Campaign against Yuan Shu
| Campaign against Yuan Shu | |||||||
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| Part of the wars at the end of the Han dynasty | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
| Han dynasty |
Yuan Shu Shanyue |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
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Cao Cao Sun Ce Liu Bei Lü Bu Lei Bo Chen Lan Wu Jing Sun Ben |
Yuan Shu Yuan Tan Wu Jing (defected) Sun Ben (defected) Zu Lang 
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| Campaign against Yuan Shu | |||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 袁術討伐戰 | ||||||
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| Simplified Chinese | 袁术讨伐战 | ||||||
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| Transcriptions | |
|---|---|
| Standard Mandarin | |
| Hanyu Pinyin | Yuán Shù Tǎofá Zhàn |
The campaign against Yuan Shu was a punitive expedition that took place between 197 and 199 in the late Eastern Han dynasty. The campaign was initiated by the Han government against the warlord Yuan Shu, after Yuan declared himself "Son of Heaven", an act perceived as treason against Emperor Xian, the nominal Han ruler. The campaign concluded with the defeat of Yuan Shu and collapse of his self-established Zhong dynasty.
The Imperial Seal, a symbol of the Emperor's authority, was lost in Luoyang when Dong Zhuo ravaged the city. Sun Jian, a member of the coalition against Dong Zhuo found the Imperial Seal by chance in the ruins of Luoyang and kept it for himself. Sun Jian was a general under Yuan Shu at this time, so when Yuan heard that Sun had acquired the Seal, he held Sun's wife hostage and forced Sun to pass the Seal to him.
Around 196, when Sun Jian's son and successor Sun Ce was attacking territories in Jiangdong, Yuan Shu perceived his control over southern China as secure. In early 197, he hurriedly declared himself a "Son of Heaven" (i.e. Emperor), starting a new Zhong (仲) dynasty in Huainan. Yuan Shu's action was viewed as treason against the Han emperor, causing Sun Ce to break ties with him which may have given other warlords a reason to attack his regime. The imperial court, which was under Cao Cao's control then, issued edicts to Sun Ce and Lü Bu, urging them to take aggressive action against Yuan Shu.
Upon receiving news that Yuan Shu had declared himself a "Son of Heaven", Sun Ce sent letters to his uncle Wu Jing and cousin Sun Ben, who both served under Yuan Shu, as an administrator and general, respectively, asking them to sever relations with him. Both Wu Jing and Sun Ben responded to Sun Ce's call and defected to him. As a consequence, Yuan Shu lost Guangling and the territories conquered by Sun Ce in Jiangdong, dramatically reducing his influence in southern China. Meanwhile, Lü Bu defeated Yuan Shu's forces at the north of the Huai River and pillaged the area. In an effort to turn the tide, Yuan Shu sent an army to invade Chen, but was defeated by Han forces led by Cao Cao. Yuan Shu then relocated his base to south of the Huai River.
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Wikipedia