Xiao He of Xiangguo, originally a native of Fengyi, Pei County, because he was very proficient in law, so he held relevant official positions in Pei County, and when Liu Bang was only a commoner, Xiao He had used his authority many times to protect Liu Bang, and after Liu Bang became the chief of the pavilion, Xiao He often helped him. When the imperial history of the Qin Dynasty came to the county to inspect political affairs, he also worked with Xiao He and admired Xiao He's ability to handle things, and soon after, Xiao He served as the governor of Surabaya County, and he was the first in the performance appraisal.
Later, Liu Bang went from being the chief of the pavilion to the Duke of Pei and then to the King of Han, and then made Xiao He his own chancellor. Xiao He had all the documents and important materials of the Qin Dynasty in his hands, so with Xiao He's help, Liu Bang, the King of Han, had a very clear understanding of the general situation of the world, the various fortresses, the financial situation, the hukou situation, and the sufferings of the people's livelihood. Moreover, Xiao He also recommended Han Xin to Liu Bang, the King of Han, and subsequently, the King of Han made Han Xin a general.
When the King of Han led his troops to the east, Xiao He stayed in Bashu as a chancellor, responsible for collecting taxes and appeasing the people, while also having them supply the army with grain and grass. In the second year of the Han Dynasty, the King of Han and the princes led troops to attack the Chu army, and Xiao He once again stayed in Guanzhong. During this period, he formulated many laws and regulations, established the Zongmiao Temple, the palace, and so on, and these things, he would report to the King of Han until he obtained the consent of the King of Han. Therefore, Liu Bang also trusted Xiao He very much, so the King of Han was relieved to let Xiao He handle everything in Guanzhong with full authority.
In the fifth year of the Han Dynasty, Liu Bang had already defeated Xiang Yu, and the world had already fallen into his hands, and it was time to discuss the reward for merit. At this time, everyone began to compete for credit, so that more than a year has not yet determined the reward. However, in Liu Bang's eyes, Xiao He was the one with the highest merit, so he was made a waiter, and he also rewarded many food yi, and was the most rewarded among all the meritorious men. At this time, some people stopped doing it, thinking that Xiao He was just fighting a war of words, why could he get such a high reward. So Gaozu Liu Bang gave an example of hunting, comparing him to the hunter with the highest merit, and finally the heroes did not dare to say anything. Later, Gaozu Liu Bang also sealed Xiao He as Xiangguo and sealed 5,000 households.
Once, on the way back to the dynasty, Gao Zu was suddenly stopped by the people, who actually wrote a letter to accuse Xiang Guo, that is, Xiao He, who bought the people's land at a low price and sold it at a high price, with a total price of tens of millions. When Gaozu returned to Chaozhong, he questioned Xiao He, and Xiao He explained, "The land in Chang'an is very narrow, but there are still many empty spaces in the Shanglin Garden, hoping to let the people go in and cultivate." After listening, Gao Zu was even more angry and directly asked Ting Wei to detain him for several days. Fortunately, later a person next to Gao Zu told Gao Zu that Xiao He was only doing this for the sake of the people, and then he released Xiao He.
In the second year of Emperor Xiaohui's reign, Xiao He died, and his courtesy name was Wen Zhonghou. After that, whenever his descendants were deposed as marquises because they had made a mistake, the emperor of the dynasty would send people to find Xiao He's descendants and re-enfeoff, and no one could compare with Xiao He.