During the late Eastern Han Dynasty, warlords engaged in constant warfare to seize territory. Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu, though half-brothers, turned against each other due to conflicting interests, each forming their own military alliances. Initially, Yuan Shu, Gongsun Zan, and Tao Qian belonged to the same faction. However, driven by self-interest, Yuan Shu and Tao Qian eventually became enemies, causing their alliance to collapse.
The Power Vacuum in Yanzhou
In 192 AD, the Qingzhou Yellow Turban forces planned to join forces with the Heishan Army from the Taihang Mountains, passing through Yan Province (Yanzhou). Liu Dai, the Inspector of Yan Province, intercepted the Yellow Turbans but was killed in the battle. With the support of Chen Gong and Bao Xin, Cao Cao assumed the role of Governor of Yan Province.
However, Cao Cao’s appointment was a result of local recommendation rather than an official decree from the court. The Eastern Han court, controlled by Dong Zhuo’s remnants Li Jue and Guo Si, appointed a new Inspector of Yan Province named Jin Shang. Since Yan Province was already under Cao Cao’s control, Jin Shang sought refuge with Yuan Shu. This gave Yuan Shu a pretext to contest Yan Province, ostensibly to “assist” the court-appointed Jin Shang. Additionally, Liu Biao to the south had previously killed Yuan Shu’s general Sun Jian and cut off his supply routes. Thus, Yuan Shu decided to march north against Cao Cao to open up new opportunities.
Yuan Shu’s Northern Campaign and Defeat
Yuan Shu advanced north to Fengqiu in Chenliu Commandery, deploying his general Liu Xiang to station troops at Kuangting to the northeast, threatening Cao Cao’s stronghold in Juancheng, Jiyin Commandery. Cao Cao attacked Liu Xiang at Kuangting, and when Yuan Shu sent reinforcements, he was defeated by Cao Cao. Yuan Shu fled south, retreating from Fengqiu to Xiangyi, then to Ningling, and finally to Jiujiang Commandery in Yang Province. There, he defeated the Inspector of Yang Province (either Chen Wen or Chen Yu) and shifted his expansion strategy from Jing Province to Yang Province.
Expansion into Yangzhou and Rivalry with Tao Qian
At this point, Yuan Shu began expanding into various commanderies of Yang Province, such as Danyang, Wu, and Lujiang. Meanwhile, as Yang Province bordered Xu Province, conflicts between the two neighboring warlords were inevitable. It can be said that after Yuan Shu’s move to Yang Province, his previous diplomatic strategy of “allying with distant powers while attacking nearby ones” with Tao Qian became obsolete, and their alliance became unsustainable—a consequence of geopolitical factors.
Before Yuan Shu could fully focus on attacking Tao Qian, Cao Cao took the initiative and launched two campaigns against Tao Qian. Tao Qian died of illness in 194 AD, and Xu Province fell into Liu Bei’s hands.
The Final Confrontation with Liu Bei
By 196 AD, Yuan Shu’s territory had expanded significantly, with four of Yang Province’s six commanderies under his control. See how Sun Ce conquers the Jiangdong region of Yang Province. Believing the time was ripe to attack Xu Province to the north, Yuan Shu initiated a full-scale war. Thus, when Liu Bei assumed the role of Governor of Xu Province, he also inherited the conflict with Yuan Shu.
In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, this conflict is depicted as part of Xun Yu’s “Driving the Tiger to Swallow the Wolf” stratagem, where a forged edict from Emperor Xian commanded Liu Bei to attack Yuan Shu, thereby sowing discord between Lü Bu and Liu Bei. However, historical records indicate that the war was primarily provoked by Yuan Shu’s own ambitions, differing from the novel’s narrative.
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