He Jin 何進

He Jin 何進 was a military general who served the Han. Born as the son of a butcher. When his younger half-sister became wife of Emperor Ling of Han 漢靈帝, He Jin was made Grand Administrator of Yingchuan commandery in Yu Province. Early in 184 he was rewarded for discovering Zhang Jue’s plot and made General-in-Chief (dà jiāngjūn 大將軍). Following a successful campaign against the Yellow Turbans, He Jin came in conflict with the palace eunuchs.

Biography
He Jin was born in Nanyang commandery in Jing province. His parents were the butcher He Zhen 何真 and his first wed wife (name unknown). Later, when He Jin’s father wed the Lady Xing 君興, he became a half brother of Zhu Miao (who later changed his name to He Miao 何苗). Later, probably in the late 150’s, Lady Xing gave birth to He Jin’s half-sister the Lady He 君何.

Rise of the He-clan
During an annual selection of concubines in the 170’s, which took place in the eight month of each year, Lady He was selected to be in Emperor Ling’s harem. Even though she was of questionable background, she was described as a woman of respectable family. She eventually gained the Emperor’s favour and bore him his heir, Liu Bian (Emperor Shao of Han).

When the Lady He was gaining the Emperor’s favour in the 170’s, both her brothers were able to benefit from it. He Jin was made a gentleman cadet and later became General of the Gentlemen of the Household Rapid as a Tiger and then Grand Administrator of Yingchuan commandery in Yu Province.

On 1 January 181 the Lady He was made empress and He Jin, as her senior male relative, was made a Palace Attendant and Court Architect. Later he became the Intendant of Henan commandery in Sili Province. Henan was the commandery of the capital city Luoyang.

Outbreak of the Yellow Turban rebels
In the 170’s and early 180’s three brothers named Zhang Jue, Zhang Bao 張寶 and Zhang Liang 張梁 were planning a rebellion. One of their Large Division Leaders and leader in planning for rebellion, a certain Ma Yuanyi 馬元義 was sent to Luoyang to claim adherents, which he successfully did by claiming adherents even among the palace eunuchs. The idea behind claiming adherents in the capital city was for the Yellow Turbans to strike simultaneously from within and without the capital city.

However, in the spring of 184 A.D. a disciple of the Zhang brothers, a man named Tang Zhou 唐周, betrayed the plans of his masters to the Han by explaining the plot in a memorial and sending it to court. According to Hou Han shu chapter 69 biography 59 it was He Jin who exposed the plot of Zhang Jue. Possible the memorial sent by Tang Zhou had fallen into the hands of He Jin, who had a position at court at that time (Intendant of Henan commandery) or one of his men. In any case, the plot was leaked and He Jin was enfeoffed as Marquis of Shen for discovering the conspiracy. The enfeoffment took place on the day wushen, which corresponds to 2 April. He Jin was also made General-in-Chief. He took command of the divisions of the Left and of the Right, as well as the Feathered Forest Troops, together with five regiments of the Northern Army. He led them to camp at the Capital Hostel, where they prepared weapons and equipment to keep order in the capital

Though He Jin did take command of several divisions and troops it should be noted that his title of General-in-Chief was essentially one that gave him political power. Especially in times of emergencies. It did not, however, grant him his own army.

Defense of Luoyang
When the Han went on the offensive against the Yellow Turban forces it were the generals Lu Zhi 盧植, Huangfu Song 皇甫嵩 and Zhu Jun 朱儁 who went to the field. He Jin stayed in Henan commandery, commanding the Northern Army for the defense of Luoyang. Under his command was the Major Fan Zeng 范曾. It remains unclear what He Jin did while his generals were on the field.

About his Major Fan Zeng we know he defeated a group of Yellow Turbans in Nanyang commandery in Jing province, which was He Jin’s birth commandery.

While the Yellow Turban Rebellion was nearing its end the palace eunuchs had found a way to get Wang Yun 王允 into trouble after the latter had obtained proof of the eunuchs having been in contact with the Yellow Turbans. When Wang Yun arrived at the capital to receive his punishment He Jin, together with Yang Ci 禓賜 and Yuan Wei 袁隗 sent in a joint memorial to plead for his life. They succeeded and received a remission of his charges.

