Sun Ce's conquests in Jiangdong 孫策平江東之戰

Sun Ce joined Yuan Shu in the 1st year of Xingping (194), and Yuan Shu returned Sun Jian's personal troops to Sun Ce. Yuan Shu said he would make Sun Ce Administrator of Jiujiang but appointed Chen Ji instead, and when he had Sun Ce attack the Administrator of Lujiang, Lu Kang, he promised him Lujiang, but after Lu Kang was defeated he again made his former subordinate Liu Xun administrator, so Sun Ce became all the more disappointed. Records, Wu 1 §25–27

At that time the Inspector of Yang Province, Liu Yao, made Qu'e his seat and drove out Wu Jing and Sun Ben, who had been appointed by Yuan Shu, so Sun Ce persuaded Yuan Shu and asked to help Wu Jing and the others pacify Jiangdong. Sun Ce set out with about a thousand soldiers, and by the time he reached Liyang his following had grown to five or six thousand; he crossed the river, fought battle after battle and defeated everyone in his path. When Liu Yao abandoned his army and fled in the Battle of Que, the administrators of the various commanderies also abandoned their cities and ran away. Records, Wu 1 §28–30

Yan Baihu and others, men of Wu County, had gathered in various places, each with a following of more than ten thousand. Wu Jing and the others proposed attacking Yan Baihu first, but Sun Ce said that Yan Baihu and the others were merely a band of robbers with no great ambition and would be captured, crossed the Zhe River, took Kuaiji, massacred Dongye, and then defeated Yan Baihu and the others. The Administrator of Kuaiji, Wang Lang, was told by his Officer of Merit, Yu Fan, to avoid Sun Ce, but he fought him, saying that as an official of Han he ought to defend his city; he was defeated and crossed the sea to Dongye, and when Sun Ce pursued him again and heavily defeated him, he went over to Sun Ce. The Biographies of the Imperial Clan records that when Wang Lang blocked Sun Ce at Guling, Sun Ce, following Sun Jing's plan, split off his army along the Zhadu road to attack the camp at Gaoqian by night, and that he beheaded Zhou Xin and the others whom Wang Lang sent out and pacified Kuaiji. Records, Wu 1 §30–31Records, Wei 13 §45–46Records, Wu 6 §2–4

Zhu Zhi, advancing from Qiantang toward Wu Commandery, heavily defeated the Administrator of Wu Commandery, Xu Gong, who blocked him at Youquan, entered the commandery and took charge of the administrator's affairs, and Xu Gong went to seek refuge with Yan Baihu. When Chen Yu of Xiapi, who styled himself Administrator of Wu Commandery at Haixi, colluded with Yan Baihu, Sun Ce attacked Yan Baihu in person and sent Lü Fan and others to attack Chen Yu. In Danyang, Sun Ce was heavily surrounded while attacking Zu Lang, but Cheng Pu and a single horseman shielded him and he escaped; Taishi Ci, who had set up a garrison headquarters at Jing County, was also attacked by Sun Ce in person and captured. Lü Fan attacked Zu Lang at Lingyang and Taishi Ci at Yongli and pacified seven counties. Records, Wu 11 §4 · 35Records, Wu 10 §4Records, Wu 4 §29

Sun Ce replaced all the senior officials, took the post of Administrator of Kuaiji himself, made Wu Jing Administrator of Danyang and Sun Ben Administrator of Yuzhang, split off Luling Commandery from Yuzhang with Sun Fu as its administrator, and made Zhu Zhi Administrator of Wu Commandery. Zhang Zhao, Zhang Hong, Qin Song, Chen Duan and others became his chief advisers. When Yuan Shu usurped the imperial title, Sun Ce reproached him by letter and broke off relations, and Cao Cao memorialized to make Sun Ce General Who Attacks Rebels and enfeoff him as Marquis of Wu. Records, Wu 1 §31–33

After Yuan Shu's death, his Chief Clerk Yang Hong, his commander-in-chief Zhang Xun and others were on their way with his followers to join Sun Ce when they were all captured by the Administrator of Lujiang, Liu Xun; Sun Ce then feigned friendship with Liu Xun, urged him to attack the clan militias of Shangliao in Yuzhang, and once Liu Xun had left, made a surprise attack on Lujiang and took it. Zhou Yu defeated Liu Xun near Xunyang, attacked Jiangxia, and on his return pacified Yuzhang and Luling, and the Administrator of Yuzhang, Hua Xin, knowing that Sun Ce was skilled in warfare, welcomed him wearing a plain headcloth. The biography of Sun Ce records that because Yuan Shao was then at the height of his power and Sun Ce had absorbed Jiangdong, Cao Cao could not exert his strength as he wished and sought to placate him through marriage ties. Records, Wu 1 §34–35Records, Wu 9 §6Records, Wei 13 §30–31

In the 5th year of Jian'an (200), Sun Ce planned to make a surprise attack on Xu while Cao Cao was facing Yuan Shao at Guandu, but before he set out he was wounded by retainers of the former Administrator of Wu Commandery, Xu Gong. Sun Ce asked Zhang Zhao and the others to assist his younger brother well, had Sun Quan wear his seal and ribbon, and told him that in raising the hosts of Jiangdong to contend with the realm Sun Quan was not his equal, but in employing the worthy and appointing the able to hold Jiangdong he was not Sun Quan's equal; that night he died at the age of twenty-six. The Biography of the Lord of Wu records that at this time the Sun family held only Kuaiji, Wu Commandery, Danyang, Yuzhang and Luling, and that even there the remote and rugged areas had not yet all submitted. Records, Wu 1 §36–38Records, Wu 2 §3–4

Chen Shou assessed Sun Ce as outstanding in heroic spirit and foremost in the world in valor and keenness, but said he lost his life through rashness and impetuosity, and that the division and holding of Jiangdong had its foundation laid by Sun Ce. Records, Wu 1 §41