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He Chong (292 – 21 February 346), courtesy name Cidao, was a Chinese minister of the Eastern Jin dynasty. After the death of Prime Minister Wang Dao in September 339, He Chong became one of Emperor Cheng of Jin's most influential advisors. He Chong feuded with the imperial uncles, Yu Bing and Yu Yi over the successions of Emperor Cheng and Emperor Kang, as He Chong backed the emperors' respective sons to take the throne while the Yu brothers supported their nephews. In 345, following the deaths of the Yu brothers, He Chong played an instrumental role in Huan Wen's rise to power when he recommended him to succeed Yu Yi's position of Inspector of Jingzhou.

Life

Early life and career

He Chong hailed from Qian County (灊縣; northeast of present-day Huoshan County, Anhui) in Lujiang Commandery (廬江郡; around present-day Lu'an, Anhui) and was renowned for his writings and virtue. He first served as a secretary of Sima Rui's commander, Wang Dun. Wang Dun had a brother named Wang Han (王含), the Prefect of Lujiang. Wang Han was notoriously corrupt, but Wang Dun once praised him in front of his officials. He said, "My brother is an excellent official in his commandery. The people of Lujiang adore him." Hearing his statement, He Chong openly and sternly replied, "I am from Lujiang myself, and what I've heard is different." Wang Dun could not respond to this but was resentful towards He Chong and had him demoted. After Wang Dun died in August 324, He Chong became an Imperial Secretariat.

He Chong had strong ties in the Jin administration. His mother was an elder sister of Cao Shu (曹淑), the wife of the prominent minister Wang Dao while his wife was the younger sister of Emperor Ming's empress, Yu Wenjun, and brother-in-law, Yu Liang. Because he was on good terms with Wang Dao and Emperor Ming, he managed to secure a high-ranking position early in his career. After Emperor Cheng ascended the throne in 325, He Chong became an Attendant Gentleman of the Yellow Gate. He sided with the loyalist coalition during Su Jun's rebellion between 328 and 329. For helping in the fight against Su Jun, he became Marquis of Dunxiang and a Cavalier In Regular Attendance.

He Chong successively serves as Prefect of Dongyang, General Who Establishes Might and Prefect of Kuaiji. In Kuaiji, He Chong became noted for his virtuous administration and recommendation of talents such as Xie Feng (謝奉) and Wei Yi (魏顗). Both Wang Dao and Yu Liang were impressed with his performance, so the two urged Emperor Cheng to promote him. He Chong rose to Minister of Personnel and Champion General, holding command of the army in Kuaiji. Before Wang Dao died in 339, he told Emperor Cheng to use He Chong as his advisor. After Wang Dao's death, the Emperor made He Chong the General Who Protects The Army and Manager of the Affairs of the Masters of Writing.

Succession of Emperor Cheng and Emperor Kang

Emperor Cheng was deathly ill in 342, and there were debates over who should succeed him. His sons, Sima Pi and Sima Yi were both still infants. Yu Liang's brothers, Yu Yi and Yu Bing held considerable influence within the state as uncles of Emperor Cheng. They worry that if one of Cheng's sons succeeds him, their ties to the throne become distant, allowing another family with closer blood ties to the emperor to take their place. Yu Bing advocated for his nephew and Emperor Cheng's brother, Sima Yue, to succeed him, but He Chong opposed this. He remonstrated to Yu Bing that the role of the emperor should be passed down to the emperor's son if possible, but Yu Bing ignored him.

Sima Yue ascended the throne and became later known as Emperor Kang of Jin, with He Chong and Yu Bing serving as his advisors. After his ascension, Emperor Kang thanked He Chong for allowing him to take the throne, but He Chong told him, "Your Majesty could only soar like a dragon thanks to Yu Bing. If I had been listened to, you would never have reached such heights." Emperor Kang felt ashamed because of this. Emperor Kang later made Chong General of Agile Cavalry, Chief Controller of Xuzhou and Jinling in Yangzhou, and Inspector of Xuzhou. Chong moved himself to Jingkou to avoid confrontation with the Yu brothers.

In 343, Yu Yi held a northern expedition against Jin's rival state, Later Zhao. Yu Bing requested the court to relocate him to Wuchang so that he could support his brother, which they permitted. However, after Yu Bing left the capital, the court summoned He Chong back and appointed him Chief Controller of Yangzhou, Yuzhou and Langya in Xuzhou. They also assigned him acting Inspector of Yangzhou, Chief of the Palace Secretariat and Manager of the Affairs of the Masters of Writing.

