Xiao He was from Pei County. He started as a petty official in Pei County, without any outstanding abilities, just an honest clerk. At that time, Liu Bang was still a commoner, and Xiao He often helped him with his tasks, always looking out for him. Later, when Liu Bang became a constable, Xiao He still frequently assisted him. When Liu Bang was sent to Xianyang for official business, other officials gave gifts of three qian (ancient Chinese currency), but Xiao He gave five qian, showing that he valued Liu Bang more than others. The imperial inspector of the Qin Dynasty often tried to get him in trouble, but he shone in his duties and was sent to serve as a low-level official in Sishui, where he stood out. The imperial inspector wanted to impeach him, but Xiao He firmly requested to stay and ultimately was not transferred. After Liu Bang rebelled and became Pei Gong, Xiao He served as his right-hand man, assisting him in handling political affairs. After Liu Bang captured Xianyang, other generals scrambled to grab the gold and silver, but Xiao He was the first to rush into the Qin Dynasty's prime minister's office and collected all the Qin Dynasty's legal codes, paperwork, and archives. After Liu Bang became the King of Han, he appointed Xiao He as his prime minister. Xiang Yu set fire to Xianyang and left with the vassals, but the reason the King of Han knew exactly the geography, population, strengths and weaknesses of different areas, and the suffering of the people throughout the country was all thanks to the Qin Dynasty archives preserved by Xiao He. Xiao He also recommended Han Xin to Liu Bang, who later appointed Han Xin as the Grand General. (Check out the *Huaiyin Marquis' Biography* for the full story!)
When Liu Bang led his troops to the east to conquer the Sanqin region, Xiao He served as the prime minister, staying in Guanzhong to comfort the people and raise military provisions. In the second year of the Han Dynasty, Liu Bang and his fellow lords attacked the Chu Kingdom together. Xiao He remained in Guanzhong, serving the crown prince and governing Liyang. He formulated laws, built temples, shrines, palaces, and city walls. He needed Liu Bang's okay before doing anything; if there wasn't time to report, he would handle it first and then inform Liu Bang. Xiao He took care of all the details in Guanzhong—population counts, food shipments, supplying the troops. And when Liu Bang lost battles and ran, it was Xiao He who recruited replacements. Therefore, Liu Bang entrusted all affairs in Guanzhong to Xiao He.
In the third year of the Han Dynasty, Liu Bang and Xiang Yu confronted each other in Xingyang. Liu Bang sent envoys several times to check in on Xiao He. Bao Sheng said to Xiao He, "Look, the King’s wearing rags, sending messengers all the time to see if you’re okay. He’s worried you’re not loyal! My advice? Send your family, your brothers, anyone who can fight, to the front. That’ll show him you’re on his side." Xiao He listened to his advice and sent his family to the front lines, which made Liu Bang very happy.
In 202 BC, Xiang Yu was killed, and the world was pacified; it was time to hand out rewards based on merits. The ministers all fought over the credit, and it took over a year to decide. Emperor Gaozu Liu Bang believed that Xiao He's contributions were the greatest, so he made him the Marquis of Zan with many fiefdoms. Other meritorious officials were dissatisfied, saying, "We risked our necks on the battlefield! Some of us fought a hundred battles, others dozens. We stormed cities, won small skirmishes, the whole shebang. And this guy, Xiao He, never even saw a fight. He just sat back, did his paperwork, never broke a sweat, never even died in battle. And he's above us? That's not right!"
Liu Bang said, "You guys know about hunting, right?" They affirmed. Liu Bang then asked, "What about hunting dogs?" They replied, "We do." Liu Bang explained, "Hunting's like this: the dogs chase down the game, but it's the hunter who finds the trail and shows the way. You lot are just like hunting dogs that catch the animals. Your contributions are like those of hunting dogs. As for Xiao He, he’s like a hunter—finding the traces and showing the way; his contribution is a human one! Moreover, while just two or three of you follow me, Xiao He's whole family, old and young, all follow me. How can we forget his contributions?" After that, nobody said a word.
