Portrait of Yuan Shao in a Qing Dynasty edition of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms
Names
Simplified Chinese:	袁绍
Traditional Chinese:	袁紹
Pinyin:	Yuán Shào
Wade-Giles:	Yuan Shao
Zi:	Benchu (本初)

Yuan Shao (? – 202) was a major warlord occupying the north of ancient China during the massive civil war towards the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty and the beginning of the Three Kingdoms era. He was also the elder cousin (or half-brother, depending on sources) of Yuan Shu, a warlord who controlled the Huai River region, though the two were not in good terms with each other. ImageMetadata File history File links Yuan_Shao_Portrait. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Yuan_Shao_Portrait. ... The Qing Dynasty (Manchu: daicing gurun; Chinese: 清朝; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: ching chao), sometimes known as the Manchu Dynasty, was a dynasty founded by the Manchu clan Aisin Gioro, in what is today northeast China, expanded into China proper and the surrounding territories of Inner Asia, establishing the... Romance of the Three Kingdoms (Simplified Chinese: 三国演义; Traditional Chinese: 三國演義; Pinyin: sān guó yÇŽn yì), written by Luo Guanzhong in the 14th century, is a Chinese historical novel about the turbulent period often referred to as the Three Kingdoms (220-280). ... Chinese personal names follow a number of conventions different from those of Western personal names. ... Simplified Chinese characters (Simplified Chinese: 简体字; Traditional Chinese: 簡體字; pinyin: jiǎntǐzì; also called 简化字/簡化字, jiǎnhuàzì) are one of two standard character sets of printed contemporary Chinese written language. ... Traditional Chinese characters are one of two standard character sets of printed contemporary Chinese written language. ... Hanyu Pinyin (Simplified Chinese: 汉语拼音; Traditional Chinese: 漢語拼音; Hanyu Pinyin: , lit. ... Wade-Giles, sometimes abbreviated Wade, is a Romanization (phonetic notation and transliteration) system for the Chinese language based on Mandarin. ... A Chinese style name, sometimes also known as a courtesy name, is an extra name that could be used in place of the given name. ... Events Roman law bans female gladiators Deaths Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyon (martyred) Perpetua (martyred) Felicitas (martyred) Yuan Shao, Chinese warlord Categories: 202 ... Warlord is a term that refers to one who has de facto military control of a subnational area, due to a military force which is personally obedient to that warlord. ... The Han Dynasty (Traditional Chinese characters: 漢朝, Simplified Chinese characters: 汉朝, pinyin Hàncháo 202 BC - AD 220) followed the Qin Dynasty and preceded the Three Kingdoms in China. ... The Three Kingdoms in 262, on the eve of the conquest of Shu. ... Yuan Shu (袁术; style name Gonglu 公路) (?? - 199) was a major warlord of the Later Han Dynasty who rose to prominence following the collapse of the Han court in 189. ... Huai He The Huai River (Chinese: 淮河; pinyin: ) is about mid-way between the Yellow River (Huang He) and the Yangtze River. ...

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 capital Luoyang, but failed due to internal disunity. In 200, he launched a campaign against rival warlord Cao Cao but was defeated utterly at the Battle of Guandu. He died of sickness two years later in Ye. His eventual failure despite his powerful family background and geographical advantages was commonly blamed on his indecisiveness and inability to heed the advice of his advisors. Dong Zhuo (? – 192) was a warlord during the late Eastern Han Dynasty and Three Kingdoms Period in ancient China. ... Format of naming convention in English is under discussion at Wikipedia talk:Naming conventions (Chinese). ... Luoyang (Simplified Chinese: 洛阳; Traditional Chinese: 洛陽; pinyin: ) is a prefecture-level city in western Henan province, Peoples Republic of China. ... Cao Cao (曹操; Pinyin: Cáo Cāo) (155 – 220), whose name is also often transliterated and should be correctly pronounced as Tsao Tsao, was a regional warlord and the last Chancellor of Eastern Han Dynasty who rose to great power during the last years of the Eastern Han... The Battle of Guandu (官渡之戰) was a battle in Chinese history. ... Ye was a city in ancient China. ...

