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Yuan Tan, courtesy name Xiansi, was a native of Ruyang County, Runan. He was a political figure in the late Han Dynasty and the eldest son of General Yuan Shao.

Yuan Tan followed his father in battle in his early years. During Yuan Shao's pacification of Hebei, he made many military achievements, drove Tian Kai to the north, attacked Kong Rong to the east, and served as the governor of Qingzhou.

After Yuan Shao's death, Feng Ji and others falsely claimed that Yuan Shao had left a will, appointing his youngest son, Yuan Shang, as his heir. This angered Yuan Tan. Yuan Tan proclaimed himself General of Chariots and Cavalry and waged a war against Yuan Shang for the right of succession. After being defeated, Yuan Tan married into the Cao family, attempting to use Cao Cao's power to defeat Yuan Shang.

When Cao Cao besieged Ye City, Yuan Tan captured four commanderies in Ji Province and defeated Yuan Shang in Zhongshan, taking his followers into his fold. Cao Cao wrote a letter rebuking Yuan Tan for breaking their agreement, and the two severed ties.

Yuan Tan retreated to Nanpi, preparing to continue his resistance against Cao Cao. In 205 AD, Cao Cao captured Nanpi, and Yuan Tan was killed by pursuing troops during his escape.

In 196 AD (the first year of Jian'an), Yuan Shao adopted Yuan Tan as the stepson of his deceased brother Yuan Ji, and appointed Yuan Tan as the governor of Qingzhou. Later, Cao Cao appointed him as the governor.

When Yuan Tan arrived in Qingzhou, he only controlled Pingyuan. So he attacked Tian Kai in the north, attacked Kong Rong in the east, and amassed troops along the coast, eventually occupying the entire Qingzhou. He then held the territory. The people were delighted, but later, due to his poor personnel management, widespread looting, and unfair rewards and punishments, he lost the support of the people.

In the fourth year of Jian'an (199 AD), he wanted to welcome Yuan Shu, but was thwarted by Liu Bei.

In 200 AD, Liu Bei was defeated and was taken in by Yuan Tan, who then led Yuan Shao to victory. In the same year, Yuan Tan accompanied Yuan Shao in the Battle of Guandu.

Cao Cao set fire to Wuchao, and Yuan Shao sent Gao Lan and Zhang He to attack Cao Cao's camp, but they failed to capture it. Upon hearing of Chunyu Qiong's defeat, the two generals defected to Cao Cao.

At this point, Yuan Shao's army was thrown into chaos and suffered a complete defeat. Yuan Shao, Yuan Tan, and others, wearing headscarves and riding horses, crossed the Yellow River with eight hundred cavalrymen and reached Liyang on the north bank, entering the camp of their general Jiang Yiqu.

In 202 AD, Yuan Shao died in grief and indignation. Previously, Yuan Shao had intended to make Yuan Shang his heir due to his handsome appearance and the favor he showed to his second wife, Lady Liu, but had not formally declared his intention.
Everyone believed that Yuan Tan, as the eldest son, should be the heir. However, the faction of Feng Ji and Shen Pei was at odds with the faction of Xin Ping, Guo Tu, and Yuan Tan. Fearing that Xin Ping and others would harm them after Yuan Tan ascended the throne, Shen Pei and others falsely claimed that Yuan Shao had sent an order to support Yuan Shang as the heir.

Unable to succeed to the throne, Yuan Tan proclaimed himself General of Chariots and Cavalry and stationed his troops at Liyang. Yuan Shang gave him very few troops and sent Feng Ji to accompany him.

Yuan Tan requested reinforcements, but Shen Pei and others refused. Enraged, Yuan Tan killed Feng Ji, and the two brothers gradually developed a rift.

In the same year, Cao Cao crossed the Yellow River to attack Yuan Tan. Yuan Tan appealed to Yuan Shang for help. Fearing that Yuan Tan would not return the soldiers after receiving them, Yuan Shang left Shen Pei to guard Ye County and led his troops to aid Yuan Tan, where they confronted Cao Cao at Liyang.

In 203 AD, Cao Cao attacked Liyang and defeated Yuan Shang and Yuan Tan, who retreated to Ye City. Cao Cao then attacked Ye and harvested its wheat fields. At this time, Cao Cao followed Guo Jia's advice and withdrew his troops to wait for the two to fight each other.

After the battle, Yuan Tan said to Yuan Shang, "Our armor is not good, which is why we were defeated by Cao Cao last time. Now that Cao Cao is retreating, everyone is thinking about going home. We should take advantage of the fact that they have not yet reached the river and launch a surprise attack to completely defeat Cao Cao's army. This plan should not be lost."