The marquises have all been granted titles and are now determining the order of their official positions. Everyone said, "Cao Can, Marquis of Pingyang, has more than seventy battle wounds, has captured cities and expanded territories, and has the greatest merits, so he should be ranked first." Liu Bang already favored Xiao He, having given him a high reward. Now, with the issue of official position ranking, nobody dared say anything, but Liu Bang still wanted Xiao He to be ranked first. At this moment, Marquis E Jun of Guannei stood up and said, "All the ministers' opinions are mistaken. Although Cao Can has feats on the battlefield, these are only temporary accomplishments. Sire, you and the Chu state have been in conflict for five years, often losing battles, losing soldiers, and even escaping several times. But Xiao He has been mobilizing troops in Guanzhong, supplementing the frontline forces. This was not ordered by you; rather, Xiao He took the initiative to mobilize a substantial army to support those areas lacking soldiers and provisions. The armies of Han and Chu have been facing off in Xingyang for several years, often lacking supplies. It was Xiao He who transported food from Guanzhong to ensure the army's supply. Although you may have suffered defeats in Shandong many times, Xiao He has always preserved Guanzhong, leaving a way out for you. This was a monumental achievement! The loss of a hundred generals like Cao Can wouldn't have mattered to the Han Dynasty. The success of the Han Dynasty does not entirely depend on them. How can temporary accomplishments be compared to achievements lasting for generations? Xiao He should be ranked first, and Cao Can second." Liu Bang said, "Good!" So he decided to let Xiao He be ranked first, and gave him a sword, allowing him to wear shoes in the court and not have to kneel when attending court sessions.
The emperor said, "I've heard that recommending talented individuals will earn excellent rewards. Although Xiao He has great accomplishments, with Marquis E's support, his contributions are even more remarkable." Therefore, the emperor appointed Xiao He as Marquis of Anping, using Marquis E's original territory of Guannei as his fiefdom. That day, the emperor granted marquis titles to over ten of Xiao He's family members, giving them fiefdoms. He also added two thousand households to Xiao He's fiefdom as a reward for the two guan (a unit of currency) he had personally gifted the emperor in Xianyang.
In the eleventh year of Emperor Gaozu's reign, Chen Xi rebelled, and Emperor Gaozu personally led troops to suppress the rebellion and arrived in Handan. Before the rebellion was quelled, Han Xin, the Marquis of Huaiyin, plotted a rebellion in Guanzhong. Empress Lü adopted Xiao He's plan and had Han Xin whacked. The whole story's in the *Biography of Marquis of Huaiyin*, but long story short, when the emperor heard that Han Xin had been killed, he sent envoys to make Xiao He Prime Minister, added five thousand households to his fief, and provided him with a personal guard of 500, commanded by a captain. Everyone was showering Xiao He with congrats, except Zhaoping, who showed up to give him a pep talk. Zhaoping had been the Marquis of Dongling under the Qin. After the fall of the Qin Dynasty, he became a commoner and was very poor. He grew melons east of Chang'an – such good melons, they became known as "Dongling Melons" after him. Zhaoping said to the Prime Minister, "Here's where the trouble starts! The emperor is out fighting battles, while you enjoy wealth and honor in the court. The emperor didn't give you that extra land and guards 'cause you're a hero; it's because Han Xin just tried to overthrow him in Guanzhong, and he's wondering if you're next! This guard detail isn't a reward. Give back the extra land, use your money to help the army, and the emperor will sleep easier." Xiao He took his advice, and the emperor was stoked.
In the autumn of the twelfth year of Emperor Gaozu's reign, there was a rebellion led by Ying Bu. The emperor personally led the troops to put down the rebellion and sent messengers multiple times to inquire about the situation of Prime Minister Xiao He. To reassure the emperor in the army, the Prime Minister pacified the people, encouraged them, and poured all their resources into supporting the army, just as he had done when dealing with the rebellion of Chen Xi. A guest said to the Prime Minister, "You're risking your neck! You're the Prime Minister, the highest rank you can get, right? But when you first arrived in Guanzhong, you won the hearts of the people. For over ten years, the people have looked to you, and you have always worked diligently for their welfare. The reason the emperor has sent people to inquire about your situation multiple times is that he is afraid you will start a rebellion in Guanzhong. Why not buy up some land, lower your interest rates, and lie low? That'll ease the emperor's mind." The Prime Minister followed this advice, and the emperor was pleased.