Life

Early life and career

A local of the county of Ruyang (汝陽), Yuan Shao was born in the noble Yuan clan, whose members had since the 1st century been prominent in the civil bureaucracy of the Han Dynasty. Descended from the Interior Minister Yuan An, who served under Emperor Zhang, Yuan Shao's exact parentage is controversial. The Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms suggests that Yuan Shao was elder cousin to Yuan Shu, who was the son of Ministry of Agriculture Yuan Feng (袁逢), greatgrandson of Yuan An. However, according to the Book of Wei (魏書) by Wang Chen (王沈), Yuan Shao was also an offspring of Yuan Feng and an elder half-brother of Yuan Shu. He was also a childhood friend of his future nemesis, Cao Cao. Yuan (袁) is a Chinese surname, ranked 43rd in terms of population. ... The 1st century was that century which lasted from 1 AD to 100 AD. // Events 8-23: Wang Mang overthrew Han dynasty of China 28-75 Emperor Ming of Han, Buddhism reaches China Masoretes adds vowel pointings to the text of the Tanakh Buddhist monks in Sri Lanka first write... The Han Dynasty (Traditional Chinese: 漢朝; Simplified Chinese: 汉朝; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Han Chau; 206 BC–AD 220) followed the Qin Dynasty and preceded the Three Kingdoms in China. ... Portrait of Yuan An from late imperial times. ... Emperor Zhang of Han China, ch. ... The Sānguó Zhì (Chinese 三国志, or 三國誌), variously translated as Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms, Records of the Three States and Records of the Three Kingdoms, was the official and authoritative historical text on the Three Kingdoms Period compiled by Chen Shou during the Jin Dynasty (265-420). ... Yuan Shu (袁术; style name Gonglu 公路) (?? - 199) was a major warlord of the Later Han Dynasty who rose to prominence following the collapse of the Han court in 189. ...

When Yuan Shao was young, he participated in serving some of the "partisans" from death or other terrible fates during the second Disaster of Partisan Prohibitions. After he entered into government service, Yuan Shao initially served as an aide to General-in-Chief He Jin and was heavily trusted by the latter. After the death of Emperor Ling in 189, He Jin and Yuan Shao jointly plotted to execute the powerful eunuch faction but the empress dowager was against the move. He Jin then summoned Dong Zhuo to lead troops into the capital Luoyang to lay pressure on the empress dowager. Meanwhile, however, He Jin was assassinated by the eunuch faction, which was then involved in a bloody clash with Yuan Shao and other followers of He Jin. The resulting power vacuum provided an excellent opportunity for Dong Zhuo to take over control of the capital when he arrived. The Disasters of Partisan Prohibitions (黨錮之禍) refers to two incidents in which a number of Confucian scholars who served as officials in the Han imperial government and opposed to powerful eunuchs, and the university students in the capital Luoyang who supported them (collectively referred to by the eunuchs as partisans (黨人, dangren... He Jin (? – 189) was the elder half-brother of Empress He, consort to Emperor Ling of the late Eastern Han Dynasty. ... Format of naming convention in English is under discussion at Wikipedia talk:Naming conventions (Chinese). ... A eunuch is an infertile human male whose testicles have either been removed (deliberately or by accident) or are otherwise non-functional. ... Empress Dowager (Chinese, Korean and Japanese: 皇太后; Chinese pinyin Húang Tài Hòu, Korean pronunciation: Hwang Tae Hu, Japanese pronunciation: Kōtaigō) was title given to the mother of a Chinese emperor. ... Dong Zhuo (? – 192) was a warlord during the late Eastern Han Dynasty and Three Kingdoms Period in ancient China. ... Luoyang (Simplified Chinese: 洛阳; Traditional Chinese: 洛陽; pinyin: ) is a prefecture-level city in western Henan province, Peoples Republic of China. ...

Dong Zhuo then discussed with Yuan Shao about his plan to depose the young successor to Emperor Ling in favor of Emperor Xian but Yuan Shao disagreed. Relationship between the two deteriorated sharply and Yuan Shao fled the capital of Jizhou (冀州, present day southern Hebei). Fearing the many connections the influential Yuan clan had, Dong Zhuo then assigned Yuan Shao to governor of Bohai (勃海, in the vicinity of present day Cangzhou, Hebei) in a bid to appease the latter. Format of naming convention in English is under discussion at Wikipedia talk:Naming conventions (Chinese). ... Hebei (Chinese: 河北; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Ho-pei; Postal System Pinyin: Hopeh) is a northern province of the Peoples Republic of China. ... Cangzhou (Chinese: 沧州; pinyin: ) is a prefecture-level city in Hebei Province, China. ...

Coalition against Dong Zhuo

By early 190, however, Yuan Shao became openly hostile. A coalition of regional officials and commanders from the eastern provinces, including Cao Cao, Yuan Shu, Han Fu, Zhang Miao (張邈) and Bao Xin (鮑信), 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 ford on the Yellow River just north of Luoyang. Dong Zhuo then had the emperor taken to the strategically defensive Chang'an and a year later, he burned Luoyang to the ground and withdrew to the west himself. Cao Cao (曹操; Pinyin: Cáo Cāo) (155 – 220), whose name is also often transliterated and should be correctly pronounced as Tsao Tsao, was a regional warlord and the last Chancellor of Eastern Han Dynasty who rose to great power during the last years of the Eastern Han... Yuan Shu (袁术; style name Gonglu 公路) (?? - 199) was a major warlord of the Later Han Dynasty who rose to prominence following the collapse of the Han court in 189. ... Han Fu (韓馥) was a bureaucrat during the late Eastern Han Dynasty and Three Kingdoms era in ancient China. ... Bao Xin (? - 192) is a character in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, a historical novel by Luo Guanzhong. ... The Yellow River, (Chinese: 黃河; (help· info), Pinyin: Huáng Hé; Wade-Giles: Hwang-ho; literally, Yellow River), is 4,700 km long and is the second longest river in China, after the Yangtze. ... Changan â–¶(?) (Simplified Chinese: 长安; Traditional Chinese: 長安; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Chang-an) is the ancient capital of more than ten dynasties in China. ...

