…Liyang (present-day He County, Anhui). However, Yuan…

A locust plague causes a major famine across China in 194.

According to the Records of the Three Kingdoms, the people ate each other out of desperation.

Without food, many armies are defeated without fighting.

From this experience, Cao Cao sees the importance of an ample food supply in building a strong military.

He begins a series of agricultural programs in cities such as Xuchang and Chenliu.

Refugees are recruited and given wasteland to cultivate.

Later, encampments not faced with imminent danger of war are also made to farm.

This system will be continued and spreads to all regions under Cao as his realm expands.

Although Cao's primary intention is to build a powerful army, the agricultural program also improves the living standards of the people, especially war refugees.

Yuan Shao's ally, Cao Cao, launches a campaign against Tao Qian in Xu Province in 194.

At this time, there are two opposing alliances—Yuan Shu, Tao Qian, and Gongsun Zan on one side, Yuan Shao, Cao Cao, and Liu Biao the other.

In face of strong pressure from Cao Cao's invading force, Tao Qian appeals to Tian Kai for help.

Tian Kai and Liu Bei led their armies to support Tao Qian.

Despite the initial success of the invasion, Cao Cao's subordinate Zhang Miao rebels and allows Lü Bu to take over Cao's base in Yan Province (present day western Shandong), forcing Cao to retreat from Xu Province.

Tao Qian asks Liu Bei to station his army in nearby Xiaopei (present day Pei County, Jiangsu) and give him four thousand more troops, in addition to one thousand or so troops and some Wuhuan cavalry already under his command.

Thus, Liu Bei deserts his supervisor Tian Kai for Tao Qian.

Meantime, Liu Bei raises troops around the area, and actively builds up connections with influential clans and people of the region.

In a rather short period of time, he has gained the support of the two most powerful families in Xu Province: the Mi clan led by Mi Zhu and Mi Fang, and the Chen clan led by Chen Gui and Chen Deng.

Liu Bei also marries Mi Zhu's younger sister to draw support from the Mi clan.

Upon Tao Qian's death shortly afterwards, Liu Bei secures his position around the area by building up connections and an army.

The Mi clan strongly advocates the governorship be passed on to Liu Bei instead of Tao Qian's sons.

Liu Bei is hesitant and apprehensive about taking the post when Chen Qun tells him that Yuan Shu would contest the control of the province with him.

Liu Bei then consults Kong Rong and Chen Deng, who advise him to switch allegiances and seek confirmation from the leading warlord, Yuan Shao.

Liu Bei finally takes over Xu Province after Yuan Shao recognizes his "succession".

Lü Bu, defeated by Cao Cao in 185, seeks shelter under Liu Bei.

Sun Ce, born in 175, is the eldest among five sons and one daughter of Sun Jian, a military general loyal to the emperor of the Han Dynasty.

When, 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 launches a campaign against Dong Zhuo.

Sun Jian renders his service to Yuan Shu, one of the leaders of the coalition.

The attempt to oust Dong Zhuo soon failed and China had slid into a series of massive civil wars.

In the next year, Sun Jian had been sent by Yuan Shu to attack Liu Biao, governor of Jing Province (covering present-day Hubei and Hunan), but had been killed in an ambush.

Sun Ce brought his father's body to Qu'e (present-day Situ Town, Jiangsu) for burial and settled his mother down before heading for Danyang (present-day Xuancheng, Anhui), where his uncle Wu Jing is the governor.

Here he has raised a small militia a few hundred in strength.

This small force is far from sufficient for him to establish his own power, so in 194 Sun Ce goes to Yuan Shu, who is very impressed with Sun Ce and often laments that he has no son like him.

He also returns Sun Jian's former Initially, Yuan Shu promises to appoint Sun Ce the governor of Jiujiang but eventually gives the governorship to Chen Ji.

Later, when Yuan Shu is denied a large loan of grains from the governor of Lujiang, he sends Sun Ce to attack the latter, promising to make Sun Ce the governor of Lujiang should he succeed.

When Sun Ce does, however, Yuan Shu again goes back on his words and appoints another else instead.

The disappointed Sun Ce now begins to contemplate leaving.

Liu Yao, who is by imperial decree the governor of Yang Province (covering present-day southern Jiangsu, southern Anhui, Jiangxi, Zhejiang and Fujian), meanwhile occupies Qu'e, as the regional seat Shouchun (present-day Shou County, Anhui) is already occupied by Yuan Shu.

He then forces Wu Jing back west across the Yangtze River to …

The city of Byzantium, occupied by troops loyal to Niger, withstands a siege by Severan troops, possibly on the hope that a third rival to the principate, Clodius Albinus, who had been nominally allied with Niger, will defeat Severus in the West.

