He Yan

He Yan is the grandson of He Jin, and one of Cao Cao's adopted sons. At a young age, he showed stupendous talent in analysis, and Cao Cao would even consult his son regarding the Art of War.

Known for his flamboyant, egotistical nature, He was disliked by Cao Pi and many other officials, but he rose to power under Cao Shuang. Like many of Cao's associates, He Yan was executed by Sima Yi.

Dynasty Warriors
He Yan appears in Dynasty Warriors 7 as one of Cao Shuang's associates, and they are part of the attack unit at Mt. Xingshi. When the Sima family launches a coup, He Yan will be the guardian for Luoyang's throne room, and is the final obstacle to killing Cao Shuang.

In Dynasty Warriors 8, He Yan is part of Cao Shuang's entourage. Defeating him along with the rest of Cao Shuang's entourage will cause Jia Chong to suspect Xiahou Ba, and will help in opening the hypothetical route.

Historical Information
He Yan was born in Nanyang, Henan, and was He Jin's grandson, and Empress He's grandnephew. At the age of six, He's mother became one of Cao Cao's concubine, and Cao adopted He as a result.

As a child, Cao Pi disliked his adoptive brother for acting as if he was their father's successor, and often referred to He as a "false son". As a result of his strained relationships, he would spend most of this childhood beside his father. Cao Cao was most impressed by He's interpretations of the Art of War, and spoke with his son whenever there was portion that wasn't understood. He Yan would later marry the Princess of Jinxiang.

He was severely disliked by both Cao Pi and Cao Rui, and would never reach any high positions during their rules. When Cao Shuang became regent, He was among those who were promoted. During this time, He began utilizing his writing skills, and started annotating and commenting on various works of history and philosophy. In his young age, he wrote various commentaries regarding both Laozi and Zhuangzi. During Cao Shuang's reign, He Yan wrote the Lunyu Jijie, a collected and summarized version of analects written by that time alongside comments made by He and others. The book would be recognized as the most authoritative source of information for almost a thousand years. He believed strongly in the complement of Taoism and Confucianism, and believed that proper scholars would be able to find a single unified conclusion.

Like many of Cao Shuang's associates, He Yan was executed for treason when Sima Yi took power in 249. At the time of his death, he had a five year old who was also slated to be executed. He's widow was able to hide their son before managing to convince Sima to spare He's son.

It is written in the Chronicles of the Clans of Wei that He Yan became the judge for Cao Shuang's trial. Hoping to be spared, He was very severe and harsh in trying Cao, but Sima still added him to the list of criminals to be executed.