Mention the name Han Xin, I believe everyone will not help but sigh for him. His life was extremely bumpy, he came from a poor background, he was repeatedly bullied when he was a child, and he had to endure the humiliation of others' crotches. It was difficult to survive, became a general, made great achievements in battle, and became the third master of the Han Dynasty, but the final fate was that he was killed by Lü Hou in the Changle Palace on the charge of rebellion. Of course, why is this desire added to sin? It is generally believed that the Lord of Merit is the real cause of his death.
I think that at the beginning, the Chu-Han war developed to a white-hot stage, and it was possible for the three kings to stand side by side and seize the world together, but Han Xin refused. The so-called "Three Kings", in addition to Xiang Yu, the king of Western Chu, and Liu Bang, the king of Han, the remaining one is Han Xin, the king of Qi, a generation of gods of war. The reason why Liu Bang was able to finally defeat Xiang Yu, win the Chu-Han War, and establish the Han Dynasty was largely due to the strong alliance with Han Xin. In other words, Han Xin's position determined the direction of the Chu-Han War, and if it were not for Han Xin choosing Liu Bang, it is still unknown whose hand the deer died.
If Han Xin chooses to join forces with Liu Bang to attack Xiang Yu, then Xiang Yu will lose, and if Han Xin chooses to join Forces with Xiang Yu to attack Liu Bang, then Liu Bang will lose. However, for Han Xin, he also has the best choice, that is, no one will help and establish himself as king. Such a result is likely to be to divide the world with Xiang Yu and Liu Bang and stand on their feet. However, when Han Xin had this strength and opportunity, he refused. Why?
Imagine that with Han Xin's strength of having millions of troops at that time, if he wanted to stand on his own, he would succeed. And he can resist the temptation of higher power and resolutely refuse to seek hegemony. The reasons for this are probably the following points: First, Han Xin has a grateful heart for Liu Bang. As he himself once said, "The King of Han has met me very kindly,...... How can I be more righteous than the country!" But on the other hand, it was precisely because he believed too much in his feelings for Liu Bang that it was not until he was later deprived of his military power that Han Xin realized that Liu Bang was not a good person.
Second, although Han Xin had extremely high military talent, he knew nothing about politics. This can be seen in many things. After the King of Chu demoted Han Xin to the Marquis of Huaiyin, the generals worshiped him, and he went so far as to say that he was ashamed to be in league with Dou Dai. As soon as these words came out, not only did it offend all the generals present, but Liu Bang would not be happy in his heart. Therefore, Han Xin is suitable for leading soldiers to fight, but he lacks the qualities that an excellent politician should have.
Third, and most importantly, Han Xin himself had no political ambitions, much less plans to become an emperor. After he held a high position of power, he boasted of his high merits, believing that Liu Bang could not treat him badly, let alone kill him. Instead of risking self-reliance, it is better to be a prince who dominates the side in peace and stability. After being deprived of his military powers, he realized that in the face of the supreme imperial power, merit and affection were equally worthless. However, he may not have imagined that although his requirements were so low, he could not eliminate Liu Bang's suspicions, and eventually led to his being killed.