RNo direct record — estimated from his role as a Yellow Turban leaderWei 1 §38
NFought Cao Hong with an iron club for forty or fifty bouts without either winningCh. 12 §25
He Man 何曼
| Occupation | RRuler NGeneral | Faction | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appears | RN | Biography in | |
| Cause of death | NKilled in battle Unverified | ||
| Existence | Historical | Mentions | R1 |
Profile
He Man was a leader of Yellow Turban bands in Runan and Yingchuan. He has no biography of his own in the Records; his name appears once in the Annals of Emperor Wu, Records of Wei 1, alongside He Yi, Liu Pi and Huang Shao. Each of them had a following of several tens of thousands; they first responded to Yuan Shu and then attached themselves to Sun Jian, and in the 2nd month of the 1st year of Jian'an (196) they were attacked by Taizu (Cao Cao). Chen Shou's main text does not record He Man's courtesy name or origins, or what he did afterward and how he died. Records, Wei 1 §36 · 38
Chen Shou's assessment in Volume 1 discusses only Taizu and does not deal with He Man. In the Romance he appears in Chapter 12 as a general among the troops brought by Huang Shao who, calling himself 'the Sky-Blocking Yaksha', comes forward on foot to challenge the enemy; after fighting Cao Hong for forty or fifty bouts, he falls for Cao Hong's stratagem and is cut down. He appears in only this 1 of its 120 chapters, and his name is in no chapter title. Records, Wei 1 §173Romance, Ch. 12 §25–26
In the Records
According to the Annals of Emperor Wu, the Yellow Turbans of Runan and Yingchuan — He Yi, Liu Pi, Huang Shao, He Man and others — each had a following of several tens of thousands; they first responded to Yuan Shu and then attached themselves to Sun Jian. In the 2nd month of the 1st year of Jian'an (196) Taizu advanced his army, attacked and routed them, and beheaded Liu Pi, Huang Shao and others, whereupon He Yi and his followers all surrendered. Records, Wei 1 §36 · 38
The biography of Yu Jin records the same campaign as follows. Yu Jin followed Taizu in attacking the Yellow Turbans Liu Pi, Huang Shao and others and camped at Banliang; when Huang Shao and the others raided Taizu's camp by night, he led his own troops against them, routed them, beheaded Huang Shao and others, and made all their followers surrender. He Man's name does not appear in this account. Records, Wei 17 §28
The only place in Chen Shou's main text where He Man's name appears is this one passage of the Annals of Emperor Wu. Those named as beheaded are Liu Pi and Huang Shao, and those named as surrendering are He Yi and his followers; what became of He Man is not stated by name. Chen Shou's assessment in Volume 1 discusses only Taizu and does not deal with He Man. Records, Wei 1 §38 · 173
In the Romance
In Chapter 12 of the Romance, with food running short in a year of famine, Cao Cao follows Xun Yu's advice to campaign east into the land of Chen and let the soldiers find food in Runan and Yingchuan. Xun Yu says that the remnants of the Yellow Turbans, He Yi, Huang Shao and others, have plundered the provinces and commanderies, hold much gold, silk and grain, and are easy to defeat. Cao Cao leaves Xiahou Dun and Cao Ren to guard Juancheng and other places, passes through the land of Chen to reach Runan and Yingchuan, and meets He Yi and Huang Shao, who come out to oppose him, at Mount Yang. Romance, Ch. 12 §23–24
The next day, when Huang Shao comes in person at the head of his troops, a general with a yellow kerchief bound round his head, a green jacket over his body and an iron club in his hand comes forward on foot and shouts, 'I am He Man, the Sky-Blocking Yaksha! Who dares fight me?' Seeing him, Cao Hong gives a great shout, dismounts and strides out with his sword, and the two fight forty or fifty bouts before the lines without either gaining the upper hand. Romance, Ch. 12 §25
