Yuan Shao ( 袁紹 , pronunciation ; died 28 June 202), courtesy name Benchu ( 本初 ), was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived in the late Eastern Han dynasty . He occupied the northern territories of China during the civil wars that occurred towards the end of the Han dynasty . He was also an elder half-brother of Yuan Shu , a warlord who controlled the Huai River region, though the two were not on good terms with each other.
96-557: One of the most powerful warlords of his time, Yuan Shao spearheaded a coalition of warlords against Dong Zhuo , who held Emperor Xian hostage in the imperial capital, Luoyang , but failed due to internal disunity. In 200, he launched a campaign against his rival Cao Cao but was defeated at the Battle of Guandu . He died of illness two years later in Ye . His eventual failure despite his illustrious family background and geographical advantages
192-520: A bid to appease him. By early 190, however, Yuan became openly hostile. A coalition of regional officials and commanders from the eastern provinces, including Cao Cao, Yuan Shu, Han Fu , Zhang Miao and Bao Xin , formed up behind him in a campaign to oust Dong Zhuo. Yuan Shao declared himself General of Chariots and Cavalry ( 車騎將軍 ) and camped at Henei ( 河內 ), near a fort on the Yellow River just north of Luoyang. On 10 May 190, Dong Zhuo ordered
288-430: A brief battle. Liu, Guan and Zhang did participate in the campaign although their actions are not further described, with no mention that they dueled with Lü Bu, who, historically, was defeated by Sun Jian in battle. Following the death of Emperor Ling in 189, General-in-Chief He Jin summoned the frontier general Dong Zhuo from the northwest into the capital city of Luoyang . Dong was ordered to lead his troops into
384-465: A close aide and eunuch, Jian Shuo . Upon the emperor's death, Jian Shuo attempted to lure He Jin into a trap in the palace, assassinate him, and then install Liu Xie on the throne. Jian Shuo's plan to make Liu Xie emperor ultimately failed, so a 13-year-old Liu Bian was enthroned and became historically known as Emperor Shao. Empress He, as the emperor's mother, became empress dowager and attended imperial court sessions alongside her son. As Emperor Shao
480-501: A concubine of Yuan Feng, held a higher status than that of Yuan Shao's mother; however, by Yuan Cheng's adoption of Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu was no longer the highest ranked male of his generation of the Yuan family. Yuan Shao enjoyed more privileges than Yuan Shu, despite the latter being a blood-related member of the clan. When Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu became involved in disputes later, Yuan Shu used Yuan Shao's mother as an excuse to claim that he
576-477: A eunuch; some young men who had no facial hair, in desperation, dropped their pants in front of the soldiers to prove that they were not eunuchs. During the attack, the eunuchs took Emperor Shao, the Prince of Chenliu (Liu Xie) and Empress Dowager He hostage and tried to flee from the palace. Lu Zhi intercepted the eunuch Duan Gui ( 段珪 ) and saved the empress dowager from him. He Jin's younger brother, He Miao, who
672-468: A fortified pass guarding Luoyang to the south, 90 li away from Luoyang. Dong Zhuo personally fought in the battle at the Later Han tombs, but was defeated and fled to Mianchi and Shan (陝), west of Luoyang. Sun Jian then continued to march into Luoyang, where he met and routed the forces of Lü Bu. Settling in, Sun ordered his men to reseal the tombs of former emperors that were excavated by Dong Zhuo. It
768-574: A general alliance with Liu Biao against Yuan Shu. In the winter of that year, Yuan Shao defeated Gongsun Zan's elite cavalry at the Battle of Jieqiao with the use of massed crossbowmen. The Han imperial court issued an edict ordering Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan to cease fire. Yuan Shao then returned to Ye and started targeting the Heishan bandits , who had been causing trouble in Ji Province. With temporary aid from Lü Bu , Yuan Shao managed to defeat
864-652: A government pension. Yuan Shao is featured as a playable character in Koei 's Dynasty Warriors and Warriors Orochi video game series. He also appears in all instalments of Koei's Romance of the Three Kingdoms strategy game series. He also has a minor role in Koei's Kessen II . Yuan Shao also appears as a playable faction leader in the Creative Assembly title Total War: Three Kingdoms . He plays
960-524: A major crossing point of the Yellow River. Cao Cao prepared his defences around Guandu (northeast of present-day Zhongmu County , Henan ), slightly south of the river. When Liu Bei defected from Cao Cao in the first month of 200 and planted a foothold in Xu Province , Cao Cao left his northern front exposed to Yuan Shao and turned east to deal with Liu Bei. Tian Feng urged Yuan Shao to seize
1056-516: A major role in the Three Kingdoms (TV series) as a reappearing character. Campaign against Dong Zhuo The Campaign against Dong Zhuo was a punitive expedition initiated by a coalition of regional officials and warlords against the warlord Dong Zhuo in 190 in the late Eastern Han dynasty . The members of the coalition claimed that Dong had the intention of usurping the throne by holding Emperor Xian hostage and by establishing
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#17327661463651152-529: A plot to assassinate He Jin: they issued a fake imperial order in Empress Dowager He's name, instructing He Jin to enter the imperial palace, where he fell into an ambush and was killed by the eunuchs. After He Jin's death, his subordinates Wu Kuang ( 吳匡 ) and Zhang Zhang ( 張璋 ), along with Yuan Shao , Yuan Shu and others, led their troops to storm the palace and kill the eunuchs in revenge. They indiscriminately slaughtered anyone who looked like
