Sun Ce (175–200) is a general and warlord during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history.
He is the oldest of the children of Sun Jian, who is killed during the Battle of Xiangyang when Sun Ce is only 16.
Sun Ce then breaks away from his father's overlord, Yuan Shu, and heads to southeastern China to establish his own power base there.
With the help of several people, such as Zhang Zhao and Zhou Yu, Sun Ce manages to lay down the foundation of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period.
In 200, when the warlord Cao Cao is at war with his rival Yuan Shao in the Battle of Guandu, Sun Ce is rumored to be planning an attack on Cao Cao's capital city of Xuchang.
However, he is assassinated before he can carry out the plan.
Sun Ce is posthumously honored as "Prince Huan of Changsha" by his younger brother Sun Quan when the latter becomes the first emperor of Eastern Wu.
Chen Shou's Records of the Three Kingdoms 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, likened Sun Ce to Xiang Yu, the warrior-king who overthrew the Qin Dynasty.
As a result, Sun Ce was also referred to as the "Little Conqueror" in popular culture.
