Liu Bang
Liu Bang, a native of Peixian County, Sishui County (now Peixian County, Jiangsu Province), was born in a peasant family. He is open-minded and ambitious. At first, he was the pavilion chief of Sishui in the Qin Dynasty (a minor official in charge of a place ten miles away). Once, he was ordered to escort a group of civilians to serve in Lishan Mountain, but many civilians escaped on the way. Seeing that he was unable to do business, he simply let all the civilians go. He and a dozen people who voluntarily followed him fled into Mangdang Mountain, gathered more than a hundred people, and secretly contacted Xiao He, the clerk of Pei County Yamen, and Cao Shen, the prison officer.
After Chen Sheng and Wu Guang uprising in Daze Township in the first year of Qin II (209 BC), Liu Bang gathered hundreds of people including Xiao He, Cao Shen, and Fan Kuai, killed the county officials, raised troops to respond, and called him Peigong. The battle shifted between Feng and Pei. After Chen Sheng died. It once belonged to Xiang Liang. After Xiang Liang died in the battle, Liu Bang and Xiang Liang's nephew Xiang Yu joined forces with the ambition of King Huai of Chu as their leaders and continued to persist in the anti-Qin struggle. Become the main force against Qin.
In the autumn of the third year of Qin II (207 BC), Liu Bang was sent by King Huai of Chu to lead his troops to advance toward Guanzhong. He made an emergency landing in Wancheng, captured Wuguan, and led his army into Xianyang. Ziying, the third emperor of Qin Dynasty, surrendered and the Qin Dynasty was destroyed. Liu Bang envied the luxury of Afang Palace and wanted to stay in the palace after entering the city. However, Zhang Liang persuaded him to come to his senses and left the city to stay in Bashang. Liu Bang abolished the harsh laws of the Qin Dynasty and made a three-part agreement with the elders in Guanzhong: "Those who kill will die; those who hurt others will be punished; and those who steal will be punished." Therefore, he won the hearts of the people.
Soon after Xiang Yu defeated the main force of the Qin army, he also invaded Xianyang. Stationed in Hongmen (now east of Lintong County, Shaanxi Province). Xiang Yu followed the advice of his adviser Fan Zeng and decided to kill Liu Bang's opponent. But his uncle Xiang Bo went to tell his old friend Zhang Liang. After Zhang Liang discussed with Liu Bang, he believed that he was no match for Xiang Yu now, so the best way was to apologize to Xiang Yu and try to get him to change his mind.
The next day, Liu Bang took Zhang Liang, Fan Kuai and more than a hundred followers to Hongmen to plead guilty. Xiang Yu hosted a banquet to entertain them. During the dinner, Liu Bang apologized to Xiang Yu in a low voice, saying that he had no ambition to compete with him for the world. After Xiang Yu heard this, he immediately changed his mind about killing Liu Bang. Fan Zeng repeatedly winked at him and motioned for him to take action, but he pretended not to see it. Fan Zeng became anxious and sent Xiangzhuang to the banquet, intending to assassinate Liu Bang in the name of dancing with his sword to promote wine. Xiang Bo saw Xiang Zhuang dancing slowly towards Liu Bang. He quickly got up and danced to protect Liu Bang. Zhang Liang used an excuse to leave the account and notified Fan Kuai to rush into the account to protect Liu Bang. Liu Bang took advantage of the situation to go to the toilet, took Fan Kuai away from Xiang Yu's camp, and rushed back to the army via the path. Zhang Liang waited until Liu Bang had gone away, then gave Xiang Yu a gift and said that Liu Bang was drunk and had gone back first. Fan Zeng was so angry that he sighed repeatedly, but there was nothing he could do. In this way, the relationship between Xiang Yu and Liu Bang temporarily eased.
In December of the same year, Xiang Yu violated the agreement of King Huai of Chu that "the first one to enter Guanzhong will be the king" and named Liu Bang the King of Han, with the capital at Nanzheng and occupying the lands of Bashu and Hanzhong; Xiang Yu called himself "the Overlord of Western Chu" ", Du Pengcheng (now Xuzhou, Jiangsu). Only one month after Xiang Yu enfeoffed, the princes began to merge. Liu Bang took the opportunity to pacify the Three Qin Dynasties, occupied Guanzhong again, and started a four-year-long Chu-Han conflict with Xiang Yu.