After the Yellow Turban Rebellion
In the third month of 187 He Jin’s half-brother He Miao defeated a group of rebels in Rongyang. For achieving this he was awarded the title of General of Chariots and Cavalry. He Miao was now ranked directly below his half-brother the General-in-Chief. He Miao, however, did have his own troops. A rank of such prestige given merely for defeating a group of bandits. The He clan was in its prime.

During the rebellion of the Yellow Turbans the court had hastily created new titles for the military men it sent into the field. After the rebellion was crushed, some of these titles had been rescinded and throughout the years it appeared some men no longer fit within the regular military system. One of these men was He Jin. Though bestowing him with the rank of General-in-Chief was an easy procedure, taking it away from him was not.

General-in-Chief was the highest title available to commoners, and He Jin could use it to his authority to overpower the court and the eunuchs in the event of an emergency. It was probably as much for this reason as for any other that in September 188 Emperor Ling took the unprecedented step of appointing a eunuch as Colonel of the First Army of a wholly new army. This Colonel of the First Army, Jian Shuo 蹇碩, was a protégé of the emperor. The paragraphs below will tell of the rise of this eunuch and others and He Jin’s struggle against them.

Tension between He Jin and the Eunuchs
In 185, following the Yellow Turban Rebellion, Zhang Rang and eleven other Regular Attendants were enfeoffed for their efforts during the campaign, despite proof of them having had contact with the Yellow Turbans. The eunuchs enjoyed great favour with the Emperor, who was in fact completely subject to them. Throughout the years many officials had developed a feeling of disgust or hatred towards the eunuchs, but many did not dare to act against them. He Jin, however, did make plans and was the first to take somewhat decisive action against the eunuchs.

Rise of the eunuch Jian Shuo
In the eight month of 188 the so-called Colonels of the Western Gardens were established for the first time. It consisted of a total of eight men:


 * 1) Yuan Shao 袁紹
 * 2) Bao Hong 鮑鴻
 * 3) Cao Cao 曹操
 * 4) Zhao Rong
 * 5) Feng Fang 馮方
 * 6) Xia Mou
 * 7) Chunyu Qiong 淳於瓊
 * 8) Jian Shuo 蹇碩

The highest promotion went to the Junior Attendant of the Yellow Gates Jian Shuo, who was made Colonel of the First Army by Emperor Ling himself. This promotion meant that even He Jin was subject to the eunuch. A serious insult and demotion for the General-in-Chief.

By enlarging the number of colonels in the bodyguard, and placing in overall command a eunuch loyal to himself personally, while at the same time excluding distaff relatives from this new power, the Emperor may have hoped to counter increasing pressure from his Empress' family, He Jin and He Miao in particular.

Late in 188 the Emperor made a great levy of soldiers from all directions and held manoeuvres below the Lodge of Tranquil Joy. This was done because of those who studied the ethers considered that the capital district would have great military affairs, and that the two palaces would flow in blood.

A great platform was set up, twelve ceremonial umbrellas were put on top of it, with each umbrella a hundred feet high. Northeast of that was a smaller platform, again with nine ceremonial umbrellas, each ninety feet high. Several tens of thousands of infantry and cavalry were drawn up, they made defended camps and formed line of battle. On the day jiazi (22 November) the Emperor himself came out to the army and halted below the great umbrellas, while the General-in-Chief He Jin took his stand below the smaller umbrellas. The Emperor wore armour and rode a mailed horse, and he was hailed as "General Supreme." He went about the army three times, then came back and handed the soldiers over to He Jin.

The Emperor asked the Colonel Who Exterminates the Caitiffs He Xun:


 * "If I practice for war like this, what do you think of it?"

He Xun replied,


 * "Your subject has heard that the former kings were brilliant in their virtue and took no thought of weapons, but now there are bandits far away and an army is raised close at hand. That is no way to show bravery, it is nothing but a waste of effort."

The Emperor said,


 * "Excellent. I am sorry you did not come earlier, for not one of my ministers has said this before."

He Xun said to Yuan Shao:


 * "His majesty has a clear understanding, but he is deceived by those about him."

He made plans with Yuan Shao to kill the favourites. Jian Shuo started to play the political game, thus using his position wrongly, as he sent He Xun away to become Intendant of Jingzhao.

