The Reign of Emperor He (88–106) 117 Chapter 3 The Reign of Emperor He (88–106) Chronology Triumph in the Steppe The Fall of the Dou Family The Peoples of the West The Government of Emperor He The Military Structure of Later Han Peace and Settlement? Chronology 88 death of Emperor Zhang and accession of Liu Zhao, Emperor He, under the regency of the Dowager Dou 89–91 Dou Xian leads an expedition into the steppe and destroys the North­ ern Shanyu 91 Ban Chao named Protector-General of the Western Regions 92 imperial coup against the Dou clan; Dou Xian is killed and the Dowager removed from power 93 death of the Southern Shanyu Tuntuhe, succeeded by Shizi; revolt of sur- rendered Northerners; prince Fenghou establishes a separatist state 94 Ban Chao conquers Yanqi and completes his control of the Tarim basin 97 Ban Chao sends Gan Ying on a mission to Daqin/Rome, he reaches the Persian Gulf 101 death of the Shaodang chieftain Mitang; some of his people are settled within Liang province 102 the Lady Deng Sui replaces the Empress Yin as imperial consort Ban Chao retires as Protector-General of the Western Regions; succeeded by Ren Shang 105 the eunuch Cai Lun announces a new process for making paper1 death of Emperor He; the Empress Deng becomes regent Dowager 1 See Chapter 4 at 176–177. © Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, 2017 | doi 10.1163/9789004325203_007 118 Chapter 3 Triumph in the Steppe The Empress Dou, now regent Dowager for her adoptive son Liu Zhao, had been at the centre of affairs within the imperial harem and had been largely responsible for her own success. She may have benefited to some degree from the achievements of her cousin the general Dou Gu, but her own father Dou Xun had died in disgrace in the early 70s, some years before she entered the palace in 77.2 He had also left four sons, and when the empress was appointed in 78, her brother Dou Xian was made a Palace Attendant and General of the Household Rapid as a Tiger,3 while his brother Du became a Gentleman at the Yellow Gates; both had right of entry to the inner apartments.4 Two younger brothers, Dou Jing and Dou Xiang, received no positions at that time. We are not told whether they were all full brothers of the empress or whether some were children of concubines, and it is hard to judge their comparative ages, but Dou Xian at least may have been a full brother, and it is probable that all four were older than their sister, in their late teens or twenties at the time of her appointment. It is nonetheless doubtful that such young men could have offered the Lady Dou any effective support in her dealings within the harem, and her success was her own. The Lady’s family, however, certainly gained from her rise to favour and power: we are told that the brothers were initially held in high regard by Emperor Zhang, while the Ma and Yin distaff clans, and even members of the imperial family, were in awe of them. Dou Xian, however, had inherited his grandfather’s greed, and in a parallel to Dou Mu’s earlier offence, he intimidated the Princess Liu Zhi, a daughter of Emperor Ming, into selling him 2 On Dou Xun, see Chapter 2 at 114; on Dou Gu, see Chapter 2 at 96. 3 The biography of Dou Xian is in HHS 23/13:812–821. A gentleman cadet (郞 lang) was a probationary candidate for commissioned office in the imperial service. The period of probation could be up to three years, but Dou Xian gained accelerated promotion, and it appears that he held the posts of Palace Attendant and General of the Household at the same time. A Palace Attendant (侍中 shizhong), with the high rank/salary of Two Thousand shi, was a close adviser to the emperor, and the guards Rapid as Tigers were one of five troops formally responsible for the ruler’s security; they may have had some military training and experience, but their duties were largely nominal, and the General of the Household (中郎將 zhonglang jiang) who commanded them was rather a courtier than a military officer. See further at 150 below. 4 Gentlemen at the Yellow Gates (黃門侍郎 huangmen shilang), ranked at Six Hundred shi, acted as liaison between the palace and the outside world, and served as ushers at formal gatherings of the court..