In the narrative of the late Eastern Han Dynasty in Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Dou Wu (mentioned in the first chapter) and He Jin (a core figure in the second chapter), both serving as “Grand General”, aimed to exterminate the eunuchs but were ultimately killed by them.
Dou Wu was Emperor Huan’s father-in-law, and He Jin was Emperor Ling’s brother-in-law. Both held the position of Grand General, a role traditionally and unofficially reserved for the emperor’s maternal relatives. As the second most powerful figure in the empire after the emperor, the Grand General wielded immense authority. Yet both Dou Wu and He Jin failed and were killed in their attempts to eliminate the eunuchs. Today, we analyze these two political struggles to determine whether the repeated defeats of high-ranking officials by eunuchs were historical coincidences or inevitabilities.
The practical power dilemma of the Grand General
To understand their tragedies, one must first recognize the practical power dilemma of the Grand General position in the late Eastern Han Dynasty. Although it was the highest military rank, theoretically commanding all imperial forces, under the context of “eunuch monopolization of power and the emperor being a puppet,” the Grand General’s actual power entirely depended on whether they could control the imperial authority, mobilize the imperial guards, and unite the outer court. Dou Wu and He Jin both had fatal flaws in all three aspects.
Dependence on imperial authority
After Emperor He of the Eastern Han Dynasty, emperors often ascended the throne as minors (e.g., Emperor Ling was only 12 when Dou Wu was in power; Emperor Shao was 14 during He Jin’s time). Imperial authority was exercised by maternal relatives or eunuchs. Although the Grand General often acted as regent due to their maternal relative status (Dou Wu was the father of Emperor Ling’s empress; He Jin was the brother of Emperor Shao’s empress), regent power was essentially an extension of imperial authority. If the emperor (or eunuchs) revoked this authorization, the Grand General would instantly lose the legitimacy to deploy troops and make decisions in the capital and court.
Loss of control over the imperial guards
The imperial guards were the core military force in the capital, long infiltrated by the eunuch group. Through bribing generals and placing cronies, eunuchs effectively controlled the capital’s defense. Although the Grand General nominally commanded the entire army, mobilizing the imperial guards required the emperor’s seal, which was often kept by eunuchs—this prevented Dou Wu and He Jin from deploying the capital’s core forces.
Instability of the outer court Scholar-officials Class
Outer court scholar-officials (e.g., Chen Fan, Yuan Shao) had sharp conflicts with the eunuch group and were willing to cooperate with the Grand General to exterminate the eunuchs. However, the scholar-officials class valued reputation over action and was divided internally (e.g., strategic differences between Yuan Shao and Cao Cao). At critical moments, they often hesitated due to risk concerns, failing to provide steadfast military support to the Grand General.
Dou Wu’s Strategic Mistakes
Although Dou Wu allied with high-ranking officials like Chen Fan, the scholar-officials group acted slowly. Chen Fan advised swiftly killing the eunuchs, but Dou Wu insisted on first petitioning the emperor, then eliminating the eunuchs according to law, attempting to demonstrate legitimacy through procedural justice. However, the petition was intercepted by eunuchs, completely leaking the plan.
Dou Wu tried to mobilize the capital’s imperial guards to suppress the eunuchs, but most guard generals were eunuchs’ allies. They instead send troops to attack Dou Wu and his force. Dou Wu could only rely on his private soldiers to resist, ultimately committing suicide due to overwhelming enemy numbers. Chen Fan was also arrested and killed by eunuchs.
Dou Wu’s tragedy proves that under the situation of eunuchs controlling the imperial guards and hijacking imperial authority, a strategy of relying on procedural justice and loose alliances to exterminate eunuchs was tantamount to suicide.
He Jin’s Strategic Mistakes
He Jin, as Grand General during Emperor Ling’s final years (second chapter of Romance of the Three Kingdoms), became the leader of maternal relatives due to his sister being Empress He. He allied with scholar-officials like Yuan Shao and Cao Cao to plot against the “Ten Regular Attendants” but was ultimately killed by the eunuchs. The core of his failure was his indecisive character: wanting to exterminate eunuchs but fearing to offend Empress He, while underestimating the eunuchs’ cruelty, ambition and capabilities.
He Jin’s greatest weakness was that his sibling relationship with Empress He was exploited by eunuchs. Empress He had once been deposed by Emperor Ling for poisoning Lady Wang but was reinstated after bribing the Ten Regular Attendants. Hence, she felt grateful to the eunuchs and firmly opposed He Jin’s plan to exterminate them all. The eunuch group seized this contradiction, constantly insinuating to Empress He that He Jin’s goal was to monopolize power and threaten her and her son, the Emperor Shao.
He Jin’s fatal error was misbelieving that eunuchs, lacking troops and influence, would not dare attack him. Consequently, he was tricked into entering the palace alone and killed by eunuchs.
He Jin’s tragedy is more ironic than Dou Wu’s: Dou Wu failed due to insufficient preparation, while He Jin failed despite holding advantages but succumbing to character flaws. He possessed maternal relative status, outer court support, and even external warlord reinforcements but died at the hands of the eunuchs he despised. It is his indecisiveness and underestimating the enemy, making it the most regrettable political tragedy of the late Han Dynasty.
Impact of the Tragedies
The failures of Dou Wu and He Jin were not merely personal deaths but the loss of the final opportunity for the outer court to balance against the eunuchs, directly accelerating the arrival of the chaotic late Han era.
- After Dou Wu’s Failure: The scholar-officials group completely lost power, and eunuch monopolization of power further consolidated, setting the stage for the “Yellow Turban Uprising” (as civilians, oppressed by eunuchs, joined the Yellow Turban Army in droves).
- After He Jin’s Failure: Directly triggered Dong Zhuo’s entry into the capital. After He Jin’s death, scholars like Yuan Shao and Cao Cao entered the palace and killed all eunuchs, but the capital was left with a power vacuum. Dong Zhuo seized the opportunity to lead troops into the capital, depose the old and install the new emperors, burn Luoyang, and open the era of warlord separatism and nationwide chaos, ultimately leading to the complete collapse of the Eastern Han Dynasty.
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