Xiang Yu was one of the main leaders of the peasant uprising in the late Qin Dynasty, a central figure in the Chu-Han War, and was hailed by later generations as the "Emperor of the Ages". Xiang Yu, the overlord of Western Chu, was not only the last ruler of the State of Chu, but also the only person in Chinese history who could be called "Wang".
Although Xiang Yu did not claim the title of emperor, Xiang Yu was always regarded as the king of Chu, and was the "false king" canonized by Xiong Xin, the king of Chuhuai, after the fall of the Qin state, and was supported by the people of the Chu state. However, both Xiang Yu and Liu Bang were leaders of the anti-Qin rebel army and both wanted to be emperors. In the Chu-Han War, Xiang Yu fought a tug-of-war for Guanzhong and Liu Bang.
Although Liu Bang has the heart to unify the world, he has no ability to stand on his own. Therefore, in a certain sense, Liu Bang is Xiang Yu's enemy.
So is there really such a thing as "the king is not the item" in history?
First, the world was in chaos at the end of the Qin Dynasty
At the end of the Qin Dynasty, the rulers of the Qin Dynasty went on rampant conquests, which led to serious social contradictions and the misery of the people. In 208 BC, Chen Sheng, Wu Guang and others rebelled in Daze Township, setting off a nationwide wave of anti-Qin uprisings.
At that time, Xiang Yu, Liu Bang and others also gathered to revolt and rise up against the tyrannical rule of the Qin Dynasty. However, in the last years of the Qin Dynasty, most of the leaders of the uprising were armed uprisings of the "small fights".
People such as Xiang Yu, Liu Bang and others are all well-known "local tycoons" in the local area. In the process of overthrowing the Qin Dynasty, they also first collected a lot of materials from the counties they occupied, and then used them as a base to develop and grow.
Therefore, from this point of view, Xiang Yu and Liu Bang do not have any "Wang but Xiang" thing. After all, the difference between "king" and "item" is too far, and it is easy to cause misunderstanding of everyone who is "king".
In 206 BC, after Chen Sheng and Wu Guang were killed, peasant uprisings across the Qin Dynasty fell into a low ebb. Zhang Han and a group of other generals were also repeatedly defeated and killed by peasant uprisings in various places in the last years of the Qin Dynasty.
At the same time, Xiang Yu and Liu Bang took the opportunity to occupy many cities and soon received the title of "King of Guanzhong ". Before that, the leaders of the anti-Qin rebel army, Chen Sheng, Wu Guang, and others, were all killed by Zhang Handan, and neither Xiang Yu nor Liu Bang participated in the war against the Qin uprising.
Therefore, Xiang Yu and Liu Bang did not make any waves at that time. However, there are many contradictions between Xiang Yu and Liu Bang.
The first is that the two are located in different regions, resulting in a gap between the two sides. In the areas occupied by Xiang Yu and Liu Bang, there are many counties of the original Qin Dynasty: for example, in the Guanzhong region, there are Gyeonggi, Shangjun, Beidi, Longxi and other places; In the Hanzhong region, there are Nanjun and Hanzhong; In the Bashu area, there are Shu County and Ba County.
However, the regions occupied by the two were very different: Chen Sheng established the "Zhang Chu" regime in the Guanzhong region (later overthrown by Liu Bang); In the Hanzhong and Bashu regions, there was the "Han" regime (later overthrown by Liu Bang).
Although both regimes were organizations under the Qin Dynasty, they had great differences in their jurisdiction. This also paved the way for the gap between the two regimes, and for the subsequent large-scale war between Liu Bang and Xiang Yu.
2. Xiang Yu
Xiang Yu was born into an aristocratic family of the State of Chu, and his father Xiang Yan was the king of Chu. In 224 BC, Qin Shi Huang sent the general Wang Yi to lead troops to conquer Chu Land. Because Xiang Yan was unwilling to cooperate with Wang Yi, he was killed by Wang Yi. King Huai of Chu appointed Xiang Yu as a general to confront Liu Bang. In 207 BC, the Qin Dynasty sent Wu Shi to persuade King Huai of Chu to surrender, and Wu Shi secretly made people say to Xiang Liang: "Although there are three families in Chu, the death of Qin will be Chu." So King Huai of Chu consulted with the ministers to establish Xiang Yu as the "King of Chu". However, it was opposed by Chen Sheng, Wu Guang and others, so the second emperor appointed Zhao Gao as prime minister, and at the instigation of Zhao Gao, the second emperor killed Xiong Xin and installed Xiong Xin's cousin Xiong Qi as the king of Chu, called "King Huai of Chu".