1248-406: A secret alliance with the warlord Gongsun Zan and incite the latter to attack Han Fu's Ji Province . Facing an imminent attack from Gongsun Zan, Han Fu was terrified so he listened to Yuan Shao's lobbyists, Gao Gan (Yuan Shao's nephew) and Xun Chen , to give up the governorship of Ji Province to Yuan Shao in order to drive back Gongsun Zan. Yuan Shao then began to build a warlord state from Ye ,
1344-450: A slight offensive remark would be killed immediately. He installed all members of his clan and relatives by marriage in high-ranking official posts. Even his infant sons were conferred titles of marquises and played with gold seals and purple tassels. Court officials Wang Yun , Huang Wan (黃琬), Shisun Rui (士孫瑞) and Yang Zan (楊瓚) plotted to assassinate Dong Zhuo. They persuaded Lü Bu to join their cause because Lü's relationship with Dong
1440-428: A son, Liu Xie . Empress He, in her jealousy, had Beautiful Lady Wang poisoned to death. The motherless Liu Xie was raised by his grandmother, Empress Dowager Dong , and given the title "Marquis Dong" ( 董侯 ). When his subjects asked him to name one of his sons as crown prince , Emperor Ling had a dilemma between Liu Bian and Liu Xie, his only two surviving sons. He felt that Liu Bian was unfit to be emperor because he
1536-511: A strong influence in the imperial court. They justified their campaign as to remove Dong from power. The campaign led to the evacuation of the capital Luoyang and the shifting of the imperial court to Chang'an . It was a prelude to the end of the Han dynasty and, subsequently, the Three Kingdoms period. In the 14th-century historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms , the campaign
1632-487: A struggle for power, which spread throughout the nation progressively. In the 14th-century historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms , the author Luo Guanzhong employed artistic license rather freely as he changed some details of this campaign to better portray the main characters. For example, there is historical evidence that Liu Bei , Guan Yu , and Zhang Fei participated in the campaign but no specific feats, yet their achievements eclipse those of Sun Jian in
1728-465: Is also adopted by many Chinese operas and video games. In chapter 5 of Romance of the Three Kingdoms , Cao Cao attempted to assassinate Dong Zhuo but failed and escaped to his hometown in Chenliu. Subsequently, Cao sent secret imperial decrees, in the name of the emperor, to various regional warlords and officials, ordering them to rise up against Dong Zhuo and remove him from power. Many responded to
1824-455: Is memorable for at least two famous incidents: one is Guan Yu 's slaying of Hua Xiong ; the other is the three-on-one duel between the three sworn brothers ( Liu Bei , Guan Yu, Zhang Fei ) and Lü Bu . The two scenes are often reenacted in Chinese opera along with other famous scenes from the novel. Both incidents however, are fictional; Hua Xiong was captured and executed by Sun Jian after
1920-429: The Battle of Jieqiao subsequently. By then, the coalition had failed and collapsed, existing only in name. For the following year, the warlords ceased to take any action against Dong Zhuo. Dong occasionally sent an army to attack the warlord Zhu Jun and plundered his territory. Dong Zhuo returned to his tyrant status in the imperial court, but he had become less tolerant towards dissent, as any official who uttered
2016-430: The Battle of Xingyang , and Cao Cao himself was injured in battle. Cao Hong offered his steed to him and he followed Cao Cao on foot, and they managed to escape from the battlefield. Xu withdrew his troops after the battle. When Cao Cao returned to Suanzao, he suggested that the coalition pursue Dong Zhuo's retreating forces to threaten Dong by showing him that the coalition was still on the move. However, Zhang Miao and
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#17327661463652112-535: The Battle of Yijing and held absolute power over the four provinces north of the Yellow River. Then, after establishing an alliance with the Wuhuan tribes on the northern frontier, Yuan Shao turned his attention to Cao Cao, who had consolidated his own power base to the south of the Yellow River. Both sides made preparations for a decisive battle. Towards the end of 199, both sides had already engaged in skirmishes at Liyang (northwest of present-day Xun County , Henan),
2208-555: The Prince of Chenliu , were brought out of the palace by the surviving eunuchs during the chaos. The emperor lost the Imperial Seal during his escape. They were eventually discovered by a search party and escorted back to the palace safely by Dong Zhuo and his men. Subsequently, the warlord Ding Yuan was killed by his subordinate Lü Bu for opposing Dong Zhuo's decision to depose Emperor Shao. Lü then defected to Dong's side. In 190, Dong Zhuo deposed Emperor Shao and installed
2304-473: The General-in-Chief, acting on Yuan Shao's advice, attempted to push his idea. He instigated a few regional warlords to lead their troops into the vicinity of Luoyang , the imperial capital, and openly demand that the eunuchs be executed – in the hope of pressuring Empress Dowager He into agreeing. The empress dowager, however, sided with and protected the eunuchs. In retaliation, the eunuchs hatched
