Early life Yuan Shu was from Ruyang County (),
Runan Commandery, which is in present-day
Shangshui County,
Henan. His family had for over four generations been a prominent force in the Han civil service, having produced numerous members in high positions since the first century CE. Descended from
Yuan An, who served during the reign of
Emperor Zhang, Yuan Shu was a son of the
Minister of Works Yuan Feng () and his principal wife. Yuan Shu is sometimes described to be a younger cousin of the warlord
Yuan Shao, but was actually Yuan Shao's younger half-brother. As a young man he gained a reputation for gallantry and liked to go hunting with dogs and falcons. Nominated as
Filial and Incorrupt, he later became Intendant of Henan () and then General of the Household Rapid as a Tiger ().
Campaign against Dong Zhuo (189–191) After the death of General-in-Chief
He Jin (22 September 189), Yuan Shu, as the Commander of the Imperial Tiger Guards, led his men to kill the
eunuch faction. When
Dong Zhuo seized control of the Han central government, he wanted to appoint Yuan Shu as General of the Rear, but, fearing Dong Zhuo, Yuan Shu fled to
Nanyang Commandery, which he took control over after
Sun Jian killed its grand administrator, Zhang Zi. Yuan Shu participated in the
Campaign against Dong Zhuo led by Yuan Shao. He was joined by Sun Jian, whom he appointed to Inspector of
Yu Province. Sun Jian succeeded in defeating and killing Dong's general
Hua Xiong (191), but Yuan Shu grew wary that Sun would become too successful and no longer submit to his command, and temporarily secretly cut off Sun's food supplies, thereby hindering his advance. By the time Sun Jian reached Luoyang, it had been largely destroyed by fires set by Dong Zhuo, whose forces fled westwards to Chang'an, abducting the emperor. However, his soldiers found the
Imperial Seal, which Sun Jian was compelled to give to Yuan Shu. After the dissension of the alliance against Dong Zhuo in 191, he vied with Yuan Shao over control of northern China, each establishing opposing alliances. Yuan Shu allied with Yuan Shao's northern rival
Gongsun Zan, and Yuan Shao in turn allied with Yuan Shu's southern rival
Liu Biao. Yuan Shu sent Sun Jian to attack Liu Biao, but his proxy was killed in the
Battle of Xiangyang (191). Sun Jian's nephew
Sun Ben took over Sun Jian's command and formally joined Yuan Shu, who granted him the title of Inspector of Yu Province. After this defeat and his unpopularity due to his extravagant regime in Nanyang, Yuan Shu moved his residence to
Chenliu, and extended his influence into
Yang Province in 192.
Warlord in Shouchun (193–197) In early 193, Yuan Shu suffered repeated defeats, such as the
Battle of Fengqiu, by the combined armies of
Cao Cao and Yuan Shao. He fled to
Shouchun in
Jiujiang (present day
Shou County,
Anhui) on the southern bank of the
Huai River. From his new headquarters, he built up a powerful warlord state. He deposed Inspector Chen Wen of Yang Province and took the title for himself, also claiming to be Lord of
Xu Province. citing superstition as his justification, including the
Chinese characters for his given name
Shu and
courtesy name Gonglu, and his possession of the
Imperial Seal, which was given to him by the late
Sun Jian. This audacious action made him a target of the other warlords. His extravagant lifestyle and arrogance caused many of his followers to desert him. Most devastating of the departures and defections – both to Yuan Shu personally and to the strength of his forces – was that by
Sun Ce, who had conquered most of the
Jiangdong territories under Yuan Shu's banner. Following crushing defeats by the armies of Cao Cao,
Liu Bei, and
Lü Bu, Yuan Shu attempted to flee north to join Yuan Shao. Yuan Shao sent his eldest son,
Yuan Tan, to try to aid Yuan Shu; however, an alliance between the Yuan brothers who had long hated each other would not arise, as Yuan Tan arrived too late, and Yuan Shu's forces were blocked and forced to retreat back to
Shouchun by Liu Bei. He died shortly thereafter of starvation, being unable to swallow the coarse food that his soldiers ate. His final request was for a glass of honey water, but his soldiers had none. == Family ==