He Jin

Historical Record

He Jin, styled Suigao, was a native of Nanyang. His younger sister entered the palace as a Noble Lady and was later made empress, and through her He Jin rose to eminence. In the first year of the Zhongping era (184 CE), the Yellow Turban Rebellion broke out, and He Jin was appointed Grand General, holding military and political power. ^c:121

When Emperor Ling fell gravely ill, he summoned He Jin to discuss the succession. After the emperor's death, the crown prince Liu Bian took the throne and Empress Dowager He held court as regent. At this time He Jin and the Colonel-Director of Retainers Yuan Shao secretly plotted to destroy the eunuchs, but Empress Dowager He would not support it. To force the empress dowager to agree, He Jin adopted Yuan Shao's advice and summoned the frontier general Dong Zhuo to lead troops into the capital, intending to overawe the empress dowager by force. ^c:119 He even secretly submitted a memorial claiming that the regular palace attendant Zhang Rang and others had usurped power and thrown the government into disorder, declaring that he would sound the bells and drums and enter Luoyang to punish them. However, before Dong Zhuo reached Luoyang, He Jin's plan was exposed. The regular palace attendants Zhang Rang, Duan Gui, and others, learning of it, struck first, abducting the young emperor Liu Bian and the Prince of Chenliu, Liu Xie, and fleeing the palace. ^c:121

He Jin's younger brother, the General of Chariots and Cavalry He Miao, suspected of colluding with the eunuchs and not of one mind with He Jin, was in the end killed below the Zhuque Tower in a plot between He Jin's retainer-general Wu Kuang and Dong Zhuo's younger brother Dong Min. ^c:121 He Jin himself was also killed through the eunuchs' scheming. After He Jin's death, his retainers and those of He Miao, leaderless, all went over to Dong Zhuo. Dong Zhuo then contrived the murder of the Bearer of the Gilded Mace Ding Yuan and absorbed his troops; from then on military power in the capital fell entirely into Dong Zhuo's hands alone. ^c:121

In the course of He Jin's summoning of outside troops, he had sent Zhang Liao to Hebei to recruit soldiers. When Zhang Liao returned with over a thousand men, He Jin had already fallen, and Zhang Liao's troops thus came under Dong Zhuo. After Dong Zhuo's fall, Zhang Liao went over to Lü Bu and campaigned alongside him. After Cao Cao defeated Lü Bu, Zhang Liao led his troops in surrender, became an important general under Cao Cao, and won repeated distinction. ^c:122

In the Novel

In the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, He Jin is further shaped into an indecisive, short-sighted Grand General of butcher's stock. The novel relates at the outset that, because his sister Lady He was made empress and bore the imperial son Liu Bian, He Jin came to enjoy wealth and power. ^c:123 When Emperor Ling fell gravely ill, he summoned He Jin to discuss the succession; the regular palace attendant Jian Shuo wished first to do away with He Jin in order to enthrone the imperial son Xie, but the marshal Pan Yin gave warning, and He Jin escaped. ^c:123

After Emperor Ling's death, He Jin wished to destroy all the eunuchs, but was dissuaded by Cao Cao. Cao Cao held that for the trouble of the eunuchs it would suffice to execute the chief offenders, for which a single jailer would do, and that there was no need to make a great commotion by summoning outside troops, lest the matter leak and disorder arise. He Jin, however, rebuked Cao Cao as a "petty fellow" and would not heed him. ^c:123 Yuan Shao actively advocated destroying all the eunuchs and proposed to "pull up the grass by the roots." ^c:124 Empress Dowager He, mindful that the eunuchs had once helped her to power, and since Jian Shuo was already dead, was unwilling to destroy them all, and He Jin merely assented weakly. ^c:124

To root out the eunuch faction entirely, He Jin adopted Yuan Shao's stratagem and sent dispatches to the various garrisons, summoning the heroes of the realm to lead troops into the capital in hopes of forcing the empress dowager to agree. ^c:7059 The registrar Chen Lin remonstrated, pointing out that this was like "covering one's eyes to catch sparrows" — self-deception — and that it would "reverse the grip on the weapon and hand the hilt to others," likely breeding great chaos; but He Jin mocked him for "a coward's view." ^c:7061 Cao Cao also remonstrated again, holding that summoning outside troops into the capital was the act of "one who throws the realm into chaos." ^c:128 The attendant censor Zheng Tai and Lu Zhi also strongly remonstrated with He Jin, pointing out that Dong Zhuo was a "wolf" and that bringing him into the capital would surely breed disaster; but He Jin obstinately persisted and would not heed their counsel, so that Zheng Tai, Lu Zhi, and other ministers resigned their offices and departed. ^c:7063

