Ten Attendants
Encyclopedia
The Ten Attendants (Traditional Chinese: 十常侍, pinyin
: shí chángshì) were a group of eunuch
s from the Eunuch Faction of the Han
Imperial Court in China
. Despite the collective number of "ten," the official history of the Eastern Han Dynasty (i.e., the second half of Han Dynasty), the Book of the Later Han, listed 12 attendants among the rank of the Ten Attendants: Zhang Rang
, Zhao Zhong
, Xia Yun
, Guo Sheng
, Sun Zhang, Bi Lan, Li Song, Duan Gui
, Gao Wang, Zhang Gong, Han Li, and Song Dian. (The ten regular attendants are listed in the historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms
as: Zhang Rang, Zhao Zhong, Feng Xu
, Duan Gui, Cao Jie
, Hou Lan
, Jian Shuo
, Cheng Kuang
, Xia Yun
, and Guo Sheng
; however, the Romance was fictional in nature.)
In 189, the Ten Attendants used widowed Empresses and support from Emperors to rise to a position of power. When the Emperor Han Ling Di died, the eunuchs, without a military power base of their own, relied on the support of Empress Dowager He and He Miao. Yuan Shao
sent Zhang Jin to advise He Jin
, who was Empress He
's brother. Zhang Jin argued that the Yellow Gates (palace guard) and Ten Attendants had usurped power and that the Empress Dowager He was corrupt and interloped with them. He urged He Jin to destroy this source of trouble. He Jin agreed and began conspiring with Yuan Shao. Yuan Shao further advised He Jin to summon the frontier general Dong Zhuo
and various warlords to the capital to threaten the Empress Dowager, which he did. Sensing an impending threat to their lives, the Ten Attendants and Yellow Gates both came to apologize to He Jin for their "misdeeds."
Yuan Shao advised He Jin to take this opportunity to dispose of the eunuchs but He Jin rejected this advice. Subsequently, He Jin appointed Yuan Shao to govern the martial and civil officials of Luoyang and investigate the dealings of the eunuchs in the capital. Yuan Shu was ordered to select two hundred good-natured ‘Rapid As Tigers’ (Hu Ben) officers to replace the arms-bearing ‘Yellow Gates’ eunuch guards in the Forbidden Palace.
Finally, in the ninth month of that year He Jin requested the Empress Dowager to execute the eunuchs. The conversation was overheard and relayed to Zhang Rang
, the head eunuch following the death of Jian Shuo. Not long after, Duan Gui (the eunuch holding the appointment of Zhong Chang Shi), influential members Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong, and some other eunuchs used a forged decree from the Empress Dowager to lure He Jin to meet them. They beheaded He Jin in the palace garden. As a result, the palace was thrown into disorder.
Dou Wu, who in the past had planned to put them to death, was assassinated himself. This was due to word having leaked out from officers of the five regiments of the Northern Army, the professional standing army normally stationed at the capital.
In a bid to force Duan Gui and his group out of their hiding place, Yuan Shu
ordered his tiger troops to burn the Green Lock Gate (Qing Suo Men) of the Southern Jia De Palace in the Southern Palace. Instead of surrendering, Duan Gui kidnapped the Han Emperor Shao of Han and King of Chen Liu (Liu Xie) and fled in the direction of Xiao Ping Jin. Yuan Shao beheaded Xu Xiang. At the same time, Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu, followers of He Jin, both with significant control of military forces within the capital, stormed the palace and massacred the rest of the eunuchs in the capital. The soldiers were directed to apprehend all eunuchs and to kill them all without regard of age. Benevolent eunuchs who had refused to be contaminated by evil influences were likewise slaughtered. Some two-thousand eunuchs were killed, not counting those people killed by mistake.
Yuan Shao sent troops in pursuit of Duan Gui. Seeing that he was about to be captured, Duan Gui ended his life by throwing himself into the river. The remaining of the Ten Attendants initially took the young emperor and Prince Xie hostage, but eventually were forced to commit suicide when the enemy closed in on them. The Emperor was then able to return to the palace.
: Xtreme Legends there is a stage dedicated to this event.
Also in Dynasty Warriors 4
: Xtreme Legends Dong Zhuo
's stage features the Ten Attendants' Revolt
Pinyin
Pinyin is the official system to transcribe Chinese characters into the Roman alphabet in China, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan. It is also often used to teach Mandarin Chinese and spell Chinese names in foreign publications and used as an input method to enter Chinese characters into...
: shí chángshì) were a group of eunuch
Eunuch
A eunuch is a person born male most commonly castrated, typically early enough in his life for this change to have major hormonal consequences...
s from the Eunuch Faction of the Han
Han Dynasty
The Han Dynasty was the second imperial dynasty of China, preceded by the Qin Dynasty and succeeded by the Three Kingdoms . It was founded by the rebel leader Liu Bang, known posthumously as Emperor Gaozu of Han. It was briefly interrupted by the Xin Dynasty of the former regent Wang Mang...