Liu Bang himself was neither a general nor a brilliant strategist, but he was good at employing people, and especially knew how to bring out the strengths of his subordinates. He was also "good at planning and listening", able to adopt the correct opinions of his subordinates, and could be considerate. He was concerned about the people's sufferings, and thus gained the support of the people. Under the planning of Zhang Liang, Xiao He and others, and the battles of generals such as Han Xin, Peng Yue, and Yingbu, he finally became strong from weakness, and defeated Xiang Yu in 202 BC. , and forced Xiang Yu to commit suicide in Wujiang River. In February, Liu Bang ascended the throne as emperor in Sishui (today's Xingyang County, Henan Province) and established the Han Dynasty. The capital was initially established in Luoyang and soon moved to Chang'an, which was known as the Western Han Dynasty in history.
During Liu Bang's reign, he successively eliminated the separatist forces of princes with different surnames such as Han Xin, Peng Yue, and Yingbu, and established many kings with the same surname, consolidating the centralized rule; he implemented the policy of focusing on agriculture, suppressing business, and resting with the people: Those who fled to the mountains and rivers were called on to return to their hometowns, and those who returned home had their titles and fields restored; those who sold themselves into slavery during the war were emancipated; soldiers were also demobilized and engaged in production. In addition, powerful people from all over the country were ordered to move to Guanzhong to enrich the capital. He also revised the "Qin Code" and formulated nine chapters of the "Han Code"; formulating algorithms, calendars, and weights and measures. The above measures have played a certain role in stabilizing people's livelihood and promoting economic development.
After the fall of the Qin Dynasty, the Xiongnu in Mobei took the opportunity to go south and reoccupy Henan (today's Hetao area in Inner Mongolia). In the early Han Dynasty, the Xiongnu continued to invade the border counties of Han Dynasty. In 201 BC, King Xin of Han surrendered to the Xiongnu.
The following year, Liu Bang personally led an army to conquer the country and was besieged for seven days and nights by the Huns' 300,000 troops in Baideng (now northeast of Datong, Shanxi). Later, Chen Ping's strategy was used to bribe the Yan family of Maodun Shanyu heavily, and they were able to escape from danger. After that, in view of the fact that the national strength had not yet been restored, Liu Bang had to adopt a pacification policy towards the Xiongnu in order to ease the relationship between the two parties.
In 196 BC, Liu Bang was injured by an arrow in his chest during the battle to put down the Yingbu rebellion. In March of the following year, the trauma recurred and his condition became critical. He summoned the princes and ministers into the palace, ordered the white horses to be slaughtered on the left and right, and asked the ministers to pledge their blood to form an alliance. He swore that from now on, anyone not named Liu cannot be crowned king, and those without merit cannot be crowned marquis. Whoever violates this covenant will be punished by all the people in the world. You can work together to defeat him. He also ordered Chen Ping to immediately rush back to Xingyang from the Yan region to assist Guan Ying in garrison to prevent the vassal states from taking the opportunity to cause chaos. Then he summoned Empress Lu and asked him about his affairs. Empress Lu asked him: "After Xiao Xiangguo, who can succeed him?" Liu Bang replied to Cao Shen. Empress Lu asked Cao Shen where he was going. Liu Bang replied: Wang Ling, and Chen Ping assisted him. Chen Ping is resourceful, but he cannot act alone. Zhou Bo is simple and poorly educated, but he must be the one to stabilize the Liu family in the future, and he can be appointed as the Taiwei. Empress Lu asked about the funeral again. Liu Bang shook his head and said, I'm afraid you can't know the funeral. In April of the same year (195 BC), Liu Bang died in Changle Palace in Chang'an. After his death, his temple name was Taizu and he was called Emperor Gao. Historically, it was customary to call him Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty.
