Original text
Siege of Gaixia
Sima Qian's "Historical Records"
King Xiang's army lay down on the wall of Gaixia. The soldiers were few and exhausted, but the Han army and the princes were surrounded The number is heavy. Hearing at night that the Han army was besieged on all sides, King Xiang was shocked and said: "Have all the Han troops been in Chu? How many people are there in Chu!" King Xiang got up at night and drank in his tent. There is a beautiful woman named Yu, who is often lucky to follow her; a horse named Zou, whom she often rides on. So Xiang Wangnai sang a tragic song generously, and wrote his own poem: "Strengthening the mountains, the world is overwhelming, but 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 on the line!" There are many songs, and the beauty is harmonious with them. . King Xiang wept for several lines, everyone on his left and right wept, and no one could look up. ?
So King Xiang mounted his horse, and more than 800 of his strong men and cavalry followers broke out at night and went south, galloping away. In Pingming, the Han army was aware of it and ordered the cavalry general Guan Ying to pursue it with five thousand cavalry. King Xiang crossed the Huaihe River, riding more than a hundred capable men. When King Xiang went to Yin Ling, he lost his way and asked Yi Tian's father. Tian Fuling said: "Zuo." Zuo fell into the swamp and was pursued by the Han Dynasty.
King Xiang then led his troops east again. When they reached the east city, they had twenty-eight cavalry. Thousands of Han cavalry chased him. King Xiang was unable to escape, so he said to his cavalry: "It has been eight years since I raised the army, and I have fought more than seventy battles. Those who fought were defeated, and those who attacked were subjugated. I was not defeated, and I conquered the world. But now my soldiers are trapped here. This is It is not a crime of war that Heaven will kill me. I will definitely die today, and I hope that I will fight quickly for you, and I will win three times. I will break the siege for you, kill the generals, and cut down the flag, so that you will know that Heaven will kill me, and it is not a crime of war. It's a crime." Then he divided his cavalry into four teams and marched in four directions. The Han army was heavily surrounded.
King Xiang said to his cavalry: "I am the Duke and take one of the other generals." He ordered his cavalry to ride down from all directions, with three locations in Shandong. So King Xiang shouted loudly and galloped down, and the Han army was invincible, so he killed a Han general. At that time, Chiquanhou was a cavalry commander and chased King Xiang. King Xiang scolded him with angry eyes. Chiquanhou's men and horses were frightened and moved several miles away. There are three places for riding. The Han army did not know where King Xiang was, so they divided their army into three and encircled him again. King Xiang Naichi, beheaded one of the Han captains again, killed hundreds of people, reunited his cavalry, and killed two of his cavalry. He said to his cavalry: "What's the matter?" The cavalry all fell down and said: "As the king said!"
So King Xiang wanted to cross the Wujiang River eastward. The leader of the Wujiang Pavilion was waiting with a boat, and said to King Xiang: "Although Jiangdong is small, the area is thousands of miles away, and there are hundreds of thousands of people, which is enough for a king. May the king rush to cross. Now I only have a boat, and the Han army is coming, and there is no way to cross." King Xiang laughed and said, "If Heaven destroys me, how can I cross the river? I crossed the river to the west with eight thousand people from the east of the Yangtze River.
No one has returned. How can I be pitied by my father and brother from the east of the Yangtze River?" , How can I see it with my face? Even if he doesn't say anything, I am not ashamed of myself." He said to the pavilion leader: "I know that my father is five years old. He is invincible and can travel thousands of miles in a day. If he can't bear to kill him, he will give it to the Duke." Then he ordered all the cavalry to dismount and walk, and engage in battle with short soldiers. Duji killed hundreds of Han soldiers. King Xiang was also injured more than ten times.
When he saw Ma Tong, the commander of the Han Dynasty riding horse, Lu, he said, "If he is not an old friend of mine?" Ma Tong looked at him, pointed at Wang Yi and said, "This king is also "Xiang Wangnai said: "I heard that the Han Dynasty bought my head for a thousand gold, and I was a virtuous man." So he committed suicide. Wang Yi took his head, and the remaining cavalry trampled each other to fight for King Xiang, killing dozens of people. Finally, Yang Xi, the lieutenant, and Lu Matong, the lieutenant, were riding. Lu Sheng and Yang Wu, the lieutenants, each got one of them. The five people gathered together and found that they were all the same, so they divided their territories into five: Lu Matong was granted the title of Zhongshuihou, Wang Yi was granted the title of Duyanhou, Yang Xi was granted the title of Chiquanhou, and Yang Wu was granted the title of Wufanghou. Lu Sheng was granted the title of Marquis of Niyang.
