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He Qi
He Qi
賀齊
Governor of Xu Province (徐州牧); (nominal)
	In office; 223–227
Monarch	Sun Quan
General of the Rear (後將軍)
	In office; 223–227
Monarch	Sun Quan
General Who Stabilises the East (安東將軍)
	In office; 216–223
General of Uplifting Martial Might; (奮武將軍)
	In office; 213–216
Lieutenant-General (偏將軍)
	In office; ?–?
Administrator of Xindu (新都太守)
	In office; ?–?
General of the Household of Military Might; (威武中郎將)
	In office; 208–?
Colonel Who Pacifies the East (平東校尉)
	In office; 205–208
Commandant of the South District; (南部都尉)
	In office; 196–205
Preceded by	Han Yan
Personal details
Born	Unknown; Shaoxing, Zhejiang
Died	227
Relations	see He family of Kuaiji
Children	He Da; He Jing;
Parent	He Fu (father);
Occupation	General
Courtesy name	Gongmiao (公苗)
Peerage	Marquis of Shanyin; (山陰侯)

He Qi (died 227), courtesy name Gongmiao, was a military general serving under the warlords Sun Ce and Sun Quan during the late Eastern Han dynasty, and later in the state of Eastern Wu during the early Three Kingdoms period of China. He was especially noted for his extravagance and preference for equipping his troops with flashy weapons, armour and well-decorated ships. At the same time, he was also adept in dealing with the Shanyue tribes in Sun Quan's territories, having quelled several local uprisings by them over the years. His achievements secured the stability of the inner lands of Jiangdong and provided a strong foundation for the development of the Eastern Wu state. His campaigns in southern China also set a precedent for other generals serving under Sun Quan, such as Bu Zhi and Lü Dai. In his later years, He Qi participated in some battles against Wu's rival state, Wei, during which he seldom scored a victory.

Early life and career

He Qi was from Shanyin County (山陰縣), Kuaiji Commandery (會稽郡), which is around present-day Shaoxing, Zhejiang. His family name was originally "Qing" (慶), but his ancestors changed it to "He" (賀) to avoid naming taboo because "Qing" was the personal name of Liu Qing, the father of Liu Hu (Emperor An) (r. 106–125), the sixth emperor of the Eastern Han dynasty. His father, He Fu (賀輔), served as the Chief (長) of Yongning County (永寧縣), while his uncle, He Chun (賀純), served as the Administrator (太守) of Jiangxia Commandery (江夏郡) during the reign of Emperor An.^[1]^[2]

He Qi started his career in the 190s as a military officer in Yan County (剡縣), one of the counties in Kuaiji Commandery, which was then administered by the minor warlord Wang Lang. During his tenure, he suppressed several small-scale uprisings by the local tribes in the area. Around 196, when the warlord Sun Ce attacked the territories in the Jiangdong region, Wang Lang fled from Kuaiji Commandery. He Qi then came to serve under Sun Ce, who nominated him as a xiaolian (civil service candidate).^[3]

He Qi became a deputy to Han Yan (韓晏), the Commandant of the South District (南部都尉) under Sun Ce. Sun Ce then tasked Han Yan with pursuing Wang Lang, who had fled to Dongye County (東冶縣) and later to Houguan County (侯官縣). Shang Sheng (商升), the Chief of Houguan County, led the military forces in his county to support Wang Lang in resisting Sun Ce.^[4]

Subjugating southern counties

After Han Yan was killed in battle against Shang Sheng's forces, He Qi succeeded him and continued the mission of capturing Houguan County. Fearing He Qi's reputation, Shang Sheng surrendered, but one of his subordinates Zhang Ya (張雅) disagreed with him, killed him and took control of Houguan County. He Qi knew that Zhang Ya could not be easily defeated so he halted the attack and waited for an opportunity to strike. When Zhang Ya got into a quarrel with his son-in-law, He Qi sent spies into Houguan County to stir up greater conflict between them and seized the chance to attack Houguan County and defeat Zhang Ya and force his men to surrender. Even after Houguan County had been pacified, at the time there were numerous hostile forces in the southern counties which were unwilling to submit to Sun Ce's rule, such as the Shanyue tribes. He Qi decided to continue on a campaign against these hostile forces and force them to surrender.^[5]