In the end, Zhang Rang and the other eunuchs, learning that outside troops were approaching, decided to strike first. Borrowing the authority of an empress dowager's edict, they summoned He Jin into the palace. Although Chen Lin, Yuan Shao, Cao Cao, and others repeatedly tried to dissuade him, He Jin, presuming on his holding of "the power of the realm" and believing the eunuchs would dare nothing, strode boldly in. The result was that, before the gate of the Jiade Hall, he was cut down by an ambush set by Zhang Rang, Duan Gui, and others. ^c:7064 In the novel, the cause of He Jin's death is largely consistent with the historical record, but his indecisive, self-willed character is further exaggerated, becoming the direct cause of his tragic fate.

Key Relationships

* Empress Dowager He (sibling_of): He Jin's own younger sister, through whose entry into the palace as a Noble Lady and the birth of the imperial son Liu Bian He Jin rose to eminence. Empress Dowager He differed with He Jin over the destruction of the eunuchs, an important reason his plan was thwarted. ^c:124
* Yuan Shao (friend_of): He Jin's ally, the Colonel-Director of Retainers. Yuan Shao actively advocated destroying the eunuchs and devised schemes for He Jin, including summoning outside troops into the capital. Before He Jin was killed, Yuan Shao tried to protect him but failed. ^c:7064
* Dong Zhuo (betrayed_by): The frontier general He Jin summoned into the capital to coerce the empress dowager. After entering the capital, Dong Zhuo seized power amid the chaos, ultimately deposing and enthroning emperors and killing Empress Dowager He and the Prince of Hongnong. ^c:119
* Zhang Rang, Duan Gui, and the Ten Attendants (rival_of): The eunuch faction headed by Zhang Rang, the target of He Jin's intended purge. They contended with He Jin for power and in the end contrived his murder. ^c:7064
* Cao Cao (critic_of): The commandant of the Army's Standards. Cao Cao repeatedly remonstrated with He Jin, pointing out the danger of summoning outside troops into the capital and foretelling that it would surely throw the realm into chaos, but He Jin would not listen. ^c:128
* Zhang Liao (commands_in): He Jin once sent Zhang Liao to Hebei to recruit soldiers. After He Jin's fall, Zhang Liao and his troops came under Dong Zhuo. ^c:122
* He Miao (sibling_of): He Jin's younger brother, the General of Chariots and Cavalry. In the histories, He Miao, suspected of colluding with the eunuchs, was killed in a plot between He Jin's retainers and Dong Min. ^c:121 In the novel, He Miao was instead bought off by Zhang Rang and the other eunuchs, entering the palace to dissuade Empress Dowager He and opposing He Jin's destruction of the eunuchs. ^c:126 (unique to the novel)

Signature Scenes

* Summoning Dong Zhuo into the capital: To root out the eunuch faction, He Jin adopted Yuan Shao's advice and summoned Dong Zhuo to lead troops into the capital, intending to coerce the empress dowager by force. This proved the crucial step of letting the wolf into the house, directly bringing about the great upheaval of the late Eastern Han. ^c:119
* The remonstrances of Cao Cao, Chen Lin, and others: When He Jin resolved to summon outside troops, Cao Cao, Chen Lin, Zheng Tai, Lu Zhi, and others remonstrated in turn, pointing out the enormous risk and foretelling that it would let the wolf into the house and throw the realm into chaos. But He Jin obstinately persisted and would not heed their loyal counsel, ultimately bringing about great disaster. ^c:7061
* He Jin killed by the eunuchs: Before Dong Zhuo reached Luoyang, He Jin was lured into the palace by Zhang Rang and the other eunuchs under the pretext of an empress dowager's edict, and was at last cut down by an ambush before the gate of the Jiade Hall. This event marked the complete loss of control of the central Eastern Han government and brought a tragic end to He Jin's political career. ^c:7064
* "He who throws the realm into chaos will surely be He Jin": After his remonstrance with He Jin failed, Cao Cao lamented, "He who throws the realm into chaos will surely be He Jin." This line precisely foretold the consequences of He Jin's decisions and became a classic annotation of his character. ^c:128 (unique to the novel)