 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.