetry and his career, but there were also others who condemned him for his cruelty, cunning, and allegedly traitorous ways. In traditional Chinese culture, Cao Cao

3450-624: The Ten Attendants , a eunuch faction— their plan failed and they lost their lives. Cao Cao wrote a memorial to Emperor Ling to defend Dou Wu and Chen Fan, and point out that the imperial court was full of corrupt officials and that advice from loyal officials had been ignored. Emperor Ling did not listen to him. Emperor Ling later issued a decree, ordering the Three Ducal Ministers to report and dismiss commandery and county officials who performed badly in office. However,

3565-656: The Yangtze River and successfully occupied the strategic position of Niuzhu (牛渚; southwest of present-day Ma'anshan , Anhui ) in 195. Two of Liu Yao's allies then came south from Pengcheng and Xiapi respectively to aid him. Sun Ce chose to first attack one of them, Ze Rong , who made camp south of Moling. After suffering initial defeat in the hands of the aggressor, Ze Rong fell back in defence and refused to engage in battle. Sun Ce then marched further north and attacked Xue Li (薛禮) in Moling. Although Xue Li soon gave up

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3680-852: The Yellow Turban Rebellion broke out, the Han central government commissioned Cao Cao as a Cavalry Commandant ( 騎都尉 ) and ordered him to lead imperial forces to attack the rebels in Yingchuan Commandery ( 潁川郡 ; around present-day Xuchang , Henan). He was later appointed as the Chancellor of Jinan State  [ zh ] ( 濟南郡 ; around present-day Jinan , Shandong), a principality in Qing Province which had over 10 counties under its jurisdiction. Many senior officials in Jinan State had connections with

3795-573: The Eastern Han dynasty— an event commonly seen as a usurpation. This marked the transition from the Eastern Han dynasty to the Six Dynasties period. After taking the throne, Cao Pi granted his father the posthumous title " Emperor Wu " ("Martial Emperor") and the temple name " Taizu " ("Grand Ancestor"). Apart from being lauded as a brilliant political and military leader, Cao Cao is celebrated for his poems which were characteristic of

3910-529: The Governor of Yang Province . In 195, Liu Yao lost his base to the warlord Sun Ce , who was on a series of conquests in the Jiangdong region. Liu Yao then headed south to take shelter in Yuzhang Commandery (豫章郡; around present-day Nanchang , Jiangxi ). At the time, Zhou Shu (周術), the previous Administrator of Yuzhang Commandery, had died of illness so his office was vacant. Liu Biao , the Governor of Jing Province , supported Zhuge Xuan to be

4025-793: The Governor of Yan Province. Cao Cao defeated the rebels in battle and received the surrender of over 300,000 rebels and hundreds of thousands of civilians (the rebels' family members). From among them, he recruited the more battle-hardened ones to form a new military unit known as the Qingzhou Corps ( 青州兵 ). Yuan Shu had disagreements with Yuan Shao so he contacted Gongsun Zan , Yuan Shao's rival in northern China, for help in dealing with Yuan Shao. Gongsun Zan instructed Liu Bei , Shan Jing ( 單經 ) and Tao Qian to garrison at Gaotang , Pingyuan and Fagan ( 發干 ; east of present-day Guan County, Shandong ) counties respectively to put pressure on Yuan Shao. Yuan Shao allied with Cao Cao and defeated all

4140-556: The Grand Commandant during the reign of Emperor Ling ( r.  168–189 ), buying his way into high government office for an exorbitant sum, and serving less than half a year. Cao Song was a foster son of Cao Teng , a eunuch who served as a Central Regular Attendant and the Empress's Chamberlain under Emperor Huan ( r.  146–168 ), and held the peerage of Marquis of Fei Village ( 費亭侯 ). In his youth, Cao Cao

4255-593: The Imperial Guards. His request was rejected and he was appointed as a Consultant ( 議郎 ) instead. He then claimed that he was ill and resigned and went home. He built a house outside the city and lived there, spending his time reading in spring and summer, and going on hunting excursions in autumn and winter. Wang Fen ( 王芬 ), the Inspector of Ji Province , along with Xu You , Zhou Jing ( 周旌 ) and others, plotted to overthrow Emperor Ling and replace him with

4370-604: The Inspector of Yang Province, and Zhou Xin , the Administrator of Danyang Commandery ( 丹楊郡 ), gave him over 4,000 troops. On the way back, when they passed by Longkang County ( 龍亢縣 ; in present-day Huaiyuan County , Anhui), many soldiers started a mutiny and set fire to Cao Cao's tent at night, but he was able to escape. When Cao Cao reached Zhi ( 銍 ; west of present-day Suzhou, Anhui ) and Jianping ( 建平 ; southwest of present-day Xiayi County , Henan) counties later, he managed to regroup over 1,000 soldiers and lead them to

4485-718: The Marquis of Hefei ( 合肥侯 ). They contacted Cao Cao and asked him to join them but he refused. Wang Fen's plan ultimately failed. Cao Cao was appointed as Colonel Who Arranges the Army ( 典軍校尉 ) and summoned back to Luoyang to serve in the Army of the Western Garden when Bian Zhang , Han Sui and others started a rebellion in Liang Province . Emperor Ling died in 189 and was succeeded by his son, Liu Bian , who

