In the second and third chapters of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, He Jin, as the Grand General and Imperial Uncle, held the initiative to exterminate the eunuchs but consistently hesitated and vacillated. Ultimately, he was killed by eunuchs but what’s worse, by summoning external troops to the capital, he ignited the chaos in Luoyang, the imperial power thus fell into the hands of Dongzhuo, the nation descended into turmoil, and the era of warlord melee officially began.
He Jin had made significant contributions in suppressing the Yellow Turban Uprising, demonstrating strong military leadership. However, why was He Jin so merciful and indecisive toward the eunuchs?
Humble origins and Dependence on eunuchs: A burden of “Gratitude”
He Jin was originally a butcher from Nanyang. His rise to prominence occurred only after his sister, Lady He, was made empress, eventually leading to his appointment as Grand General. The eunuchs, particularly Guo Sheng (one of the “Ten Regular Attendants” and a fellow townsman with close ties to He Jin), had helped his sister win favor in the palace, assisted her in eliminating her rival Lady Wang in palace intrigues, and aided He Jin’s own promotions.
As Zhang Rang interrogated before killing He Jin:
Their henchmen in place, Zhang Rang and Duan Gui accosted He Jin from both sides at the Gate of Praiseworthy Virtue. In a stern tone Zhang Rang read out a list of charges to the astounded regent: “For what crime did you poison Empress Dong? How could you miss the services for the nation’s mother on the pretext of illness? You came from a family of butchers; your recommendation to the throne came from us; and through us you rose to power and glory. But now you conspire against us, forgetting the duties and the thanks you owe. Who is so pure, tell me, if we are as corrupt as you say?”
— Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Chapter 3
Internal divisions among maternal relatives
Empress He had long been flattered by the eunuchs and relied on and trusted them, opposing their execution. Furthermore, the eunuch group sowed discord between Empress He and He Jin, claiming that He Jin threatened the emperor’s power. Empress He believed the eunuchs’ slander, fearing that once the eunuch group was eradicated, there would be no force left to check her brother He Jin’s power. Additionally, He Jin’s brother He Miao and his mother, Lady Wuyang, also opposed his plan to eliminate the eunuchs.
Lack of strategic decisiveness
Although scholar-officials like Yuan Shao and Cao Cao superficially supported He Jin’s plan to kill the eunuchs, their true intention was to use He Jin to eliminate the eunuchs while simultaneously weakening the power of maternal relatives. Perhaps He Jin failed to see through this “using other’s hands to do the dirty work” scheme, or perhaps he wavered between the eunuch group and the scholar class.
Most fatally, he did not discern and adopt Cao Cao’s rational advice but instead followed Yuan Shao’s radical suggestion, amplifying risks and forcing He Jin into an extremely dangerous situation.
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