When Sun Ce ordered the local leaders in the southern counties under his control to recruit 5,000 soldiers for He Qi, one of them refused to comply because he despised He Qi, who came from a lesser social background. After He Qi executed that leader for defying the order, the other leaders quickly complied. Within two years, He Qi had defeated most of the hostile forces and killed some 6,000 enemies in the battles.^[6]

After Sun Ce's death in 200, He Qi continued serving under Sun Quan, Sun Ce's younger brother and successor, who became the new warlord ruling over the territories in the Jiangdong region. By 205, He Qi had reestablished control over the southern counties and conscripted 10,000 men. During this time, he suggested to Sun Quan to split parts of Shangrao County (上饒縣) to form a new county, Jianping County (建平縣). Sun Quan agreed and appointed He Qi as Colonel Who Pacifies the East (平東校尉).^[7]

Fighting the Shanyue

In 208, Sun Quan appointed He Qi as General of the Household of Military Might (威武中郎將) and ordered him to deal with the Shanyue rebels in Danyang Commandery (丹陽郡). As He Qi and his troops advanced towards Yi and She counties, four villages along the way surrendered to him. The Baopuzi by Ge Hong mentioned a story, which said that the Shanyue attempted to use magic to stop He Qi. Their magic could make metal weapons useless and direct arrows back to the archers who fired them. Upon hearing this rumour, He Qi allegedly said, "I know that there are ways to block a sharp metal blade and that there are antidotes to counter snake venom. However, if we don't use metal blades and snake venom, then these countermeasures will have no effect." He then ordered his soldiers to arm themselves with wooden clubs against the enemies and defeated them.^[8]

After pacifying the Shanyue revolts, He Qi suggested to Sun Quan to reform the administrative districts in Danyang Commandery. Sun Quan then converted one village into a county, split Yi and She counties into smaller counties, and grouped several of them to form a new commandery, Xindu Commandery (新都郡). He then appointed He Qi as the Administrator (太守) of Xindu Commandery and promoted him to Lieutenant-General (偏將軍).^[9]

In 211, one Lang Zhi (郎稚) from Yuhang County (餘杭縣) succeeded in convincing a few thousand peasants to join the Shanyue tribes in rebelling against Sun Quan's rule. After He Qi suppressed the revolt, he advised Sun Quan to split Yuhang County into two counties. Sun Quan agreed. In 213, when some 10,000 people in Yuzhang Commandery (豫章郡) started a rebellion, He Qi quelled the revolt again and executed the rebel leaders. He then selected the strongest among the surrendered rebels to serve as soldiers and registered the others as citizens of Yuzhang Commandery. In recognition of He Qi's efforts, Sun Quan promoted him to General of Uplifting Martial Might (奮武將軍)^[10]

Later life

As He Qi gained greater fame from his successful subjugation of restless local tribes in the Jiangdong region, he started participating in some battles against Sun Quan's rival, Cao Cao, the warlord who controlled the central government of the Eastern Han dynasty in its final years. In 215, He Qi fought in the Battle of Xiaoyao Ford when Sun Quan led his forces to attack the heavily fortified Hefei, which was defended by Cao Cao's general Zhang Liao and others. Sun Quan's forces suffered a devastating defeat at the hands of Zhang Liao and his colleagues in the battle and barely managed to retreat alive. During the battle, one of Sun Quan's officers, Xu Sheng, apparently lost his long spear in the midst of the fighting. He Qi found Xu Sheng's spear by coincidence and returned it to him.^[11]

In 216, Cao Cao granted You Tu, a local leader in Poyang Commandery (鄱陽郡), the seal of authority and instigated him to start a rebellion. Three counties in Poyang Commandery responded to You Tu's call. In response, Sun Quan ordered He Qi and Lu Xun to suppress the rebellion, which they did and killed several thousands of rebels. After that, He Qi remained at the border along the Yangtze River between Sun Quan and Cao Cao's territories to guard against any enemy invasion.^[12]