4600-466: The Ministers protected the under-performing officials and accepted bribes, resulting in a situation where evildoers were not punished while the poor and weak were oppressed. Cao Cao felt frustrated when he saw this. When natural disasters occurred, Cao Cao was summoned to the imperial court to discuss the problems in the administration. During this time, he wrote another memorial to Emperor Ling, accusing

4715-519: The Nine Provinces ( 九州春秋 ), also from the 3rd century. Later sources included works by the moralistic historian Sun Sheng , most saliently his Chronicles of the Clans of Wei ( 魏氏春秋 ), but also his more critical Yitong Ping ( 異同評 ; Commentary on Similarities and Differences ) and Yitong Zayu ( 異同雜語 ; Miscellaneous Words on Similarities and Differences ), which may have been parts of

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4830-675: The Prince of Chengyang State ( 城陽國 ; around present-day Ju County , Shandong), felt that he had made great contributions to the Han Empire so he built temples in his principality for the people to worship him. Many other commanderies in Qing Province also followed this practice. In Jinan State alone, there were over 600 such temples. Wealthy merchants could even borrow the servants and personal carriages of officials for their own leisure activities. This resulted in greater inequality between

4945-518: The Qiao army, which is led by the Two Qiaos . Sun Ce, the protagonist of the opera, eventually gains Da Qiao's hand in marriage through a martial arts contest with the help of Zhou Yu and Xiao Qiao. In the 1983 Shaw Brothers Studio film The Weird Man , Sun Ce has Yu Ji executed and the sorcerer becomes a vengeful ghost . In this film Sun Ce is portrayed as the anti-hero and Yu Ji as the hero due to

5060-850: The Shanyue. In 197, Yuan Shu declared himself emperor – an act deemed treasonous against the Han dynasty. In a letter to Yuan Shu, Sun Ce denounced the move and broke ties with the former. In an effort to garner support from Sun Ce, the rising warlord Cao Cao then recommended him to be appointed General Who Attacks Rebels (討逆將軍) and enfeoffed as the Marquis of Wu (吳侯). In 199 Yuan Shu died of sickness along with his short-lived Zhong dynasty. His cousin Yuan Yin (袁胤) feared Cao Cao and gave up Shouchun. Bringing along Yuan Shu's coffin and his former troops, he headed to Wan County (皖縣; present-day Qianshan County , Anhui) to seek refuge under Liu Xun (劉勳). As Liu Xun had insufficient food supplies in his realm to support

5175-580: The Three Ducal Ministers of siding with the nobles and elites, and helping them to cover up their misdeeds. Emperor Ling was stunned after reading the memorial. He admonished the Ministers for their conduct, reinstated the officials who had been wrongly dismissed, and appointed them as Consultants. However, corruption worsened over time and became rampant throughout all levels of the government. Cao Cao stopped speaking up when he realised that his efforts to restore order were futile. In 184, when

5290-461: The Three Kingdoms ( Sanguozhi ) describes Sun Ce as a handsome man who was full of laughter. He was also a generous and receptive man who employed people according to their abilities. As such, his subjects were willing to risk their lives for him. One detractor named Xu Gong , in a letter to Emperor Xian , compared Sun Ce to Xiang Yu , the warrior-king who overthrew the Qin dynasty . As a result, Sun Ce

5405-468: The additional troops, he led a force south to pillage Haihun (海昏; east of present-day Yongxiu County , Jiangxi). Sun Ce was en route to attack Huang Zu in Xiakou when he received the news. He then turned back and captured the poorly-defended Wan County, taking over all of Yuan Shu's 30,000 former troops. Hearing that his base city had been taken, Liu Xun headed west and sought help from Huang Zu, who sent

5520-611: The age of 19. He was later appointed as the Commandant of the North District ( 北部尉 ) of the imperial capital Luoyang and put in charge of maintaining security in that area. Later that year, he was transferred to the position of Prefect of Dunqiu County ( 頓丘縣 ; near present-day Qingfeng County , Henan). This represented a horizontal career move to a position of greater authority in a smaller jurisdiction with less political importance. Cao Cao's cousin married Song Qi ( 宋奇 ),

5635-586: The amount of defensive assets tasked to defend farms and granaries, and increase the area and productivity of lands held directly by the state. In early 197, Cao Cao led his forces to Wancheng ( 宛城 ; present-day Wancheng District in Nanyang, Henan) to attack a rival warlord, Zhang Xiu . Zhang Xiu initially surrendered without a fight, but due to ill treatment changed his mind and attacked Cao Cao and caught him off guard. Cao Cao lost his eldest son Cao Ang , nephew Cao Anmin ( 曹安民 ) and close bodyguard Dian Wei in

5750-425: The appointment on the grounds of poor health, and resigned and went home. The Book of Wei recorded that around the time, corruption had deteriorated to the point where influential officials dominated the imperial court and blatantly abused their powers. Cao Cao was unable to stop them and feared that he might bring trouble to his family because he had been interfering with their activities, so he requested to serve in

