courtesy name
A courtesy name (), also known as a style name, is a name bestowed upon one at adulthood in addition to one's given name. This practice is a tradition in the East Asian cultural sphere, including China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.Ulrich Theob ...
Xianfu, was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He was the third son and successor of the warlord
Yuan Shao
Yuan Shao (, ; died 28 June 202), courtesy name Benchu (), was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived in the late Eastern Han dynasty. He occupied the northern territories of China during the civil wars that occurred t ...
. In the 14th-century historical novel ''
Romance of the Three Kingdoms
''Romance of the Three Kingdoms'' () is a 14th-century historical novel attributed to Luo Guanzhong. It is set in the turbulent years towards the end of the Han dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period in Chinese history, starting in 184 AD ...
'', Yuan Shang was described as "strong but arrogant", and he was his father's favourite son.
Usurpation of Yuan Shao's legacy
It is documented in the '' Records of the Three Kingdoms'' and ''Dianlüè'' that Yuan Shao favoured Yuan Shang due to his good looks, and he preferred Yuan Shang to be his choice for succession. However, Yuan Shao was never able to finalise on his decision regarding who should succeed him as the Governor of Ji Province. Following Yuan Shao's death in 202, many of his followers suggested that his eldest son,
Yuan Tan
Yuan Tan (died 205), courtesy name Xiansi, was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who was the eldest son of Yuan Shao, a warlord who occupied much of northern China during the late Eastern Han dynasty. After Yuan Shao's death, Y ...
, should assume control of the Yuan family's assets, as tradition dictated, but Yuan Shang and his supporters would not yield. Apprehensive that Yuan Tan's succession would harm their future,
Shen Pei
Shen Pei (died 204), courtesy name Zhengnan, was a Chinese military general and politician serving under the warlord Yuan Shao during the late Eastern Han dynasty. Xun Yu, an official serving under Yuan Shao's rival Cao Cao, once said that Shen ...
and
Pang Ji
Pang Ji (died 202), courtesy name Yuantu, was a Chinese politician serving under the warlord Yuan Shao during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China.
Pang Ji was criticised by Cao Cao's advisor Xun Yu as "brave but heedless of other's opinions ...
, two influential advisers, supported Yuan Shang and pushed for him to succeed Yuan Shao. When Yuan Tan rushed back from his duty elsewhere, he could not revert the situation so instead he appointed himself General of Chariots and Cavalry (). The relationship between Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang greatly deteriorated due to this event.
Cao Cao, the warlord who defeated Yuan Shao at the
Battle of Guandu
The Battle of Guandu was fought between the warlords Cao Cao and Yuan Shao in 200 AD in the late Eastern Han dynasty. Cao Cao's decisive victory against Yuan Shao's numerically superior forces marked the turning point in their war. The victo ...
, resumed his offensive to the north and attacked the Yuan brothers in 202. Yuan Tan stationed his troops in Liyang (northeast of present-day
Xun County
Xun County or Xunxian () is a county in the north of Henan province, China. It is under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Hebi and located on the transition of the East China Plain and the Taihang Mountains.
Xun County has a his ...
,
Henan
Henan (; or ; ; alternatively Honan) is a landlocked province of China, in the central part of the country. Henan is often referred to as Zhongyuan or Zhongzhou (), which literally means "central plain" or "midland", although the name is al ...
) against the attack, but his request for more troops was turned down by his brother, who feared Yuan Tan would take over military control. Yuan Shang then left Shen Pei to defend Ye and personally led a force to Liyang to assist in the defences. The war dragged on for about half a year until Yuan Shang's forces suffered a major defeat outside the city gates. Apprehensive of being locked up inside the city, Yuan Shang fled under the cover of night, but was trailed to Ye, where Cao Cao took all the wheat around.
Fighting with Yuan Tan and Cao Cao
Cao Cao's adviser,
Guo Jia
Guo Jia () (170–207), courtesy name Fengxiao, was an adviser to the warlord Cao Cao during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. Throughout his 11 years of service, Guo Jia aided Cao Cao greatly with his brilliance and foresight, and his str ...
, suggested that the Yuan brothers would fight between themselves in the absence of an external enemy. Cao Cao accepted Guo Jia's counsel and withdrew his troops to attack
Liu Biao
Liu Biao () () (151 – September 208), courtesy name Jingsheng, was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived in the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He is best known for serving as the Governor of Jing Province (coveri ...
Hubei
Hubei (; ; alternately Hupeh) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, and is part of the Central China region. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Dongting Lake. The ...
and
Hunan
Hunan (, ; ) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, part of the South Central China region. Located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze watershed, it borders the province-level divisions of Hubei to the north, Jiangxi ...
). Meanwhile, Yuan Shang battled with his brother, and forced Yuan Tan to flee to Pingyuan (), where Yuan Shang laid siege. Since Yuan Shang's attack was so intense, Yuan Tan had no other way but to send out Xin Pi to seek alliance with Cao Cao. Cao Cao agreed and even arranged a marriage between one of his sons and Yuan Tan's daughter.
As Cao Cao was moving north, Yuan Shang was forced to lift the siege and returned to Ye, but en route to Ye, Yuan Shang was defeated and fled to Zhongshan. The brothers Lü Kuang () and Lü Xiang (), who served under Yuan Shang, surrendered to Cao Cao and were enfeoffed as marquises. While Cao Cao was laying siege to Ye, Yuan Tan took the opportunity to attack Yuan Shang, and forced the latter to seek refuge alongside his second brother, Yuan Xi, who at that time was the Inspector of You Province. During Yuan Shang's stay in You Province, a mutiny broke out, and the two brothers were then forced to flee to Liaoxi, where the
tribes resided.''Sanguozhi'' vol. 6. In 207, the Yuan brothers, along with the Wuhuan leader
Tadun
Tadun (died 207) was a leader of the Wuhuan tribes during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He was an ally of the warlord Yuan Shao and Yuan Shao's son and successor Yuan Shang.
Life
Tadun was a younger relative of the Wuhuan chieftain Q ...
, fought at the
Battle of White Wolf Mountain
The Battle of White Wolf Mountain was a battle fought in 207 in the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. The battle took place in northern China, beyond the frontiers of the ruling Eastern Han dynasty. It was fought between the warlord Cao Cao ...
against Cao Cao. During the battle, the unit of Tadun was surprise-attacked by Cao Cao's vanguard,
Zhang Liao
Zhang Liao () (169–222), courtesy name Wenyuan, was a Chinese military general serving under the warlord Cao Cao in the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He served briefly in the state of Cao Wei, founded by Cao Cao's successor Cao Pi, in the ...
, and the allied forces was soon defeated after the capture of Tadun.
Death
This time Yuan Shang and Yuan Xi fled to
Liaodong
The Liaodong Peninsula (also Liaotung Peninsula, ) is a peninsula in southern Liaoning province in Northeast China, and makes up the southwestern coastal half of the Liaodong region. It is located between the mouths of the Daliao River (the ...
, where they planned to take shelter under the warlord Gongsun Kang. However, they were betrayed by Gongsun Kang, who executed them and sent their heads to Cao Cao.
Zizhi Tongjian
''Zizhi Tongjian'' () is a pioneering reference work in Chinese historiography, published in 1084 AD during the Northern Song (960–1127), Northern Song dynasty in the form of a chronicle recording Chinese history from 403 BC to 959&n ...