In the turbulent years of Later Han, northern China witnessed the dramatic rise and fall of the Yuan clan – once masters of four provinces under Yuan Shao, now torn apart by fratricidal strife after his death.
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.