5865-431: The assassins. Many differing accounts of Sun Ce's death exist (see below ). One generally accepted scenario is that he died that same night. Another possible scenario has Sun Ce living for quite some time. The physician told Sun Ce to rest still for a hundred days to allow the wound to heal, but Sun Ce looked into the mirror one day and, seeing his scar, became so enraged that he slammed his table. The large movement caused

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5980-550: The autumn of 197, Cao Cao defeated Yuan Shu in battle, captured several of his officers, and had them executed. By 199, some months after Lü Bu's defeat at the Battle of Xiapi , Yuan Shu, who was already in dire straits, wanted to abandon his lands in the Huainan region and head north to join Yuan Shao. Cao Cao sent Liu Bei and Zhu Ling to lead forces to intercept and block Yuan Shu in Xu Province . Yuan Shu died of illness while under siege by Liu Bei and Zhu Ling. While Cao Cao

6095-1006: The battle. He returned to Xuchang after his defeat, but attacked Zhang Xiu again later that year and pacified Huyang ( 湖陽 ; southwest of present-day Tanghe County , Henan) and Wuyin ( 舞陰 ; southeast of present-day Sheqi County , Henan) counties. In early 198, he led another campaign against Zhang Xiu and besieged him in Rangcheng ( 穰城 ; present-day Dengzhou , Henan) but withdrew his forces about two months later. Before retreating back to Xuchang, he set up an ambush and defeated Zhang Xiu's pursuing forces. In late 199, acting on Jia Xu 's advice, Zhang Xiu voluntarily surrendered to Cao Cao, who accepted his surrender. In early 197, Yuan Shu declared himself emperor in Shouchun ( 壽春 ; present-day Shou County , Anhui) – an act regarded as treason against Emperor Xian . He soon came under attack by Cao Cao and various forces, including his former ally Lü Bu . In

6210-667: The beginning of his career as a warlord. During this time, he defeated the Heishan bandits , who were causing trouble in the region, and some Southern Xiongnu forces led by Yufuluo in Neihuang County . Around the time, remnants from the Yellow Turban Rebellion swarmed into Yan Province from Qing Province. Liu Dai , the Governor of Yan Province, was killed in a battle against the rebels. Bao Xin , Chen Gong and others invited Cao Cao to replace Liu Dai as

6325-567: The book. Some of Cao Cao's own writing – both literary and in the form of government edicts – has been preserved in later collectanea. His commentary on The Art of War is extant, but offers little insight into his life. Cao Cao's ancestral home was in Qiao County ( 譙縣 ), Pei State , which is present-day Bozhou, Anhui . He was purportedly a descendant of Cao Shen , a statesman of the early Western Han dynasty (206 BCE – 9 CE). His father, Cao Song , served as

6440-635: The capital to Chang'an. In Luoyang, Emperor Xian came under the protection of Dong Cheng , former bandit Yang Feng , and other petty strongmen who have been characterised as "ragtag gangsters". The emperor sought refuge under Yuan Shao, but was rebuffed. In February or March 196, acting on the advice of Xun Yu and Cheng Yu , Cao Cao sent Cao Hong west to fetch Emperor Xian but was blocked by Dong Cheng and Yuan Shu's subordinate Chang Nu ( 萇奴 ). Between March and April 196, Cao Cao defeated Yellow Turban remnants in Runan ( 汝南 ) and Yingchuan ( 潁川 ) commanderies and

6555-559: The central government. Later that year, Dong Zhuo deposed Emperor Shao and replaced him with Liu Xie, who is historically known as Emperor Xian. The deposed Emperor Shao became the Prince of Hongnong. Dong Zhuo wanted to appoint Cao Cao as a Colonel of Valiant Cavalry ( 驍騎校尉 ) and recruit him as an adviser. However, Cao Cao adopted a fake identity, escaped from Luoyang, and returned to his home in Chenliu Commandery ( 陳留郡 ; near present-day Kaifeng ). He had two encounters along

6670-404: The city and escaped, Liu Yao's subordinate Fan Neng (樊能) and others had regrouped their forces and launched a renewed attack on Niuzhu. Turning back, Sun Ce defeated Fan Neng and secured Niuzhu. He then began a second offensive against Ze Rong. However, he was struck by a stray arrow in the thigh. Returning to Niuzhu, he sent out false words that he was killed in battle. The exulted Ze Rong then sent

6785-849: The commandery. Ze Rong fled into the hills, where he was killed by the Shanyue tribes. Ze Rong was from Danyang Commandery (丹陽郡), which is around present-day Xuancheng , Anhui . He gathered a few hundred followers and brought them along to join Tao Qian , the Governor of Xu Province . Tao Qian appointed him as a logistics officer and tasked him with overseeing the transporting of resources from Guangling (廣陵; around present-day Huai'an , Jiangsu ), Xiapi (下邳; around present-day Pizhou , Jiangsu) and Pengcheng (彭城; present-day Xuzhou , Jiangsu) commanderies to Xu Province's capital, Tan County (郯縣; present-day Tancheng County , Shandong ). However, Ze Rong allowed his followers to behave lawlessly and embezzled

