RNo direct record — estimated from his role as a leader of a Yellow Turban bandWei 1 §38
NCame out with his spear but was taken alive in a single boutCh. 12 §27
He Yi 何儀
| Occupation | RNRuler | Faction | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appears | RN | Biography in | |
| Cause of death | NExecuted Unverified | ||
| Existence | Historical | Mentions | R1 |
Profile
He Yi was a leader of the Yellow Turban bandits of Runan and Yingchuan at the end of the Later Han. He has no biography of his own in the Records and appears once in the Annals of Emperor Wu. He Yi, Liu Pi, Huang Shao, He Man and others each had followings numbering in the tens of thousands; at first they responded to Yuan Shu and then attached themselves to Sun Jian. In the 2nd month of the 1st year of Jian'an (196), when Taizu (Cao Cao) attacked them and beheaded Liu Pi, Huang Shao and others, He Yi and his followers all surrendered. Chen Shou's main text does not record his courtesy name, his origins, or what happened to him after his surrender. Records, Wei 1 §36 · 38
In the Romance he appears in only one of the 120 chapters, Chapter 12, and no chapter has his name in its title. The Romance portrays him as a man who, together with Huang Shao, meets Cao Cao in battle at Mount Yang, is defeated, and while fleeing toward Gebei is captured by Xu Chu, and who is beheaded by Cao Cao after Xu Chu surrenders to Cao Cao. Romance, Ch. 12 §24 · 26–27 · 33
In the Records
After recording that in the 1st month, in spring, of the 1st year of Jian'an (196), the army of Taizu (Cao Cao) reached Wuping, the Annals of Emperor Wu state that the Yellow Turban bandits of Runan and Yingchuan, He Yi, Liu Pi, Huang Shao, He Man and others, each had followings numbering in the tens of thousands, and that at first they responded to Yuan Shu and then attached themselves to Sun Jian. Records, Wei 1 §36 · 38
In the 2nd month Taizu advanced his army, attacked and defeated them and beheaded Liu Pi, Huang Shao and others, whereupon He Yi and his followers all surrendered. The Annals of Emperor Wu go on to state that the Son of Heaven appointed Taizu General Who Establishes Virtue. Records, Wei 1 §38
The Biography of Yu Jin states that when Yu Jin followed Taizu in the campaign against the Yellow Turbans Liu Pi, Huang Shao and others and was camped at Banliang, Huang Shao and the others raided Taizu's camp at night, and Yu Jin led his own troops, struck and routed them, beheaded Huang Shao and others and made all their followers surrender. He Yi's name does not appear in the Biography of Yu Jin. Records, Wei 17 §28
In Chen Shou's main text, the only place He Yi's name appears is this one passage of the Annals of Emperor Wu. His origins, what happened after his surrender, and his death are not recorded. Records, Wei 1 §38
In the Romance
In Chapter 12 of the Romance, when Cao Cao wants to attack Xu Province, Xun Yu dissuades him, saying that although Tao Qian is dead, Liu Bei is already holding it, and that to abandon Yan Province and attack Xu Province would be to abandon the root and seek the branches. When Cao Cao says that it is a year of famine and grain is short, Xun Yu proposes campaigning east through the region of Chen so that the troops can find food in Runan and Yingchuan. The remnant Yellow Turbans He Yi, Huang Shao and others, he says, have plundered the provinces and commanderies and hold much gold, silk and grain, and such bandits are easy to defeat. Romance, Ch. 12 §21–23
Leaving Xiahou Dun and Cao Ren to hold Juancheng and other places, Cao Cao campaigns through the region of Chen and then reaches Runan and Yingchuan. He Yi and Huang Shao lead out their hordes and meet Cao Cao at Mount Yang. The bandit troops are many but have no ranks or files, and Cao Cao has them held off with strong bows and crossbows and sends out Dian Wei. The deputy commander that He Yi sends out falls from his horse, pierced by Dian Wei's halberd, before three bouts are over. Romance, Ch. 12 §24
The next day, when Huang Shao comes leading troops himself, He Man, who calls himself the Sky-Blocking Yaksha, is cut down by Cao Hong, and Huang Shao, caught unprepared, is taken alive by Li Dian. As Cao Cao's troops seize countless gold, silk and grain, He Yi, now isolated, flees toward Gebei with several hundred horsemen. Romance, Ch. 12 §25–26
On the way a band of troops bursts out from behind a hill, and a stalwart eight chi tall with a waist ten spans around blocks the road with a great sabre. He Yi levels his spear and meets him, but in a single bout he is seized alive under the stalwart's arm and carried off, and the rest of his followers also dismount, submit to being bound and are driven into the stronghold at Gebei. Dian Wei, who has come in pursuit of He Yi, fights the stalwart without either gaining the upper hand, and Cao Cao digs a pit trap and captures the stalwart. Romance, Ch. 12 §27–30
