In the folds of history, the controversy over Han Xin's loyalty and betrayal has been vividly depicted by countless history books and literati. Now, in 200 B.C., in the bleak autumn wind of Chang'an City, a storm of ideas is quietly brewing.
Han Shin, a hero who wrote a legendary story from a humble background, his military talent is unmatched, and his achievements are brilliant and dazzling. However, when a person has made such a high achievement, there are often endless suspicions and betrayals that follow him.
Rather than whether he had ever betrayed him, from another point of view, why did Han Xin not betray Liu Bang in the end? In those complex and harsh times, betrayal was perhaps the easiest way to survive. However, Han Shin avoided talking about it, was it because of his loyalty, or was there some other deep reason?
In Liu Bang's great journey to establish the Han Dynasty, Han Xin was known as the "Three Princes of Merit" and was a great minister. However, people's hearts are separated from their stomachs, and Han Xin's mind has always been like a bottomless mystery. If we only analyze the weaknesses of human nature, it is difficult for a general with high achievements not to have some kind of ambition to surpass the leader in his heart.
But in fact, Han Xin did not betray Liu Bang, although he was repeatedly suspected and even demoted during the infighting in the early Han Dynasty. It's not so much that he's morally high, it's that he's well versed in the rules of the Game of Thrones. In that era when the country was founded by force, military merit represented everything, but Liu Bang, who was once an entrepreneur in cloth, had an understanding and control of power to the point of perfection.
Han Shin may have understood that under the checks and balances of power, his own power, although it shook the world, could not challenge the entire mature ruling system alone.
Liu Bang has proven his absolute superiority in eliminating dissent and uniting people's hearts. If Han Xin really betrayed, even if he gained momentum for a while, he would not be able to escape the fate of isolation after all.
More importantly, Han Xin knew that blind betrayal based on military merit alone was too short-sighted. He learned that true power is not the power of the military, but the charisma and broad social base that has won the hearts of the people.
In this regard, Han Xin is far from Liu Bang. In addition, as Liu Bang's courtier, Han Xin also saw Liu Bang's unique personality charm and ability to handle government affairs, and he may respect and agree with it in his heart.
Yes, Han Xin does not lack the courage of a hero, but he is more calm and far-sighted of a wise man. Instead of blindly moving forward, it is better to consolidate the existing position and power, and look forward to the right time.
Han Shin's calmness is the magic weapon for his survival and prestige. He is not unsuccumbed to the lure of provocative desire and power, but he has chosen a more rational and long-term survival strategy.
Time slipped away quietly like fine sand between the fingers, and Liu Bang and Han Xin, the two heroes who jointly wrote the glory of the early Han Dynasty, repeatedly staged drastic changes in human nature in the game of power. However, Han Xin's ultimate perseverance and restraint undoubtedly left a profound inspiration for history.
The story of Han Shin has been circulated in the oral text of later generations and has become a good story for the ages. As for the reason why he did not betray Liu Bang in the end, perhaps as Han Xin himself said: "Success is also Xiao He, defeat is also Xiao He".
In that era of heroes, the line between loyalty and betrayal was blurred, and the final choice of how to deal with the game of power was perhaps a fate that every hero had to face.