Editing Sun Quan (section)

==Early reign==
[[File:Sun Quan2.jpg|thumb|261x261px|Portrait of Sun Quan from ''[[Sancai Tuhui]]'']]
Early in Sun Quan's reign, the Wu administration was known for its efficiency, as Sun showed a knack for listening to correct advice and for delegating authorities to the proper individuals. For example, he correctly trusted the faithful [[Lu Xun (Three Kingdoms)|Lu Xun]] and [[Zhuge Jin]], so much so that he made a duplicate imperial seal and left it with Lu Xun; whenever he would correspond with Shu's emperor [[Liu Shan]] or regent [[Zhuge Liang]], he would deliver the letter to Lu Xun first (as Lu's post was near the Shu border), and then if, in Lu's opinion, changes were needed, he would revise the letter and then restamp it with Sun's imperial seal. Further, Lu Xun and Zhuge Jin were authorised to coordinate their actions with Shu without prior imperial approval. Sun Quan treated his high-level officials as friends and addressed them accordingly (with [[courtesy names]]), and in accordance they dedicated all effort to Wu's preservation. He also knew what were the proper roles for officials that he trusted; for example, in 225, when selecting a [[Chancellor (China)|chancellor]], while the key officials all respected [[Zhang Zhao (Eastern Wu)|Zhang Zhao]] greatly and wanted him to be chancellor, Sun Quan declined, reasoning that while he respected Zhang greatly, a chancellor needed to handle all affairs of state, and Zhang, while capable, had such strong opinions that he would surely be in conflict with Sun Quan and other officials at all times. He also repeatedly promoted his official [[Lü Fan]] even though, while Sun Quan was young, Lü Fan had informed Sun Ce about his improper spending habits. Sun Quan understood that Lü did so only out of loyalty to Sun Ce.

In 224 and 225, [[Cao Pi]] again made attacks on Wu, but each time the Wu forces were able to repel Wei's with fair ease—so easily that Cao Pi made the comment, "Heaven created the Yangtze to divide the north and south." However, Sun Quan was himself equally unsuccessful in efforts to make major attacks on Wei. After Cao Pi's death in 226, for example, Sun Quan launched an attack on Wei's [[Jiangxia Commandery]], but was forced to withdraw as soon as Wei reinforcements arrived. However, later that year, he was able to increase his effective control over [[Jiaozhou (province)|Jiao Province]] when his general [[Lü Dai]] was able to defeat the warlord Shi Hui ({{lang|zh|士徽}}) and end the effective independence that the Shi clan had. In addition, the several independent kingdoms in modern [[Cambodia]], [[Laos]], and southern [[Vietnam]] all became Wu vassals as well.
[[File:重列神兽镜.png|thumb|left|160px|Mirror with Immortals and Mythical Beast. Cast in 229, the year Sun Quan declared himself emperor.]]
The ''[[Book of Liang]]'' records [[Sino-Roman relations|the arrival in 226 of a merchant]] from the [[Roman Empire]] ([[Daqin]]) at [[Jiaozhi]] (Chinese-controlled northern Vietnam).<ref name="young 2001 p 29"/><ref name="halsall 2000">{{cite web|orig-year=1998|date=2000|author=Paul Halsall|editor=Jerome S. Arkenberg|url=http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/eastasia/romchin1.html |title=East Asian History Sourcebook: Chinese Accounts of Rome, Byzantium and the Middle East, c. 91 B.C.E. – 1643 C.E. |publisher=[[Fordham University]]|website=Fordham.edu|access-date=2016-09-17}}</ref> The Prefect of Jiaozhou sent him to the court of Sun Quan in [[Nanjing]].<ref name="young 2001 p 29">Gary K. Young (2001), ''Rome's Eastern Trade: International Commerce and Imperial Policy, 31&nbsp;BC – AD 305'', {{ISBN|0-415-24219-3}}, p. 29.</ref> Sun Quan requested that he provide him with a report on his native country and its people.<ref name="halsall 2000"/> An expedition was mounted to return the merchant along with 10 female and 10 male "blackish coloured dwarfs" he had requested as a curiosity and a Chinese officer who, unfortunately, died en route.<ref name="halsall 2000"/>

The one major victory that Wu would have over Wei during this period came in 228, when, with Sun Quan's approval, his general [[Zhou Fang (Three Kingdoms)|Zhou Fang]] pretended to be surrendering to Wei after pretending to have been punished repeatedly by Sun Quan. This tricked the Wei general [[Cao Xiu]], who led a large army south to support Zhou Fang. He walked into the trap set by Zhou Fang and Lu Xun and suffered major losses, but was saved from total annihilation by [[Jia Kui (general)|Jia Kui]].

In 229, Sun Quan declared himself emperor, which almost damaged the alliance with Shu, as many Shu officials saw this as a sign of betrayal of the Han dynasty—to which Shu claimed to be the legitimate successor. However, Zhuge Liang opposed ending the alliance and in fact confirmed it with a formal treaty later that year, in which the two states pledged to support each other and divide Wei equally if they could conquer it. Later that year, Sun Quan moved his capital from [[Ezhou#History|Wuchang]] to [[Jiankang|Jianye]], leaving his crown prince Sun Deng, assisted by Lu Xun, in charge of the western parts of Eastern Wu.