He Miao 何苗 was a man from Wan county in Nanyang commandery. He was the older half brother of the Lady He 何氏 and stepbrother of the General-in-Chief He Jin. He and the He-clan owed much of their status to The Regular Attendants.
Biography[]
He Miao was from Wan county in Nanyang commandery. He was born a poor man, but when his half-sister became Empress, he, along with He Jin, was sent to the Capital.
Military Life[]
Unlike his younger brother, He Miao hasn't participated in many battles. He Jin was General-in-Chief over the forces of the Han during the Yellow Turban Rebellion; He Miao did not even participate[1]. He Miao is first mentioned in the Zizhi tongjian when describing a bandit attack in the second month of 187 A.D. These bandits were from Rongyang and killed the Prefect of Zhongmou.[2] At that time He Miao was Intendant of Henan. He attacked the bandits and defeated them. Following his victory he was promoted to General of Chariots and Cavalry.
In the years before and after this, the Regular Attendants of the Imperial Court gained great favour from Emperor Ling 靈. Some of these same Regular Attendants were involved in the rise of He Jin, He Miao and Empress He and the He clan owed them much. However, He Jin turned against the eunuchs and plotted to kill them. Respected warlords such as Yuan Shao 袁紹 and Yuan Shu 袁術 aided him. Together they had some successes, being responsible for the deaths of Regular Attendant Jian Shuo 蹇碩 and Regular Attendant ally Dong Zhong 董重. He Miao, however, seemed to side with the eunuchs, or at the least, did not want to turn against them. He had often received bribes and gifts from the eunuchs and was of the opinion that:[3]
- "If the General-in-Chief kills eunuchs on his own authority, he will be abusing his power and will weaken the national altars [and the imperial state]."
Later that year, 189 A.D., He Miao spoke to his younger half-brother 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."
He Jin did not listen and sticked with his plan to eliminate Zhang Rang 張讓 and his faction. On 22 September 189 A.D., He Jin was overheard when he had an audience with the Empress He. He requested all eunuchs to be executed. When Zhang Rang, Duan Gui 段珪 and the others heard of this, they took up arms and concealed themselves by the palace doors. When He Jin came out, eunuch ally Qu Mu 渠穆 grasped his sword and beheaded him at the front of the Hall of Excellent Virtue.[4]
When He Jin's troops heard of their generals death, they stormed the palace. Yuan Shao and He Miao then brought their troops to station by the Tower of the Vermilion Bird[5]. They caught Zhao Zhong 趙忠 and some others and cut off their heads.
Death[]
It seemed He Miao had turned against the eunuchs, or at least, wanted to avenge his brothers death. Because of his brothers death, Wu Kuang was angry at He Miao for failing to support his brother and he suspected him of sympathy for the eunuchs. While He Jin's forces were attacking the palace, Wu Kuang spoke to his men:
- "The man who killed the General-in-Chief was the General of Chariots and Cavalry [He Miao]. Officers and men, will you not take revenge upon him?"
His men wept and said: "We will give our lives for it."
Wu Kuang, aided by Dong Zhuo's 董卓 brother Dong Min 董旻, led his men against He Miao. They killed him and left his body in the park. He Miao died on 23 September 189 A.D.[6]
After His Death[]
He Miao's forces joined Dong Zhuo. In month eight of the year 190 A.D., Dong Zhuo dug up He Miao's coffin took out the body, broke up the joints and left it on the side of a road. He also killed He Miao's mother the Lady of Wuyang and threw her corpse into some brambles in a park.[7]
Family[]
- Parents
- Lady Xing - mother
- Brother
- He Jin - half-brother (no blood relationship)
- Sister
- Lady He - half-sister
Notes[]
- Was born Zhu Miao, but changed his name to He Miao (probably when the He clan gained fame).
References[]
- ↑ Yellow Turban Rebellion article on TK Wiki.
- ↑ HHS 8, 352-53 (13b), the Annals of Emperor Ling.
- ↑ HHS 69/59, 2248-49 (7b-8b), the Biography of He Jin.
- ↑ HHS 69/59, 2250 (9a-10b), the Biography of He Jin.
- ↑ The Gate of the Vermilion Bird was the main entrance to the Northern Palace.
- ↑ ZZTJ says He Jin died on 22 September 189 A.D., later, while his forces were attacking the eunuchs, the sun was already coming up. Thus it was the 23rd.
- ↑ HHS 72/62, 2324 (4b-5a), the Biography of Dong Zhuo.
Sources[]
- de Crespigny, Rafe. A Biographical Dictionary of Later Han to the Three Kingdoms (23 - 220 AD). Leiden: BRILL, 2007.
- —. Emperor Huan and Emperor Ling. Canberra: National Library of Australia, 1989.
- —. To Establish Peace. Vol. 1. Canberra: Faculty of Asian Studies, The Australian National University, 1996. 2 vols.
- Fan Ye 范曄 (398–445). Hou Han shu 後漢書 “History of the Later Han”.
- Sima Guang 司馬光 (1019–1086). Zizhi tongjian 資治通鑒 “Comprehensive Mirror for Aid in Government”.