In 223 BC, the Qin general Wang Jian led an army of 600,000 to launch a general attack on the Chu army. Xiang Yan, the general of the Chu army, commanded the troops to retreat eastward, but Wang Jian pressed and did not give him a chance to breathe. Finally, in the south of Qi County, Xiang Yan died in battle, and the state of Chu was destroyed.
However, Xiang Yan's eight-character oath that he roared before his death was fulfilled 21 years later, what is the specific content?
Why did Xiang Yan persist to the end, and what was the bizarre thing about this fateful battle at the end of the Warring States Period?Why did Xiang Yan and Xiang Yu also choose to commit suicide?
Xiang Yan's Chu family Xiang originated in the Zhou Dynasty, the fief was Xiang State, and was destroyed by Chu in the Spring and Autumn Period, and the people took "Xiang" as the surname, and Xiang Yan was in Chu State, although after 800 years, it was in danger.
At the same time, the distant state of Qin gradually rose, and after destroying Han, Zhao, Wei, and Yan, the goal was directly aimed at the state of Chu. When King Yingzheng of Qin asked how to destroy the state of Chu, the famous general Wang Jian believed that a 600,000-strong army would succeed, while the young general Li Xin was confident that a 200,000-strong army of tigers and wolves would be enough.
In the end, the young Li Xin was chosen. In 225 BC, Qin generals Li Xin and Meng Tian led an army of 200,000 to attack the state of Chu, successively captured Pingyu, Bed, and other places, and approached Shouchun, the capital of Chu.
However, the Chu general Changping Jun rebelled against Qin, causing Li Xin to have to destroy the rebels first. Unexpectedly, Xiang Yan, the general of Chu, followed closely behind and took the opportunity to break through the Qin army's camp, and Li Xin escaped back to Qin by luck.
The king of Qin was angry and asked the veteran general Wang Jian to go on the expedition, why did Wang Jian insist on an army of 600,000?As Bai Qi, Li Mu and other famous generals, Wang Jian asked for 600,000 soldiers and horses was thoughtful. The state of Chu is vast, with a large population, brave and strong, and it is difficult to pacify if it is not 600,000.
In addition, the Qin army was far from the mainland, and had to deal with huge logistical pressures and unfamiliar geographical environments, so 600,000 troops and horses were necessary. At this time, about the results of the soldiers of the Chu State, the historical books only recorded it as "defeated", and it was not recorded.
Xiang Yan's remnants became the strange soldiers behind Xiang Yan's roar. Xiang Yan left an oath that "although Chu has three households, if Qin dies, Chu will die", and 21 years later, these deserters joined the anti-Qin army again, becoming a fatal blow to Qin.
Xiang Yan's grandson Xiang Yu also killed himself 21 years later, is this a coincidence?Xiang Yan and Xiang Yu also chose to commit suicide, which is the embodiment of the aristocratic spirit. Xiang Yan faced the 600,000 Qin army and did not succumb to the humiliation of being captive, so he committed suicide.
After Xiang Yu's defeat, he refused to surrender to Liu Bang until his death, both of whom were brave and unafraid of death. This history reveals the rise and fall of the Qin state, and the persistence of the aristocratic spirit in the face of desperate situations.
From different perspectives in history, presenting different stories, Xiang Yan's oath is inextricably linked to the era in which he lived.