2400-561: The Governor of Ji Province (冀州). At the same time, the Grand Administrator of Dong Commandery , Qiao Mao , forged letters of accusation against Dong Zhuo, denouncing him as a traitor with the intention of usurping the throne, calling for a punitive expedition against Dong. These letters were distributed all around the nation in the name of officials from the capital. Regional officials and warlords all around China received
2496-504: The Heishan bandits despite suffering heavy casualties. In any case, Yuan Shao succeeded in drastically reducing the threat posed by the Heishan bandits to his western flank. Despite warnings from Ju Shou that the move could sow seeds for future trouble, Yuan Shao insisted on sending his first-born son, Yuan Tan , away to "govern" Qing Province . In subsequent years, Yuan Shao achieved considerable success in consolidating his domain. At
2592-495: The Imperial Seal", causing Sun to be stunned. After rounds of accusations and denials, Yuan Shao and Sun Jian's men drew swords in preparation for a fight, but the conflict was defused by the rest of the coalition members. Sun Jian then quickly fled from Luoyang with his men. In anger, Yuan Shao sent a letter to Liu Biao of Jing Province, asking Liu Biao to intercept Sun on the way and take him into custody. This gave rise to
2688-479: The Prince of Chenliu on the throne. The prince became historically known as Emperor Xian. Dong appointed himself as Chancellor of State , an official post abolished almost 200 years before. On March 26 in the same year, Dong had Liu Bian (the former Emperor Shao) and Empress Dowager He killed. Since then, Dong Zhuo had established a strong influence in the imperial court. He was authoritarian and showed no regard for
2784-418: The absolute monarchy as he made the final decisions on policies without consulting or seeking approval from the emperor. He eliminated several of his opponents in the imperial court to further strengthen his grip over the apparatus of state. Yuan Shao fled from Luoyang after openly disagreeing with Dong Zhuo's decision to depose Emperor Shao. Dong Zhuo feared that Yuan Shao might rise in revolt against him as Yuan
2880-568: The alliance and retreated north. Seeing everyone had dispersed, Yuan Shao dismantled the camps and led his army back to his base. Liu Bian Liu Bian (176 – 6 March 190), also known as Emperor Shao of Han and the Prince of Hongnong , was the 13th emperor of the Eastern Han dynasty in China. He became emperor around the age of 13 upon the death of his father, Emperor Ling , and ruled briefly from 15 May to 28 September 189 before he
2976-561: The appointment of Grand Commandant. However, Yuan Shao rejected the appointment because Grand Commandant ranked below General-in-Chief, the position held by Cao Cao. As a result, Cao Cao gave up his position and offered it to Yuan Shao, who readily accepted it. Yuan Shao was also enfeoffed as the Marquis of Ye. In 198, Yuan Shao advanced against Gongsun Zan and encircled his remaining force at Yijing (present-day Xiong County , Hebei). By early 199, Yuan Shao had completely defeated Gongsun Zan at
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3072-485: The bureaucracy so that the partisans may escape. After he entered the civil service, Yuan Shao initially served as an aide to General-in-Chief He Jin , who deeply trusted him. After the death of Emperor Ling in May 189, He Jin and Yuan Shao plotted to eliminate the eunuch faction , but Empress Dowager He was against their idea. He Jin then summoned Dong Zhuo to lead troops into the imperial capital, Luoyang , to pressure
3168-526: The call and they formed the Anti-Dong Zhuo Coalition (反董卓聯合軍). The novel has a slightly different list of participants in the coalition: With eighteen warlords participating in the novel, the campaign is thus popularly known as "The eighteen warlords' campaign against Dong Zhuo" (十八路諸侯討董卓). In this campaign, Liu Bei, with his sworn brothers Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, offered their service to Gongsun Zan, Liu's friend and former classmate. After
3264-409: The campaign under the banners of Yuan Shu and Zhang Miao respectively. The participants of the campaign included: The coalition forces encamped in several locations east of the capital city of Luoyang, effectively surrounding it. The locations of the coalition members in relation to Luoyang are as follows: The blockade had the effect of cutting supplies from the eastern part of the Han empire from
3360-462: The capital city to aid He in eliminating the eunuch faction, the Ten Attendants , from the imperial court. However, before Dong Zhuo's arrival, He Jin's plan was revealed and he was assassinated by the eunuchs on 22 September 189. He Jin's associates led by Yuan Shao stormed the palace after the assassination and started massacring eunuchs . The young Emperor Shao and his younger brother,
3456-443: The capital of Luoyang be evacuated immediately and the imperial court be shifted to Chang'an in the west. All civilians were to evacuate Luoyang as well and move to Chang'an, with only Dong and his military staying behind to defend Luoyang from the coalition forces. Dong Zhuo's proposal was met with strong criticisms from other court officials but Dong silenced them by deposing anyone who opposed him. On 9 April 190, Dong's proposal
3552-643: The capital of Ji Province. In order to curtail Yuan Shu's sphere of influence, Yuan Shao formed an alliance with Cao Cao and Zhang Miao, and named his follower, Zhou Yu ( 周喁 ) as the Inspector of Yu Province , a title to which Sun Jian had already been entitled, and sent him to attack Sun Jian's territories in Yu Province while the latter was on his way back from Luoyang. In response, Yuan Shu allied with Gongsun Zan and Tao Qian , and ordered Sun Jian to fight his half-brother. Although Zhou Yu managed to defeat
