In the autumn of 206 B.C., at a grand banquet under the Xuanyuan Stage, the Hongmen Banquet became a profound historical memory. In this version of history, Xiang Yu chose to form an alliance with Liu Bang.
But in a parallel historical dimension, if Xiang Yu makes a killing move, how will the trend of history change dramatically?
If at that hearty banquet, Xiang Yu's suspicion of Liu Bang reached the extreme, and he was provoked by Fan Zeng, and finally decided to eradicate this opponent who might compete with him for world domination in the future. After three rounds of drinking, Xiang Yu plucked up his courage and drew his sword and stabbed Liu Bang.
According to historical legends, Zhang Liang and Fan Xu's wit and loyalty saved Liu Bang from danger. But in this hypothetical scenario, Liu Bang did not escape his fate, he fell on the land of Hongmen, and the banquet fell into chaos due to this sudden change.
As news of Liu Bang's death spread, the forces that had belonged to him quickly collapsed, and his followers either chose to flee or surrender to Xiang Yu. The spark of the dispute between Chu and Han was extinguished, and there was no road to the revival of the Han dynasty in the world.
Xiang Yu relied on his strength and reputation to quickly quell the resistance of other forces in the world, and finally established himself as the overlord of Western Chu, establishing a self-centered hegemony.
In such a historical process, due to Liu Bang's early death, the Central Plains fell into a longer period of melee. Without the rise of the Han army, the struggle between the small states became more intense.
And Xiang Yu's brutal and short-sighted way of ruling also caused many problems for his regime. His ** aroused widespread resentment, and because he was accustomed to solving problems by force, there was a lack of long-term arrangements for military and political management in the country.
Li Si in his youth became Xiang Yu's important assistant in this hypothetical history, but even such a wise strategist could not change Xiang Yu's irritability and arbitrariness.
Li Si suggested that Xiang Yu change the way of governing the country and adopt more civil means to appease people's hearts, but in the end, Li Si's exhortation failed, and instead he was worried about his life because he offended Xiang Yu.
At the same time, other forces are surging in the undercurrent. The Han dynasty, which lost Liu Bang, may be succeeded by other capable figures. In troubled times, some leaders gradually rose to prominence in some regions.
They had part of Liu Bang's foundation and the support of his subordinates, and were eager to take the opportunity to revive the Han dynasty. It is possible that generals and strategists such as Han Xin and Xiao He, who originally belonged to the Han Dynasty, may find their place in these small forces and continue to push the historical trend of the struggle against Xiang Yu.
The Hongmen Banquet stabbed history into another path. In the years that followed, Xiang Yu was not restrained by Liu Bang, and although his hegemony briefly ruled the whole of China, it eventually declined due to ** and continuous rebellions.
After Xiang Yu's death, the hegemony of Western Chu quickly **, new forces emerged to compete for the world, and the wheel of history finally rolled forward in more bloody winds.
Liu Bang's unexpected fall changed the context of Chinese history and the fate of countless people. All the ifs constitute endless historical assumptions.
But it is undeniable that one choice, one sword, is enough to rewrite the war and peace of all peoples, and transform the future of a country. In this fictional historical script, we feel not only the fantasy of possibility and hypothesis, but also a deep reflection on that critical moment.