There are many hypotheses in history, one of which is: if Xiang Yu killed Liu Bang at the Hongmen banquet, would he be able to dominate the world? This question seems simple, but in fact it is complex, involving many factors and variables, and different people have different opinions, but they cannot give a definite answer. This article will try to give a reasonable inference to this question from the following aspects.
First of all, we have to analyze the situation after Xiang Yu killed Liu Bang. Xiang Yu killed Liu Bang, which meant that he had to face the reaction of Liu Bang's subordinates and princes. Among Liu Bang's subordinates, some were generals of the original Chu army, such as Yingbu, Wu Rui, Gongao, etc., who might defect to Xiang Yu, or be bought by Xiang Yu, or eliminated by Xiang Yu; Some were generals of the former Han army, such as Han Xin, Zhang Liang, Xiao He, etc., who may continue to resist Xiang Yu, or flee to other countries, or be captured by Xiang Yu. Among the princes, some were Xiang Yu's allies, such as Zhang Er, the king of Zhao, and Zang Di, the king of Yan, who might continue to support Xiang Yu, or take the opportunity to expand, or be weakened by Xiang Yu; Some were Xiang Yu's enemies, such as Tian Rong, the king of Qi, Wei Bao, the king of Wei, etc., who might unite against Xiang Yu, or remain neutral, or be conquered by Xiang Yu. In short, after Xiang Yu killed Liu Bang, he had to face a chaotic situation, and he needed to use his own military and political means to stabilize and unify the world.
Second, we need to analyze Xiang Yu's military and political capabilities. Xiang Yu was an outstanding military strategist, he led the Chu army to destroy the Qin, defeated the main force of the Qin army, occupied Guanzhong, and was the leader of the anti-Qin coalition. His military prowess and bravery were unmatched, and his army was the most powerful of its time. However, Xiang Yu also has his own military weaknesses, his army is dominated by cavalry, not good at siege and defense, his army also lacks unified command and discipline, his army is also affected by geography and climate, and his army is also likely to have internal ** and mutiny. Xiang Yu's political ability is not as good as his military ability, although he has a certain political vision and skill, but also has many political mistakes and defects. His political mistakes were: dividing the princes, weakening his power and prestige, and arousing the dissatisfaction and resistance of the princes; The burning of Xianyang destroyed the wealth and culture of the Qin State, causing hatred and resistance among the people of Guanzhong; tyrannizing the people and killing innocents, causing fear and disgust in the world; did not respect the king, usurped the throne of the state of Chu, and caused ** and rebellion within the state of Chu. His political shortcomings include: he is not good at employing people, appointing many villains, such as Fan Zeng, Tian Du, etc., while ignoring many sages, such as Xiang Bo, Han Xin, etc.; is not good at treating others, does not reward those who have merit, does not forgive those who have faults, does not trust those who have a heart, and does not use talents more heavily; They are not good at governing the country, they have not established an effective political system and legal norms, they have not formulated a reasonable fiscal, taxation and economic development, and they have not implemented a stable guarantee for people's livelihood and social order. In short, Xiang Yu's military and political capabilities, although not to be underestimated, are not enough to deal with the situation in the world.
Finally, we need to analyze Xiang Yu's historical environment and historical trends. The historical environment in which Xiang Yu lived was a turbulent era, the fall of the Qin Dynasty led to the world's ** and chaos, all nationalities and forces around the world are competing and expanding, all kinds of ideas and cultures are exchanging and colliding, and all kinds of changes and innovations are happening and developing. The unification of the Qin Dynasty, although short and tyrannical, also laid the foundation for a unification, the people of the world yearned for a peaceful and prosperous life, and the elites of the world all agreed with a unified idea. Xiang Yu's historical environment and historical trend are a huge challenge and opportunity for his great cause of reunification, and he needs to have enough wisdom and courage to adapt to and lead the changes of this era.
To sum up, whether Xiang Yu killed Liu Bang and can dominate the world is an inconclusive question, and different assumptions will have different results. However, from the analysis of the situation after Xiang Yu killed Liu Bang, Xiang Yu's military and political capabilities, and Xiang Yu's historical environment and historical trends, we can draw a general inference, that is:
Xiang Yu killed Liu Bang, although there is a certain possibility, but it is very difficult, the chance of success is very small, and the dream of dominating the world is difficult to realize.
This is because,Xiang Yu killed Liu Bang, not only could not eliminate the enemies of the world, but would increase the enemies of the worldNot only will it not stabilize the situation in the world, but it will intensify the situation in the worldNot only will it not conform to the trend of the world, but it will go against the trend of the world
Xiang Yu's military and political ability, although not weak, but not strong, his military superiority and political means are not enough to cope with the complexity and changes of the world, his military weaknesses and political mistakes will affect his great cause of reunification, his military and political ability, do not meet the needs and expectations of the world. Xiang Yu's historical environment and historical trend are not conducive to his great cause of reunification, the era in which he lives is a turbulent era, the trend he is facing is a trend of great unification, his historical environment and historical trend require him to have an open mind and innovative spirit, but Xiang Yu is a conservative person and a traditional person, his historical environment and historical trend will hinder his great cause of reunification, and his historical environment and historical trend are not suitable for his personality and style. Therefore, whether Xiang Yu killed Liu Bang and can dominate the world is a difficult question to answer, but it is an easy fact that Xiang Yu killed Liu Bang and it is difficult to dominate the world.