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Yuan Shu
Late Eastern Han warlord of the Yuan clan who held the Huainan region, proclaimed himself emperor at Shouchun in 197 and died in defeat two years later
At dusk on a hilltop, a large tent stands open with a table holding a map marked with small stones inside, a saddled horse tethered outside, and fire stands burning; campfires dot the river plain below, and one tiny sentry stands on the slope.
Also known as Zi Gonglu
- Roles
- Commanders
Yuan Shu, courtesy name Gonglu, came from Runan and was the son of the minister of works Yuan Feng; the Records of the Three Kingdoms (Sanguozhi) calls him a cousin of Yuan Shao. He rose to command the palace guards, fled to Nanyang when Dong Zhuo seized the capital, and joined the eastern coalition against Dong, with Sun Jian for a time under his command. Defeated by Cao Cao in 193, he moved to the Huainan region and made Shouchun his seat. In 197 he declared himself emperor there, naming his state Zhongjia, but was soon beaten by Lu Bu and attacked by Cao Cao, and his followers scattered. In 199 he tried to go north to join Yuan Shao, found the road blocked by Liu Bei, and fell back to Jiangting with his supplies gone; a source quoted in the commentary says he asked in vain for honeyed water, sighed and died vomiting blood. Chen Shou judged that his extravagance brought about his own ruin.
Life and times
Dates Birth unknown–199 CE