The House of Chancellor Xiao, Twenty-third

The Prime Minister Xiao He was a native of Fengyi in Pei County. Because he was well-versed in the laws and administered affairs with impartiality, he served as the Chief Clerk of Pei County.

When the Gaozu was still a commoner, Xiao He repeatedly used his official position to protect him. After Gaozu became a Constable, Xiao He often aided him as well. When Gaozu went to Xianyang on official duty as a clerk, his colleagues each gave him three hundred cash, but Xiao He alone gave him five hundred.

When a Qin imperial censor came to the commandery to oversee government affairs and worked with Xiao He, Xiao He always managed matters clearly and thoroughly. Thus he was appointed as a Clerk of the Sishui Commandery, and his performance evaluation ranked first. The Qin censor wanted to recommend him to the imperial court for recruitment, but Xiao He firmly declined, and so he did not go.

By the time Gaozu raised an army and became the Duke of Pei, Xiao He often served as an Assistant, handling and supervising various affairs. When the Duke of Pei entered Xianyang, the generals all vied to rush into the treasuries storing gold, silk, and goods to divide them up. Only Xiao He first entered the government offices of the Qin Prime Minister and Censor, collecting and storing away the legal codes, maps, population registers, and other documents and records. When the Duke of Pei was enfeoffed as the King of Han, he appointed Xiao He as his Prime Minister. King Xiang and the feudal lords’ armies slaughtered and burned Xianyang before leaving. The reason the King of Han was able to learn in detail about the strategic passes and fords of the empire, the number of households, the areas of strength and weakness, and the people’s hardships, was because Xiao He had fully obtained the Qin documents and records. Xiao He also recommended Han Xin to the King of Han, and the King of Han appointed Han Xin as the Supreme General. This matter is recorded in the “Biography of the Marquis of Huaiyin.”

The King of Han led his army eastward to pacify the Three Qin regions. Xiao He, as Prime Minister, remained behind to guard the rear, responsible for levying provisions from Ba and Shu, the people, issuing decrees, and ensuring the army’s food supply. In the second year of Han, the King of Han allied with the feudal lords to attack Chu. Xiao He stayed behind to guard Guanzhong, serving the Crown Prince and administering Liyang. He established laws and regulations, and set up the ancestral temple, altars of soil and grain, palaces, and county towns. He always first reported and requested approval from the King of Han before implementing them; if there was no time to report, he would act according to circumstances, and report back after the King returned. For all affairs in Guanzhong, such as registering households, transporting provisions, and supplying the army, whenever the King of Han suffered defeat and fled, Xiao He would often conscript soldiers from Guanzhong to immediately fill the gaps. The King of Han therefore entrusted all Guanzhong affairs exclusively to Xiao He.

In the third year of Han, the King of Han and Xiang Yu were locked in a stalemate between Jing County and Suoting. The King of Han repeatedly sent envoys to comfort the Prime Minister. Bao Sheng said to the Prime Minister, “The king endures wind and dew in the field, yet he frequently sends envoys to comfort you—this means he is suspicious of you. For your own sake, you should send all your able-bodied sons, grandsons, and brothers from your family to serve in the army. Then the king will surely trust you more.” So Xiao He followed his advice, and the King of Han was very pleased.

In the fifth year of Han, after Xiang Yu had been killed and the empire pacified, Gaozu discussed merits and dispensed rewards and enfeoffments. The various ministers argued over their achievements, and for over a year the relative merits could not be decided. Gaozu considered Xiao He’s merit the greatest, enfeoffing him as the Marquis of Zan and granting him the largest fief. The meritorious ministers all said, “We have worn armor and wielded sharp weapons; some have fought a hundred battles, others at least several dozen. We have attacked cities and seized territory, with varying degrees of merit. Yet Xiao He has never sweated blood in battle; he merely wields his brush and talks, never fighting—yet he ranks above us. Why is this?” The High Emperor said, “Do you gentlemen know about hunting?” The ministers replied, “We do.” The High Emperor asked, “Do you know about hunting dogs?” They replied, “We do.” The High Emperor said, “In hunting, it is the dogs that chase and kill the beasts and hares, but the person who finds the tracks and points out the game is the man. Now you gentlemen can only catch the beasts—your merit is like that of dogs. As for Xiao He, he finds the tracks and points out the direction—his merit is like that of a hunter. Moreover, you have only followed me alone, at most two or three. Xiao He’s entire clan of several dozen people have followed me—this merit cannot be forgotten.” The ministers then dared say nothing more.

