In 200, Yuan Shao marched southwards on Xu City in the name of rescuing the emperor. He had amassed more than 110,000 troops, including 10,000 heavy cavalry, while Cao Cao gathered around 40,000 men, most of which he concentrated at Guandu, a strategic point on the Yellow River.
公元200年，袁紹以救駕之名南征許都。他集結了11萬餘人，其中包括1萬餘鐵騎，而曹操集結了4萬餘人，並把大部分人都集結在黃河的戰略要地官渡。
Cao's army repeatedly repulsed Yuan's attacks and won tactical victories. The two armies came to a standstill at the Battle of Guandu (September–November), as neither side was able to make much progress.
曹軍多次擊退袁軍的進攻，並取得了戰術性的勝利。兩軍在官渡之戰（9-11月）中陷於僵持狀態，雙方都未能取得太大進展。
Cao Cao's lack of men did not allow him to make significant attacks, and Yuan Shao's pride forced him to meet Cao's force head-on. Despite his overwhelming advantage in terms of manpower, Yuan Shao was unable to make full use of his resources because of his indecisive leadership and Cao Cao's position.
曹操人馬不足不允許其進行重大進攻，袁紹性格傲慢打算與曹軍正面交鋒。袁紹雖然在人手上占絕對優勢，但因其優柔寡斷的領導風格，加上考慮到曹操的弱勢地位，其未能充分利用其資源優勢。
Besides the middle battleground of Guandu, two lines of battle were present. The eastern line with Yuan Tan of Yuan Shao's army against Zang Ba of Cao Cao's army was a one-sided battle in favour of Cao, as Yuan Tan's poor leadership was no match for Zang's local knowledge of the landscape and his hit-and-run tactics.
除了官渡中路戰場之外，還有兩條戰線。袁軍的袁譚與曹軍的臧霸的東線戰場是一場有利於曹的單邊戰爭，因為袁譚的領導能力不強，無法與臧霸對當地地形情況的了解和他的游擊戰術相提並論。
On the western front, Yuan Shao's nephew, Gao Gan, performed better against Cao Cao's army and forced several reinforcements from Cao's main camp to maintain the western battle.
在西線，袁紹的侄子高幹在對抗曹軍時表現更出色，並迫使曹操主營多次增援以維持西線戰爭。
Liu Bei, then a guest in Yuan Shao's army, suggested that he instigate rebellion in Cao Cao's territories as many followers of Yuan were in Cao's lands. The tactic was initially successful but Man Chong's diplomatic skills helped to resolve the conflict almost immediately. Man Chong had been placed as an official there for this specific reason, as Cao Cao had foreseen the possibility of insurrection prior to the battle.
當時袁紹軍隊中的客人劉備建議他在曹操的領地上煽動叛亂，因為袁紹的諸多支持者都在曹的領地上。這一策略最初是成功的，但滿沖的外交手段幾乎立即解決了衝突。之所以安排滿沖正是為此，因為曹操在戰鬥之前就預見到了叛亂的可能。
A Cao raid destroying the Yuan supply depot at the village of Gushi forced Yuan Shao to set up an emergency supply depot at Wuchao. Finally in the 10th month, a defector from Yuan Shao's army, Xu You, informed Cao Cao of the location of Yuan's new supply depot. Cao Cao broke the stalemate by sending a special group of soldiers to Wuchao burning all the supplies of Yuan Shao's army, heavily demoralising it.
曹軍的一次突襲摧毀了固始村的袁軍補給，迫使袁紹在烏巢設置緊急補給點。 終於在十個月後，袁紹的叛逃者許攸，將袁紹的新補給點的位置告訴了曹操。曹操於是打破了僵局，派一隊奇兵前往烏巢，燒毀袁軍的所有補給，因此士氣大跌。
Yuan performed a final, costly and ultimately failed storming of Guandu, and the next morning Cao launched a devastating surprise attack on the retreating enemy army, thus winning a decisive and seemingly impossible victory.
袁軍也進行了最後的、代價慘痛的、最終失敗的官渡突襲，第二天早上，曹軍對撤退的敵軍發動了毀滅性的突襲，從而贏得了一場看似不可能的決定性勝利。
In a report to Emperor Xian, Cao Cao claimed to have killed more than 70,000 of Yuan Shao's original 110,000 troops; he later ordered most captured enemy soldiers to be buried alive. A few months later, in May or June 201, Cao Cao defeated Yuan Shao again in the Battle of Cangting, eliminating the latter's last units south of the Yellow River.
在向漢獻帝的上書中，曹操稱斬殺袁紹原11萬大軍中的7萬餘人，之後他下令將俘獲的敵軍進行活埋。幾個月後，公元201年5月或6月，曹操在倉亭之戰中再次擊敗袁紹，在黃河以南消滅了袁紹最後的軍隊。