Yuan Shao 袁紹 (died 202), courtesy name Yuan Benchu 袁本初, was a powerful warlord during the last decades of the Later Han period 後漢 (25-220). He came from an eminent family of Runan whose members had since generations occupied highest post in the central government. During the reign of Emperor Ling 漢靈帝 (r. 167-188) he was appointed metropolitan commandant (sili xiaowei 司隷校尉). Yuan Shao conspired with general-in-chief (da jiangjun 大將軍) He Jin 何進 against the powerful eunuch clique. When their plot was discovered and He Jin was executed, Yuan Shao took action and massacred all the eunuchs in the imperial palace. The mighty general Dong Zhuo 董卓 seized the Infant Emperor (Shaodi 少帝, r. 188-189) and began dominating the central government, Yuan Shao fled to Jizhou 冀州 (approx. modern Hebei). He was, nevertheless, appointed governor 太守 of Bohai 渤海 in the far northwest. In 190 the provincial governors of eastern China formed an alliance against Dong Zhuo. Yuan Shao was selected highest commander of the rebels and assumed the title of chariot-and-horse general (cheji jiangjun 車騎將軍). Dong Zhuo was threatened by this alliance and decided to burn down the capital Luoyang 洛陽 and to transfer the court to the old capital Chang'an 長安 (modern Xi'an). Shortly after, Dong Zhuo was assassinated. The alliance of the governors broke apart. Yuan Shao, as the most powerful, occupied the provinces of Jizhou, Qingzhou (approx. modern Shandong) and Bingzhou (approx. modern Shanxi). In 199 he furthermore conquered Youzhou 幽州 (approx. modern Beijing and Liaoning) from the hands of Gongsun Zan 公孫瓚. He thus controlled the greatest part of northern China. In such a position, he felt strong enough to challenge the new strong man of the central government, Cao Cao 曹操. He took careful preparations for this campaign and was advised by competent strategists like Guo Tu 郭圖 and Shen Pei 審配. In 200, the two armies finally met at Guandu 官渡 (modern Zhongmou 中牟, Henan) for decisive battle. Yuan Shao's army was not motivated, and he did not secure his logistics tracks, so that Cao Cao was able to burn down all grain reserves of Yuan Shao. Inspite of his numerical superiority, Yuan Shao lost the battle and withdrew. He died two years later on the sickbed. Source: Zhu Zongbin 祝縂斌 (1992). "Yuan Shao 袁紹", in: Zhongguo da baike quanshu 中國大百科全書, Zhongguo lishi 中國歷史, vol. 3, p. 1462. Beijing/Shanghai: Zhongguo da baike quanshu chubanshe.