After all the lords had been enfeoffed, when it came time to rank them, the ministers all said, “The Marquis of Pingyang, Cao Can, bears seventy wounds from battle. He attacked cities and seized territory, and his merit is the greatest. He should rank first.” Gaozu had already slighted the meritorious ministers by granting Xiao He more, and now at the ranking he could not easily refute them, but in his heart he still wanted Xiao He to be first. The Marquis of Guannei, E Jun, spoke up, saying, “The ministers’ discussion is wrong. Cao Can’s merit in field battles and taking territory is but a matter of a moment. Your Majesty was locked in struggle with the Chu army for five years, often losing troops and soldiers, and you fled alone several times. Yet Xiao He constantly sent troops from Guanzhong to fill those gaps, without Your Majesty having issued an edict commanding him to conscript them. Tens of thousands of soldiers arrived just when Your Majesty was most exhausted and desperate, and this happened several times. Han and Chu faced each other at Xingyang for years, with the army lacking ready provisions. Xiao He transported grain from Guanzhong, supplying them without interruption and without shortage. Although Your Majesty lost the lands east of the mountains many times, Xiao He always managed to preserve Guanzhong, waiting for Your Majesty. This is merit for ten thousand generations. Even if we lacked a hundred men like Cao Can, what loss would that be to Han? If Han got them, it would not necessarily rely on them to be preserved. Why should we let temporary merit override merit for ten thousand generations? Xiao He should rank first, and Cao Can second.” Gaozu said, “Good.” So he decreed that Xiao He could wear his sword and shoes when entering the court, and need not walk with quick, short steps at the audience.

The Emperor said, “I have heard that recommending worthy men deserves the highest reward. Xiao He’s merit is great, but it became clearer through E Jun’s explanation.” So he added to E Jun’s original fief as the Marquis of Guannei, enfeoffing him as the Marquis of Anping. That same day, all of Xiao He’s fathers, sons, and brothers—over ten people—were enfeoffed with fiefs. Then he added two thousand households to Xiao He’s fief, because when Gaozu had gone to Xianyang for corvée labor, Xiao He had given him two hundred cash more than the others.

In the eleventh year of Han, Chen Xi rebelled, and Gaozu personally led the campaign, reaching Handan. Before the campaign was over, the Marquis of Huaiyin, Han Xin, plotted rebellion in Guanzhong. Empress Lü used Xiao He’s plan to execute the Marquis of Huaiyin. This matter is recorded in the “Biography of the Marquis of Huaiyin.” When Gaozu heard that the Marquis of Huaiyin had been killed, he sent an envoy to appoint Prime Minister Xiao He as Chancellor, adding five thousand households to his fief, and dispatched five hundred soldiers and one commandant to serve as the Chancellor’s guard. Everyone came to congratulate him, but only Shao Ping offered condolences. This Shao Ping was formerly the Marquis of Dongling under Qin. After Qin fell, he became a commoner, poor in circumstances, and grew melons east of Chang’an city. The melons were very sweet, so the world called them “Dongling melons,” named after Shao Ping. Shao Ping said to the Chancellor, “Calamity begins from this. The Emperor endures wind and dew in the field, while you remain behind in the court, not facing the dangers of arrows and stones. Yet he increases your fief and sets up a guard—this is because the Marquis of Huaiyin has just plotted rebellion within the court, and the Emperor is also suspicious of you. Setting up a guard to protect you is not meant to favor you. I hope you will decline the reward and not accept it, and donate all your family wealth to support the army. Then the Emperor’s heart will be pleased.” The Chancellor followed his plan, and the High Emperor was very pleased.

In the autumn of the twelfth year of Han, Ying Bu rebelled. The Emperor personally led the campaign and repeatedly sent envoys to ask what the Chancellor was doing. The Chancellor, because the Emperor was in the field, comforted and encouraged the people, and donated all his family property to support the army, just as he had done when Chen Xi rebelled. A retainer advised the Chancellor, saying, “You are not far from the destruction of your clan. You hold the position of Chancellor, your merit is foremost—can it be increased further? Yet ever since you first entered Guanzhong, you have won the people’s hearts. Now it has been over ten years, and the people all look to you. You work tirelessly, gaining even more popular support. The reason the Emperor sends people to inquire about you repeatedly is that he fears you might move Guanzhong. Now why not buy more fields and lands, and use low prices and loans to tarnish your own reputation? Then the Emperor’s heart will be at ease.” So the Chancellor followed his advice, and the Emperor was very pleased.