Yuan Shang, out of suspicion, did not agree, neither sending more troops to Yuan Tan nor changing his armor. Yuan Tan was furious, and Guo Tu and Xin Ping took this opportunity to tell Yuan Tan, "The one who wanted your father to adopt you as his brother's heir was Shen Pei's scheme to frame you."

Yuan Tan thought this made sense, so he led his troops to attack Yuan Shang. The two sides fought at the outer city gate, and Yuan Tan was defeated. He then led his troops back to Nanpi.

Wang Xiu, the Prefectural Governor, led officials and commoners from Qingzhou to aid Yuan Tan. Yuan Tan, wanting to return and attack Yuan Shang again, asked Wang Xiu, "What ideas do you have?"

Wang Xiu said, “Brothers are like your left and right hands. If someone were to break their right hand in preparation for a fight, saying, ‘I will surely defeat you,’ would that work? If you abandon brotherhood and become distant, who in the world will be close to you? Recently, some people have been sowing discord and causing strife to gain temporary benefits. I hope you will plug your ears and not listen. If you kill a few sycophantic subordinates and restore brotherhood and harmony, you can resist enemies from all sides and roam the world freely.”

Yuan Tan refused; Liu Biao also wrote to Yuan Tan to persuade him to reconcile with Yuan Shang, but Yuan Tan still did not accept.

At this time, Liu Xun, a subordinate of Yuan Tan, rebelled in Luoyin, and other counties responded. Only Guan Tong, the governor of Donglai, abandoned his wife and children and went to Nanpi to support Yuan Tan.

Subsequently, Yuan Shang launched a major offensive, and Yuan Tan was defeated and retreated to Pingyuan. Yuan Shang besieged the city, so Yuan Tan sent Xin Pi to Cao Cao for help. However, when Xin Pi met Cao Cao, he instead advised Cao Cao to take this opportunity to annex Hebei. Cao Cao then sent a large army to attack Yuan Shang, and Yuan Shang immediately retreated to rescue Ye City.

At this time, Yuan Shang's subordinates Lü Xiang and Lü Kuang betrayed him and surrendered to Cao Cao, but Yuan Tan secretly carved a general's seal in an attempt to recruit the two of them.

Cao Cao knew that Yuan Tan was not entirely loyal to him, but in order to prevent Yuan Tan from joining forces with Yuan Shang again, he arranged for his son Cao Zheng to marry Yuan Tan's daughter to appease him. Cao Cao also appointed him as the governor of Qingzhou.

In 204 AD, Yuan Shang attacked Pingyuan again. Shen Pei wrote a letter to Yuan Tan, who, upon reading it, climbed the city wall and wept. Cao Cao then sent troops to besiege Ye, relieving Yuan Tan's predicament.

During Cao Cao's siege of Ye, Yuan Tan immediately rebelled, seizing Ganling, Anping, Bohai, and Hejian. He attacked Yuan Shang at Zhongshan, who was defeated and fled to Gu'an, where he sought refuge with Yuan Xi. Yuan Tan then absorbed Yuan Shang's forces and stationed himself at Longcou.

After learning of Yuan Tan's betrayal, Cao Cao severely reprimanded him and returned Yuan Tan's daughter. In December, Cao Cao launched a campaign against Yuan Tan, setting up camp at the city gate. Yuan Tan fled overnight to Nanpi, where he stationed himself near the Qinghe River.

King Qiao of Wuhuan wanted to lead 5,000 cavalry to aid Yuan Tan, but was persuaded by Qian Zhao not to send troops.

In the first month of the tenth year of Jian'an (205 AD), Cao Cao launched an attack on Nanpi. Yuan Tan fought hard, but was eventually defeated by Cao Cao's rapid attack. Yuan Tan, with disheveled hair, desperately rode away. The Tiger and Leopard Cavalry soldiers who were chasing him thought he was no ordinary person and intensified their pursuit.

Yuan Tan fell off his horse, turned around and said, "Hey, let me pass, and I can make you rich and powerful."

Before he could finish speaking, his head had already fallen to the ground. At this moment, Cao Cao killed Guo Tu and others, and also killed their wives and children.

During the late Eastern Han Dynasty, Yuan Tan made numerous military achievements during Yuan Shao's pacification of Hebei. Yuan Shao appointed Yuan Tan as the governor of Qingzhou, and later Cao Cao appointed him as the governor of Qingzhou.

When Yuan Tan arrived in Qingzhou, the only territory he controlled was Pingyuan. Therefore, Yuan Tan drove north to expel Tian Kai, the governor of Qingzhou appointed by Gongsun Zan.