6900-514: The conquest of the entire region southeast of the Long River, took less than a year. He then defeated and received the services of Zu Lang (祖郎), the Chief of Danyang, and Taishi Ci , the leader of the remnants of Liu Yao's forces; he then urged the surrender of Hua Xin , another one of the remnants of Liu Yao's forces. Thus, with the exception of the scattered but still numerous army of Yan Baihu,

7015-515: The controversy between them in the novel. The 1993 Hong Kong film Ninja in Ancient China is also adapted from this story except Yu Ji's apprentices try to avenge him. Sha Yi portrayed Sun Ce in the 2010 Chinese television series Three Kingdoms . In the anime Yokoyama Mitsuteru Sangokushi , Sun Ce fights alongside his father against Dong Zhuo and is befriended by Liu Bei , Guan Yu , and Zhang Fei , with whom he trains to become

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7130-451: The county when his supplies ran out due to natural disasters such as locust plagues and droughts. Grain supplies were so limited that Cao Cao strongly considered an offer to serve under Yuan Shao, but was persuaded against it and ceased recruitment instead. He sent his army to collect food, but his numerically inferior forces were able to turn back an attack by Lü Bu that summer using deceptive tactics. From 194 to late 195, Cao Cao attacked

7245-516: The difficulties Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu had faced in supplying their armies, as well as his own struggles with food supply in recent years, Cao Cao followed Zao Zhi and Han Hao 's suggestion to implement the tuntian system of agriculture to produce a sustainable supply of grain for his growing army. The tuntian agricultural colonies gave Cao Cao an advantage over his adversaries, allowing him to resettle internally displaced refugees, redevelop abandoned arable lands, shorten his supply lines, reduce

7360-445: The emperor to summon Sun Ce to the capital as he deemed Sun Ce to be a hero comparable to Xiang Yu and too dangerous to be allowed to occupy a territory. However, the letter was intercepted by an official loyal to Sun Ce, who attacked and then had Xu Gong executed. Xu Gong's former servants then kept a low profile and waited for chance to revenge. In the year 200, Cao Cao engaged in the decisive Battle of Guandu with Yuan Shao along

7475-586: The emperor updated on the great affairs of state. Cao Cao sent an imperial decree to Yuan Shao in Emperor Xian's name to appoint him as Grand Commandant ( 太尉 ). Yuan Shao was unhappy because Grand Commandant ranked below Cao Cao's position, General-in-Chief, so he rejected the appointment. When Cao Cao heard about it, he gave up his position as General-in-Chief and offered it to Yuan Shao. Emperor Xian reappointed Cao Cao as Minister of Works ( 司空 ) and acting General of Chariots and Cavalry ( 車騎將軍 ). Struck by

7590-481: The entire southern China. As he was threatened by rival Yuan Shao in the north and could not divide his attention, Cao Cao attempted to further reinforce the alliance with Sun Ce by marrying the daughter of his relative Cao Ren to Sun Ce's youngest brother Sun Kuang . Sun Ce in turn agreed to marry Sun Ben's daughter to Cao Cao's son Cao Zhang . The former administrator of Wu Commandery , Xu Gong , had long opposed Sun Ce. Xu Gong wrote to Emperor Xian, recommending

7705-434: The eunuchs got wind of He Jin's plot and assassinated him before the generals and their troops arrived. Yuan Shao and He Jin's followers led their forces to storm the imperial palace and slaughter the eunuchs in revenge. Emperor Shao and his younger half-brother, Liu Xie , escaped during the chaos. They were eventually found and brought back to the palace by Dong Zhuo , who took advantage of the power vacuum to seize control of

7820-406: The famous commentator and character evaluator Xu Shao , Cao Cao was assessed as being "a treacherous villain in times of peace, and a hero in times of chaos". Another source recorded that Xu Shao told Cao Cao, "You will be a capable minister in times of peace, and a jianxiong in times of chaos." Cao Cao started his career as a civil service cadet after he was nominated as a xiaolian around

7935-424: The following years to annex the lands south of the Yangtze River never proved successful. In 211, he defeated a coalition of northwestern warlords led by Ma Chao and Han Sui at the Battle of Tong Pass . Five years later, he seized Hanzhong from the warlord Zhang Lu , but lost it to Liu Bei by 219. In the meantime, he also received many honours from Emperor Xian. In 213, he was created Duke of Wei and granted

8050-518: The foundation for the state of Cao Wei (220–265), established by his son and successor Cao Pi , who ended the Eastern Han dynasty and inaugurated the Three Kingdoms period (220–280). Beginning in his own lifetime, a corpus of legends developed around Cao Cao which built upon his talent, his cruelty, and his perceived eccentricities. Cao Cao began his career as an official under the Han government and held various appointments including that of

8165-509: The founding figure of the dynasty under which the initial compilation was performed. As a counterpoint, another significant source for Cao Cao's life as cited by Pei Songzhi was the Cao Man zhuan ( 曹瞞傳 ), an anonymous collection of anecdotes said to have been compiled by a person from Eastern Wu , a rival kingdom to Cao Cao's own. This work is overall very hostile to Cao Cao, depicting him as cruel and untrustworthy, although not every anecdote