Imperial Court in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. Despite the collective number of "ten," the official history of the Eastern Han Dynasty (i.e., the second half of Han Dynasty), the Book of the Later Han, listed 12 attendants among the rank of the Ten Attendants: Zhang Rang
Zhang Rang
Zhang Rang was a eunuch of the late Han Dynasty, who served Emperor Ling of Han; he was also the leader of the Ten regular attendants , a group of court eunuchs who held great influence in the Han imperial court...
, Zhao Zhong
Zhao Zhong
Zhào Zhōng was a eunuch of the late Han Dynasty, who served Emperor Ling of Han the Ten regular attendants . The eunuchs who had gained considerable power in the Han imperial court...
, Xia Yun
Xia Yun
Xia Yun was a eunuch of the late Han Dynasty, who served Emperor Ling of Han; he was also one of the Ten regular attendants , a group of court eunuchs who held great influence in the Han imperial court...
, Guo Sheng
Guo Sheng (eunuch)
Guo Sheng was a eunuch of the late Han Dynasty, who served Emperor Ling of Han; he was also one of the Ten regular attendants , a group of court eunuchs who held great influence in the Han imperial court...
, Sun Zhang, Bi Lan, Li Song, Duan Gui
Duan Gui
Duan Gui was a eunuch of the late Han Dynasty, who served Emperor Ling of Han; he was also one of the Ten regular attendants , a group of court eunuchs who held great influence in the Han imperial court...
, Gao Wang, Zhang Gong, Han Li, and Song Dian. (The ten regular attendants are listed in the historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms
Romance of the Three Kingdoms
Romance of the Three Kingdoms, written by Luo Guanzhong in the 14th century, is a Chinese historical novel based on the events in the turbulent years near the end of the Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history, starting in 169 and ending with the reunification of the land in...
as: Zhang Rang, Zhao Zhong, Feng Xu
Feng Xu
Feng Xu was an eunuch of the late Han Dynasty, who served Emperor Ling of Han; he was also one of the Ten regular attendants , a group of court eunuchs who held great influence in the Han imperial court...
, Duan Gui, Cao Jie
Cao Jie (eunuch)
Cao Jie was an eunuch of the late Han Dynasty, who served Emperor Ling of Han; he was also one of the Ten regular attendants , a group of court eunuchs who held great influence in the Han imperial court. Cao Jie was responsible for the death of Dou Wu and Chen Fan....
, Hou Lan
Hou Lan
Hou Lan was a eunuch of the late Han Dynasty, who served Emperor Ling of Han. After Emperor Ling died and was succeeded by his son Liu Bian in 189, He Jin, Yuan Shao and Cao Cao invaded the capital for the purpose of defeating the Ten Attendants, leading to He Jin's beheading in the palace...
, Jian Shuo
Jian Shuo
Jian Shuo was the leader of the eunuch faction in the imperial court of the late Eastern Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. Along with Zhang Rang, Jian Shuo eventually became a leading member of the Ten Attendants, who became the most powerful eunuchs during the time...
, Cheng Kuang
Cheng Kuang
Cheng Kuang was a eunuch of the late Han Dynasty, who served Emperor Ling of Han; he was also one of the Ten regular attendants , a group of court eunuchs who held great influence in the Han imperial court...
, Xia Yun
Xia Yun
Xia Yun was a eunuch of the late Han Dynasty, who served Emperor Ling of Han; he was also one of the Ten regular attendants , a group of court eunuchs who held great influence in the Han imperial court...
, and Guo Sheng
Guo Sheng (eunuch)
Guo Sheng was a eunuch of the late Han Dynasty, who served Emperor Ling of Han; he was also one of the Ten regular attendants , a group of court eunuchs who held great influence in the Han imperial court...
; however, the Romance was fictional in nature.)
In 189, the Ten Attendants used widowed Empresses and support from Emperors to rise to a position of power. When the Emperor Han Ling Di died, the eunuchs, without a military power base of their own, relied on the support of Empress Dowager He and He Miao. Yuan Shao
Yuan Shao
Yuan Shao was a warlord during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. He occupied the northern territories of China during the civil war that occurred towards the end of the Han Dynasty and the beginning of the Three Kingdoms era...
sent Zhang Jin to advise He Jin
He Jin
He Jin was the elder half-brother of Empress He, consort to Emperor Ling of the late Eastern Han Dynasty in China. He shared power with his sister as regents in 189, following the death of Emperor Ling. In the ensuing struggle with the influential eunuch faction for power, He Jin was assassinated...
