Tao Qian 陶謙

Tao Qian, courtesy name Gongzu, was a native of Danyang. In his youth he loved learning and became a student of the classics. After serving in the province and commandery, he was recommended as Abundant Talent (maocai) and became Magistrate of Lu; he was transferred to be Inspector of You Province, was then summoned to become a Consultant (yilang), and took part in the army of the General of Chariots and Cavalry Zhang Wen, campaigning west against Han Sui. When the Yellow Turbans happened to rise in Xu Province, he became Inspector of Xu Province and attacked and defeated them. The Biography of Zang Ba records that Zang Ba followed Tao Qian in defeating the Yellow Turbans and became Cavalry Commandant. Records, Wei 8 §24Records, Wei 18 §20

When the provinces and commanderies raised troops during Dong Zhuo's disorders and the Son of Heaven made Chang'an his capital, cutting off communication with the four quarters, Tao Qian sent envoys by secret routes to present tribute. According to the Biography of Wang Lang, his Headquarters Officer (zhizhong) Wang Lang and his Attendant Officer (biejia) Zhao Yu urged him, in keeping with the principles of the Spring and Autumn Annals, to exert himself for the royal house and send envoys to the Son of Heaven, and Tao Qian sent Zhao Yu to Chang'an bearing a memorial. The Son of Heaven commended this and made Tao Qian General Who Pacifies the East (andong jiangjun), and the Biography of Tao Qian records that he was transferred to be Governor of Xu Province and enfeoffed as Marquis of Liyang. Records, Wei 8 §25Records, Wei 13 §44–45

At this time Xu Province had a large population and ample grain, and many displaced people gathered there. But Chen Shou wrote that Tao Qian abandoned the right way and acted on his own feelings. He kept at a distance Zhao Yu, Administrator of Guangling and a famous scholar of Xu Province, because he was loyal and upright, while he kept close and trusted Cao Hong and others, slanderous and wicked petty men. Punishments and government lost their balance, many good people suffered harm, and because of this the province gradually fell into disorder. Records, Wei 8 §25–26

He also appears in other biographies. According to the Biography of Zhang Zhao, when Zhang Zhao did not respond to his recommendation as Abundant Talent, Tao Qian, saying Zhang Zhao was slighting him, had him seized and imprisoned. In the Biography of Lü Fan he took Lü Fan for a spy of the Yuan family and hinted to the county that he should be seized and flogged, and in the Biography of Sun Ce he greatly disliked Sun Ce. According to the Biography of Ze Rong, Ze Rong, who had placed himself under Tao Qian, was put in charge of transporting supplies for Guangling and Pengcheng, and then killed people at will and seized the supplies of three commanderies. Records, Wu 7 §2Records, Wu 11 §33Records, Wu 1 §25Records, Wu 4 §8

When a rift opened between Yuan Shu and Yuan Shao, Gongsun Zan stationed Tao Qian at Fagan to put pressure on Yuan Shao, but Cao Cao, together with Yuan Shao, attacked and defeated him. When Que Xuan of Xiapi gathered several thousand men and called himself Son of Heaven, Tao Qian at first raised troops together with him, seized Hua and Fei in Taishan and plundered Rencheng, but later he killed Que Xuan and absorbed his followers. Records, Wei 1 §24 · 26Records, Wei 8 §26

According to the Annals of Emperor Wu, Cao Cao's father Cao Song, who had taken refuge from Dong Zhuo's disorders in Langya, was harmed by Tao Qian, and so Cao Cao attacked eastward to take revenge. In the autumn of the 4th year of Chuping (193) Cao Cao attacked Tao Qian, took more than ten cities, and fought a great battle at Pengcheng. Tao Qian's troops were routed and fled, the dead numbering in the tens of thousands so that the Si River ceased to flow, and Tao Qian withdrew to hold Tan. Cao Cao, short of provisions, went back. Records, Wei 1 §26 · 28Records, Wei 8 §27

According to the Biography of the First Sovereign, when Cao Cao attacked Xu Province, Tao Qian sent envoys to Tian Kai to report his peril, and Tian Kai and Liu Bei came together to his rescue. When Tao Qian added 4,000 Danyang soldiers to Liu Bei's forces, Liu Bei left Tian Kai and came over to Tao Qian. Tao Qian memorialized making Liu Bei Inspector of Yu Province and had him stationed at Xiaopei. Records, Shu 2 §8–9

In the summer of the 1st year of Xingping (194) Cao Cao again attacked eastward and overran the counties of Langya and Donghai. Tao Qian's commander Cao Bao, together with Liu Bei, tried to stop him east of Tan but was defeated, and many people died wherever Cao Cao passed. Tao Qian, in fear, was about to flee to Danyang, but just then Zhang Miao rebelled and welcomed Lü Bu, and Cao Cao went back to attack Lü Bu. Records, Wei 1 §28Records, Wei 8 §28

That year Tao Qian died of illness. When his illness became critical he told his Attendant Officer Mi Zhu, 'No one but Liu Bei can bring peace to this province,' and when Tao Qian died, Mi Zhu, carrying out his last wishes, led the people of the province to welcome Liu Bei at Xiaopei. According to the Biography of Xun Yu, Cao Cao wanted to take Xu Province while it was vulnerable after Tao Qian's death, but Xun Yu dissuaded him, saying that even with Tao Qian dead Xu Province would not easily fall. Records, Wei 8 §28Records, Shu 2 §9Records, Shu 8 §21Records, Wei 10 §9 · 11

In his assessment, Chen Shou named Tao Qian together with Gongsun Zan, Gongsun Du, Zhang Yang and others, saying, 'Tao Qian was muddled and disorderly and died in anxiety,' and wrote that they had all held provinces and commanderies as their strongholds yet did not even measure up to common men, so that there was truly nothing about them worth discussing. Records, Wei 8 §71