He Jin
| He Jin | |
|---|---|
| Regent of Eastern Han Dynasty | |
| Born | Unknown |
| Died | 22 September 189 |
| Names | |
| Traditional Chinese | 何進 |
| Simplified Chinese | 何进 |
| Pinyin | Hé Jìn |
| Wade–Giles | Ho Chin |
| Courtesy name | Suigao (遂高) |
He Jin (died 22 September 189),courtesy name Suigao, was the elder half-brother of Empress He, consort to Emperor Ling of the late Eastern Han Dynasty in China. He shared power with his sister as regents in 189, following the death of Emperor Ling. In the ensuing struggle with the influential eunuch faction for power, He Jin was assassinated. His death allowed Dong Zhuo to seize military control over the capital Luoyang and take control of the imperial court. The subsequent breakdown of central command brought forth the beginning of massive civil wars which led to the formation of the era known as the Three Kingdoms.
He Jin was born into a family of butchers in Nanyang, hometown of the dynastic founder Emperor Guangwu. During the reign of Emperor Ling his younger half-sister entered the palace and soon became one of the emperor's favourites. In 180, she was made empress and He Jin henceforth began a speedy escalation up the bureaucratic ladder.
When the Yellow Turban Rebellion erupted in 184, He Jin was made General-in-Chief (大將軍). He manned the imperial armory, secured strategic forts around the capital and moved quickly to crush the uprising at Luoyang led by Ma Yuanyi, a follower of the Yellow Turban leader, Zhang Jue. The campaign was deemed a success and He Jin was enfeoffed as "Marquis Shen" (慎侯), literally meaning the cautious marquis. After the rebellion was quelled, He Jin continued in the role of Commander-in-chief, technically with control over all the imperial armies. During this time, other members of his family, such as his younger half-brother He Miao (何苗), were also elevated to positions of importance.
In 188, perhaps as a counterweight to the power of the He clan, Emperor Ling created the Army of the Western Garden. The emperor ostentatiously paraded in front of the army and had himself named "Supreme General" (無上將軍). The emperor also had the army placed under the command of Jian Shuo, a trusted eunuch. By commanding the Army of the Western Garden, the emperor could put He Jin under his own command.
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