He, Earl of Gong

The status of He was not well-understood for a considerable amount of time, as the bo 伯 "earl" in his name was often omitted. This prompted traditional historiography to regard it as a literary allusion to Duke Mu of Shao and Duke Ding of Zhou, regarding it as a compound word roughly translating to "harmonious union," most notably in Records of the Grand Historian. However, with excavated texts such as Xinian (繫年) confirming He's role, the interpretation from the Bamboo Annals, which notes He as an earl,^[1][2][3][a] is considered standard practice.^[4][5] Arguments have been made for his name being a synonym for Duke Wu of Wei, but this has been debunked due to chronological issues separating the two by around 70 years; the similarities appear to be coincidental.^[5]

Little is known about He as a ruler of the State of Gong; it was seemingly minor. His state was located in the site of Huxian in Henan, around the location of the Jiufeng branch of the Taihang Mountains, which was once known as Mt. Gong (共山).^[5] King Wu of Zhou had enfeoffed individuals of the Gong (共) surname there after the Battle of Muye. There was a state of the same name during the Shang dynasty, but it is unrelated, as it was located in modern-day Gansu Province.