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Tai Shigong said: I heard that Zhou Sheng said: "Shun's eyes were covered with heavy pupils", and I also heard that Xiang Yu also had heavy pupils. Why is his descendant so evil? What a violent incident! Husband Qin lost his power and Chen She was in trouble. Heroes arose in droves and fought with each other, innumerable. However, Yu was not of great size, so he took control of Longmu. In three years, he destroyed the Qin Dynasty and divided the world with five princes. Although it is not final, it has never happened in recent times. Ji Yubei cared about Chu, banished the Righteous Emperor and established himself on his own, and blamed the princes for betraying him, which was difficult. He was preoccupied with his merits and exploits, and pursued his own wisdom without learning from the ancients. This was called the overlord's career, and he wanted to use his strength to conquer and rule the world. He died in his country in five years, and died in Dongcheng. He didn't realize that he had failed and didn't blame himself. It was too much. It is not absurd to quote, "It is not the crime of using troops to destroy me."
Translation
Xiang Yu's army was encamped under Gaixia. There were fewer and fewer soldiers and no food. Liu Bang's Han army, Han Xin and Peng Yue's army were surrounded layer by layer. At night, when he heard the songs of Chu being sung all around the Han army, Xiang Yu was shocked and said: "Has the Han army occupied all Chu? Otherwise, why are there so many Chu people in the Han army?" Xiang Yu stayed up all night. Get up and drink in the military tent. Looking back on the past, there was a beautiful Concubine Yu who was favored and always by her side. There was a BMW Zhui who was often riding on her lap.
Now... So Xiang Yu sang a tragic song generously and wrote a poem of his own: "I am so strong that I can conquer the mountains, but the times are unfavorable and my talents will not fade away. What should I do if my horses fail to gallop? Yu Ji, Yu Ji, you What to do!" He sang it over and over again, and Yu Ji also sang it with him. Xiang Yu shed several lines of tears, and the guards around him also cried. No one could raise their head to look at Xiang Yu. ?
So Xiang Yu mounted his war horse, followed by more than 800 of his strong men on horseback. That night, they broke out of the encirclement from the south and fled on horseback. At dawn, the Han army noticed and ordered the cavalry general Guan Ying to lead five thousand cavalry to pursue Xiang Yu. When Xiang Yu crossed the Huaihe River, there were only more than a hundred cavalry who could keep up with Xiang Yu. When Xiang Yu reached Yin Ling, he got lost.
He asked a farmer for directions. The old farmer lied to him and said, "Turn left." Xiang Yu walked left and fell into a low-lying land, so he was trapped again. The Han army caught up.
Xiang Yu led his troops eastward again. When they arrived at Dongcheng, there were only twenty-eight cavalry left, while the chasing Han cavalry numbered thousands. Xiang Yu himself estimated that he would not be able to escape this time, so he said to his cavalry: "It has been eight years since I started fighting. I have personally experienced more than 70 battles. All the enemies I resisted were defeated, and all the enemies I attacked were surrendered.
I have never failed, so I dominate the world. But today I am finally trapped here. This is because God wants me to perish, and it is not my fault in fighting. Of course I want to fight to the death, and I am willing to fight to the death. Let's fight happily, and we must win three times. I will break through the siege for you, kill the Han generals, and cut down the commander's flag, so that you will know that it is God who wants to kill me, and it is not my fault in fighting with the troops." So he sent him. The entourage was divided into four teams, facing the four directions. The Han army surrounded them layer by layer. Xiang Yu said to his cavalry: "I will kill him again for you." He ordered four groups of cavalry to charge down together, and agreed to gather in three places on the east side of the mountain.
So Xiang Yu shouted loudly and rushed straight down. The Han army was defeated and fled. As expected, he killed a general of the Han army. At this time, Chiquan Hou Yang Xi served as the cavalry general and was responsible for chasing Xiang Yu. Xiang Yu stared at him and shouted at him. Chiquan Hou Yang Xi panicked and retreated for several miles. Xiang Yu and his cavalry met at the three agreed places. The Han army didn't know where Xiang Yu was, so they divided their army into three parts and surrounded him again. Xiang Yu rushed out and beheaded another captain of the Han army, killing more than a hundred people. He gathered his cavalry again and found that only two people had been lost, so he asked his cavalry: "How is it?" The cavalry all said with admiration: "It's just like you said!"
So Xiang Yu wanted to cross the Wujiang River eastward. The pavilion chief of Wujiang River docked his boat to wait for Xiang Yu. He said to Xiang Yu: "Although Jiangdong is small, there is still land with a radius of thousands of miles and hundreds of thousands of people, which is enough to become a king. Please cross the river quickly. Now there is only I have a boat, but even if the Han army catches up here, there will be no boat to cross." Xiang Yu said with a smile: "God wants to destroy me, why should I cross the river?
