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.
In early 204 CE, Cao Cao launched his decisive campaign to capture Ye City (Yecheng), the capital of Jizhou (Ji Province) and the last stronghold of the Yuan clan. As chronicled in Romance of the Three Kingdoms (Chapters 33–34) and corroborated by historical sources like the Records of the Three Kingdoms, this siege marked…