Xiahou He

Xiahou He
夏侯和
Minister of the Household (光祿勳)
In office early 270s (early 270s) – ? (?)
Monarch	Emperor Wu of Jin
Minister of Ceremonies (太常)
In office ? (?)–? (?)
Monarch	?
Intendant of Henan (河南尹)
In office 272? (272?) – before 274 (before 274)
Monarch	Emperor Wu of Jin[1]
Personal details
Born	between 207 and 219[2]
Died	Unknown
Parent	Xiahou Yuan (father)
Occupation	Military general, politician
Courtesy name	Yiquan (義權)

In this Chinese name, the family name is Xiahou.

Xiahou He (fl.220 - 274^[3]), courtesy name Yiquan, was a Chinese military general and politician of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China.

Life

Xiahou He was the seventh son of Xiahou Yuan, a general who served under Cao Cao, the warlord who laid the foundation for the Cao Wei state in the late Eastern Han dynasty before the Three Kingdoms period. He served in various positions in the Cao Wei government, including Intendant of Henan (河南尹) and Minister of Ceremonies (太常). He also served as a Left Major (左司馬) and an Attendant (侍郎) under Sima Zhao, the Wei regent.

In March 264, the Wei general Zhong Hui started a rebellion in the former territories of Wei's rival state Shu Han after helping Wei conquer them in the previous year. At the time, Xiahou He had been appointed by the Wei government as an emissary to visit Zhong Hui in Chengdu, the former capital of Shu, so he used his imperial authority to command the Wei military forces to aid in the suppression of Zhong Hui's rebellion. He was later enfeoffed as a district marquis (鄉侯) for his contributions.

Xiahou He continued serving under the Jin dynasty (266–420), which replaced the Cao Wei state, and held the position of Minister of the Household (光祿勳) in the Jin government during the reign of Emperor Wu of Jin.

Between August 272 and 274,^[4] while Xiahou He was still Intendant of Henan, Emperor Wu fell gravely ill, and the Jin court considered making Emperor Wu's younger brother Sima You the next emperor, rather than Emperor Wu's son and crown prince Sima Zhong. Xiahou told Jia Chong, "Your relations with both sons-in-law are equal. A heir should be chosen based on his virtues." Jia did not comment on the statement; after Emperor Wu heard about the incident, he moved Xiahou to the post of Minister of the Household, and deprived Jia of his military powers, while allowing Jia to retain his titles and treatment in court.^[5]

See also

• Lists of people of the Three Kingdoms

References

1. Jia Chong's biography in vol.40 of Book of Jin recorded that Xiahou He was shifted to the post of Minister of the Household from Intendant of Henan after Emperor Wu knew about Xiahou's conversation with Jia regarding Sima You's eligibility as crown prince. Note that both You and Sima Zhong (the later Emperor Hui of Jin) were Jia's sons-in-law. Vol.79 of Zizhi Tongjian recorded that the Intendant of Henan in 268 was Du Yu, while Yu Chun (庾純) held the post in 271-272.
2. Although Xiahou He's birth year was not recorded, it should be between 207 (where his elder brother Xiahou Rong was born) and 219 (where his father died).
3. Vol.26 of Book of Jin recorded that as Minister of the Household, Xiahou He recommended the construction of three canals in 274 (10th year of the Tai'shi era). ([泰始]十年，光禄勋夏侯和上修新渠、富寿、游陂三渠，凡溉田千五百顷。). This was the last reference to Xiahou in historical records.
4. According to the chronology of Jia Chong's biography in Book of Jin, the incident between him and Xiahou He took place after he was made sikong. According to Emperor Wu's biography in the same work, Jia Chong was made sikong in c.August 272. ([泰始八年]秋七月，以车骑将军贾充为司空。); the month corresponds to 11 Aug to 9 Sep 272 in the Julian calendar. Vol.26 of the same work indicated that by 274, Xiahou He was already Minister of the Household. Thus, the incident must have happened between Aug 272 and 274. Vol.80 of Zizhi Tongjian dated this incident to 276 (2nd year of the Xian'ning era). While Emperor Wu's biography in Book of Jin did record that he was gravely ill in that year, if both Jin Shu and Tongjian were correct, it would mean that Xiahou He was first Minister of the Household in 274, then became Intendant of Henan before becoming Minister of the Household again after the incident.
5. (初，帝疾笃，朝廷属意於攸。河南尹夏侯和谓充曰：“卿二女婿，亲疏等耳，立人当立德。”充不答。及是，帝闻之，徙和光禄勋，乃夺充兵权，而位遇无替。) Book of Jin, vol.40

• Chen, Shou (3rd century). Records of the Three Kingdoms (Sanguozhi).
• Pei, Songzhi (5th century). Annotations to Records of the Three Kingdoms (Sanguozhi zhu).