A familiar scene arose in 344 as Emperor Kang grew ill. Yu Yi and Yu Bing suggested that the Prince of Kuaji and their nephew, Sima Yu take the throne, as the emperor's son, Sima Dan, was still a child. However, He Chong approached Emperor Kang and successfully persuaded him to make Sima Dan his heir. Emperor Kang died shortly after, and Sima Dan ascended the throne, later known as Emperor Mu. Because of this, the Yu brothers hated He Chong. After the emperor's ascension, He Chong kept his role as Chief of the Palace Secretariat and Manager of the Affairs of the Masters of Writing. However, He Chong placed more importance on the latter position, so he voluntarily relinquished the former and became a Palace Attendant.

Elevating Chu Pou and Huan Wen

He Chong believed that Chu Pou, father of the Empress Dowager, Chu Suanzi, should hold more prominent offices in the capital. He Chong started a petition to relieve Chu Pou from border command and have Chu Pou serve as his assistant. The court appointed Chu Pou as Palace Attendant, Guard General and Manager of the Affairs of the Masters of Writing while allowing him to keep his current offices. However, Chu Pou feared that some court ministers would accuse him of exploiting the court since he was Emperor Mu's grandfather, so he asked to remain at the border. The court agreed and instead appointed him Guard General, Inspector of Xuzhou and Yangzhou and stationed him in Jingkou.

Yu Bing died in 344, and Yu Yi died in 345. Yu Yi had been in command of Jin's western borders in Jingzhou for some time and was supposed to be succeeded by his son Yu Yuanzhi (庾爰之). The court favoured this, but He Chong thought that Yu Yuanzhi was too young and inexperienced to defend a vital region such as Jingzhou. He instead recommended Yu Yi's subordinate, Huan Wen, who he claimed had more calibre, to take the task. He Chong was confident that Yuanzhi would be willing to give up his position to Huan Wen. Indeed, as Huan Wen succeeded Yu Yi, Yu Yuanzhi did not object and was relocated with his brother Yu Fangzhi (庾方之) to Yuzhang (豫章郡; around present-day Nanchang, Jiangxi).

He Chong died at the age of 55 (by East Asian reckoning) in February 346. The court posthumously appointed him Minister of Works and named him Duke of Wenmu. As he had no children, his nephew He Fang (何放) succeeded him.

Character

He Chong was a subject of both praise and criticism during his time. Although Chong was a prominent minister, he had no actual power to carry out reforms and sort out the government. However, he was dedicated to his work and refused to practice nepotism. He often chose capable officials over him and his family members to carry out offices, such as in the case of Huan Wen. On the other hand, some also accused him of surrounding himself with mediocre and untrustworthy people.

He Chong was an ardent Buddhist and loved giving a large portion of his wealth to monks and temples. On the contrary, he also refused to give his wealth to his family members and friends who struggled financially. He Chong's attitude attracted criticism and mockery from his Confucianist peers. Ruan Yu (阮裕) once taunted He Chong by telling him, "Your ambition is greater than the universe. Your bravery surpasses all time." When He Chong asked what he meant, Ruan Yu said, "I painted a county of thousand households, which I did not even get yet. You want to attain Buddhahood. Is this not much more enormous?" While He Chong and his brother, He Zhun (何準), were obsessed with Buddhism, another pair of brothers, Xi Yin and Xi Tan were adamant followers of the Way of the Celestial Masters. Xie Wan once mocked them by saying, "The two Xis flattered Dao. The two Hes flatter Buddhism."

