When Cao Cao laid siege to Xuzhou, Tao Qian, the governor of Xuzhou, invited Liu, Guan and Zhang to relieve the siege, deploring Cao Cao's evil deeds of holding the son of heaven hostage to his vassals and treating him as a guest of honor, sincerely inviting Liu Bei to preside over the government of Xuzhou to show his heartfelt loyalty to the Han Dynasty. Liu Bei expressed his gratitude, but he could never accept this request and stayed in Xiaopei for a while. Liu Bei reluctantly agreed to the request. Subsequently, Tao Qian died of illness and his son was young, and Liu Bei took charge of Xuzhou.