Xiao He

Born about 257 BC e. in Fengyi County (part of the modern province of Jiangsu ). There is no information about young years. He began his career as a secretary in gongzao in Pei County. During the service, he became friends with Liu Bang , the future emperor.

In 209 BC e., with the beginning of the uprising against the Qin Dynasty, Xiao He supported the anti-government speech of Liu Bang, meeting the latter in the captured towns of Pei. Thanks to the actions of Xiao He, it was Liu Bang who was declared one of the leaders of the uprising on a large territory of the empire. Later he was in the retinue of Liu Bang during the war against the Qin troops.

In 206 BC e., after the victory of Liu Bang, Xiao He in the capital of the empire, Xianyang took personal control of the imperial archives, which gave him the opportunity to familiarize himself with the then legal documents, maps of the country, data on its population and use them in his further official activities. He further persuaded Liu Bang to retreat before the superior forces of another rebel leader, Xiang Yu, to accumulate the necessary forces. In the same year, Xiao He was appointed chengxiang of Han Han.

In 205 BC e. issued the jiuzhan-liu lawyer (Laws in Nine 9 Chapters), which relied on the legislative rules of the Qin Dynasty. Unlike the latter, he mitigated the punishment by removing the extermination of 3 generations and the common responsibility of relatives and neighbors. At the same time, under Xiao He, the number of articles on the responsibility of managers who knew about the crimes of their subordinates was increased, 3 sections of service laws were added: “Taxes”, “Stables” and “Yards”.

Xiao He made a lot of efforts to attract capable military to the side of Liu Bang and strengthen his troops. At the same time, he developed measures to normalize the nutrition of the Han army, due to which there was no discontent among ordinary soldiers. During the wars of Liu Bang with rivals for power in the empire, Xiao He tried to restore the fallen economy, primarily agriculture: the lands of the Qin aristocrats were distributed between peasants and supporters of Liu Bang, personnel work was improved - priority was given to the ability of officials, not nobility. After the final victory of Liu Bang and his announcement in 202 BC. e. Emperor of the Han Dynasty, Xiao He received the title of "hou" (like the Marquis). In the same year, he extended his reforms and laws of the judge to the entire empire.

In 201 BC e. Xiao He was commissioned to restore the former capital of Qin - Xianyang and reduce the imperial complex. after completion of the work, the city received a new name Chang'an . In 196 BC e. Together with the Empress, Lu Zhi warned the conspiracy of the military Han Xin , who was executed.

In 195 BC e. after the death of the emperor, Gao-zu (Liu Bang) retained his post under the new ruler of Hui-di . He died in 193 BC. e. in Chang'an. After his death, the clan of Luy took power.

• Koranyi K. Powszechna historia prawa. Warszawa, 1976.
• Aihe Wang. Creators of an Emperor: The Political Group behind the Founding of the Han Empire. "Asia Major". Volume 14, part 1, 2001. ISSN 0004-4482
• Denis Crispin Twitchett, Michael Loewe: Cambridge History of China. The Ch'in and Han Empires, 221 BC-AD 220. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1986. ISBN 0-521-24327-0 .