References

1. (父睿，安丰太守。) Jin Shu, vol. 77
2. According to Sima Dan's biography in Book of Jin, He Chong died on the jimao day of the 1st month of the 2nd year of the Yonghe era of his reign. This corresponds to 21 Feb 346 in the Julian calendar. Jin Shu, vol.08
3. (何充，字次道，廬江灊人，魏光祿大夫禎之曾孫也。祖惲，豫州刺史。父睿，安豐太守。充風韻淹雅，文義見稱。初辟大將軍王敦掾，轉主簿。敦兄含時為廬江郡，貪污狼藉，敦嘗於座中稱曰：「家兄在郡定佳，廬江人士咸稱之。」充正色曰：「充即廬江人，所聞異於此。」敦默然。傍人皆為之不安，充晏然自若。由是忤敦，左遷東海王文學，尋屬敦敗，累遷中書侍郎。) Book of Jin, Volume 77
4. (<王氏谱>曰：导娶彭城曹韶女，名淑。) Wang Shi Pu annotation in Shishuo Xinyu, vol. 01
5. (充即王導妻之姊子，充妻，明穆皇后之妹也，故少與導善，早曆顯官。嘗詣導，導以麈尾反指床呼充共坐，曰：「此是君坐也。」導繕揚州解會，顧而言曰：」正為次道耳。」明帝亦友昵之。成帝即位，遷給事黃門侍郎。蘇峻作亂，京都傾覆，導從駕在石頭，充東奔義軍。其後導奔白石，充亦得還。) Book of Jin, Volume 77
6. (王導、庾亮並言於帝曰：「何充器局方概，有萬夫之望，必能總錄朝端，為老臣之副。臣死之日，願引充內侍，則外譽唯緝，社稷無虞矣。」由是加吏部尚書，進號冠軍將軍，又領會稽王師。及導薨，轉護軍將軍，與中書監庾冰參錄尚書事。) Book of Jin, Volume 77
7. Yu Liang had died in February 340.
8. (夏，五月，乙卯，帝不豫；六月，庚寅，疾篤。或詐為尚書符，敕宮門無得內宰相；眾皆失色。庾冰曰：「此必詐也。」推問，果然。帝二子丕、弈，皆在襁褓。庾冰自以兄弟秉權日久，恐易世之後，親屬愈疏，為它人所間，每說帝以國有強敵，宜立長君；請以母親弟琅邪王岳為嗣，帝許之。中書令何充曰：「父子相傳，先王舊典，易之者鮮不致亂。故武王不授聖弟，非不愛也。今琅邪踐阼，將如孺子何！」冰不聽。下詔，以岳為嗣，並以弈繼琅邪哀王。壬辰，冰、充及武陵王晞、會稽王昱、尚書令諸葛恢並受顧命。癸巳，帝崩。帝幼沖嗣位，不親庶政；及長，頗有勤儉之德。) Zizhi Tongjian, Volume 97
9. (康帝亮陰不言，委政於庾冰、何充。秋，七月，丙辰，葬成帝於興平陵。帝徒行送喪，至閶闔門，乃升素輿至陵所。既葬，帝臨軒，庾冰、何充侍坐。帝曰：「朕嗣鴻業，二君之力也。」充曰：「陛下龍飛，臣冰之力也；若如臣議，不睹昇平之世。」帝有慚色。己未，以充為驃騎將軍、都督徐州、揚州之晉陵諸軍事、領徐州刺史，鎮京口，避諸庾也。) Zizhi Tongjian, Volume 97
10. (帝疾篤，庾冰、庾翼欲立會稽王昱為嗣；中書監何充建議立皇子聃，帝從之。九月，丙申，立聃為皇太子。戊戌，帝崩於式乾殿。己亥，何充以遺旨奉太子即位，大赦。由是冰、翼深恨充。尊皇后褚氏為皇太后。時穆帝方二歲，太后臨朝稱制。何充加中書監，錄尚書事。充自陳既錄尚書，不宜復監中書；許之，復加侍中。) Zizhi Tongjian, Volume 97
11. (庾翼既卒，朝議皆以諸庾世在西籓，人情所安，宜依翼所請，以庾爰之代其任。何充曰：「荊楚，國之西門，戶口百萬。北帶強胡，西鄰勁蜀，地勢險阻，周旋萬里。得人則中原可定，失人則社稷可憂，陸抗所謂『存則吳存，亡則吳亡』者也，豈可以白面少年當之哉！桓溫英略過人，有文武器干。西夏之任，無出溫者。」議者又曰：「庾爰之肯避溫乎？如令阻兵，恥懼不淺。」充曰：「溫足以制之，諸君勿憂。」) Zizhi Tongjian, Volume 97
12. (永和二年卒，時年五十五，贈司空，諡曰文穆。無子，弟子放嗣。卒，又無子，又以兄孫松嗣，位至驃騎諮議參軍。充弟准，見《外戚傳》。) Book of Jin, Volume 77
13. (充居宰相，雖無澄正改革之能，而強力有器局，臨朝正色，以社稷為己任，凡所選用，皆以功臣為先，不以私恩樹親戚，談者以此重之。然所昵庸雜，信任不得其人，而性好釋典，崇修佛寺，供給沙門以百數，糜費巨億而不吝也。親友至於貧乏，無所施遺，以此獲譏於世。阮裕嘗戲之曰：「卿志大宇宙，勇邁終古。」充問其故。裕曰：「我圖數千戶郡尚未能得，卿圖作佛，不亦大乎！」于時郗愔及弟曇奉天師道，而充與弟崇准信釋氏，謝萬譏之云：「二郗諂於道，二何佞於佛。」充能飲酒，雅為劉惔所貴。惔每云：「見次道飲，令人欲傾家釀。」言其能溫克也。) Book of Jin, Volume 77
14. Jülch, Thomas (2019). Zhipan’s Account of the History of Buddhism in China: Volume 1: Fozu Tongji, Juan 34-38: From the Times of the Buddha to the Nanbeichao Era. Brill. p. 134. ISBN 9004396209.

• Fang, Xuanling (ed.) (648). Book of Jin (Jin Shu).
• Sima, Guang (1084). Zizhi Tongjian.

• 292 births
• 346 deaths
• Jin dynasty (266–420) government officials