, who was Empress He
Empress He
Empress He may refer to:*Empress He , empress during Han Dynasty*Empress Dowager He , empress dowager during the reign of her son Sun Hao, Emperor of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period...
's brother. Zhang Jin argued that the Yellow Gates (palace guard) and Ten Attendants had usurped power and that the Empress Dowager He was corrupt and interloped with them. He urged He Jin to destroy this source of trouble. He Jin agreed and began conspiring with Yuan Shao. Yuan Shao further advised He Jin to summon the frontier general Dong Zhuo
Dong Zhuo
Dong Zhuo was a politician and warlord during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. He seized control of the capital city Luoyang in 189 when it was in a state of turmoil following the death of Emperor Ling and a clash between the eunuch faction and some court officials led by...
and various warlords to the capital to threaten the Empress Dowager, which he did. Sensing an impending threat to their lives, the Ten Attendants and Yellow Gates both came to apologize to He Jin for their "misdeeds."
Yuan Shao advised He Jin to take this opportunity to dispose of the eunuchs but He Jin rejected this advice. Subsequently, He Jin appointed Yuan Shao to govern the martial and civil officials of Luoyang and investigate the dealings of the eunuchs in the capital. Yuan Shu was ordered to select two hundred good-natured ‘Rapid As Tigers’ (Hu Ben) officers to replace the arms-bearing ‘Yellow Gates’ eunuch guards in the Forbidden Palace.
Finally, in the ninth month of that year He Jin requested the Empress Dowager to execute the eunuchs. The conversation was overheard and relayed to Zhang Rang
Zhang Rang
Zhang Rang was a eunuch of the late Han Dynasty, who served Emperor Ling of Han; he was also the leader of the Ten regular attendants , a group of court eunuchs who held great influence in the Han imperial court...
, the head eunuch following the death of Jian Shuo. Not long after, Duan Gui (the eunuch holding the appointment of Zhong Chang Shi), influential members Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong, and some other eunuchs used a forged decree from the Empress Dowager to lure He Jin to meet them. They beheaded He Jin in the palace garden. As a result, the palace was thrown into disorder.
Dou Wu, who in the past had planned to put them to death, was assassinated himself. This was due to word having leaked out from officers of the five regiments of the Northern Army, the professional standing army normally stationed at the capital.
In a bid to force Duan Gui and his group out of their hiding place, Yuan Shu
Yuan Shu
Yuan Shu was a warlord during the late Han Dynasty era of Chinese history. He rose to prominence following the collapse of the imperial court in 189. He was said to be a younger cousin of the warlord Yuan Shao, but was actually Yuan Shao's younger half-brother...
ordered his tiger troops to burn the Green Lock Gate (Qing Suo Men) of the Southern Jia De Palace in the Southern Palace. Instead of surrendering, Duan Gui kidnapped the Han Emperor Shao of Han and King of Chen Liu (Liu Xie) and fled in the direction of Xiao Ping Jin. Yuan Shao beheaded Xu Xiang. At the same time, Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu, followers of He Jin, both with significant control of military forces within the capital, stormed the palace and massacred the rest of the eunuchs in the capital. The soldiers were directed to apprehend all eunuchs and to kill them all without regard of age. Benevolent eunuchs who had refused to be contaminated by evil influences were likewise slaughtered. Some two-thousand eunuchs were killed, not counting those people killed by mistake.
Yuan Shao sent troops in pursuit of Duan Gui. Seeing that he was about to be captured, Duan Gui ended his life by throwing himself into the river. The remaining of the Ten Attendants initially took the young emperor and Prince Xie hostage, but eventually were forced to commit suicide when the enemy closed in on them. The Emperor was then able to return to the palace.
Modern references
In Dynasty Warriors 5Dynasty Warriors 5
is a Hack and slash video game set in China and the fifth installment in the Dynasty Warriors series, developed by Omega Force and published by Koei. The game was released on the PlayStation 2 and Xbox. It is based on the Chinese novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms by Luo Guanzhong.-Gameplay:The...
: Xtreme Legends there is a stage dedicated to this event.
Also in Dynasty Warriors 4
Dynasty Warriors 4
is a hack and slash video game and the fourth installment in the popular Dynasty Warriors series. Dynasty Warriors 4 was developed by Omega Force and published by Koei. The game is available on PlayStation 2 and Xbox and is based on a series of books called Romance of the Three Kingdoms, written...
: Xtreme Legends Dong Zhuo
Dong Zhuo
Dong Zhuo was a politician and warlord during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. He seized control of the capital city Luoyang in 189 when it was in a state of turmoil following the death of Emperor Ling and a clash between the eunuch faction and some court officials led by...
's stage features the Ten Attendants' Revolt