Struggle with Jian Shuo
At some point Jian Shuo developed a strong hatred towards He Jin. In 189 A.D., in a bid to destroy his rival, he got the eunuchs to memorialize that He Jin should lead an army westwards against the Liang Province rebels Han Sui 韓遂 and Bian Zhang 邊章. The Emperor acceded, granting He Jin a hundred war chariots, Rapid as a Tiger-bodyguard, and the Axe of Execution. He Jin, however, learnt privately of the plot and deduced it. He memorialized sending Yuan Shao east to gather troops of the two provinces of Xu and Yan. He Jin's troops would await Yuan Shao's return, thus delaying the date of march in the campaign.

The actual participation of He Jin in campaign against the Liang rebels would never happen, because on 13 May 189 Emperor Ling passed away. He left behind two sons. His oldest son was Liu Bian 劉辯 of the Empress He, called Lord Shi. His other son was Liu Xie 劉協 of the Beauty Wang, raised by the Empress-Dowager Dong (and therefore called Lord Dong). Liu Bian, being the eldest son, would naturally become heir. However, Emperor Ling considered him frivolous and lacked the appearance of majesty, not fit to be a ruler of men. Thus, he had it in mind to award the succession to Liu Xie. But Emperor Ling loved his Empress He and her brother He Jin moreover held weighty authority so he made no determination. About this time he became very ill, and he entrusted Liu Xie to the care of Jian Shuo

Jian Shuo, who was in the palace at that time, had plans to kill He Jin and then set Liu Xie upon the throne. He invited He Jin to come and consult with him, and He Jin immediately mounted his chariot to go to the palace. Pan Yin 潘隱, a major in Jian Shuo's command, was an old friend of He Jin. He went out to meet him and gave a warning look. He Jin took fright and galloped straight back to his quarters. He led out his troops to camp at the Commandery Residences, and from there he announced that he was ill and could not come to the palace.

He Jin was angry at Jian Shuo for plotting to kill him and he made secret plans to kill the eunuch. Not only againt Jian Shuo, but with the urging of Yuan Shao (through Zhang Jin), against all the eunuchs, whom he knew were resented by many officials aside from his own clan. He Jin sought widely for capable men to enlist them in his aid. Jian Shuo, however, was aware of the plotting of the General-in-Chief and thus tried to enlist the support of his fellow eunuchs in another coup attempt. He circulated the following letter among Zhao Zhong, Song Dian and other eunuchs:


 * "The General-in-Chief and his brother have state and court in their sole grasp, and now they join with the once banned faction in planning to execute us, the former Emperor's retainers, to liquidate and sweep us away. Only because I have charge of the palace militia do they vacillate; now is the moment to act in common to seal the palace offices and pavillions, and swiftly arrest and execute them."

The Regular Palace Attendant Guo Sheng came from the same commandery as He Jin. He had been involved in the fortune and favour of the Empress-Dowager and He Jin, and was a close and loyal friend of the He clan. He joined the discussions with Zhao Zhong and the others, they decided not to join Jian Shuo's plot, and Guo Sheng showed the letter to He Jin.

On the day gengwu (27 May) He Jin sent the Prefect of the Yellow Gates to arrest Jian Shuo and execute him, and he took over his troops in camp.

Struggle with Zhang Rang
On June the 7th, He Jin surrounded the offices of Dong Zhong 董忠, a man enlisted in the aid of the eunuchs who was used by Empress-Dowager Dong to threaten He Jin through his half-sister Empress-Dowager He. He Jin stripped Dong Zhong of his rank, who then killed himself.

On July the 17th, Ling was buried at Wenling. He Jin, with Jian Shuo's plot still on his mind, did not attend the funeral, saying he was still ill.

In his campaign against Zhang Rang and the Regular Attendants He Jin showed hesitation. Yuan Shao compared him to Dou Wu, a man who opposed former Regular Attendant Cao Jie, but failed when his plot of mass eunuch extermination was discovered. Yuan Shao again urged He Jin to take action against the eunuchs, "...you cannot let this opportunity slip."

