田楷 / Tian Kai (late Han)

Hanji 969 adds Tian Kai before the Xuzhou aid branch. Here he is 公孙瓒’s Qingzhou inspector in the long confrontation with 袁谭, the 袁绍-side actor. The source makes Tian Kai part of a proxy-war disaster in 青州, where two years of fighting exhausts grain and pushes civilians into catastrophe before 赵岐 mediates.

Hanji 973 later uses 田楷 / Tian Kai (late Han) as the Qingzhou inspector whom 陶谦 asks for help when 曹操 threatens 徐州. 刘备 is initially attached to Tian Kai as Pingyuan chancellor, bringing only a few thousand soldiers.

The source uses Tian Kai as the before-and-after contrast for Liu Bei’s rise. Once Tao Qian gives Liu Bei four thousand Danyang troops and recommends him as Yuzhou inspector, Liu Bei no longer simply follows Tian Kai but becomes a more independent actor stationed at 小沛.

Connections

• Hanji 969, 公孙瓒, 袁谭, 袁绍, 青州, and War-Disaster Compounding - Qingzhou proxy-war devastation branch.
• Hanji 973 - source case.
• 陶谦, 刘备, and 徐州 - rescue request and Liu Bei’s move into the Xuzhou field.
• 丹阳郡 and 小沛 - troop source and new stationing point.
• 地方豪强代理人选择 - later concept that this earlier Liu Bei foothold prepares.