When Cao Hong feigns defeat and flees, He Man gives chase. Using the trick of trailing his blade and slashing backward, Cao Hong whirls round and cuts He Man, then kills him with a second stroke. Li Dian, seizing the moment, charges into the rebel lines and takes Huang Shao alive, and He Yi flees to Gepi with several hundred horsemen. In the Romance He Man's name appears only in these two passages. Romance, Ch. 12 §26
Where the Romance differs
Status: In Chapter 12 of the Romance, He Man appears as a general who comes forward on foot from among the troops led by Huang Shao to challenge the enemy. In the Annals of Emperor Wu in the Records, He Man is one of the Yellow Turbans of Runan and Yingchuan named alongside He Yi, Liu Pi and Huang Shao, each of whom had a following of several tens of thousands. Romance, Ch. 12 §25Records, Wei 1 §38
Yuan Shu and Sun Jian: The Annals of Emperor Wu in the Records state that these Yellow Turbans first responded to Yuan Shu and then attached themselves to Sun Jian. Chapter 12 of the Romance, through Xun Yu's words, calls them only remnants of the Yellow Turbans who plunder the provinces and commanderies, and says nothing of any connection with Yuan Shu or Sun Jian. Records, Wei 1 §38Romance, Ch. 12 §23
The fight with Cao Hong: In Chapter 12 of the Romance, He Man calls himself 'the Sky-Blocking Yaksha' and fights Cao Hong on foot for forty or fifty bouts. The Annals of Emperor Wu in the Records have neither this byname nor a fight with Cao Hong. In the Annals' entry for the same year, Cao Hong led troops west to receive the Emperor but was blocked by the General of the Guards Dong Cheng and a general of Yuan Shu and could not advance. Romance, Ch. 12 §25Records, Wei 1 §37–38
Death: In Chapter 12 of the Romance, He Man falls for Cao Hong's stratagem and is cut down. The Annals of Emperor Wu in the Records state only that in this campaign Liu Pi, Huang Shao and others were beheaded and that He Yi and his followers surrendered, without saying what became of He Man. Romance, Ch. 12 §26Records, Wei 1 §38
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 total356 / 1000Rank 867 of 996 · Top 88%Romance total357 / 1000Rank 838 of 1,113 · Top 76%
Romance adaptation index+1Romance total − Records total
- LEA4538−7
- STR4266+24
- INT3028−2
- POL3131±0
- CHA4535−10
- VIR3535±0
- ADP3531−4
- SCH3131±0
- DIP3131±0
- DIS3131±0
Abilities shaped by the Romance — where it differs from the Records Differences of 10 or more
RA following of several tens of thousands followed himWei 1 §38
NNo direct record — estimated from his role as a Yellow Turban generalCh. 12 §25
8 similar abilities — show evidence
RA Yellow Turban of Runan and Yingchuan who commanded a following of several tens of thousandsWei 1 §38
NNo direct record — estimated from his role as a Yellow Turban generalCh. 12 §25
RNo direct record — estimated from his role as a Yellow Turban leaderWei 1 §38
NChased Cao Hong's feigned retreat and was cut down by a backward slashCh. 12 §26
RNo direct record — estimated from his role as a Yellow Turban leaderWei 1 §38
NNo direct record — estimated from his role as a Yellow Turban generalCh. 12 §25
RResponded to Yuan Shu and then attached himself to Sun JianWei 1 §38
NNo direct record — estimated from his role as a Yellow Turban generalCh. 12 §25
RShifted between Yuan Shu and Sun Jian but was crushed by Cao CaoWei 1 §38
NNo direct record — estimated from his role as a Yellow Turban generalCh. 12 §25
RNo direct record — estimated from his role as a Yellow Turban leaderWei 1 §38
NNo direct record — estimated from his role as a Yellow Turban generalCh. 12 §25
RNo direct record — estimated from his role as a Yellow Turban leaderWei 1 §38
NNo direct record — estimated from his role as a Yellow Turban generalCh. 12 §25
RNo direct record — estimated from his role as a Yellow Turban leaderWei 1 §38
NNo direct record — estimated from his role as a Yellow Turban generalCh. 12 §25
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 · Novel & History · 「汝南、潁川黃巾何儀、劉辟、黃邵、何曼等」