3648-557: The capital, which drastically reduced the government's tax revenue. In response, Dong Zhuo melted nine of the Twelve Metal Colossi and other treasures to gather bronze that he could use to mint more coinage. These new coins flooded the market and caused rampant inflation throughout the empire. Despite the impressive showing of force, most of the coalition's armies were hurriedly rallied family retainers and opportunists for loot with little battle experience. The leader of
3744-591: The coalition Yuan Shao himself had not seen action in much of the 180s since he had been in six years mourning for first his mother and then his adoptive father, during which he could not participate in military matters. This is contrasted with Dong Zhuo's battle-hardened frontiersmen, who had previously fought in the Liang Province Rebellion . Dong Zhuo was alarmed by the formation of the Guandong Coalition against him. He proposed that
3840-529: The command of Dong Zhuo , one of the warlords initially summoned by He Jin to put pressure on Empress Dowager He. When Dong Zhuo met them, Emperor Shao was so shocked that he could not express his thoughts clearly. In contrast, Liu Xie had no difficulty in describing what happened and, in Dong Zhuo's impression, behaved more like an emperor than Emperor Shao. Dong Zhuo thus conceived the idea of deposing Emperor Shao and replacing him with Liu Xie. After escorting
3936-489: The conflict between Sun Jian and Liu Biao, which eventually culminated in the death of Sun at the Battle of Xiangyang . The next day, Cao Cao returned to the main camp from his defeat in Xingyang. He lamented at the lack of motivation within the coalition and left as well. Gongsun Zan told Liu Bei, "Yuan Shao is an incapable leader, and together there will be strife, we should leave", and so they also pulled their forces from
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4032-484: The counties to block any attack from the east of the mountains. After these arrangements, Dong Zhuo led his own troops away to Chang'an. Having repaired the imperial tombs, Sun Jian led his army back to Luyang as the ruined Luoyang was vulnerable to possible counterattacks by Dong Zhuo. The former capital of Luoyang was now abandoned by both contending forces. Despite Sun Jian's successes, the coalition did not build upon them due to poor communication and coordination among
4128-585: The emperor and prince back to Luoyang, Dong Zhuo took advantage of the power vacuum created by the conflict between He Jin and the eunuch faction to seize control of the central government and imperial court. Many officials and the imperial troops stationed in Luoyang felt intimidated by the elite, battle-tested soldiers whom Dong Zhuo brought along with him from Liang Province . Dong Zhuo eventually had Emperor Shao deposed and replaced with Liu Xie, who became historically known as Emperor Xian . The former Emperor Shao
4224-402: The empress dowager. The eunuchs became fearful and they forged an edict in the empress dowager's name, summoning He Jin into the inner palace. Yuan Shao cautioned He Jin, reminding him that he should order an attack on the eunuchs instead of entering the palace. After He Jin refused to accept his advice thrice, Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu led 200 elite troops to wait outside. On 22 September 189, inside
4320-407: The evacuation, Luoyang was set on fire and razed to the ground. According to Chen Shou 's Records of Three Kingdoms "the numbers of the innocent dead were beyond measurement." In Suanzao (酸棗), Cao Cao led his men westward to attack Dong Zhuo's forces. He was followed by a contingent from Zhang Miao 's army led by Wei Zi (衛茲). Cao Cao's army was defeated by Dong's forces, led by Xu Rong , in
4416-463: The exceptions." Dong's loyalists were outraged by Wang's remarks and waged war. However, they were defeated by Lü Bu and the imperial forces. Eventually, Dong Zhuo's remnant forces managed to outwit Lü Bu by distracting him and they seized control of Chang'an. Wang Yun was killed. The power of the Eastern Han dynasty fell into the hands of Dong Zhuo's remnants after that and gradually evolved into
4512-405: The execution of all members of the Yuan clan in Luoyang; he then sent out emissaries with imperial edicts ordering the regional officials to disband. However, members of the coalition listened to Yuan Shao, and had all the emissaries executed instead (except Han Rong). Dong Zhuo then sent Hu Zhen , Lü Bu and Hua Xiong to deter the coalition vanguard led by Sun Jian . Despite initial success, Sun
4608-501: The faulty logic that if Yuan Shao were to do so, he would have to yield to Emperor Xian on key decisions. Yuan Shao, valuing his autonomy, listened to Guo Tu and Chunyu Qiong and let the opportunity pass by. In contrast, his would-be rival, Cao Cao used the opportunity to welcome Emperor Xian to his base in Xuchang , where the new imperial capital was established. In 196, the Han imperial court, under Cao Cao's control, awarded Yuan Shao
4704-497: The first move in the struggle between the two Yuans, marked the beginning of a new stage in the confusion of wars which brought about the end of the Han dynasty. This internecine struggle confirmed the undoing of the alliance against Dong Zhuo as the warlords of the North China Plain started to battle each other for the ultimate dominion of China. In order to focus on the conflicts with Gongsun Zan, Yuan Shao entered into
