During Jin Dynasty
It is not known when Tan Daoji was born, but what is known is that he lost his parents early, and was said to be appropriate in his deeds even while a young orphan, respectful to his older brothers and sisters. One of his older brothers, Tan Shao (檀韶), was also later a general.
When warlord Huan Xuan seized the Jin throne from Emperor An of Jin in 403, Liu Yu rose against him in 404, and Tan joined Liu Yu's army and served as his assistant. When Huan Xuan was killed late in 404 but his nephew Huan Zhen (桓振) continued to resist Liu's army, Tan killed Huan Zhen in battle. For this achievement, he was created the Marquess of Wuxing. He continued to participate in various campaigns, including assisting Liu Yu's brother Liu Daogui (劉道規) against invading Later Qin and Western Shu forces commanded by Gou Lin (苟林) and Huan Xuan's cousin Huan Qian (桓謙) in 410 and battling Xu Daofu (徐道覆), the brother-in-law of the warlord Lu Xun (盧循). For this, he was created the Baron of Tang. (This might seem a demotion, but Liu Yu was reorganizing noble titles at the time, and while it was technically a demotion, he gave Tan a larger fief.)
When Liu Yu launched a major attack against Later Qin in 416, Tan was his forward commander, and he made major contributions in contributing the important cities Xuchang and Luoyang. After Later Qin's capital Chang'an fell in 417, he became the general in charge of protecting Liu Yu's heir apparent Liu Yifu.
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