8280-412: The governorship to Chen Ji (陳紀). Later, when Yuan Shu was denied a large loan of grains from the governor of Lujiang , he sent Sun Ce to attack the latter, promising to make Sun Ce the governor of Lujiang should he succeed. When Sun Ce did, however, Yuan Shu again went back on his words and appointed someone else instead. The disappointed Sun Ce then began to contemplate leaving. Meanwhile, Liu Yao , who

8395-424: The imperial capital to put pressure on the empress dowager. Cao Cao strongly objected to He Jin's idea as he believed that the best way to deal with the eunuchs was to eliminate their leaders. He also argued that summoning external forces into Luoyang would only increase the risk of their plan being leaked out. He Jin – the highest-ranking officer in the government – understandably ignored him. As Cao Cao predicted,

8510-470: The indigenous tribes were scattered and not much of a threat. Pei Songzhi believed that the first objective of Sun Ce's planned northward excursion was to attack Chen Deng, which would provide a platform for capturing Xuchang. On the other hand, Cao Cao and Yuan Shao had been engaging in skirmishes and small-scale battles before Sun Ce's death. Thus there was in fact no discrepancy in timing. A historically implausible legend regarding Sun Ce's death involves

8625-538: The instant support of the local people and gathered many talented men, such as Chen Wu , Zhou Tai , Jiang Qin , Zhang Zhao , Zhang Hong , Qin Song , and Lü Fan . He then pushed his force deeper into Yang Province and conquered Kuaiji along the southern shore of Hangzhou Bay , whose governor Wang Lang surrendered. Sun Ce made Kuaiji his base city and struck out at the wandering bandit army led by Yan Baihu . Yan Baihu sent his younger brother Yan Yu (嚴輿) to offer Sun Ce

8740-498: The lands south of the Yangtze were mostly pacified. The barbarians of Shanyue tribe, however, were not easily dealt with. To counter the frequent rebellions of the Shanyue (who would continue to rebel for many years), Sun Ce appointed He Qi to a military rank with orders to subdue the Shanyue. He Qi became a highly successful general later; truly, his appointment by Sun Ce was the first important step to Wu's eventual subjugation of

8855-482: The latter declared himself emperor in early 197. Throughout 197, Lü Bu joined Cao Cao and others in a campaign against Yuan Shu , who had become a public enemy because of his treasonous actions. However, in 198, Lü Bu sided with Yuan Shu again and attacked Liu Bei, who lost and fled to join Cao Cao. In the winter of 198, Cao Cao and Liu Bei combined forces to attack Lü Bu and defeated him at the Battle of Xiapi . Lü Bu

8970-418: The latter. After he was injured by assassins, Sun Ce was told by the physician to rest still to allow the wound to heal. However, he looked into the mirror one day and saw Gan Ji's face, whereupon he let out a cry and slammed the mirror. His wound broke and he died shortly. This version was adopted and further dramatised in the 14th-century historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms , in which Gan Ji's name

9085-418: The major sources for information on Cao Cao's life employed by Pei Songzhi was the official history of the Wei dynasty, the Book of Wei , largely composed during the Wei dynasty itself by Wang Chen , Xun Yi , and Ruan Ji . It was completed by Wang Chen and presented to the court during the opening years of the succeeding Western Jin dynasty. This work is understandably typically very favourable to Cao Cao as

9200-512: The masses along the streets and used cotton to cover several tens of li of the roads. Several thousands of people showed up to partake in the festivities. The budget was in the range of billions. In 193, when the warlord Cao Cao attacked Xu Province , Ze Rong brought along several thousands of followers and 3,000 horses and fled to Guangling Commandery . Zhao Yu (趙昱), the Administrator of Guangling Commandery, treated Ze Rong like an honoured guest. When Ze Rong noticed that Guangling Commandery

9315-511: The murder of Cao Cao's father, Cao Song , in Xu Province, which occurred when Cao Song was en route to Qiao County ( 譙縣 ; present-day Bozhou , Anhui) after his retirement. Although Tao Qian's culpability in the murder was questionable, Cao Cao nonetheless held him responsible for his father's death. During the invasions, Cao Cao conquered several territories in Xu Province and massacred thousands of civilians. Cao Cao's assault on Xu Province

9430-583: The new Administrator, but that became a problem because the Han imperial court had appointed Zhu Hao to succeed Zhou Shu. While waiting at Pengze County (彭澤縣; east of present-day Hukou County , Jiangxi), Liu Yao sent Ze Rong to lead troops to attack Zhuge Xuan. Xu Shao cautioned Liu Yao, "Ze Rong doesn't care about how others see him. Zhu Wenming (Zhu Hao) is too trusting of people. You should warn him to be wary (of Ze Rong)." After driving Zhuge Xuan away, as Xu Shao foresaw, Ze Rong killed Zhu Hao and took control of Yuzhang Commandery. Liu Yao attacked Ze Rong but

9545-478: The new imperial capital in Xuchang , Emperor Xian and the central government came under his direct control, but he still paid nominal allegiance to the emperor. Throughout the 190s, Cao Cao actively waged wars in central China against rival warlords such as Lü Bu , Yuan Shu , and Zhang Xiu , eliminating all of them. Following his triumph over the warlord Yuan Shao at the Battle of Guandu in 200, Cao Cao launched