In the spring of Jian'an 1 (196 AD), Yuan Tan launched an eastern attack on Kong Rong, and the battle lasted until summer, resulting in a great victory for him. From this perspective, Yuan Tan's abilities were quite outstanding.

In 199 AD, under Cao Cao's fierce attack, Yuan Shu could not hold out and planned to surrender to Yuan Shao.

Yuan Tan sent men to welcome Yuan Shu, who intended to travel north from Xiapi to Qingzhou. However, Cao Cao ordered Liu Bei to intercept him at Xiapi, preventing Yuan Shu from passing through. He was forced to retreat to Shouchun. Ultimately, Yuan Shu's group was destroyed by Cao Cao.

In 200 AD, Liu Bei broke with Cao Cao and once again seized control of Xuzhou. After being defeated by Cao Cao, Liu Bei fled to Qingzhou.

Yuan Tan had been recommended as a talented scholar by Liu Bei, so he personally led his infantry and cavalry to welcome Liu Bei. Yuan Tan and Liu Bei went to Pingyuan together, and afterwards Yuan Tan sent someone to report the matter to Yuan Shao.

In the same year, Yuan Tan followed Yuan Shao in the Battle of Guandu. After Cao Cao launched a surprise attack on Wuchao, he won the Battle of Guandu.

So Yuan Shao, Yuan Tan, and others, wearing headscarves and riding horses, crossed the Yellow River with eight hundred cavalrymen and arrived at Liyang on the north bank, entering the camp of their general Jiang Yiqu.

In 202 AD, Yuan Shao died of illness and grief. Because Yuan Shao had not clearly identified a successor during his lifetime, fierce internal struggles naturally ensued after his death. Among them, the faction of Feng Ji and Shen Pei was at odds with the faction of Xin Ping, Guo Tu, and Yuan Tan. Fearing that Xin Ping and others would harm them after Yuan Tan ascended the throne, Shen Pei and others forged Yuan Shao's decree and supported Yuan Shang as his successor.

Therefore, Yuan Tan, as Yuan Shao's eldest son, could not succeed to the throne and could only call himself General of Chariots and Cavalry, and station his troops in Liyang. At that time, Yuan Shang gave him very few troops and sent Feng Ji to accompany him.

Yuan Tan requested reinforcements, but Shen Pei and others refused after discussion. Enraged, Yuan Tan killed Feng Ji, and the two brothers gradually developed a rift. This naturally gave Cao Cao the opportunity to defeat them one by one.

In the same year, Cao Cao crossed the Yellow River to attack Yuan Tan. Unable to resist, Yuan Tan appealed to Yuan Shang for help. Yuan Shang then left Shen Pei to guard Ye County and led his troops to aid Yuan Tan, where they confronted Cao Cao at Liyang.

In 203 AD, Cao Cao attacked Liyang and defeated Yuan Shang and Yuan Tan, who then retreated to Ye City.

Cao Cao marched to attack Ye City, but Yuan Shang held firm and could not win. So Cao Cao harvested his wheat fields, led his army back to Xudu, and sent troops to capture Yin'an.

Seeing that the brothers Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang were starting to band together for mutual support, Cao Cao used Guo Jia's strategy to lead his troops south to Jingzhou, waiting for Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang to kill each other.

It must be said that Guo Jia's strategy was indeed effective. After Cao Cao withdrew his troops, the relationship between the Yuan brothers broke down again.

Yuan Tan immediately led his troops to attack Yuan Shang, but was defeated. Yuan Tan then ordered Xin Pi to seek help from Cao Cao.

Finally, to put Yuan Tan at ease for the time being, Cao Cao arranged for his son Cao Zheng to marry Yuan Tan's daughter, and then led his army back.

Yuan Tan's decision to ally with Cao Cao was undoubtedly like inviting a wolf into the house. During the late Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period, Han Fu invited a wolf into his house, resulting in Yuan Shao seizing Ji Province.

Liu Bei invited a wolf into his house, and as a result, Lü Bu seized Xuzhou. Now, Yuan Tan has clearly not learned these lessons.

In 204 AD, Yuan Shang led his army to attack Yuan Tan. While Yuan Shang was away on campaign, Cao Cao attacked Ye City, and Yuan Shang immediately led his troops back to defend it.

During Cao Cao's attack on Ye, Yuan Tan did not help Yuan Shang. Instead, he took the opportunity to seize the counties in the north of Ji Province and then assisted Cao Cao in attacking Yuan Shang.

Unable to resist, Yuan Shang sought refuge with Yuan Xi, whose followers were then absorbed by Yuan Tan. After Yuan Shang's defeat and flight, Cao Cao wrote to Yuan Tan, rebuking him for breaking his promise, severing his marriage ties with Yuan Tan, returning his daughter, and then launching a military campaign against him.

