In the ancient history, the chapter of Western Chu is like a bright pearl, a dynasty between the Qin Dynasty and the Han Dynasty, and Xiang Yu, the heroic figure known as the overlord of Western Chu, is the most dazzling star among them.
Western Chu (206 BC - 202 BC) was a short-lived local regime that appeared between the Qin and Han dynasties in Chinese history, founded by Xiang Yu, the overlord of Western Chu, with the capital of Pengcheng (now Xuzhou, Jiangsu), and the fourth year of Guozuo.
Western Chu mainly controlled the nine counties of Chu. Politically, Western Chu practiced a feudal system. Diplomatically, the country was at odds with the Han, Qi, Zhao and other vassal states, and wars broke out frequently. In terms of culture, the culture of this place is not only influenced by the Chu style, but also has the relics of the Central Plains, and has formed its own characteristics and styles in the blending and complementarity.
Summary of the history of Western Chu
lExterminate the tyrannical Qin
In July of the first year of Qin II (209 BC), Chen Sheng and Wu Guang rebelled against Qin. In September, Yin Tong, the county guard of Huiji County (now Suzhou), summoned Xiang Liang and Xiang Yu's uncle and nephew to discuss the matter, and Xiang Liang took the opportunity to instruct Xiang Yu to kill Yin Tong, so he set himself up as the inspector of the Huiji, and appointed Xiang Yu as a general to supervise the subordinate counties. Then he raised 8,000 soldiers from Wuzhong (that is, Wucheng, the place of refuge) to oppose Qin. Subsequently, Chen Ying, Yingbu, General Pu and others all led their troops to attach Xiang Liang, and Xiang Liang also supported King Chu Huai as the nominal leader.
In the third year of Qin II (207 BC), the leaders of the uprising agreed that "the one who enters the pass first is the king".
In October, Liu Bang's army entered the suburbs of Xianyang, and broke the Qin army in Lantian, and the prince of Qin saw that the general trend had gone, so he had to surrender the city and hand over the jade seal of the country to Liu Bang, and the Qin Dynasty perished.
In December, Xiang Yu broke the cauldron in the Battle of Julu, broke the main force of the northern border army of Wang Li, and then broke the Qin army, and finally the Qin general Zhang Han surrendered.
lXichu was established
Xiang Yu established his position among the princes in the Battle of Julu, although he marched into Guanzhong and then Liu Bang, but still gained control of Guanzhong by relying on the superiority of troops and the power of the great victory.
Xiang Yu divided 18 princes and kings in Xianyang, established himself as the overlord of Western Chu, ruled the nine counties of Liang and Chu, and set the capital of Pengcheng. Liu Bang was divided into the king of Han, and his territory was Ba, Shu and 41 counties of the Han Dynasty, and the capital was Nanzheng (now Zheng, southwest Shaanxi); The generals of the Qin Dynasty, Zhang Han, Sima Xin, and Dong Fei (pronounced meaning) were the kings of Yong, Sai, and Zhai, and led the customs to the middle of the land to contain Liu Bang.
lWorship Han Shin
In 206 BC, Han Xin left Chu and returned to Han, and successively served as Lian Ao (a petty official in charge of the warehouse) and Zhisu Duwei (an official in charge of grain and salary), but he was never reused. On the way from Chang'an to Nanzheng, Liu Bang fled, "Xiao He chased Han Xin under the moon", and recommended Liu Bang. In May, he worshiped Han Shin as a general.
lAlso set three Qin
In 206 BC, the king of Han adopted Han Xin's strategy and returned to Guanzhong from his old way to attack Zhanghan, the king of Yong. Zhang Han met the Han army at Chencang, and King Yong's army was defeated, and he surrounded King Yong at Waste Hill. In the same month, Sima Xin, the king of Sai, and Dong Peng, the king of Zhai, were forced to surrender to Liu Bang, the king of Han. After that, Liu Bang sent to capture Longxi, Beidi, and Shangjun. In this way, all the three Qins returned to the Han except for the ruined hills that Zhang Han was trapped in.
lBattle of Pengcheng
In April 205 BC, Liu Bang took Xiang Yu's killing of Emperor Yi as the pretext, and gathered 560,000 allied troops of the princes of Sai, Zhai, Wei, Zhao, and Yin, and attacked Chu in two ways. Xiang Yu led 30,000 elite soldiers to defeat the Han army in Pengcheng.
lDivide the Fan Increase
At the beginning of 204 BC, Liu Bang's adviser Chen Ping used a counter-plot to drive a wedge between Xiang Yu and Fan Zeng's relationship between the monarch and the minister. Xiang Yu planned to cut his military power, Fan was angry and told the old man to return to his hometown, but before he arrived in Pengcheng, he died of a poisonous sore on his back.
