page_title: Liu Yao (warlord)
section_title: Governorship of Yang Province
hierarchical_section_title: Liu Yao (warlord) / Governorship of Yang Province
caption_attribution_description: English: Map showing the major warlords in China in the 190s, before the definitive end of the Han dynasty in 220. Dong Zhuo faction: When Emperor Ling died in 189, Dong Zhuo was appointed protector over Emperor Shao, a position he abused to control the government and install Emperor Xian. Cao Cao and Yuan Shao launched the Campaign against Dong Zhuo (190–191), forcing Dong Zhuo's faction and the captive Emperor Xian to flee from Luoyang to Chang'an. Lü Bu staged a coup and killed Dong Zhuo in 192, but was expelled by Li Jue and Guo Si. These entered into war in 195, lost the emperor to Cao Cao in 196 and were eliminated in 198. Cao Cao faction: Cao Cao began his gradual conquest of Yan Province in 191, completing it by 195 and expanding into the neighbouring provinces of Xu, Yu and Sili (completed by 199), capturing the emperor in 196 and defeating numerous minor warlords until he clashed with the powerful and wealthy but indecisive Yuan Shao. Cao Cao's victory over Yuan Shao at Guandu in 200 and successive victories made him the most powerful warlord in China, laying the foundation of the later Kingdom of Wei. By 214, he had also conquered the northwestern provinces. Sun Ce faction: Sun Ce, son of Sun Jian, served under Yuan Shu until the latter declared himself emperor in 197, and was defeated by a coalition of warlords. Sun Ce seceded from Yuan Shu, established his own territory in Jiangdong, defeated Liu Yong in 198, and was succeeded by his brother Sun Quan in 200, laying the foundation of the later Kingdom of Wu. In 215, Sun Quan and Liu Bei divided the Jing Province between them, but in 219 Sun Quan conquered the whole province. In 226, Wu ally Shi Xie died and Wu general Lü Dai conquered and annexed Jiao Province from Shi Xie's sons. Liu Bei faction: Liu Bei succeeded Tao Qian as the governor of Xu Province in 194. He was captured by Lü Bu in 195, but escaped to Cao Cao in 196; in 199 they jointly defeated and executed Lü Bu and captured Xu Province. Liu Bei then defected to Yuan Shao, but when the latter was defeated by Cao Cao in 200, he fled south and eventually allied himself with Sun Quan. In 212–214 he conquered Yi Province, laying the foundation of the later Kingdom of Shu. He tried to remain allies with Wu while attacking Wei, conquering Hanzhong in 217–219. Yuan Shao faction: In 191, Yuan Shao tricked governor Han Fu into surrendering Ji Province to him. Yuan Shao's son Yuan Tan conquered Qing Province from Kong Rong in 196. Around 199, Yuan Shao's nephew Gao Gan became governor of Bing Province. Gongsun Zan was definitively defeated by Yuan Shao in 199, giving him control of most of You Province. Cao Cao heavily defeated Yuan Shao in the 200 Battle of Guandu, and successively eliminated the entire Yuan clan and conquered their four provinces by 207. 中文（中国大陆）‎: 东汉末年的群雄军阀割据示意图，包括曹操、袁绍、刘表、孙策、公孙瓒、士燮、马腾、刘璋、刘备、吕布、袁术、公孙度、张鲁、张绣、李傕等 العربية: خريطة تظهر أمراء الحرب الرئيسيين في الصين في حوالي العام 190م، قبل نهاية سلالة هان في العام 200م.
context_page_description: Liu Yao, courtesy name Zhengli, was a provincial governor and warlord who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He was a descendant of Liu Fei, the eldest son of the Han dynasty's founding emperor, Liu Bang. When he was 18, he became famous after rescuing a relative who was being held hostage by bandits. He started his career in the Han civil service after being nominated as a xiaolian, and was known for his incorruptibility. In 194, although he was appointed by the Han imperial court as the governor of Yang Province, he barely managed to gain a foothold over his jurisdiction because the warlord Yuan Shu controlled a large part of the territories around the Huai River region in Yang Province. In 195, conflict broke out between Liu Yao and Yuan Shu, who sent his ally Sun Ce to attack Liu Yao. Sun Ce defeated Liu Yao and forced him to retreat south into present-day Jiangxi, where Liu Yao defeated a minor warlord Ze Rong and died of illness shortly later. His elder brother was Liu Dai, another prominent warlord.
context_section_description: When chaos broke out in central and northern China in the 180s and 190s, Liu Yao fled south to the Huainan region (present-day central Anhui). In 194, the imperial court appointed him as the Inspector (刺史) of Yang Province. Around the time, the warlord Yuan Shu controlled much of the territories in the Huainan region. Liu Yao feared Yuan Shu and did not dare to assume his appointment because much of his jurisdiction was under Yuan Shu's control. He headed further south, crossed the Yangtze River, and met Wu Jing and Sun Ben in Qu'e County (曲阿縣; present-day Danyang, Jiangsu). They helped him establish a base for his governorship of Yang Province in Qu'e County.
  In 195, Yuan Shu, who had the intention of usurping the Han throne and declaring himself emperor, ordered his forces to start conquering nearby commanderies and counties. Liu Yao sent his subordinates Fan Neng (樊能) and Zhang Ying (張英) to station troops near the riverbank to guard against Yuan Shu's advances. As Wu Jing and Sun Ben previously had served under Yuan Shu, Liu Yao distrusted them and forced them to leave. Yuan Shu appointed himself as the Inspector of Yang Province, and allied with Wu Jing and Sun Ben to attack Liu Yao. Fan Neng and Zhang Ying managed to hold their positions against enemy attacks for several days.
  In 195, the Han imperial court promoted Liu Yao to Governor (牧) of Yang Province and concurrently appointed him as "General Who Inspires Martial Might" (振武將軍). Liu Yao managed to rally thousands of troops to defend his territories. In the same year, the warlord Sun Ce (allied with Yuan Shu) led his forces across the Yangtze River and defeated Fan Neng and Zhang Ying. Liu Yao fled south to Dantu County (丹徒縣; present-day Dantu District, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu).
caption: Map showing the major warlords of the late Han dynasty in the 190s
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