Extracurricular Notes: When Yuan Shu declared himself emperor, what territories did he actually control?

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What territories did Yuan Shu actually control when he declared himself emperor?

Many readers have debated this in the comments, so as the author, let me give you a detailed answer. If you're interested, read on.

1. Jiujiang Commandery, with its seat at Shouchun, which served as the imperial capital.
2. Lujiang Commandery, governed by Liu Xun. At the time of Yuan Shu's self-coronation, Liu Xun was under his command, but after Yuan Shu suffered two defeats, Liu Xun essentially became independent. Of course, this pertains to events after the imperial claim.
3. Runan Commandery, the ancestral homeland of the Yuan family. However, the western part of Runan was occupied by Cao Cao. Historical records show that before welcoming the emperor, Cao Cao suppressed the Yellow Turbans in Runan and later established his capital at Xu County. Thus, Yuan Shu controlled roughly half of Runan.
4. Pei State, which belonged to Yu Province; its most notable city was Xiaopei. According to the Book of the Later Han, Yuan Shu had Zhong Ying as the Chancellor of Pei, and this was not merely a nominal title. In autumn, Yuan Shu invaded Chen, and when Cao Cao arrived, Yuan Shu fled, ordering his generals to station at Qiyang. Qiyang, originally Qixian, was later renamed Qiyang under Wei after the Han, and belonged to Pei State. However, Pei was likely divided into three, with parts under Liu Bei, Cao Cao, and Yuan Shu. It is well known that Liu Bei was stationed at Xiaopei; the surrounding lines of control were complex. Cao Cao’s general Xu Chu was from Qiao County, and both Cao Cao and Xu Chu were native to that area. When Cao Cao’s troops arrived, Xu Chu pledged allegiance—this is recorded in the Records of the Three Kingdoms. So, let's count about half for Yuan Shu. But such borderlands were usually strategic buffers, liable to switch allegiance to whoever arrived.
5. That’s it! Truly, that’s all.

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Now, let’s discuss some disputed territories:

1. Nanyang Commandery—many newcomers might assume this belonged to Yuan Shu, but he lost it long before. After Sun Jian died, Yuan Shu clashed with Cao Cao and was driven all the way back to Jiujiang.
2. Guangling Commandery—this is difficult even for serious historians to unravel. Before Liu Bei’s base was seized by Lü Bu, Yuan Shu fought Liu Bei in Guangling. After Liu Bei was defeated, Yuan Shu seized parts of Guangling and appointed Wu Jing as administrator. However, when Yuan Shu declared himself emperor, Wu Jing was summoned away, and Guangling was then granted to Chen Deng by Cao Cao. During Yuan Shu’s conflict with Lü Bu, it’s clear Guangling did not support Yuan Shu, and later, when Cao Cao fought Lü Bu, Chen Deng sent troops from Guangling. Additionally, after Chen Yu was expelled by Yuan Shu, he stationed at Haixi in Guangling. Later, Cao Cao secretly wrote to Sun Ce, Chen Yu, and Lü Bu, plotting to kill Yuan Shu. Chen Yu then garrisoned Sheyang and colluded with bandits, aiming to attack Sun Ce. The Chen family, including Chen Deng, was involved, further confirming that Wu Jing had little real control over Guangling; otherwise, Sun Ce would not have allowed him to cross the river south, nor would he have had to later fight for Guangling again.
3. The commanderies and counties conquered by Sun Ce. These included Danyang, Wu, and Kuaiji. Many believe Sun Ce only broke with Yuan Shu when Yuan Shu declared himself emperor, thus suggesting Yuan Shu’s imperial claim leveraged Sun Ce’s victories. In fact, Sun Ce had already parted ways with Yuan Shu before the imperial claim.

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To begin with, when Sun Ce first crossed the river and took Danyang, Yuan Shu had not yet proclaimed himself emperor. At that time, Sun Ce’s power was limited, while Yuan Shu was dominant, so Sun Ce did not dare rebel. Therefore, Yuan Shu appointed officials to govern Danyang. As Sun Ce’s strength grew, he set up his own rule, expelled the administrator of Danyang, installed Wu Jing, and claimed Kuaiji for himself, distributing other commanderies among his followers. At the same time, he sent memorials to Cao Cao seeking official appointments. It was only when Yuan Shu declared himself emperor that Sun Ce publicly severed ties, making it known to the world that he was no longer associated with Yuan Shu. Thus, the split had occurred earlier—otherwise, when Sun Ce took Wu Commandery, Yuan Shu would have sent his own men, and Sun Ce’s self-appointment would have been an act of open defiance.

As for Yuzhang Commandery, it was under Zuo Rong and Liu Yao.

At most, Yuan Shu had a slight influence on Danyang, but no real power. Regarding population, while Runan was indeed populous, over a decade of turmoil had caused significant depopulation.

Therefore, Yuan Shu’s imperial claim was not because his power was great, but because his virtue fell short of his ambition—he overreached and suffered the consequences.

The above is a complete account of Yuan Shu’s territories. There may be minor discrepancies, but all statements are supported by historical sources. If you have differing views, feel free to discuss and debate.