He was Yuan Shao’s illegitimate son. His mother died when he was five, and at seven he calmed a panicked horse.
When the Yellow Turban Rebellion broke out, he always led the charge, beheading Hua Xiong and fighting Lu Bu. The Yuan family took the credit, while he took the blame. After a hundred battles, he had no title and not a single merit to his name.
He turned around and joined Dong Zhuo, earning a noble title and command of an army. He spared the common people and destroyed only the powerful clans.
While the warlords of the Central Plains fought each other to a bloody standstill, he turned north and put down roots in Liaodong.
Beyond the passes, he abolished the great clans, established a new order, and raised an iron cavalry of one hundred thousand.
When Yuan Shao was defeated at Guandu, he led his army south, crushing Yuan Shao and Cao Cao.
From the stables to Liaodong, from a servant’s son to the founding ruler of a dynasty.
He would show no mercy to anyone who had ever trampled on him.