Then He Jin spoke to the Empress-Dowager, asking to dismiss all the Regular Palace Attendants and those of lower rank and to appoint Gentlemen of the Household to fill their places. The Empress Dowager declined by saying that it was common since the beginning of the Han to have eunuchs in service of the Imperial Court.

He Jin found it difficult to disregard the Empress-Dowager's feelings, but he still wanted to punish the evil-doers.

He Jin was advised by Yuan Shao to gather generals and soldiers from across the country to prove the Empress-Dowager that his authority was absolute. When the Colonel Who Arranges the Army, Cao Cao heard of the plan he laughed and said their plan would surely end up in failure. Chen Lin, He Jin's master of records disapproved the plan, but He Jin would not listen. Dong Zhuo, at that time stationed in Hedong, was one of the generals summoned by He Jin. Zheng Tai and Lu Zhi protested on account that Dong Zhuo was cruel and had no honour, but He Jin proceeded with the plan. Zheng Tai resigned his position because of this.

Wang Kuang and Bao Xin were from Taishan and He Jin sent them back to their home city to raise troops. Qiao Mao was called to camp at Chenggao and Ding Yuan was sent to lead several thousand men to ravage Henei and burn Mengjin.When Dong Zhuo received his orders, he sent a memorial to Empress-Dowager He to request permission to arrest Zhang Rang and the other eunuchs. The Empress refused. Upon hearing this, He Miao spoke to He Jin and said:


 * "When we first came from Nanyang we were all of us poor, and it was through the eunuchs of the inner palace that we came to wealth and honour. In affairs of state, how can you act so hastily? Once water is tipped out, it cannot be gathered up again. Think hard about it, then make peace with the eunuchs."

Dong Zhuo came to Mianchi and He Jin now became worried and sent the Grandee Remonstrant and Consultant Chong Shao with an imperial order for him to halt. At first, Dong Zhuo would not listen and even threaten Chong Shao, but eventually retreated to Xiyang village.

Yuan Shao was concerned He Jin might change his plan and he pressed him to take action, saying:


 * "The battle-lines are drawn and our plans are in the open. How can you continue to wait and not make any decision? If the affair is delayed too long, things will change and you will be a second Dou Wu."

He Jin then made Yuan Shao Colonel Director of Retainers and gave him the staff of power so he could decide on things himself. This worried Empress-Dowager He and she ordered all of the eunuchs, both the Regular Attendants and the Junior Officials, to return to their homes, only a few remained in the Imperial residence.

Yuan Shao thus sent orders to regional Commanders, stating that He Jin had given permission to arrest all the eunuchs in their homes. The plans leaked out, and the eunuchs had caught wind of Yuan Shao’s plot, thus they went to the Empress-Dowager to beg for her favour. Thereafter, the Empress reinstated all of the eunuchs.

Death
On 22 September, 189 A.D., He Jin had an audience with his sister at the Palace of Prolonged Joy. His request: all eunuchs to be executed. Zhang Rang and Duan Gui were suspicious about this meeting; He Jin was supposed to be ill, yet now he had an audience with the Empress. "Is the Dou Wu business coming again?" they said. They sent someone to hide near the Palace of Prolonged Joy to listen and he heard everything that was said and reported this to Zhang Rang and the rest. Then they led several dozen men of their party to take up weapons, go in quietly by a side entrance, and conceal themselves behind the doors of the palace.

He Jin came out and the eunuchs pretended to have orders from the Empress-Dowager to call him back. He Jin turned around, went back and waited by the doors. Then Zhang Rang and the others said to him:


 * "If the empire is troubled, it is not our fault alone. When the late Emperor was angry with the Empress-Dowager and she was on the brink of destruction, it was we who wept and managed to save her, and each of us gave thousands and tens of thousands from our private fortunes to make the Emperor contented again. All we sought was the patronage of your house. Now you want to destroy us and our families, this is surely too much!"

Then, Qu Mu, the Supervisor of the Palace Workshop and ally of the eunuchs, drew his sword and beheaded the General-in-Chief at the front of the Hall of Excellent Virtue.

When He Jin's forces found out about the death of their general, they stormed the palace and massacred the eunuchs. During the massacre, He Miao was killed for siding with the eunuchs. Empress He and Emperor Shao were later killed by Dong Zhuo.