The stalwart says that he is Xu Chu of Qiao County in the State of Qiao, that when bandit disorders came he gathered several hundred of his kinsmen, built a stronghold and held them off, and he surrenders to Cao Cao. Cao Cao makes Xu Chu a Commandant and rewards and comforts him most generously, then beheads He Yi and Huang Shao. Runan and Yingchuan are completely pacified. Romance, Ch. 12 §31 · 33
Where the Romance differs
His captor: In Chapter 12 of the Romance, He Yi is captured by Xu Chu while fleeing toward Gebei. In the Annals of Emperor Wu in the Records, He Yi and his followers surrendered to Taizu. The Biography of Xu Chu says only that more than ten thousand bandits from Gebei in Runan attacked Xu Chu's fortified wall and fled after being held off by him, and that when Taizu campaigned through the region of the Huai and Ru rivers, Xu Chu led his followers over to him; there is no capture of He Yi. Romance, Ch. 12 §27Records, Wei 1 §38Records, Wei 18 §48–50
His end: In Chapter 12 of the Romance, Cao Cao beheads He Yi and Huang Shao after accepting Xu Chu's surrender. In the Annals of Emperor Wu in the Records, Liu Pi, Huang Shao and others were beheaded while He Yi and his followers all surrendered, and what became of He Yi afterward is not recorded. Romance, Ch. 12 §33Records, Wei 1 §38
Ties to Yuan Shu and Sun Jian: In Chapter 12 of the Romance, He Yi appears only as a remnant Yellow Turban plundering the provinces and commanderies, and no tie to Yuan Shu or Sun Jian is mentioned. The Annals of Emperor Wu in the Records state that He Yi and the others at first responded to Yuan Shu and then attached themselves to Sun Jian. Romance, Ch. 12 §23Records, Wei 1 §38
How the fighting went: In Chapter 12 of the Romance, He Yi and Huang Shao meet Cao Cao in battle at Mount Yang, He Man is cut down by Cao Hong, and Huang Shao is captured by Li Dian. The Annals of Emperor Wu in the Records do not name the battlefield, and the Biography of Yu Jin states that when he was camped at Banliang and Huang Shao and the others raided Taizu's camp at night, Yu Jin struck and routed them and beheaded Huang Shao and others. Romance, Ch. 12 §24–26Records, Wei 1 §38Records, Wei 17 §28
Written by 3KDEX (not yet reviewed) — The tags at the end of each paragraph link to the exact passage in the Records volume or Romance chapter it is based on.
Abilities
The Records score (Chen Shou’s Records of the Three Kingdoms, main text) is the baseline. Each ability compares how the Romance redrew the same person, and the evidence from both sources explains the difference.
Records total370 / 1000Rank 788 of 996 · Top 80%Romance total306 / 1000Rank 1,060 of 1,113 · Top 96%
Romance adaptation index−64Romance total − Records total
- LEA4535−10
- STR4222−20
- INT3530−5
- POL3131±0
- CHA4540−5
- VIR3525−10
- ADP4030−10
- SCH3131±0
- DIP3331−2
- DIS3331−2
Abilities shaped by the Romance — where it differs from the Records Differences of 10 or more
RLed a following of tens of thousands in Runan and YingchuanWei 1 §38
NHis followers were many but had no ranks or files at allCh. 12 §24
RNo direct record — estimated from his role as a leader of a Yellow Turban bandWei 1 §38
NPlundered the provinces and commanderies and amassed gold, silk and grainCh. 12 §23
RAttached himself to Yuan Shu and then Sun Jian, and surrendered with his followers when defeatedWei 1 §38
NFled when left isolated, was caught and beheadedCh. 12 §26Ch. 12 §33
6 similar abilities — show evidence
RNo direct record — estimated from his role as a leader of a Yellow Turban bandWei 1 §38
NNo direct record — estimated from his role as a leader of the remnant Yellow TurbansCh. 12 §24
RNo direct record — estimated from his role as a leader of a Yellow Turban bandWei 1 §38
NNo direct record — estimated from his role as a leader of the remnant Yellow TurbansCh. 12 §24
REach of their followings numbered in the tens of thousandsWei 1 §38
NNo direct record — estimated from his role as a leader of the remnant Yellow TurbansCh. 12 §24
RNo direct record — estimated from his role as a leader of a Yellow Turban bandWei 1 §38
NNo direct record — estimated from his role as a leader of the remnant Yellow TurbansCh. 12 §24
RNo direct record — estimated from his role as a leader of a Yellow Turban bandWei 1 §38
NNo direct record — estimated from his role as a leader of the remnant Yellow TurbansCh. 12 §24
RNo direct record — estimated from his role as a leader of a Yellow Turban bandWei 1 §38
NNo direct record — estimated from his role as a leader of the remnant Yellow TurbansCh. 12 §24
Records Romance Unverified No direct record; scored from their actions (evidence grade C)
3KDEX scoring — the Records use the main text of Chen Shou’s Records of the Three Kingdoms; the Romance uses the 120-chapter Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Click a source tag to open that passage in the reader.
Romance chapters (1)
AppearsNot present Chapter list →
Allegiance history
- Yellow Turbans (~196) · Novel & History · 「汝南、潁川黃巾何儀、劉辟、黃邵、何曼等」