Yuan Tan
Chinese general and warlord (died 205)
Yuan Tan (died c. February 205), courtesy name Xiansi, was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who was the eldest son of Yuan Shao, a warlord who occupied much of northern China during the late Eastern Han dynasty. After Yuan Shao's death, Yuan Tan engaged his younger brother, Yuan Shang, in a power struggle over their father's territories. He sought help from his father's rival, Cao Cao, and defeated Yuan Shang with Cao's help. However, the alliance between Yuan Tan and Cao Cao was eventually broken and Yuan was defeated and killed in the Battle of Nanpi by Cao Cao's troops.
Pacifying Qing Province
In 193, Yuan Shao appointed Yuan Tan to the position of Inspector of Qing Province, in opposition to Gongsun Zan's officer Tian Kai. Tan left Ye to station at Pingyuan; however, when he arrived Qing Province, the Yuan forces only controlled one city within the province, and Yuan Tan's position was only a commandant. He fought Tian Kai to a truce in 193. Still, Yuan Tan managed to seize Beihai State from Kong Rong in the east in 196, and expelled Tian Kai in the north to expand his domain in the area. Yuan Tan was quite successful on his expansion, and was welcomed by the common people of the Province.
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