1. Xiao He was a Chinese calligrapher and politician of the early Western Han dynasty.
25 Facts About Xiao He
1. 2.
Xiao He was born in Fengyi County, Sishui Commandery.
3.
Xiao He was well versed in law and had a wide network of friends and acquaintances, among whom include Liu Bang, Cao Shen, Fan Kuai, Xiahou Ying and Zhou Bo.
4.
Xiao He hid in an outlaw stronghold on Mount Mangdang and maintained secret contact with Xiao Xiao He and Cao Shen.
5.
Xiao He was in charge of the process and he had the names of ten respectable men in town, including Liu Bang, written on separate pieces of paper and shuffled.
6.
Xiao He then asked Liu Bang to pick any piece from the pile, without seeing the name on it, and Liu picked his own name by chance.
7.
Liu Bang looked at Xiao He and wanted to decline again.
8.
Xiao He immediately grabbed the remaining pieces of paper, put them into his mouth and chewed them to shreds, after which he proclaimed Liu Bang as their leader.
9.
Xiao He then brought a few men with him to collect all official documents in the office and bring them out safely.
10.
Xiao He later explained that the documents were more valuable than riches and women, because they contained crucial information about the Qin Empire and would be useful in intelligence.
11.
Xiao He was appointed by Liu Bang as the chancellor of the Han kingdom.
12.
When Xiao He learnt that Han Xin had left, he immediately rushed to find Han and bring him back, without managing to inform Liu Bang in time.
13.
Xiao He caught up with Han Xin after trailing him for a few days, even at night, and succeeded in persuading Han to return.
14.
Meanwhile, Liu Bang thought that Xiao He had deserted him and was shocked, but was relieved when he saw Xiao returning with Han Xin days later.
15.
Xiao He governed those territories effectively and provided support to Liu Bang's army at the warfront in the form of supplies, provisions and reinforcements.
16.
Xiao He was proclaimed "Emperor" and became historically known as "Emperor Gaozu of Han".
17.
Two years later, the project was completed and Xiao He took Gaozu on a tour of Xianyang.
18.
Empress Lu approached Xiao He for help and they formulated a plan to lure Han Xin into a trap.
19.
Xiao He had an imperial edict sent to Han Xin, announcing news of Gaozu's victory over Chen Xi, asking Han to meet the emperor and offer his congratulations.
20.
In 195 BC, Xiao He saw that Chang'an was becoming more congested and the imperial garden was full of uncultivated land, hence he suggested to Gaozu to carve out parts of the garden and grant them to peasants as farmland.
21.
Gaozu was unhappy and accused Xiao He of accepting bribes and dishonouring imperial authority.
22.
Xiao He was arrested and imprisoned, but was released later after Gaozu was convinced that Xiao He had the people's interests at heart.
23.
Cao Shen inherited the system of governance left behind by Xiao He and maintained it well but did not implement any new changes.
24.
Xiao He is one of the 32 historical figures who appear as special characters in the video game Romance of the Three Kingdoms XI by Koei.
25.
Xiao He appears as a non-playable character in the action RPG Prince of Qin.