When the Emperor had pacified the army of Qing Bu and returned, the common people blocked the road and submitted a petition to the Emperor, stating that the Chancellor had forcibly purchased their fields and houses at low prices, amounting to several tens of millions in value. When the Emperor returned to the capital, the Chancellor came to pay his respects. The Emperor laughed and said, "So this is how the Chancellor 'benefits the people'!" He handed all the petitions to the Chancellor, saying, "You may go and apologize to the people yourself." The Chancellor then took the opportunity to plead on behalf of the people, saying, "The land around Chang'an is narrow, and the Shanglin Park contains much vacant land that has gone to waste. I hope you will allow the people to enter and cultivate it, leaving the stalks as fodder for the animals." The Emperor was greatly angered and said, "Chancellor, you have accepted many goods from merchants, and now you come to ask for my Shanglin Park on their behalf!" Thereupon he handed the Chancellor over to the Commandant of Justice, who put him in fetters and imprisoned him. After a few days, the Grandee Wang Wei, who was attending the Emperor, stepped forward and asked, "What great crime has the Chancellor committed, that Your Majesty has suddenly imprisoned him?" The Emperor said, "I have heard that when Li Si was Chancellor of the Qin dynasty, he attributed all good deeds to the ruler and took all blame upon himself. Now the Chancellor has accepted gold and silver from those treacherous merchants and come to ask for my Shanglin Park on their behalf, thereby currying favor with the people. That is why I have imprisoned him to punish him." The Grandee Wang Wei said, "If, within the scope of his duties, he finds something beneficial to the people and petitions the Emperor, that is indeed what a Chancellor ought to do. Why should Your Majesty suspect that the Chancellor has accepted money from merchants? Moreover, when Your Majesty was struggling against the Chu army for several years, and when Chen Xi and Qing Bu rebelled, Your Majesty personally led the army on punitive expeditions. At those times, the Chancellor remained behind to guard Guanzhong. If he had but stirred one foot, then everything west of Hangu Pass would no longer have been in Your Majesty's possession. The Chancellor did not seek personal gain at that time—would he now covet a little money from merchants? Furthermore, it was precisely because the Qin dynasty would not listen to its own faults that it lost the empire. The example of Li Si sharing blame is hardly worth emulating! Why does Your Majesty so shallowly distrust the Chancellor?" The Gaodi Emperor was most displeased. That very day, he sent an envoy bearing a talisman to pardon and release the Chancellor. The Chancellor, who was advanced in age and always reverent and cautious, entered the palace barefoot to beg forgiveness. The Gaodi Emperor said, "Let it be, Chancellor! The Chancellor petitioned on behalf of the people for the Shanglin Park, and I would not permit it. I am no better than a ruler like Jie of Xia or Zhou of Shang, while the Chancellor is a wise minister. I deliberately imprisoned the Chancellor to let the people know of my fault."

Xiao He had always been on bad terms with Cao Shen. When Xiao He fell gravely ill, the Xiaohui Emperor personally visited him and asked, "If you should pass away, who can succeed you?" Xiao He replied, "No one knows his subjects better than the ruler." The Xiaohui Emperor said, "What about Cao Shen?" Xiao He kowtowed and said, "Your Majesty has found the right man! I shall die without regret!"

When Xiao He purchased fields and houses, he always chose remote places, and when building a residence, he did not erect walls. He said, "If future descendants are worthy, let them learn from my frugality; if they are unworthy, they will not be dispossessed by powerful families."

In the second year of the Xiaohui Emperor, Chancellor Xiao He died and was given the posthumous title of Marquis Wenzhong.

His descendants, because of crimes, lost their marquisate for four generations. When the title was cut off, the Son of Heaven would always seek out Xiao He's descendants again and reinstate them as Marquis of Zuo. No other meritorious subject could compare with him.

The Grand Historian says: Chancellor Xiao was but a petty clerk handling documents in the Qin dynasty, ordinary and without outstanding achievement. When the Han arose, he relied on the sun-and-moon-like brilliance of the Emperor, cautiously guarded the key points of the state, conformed to the people's hatred of the harsh laws of Qin, and followed the current to abolish the old and establish the new together with the people. The Marquis of Huaiyin and Qing Bu were all executed, yet Xiao He's achievements shone brightly. His position towered above the ranks of officials, and his fame spread to later generations, worthy to be compared with Hong Yao and San Yisheng.

When Xiao He was a petty clerk, he was cultured and upright. When he came to assist the rising king, he led his entire clan to follow him to Pei County. Since Guanzhong was already secured, the transport of provisions depended on him. When the Han army was repeatedly exhausted, the soldiers from Qin lands would surely come to join. The laws he established could be enforced for a long time; the books he collected could accomplish great undertakings. He pointed out the tracks of wild beasts to the hunting dog—his merit was truly the greatest. His governance was called orderly and uniform, yet his dwelling was not extravagant. He continued the broken lines of enfeoffment and favored the diligent, thereby manifesting merit and inspiring later generations.