Xiang Yu
Title: Overlord of Western Chu
Name: Xiang Ji
Dynasty: Late Qin and early Han
Birth and death years: 232 BC - 202 BC
Introduction: Xiang Yu (232 BC - 202 BC), famous name, courtesy name Yu, Xiaxiang (now Suqian, Jiangsu) people. The grandson of Xiang Yan, the famous general of Chu State, a famous military strategist in ancient China and a hero of his generation. After the fall of Chu, he fled to Wuzhong (now Suzhou, Jiangsu) with his uncle Xiang Liang. When he was young, he failed to learn calligraphy. He also failed to learn swordsmanship. Determined to learn how to "defend ten thousand people" (the ability to withstand ten thousand people), he learned the art of war from his uncle. But he only "knew a little about its meaning, but refused to learn it." Xiang Yu was eight feet tall, capable of carrying a cauldron, and had great ambitions when he was young. Once when Qin Shihuang was on a patrol crossing Zhejiang (today's Qiantang River), Xiang Yu saw the majesty of his chariots and horses, and blurted out: "He can be replaced by him." In the first year of Qin II (209 BC), Chen Sheng and Wu Guang were in Daze Township He raised his arms and raised his pole. Xiang Yu followed Xiang Liang and raised his troops in Wuzhong to respond. The 24-year-old Xiang Yu was pushed onto the stage of history by the violent storm of the people's uprising.
Xiang Yu (232 BC - 202 BC), named Yu, was born in Xixian (now Suqian, Jiangsu Province). The grandson of Xiang Yan, the famous general of Chu State, a famous military strategist in ancient China and a hero of his generation. After the fall of Chu, he fled to Wuzhong (now Suzhou, Jiangsu) with his uncle Xiang Liang. When he was young, he failed to learn calligraphy. He also failed to learn swordsmanship. Determined to learn how to "defend ten thousand people" (the ability to withstand ten thousand people), he learned the art of war from his uncle. But he only "knew a little about its meaning, but refused to learn it." Xiang Yu was eight feet tall, capable of carrying a cauldron, and had great ambitions when he was young. Once when Qin Shihuang was on a patrol crossing Zhejiang (today's Qiantang River), Xiang Yu saw the majesty of his chariots and horses, and blurted out: "He can be replaced by him." In the first year of Qin II (209 BC), Chen Sheng and Wu Guang were in Daze Township He raised his arms and raised his pole. Xiang Yu followed Xiang Liang and raised his troops in Wuzhong to respond. The 24-year-old Xiang Yu was pushed onto the stage of history by the violent storm of the people's uprising.
After Xiang Liang's uprising, he recruited 8,000 elite soldiers and Xiang Yu became the deputy general (deputy general). In order to facilitate the call, he adopted the suggestion of counselor Fan Zeng and established Xiong Xin, the grandson of the former King Huai of Chu, as king. He established his capital in Xuyi and was still called King Huai of Chu. Xiang Liang led the rebel army to victory one after another in battles with the Qin army, which gave rise to the idea of ??being arrogant and underestimating the enemy. As a result, he was defeated by the army commanded by Zhang Han of the Qin army in Dingtao (now northwest of Dingtao County, Shandong), and Xiang Liang died in the battle.
After the Battle of Dingtao, the Qin army crossed the Yellow River north to attack King Xie and Zhang Er of Zhao who had rebelled against Qin, and besieged the Zhao army in Julu (now Pingxiang, Hebei). King Huai of Chu appointed Song Yi as general and Xiang Yu as second general to lead his troops to rescue. When Song Yi led his army to Anyang (now south of Anyang, Henan Province), he hesitated and stationed troops for forty-six days. At that time, it was raining continuously, and the rebel army was in dire straits due to lack of food and clothing. Xiang Yu made a decisive decision and killed Song Yi, forcing King Chu Huai to appoint him as general and order him to immediately send his troops north to rescue Zhao.
Xiang Yu led his chariots to the south bank of the Zhang River and confronted the Qin army across the bank. He first sent generals Yingbu and Pu to lead 20,000 elite troops across the river to cut off the Qin army's grain transportation channels.