After the end of the Eastern Han dynasty in 220, He Qi continued serving under Sun Quan, who became an autonomous ruler of his Eastern Wu regime in southern China. On the other hand, Cao Cao's son, Cao Pi, usurped the throne from the last Han emperor and established the Cao Wei state in northern China. Between 222 and 223, the Wu and Wei forces clashed at the Battle of Dongkou. The Wei forces led by Cao Xiu defeated the Wu navy led by Lü Fan which had just experienced a natural disaster and lost several ships. Just when the Wu forces were worried about Cao Xiu's impending attack, Wu reinforcements led by He Qi showed up at Dongkou. Since He Qi arrived behind schedule, his fleet was not affected by the storm which destroyed many of Lü Fan's ships. At the same time, as He Qi had a penchant for extravagance, his ships were all finely decorated and his troops were equipped with the best weapons. Cao Xiu was shocked when he saw He Qi's grandeur display of his refulgent fleet. Believing that the Wu fleet was more powerful, Cao Xiu ordered the Wei forces to retreat, thus sparing Lü Fan and his remaining forces from almost certain doom. When Sun Quan heard about this incident, he promoted He Qi to the position of General of the Rear (後將軍).^[13]

In June 223, Jin Zong (晋宗), a Wu military officer, defected to Wei and seized control of Qichun County (蕲春縣) through a mutiny. Sun Quan ordered He Qi and Hu Zong (胡綜) to lead troops, with Mi Fang, Xianyu Dan (鮮于丹) and Liu Shao (劉邵) as their subordinates, to attack Jin Zong and retake Qichun County. However, they decided to retreat due to the scorching weather and after failing to take Qichun County. At the time, Jin Zong lowered his guard, so the Wu forces seized the opportunity to launch a surprise attack. In the ensuing battle, He Qi captured Jin Zong alive and retook Qichun County. He died of illness in 227.^[14]

Family

He Qi had at least two sons: He Da (賀達) and He Jing (賀景).

In 233, when Sun Quan wanted to form an alliance with the Liaodong warlord Gongsun Yuan against Wei, he sent He Da as his representative to meet Gongsun Yuan. However, Gongsun Yuan betrayed him and executed He Da. He Da's son, He Zhi (賀質), served as a Tiger's Teeth General (虎牙將軍) in Wu.

He Jing served as a Colonel Who Destroys Bandits (滅賊校尉) in Wu. He had two sons: He Shao (賀邵)^[b] and He Hui (賀惠). He Shao rose to prominence in the later years of Wu before it was conquered by the Jin dynasty in 280. He Shao's son, He Xun (賀循),^[c] became a famous Confucian scholar during the Jin dynasty. He Hui served as the Prefect (令) of Wanling County (宛陵縣) in Wu.

Notes

^ He Qi's biography in the Sanguozhi recorded that he died four years after capturing the Wei general Jin Zong. According to the Zizhi Tongjian, Jin Zong was captured in 223. Therefore, He Qi died in the year 227.
^ He Shao (賀邵) has his own biography in Volume 65 of the Records of the Three Kingdoms.
^ He Xun (賀循) has his own biography in Volume 68 of the Book of Jin.