During this time, Yuan Shao and Han Fu had intended to boost the righteousness of the coalition by making Liu Yu (劉虞), governor of Youzhou (幽州, present day northern Hebei), the emperor. However, believing that it would be faithless to Emperor Xian for him to accept, Liu Yu declined the offer. By 191, the confrontation with Dong Zhuo had largely turned into a stalemate and the disunited leaders of the coalition soon disbanded. This article does not cite its references or sources. ...

Warlord state

In 191, Han Fu, governor of Jizhou, gave up the governorship to Yuan Shao in the face of an imminent attack by Gongsun Zan from the north. Yuan Shao then began to build a warlord state from his base city at Ye. He engaged in a general alliance with Liu Biao against his own cousin (or half-brother) Yuan Shu so as to focus on the conflicts with Gongsun Zan. In the winter of that year, Yuan Shao successfully defeated the cavalry forces of Gongsun Zan at the Battle of Jieqiao with the use of massed crossbowmen. Yuan Shao then turned southwest to eradicate the Heishan Bandits (黑山賊). With the short-term help from Lü Bu, Yuan Shao managed to defeat the bandit leader Zhang Yan (張燕) and removed the threat to his western flank. Gongsun Zan (公孫瓚 gong1 sun1 zan4), courtesy name Bogui, was a warlord of northern China active toward the end of the second century AD. He was commander of a cavalry force and served on the northern and eastern frontiers of the Han Dynasty empire fighting against various non-Chinese peoples. ... Ye was a city in ancient China. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... The Battle of Jie Bridge (Chinese: 界橋之戰, pinyin: Jièqiáo zhi zhàn) was a military engagement fought between Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan in 191, at the beginning of the civil wars in China leading up to the fall of the Han Dynasty. ... Lü Bu (153 – 198) was a military general and minor warlord during the late Eastern Han Dynasty and Three Kingdoms period in ancient China. ... Zhang Yan the bandit leader of the Black Mountains. ...

In subsequent years, Yuan Shao achieved considerable success in consolidating his domain and absorbing the smaller powers around him. In 196 his prominent position in northern China was recognized by Emperor Xian, who granted him the position of General-in-Chief and the title of Marquis of Ye, but Yuan Shao turned them down. In 198 Yuan Shao advanced against Gongsun Zan and encircled his remaining force at Yijing (易京, present day Xiongxian County, Hebei). By early 199 Gongsun Zan had been defeated for good at the decisive Battle of Yijing and Yuan Shao held absolute power over the four provinces north of the Yellow River. Despite warnings from his advisor Ju Shou (沮授) that the move could sow seeds for future trouble, Yuan Shao insisted on sending his first-born Yuan Tan away to govern Qingzhou (青州, present day eastern Shandong). Then, after establishing alliance with the Wuhuan tribes on the northern frontier, Yuan Shao eventually turned his attention to Cao Cao, who had been consolidating his power south of the Yellow River. The Yellow River, (Chinese: 黃河; (help· info), Pinyin: Huáng Hé; Wade-Giles: Hwang-ho; literally, Yellow River), is 4,700 km long and is the second longest river in China, after the Yangtze. ... Ju Shou was an officer during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. ... Yuan Tan (? – 205) was the eldest son of the warlord Yuan Shao and served as a military commander under his father during the late Eastern Han Dynasty and Three Kingdoms era in ancient China. ... Shandong (Simplified Chinese: 山东; Traditional Chinese: 山東; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Shan-tung) is a coastal province of eastern Peoples Republic of China. ... The Wuhuan (traditional Chinese: 烏桓; simplified Chinese: 乌桓; pinyin: WÅ«huán) were a nomadic people who inhabited northern China, in what is now the provinces of Hebei, Liaoning, Shanxi, the municipality of Beijing and the autonomous region of Inner Mongolia. ...

