Shen Pei
Many officials intended to make Yuan Tan the successor according to seniority of the heirs, but Shen Pei and Pang Ji, two influential advisors, supported Yuan Shang and pushed for the latter to succeed Yuan Shao. When Yuan Tan rushed back from his duty elsewhere, he could not revert the situation, the only thing he could do was to proclaim himself "General of Chariots and Cavalry" (車騎將軍), his father's former title.