HSIAO HO

born , P'ei-hsien, Kiangsu province, China died 193 BC Pinyin Xiao He adviser who helped Liu Pang establish the Han dynasty (206 BCAD 220) of China and served as his chief minister. Hsiao was a clerk in the district government of P'ei-hsien during the later years of the Ch'in dynasty (221206 BC). He early attached himself to Liu Pang, becoming his intimate friend and serving him as an adviser when Liu joined the rebellions that brought down the Ch'in dynasty in 206 BC. When Liu's insurgent forces captured the Ch'in capital of Hsien-yang, Hsiao obtained the government's official files, whose records and maps would prove of considerable use to Liu in his rivalry with the leader of the rebel armies, Hsiang Y. After the collapse of the Ch'in, Hsiang Y gave Liu control of Szechwan and southern Shensi provinces, in western China. Hsiao was put in charge of these rear areas as Liu embarked in the final struggle for power that ended with Hsiang Y's suicide in 202. The Han dynasty was founded under Liu, who was henceforth known as Kao Tsu. Hsiao recommended the removal of the capital to Cha'ang-an (near present-day Sian) and drew up a code of laws for the new Han dynasty that would greatly influence later lawmakers. When Kao's former generals challenged his authority, it was again Hsiao who advised the emperor on the tactics of eliminating those warlords one by one. With the unification of the empire, Kao officially appointed Hsiao chief minister of the Han dynasty.