Then he personally led the main force to cross the river, scuttled the boats, destroyed the cooking utensils, and burned the camps. Each person only brought three days of rations. This is the origin of the famous idiom "The cauldron sinks the boat." As soon as they arrived at the battlefield, the Chu army surrounded the Qin army with thunderous momentum and lightning-fast movements. Xiang Yu took the lead and charged into the battle. Each Chu army bravely killed the enemy, one against ten, and won nine battles and nine victories. He defeated the Qin army, captured Qin general Wang Li, killed Qin deputy general Su Jiao, and forced Qin deputy general Shejian to commit suicide. The siege of giant deer. When Xiang Yu's army was fighting fiercely with the Qin army, the reinforcements from various princes huddled on the ramparts to watch and did not dare to join the battle. After the battle, Xiang Yu summoned the reinforcement generals. They "entered the camp gate and all walked forward on their knees, no one dared to look up." Xiang Yu became the commander-in-chief of the princes' armies.
After the Battle of Julu, Xiang Yu took advantage of the victory to pursue the victory, but the Qin army retreated steadily and its morale was disorganized. Seeing that the situation was over, Zhang Han led 200,000 Qin troops to surrender to Xiang Yu. However, on his way to the west, Xiang Yu ordered all the 200,000 surrendered soldiers to be killed in Xin'an City (today's east of Shengchi, Henan). At this time, another rebel army, Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty, took advantage of the main force of the Qin army and was pinned down by Xiang Yu in Julu. Guanzhong was empty and occupied Xianyang.
Xiang Yu was greatly dissatisfied and led his army to break through the pass and stationed in Hongmen (now northeast of Lintong, Shaanxi Province). At that time, Xiang Yu's army was 400,000, and Han Gaozu's army was less than 100,000. There was a huge disparity in strength between the two sides. Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty realized that he was no longer able to defeat Xiang Yu, so he adopted Zhang Liang's strategy and won over Xiang Yu's uncle, Xiang Bo, and personally went to Hongmen to plead guilty. At the Hongmen Banquet, the glimmer of swords and lights flashed amidst the exchange of glasses of wine. Xiang Yu's counselor Fan Zeng raised the jade pieces he brought several times, implying that Xiang Yu would kill Han Gaozu, but Xiang Yu was cowardly and Han Gaozu made excuses to escape. This is the story of the famous "Hongmen Banquet" in history. Xiang Yu relied on his powerful troops to temporarily suppress Han Gaozu. He led troops into Xianyang, "killed Qin's descendant prince Ying, burned Qin's palace, and the fire lasted for three months, collected his goods, treasures, and women and headed east" (Historical Records? Xiang Yu's Anthology). Xiang Yu used his remaining military power to issue orders as a general to the princes. He established himself as the overlord of Western Chu, took over nine counties in the Liang and Chu lands (occupying parts of today's Jiangsu, Anhui, Shandong, and Henan), and made his capital Pengcheng (now Xuzhou, Jiangsu). At the same time, he also ceded lands and enfeoffed kings, and divided eighteen princes into enfeoffments. The Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty was granted the title of King of Han, king of Hanzhong and Bashu, in an attempt to restrict the development of the Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty and prevent him from advancing eastward. As a result, raising tigers caused trouble and led to a comeback of the Han army in the future.
Due to the unfairness of Xiang Yu's enfeoffment, the princes and heroes were dissatisfied. First, Tian Rong occupied Qi and rebelled against Chu. Xiang Yu hurriedly led his army to attack, and Han Emperor Gaozu took advantage of the opportunity to advance eastward. In August 208 BC, the Han army sneaked out of Hanzhong and defeated the three kings of Qin who were entrusted by Xiang Yu. They quickly marched eastward and reached Yangxia (now Taikang, Henan). Then, while Xiang Yu was fighting with the Qi army, he attacked Pengcheng, the capital of Chu, in one fell swoop. Yu hurriedly led 30,000 elite troops to rescue Pengcheng.