4800-550: The food supply to be delivered. Fearing Sun Jian, Dong Zhuo sent his subordinate Li Jue as an emissary to seek peace and cement an alliance. Li Jue also promised Sun Jian appointments in the government service for his sons. To this, Sun replied, "Dong Zhuo opposes Heaven and defies the law. Until I have killed you and all your clan, and shown your heads to the Four Seas , I shall not be able to die in peace. How can I ally with you?" Sun Jian then led his forces to Dagu Pass (大谷關),
4896-546: The forces of Sun Jian in the Battle of Yangcheng , he lost to Sun Jian in the following battles. The first battles between the brothers ended in Yuan Shu's favour: he had engaged and defeated Yuan Shao's forces in both Yangcheng and Jiujiang, restored the position in Yingchuan Commandery under Sun Jian, and eliminated Zhou Yu as a threat once and for all although Jiujiang was not yet conquered. For Yuan Shao, on
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#17327661463654992-787: The forward base of Liyang north of the Yellow River. At the time, Yuan Shao's main veteran army boasted of numbers over 100,000, supplemented with hundreds of thousands of less skilled militia units. Heavily outnumbering Cao Cao and holding large cavalry force, Yuan Shao's initial attacks almost overwhelmed his enemy's positions. It is recorded in the Records of the Three Kingdoms that Cao Cao on several occasions considered relinquishing his position, and consulted his chief strategist, Xun Yu on that decision, which Xun strongly opposed and further encouraged Cao to hold on. Following an unexpected defection of one of Yuan Shao's strategists and personal friends, Xu You , Cao Cao received confidential information on
5088-460: The hundred odd li from Yangren to Luyang in the night to see Yuan, whereupon he said to the latter, "I put myself in danger during battle, with a primary purpose to eliminate a traitor (Dong Zhuo) for the country and second to avenge the deaths of your kinsmen (Yuan Shu's uncle was killed by Dong Zhuo). I have no personal grudge against Dong Zhuo. Yet you believed slanderous talks and suspect me!" The words put Yuan to shame and he immediately ordered
5184-426: The leaders. The warlords in the east were unaware that Emperor Xian was still alive as they were isolated by the passes separating Luoyang from the east. Yuan Shao and Han Fu proposed to enthrone Liu Yu , the Inspector of You Province (幽州) and a member of the imperial clan, as the new emperor. Cao Cao and Yuan Shu disagreed with the proposal. When Yuan Shao and Han Fu sent a messenger to Liu Yu to inform him, Liu rebuked
5280-513: The legitimacy of the government he controlled in Luoyang. Within a month after the campaign started, Dong Zhuo sent his adviser Li Ru to force the prince to commit suicide by drinking poisoned wine. The prince was allowed to bid his wife, Consort Tang, and other concubines farewell before succumbing to his fate. However, in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms , the former emperor writes a poem that upsets Dong Zhuo who then sends Li Ru to kill him. He
5376-492: The letters and responded to the call to remove Dong Zhuo from power. In February 190, the Guandong Coalition (關東聯軍, literally: Coalition East of the Pass) was formed after several regional officials and warlords gathered east of Hangu Pass with their armies in response to the call for a punitive war against Dong Zhuo. Yuan Shao was elected to be the leader of the coalition. The forces of Sun Jian and Cao Cao also participated in
5472-454: The massacre, while the young Emperor Shao and Prince of Chenliu (future Emperor Xian ) escaped during the chaos. The resulting power vacuum provided Dong Zhuo, who found and rescued the emperor and prince, with an opportunity to seize control of the imperial capital when he arrived. Dong Zhuo then discussed with Yuan Shao about his plan to depose Emperor Shao and replace him with the Prince of Chenliu, but Yuan Shao disagreed. Relations between
5568-465: The messenger sternly and refused the offer flatly. Liu expressed his loyalty to the current Emperor Xian and threatened to head north into Xiongnu territory if Yuan Shao insisted that he become the new emperor. After repeated failed attempts, Yuan Shao decided to give up. In addition, the warlords turned their attention from Dong Zhuo back to themselves and started to pursue their individual interests again instead of uniting against Dong Zhuo. Han Fu, who
5664-527: The negotiators detained and killed except for Han Rong. Seeing peace was impossible, Dong Zhuo rapidly surrounded Wang Kuang's encampment in Heyang Ford (河陽津) north of Luoyang and dealt a defeat so severe that Wang Kuang abandoned the coalition and fled back to his home in Taishan Commandery (泰山郡). In Luyang to the south, Sun Jian, who had joined Yuan Shu with 20,000 - 30,000 men, was given
5760-486: The novel. Luo Guanzhong also simplified some of the historical events, invented fictional battles, and changed the sequence of events. However, due to the popularity of the novel, many people hold the events detailed in the novel to be true, not knowing the true history as presented in definitive sources such as the Book of the Later Han , Records of the Three Kingdoms , or Zizhi Tongjian . This fictional account of history
5856-513: The offer. When the scene of the ruined capital coming into their eyes, the disunited leaders of the coalition realised that the Han dynasty was coming to an end, and started planning on strengthening their position, and soon returned to their respective home bases. As many volunteers from different provinces had flocked to join Yuan Shao, Bohai Commandery would be far from sufficient to supply his army. Thus, Pang Ji suggested to Yuan Shao to form