Besides, I, Xiang Yu, led eight of Jiangdong's disciples. Thousands of people crossed the Wu River and advanced to the west. Now no one has survived. Even if the fathers and brothers in Jiangdong love me and make me their king, how can I face them? Or even if they don't tell me, don't I, Xiang Yu, feel guilty in my heart? Are you ashamed?" Then he said to the pavilion chief: "I know you are a loyal elder. I have been riding this horse for five years. It is invincible and has traveled thousands of miles. I can't bear to kill it, so I will reward it to you! ”
So all the horsemen were ordered to dismount and walk, holding short and light swords in their hands to fight. Xiang Yu alone killed hundreds of Han soldiers. Xiang Yu himself was injured in more than ten places. Suddenly, he turned around and saw Lu Matong, the cavalry commander of the Han army, and said, "Aren't you my old friend?" Lu Matong looked at Xiang Yu from the opposite side, pointed Xiang Yu to Wang Yi, and said, "This man is Xiang Yu." Xiang Yu then Said: "I heard that the King of Han offered a reward of a thousand taels of gold for my head and made me a Marquis of Ten Thousand Households. I will give you this benefit!"
After saying this, he committed suicide. Wang Yi took off King Xiang's head. The other cavalrymen trampled on each other and fought for King Xiang's body. Dozens of people were killed in the fight. In the end, Yang Xi, the cavalry commander, and Lu Matong, the cavalry commander, and Lu Sheng and Yang Wu, the knights, each competed for a limb. Five people came together to put the limbs together, and they were all right. Therefore, Xiang Yu's land was divided into five pieces: Lu Matong was granted the title of Zhongshui Marquis, Wang Yi was granted the title of Du Yanhou, Yang Xi was granted the title of Chiquan Marquis, Yang Wu was granted the title of Wu Fanghou, and Lu Sheng was granted the title of Nieyang Marquis.
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Tai Shigong said: I heard from Zhou Sheng that "Shun's eyes had double pupils", and I also heard that Xiang Yu also had double pupils. Is Xiang Yu a descendant of Shun? Otherwise, why did he become successful so suddenly? The Qin Dynasty lost the political principles that could govern the country. Chen She took the lead in attacking, and countless heroes swarmed up to fight for the world. However, Xiang Yu had no large-scale fiefdom and took advantage of the situation to rise in the fields. After three years,
As a result, he led the army of five princes to destroy the Qin Dynasty, divided the world, and granted kings and princes. All major policies were formulated by Xiang Yu, who was known as the "Overlord". Although his position did not end well, it was unprecedented in modern times. When Xiang Yu left Guanzhong and missed the Chu land, exiled Yi Emperor and proclaimed himself king, resented the princes for betraying him, it will be difficult to achieve great success.
He was proud of his merits and acted according to his own personal ideas rather than imitating ancient times. He believed that the achievements of an overlord depended on conquering by force to rule the world. Five years later, his country was finally destroyed. He died in Dongcheng, but he still couldn't wake up and blame himself. This was really a huge mistake. However, he used the excuse "God wants to destroy me, but it is not due to my fault in using soldiers". Isn't this very ridiculous?
Extended information
Xiang Yu is a controversial figure in history. Some people say that he lost his country because of his own willfulness, and finally ended up committing suicide by the Wujiang River. There are also some people who appreciate his heroic spirit and would rather die than cross the Yangtze River.
Xiang Yu is one of the ancients that I rarely appreciate. I like his heroism and chivalry. Let me ask: If he didn't have absolute trust in Liu Bang, how could he have the opportunity to secretly cross Chencang for Liu Bang? At that time, Xiang Yu had already conquered the Qin Dynasty. If he had listened to Fan Zeng and killed Liu Bang, how could there be Liu Bang later? Xiang Yu is Xiang Yu, he is straightforward, and he disdains hurting others with hidden arrows.
Yu Ji is Xiang Yu’s one and only, and also his true love.
Later, when Yu Ji was in Xiang Yu's tent, she heard embarrassment from all sides and thought she was surrounded by Liu Bang's army. In order not to drag down Xiang Yu, she committed suicide in the tent. As an overlord, he would never let the woman he loved die for him. But history is always cruel. Even if they could break out of the siege at that time, they would both die in love when they reached the Wujiang River. How could Yu Ji give up her love and promise to Xiang Yu?
Some people say that Yu Ji is a happy woman, because Xiang Yu is not the emperor, so she does not have to compete with the three thousand people in the harem for favor, and will not lament when she is old and beautiful, "Once the beauty fades, the beauty will grow old, and the flowers will fade away." "But it won't happen, because Xiang Yu can't be the emperor. Even if he ascends the throne now, with his nature, he will not doubt that his ministers have the intention to cause trouble. Even if he thought about it, he wouldn't believe it if a rebellious minister and a traitor were to wear the royal robe outside. He would surely lose the throne in a daze. The mistake was that he shouldn't have been born in troubled times.
The last scene is as clear as a movie. Xiang Yu's Wuzui horse was captured, and as loyal as it was, it jumped into the Wujiang River unwilling to serve its two masters. Xiang Yu felt ashamed to see his elders in Jiangdong and committed suicide on the bank of Wujiang River. The blood spurting out made Wujiang red. It seems that I can still hear Xiang Yu's desolate singing: The times are not favorable for me. If I don't lose my virtue, what can I do if I don't lose my virtue? Yu Ji, what's wrong with Yu Ji? "Everything seemed to be frozen in that moment.
"The times are not favorable..."
Reference materials Gaixia Siege_Baidu Encyclopedia?