Anullinus enters Syria eventually and the final battle takes place in May 194, near Issus, the place where Alexander the Great defeated the Persian King Darius III in 332 BCE.

Severus takes advantage of the control he had on the lives of the children of the provincial governors, who are left at Rome, as well as the rivalries of the cities in the region, thus encouraging governors to change sides, one legion to desert to him and some cities to revolt.

Severan troops attack first while Niger's forces are hurling missiles against them.

At the same time, the Severan cavalry attacks from the rear.

The fight is hard but in the end Severus wins decisively and Niger flees back to Antioch.

A sudden thunderstorm plays some role in lowering the morale of Niger's troops, who are directly facing it, because they attribute it to divine intervention.

A triumphal arch is set on site, commemorating the victory of Severus.

This concludes hostilities on the field between the two rivals for control of the East (Niger is captured and killed, a few days later).

Lady Fu had become an imperial consort as Emperor Xian was being forced by Dong Zhuo to move the capital west to Chang'an in 190.

Her father was Fu Wan, a seventh generation descendant of the early Eastern Han official Fu Dan and the hereditary Marquess of Buqi.

His wife (although it is not clear whether she was Fu Shou's mother) was the Princess Yang'an, a daughter of Emperor Huan.

In 195, while Emperor Xian is largely under the control of Li Jue and Guo Si, he creates her empress.

As Emperor Xian continues to reign under the constant control of one warlord or another, he and Empress Fu apparently have a loving relationship, but both have seen their power become increasingly minimal.

Dong Zhuo's former subordinates, led by Li Jue and Guo Si, have taken Emperor Xian and the imperial court under their control.

However, Li Jue and Guo Si do not have serious ambitions, and their incompetence in governance furthers the breakdown of the Han empire into warlord regimes.

Li Jue and Guo Si soon have a major falling-out, and Li takes Emperor Xian hostage while Guo takes the officials hostage as they battle.

Later in the year, after peace talks between Li Jue and Guo Si, they agree to allow Emperor Xian to return to Luoyang, but as soon as Emperor Xian departs Chang'an, they regret their decision and chase him with their troops.

Dong Cheng, Emperor Xian’s father-in-law, repels the attack from Li and Guo with the assistance of Han Xian, former leader of the White Wave Bandits, who are remnants of the Yellow Turban Rebellion that rose up in Baibo Gorge in 188.

It said they numbered in the hundreds of thousands and even the Imperial Court could not quell them.

During Emperor Xian's flight back to the old capital, Empress Fu is personally carrying silk, which is seized by soldiers ostensibly protecting her—such that even her own personal bodyguards are killed, and their blood splashes on her.

Li Jue and Guo Si are never able to recapture Emperor Xian, but his court has been rendered poor and unable to fend for itself; once it returns to Luoyang, it lacks even the basic essentials of life.

Many imperial officials starve to death or are killed by robbers.

At this time, Yuan Shao's strategist Ju Shou suggests that he welcome Emperor Xian to his province so that he can effectively be in control of the central government, but the other strategists Guo Tu and Chunyu Qiong oppose this move—under the faulty logic that if he did, he would have to yield to Emperor Xian on key decisions.

Yuan Shao heeds the advice of Guo Tu and Chunyu Qiong and never again considers welcoming Emperor Xian.

Wu Jing and Sun Ben have been unable to break down the defense of Liyang for more than a year, and Sun Ce requests to lead a force to assist the effort.

Though Yuan Shu knows Sun Ce intends to leave, he believes the latter will not be able to defeat Liu Yao.

Thus he deploys the young general with merely a thousand-odd troops and a tiny cavalry force.

Along with a few hundred more willing followers, Sun Ce proceeds to Liyang, where he boosts his strength to more than five thousand.

He then launches an offensive across the Yangtze River and successfully occupies the strategic position of Niuzhu (present-day Caishiji, southwest of Ma'anshan, Anhui) in 195.

Two of Liu Yao's allies then come south from Pengcheng and Xiapi respectively to aid him.

Sun Ce chooses to first attack one of them, Ze Rong, who makes camp south of Moling.

After suffering initial defeat in the hands of the aggressor, Ze Rong falls back to a defensive position and refuses to engage in battle.

Sun Ce then marches further north and attacks Xue Li in Moling.

Although Xue Li soon gives up the city and escapes, Liu Yao's subject Fan Neng and other regroup their forces and launch a renewed attack on Niuzhu.

Turning back, Sun Ce defeats Fan Neng and secures Niuzhu.

He then begins a second offensive against Ze Rong.

However, he is struck by a stray arrow in the thigh.

Returning to Niuzhu, he sends out false words that he had been killed in battle.

Ze Rong, elated at the news, then sends a force to attack.

Sun Ce leads his enemies into an ambush and annihilates them.

When Ze Rong hears that Sun Ce is still alive, he further reinforces his defense works.