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#17327661463655952-452: The opportunity to attack Cao Cao while he was away, but Yuan Shao refused to launch an all-out offensive. Instead, he sent small detachments to harass his enemy. Yu Jin , the general appointed by Cao Cao to defend Yan Ford, defeated Yuan Shao's detachments . Shortly after Cao Cao returned to Guandu, Yuan Shao had Chen Lin draft a document condemning Cao Cao in what was essentially a declaration of war . He then marched his main army towards
6048-489: The other hand, the situation was extremely difficult: besides the failure in the south, he was also under threat from Gongsun Zan, who held Yuan Shao responsible for the death of his cousin Gongsun Yue ( 公孫越 ) in battle and formally declared war against him, rejecting all of Yuan Shao's protestations of goodwill. This led to the clash between Yuan Shao and Gongsun in the Battle of Jieqiao . The Battle of Yangcheng, being
6144-681: The others present dismissed his suggestion. Cao Cao then led his men to join Yuan Shao in Henei together with Xiahou Dun . After Cao's departure, the coalition forces stationed in Suanzao ran out of supplies and dispersed. Liu Dai seized the opportunity to kill Qiao Mao , whom he held a grudge against. At the same time, Dong Zhuo sent reputable men such as Han Rong (韓融), Yin Xiu (陰修), Humu Ban (胡毋班), Wu Xiu (吳修), and Wang Gui (王瑰) to see Yuan Shao and negotiate for an armistice . However, Yuan had all
6240-624: The outcome when he rushed back from Qing Province. Then, Lady Liu, being in control of the Yuan household after her husband's death, killed Yuan Shao's other five consorts out of jealousy and disfigured them. True to Ju Shou's previous warning, chaos ensued within Yuan Shao's forces. Cao Cao exploited the internal turmoil within the Yuan family to his advantage and completely eliminated Yuan Shao's heirs and remnants by 207. Cao Cao paid his respects at Yuan Shao's tomb after conquering Ye city in 204. He wept bitterly for his old friend in front of his followers and gave Yuan Shao's family consolatory gifts and
6336-400: The palace, He Jin was ambushed and assassinated by the eunuchs, who tossed his severed head over the wall. He Jin's angered followers set fire to the palace and charged in, slaughtering every person (except females) without facial hair; to the extreme that many young men without facial hair had to show their genitals to avoid being mistaken for eunuchs and killed. Over 2,000 people were killed in
6432-628: The rank General Who Quells Rebels (破虜將軍) and Governor of Yu Province by Yuan. Yuan made Sun the vanguard, and Sun started to train his men in Luyang. In the winter of 190, Dong Zhuo sent a force of some ten thousands to attack Luyang. At the time, Sun Jian's men were having a drinking party, but Sun did not stir upon hearing the news; instead, he calmly continued to pass his wine around while his troops gathered into formation. Seeing such discipline, Dong Zhuo's men turned around and retreated. In March 191, Sun Jian moved his camp north to Liangdong (梁東), but he
6528-503: The reign of Emperor Zhang , Yuan Shao's exact parentage was the source of some controversy, being one of the primary points of contention between himself and his half-brother, or cousin, Yuan Shu . Yuan Shao was a son of Yuan Feng ( 袁逢 ) and the eldest sibling, supposedly to the ire of Yuan Shu. Both Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu are recognised as great-grandsons of Yuan An, as recorded in Wang Shen 's Book of Wei ( 魏書 ). Yuan Shao's mother
6624-534: The same time, Yuan Tan also achieved exceptional success on expanding his territories in Qing Province, driving out Gongsun Zan's general Tian Kai in 193 and defeating Beihai chancellor Kong Rong in 196. In 195, Ju Shou suggested to Yuan Shao to welcome Emperor Xian to Ji Province so he could effectively control the Han central government and use the emperor as a figurehead to enhance his legitimacy. However, Guo Tu and Chunyu Qiong opposed this move under
6720-819: The south for a rest. Meanwhile, Yuan Shao was able to reorganise his defeated armies to settle the rebellions in his own domain, soon reestablishing order and restored the status quo ante bellum . Yuan Shao had three sons, and he favoured his third son, Yuan Shang , due to his good looks, and both Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang were his choice for succession. However, Yuan was never able to finalise his decision regarding who should succeed him before he died on 28 June 202, leaving his domain to be contested by his sons and Cao Cao. Immediately after Yuan Shao's death, Shen Pei and Pang Ji , two influential advisers, supported Yuan Shang and pushed for him to succeed Yuan Shao, despite opposition from Yuan Tan. Yuan Shao's wife, Lady Liu , supported Yuan Shang, and Yuan Tan could not do anything to change
6816-485: The streets of Chang'an. The officer guarding the corpse lit a wick on the navel and it burned for days on the fats of the corpse. After Dong Zhuo's death, several of his loyalists, such as Fan Chou , Guo Si and Li Jue , escaped as they believed that their loyalty towards Dong Zhuo would be considered as treason. Wang Yun, who had taken control of the government after Dong Zhuo's death, heard their appeal for amnesty and said, "Of all those who should be pardoned, they are