References

^ (賀齊字公苗，會稽山陰人也。) Sanguozhi vol. 60.
^ (虞預晉書曰：賀氏本姓慶氏。齊伯父純，儒學有重名，漢安帝時為侍中、江夏太守，去官，與江夏黃瓊、（漢中）〔廣漢〕楊厚俱公車徵。避安帝父孝德皇（帝）諱，改為賀氏。齊父輔，永寧長。)Yu Yu’s Jinshu annotation in Sanguozhi vol. 52.
^ (少為郡吏，守剡長。縣吏斯從輕俠為姦，齊欲治之，主簿諫曰：「從，縣大族，山越所附，今日治之，明日寇至。」齊聞大怒，便立斬從。從族黨遂相糾合，眾千餘人，舉兵攻縣。齊率吏民，開城門突擊，大破之，威震山越。後太末、豐浦民反，轉守太末長，誅惡養善，期月盡平。建安元年，孫策臨郡，察齊孝廉。) Sanguozhi vol. 60.
^ (時王朗奔東冶，候官長商升為朗起兵。策遣永寧長韓晏領南部都尉，將兵討升，以齊為永寧長。) Sanguozhi vol. 60.
^ (晏為升所敗，齊又代晏領都尉事。升畏齊威名，遣使乞盟。齊因告喻，為陳禍福，升遂送上印綬，出舍求降。賊帥張雅、詹彊等不願升降，反共殺升，雅稱無上將軍，彊稱會稽太守。賊盛兵少，未足以討，齊住軍息兵。雅與女婿何雄爭勢兩乖，齊令越人因事交構，遂致疑隙，阻兵相圖。齊乃進討，一戰大破雅，彊黨震懼，率眾出降。) Sanguozhi vol. 60.
^ (蕃本與齊鄰城，恥見部伍，辭不肯留。齊乃斬蕃，於是軍中震慄，無不用命。遂分兵留備，進討明等，連大破之。臨陳斬明，其免、當、進、御皆降。轉擊蓋竹，軍向大潭，將又降。凡討治斬首六千級,) Sanguozhi vol. 60.
^ (名帥盡禽，復立縣邑，料出兵萬人，拜為平東校尉。十年，轉討上饒，分以為建平縣。) Sanguozhi vol. 60.
^ (十三年，遷威武中郎將，討丹陽黟、歙。時武彊、葉鄉、東陽、豐浦四鄉先降，齊表言以葉鄉為始新縣。而歙賊帥金奇萬戶屯安勒山，毛甘萬戶屯烏聊山，黟帥陳僕、祖山等二萬戶屯林歷山。林歷山四面壁立，高數十丈，徑路危狹，不容刀楯，賊臨高下石，不可得攻。軍住經日，將吏患之。齊身出周行，觀視形便，陰募輕捷士，為作鐵弋，密於隱險賊所不備處，以弋拓（斬山）〔塹〕為緣道，夜令潛上，乃多縣布以援下人，得上百數人，四面流布，俱鳴鼓角，齊勒兵待之。賊夜聞鼓聲四合，謂大軍悉已得上，驚懼惑亂，不知所為，守路備險者，皆走還依眾。大軍因是得上，大破僕等，其餘皆降，凡斬首七千。) Sanguozhi vol. 60.
^ (齊復表分歙為新定、黎陽、休陽。并黟、歙，凡六縣，權遂割為新都郡，齊為太守，立府於始新，加偏將軍。) Sanguozhi vol. 60.
^ (十六年，吳郡餘杭民郎稚合宗起賊，復數千人，齊出討之，即復破稚，表言分餘杭為臨水縣。十八年，豫章東部民彭材、李玉、王海等起為賊亂，眾萬餘人。齊討平之，誅其首惡，餘皆降服。揀其精健為兵，次為縣戶。遷奮武將軍。) Sanguozhi vol. 60.
^ (二十年，從權征合肥。時城中出戰，徐盛被創失矛，齊中兵拒擊，得盛所失。) Sanguozhi vol. 60.
^ (二十一年，鄱陽民尤突受曹公印綬，化民為賊，陵陽、始安、涇縣皆與突相應。齊與陸遜討破突，斬首數千，餘黨震服，丹楊三縣皆降，料得精兵八千人。拜安東將軍，封山陰侯，出鎮江上，督扶州以上至皖。) Sanguozhi vol. 60.
^ (黃武初，魏使曹休來伐，齊以道遠後至，因住新市為拒。會洞口諸軍遭風流溺，所亡中分，將士失色，賴齊未濟，偏軍獨全，諸將倚以為勢。齊性奢綺，尤好軍事，兵甲器械極為精好，所乘船雕刻丹鏤，青蓋絳襜，干櫓戈矛，葩瓜文畫，弓弩矢箭，咸取上材，蒙衝鬥艦之屬，望之若山。休等憚之，遂引軍還。遷後將軍，假節領徐州牧。) Sanguozhi vol. 60.
^ (初，晉宗為戲口將，以眾叛如魏，還為蘄春太守，圖襲安樂，取其保質。權以為恥忿，因軍初罷，六月盛夏，出其不意，詔齊督麋芳、鮮于丹等襲蘄春，遂生虜宗。後四年卒，子達及弟景皆有令名，為佳將。) Sanguozhi vol. 60.

Chen, Shou (3rd century). Records of the Three Kingdoms (Sanguozhi).
de Crespigny, Rafe (1990). Generals of the South: The Foundation and Early History of the Three Kingdoms State of Wu. Canberra: Faculty of Asian Studies, Australian National University. ISBN 0731509013.
Pei, Songzhi (5th century). Annotations to Records of the Three Kingdoms (Sanguozhi zhu).
Sima, Guang (1084). Zizhi Tongjian.