9660-530: The nobles and engaged in corrupt practices, so Cao Cao proposed to the imperial court to dismiss about 80 percent of them. As Cao Cao had a reputation for being a strict law enforcer, when news of his arrival reached these corrupt officials, they were so fearful that they fled to nearby commanderies. Cao Cao governed Jinan State well and maintained peace in the area. In the early days of the Western Han, nearly four hundred years previously, Liu Zhang ( 劉章 ),

9775-507: The opposing forces. In the spring of 193, Cao Cao defeated Yuan Shu at the Battle of Fengqiu and returned to Dingtao County by summer. Between 193 and 194, Cao Cao came into conflict with Tao Qian , the Governor of Xu Province , and attacked Xu Province three times. The first attack took place in the autumn of 193, when Cao Cao attacked Tao Qian after the latter supported Que Xuan ( 闕宣 ), who had committed treason by declaring himself emperor. The second and third invasions were triggered by

9890-457: The other coalition members were making merry instead of thinking how to make progress. He presented his plan on how to continue the war against Dong Zhuo and chided them for their lacklustre attitudes towards their initial goals. They ignored him. As Cao Cao had few troops left with him after the Battle of Xingyang, he travelled to Yang Province with Xiahou Dun to recruit soldiers. Chen Wen ,

10005-642: The power of the Imperial Seal, causing him to kill its protector. In the Chinese manhua The Ravages of Time , Sun Ce is a cunning, ruthless and manipulative character. Sun Ce appears in Koei 's Romance of the Three Kingdoms strategy game series. Sun Ce is featured as a playable character in Koei 's Dynasty Warriors video game series, as well as Warriors Orochi , a crossover between Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors . Sun Ce appears as

10120-417: The provincial governor, Tao Qian . When the warlord Cao Cao invaded Xu Province around 193, Ze Rong fled south with his followers, plundering two commanderies and killing their administrators along the way. He took shelter under the warlord Liu Yao but betrayed him later and seized control of Yuzhang Commandery (around present-day Nanchang , Jiangxi ). Liu Yao ultimately defeated him and drove him out of

10235-495: The resources from the three commanderies for himself. He then used the resources to build a large Buddhist temple in Xiapi Commandery with a capacity of 3,000 people. He also had large bronze statues constructed, painted in gold, and lavishly decorated. He also promoted Buddhism by welcoming people from neighbouring commanderies to join him, and managed to attract over 5,000 households. During Vesak , he hosted feasts for

10350-446: The rich and poor. The senior officials did not dare to interfere. When Cao Cao assumed office in Jinan State, he destroyed all the temples and banned such idolatrous practices. He upheld the laws sternly and eliminated unorthodox customs and cult-like activities. After serving as chancellor for a brief time, Cao Cao was reassigned to be the Administrator of Dong Commandery ( 東郡 ; around present-day Puyang County , Henan), but he declined

10465-492: The rival warlord Lü Bu . Many commanderies and counties in Yan Province responded to Lü Bu's call and defected to his side except for a few. Cao Cao aborted his campaign in Xu Province and returned to attack Lü Bu. In one battle at Puyang County , he fell into an ambush and suffered some burns but managed to survive and escape. Cao Cao and Lü Bu were locked in a stalemate at Puyang County for over 100 days until Lü Bu left

10580-589: The same work. Although Pei Songzhi sometimes pointed out flaws in Sun Sheng's methods, he often cites him as an authority. Other Jin dynasty historians he gave less credence to, while still including parallel passages from their work, such as Jiangbiao zhuan ( 江表傳 ), by Yu Pu  [ zh ] ( 虞溥 ), and Wei Jin Shiyu ( 魏晉世語 ; Tales of the Worlds of Wei and Jin ) by Guo Ban  [ zh ] ( 郭頒 ),

10695-531: The shores of the Yellow River , leaving the capital and his base city Xuchang poorly guarded. Sun Ce is said to have then plotted to attack Xuchang under the banner of rescuing Emperor Xian, who was a figurehead under Cao Cao's control. Preparations were underway for the military excursion when Sun Ce ran into three former servants of Xu Gong during a solo hunting trip. One of them managed to plant an arrow into Sun Ce's cheek before Sun Ce's men arrived and slew

10810-647: The siege was lifted after about two months when Cao Cao personally led an army to relief Liu Yan. Guan Yu slew Yan Liang in the midst of battle. While Cao Cao and his troops were evacuating Boma's residents, Yuan Shao's forces led by Wen Chou and Liu Bei caught up with them at Yan Ford, but were defeated and Wen Chou was killed in battle. Cao Cao returned to his main camp at Guandu while Yuan Shao moved to Yangwu County ( 陽武縣 ; southwest of present-day Yuanyang County, Henan ). Around this time, Guan Yu left Cao Cao and returned to Liu Bei. In late 200, Yuan Shao led his forces to attack Cao Cao at Guandu. Both sides were locked in