Battle of Guandu

Main article: Battle of Guandu

Both sides made preparations for a decisive battle, which was to be known as the Battle of Guandu. Towards the end of 199 skirmishes were already being fought at Liyang, a major crossing point of the Yellow River. Cao Cao prepared his defenses around Guandu (官渡, northeast of present day Zhongmou County, Henan), slightly south of the river. Heavily outnumbering Cao Cao and holding large cavalry force, Yuan Shao's initial attacks almost overwhelmed his enemy's positions. A strike at Yuan Shao's supply lines in late 200, however, brought the northern army to a collapse. As many of his generals defected, Yuan Shao fled north across the Yellow River with his sons. The Battle of Guandu (官渡之戰) was a battle in Chinese history. ... The Battle of Guandu (官渡之戰) was a battle in Chinese history. ... Liyang (溧阳, pinyin: Lì Yáng) is a county-level city of Jiangsu province, in China. ... Henan (Chinese: 河南; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Ho-nan), is a province of the Peoples Republic of China, located in the central part of the country. ...

His first major defeat was also a decisive one. Thereafter, Yuan Shao lost the initiative and never regained it. In 202, he was again defeated, this time at Cangting (倉亭, in the vicinity of present day Yanggu County, Shandong). He died shortly after. His first wife, so filled with jealousy, killed his other five consorts and disfigured their faces to prevent them from meeting him in the underworld. True to Ju Shou's previous warning, Yuan Shao's legacy was left to contention between his eldest and youngest sons, Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang (袁尚). Cao Cao was able to manipulate this internal rivalry and by 207 had defeated both. Yuan Shang the third son of Yuan Shao. ...

Cause of his defeat?

Yuan Shao's defeat to Cao Cao at Guandu is cited as an excellent example of how superior tactics and strategy can be used to defeat much larger forces. By using feints, counterattacks and strategic withdrawls, Cao Cao managed to render Yuan Shao's vastly superior manpower useless. It can be said Yuan Shao was simply outsmarted by his former friend Cao Cao. According to some sources, however, his defeat can be attributed to his failure to listen to his advisors. It is said that he lost his chance to defeat Cao Cao early on when he refused to mobilise his army, claiming his son was ill.

Some believe Yuan Shao's defeat was caused by senility. They argue that it would explain how a man who managed to become for a good period of time the dominant force in China could suddenly fail so completely. It is highly likely that it was a combination of senility, inability to listen to advice and his unfortunate luck in finding such a cunning foe that was Yuan Shao's downfall.

Modern Citations

• Yuan Shao has appeared in Koei's Dynasty Warriors and Dynasty Tactics games. In Dynasty Warriors, his forces are coloured yellow and he wields a long sword. He is notable for acting rather snobbish, often proclaiming how he is a noble and therefore superior. He is also notable for his rather panicked response upon learning of the fall of the Wuchao depot at the battle of Guandu.
• He is also mentioned in Squaresoft's 'Final Fantasy IX': There is a location named the 'Yuanshao Peninsula'.

The Logo of Shin Sangoku Musou 4 (Dynasty Warriors 5) Dynasty Warriors ( 真・三國無双:Shin Sangokumusou in Japan and 真•三国无双: Zhen Sanguo Wushuang in China; literally meaning Real Three Kingdoms Hit and Miss/Unrivalled) is a series of video games created by Koei based loosely around the Romance of the Three Kingdoms epic... Dynasty Tactics (Sangokushi Senki, 三国志戦記) is a series of light strategy games based on the Dynasty Warriors series, also based off of the hard strategy Sangokushi/Romance of the Three Kingdoms series, all from Koei. ... Final Fantasy IX (ファイナルファンタジーIX Fainaru Fantajī IX) is a computer role-playing game developed by Square Co. ...

Reference

• Chen Shou (2002). San Guo Zhi, Yue Lu Shu She. ISBN 7-80665-198-5.

See also

• Han Dynasty
• End of Han Dynasty
• Three Kingdoms
• Personages of the Three Kingdoms
• Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms
• Romance of the Three Kingdoms

The Han Dynasty (Traditional Chinese: 漢朝; Simplified Chinese: 汉朝; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Han Chau; 206 BC–AD 220) followed the Qin Dynasty and preceded the Three Kingdoms in China. ... The End of Han Dynasty (漢朝末年 or 東漢末年, the End of Eastern Han Dynasty) refers to a period roughly coinciding with the reign of Han Dynastys final emperor Emperor Xian (r. ... The Three Kingdoms in 262, on the eve of the conquest of Shu. ... The following is a list of personages significant to the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. ... The Sānguó Zhì (Chinese 三国志, or 三國誌), variously translated as Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms, Records of the Three States and Records of the Three Kingdoms, was the official and authoritative historical text on the Three Kingdoms Period compiled by Chen Shou during the Jin Dynasty (265-420). ... Romance of the Three Kingdoms (Simplified Chinese: 三国演义; Traditional Chinese: 三國演義; Pinyin: sān guó yǎn yì), written by Luo Guanzhong in the 14th century, is a Chinese historical novel about the turbulent period often referred to as the Three Kingdoms (220-280). ...

External links

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