In the chaotic aftermath of Yuan Shao’s death in 202 CE, his sons Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang turned from heirs into enemies, igniting a civil war that would seal the fate of northern China.
Even as Cao Cao consolidated control over northern China in 204 CE, Yuan Tan, the eldest son of Yuan Shao, remained fixated not on survival – but on destroying his younger brother, Yuan Shang.
From September 202 to April 204 CE, the power struggle between Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang – sons of the late warlord Yuan Shao – unfolded as a tragic drama of mistrust, betrayal, and self-destruction.