10925-455: The south by indigenous tribes yet to be assimilated. These prevented Sun Ce from striking far out at Xuchang and moving the emperor to southeastern China. He further argued that Sun Ce died on the fifth day in the fourth month of 200, before the Battle of Guandu even took place. Pei Songzhi , who annotated the Records of the Three Kingdoms , rebutted Sun Sheng, arguing that Huang Zu was newly broken and had yet to recollect his forces while

11040-430: The southern bank of the Yellow River . In winter, he mobilised his forces and deployed them at Guandu ( 官渡 ; present-day Guandu Town, Zhongmu County , Henan). Around this time, Cheng Yu and Guo Jia had warned Cao Cao against allowing Liu Bei to leave Xuchang but it was too late because Cao Cao had already sent Liu Bei to intercept and block Yuan Shu. Earlier, when he was still in Xuchang, Liu Bei had secretly joined

11155-669: The territories in Yan Province and managed to retake them from Lü Bu. Lü Bu fled east to Xu Province and took refuge under Liu Bei , who had succeeded Tao Qian as the Governor of Xu Province earlier in 194. In the winter of 195, the central government officially designated Cao Cao as the Governor of Yan Province. In 196, Lü Bu turned against his host and seized control of Xu Province from Liu Bei, but still allowed Liu Bei to remain in Xiaopei ( 小沛 ; present-day Pei County , Jiangsu). Although he agreed to an alliance with Yuan Shu earlier, he broke his promise and severed ties with Yuan Shu when

11270-526: The way. The first was with the family of Lü Boshe , an old acquaintance. The second incident occurred when he passed by Zhongmu County , where a village chief suspected that he was a fugitive and arrested him. However, another official recognised Cao Cao and believed he could act as a positive influence, so he released Cao Cao. Dong Zhuo murdered the Prince of Hongnong and Empress Dowager He later. When Cao Cao returned to Chenliu Commandery, he spent his family fortune on raising an army to eliminate Dong Zhuo. In

11385-501: The winter of 189, Cao Cao assembled his forces in Jiwu County ( 己吾縣 ; southwest of present-day Ningling County , Henan) and declared war on Dong Zhuo. In early 190, several regional officials and warlords formed a coalition army numbering some tens of thousands, and launched a punitive campaign against Dong Zhuo. They declared that their mission was to free Emperor Xian and the central government from Dong Zhuo's control. Yuan Shao

11500-530: The wound to break and he died in the same night. Although he was survived by one son, Sun Ce passed his legacy to his younger brother, Sun Quan . When Sun Quan declared himself emperor of the state of Eastern Wu in 222, he honoured Sun Ce with the posthumous title "Prince Huan of Changsha" (長沙桓王). Sun Ce was succeeded by a posthumous son , Sun Shao (孫紹), as well as at least two (possibly three) daughters, married to Gu Shao and later Zhu Ji (朱紀), and Lu Xun respectively. Sun Shao bore one son, Sun Feng (孫奉), who

11615-600: Was abundant in wealth and resources, he lured Zhao Yu into a trap and killed him when he was drunk. He then ordered his followers to plunder Guangling Commandery, leaving behind nothing for the citizens. They then headed south to Moling (秣陵; present-day Jiangning District , Nanjing , Jiangsu ) to join Xue Li (薛禮), the former Chancellor of Pengcheng who had moved to Moling with his men after being forced out of Xu Province by Tao Qian. Ze Rong later murdered Xue Li as well and took control of his forces. Ze Rong later joined Liu Yao ,

11730-563: Was also referred to as the "Little Conqueror" in popular culture. Sun Ce is depicted in the Wu Shuang Pu (無雙譜, Table of Peerless Heroes) by Jin Guliang. Born in 175, Sun Ce was the eldest son of Sun Jian , a military general serving under the Eastern Han dynasty. In 190, a year after Emperor Ling died, the warlord Dong Zhuo usurped power, placing in the throne the puppet Emperor Xian . Regional warlords in eastern China then launched

11845-465: Was appointed General Who Establishes Virtue ( 建德將軍 ). In July or August 196, Cao Cao was promoted to General Who Garrisons the East ( 鎮東將軍 ) and enfeoffed as the Marquis of Fei Village ( 費亭侯 ) – the peerage previously held by his adoptive grandfather Cao Teng . Sometime between August and September 196, Cao Cao led his forces to the ruins of Luoyang and received Emperor Xian. The emperor granted Cao Cao

11960-602: Was away in Xu Province, but, as Cao Cao accurately predicted, Yuan Shao did not make any advances throughout this period of time, possibly due to Cao Cao's general Yu Jin 's raiding in the south of Yuan Shao's territory. From early to mid 200, the forces of Cao Cao and Yuan Shao clashed in two separate engagements at Boma ( 白馬 ; present-day Hua County , Henan) and Yan Ford ( 延津 ; near present-day Yanjin County , Henan). At Boma, Yuan Shao sent Guo Tu , Chunyu Qiong and Yan Liang to besiege Cao Cao's general Liu Yan ( 劉延 ), but

