Yuan Shao was from a noble family. He was the son of the former Minister of the Interior Yuan Feng and nephew of Minister Yuan Wei. Although he helped Dong Zhuo slay the palace eunuchs, he opposed the dethronement of young Bian. Consequently, he joined the coalition against Dong Zhuo and was elected to be the Commander-in-Chief. They managed to recapture the imperial capital of Luoyang, but failed to get rid of Dong Zhuo.
     When conflicting interests split up the union, he began a personal conquest of the north-east territories. Yuan Shao frequently borrowed supplies from Jizhou, a defenseless district rich in resources. Following advice from Feng Ji, he conned reinforcements from Gongsun Zan and attacked Jizhou. When Han Fu surrendered the district, Yuan Shao assumed full control and promoted many able men such as Ju Shou and Zhang He. Gongsun Zan struggled for possession of Jizhou, but he could not overpower Yuan Shao and committed suicide. Thereafter, Yuan Shao added Youzhou, Qingzhou, and Bingzhou to his domain. Many of his successes were due to Tian Feng and Ju Shou, thus causing some of other older advisors such as Guo Tu and Feng Ji to be jealous of the two.
     Cao Cao's involvement at the capital worried Yuan Shao. Once he had a good chance to destroy Cao Cao when Cao Cao was busy with many battle fronts againts Lu Bu, Liu Bei, Yuan Shu and Zhang Xiu. An attack from the rear could have overcome Cao Cao but he gave it up since his son was ill. By the time Yuan Shao decided to attack, Cao Cao had already built up his army and ready to fight. He asked his advisors to suggest a course of action, but they could not agree on a plan. Although Tian Feng and Ju Shou gave a clear analysis of the situation, he ignored them and followed a more glorious scheme proposed by Shen Pei and Guo Tu. Then, with his entire army dispatched at Guandu, he met disaster at every turn. Later, he was betrayed by Xu You and lost his supplies at Wuchao. Everything thus far gained in his quest was lost in this one crucial battle.
     Yuan Shao was never able to cooperate with his half brother, Yuan Shu, they were always at odds. He was ignorant of virtue and easily swayed by the promise of glory. Indecisiveness was his main weaknesses. His selfish greed led to his early demise.