styled Benchu, he was the son of Yuan
Feng, Minister of Interior. Advised He Jin to kill the eunuchs in court, until He Jin was killed in a ploy by Duan
Gui. Yuan Shu's half
brother Yuan Shu tried to defeat Duan
Gui with his 200 Huben troops, but failed. Yuan Shao chsed the fleeing Duan
Gui (who had captured the
King of Chen Liu. Benchu had all of the eunuchs executed and chased Duan
Gui, eventually causing
Gui to kill himself. Cao Cao appointed Yuan Shao the commander of the anti Dong Zhuo alliance, and eventually, the alliance disbanded after Zhuo's
death.Eventually, Shao defeated Gongsun Zan at the battle of Yi
Jing and took command of some of Zan's troops, and He Bei. Cao Cao led a campaign against Yuan Shao to gain control of He Bei, where his guest general Guan Yu routed Yan Laing's forces (killing Liang) and Xu Huang routed Wen Chou's (killing Chou). They met at the battle of Guan Du, where Shao had Lord Cao in a tight position, but with Cao's catapults, he managed to hold off Shao. Then Cao crossed the river and burned Yuan Shao's supplies at Wu Chao. Eventually, Yuan Shao had his strategist Tian Feng executed, and Liu Bei (his guest general) left his service. Shao eventually died of illness in 202AD
