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 victory was also the point at which Cao Cao became the dominant power in northern China,leading to the establishment of the state of Cao Wei in the Three Kingdoms period.
Zhang He,courtesy name Junyi,was a military general serving under the warlord Cao Cao in the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He continued serving in the state of Cao Wei under its first two rulers,Cao Pi and Cao Rui,during the Three Kingdoms period until his death.
Yuan Shao,courtesy name Benchu (本初),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 towards the end of the Han dynasty. He was also an elder half-brother of Yuan Shu,a warlord who controlled the Huai River region,though the two were not on good terms with each other.
Chunyu Qiong,courtesy name Zhongjian,was a military officer serving under the warlord Yuan Shao during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He played a significant part in the Battle of Guandu in 200.
Zhang Xiu was a military general and minor warlord who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. In 197,he clashed with the warlord Cao Cao,who was then the de facto head of the Han central government,at the Battle of Wancheng and subsequent skirmishes. However,in 200,he heeded the suggestion from his adviser Jia Xu and surrendered to Cao Cao,who accepted his surrender and appointed him as a general. Having fought on Cao Cao's side at the decisive Battle of Guandu against a rival warlord Yuan Shao and in the subsequent campaigns against Yuan Shao's heirs,Zhang Xiu made great contributions during his service under Cao Cao. In 207,he died en route to joining Cao Cao on a campaign against the Wuhuan tribes. The Han imperial court honoured with the posthumous title "Marquis Ding".
Xun You,courtesy name Gongda,was a statesman who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China and served as an adviser to the warlord Cao Cao. Born in the influential Xun family of Yingchuan Commandery,Xun You was recruited into the civil service by the general He Jin. When the warlord Dong Zhuo hijacked and controlled the Han central government between 189 and 192,Xun You plotted with four others to assassinate him but was discovered and imprisoned. Following his release after Dong Zhuo's death,he wanted to serve as the Administrator of Shu Commandery but eventually settled as an official in Jing Province.
Jia Xu,courtesy name Wenhe,was an official of the state of Cao Wei during the early Three Kingdoms period of China. He started his career in the late Eastern Han dynasty as a minor official. In 189,when the warlord Dong Zhuo took control of the Han central government,he assigned Jia Xu to the unit led by Niu Fu,his son-in-law. In May 192,after Dong Zhuo was assassinated by LüBu,Jia Xu advised Li Jue,Guo Si and Dong Zhuo's loyalists to fight back and seize control of the imperial capital,Chang'an,from a new central government headed by LüBu and Wang Yun. After Li Jue and the others defeated LüBu and occupied Chang'an,Jia Xu served under the central government led by them. During this time,he ensured the safety of the figurehead Han emperor,Emperor Xian,who was being held hostage by Li Jue. He also attempted to prevent internal conflict between Li Jue and Guo Si,but with limited success. After Emperor Xian escaped from Chang'an,Jia Xu left Li Jue and briefly joined the general Duan Wei before becoming a strategist of the warlord Zhang Xiu. While serving under Zhang Xiu,he advised his lord on how to counter invasions by the warlord Cao Cao,who had received Emperor Xian in 196 and taken control of the central government. In 200,during the Battle of Guandu between Cao Cao and his rival Yuan Shao,Jia Xu urged Zhang Xiu to reject Yuan Shao's offer to form an alliance and instead surrender to Cao Cao. Zhang Xiu heeded his advice. Jia Xu then became one of Cao Cao's strategists.
Tian Feng,courtesy name Yuanhao,was a Chinese politician serving under the warlord Yuan Shao during the late Eastern Han dynasty.
Ju Shou was an adviser serving under the warlord Yuan Shao during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China.
Liu Dai,courtesy name Gongshan,was a Chinese politician who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China.
Guo Tu,courtesy name Gongze,was an official and adviser serving under the warlords Yuan Shao and Yuan Tan during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China.
Pang Ji,courtesy name Yuantu,was a Chinese politician serving under the warlord Yuan Shao during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China.
Dong Zhao,courtesy name Gongren,was an official of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He previously served under the warlords Yuan Shao,Zhang Yang and Cao Cao consecutively during the late Eastern Han dynasty.
Yuan Shang,courtesy name 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. In the 14th-century historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms,Yuan Shang was described as "strong but arrogant",and he was his father's favourite son.
Xun Chen,courtesy name Youruo,was an official who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. Born in the influential Xun family of Yingchuan Commandery,he was the fourth brother of Xun Yu and a second cousins once removed of Xun You. He initially served as an adviser to the warlord Han Fu and later to another warlord,Yuan Shao.
Shen Pei,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 Pei was "strong of will but without tact".
Chen Lin,courtesy name Kongzhang (孔璋),was an official,scholar and poet who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He was one of the "Seven Scholars of Jian'an". He later served as Military Advisor to Cao Cao.
Zhu Ling,courtesy name Wenbo,was a Chinese military general of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He previously served under the warlords Yuan Shao and then Cao Cao during the late Eastern Han dynasty.
Xin Ping,courtesy name Zhongzhi,was a Chinese official who served under the warlords Han Fu,Yuan Shao and Yuan Tan during the late Eastern Han dynasty.
The Battle of Liyang,fought between October 202 and June 203 in the late Eastern Han Dynasty,was an invasion attempt by the warlord Cao Cao against the brothers Yuan Shang and Yuan Tan,the sons of Cao's rival Yuan Shao. The battle in October 202 was the first between the two factions since the death of Yuan Shao four months earlier. Although it ended in Cao Cao's withdrawal,events in this battle brought tensions between the Yuan brothers to the surface as Yuan Tan mutinied against his younger brother Yuan Shang after Cao Cao's temporary exit from the scene.