6912-471: The time of his birth, he was Emperor Ling's only son because the emperor's other sons who were born before Liu Bian died prematurely. As Emperor Ling believed that he lost his previous sons due to bad luck, he ordered Shi Zimiao ( 史子眇 ), a Taoist, to raise his newborn son; Liu Bian was given the title "Marquis Shi" ( 史侯 ). Liu Bian's mother, Lady He, became empress in 180. In 181, another of Emperor Ling's consorts, Beautiful Lady Wang ( 王美人 ), gave birth to
7008-492: The two deteriorated and Yuan Shao fled from Luoyang to Ji Province (present day southern Hebei ). At the time, Yuan Shao just got out through the city gates of Luoyang, Dong Zhuo thought about sending men after him, but Zhou Bi , Wu Qiong and He Yong secretly helped Yuan Shao by convincing Dong Zhuo to let him go. As suggested by the three men, Dong Zhuo appointed Yuan Shao as the Administrator of Bohai Commandery in
7104-413: The warlords pledged allegiance to the coalition, they insisted to have Yuan Shao as the commander-in-chief, a role which Yuan reluctantly accepted. Yuan Shao then put Yuan Shu in charge of provisions, and appointed Sun Jian as the vanguard to attack Sishui Pass. While restoring order in Luoyang, Sun Jian was alerted by his men that there is light faintly emitting from a well. He ordered to retrieve whatever
7200-457: The whereabouts of Yuan Shao's food storage. In late 200, Cao Cao and Yue Jin led a strike force to attack Yuan Shao's supply depot at Wuchao and burnt it down, inflicting severe damage on the morale of Yuan Shao's army. Two of Yuan Shao's officers, Zhang He and Gao Lan , immediately defected to Cao Cao's side once they got wind of what happened in Wuchao, and many others followed suit. Yuan Shao
7296-475: Was He Yong , whom Yuan Shao befriended after he escaped to Runan and became close with. When the second of the Disasters of Partisan Prohibitions began, He Yong often secretly entered Luoyang, where he discussed plans with Yuan Shao on how to help the "partisans". For the "partisans" who were destitute, the plans were to provide material help. For the "partisans" who were imprisoned, the plans were to work within
7392-524: Was able to capitalise on the internal conflict between Hu Zhen and Lü Bu and defeated them at Yangren. After that loss, Dong Zhuo decided to move the imperial capital to Chang'an , where his home base of Liang Province was nearby. A year later, Dong Zhuo burnt Luoyang to the ground and withdrew to the west with the mass of refugees. Although lacking a logistical base, Sun Jian and Cao Cao requested to pursue Dong Zhuo's retreating force, but Yuan Shao and other members largely disagreed with their opinion. Sun Jian
7488-473: Was also an influential figure in politics as well. Dong heeded his advisor's suggestions and proposed to the emperor to appoint Yuan as Grand Administrator of Bohai as an act of appeasement. While in Bohai, Yuan Shao was not appeased by Dong Zhuo's proposal to appoint him as Grand Administrator. He planned to start a coup d'etat to remove Dong from power by rising in revolt but he was kept in check by Han Fu ,
7584-399: Was becoming increasingly strained after Dong threw a hand-axe at him and due to his affair with one of Dong's chambermaids. On 22 May 192, Dong Zhuo was on the way to an assembly in his chariot when Li Su advanced towards him and stabbed him. Dong shouted for Lü Bu to protect him, but Lü killed him instead. Dong's relatives were executed after his death while his corpse was left exposed on
7680-488: Was commonly blamed on his indecisiveness and inability to heed the advice of his advisors. Yuan Shao was born in Ruyang County ( 汝陽縣 ), Runan Commandery , which is in present-day Shangshui County , Henan . His family had for over four generations been a prominent force in the Han civil service, having produced numerous members in high positions since the first century CE. Descended from Yuan An , who served during
7776-457: Was deposed, after which he became known as the "Prince of Hongnong". His emperor title, "Emperor Shao" (literally "young emperor"), was also used by other emperors who were in power for very short periods of time. In March 190, he was poisoned by Dong Zhuo , the warlord who deposed him and replaced him with his younger half-brother, Liu Xie (Emperor Xian) . Liu Bian was born in 176 to Liu Hong (Emperor Ling) and one of his consorts, Lady He . At
7872-467: Was frivolous and unable to command respect, so he preferred Liu Xie. However, he was also worried that if he chose Liu Xie, Empress He would turn to her half-brother, He Jin , for help. He Jin held the position of General-in-Chief ( 大將軍 ) and was a highly influential figure in the imperial court. He ultimately did not name either of his sons as crown prince. When Emperor Ling became critically ill in 189, he secretly entrusted an eight-year-old Liu Xie to
7968-479: Was given the honorary title "Prince of Hongnong". Later that year, Dong Zhuo had Empress Dowager He poisoned to death in Yong'an Palace ( 永安宮 ). In early 190, after a coalition of warlords launched a campaign against Dong Zhuo in the name of freeing Emperor Xian and the central government from his control, Dong Zhuo became worried that the warlords might restore the Prince of Hongnong to the throne and hence threaten
8064-494: Was implemented. He ordered his soldiers to massacre and loot the rich households of Luoyang and drive Luoyang's civilian population towards Chang'an. Emperor Xian, nobles, aristocrats and officials followed the civilians and Dong's troops as they made their long journey towards Chang'an. Anyone who refused to obey orders to evacuate to Chang'an was killed on the spot. Dong Zhuo also ordered Lü Bu to lead men to raid ancient tombs and burial mounts for their valuables and treasure. After