12075-487: Was by imperial decree the governor of Yang Province , occupied Qu'e as the regional seat Shouchun was already occupied by Yuan Shu. He then forced Wu Jing back west across the Yangtze River to Liyang (歷陽; present-day He County , Anhui). However, Yuan Shu claimed to be the rightful governor and sent Wu Jing and Sun Ce's cousin Sun Ben to attack Liu Yao. After they were unable to break down Liu Yao's defences for more than

12190-537: Was captured and executed after his defeat. Cao Cao also pacified the eastern parts of Xu and Qing provinces along the coast. Emperor Xian had been held hostage in Chang'an by Li Jue , Guo Si and other former followers of Dong Zhuo. Around 195, when internal conflict broke out between Li Jue and Guo Si, Emperor Xian escaped from Chang'an and after a harrowing journey returned to the ruins of Luoyang, which Dong Zhuo had ordered to be destroyed by fire in 190 when moving

12305-424: Was elected as the coalition chief while Cao Cao served as acting General of Uplifting Martial Might ( 奮武將軍 ). The coalition scored some initial victories against Dong Zhuo's forces and reached Luoyang within months. Dong Zhuo, alarmed by his losses, ordered his troops to forcefully relocate Luoyang's residents to Chang'an and burn down the imperial capital, leaving behind nothing for the coalition. While Dong Zhuo

12420-420: Was executed by Sun Hao for alleged treason due to his popularity. Sun Sheng (孫盛) in his Exposition on Disparities and Similarities (異同評) discounted the theory that Sun Ce made plans to attack Xuchang . He believed that although Sun Ce was a rising power, he was threatened in the west by Huang Zu , who was defeated but not eliminated, in the north by Chen Deng , governor of Guangling Commandery , and in

12535-505: Was known to be perceptive and manipulative. He liked to hunt, idle, roam about freely, and play vigilante so he was not as highly regarded compared to his more studious peers. From the time Cao Cao was fifteen until he turned thirty, widespread epidemic diseases ravaged China on average one out of every three years. Despite Cao Cao's loafing ways and unimpressive behaviour, there were two persons – Qiao Xuan and He Yong – who recognised his potential and extraordinary talents. Upon visiting

12650-540: Was retreating to Chang'an, Cao Cao led his own army to pursue the enemy, but was defeated by Xu Rong , a general under Dong Zhuo, at the Battle of Xingyang . This was the first military action Cao Cao commanded, and he barely escaped alive, with help from his cousin Cao Hong . He returned to the coalition base in Suanzao County ( 酸棗縣 ; southwest of present-day Yanjin County, Henan ) and was disgusted to see that

12765-442: Was so brutal that after one massacre the corpses of his victims stoppered up the nearby Si river ( 泗水 ). His army tore down villages in its wake, ensuring refugees could not return, and ate all the chickens and dogs. Cao Cao only turned back when he received news that his base in Yan Province had fallen to Lü Bu . In 194, Cao Cao's subordinates Zhang Miao , Chen Gong and others rebelled against him in Yan Province and defected to

12880-720: Was standard to record. Especially useful for noting things like official appointments, three titles of this type were used by Pei Songzhi to add detail to Chen Shou's account: Xiandi Ji ( 獻帝記 ; Records of Emperor Xian ) compiled by Liu Ai ( 劉艾 ), Xiandi Qiju zhu ( 獻帝起居注 ; Notes on Emperor Xian's Daily Life ), and Shanyang Gong zaiji ( 山陽公載記 ; Records of the Duke of Shanyang [Emperor Xian's post-usurpation title]) by Yue Zi ( 樂資 ). Other early sources for Pei Songzhi included Yu Huan 's privately composed histories Dianlüe ( 典略 ; Authoritative Account ) and Weilüe , written prior to Chen Shou's own work; and Sima Biao 's Annals of

12995-485: Was taken to be "Yu Ji" (于吉). In Peking opera , Sun Ce's role is usually that of a hero or tragic hero, while his brother, Sun Quan is usually portrayed as a villain at worst or self-seeking at best. Several operas even toy with the idea that Sun Quan had Sun Ce assassinated so that he could take control of the warlord state, though there is no historical evidence to support this view. In the opera Fenghuang Er Qiao , Sun Ce borrows 3,000 troops from Yuan Shu and allies with

13110-436: Was the governor. There he raised a small militia a few hundred in strength. This small force was far from sufficient for him to establish his own power so in 194 Sun Ce went to Yuan Shu. Yuan Shu was very impressed with Sun Ce and often lamented that he had no son like him. He also returned Sun Jian's former division of troops to Sun Ce. Initially, Yuan Shu promised to appoint Sun Ce the governor of Jiujiang but eventually gave

13225-558: Was waging wars throughout central China in the 190s, Yuan Shao defeated his rival Gongsun Zan at the Battle of Yijing in 199, after which he controlled four provinces in northern China ( Ji , Bing , Qing and You ) and gained command of thousands of troops. A power struggle between Cao Cao and Yuan Shao became inevitable by early 199. In the autumn of 199, Cao Cao dispatched troops to Liyang County ( 黎陽縣 ; present-day Xun County , Henan) and sent Zang Ba and others to capture some territories in Qing Province while leaving Yu Jin to guard

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