lSiege the state of Chu
In 205 BC, in August, the king of Wei rebelled against Han and returned to Chu, and in September, Han Xin raided Anyi, captured Wei Bao, and destroyed Wei. In leap September, Han Xin broke the dynasty and died. In October, Han Xin fought against the water, defeated 200,000 Zhao troops, and destroyed the Zhao State in one fell swoop. Then he took advantage of the situation and forced to land Yan King Zang Di without a fight to pacify the Yan Kingdom. At the same time, Liu Bang launched an attack on Handan of Zhao and captured Handan and Zhao State. After a series of wars, Liu Bang achieved a strategic encirclement of Chu.
lWujiang killed himself
In December 203 BC, Xiang Yu was defeated in Guling, Chenxia, and Chengfu one after another, and fled to Qixia, where the Han army quickly followed and surrounded 100,000 Chu troops in Qixia (now Lingbi, Anhui). The night heard that it was embattled, and the army's spirit collapsed. Xiang Yu alone led more than 800 cavalry to break through the siege at night, and when he fled to Yinling (now northwest of Dingyuan County, Anhui), he got lost, asked for directions, and was deceived, and ended up in a swamp, causing the Han army to catch up.
In 202 BC, when he fled to Wujiang (now the Yangtze River, located in Wujiang Town, northeast of present-day Hexian County, Anhui), he felt shameless to see his father and elders in Jiangdong, refused to cross the river, and killed himself. Western Chu perished.
Historical figures of Western Chu
**10,000 Fans Incentive Plan
Xiang Yu, the overlord of Western Chu, Xiang Ji (232 BC 202), Zi Yu. Xia Xiang (now Suqian, Jiangsu) people. The grandson of Xiang Yan, a famous general of the Chu State, was the leader of the ancient Chinese uprising, a famous military strategist and strategist. The god of war in Chinese history.
lThree major records
lone
Xiang Yu was the youngest when he was dominant. At that time, Qin Shi Huang had already died, and Qin II Hu Hai succeeded to the throne. He was only 23 years old when Xiang Yu rebelled, and later Xiang Yu led 50,000 elite soldiers to save Zhao, and was named a general after returning from victory, Xiang Yu was only 25 years old this year, but his name was already very loud and known to the world. In the same year, in the battle of Julu, Xiang Yu shook the Qin army with a decisive attitude, and after the end of this battle, Xiang Yu proclaimed himself the overlord of Western Chu and became the youngest person in the world to dominate. At this time, Liu Bang was over half a hundred years old, and he did not have Xiang Yu's heroic spirit at all.
lII. II. II
Xiang Yu is the world's most victorious player. According to relevant information, Xiang Yu participated in more than 70 battles of different scales in his life, and the only defeat was the Battle of Qixia, and after the end of this war, Xiang Yu also killed himself in Wujiang. Although there have been many famous generals in the Chinese dynasties, such as Huo Quzhi, Yue Fei, etc., which we often discuss, none of them are as wise and brave as Xiang Yu. There are many people who call Xiang Yu the god of war, which actually makes some sense, after all, others may not even have a record of winning a battle at Xiang Yu's age.
lThree
Xiang Yu is the world's most capable general in individual combat. It was said in "Historical Records: Xiang Yu Benji"."It is more than eight feet long, and it can carry the tripod", From this point, we can actually see Xiang Yu's own physical fitness, and it has also been mentioned"Hundreds of people were killed", it can be seen that Xiang Yu's personal combat ability is strong. We all know that when Xiang Yu was surrounded, there were only 28 cavalry left in the Chu army around him, the record said"The Han cavalry chased thousands of people", and Xiang Yu killed nearly 100 people on his own, and later harvested hundreds of lives under the siege of the Han army, and his combat ability can be called terrifying. Xiang Yu's life is very legendary, he established a great achievement at the youngest time that others can't match, although he died very early, but"Life is a hero, and death is also a ghost"In later generations, many people praised Xiang Yu's exploits, which shows the great charm of Xiang Yu's personality.
In terms of strategic decision-making, Xiang Yu's performance can be described as the coexistence of long-term and short-sighted. Many of his battles, such as the Battle of Julu and the Battle of Po Qin, demonstrated his outstanding military talent and strategic vision. However, at the crucial Hongmen banquet, he let Liu Bang go because of his personal emotions and pride, and missed the opportunity to dominate the world. This decision eventually led to the outbreak of the Chu-Han controversy, and also laid the groundwork for his defeat.
Xiang Yu's influence in history is far-reaching. His heroic image has been praised by later generations and has become an important symbol in Chinese culture. His tragic fate has also triggered people's in-depth thinking about fate and human nature. His deeds are not only recorded in detail in official histories such as "Historical Records" and "Book of Han", but also repeatedly depicted and interpreted in later literary works and dramas.
In Xiang Yu's life, we can see the rise and fall of a hero, and we can feel the impermanence of history and the complexity of human nature. His life deeds are not only an important part of the history of Western Chu, but also a part of Chinese history.