Facing the powerful Cao Cao, Yuan Tan was naturally no match. In the first month of the tenth year of Jian'an (205 AD), Cao Cao attacked Nanpi, and Yuan Tan led his troops into battle.

After being defeated, Yuan Tan desperately tried to escape on horseback. Cao Chun's cavalry saw Yuan Tan and, realizing he was no ordinary man, intensified their pursuit.

Yuan Tan fell from his horse and was killed by Cao Cao's army. Cao Cao then killed Guo Tu and others, and also executed the wives and children of Yuan Tan, Guo Tu, and others.

The people of the late Han Dynasty had a hard time. Not only did the Yellow Turban Rebellion break out in 184, but people from all over the country who could not survive also gathered together to rob and plunder.

Poor mountains and bad waters breed unruly people. Life was even more difficult for the people of Taishan County in the west. Coupled with their fierce and unruly nature, many people rose up in rebellion and were known as the "Taishan Bandits".

Because there were too many bandits in Taishan County, the competition in the industry was too fierce, so some of them went east to Langya Kingdom in Xuzhou to make a living.

It was Zang Ba, Sun Guan, Wu Dun, and their group that made the mountainous and hilly terrain of Langya Kingdom so suitable for them to take advantage of mountain warfare.

Changxi even expanded southward to the Donghai and Pengcheng regions of Xuzhou.

This brought disaster to the people of Xuzhou. In addition, the sparks of the Yellow Turban Rebellion and the Taiping Dao (Way of Great Peace) rekindled the flames of thought. The people of Xuzhou, whose lives were not much better to begin with, also awakened, and the Yellow Turban Rebellion in Xuzhou rose up again under the banner of the Taiping Dao.

In October 188, the imperial court appointed Tao Qian, who had served as military advisor to General Zhang Wen, as the governor of Xuzhou to suppress the Yellow Turban Rebellion in Xuzhou.

Tao Qian adopted a strategy of using bandits to control bandits, appointing Zang Ba and other bandits from Mount Tai as cavalry commanders, and drove the Yellow Turbans from Xuzhou northward to Qingzhou.

Zang Ba and others were exonerated and transformed into the "Generals of Mount Tai" of the government.

Tao Qian ordered Zang Ba and others to garrison in the Kaiyang area to prevent the Taishan bandits from advancing eastward to Xuzhou.

Then the capital of Langya Kingdom was moved north to Ju County, which is now west of Rizhao City in Shandong Province, to prevent the Yellow Turban Army, who had been driven to Qingzhou, from returning to their hometown.

Time flew by and it was 194 AD. Cao Cao launched two campaigns against Xuzhou. The second campaign was from Taishan County, passing through Kaiyang, and heading south to Xuzhou. He captured several cities, including Kaiyang, which were under Zang Ba's control, and carried out a brutal massacre and destruction.

At the end of the year, Liu Bei took control of Xuzhou, moved the capital of the prefecture to Xiapi in the south, abandoned the northern part of Xuzhou, and maintained a good relationship with the generals of Mount Tai.

Because Cao Cao's hometown was attacked by Lü Bu, Zang Ba and other generals took the opportunity to recapture Kaiyang and other counties.

But this calamity wiped out their years of accumulated wealth, and the territory they controlled was left in ruins.

After enduring hardship, they survived until 196 AD. In the north, Yuan Tan defeated Tian Kai and attacked Kong Rong to take Qingzhou. Cao Cao welcomed Emperor Xian to Xuchang and, in order to appease Yuan Shao, appointed Yuan Tan as the governor of Qingzhou.

Then Lü Bu attacked Liu Bei's Xiapi city and became the new ruler of Xuzhou.

In 197, after Lü Bu decisively defeated Yuan Shu in Huainan and secured Xuzhou, he made a claim to sovereignty against Xiao Jian, the Chancellor of Langya, who was living a carefree life in Ju County in the north.

Xiao Jian was afraid of Lü Bu, so he sent five hundred horses to show his submission.

Five hundred horses were a scarce resource in that era. Even Kong Rong, the former Chancellor of Beihai in the north, had to buy horses from Liaodong, which shows that Xiao Jian was very wealthy and had stockpiled sufficient supplies in Ju County.

Unexpectedly, the desperate generals of Mount Tai, including Zang Ba, quickly launched a surprise attack on Xiao Jian's city of Ju, seizing all the money and equipment for themselves.

Zang Ba promised Lü Bu some money but failed to deliver, which angered Lü Bu. Lü Bu personally led troops to attack Ju City, but the attempt failed. (End of Chapter)