He Yong (Han dynasty)

He Yong was born in Nanyang in Jing province. As a young man in the 160s, he attended the Imperial University, though its status as an educational institution was in decline. However, the University had become a centre for political protest, and he made a reputation for himself as a judge of talent. He made friends with influential figures like Guo Tai (郭泰) and Jia Biao (賈彪), leading talent assessors and opponents of the eunuchs favoured at court. Gaining a reputation, he also made friends with leading anti-eunuch figures at the court, like the Grand Tutor Chen Fan and Director of Retainers Li Ying (李膺). He also met and admired the future warlord Cao Cao remarking “The Han house will fall. The one who can pacify the empire must be this man.” A useful endorsement for Cao Cao though Carl Leban raises questions about how similar this sort of comment is to other figures about Cao Cao. and predicted he had the talent to serve a king. == Exile ==

In 168, Chen Fan was made Grand Tutor to the new Emperor Ling and soon he and his allies sought to remove the eunuchs, but their plot was slow, they were outmanoeuvred, and they were destroyed. In 169, the eunuchs persuaded the young Emperor to restart the Prohibitions, purging their opponents including at the Imperial University via charges of faction. Many (including Li Ying) would be killed or driven into exile; all accused were banned from office till 184. He Yong was a prominent enough figure that he had to flee to Runan back in his home Jing Province under a false identity. He Yong was a figure who, wherever he was, built close ties with those from leading families and he quickly built support as he befriended fellow exiles. He Yong would work with and befriend the wealthy future warlord Yuan Shao to run escape lines for those at risk in the capital, often travelling into the capital Luoyang himself, despite the personal risk. However, this gained He Yong the enmity of the adventurer and future warlord Yuan Shu, Yuan Shao's sibling-turned-cousin and rival. Yuan Shu attacked He Yong's record as a judge of talent, questionable friends and being greedy when others needed help and once even vowed he would kill He Yong but others rebuked Yuan Shu, who was persuaded that it was better to show good treatment to a man like He Yong. == Service at Han court ==

In 184 with the Yellow Turban Rebellion causing alarm, Emperor Ling agreed to end the Partisan Prohibitions and, with his exile and ban now over, He Yong was recruited into the office of the Excellency of Works. He Yong was an active planner, but others serving the Three Excellencies felt his plans could not be implemented. Upon the death of Emperor Ling, the General-in-Chief He Jin, brother to the Empress Dowager He, recruited He Yong to his service. He Yong became Adjutant of the Northern Army, putting He Yong in charge of discipline of the Northern Army, the professional defence force at the capital that was a key part of He Jin's authority. In 189, He Jin was assassinated and in the ensuing chaos, the general Dong Zhuo seized power. The new controller of the Han admired He Yong's reputation so offered He Yong a position on his staff as Chief Clerk but He Yong refused on grounds of ill-health. == Death ==

After Dong Zhuo retreated to Chang'an, many plots were formed against the brutal ruler. He Yong would be involved, but there is some confusion as to which plots he was involved with. The Sanguozhi places him in a plot with Xun You, Zheng Tai, Wu Qiong and Zhong Ji, He Yong's entry in the Hou Hanshu puts him in a plot with the Excellencies Xun Shuang and Wang Yun. Howard Goodman suggests this burial shows He Yong and Xun Shuang were very close and Xun Yu wished to provide proper memorial care for He Yong. ==References==