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Sun Ce (175 – 200) was a military general and warlord during the late Eastern Han Dynasty and Three Kingdoms era in ancient China. He was the eldest of four sons of Sun Jian, who was killed in battle when Sun Cè was only sixteen. Sun Cè then broke away from his father's former overlord Yuan Shu and headed into Southeastern China to establish his own power base there. With the help of several capable men, including Zhang Zhao and Zhou Yu, Sun Cè managed to lay down the foundation of the later Eastern Wu, of which his younger brother Sun Quan eventually became the first emperor. After Sun Quan declared himself emperor, he posthumously honored Sun Cè with the title Prince Huan of Changsha ( literally "the diligent prince"). In 200, when the rising warlord Cao Cao was away battling Yuan Shao in the decisive Battle of Guandu, Sun Cè plotted to attack the capital and Cao Cao's base city Xuchang. However, he was assassinated before he could carry out the plan. The Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms describes Sun Cè as handsome and full of laughter. He was also a generous and receptive man who could employ people according to their abilities. Thus his subjects were willing to risk their lives for him. One of them named Xu Gong, in a letter to Emperor Xian, likened Sun Cè to Xiang Yu, the renowned Qin Dynasty general. As Xiang Yu was often referred to as the Conqueror of Chu, Sun Cè henceforth became known as the Little Conqueror in popular culture. Source: Wikipedia |