In 203 BC, Liu Bang led his troops east to Hangu Pass to attack Xiang Yu and defeated Xiang Yu under the bow. In 202 BC, Liu Bang declared himself emperor and established the Han Dynasty; In June of the same year, Xiang Yu defeated Liu Bang and his army at Pengcheng and killed himself on the banks of the Wujiang River. After Xiang Yu's defeat, he led the remnants to Liu Bang, who was still the overlord of Western Chu at the time.
After Liu Bang gained the world, he made Xiang Yu's generals kings. Among them, Han Xin, the king of Chu, was made the king of Qi; Chu Zuo Yin Xiang Bo was made King of Jing; Chu Youyin Xianghe and Zhong Lixiang were created King of Wu and King of Chu, respectively; King Xin of Han was given the title King of Han; King Leopard of Wei was made King of Wei; The Chu general Long He led an army of hundreds of thousands to resist Liu Bang's army on the Xingyang front. In November 203 BC, Chen Yu proposed to Long He the strategy of "peace and common rule". However, Long He rejected Chen Yu's suggestion, and was defeated by Chen Yu and died in battle; Later, he was defeated by Liu Bang due to poor cooperation with Han Xin's army; In the end, after a hard battle, he became Liu Bang's prisoner. On December 24, 202 BC, Liu Bang declared himself emperor, and made Han Xin a general of Xiangguo, King Zhao, and King of Qi, and the Han general Han became the left and right generals. On December 28 of the same year, Han troops occupied Pengcheng. Thus ended the Chu-Han War.
There are many sayings about the phrase "although the three families of Chu can die Qin". For example, Xiang Yu did have three younger brothers Xiang Bo, Xiang Zhuang and others who assassinated Liu Bang; For example, Xiang Yu and Liu Bang are brothers who worship from the battlefield and so on. But none of this has anything to do with the phrase "Chu although three households".
In fact, this sentence is wrong: Xiang Yu, Liu Bang, Han Xin and others in the Chu-Han dispute are all princes of one side, not the king of Chu Xiong Xin; Although Xiang Yu was called the King of Chu, he was only a false king Chu and not a real king Chu, and it was just a strategy adopted to win the support of the princes; Xiang Yu and Liu Bang have always been hostile (but it is not necessarily accurate to say that they are hostile).
However, although Xiang Yu did not claim the title of emperor, he was indeed put on the altar again after Xiang Yu's death. Shortly after Liu Bang became emperor, he gave Xiang Yu the surname "Xiang". On December 24, 202 BC, when Liu Bang became emperor, in May of the following year, Liu Bang made his uncle Liu Jiao the King of Liang, Liu Jia the King of Huaiyang, Liu Fei the King of Qi, Liu Ze the King of Zhao, Liu Xingju the King of Chengdu (later Liu Xiu the King of Huainan), and Liu Jiao's son Liu Hong the King of Changsha, and five (later increased to seven) as King of Liang.
3. Liu Bang
Liu Bang was born a commoner and became an emperor step by step by his own efforts, but he had a shortcoming - lecherousness. As an emperor, not being lustful is naturally a kind of disloyalty, and as an ordinary man, being unattractive is a duty.
Liu Bang had two wives before he became emperor, namely Lü Xi and Lady Qi. Liu Bang initially wanted to make Lü Hei his successor, but Lü Hei and his mother were kicked out of the house by his father, Liu Taigong. Later, Lü Hen and Liu Bang gave birth to two sons, Liu Ying and Ruyi. Lü Hen was a very powerful woman, she did not like Liu Bang to make her son crown prince, but Liu Bang was bent on making her son crown prince, so Lü Hen began to find a way to deal with Liu Bang.