After dealing with military matters and returning, people blocked the emperor's path, handing him a petition that claimed the Prime Minister had forcibly purchased the land and houses of the common people at low prices, in the tens of millions. When the emperor returned to the palace, the Prime Minister went to see him. The emperor smiled and said, "That Prime Minister of yours, he's always looking out for the common man!" Then he handed all the petitions from the common people to the Prime Minister and said, "You handle it."
The Prime Minister pleaded on behalf of the people, "Chang'an's short on land. Shanglin Park's got tons of empty space. Why not let the people farm it instead of letting it go to waste?" The emperor was furious, "The guy's been taking bribes from merchants, and now he wants *me* to hand over the royal park?!" So he had the Prime Minister taken to the Justice Ministry's jail and put in the torture device. After a few days, the Chief Guard went to visit and asked the emperor, "What'd the Prime Minister *do*? You're being awful hard on him!" The emperor said, "I heard Li Si took all the blame for Qin Shi Huang, while the Emperor got all the credit. Now the Prime Minister has accepted so much money from merchants, but requested to use my park for the people. He's trying to win favor with the people, so I'm teaching him a lesson."
Wang Weiwei said, "If you request the emperor for the benefit of the people, that is what a true prime minister should do. Your Majesty, why would you even suspect the Prime Minister of taking bribes from merchants?! Furthermore, Your Majesty has been at war with the State of Chu for several years, with Chen Xi and Ying Bu rebelling. You personally led troops to suppress the rebellion, while the prime minister guarded the Guanzhong region. If the prime minister had any intentions of seeking personal gain at that time, the entire region west of Guanzhong would have been lost to you. He showed no interest in personal gain then; why would he be greedy now? Moreover, the Qin Dynasty perished because it did not listen to the advice of its officials. What is there to emulate in the mistakes made by Li Si? Why do you harbor such suspicions about the character of the prime minister?" Emperor Gaozu's face darkened. That day, he sent someone to pardon the prime minister. The prime minister was old and usually very respectful and cautious. After entering the palace, he apologized, kneeling barefoot. Emperor Gaozu said, "Prime Minister, you have worked hard! You asked for those royal gardens for the people, and I refused. I'm no better than Jie or Zhou, but you, you're a truly wise minister. The reason I detained you was to let the people know about my mistake."
Cao Shen usually did not get along with others, but when he fell ill, Emperor Xiaohui personally went to visit him and asked, "Who can replace you a hundred years from now?" Cao Shen replied, "No one can compare to Your Majesty." Emperor Xiaohui asked, "What about Cao Shen?" Cao Shen bowed and said, "Your Majesty has found him! I can die without regrets!"
Cao Shen purchased fields and houses, always choosing remote places, and did not renovate the buildings in his home. He said, "If my descendants are worthy, they'll follow my example of simple living; if not, at least they won't be easy targets for the wealthy and powerful."
In the second year of Emperor Xiaohui's reign, Prime Minister Cao Shen passed away and was posthumously honored as Marquis Wen Zhong.
His descendants lost their marquis titles due to crimes, for a total of four generations, breaking the inheritance. The emperor always sought out the descendants of Cao Shen, bestowing them the title of Marquis of Zan, and none of the meritorious officials could compare to him.
Sima Qian tells us that Xiao He was a humble clerk in the Qin bureaucracy, nothing special.
When the Han Dynasty was established, he was like basking in the reflected glory, carefully tending his own little patch, capitalizing on the people's hatred of the Qin, and throwing in his lot with Liu Bang's revolution. Unlike Han Xin and Ying Bu, who both met untimely ends, Xiao He achieved incredible success. He rose to the highest rank among the ministers, his fame lived on through the ages, rivaling even that of Zhang Liang and Chen Ping! "He was the most important minister, his fame lived on, rivaling even that of Hong Yao and San Yisheng."
