…Liu Xun leads a force south to pillage Haihun (east of present-day Yongxiu County, Jiangxi).

Sun Ce is en route to attack Huang Zu, who was Sun Jian's killer, in Xiakou (present-day Hankou District, Wuhan, Hubei) when he receive the news.

He then turns back and captures the poorly defended Huancheng, taking over all of Yuan Shu's thirty thousand former troops.

Hearing that his base city had been taken, Liu Xun heads west and seeks help from Huang Zu, who sends a five thousand-strong naval force to assist him.

Sun Ce presses forward and defeats Liu Xun, who escapes north to Cao Cao.

Sun Ce annexes more than two thousand former troops and one thousand ships of his enemy and comes upon Huang Zu.

Despite reinforcements from Liu Biao, Huang Zu is utterly defeated.

During the battle, Sun Ce slays Liu Biao's officer, Han Xi, and completely routs Huang Zu's son, Huang She.

The victorious Sun Ce in 199 appears poised to take over the entirety of southern China.

As he is threatened by his rival Yuan Shao in the north and cannot divide his attention, Cao Cao attempts 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 agrees to marry Sun Ben's daughter to Cao Cao's son Cao Zhang.