At this time, Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty relied on his large number of soldiers and generals, paralyzing and underestimating the enemy. Xiang Yujun was eager to regain the lost ground and had high fighting spirit. Thirty thousand Chu troops, led by Xiang Yu, left Shandong, passed through Huling (southeast of today's Yutai, Shandong) and approached Xiao (now northwest of Xiaoxian, Jiangsu), reaching the flank of the Han army in Pengcheng. The battle started at dawn. The Chu army was brave and tenacious, fighting and charging at the same time. By noon, the Han army had been defeated. The Chu army pursued them to Sishui, northeast of Pengcheng, and the Han army fell into the water one after another, killing more than 100,000 people. The Han army fled to the mountains to the south, and the Chu army pursued it to the Suishui River east of Lingbi (in today's Anhui Province) and annihilated hundreds of thousands more. Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty only escaped with a few dozen cavalry, and even his wife Lu Fei and his father Taigong became Xiang Yu's prisoners. In the Battle of Pengcheng, Xiang Yu made a decisive decision and quickly led his elite troops back to rescue Pengcheng. He caught the enemy unawares and defeated hundreds of thousands of Han troops. This was an example in the history of war of defeating more with less.
After the Battle of Pengcheng, Xiang Yu took advantage of his victory and marched, fighting Han Gaozu between Jingyi and Suoting (west and south of Xingyang), but was blocked east of Xingyang. The two sides had a stalemate in the Chenggao area for two years. During this period, Han Gaozu adopted correct combat guidance, guarding Cheng Gao, consuming the opponent's strength in a protracted battle, and waiting for opportunities to counterattack; Xiang Yu approached Han Gaozu for a decisive battle, but he was unable to attack in a hurry. The forces of both sides have undergone fundamental changes. The Han army has changed from weak to strong, and Xiang Yu has changed from strong to weak.
In the fifth year of Emperor Gao of the Han Dynasty (202 BC), Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty launched a general attack on Xiang Yu and surrounded Xiang Yu's legions at Gaixia. At this time, the 100,000 Chu troops were exhausted and their morale was low. At night, I heard the Han army singing Chu songs on all sides again. Xiang Yu was so hungry that he drowned his sorrows with wine, and sang generously and sadly: "Strengthening the mountain, the world is overwhelming, the times are not good, but the time is not gone. What can be done if the time is not going away, what can be done if the time is running out?" After singing, He jumped on his horse and led eight hundred cavalry to break through and go south. When they arrived in Dongcheng (now southeast of Dingyuan, Anhui), there were only 28 people left.
He wanted to cross the Wujiang River eastward to regroup, but he felt too embarrassed to see his elders east of the river. He fought hard for a while, then committed suicide with a sword. He was only 31 years old.
Xiang Yu is an outstanding military commander. He is good at fighting, and he is heroic and powerful on the battlefield. In the Battle of Julu, Xiang Yu destroyed the cauldron and the boat, defeated the many with a small number, and completely annihilated the main force of the Qin army. Objectively, it created conditions for the Han emperor to enter Xianyang and overthrow the Qin Dynasty. In the Chu-Han War, he defeated Tianrong, rescued Peng Cheng, saved Xingyang, and captured Chenggao. He fought dozens of battles in his life and won many victories. Therefore, the ancients called him "a talent capable of winning every battle" (Su Xun Jiayou Collection? Xiang Ji).
However, Xiang Yu is also a tragic figure. After the fall of the Qin Dynasty, he claimed to be an overlord and was busy dividing the feudal lords and supporting the remnants of the nobles of the six countries. He violated the people's desire for unification and created a chaotic and separatist situation. He behaved cruelly and killed more than 200,000 Qin soldiers. After entering the Pass, the Qin Palace was burned down, and the fire continued for three months. His atrocities of burning, killing and looting went against the will of the people and were the fundamental reason for his defeat. Xiang Yu relied on his martial arts to intimidate the princes, but lacked foresight and did not win alliances. He is also jealous of talents and talents, and cannot use people, which leads to rebellion and alienation from relatives, and the morale of the army is weakened. Militarily, he lacks the vision of a strategist, is headstrong, and does not tolerate evil. As a result, they repeatedly lost battle opportunities, had no solid rear base, and did not have sufficient food, pay, and troops. Although they won many battles, they went from prosperity to decline. Therefore, although Xiang Yu has outstanding military commanding talents, it is inevitable to fail in the end.
Xiang Yu is a very legendary hero in the history of our country, and many deeds related to him gradually evolved into idioms. It is unprecedented and unprecedented for so many idiom stories to happen to one person.