Shen Pei
Outmatched by Cao Cao in numbers, Yuan Tan found it difficult to hold his position in Liyang and sent for help. In response, Yuan Shang left Shen Pei to guard Ye while he brought his army in person to reinforce Liyang. The two sides fought west and south outside Liyang, where remains of the defenses used in the battle could still be seen during the Tang dynasty. In April 203, the Yuan brothers came out of their fortification, but Cao Cao overran them and forced them back behind the walls of Liyang proper. Before Cao Cao could lay siege to Liyang, though, the brothers withdrew at night to Ye, seventy kilometers to the north.