The dispute between Chu and Han was the pinnacle of ancient Chinese politics, in which the "Hongmen Banquet" became a decisive moment for the future direction of the two major forces of Liu Bang and Xiang Yu. And the fuse of this conspiracy actually came from an informant named Cao Wuxian. This story was admired by the ancients, but modern people can't help but sigh.
Cao Wuxian, an official under Liu Bang, faced with the situation of disparity in strength, in order to protect himself, he went to Xiang Yu's army day and night to denounce Liu Bang's disloyalty, laying the groundwork for the Hongmen banquet. In this seemingly ordinary banquet, the political competition is becoming more and more intense.
Liu Bang showed weakness to the enemy at the beginning, recalled the years of fighting with Xiang Yu, and expressed his status as a courtier in a low profile, trying to fight for a chance to survive. Although Xiang Yu is the head of the family, he is grateful to him for Zhang Liang's kindness and Liu Bang's promise, and wants to protect Liu Bang to show the benevolence and righteousness of Xiang Yu's family.
However, Fan Zeng, a sober figure in Xiang Yu's group, saw through Liu Bang's ambition and persuaded Xiang Yu to get rid of Liu Bang, but the plan failed to succeed, and finally evolved into a scene of Xiang Zhuang dancing with a sword. Although the protagonist Xiang Yu had the idea of killing Liu Bang, he hesitated. Liu Bang has always courted Xiang Yu as a courtier, which makes Xiang Yu fearful and worried about the damage to his political reputation.
Why did Xiang Yu finally identify Cao Wuxing as an informant?In fact, in the context of Liu Bang's initiative to show goodwill, Xiang Yu chose to betray Cao Wushu in order to show his sincerity. First of all, Cao Wuxian's voluntary surrender for personal gain was unacceptable in the moral concept at the time, and Xiang Yu did not need to defend him. Secondly, Cao Wuxian's value is insignificant compared to Liu Bang, and since Xiang Yu has been surrendered by Liu Bang, betraying Cao Wuxian can improve his political prestige.
This move was admired by the ancients. In the political struggle, in order to protect his own interests, Xiang Yu was ruthless and decisively betrayed the informer, showing his political wisdom.