8160-438: Was in charge of cavalry, was not in good terms with Hu Zhen and quarreled with him. Sun Jian seized the opportunity to attack them, and Dong Zhuo's forces were defeated in a rout. Hua Xiong was captured by Sun and promptly executed. At this time, someone told Yuan Shu that if Sun Jian defeated Dong Zhuo and took over the capital, he would not be controllable anymore. The doubtful Yuan then ceased providing supplies to Sun. Sun rode
8256-481: Was in charge of provisions, gradually stopped supplying the coalition army. His subordinate Qu Yi rebelled against him and defeated him before defecting over to Yuan Shao. The incident alerted Yuan of his need to secure his sources of supply and he plotted to seize Han's lands. Yuan collaborated with Gongsun Zan secretly to attack Han Fu's Ji Province (冀州) and eventually Han surrendered Ji Province to Yuan. Yuan Shao sent Zhou Yu (Renming) (周喁) to attack Sun Jian, who
8352-564: Was in the well, and they found a dead woman with the Imperial Seal in a silk bag around her neck. As advised by Cheng Pu , Sun Jian kept the Seal for himself and warned his men not to reveal anything about the discovery. Unfortunately for Sun Jian, one of his soldiers went and told Yuan Shao about it, and was heavily rewarded. During a meeting on the following day, Sun Jian cited health problems as an excuse to return to Changsha, to which Yuan Shao remarked sarcastically, "I know you're ill because of
8448-516: Was not a "true son" of the Yuan family. When compared to Yuan Shu, Yuan Shao had a more serious appearance and respected men of talent regardless of their background; as such, he was welcomed by many since his childhood, including Cao Cao and Zhang Miao . During Yuan Shao's early life, he participated in saving some of the "partisans" from death or other terrible fates during the second of the Disasters of Partisan Prohibitions . One such "partisan"
8544-480: Was ordered to rendezvous with Yuan Shu, so Cao Cao led his own men to go on the pursuit alone, and was soundly defeated by Dong Zhuo's subordinate, Xu Rong . During this time, Yuan Shao and Han Fu had intended to establish the legitimacy of the coalition by declaring Liu Yu , the governor of You Province (present day northern Hebei), the new emperor to replace Emperor Xian. However, believing that it would be faithless to Emperor Xian for him to accept, Liu Yu declined
8640-430: Was originally a servant of Yuan Feng. Since Yuan Feng lacked male heirs, the birth of Yuan Shao elevated his mother to the status of a concubine. The Records of the Three Kingdoms contend that Yuan Shao was in fact an older cousin of Yuan Shu, and was adopted by the elder brother of Yuan Feng, Yuan Cheng (袁成), who also lacked male heirs. The act of adopting Yuan Shao would have infuriated Yuan Shu, because his own mother,
8736-772: Was outnumbered by Xu Rong there. With several dozen men, he broke through the encirclement. Seeing that his red scarf could easily identify him, Sun Jian gave it to a close aide Zu Mao (祖茂), whom Xu Rong's soldiers chased while Sun escaped. Zu Mao later hung the scarf onto a half-burnt pillar, and hid himself in the tall grasses nearby. The enemies surrounded the pillar and approached cautiously till they realized they had been fooled, whereupon they retreated. Gathering his scattered armies, Sun Jian went forward to camp in Yangren (陽人; believed to be near present-day Wenquan, Ruzhou , Henan ). This time, Dong Zhuo sent Hua Xiong , Hu Zhen , and Lü Bu with 5,000 men to attack Sun. However, Lü Bu, who
8832-407: Was returning from Luoyang to join Yuan Shu. In the Battle of Yangcheng , Zhou made a surprise attack on Sun's camp at Yangcheng and captured it. Yuan Shu sent Gongsun Yue (公孫越) to assist Sun Jian in fighting Zhou Yu. Gongsun Yue was killed in the battle even though it was a victory for Sun Jian. Gongsun Zan held Yuan Shao responsible for Gongsun Yue's death and declared war on Yuan Shao, which led to
8928-477: Was said in Wei Zhao 's Book of Wu (吳書) that Sun Jian found the lost Imperial Seal in a well south of Luoyang and kept it for himself. Sun Jian then sent part of his force forward to Xin'an and Mianchi to threaten Dong Zhuo's defense positions. Dong now sent Dong Yue (董越) to camp at Mianchi, Duan Wei ( 段煨 ) to camp at Huayin , and Niu Fu to camp at Anyi (安邑). His other commanders were spread out among
9024-460: Was still young, General-in-Chief He Jin and Grand Tutor Yuan Wei ( 袁隗 ) served as his regents . In the summer of 189, after learning that Jian Shuo wanted to assassinate him, He Jin and his supporters launched a preemptive move against the eunuch and had him arrested and executed. Months later, Yuan Shao suggested to He Jin to eliminate the eunuch faction and consolidate power. Although Empress Dowager He strongly objected to He Jin's plan,
9120-477: Was sympathetic towards the eunuchs, was killed by Wu Kuang and Dong Min ( 董旻 ). Over 2,000 people died in the attack. Emperor Shao and Liu Xie, who were taken out of the palace by the eunuchs during the chaos, were eventually found near the riverbank and saved by Lu Zhi and Min Gong ( 閔貢 ). As Lu Zhi and Min Gong were escorting the emperor and prince back to the imperial palace, they were intercepted by forces under
9216-491: Was unable to stop the trend and fled north across the Yellow River with only hundreds of loyalists. Yuan Shao's first major defeat was also a decisive one. Thereafter, he lost the advantage over Cao Cao and never regained it. In 201, Cao Cao defeated him again at the Battle of Cangting and proceeded to capture several of Yuan Shao's territories in Ji Province. After the Battle of Cangting, Cao Cao's exhausted troops returned to
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