Yuan Shao (died June 28, 202) was a warlord during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. He occupied the northern territories of China during the civil war that occurred towards the end of the Han Dynasty and the beginning of the Three Kingdoms era. He was also the older half-brother of Yuan Shu, a warlord who controlled the Huai River region, though the two were not on good terms with each other.
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 his rival Cao Cao but was defeated at the Battle of Guandu. He died of illness 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.
Read more about Yuan Shao: Cause of Yuan Shao's Downfall, Family, Modern References
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... Yu's biography in Records of the Three Kingdoms mentioned that Yuan Shao ordered Yan Liang to besiege Cao Cao's general Liu Yan (劉延) at Boma ... Yuan Shao's other generals were unable to resist the assault and the siege on Boma was thus lifted ... Yuan Shao's biography in Records of the Three Kingdoms mentioned that after Yan Liang's death, Yuan Shao's army crossed the Yellow River to the south of Yan ...
... The Battle of Yangcheng was a battle fought between the warlords Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu as the coalition against Dong Zhuo fell apart in 191 in the late ... Sun Jian, Yuan Shu's nominal subordinate returning from his triumphant capture of the abandoned capital of Luoyang, became involved in Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu's personal feud ... Yuan Shao's forces, under Zhou Yu, first got an upper hand against Sun Jian's forces, but was beaten back by Sun's counterattack ...
... The first battles between Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu ended in the latter's favour he had engaged and defeated Yuan Shao's forces in both Yangcheng and Jiujiang, restored the ... For Yuan Shao, on the other hand, the situation was extremely difficult besides the failure in the south, he was also under threat from Gongsun Zan, who held Yuan Shao responsible ... This led to the clash between Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan in the Battle of Jieqiao ...
... Unfortunately for Sun Jian, one of his soldiers went and told Yuan Shao about it, and was heavily rewarded ... Sun cited health problems as an excuse to return to Changsha, to which Yuan remarked sarcastically, "I know you're ill because of the Imperial Seal", causing Sun ... In anger, Yuan Shao sent a letter to Liu Biao of Jing Province, asking Liu to intercept Sun on the way and take him into custody ...
... Yuan Shao is featured as a playable character in Koei's Dynasty Warriors and Warriors Orochi video game series ...