Lady Qi was Empress Lu's biggest rival. After Liu Bang became emperor, Lady Qi was deposed as empress, demoted to a commoner, and lived in Changle Palace. Mrs. Qi repeatedly told Liu Bangjin that she had framed Liu Ying and Ruyi. Later, Lady Qi killed Empress Lü, causing Liu Bang to have no intention of making him crown prince again. So for a while, the Lu family was the emperor's biggest rival.
1. Xiao He
Xiao He was Liu Bang's senior adviser, and after Liu Bang established the Han Dynasty, he sent people to ask Xiao He to assist him many times, but he refused each time. Liu Bang wanted to reward Xiao He, but Xiao He did not accept the reward. At that time, Liu Bang believed that "if merit is not rewarded, there must be a different intention." Therefore, he did not have a good impression of Han Xin and Peng Yue and others.
Xiao He did not participate in Empress Lü's seizure of power at first, and it was not until later that Empress Lü wanted to make Liu Ruyi crown prince, but was opposed by the ministers, that Empress Lü began to attack Xiao He. At this time, Xiao He was also forced to helpless, and Liu Bang sent people to invite him many times, but he refused on the grounds of illness. Finally, it was in a conversation with the minister that he agreed to participate.
At that time, Liu Bang was tired of the troubles of the imperial government and wanted to find a pure place. So Xiao He recommended Liu Bang to go to the fiefdom Pei County. Under Xiao He's recommendation, Liu Bang went to the fief. However, after arriving at the fief, Xiao He did not allow Liu Bang to live in the fief. Liu Bang was very puzzled in his heart: "I just arrived in the fiefdom and locked me up?" After that, Xiao He explained: "Pei County used to be Xiang Yu's territory, and the reason why he made you king is because you are kind to Xiang Yu!" Although Liu Bang was very unhappy in his heart, he still accepted Xiao He's suggestion and then settled in the fiefdom.
2. Zhang Liang
Zhang Liang was the founding hero of the Western Han Dynasty, one of the three masters of the early Han Dynasty, and was known as "Seeking Saints". After Liu Bang became emperor, he became one of the three masters of the early Han Dynasty, helping Liu Bang formulate a strategy to destroy Qin. In the Battle of Chu and Han, Zhang Liang developed the tactics of a ten-sided ambush, which eventually helped Liu Bang defeat Xiang Yu and achieve the final victory.
Zhang Liang's role in Liu Bang is self-evident. Zhang Liang is a very intelligent person, he knows how to behave in the world. Before Liu Bang became emperor, he left his hometown and traveled around; After Liu Bang became emperor, he gave Liu Bang a lot of good advice.
After Xiang Yu's defeat, Zhang Liang went to find Xiang Yu's subfather Fan Zeng, but Fan Zeng's did not take Zhang Liang's advice, but said in front of Xiang Yu that "the world is established as king". At that time, Zhang Liang advised Liu Bang not to be called emperor: "The world is established as king" will not only cause the dissatisfaction of the people of the world with the emperor, but also make Xiang Yu relax his vigilance. So Zhang Liang left.
Shortly after Zhang Liang left, Fan Zeng fell ill and died. But once during Liu Bang's illness, a man named Huang Shaoqing asked Liu Bang to visit Fan Zeng, and reward him with gold, but Fan Zeng's refusal. Shortly after Fan Zeng's death, Liu Bang fell ill and died. It can be seen that before and after Liu Bang became emperor, he could not do without Zhang Liang's help and assistance.
3. Hanxin
After Liu Bang became emperor, Han Xin also tried to seize Liu Bang's military power many times. Liu Bang was naturally reluctant to do so, and his son Liu Ying repeatedly advised his father not to use military power. But Liu Ying was a small emperor after all, and his desire for power was very strong, and he eventually used military power. When Han Xin found that Liu Bang was guarded against him, he began to find a way to attack Han Xin.
After Liu Bang was made King of Chu by Xiang Yu, Han Xin began to fear that he would be killed by Liu Bang. Han Xin wanted to ask Han Xin's uncle to take him out of the capital and take refuge in the Han Kingdom, a fief of the Marquis of Huaiyin, but Liu Bang did not allow his son to leave the capital, so Han Xin was demoted to the Marquis of Huaiyin a year later.
When Liu Bang, the king of Han, wanted to get rid of Han Xin, Xiao He strongly persuaded Liu Bang to send people to recruit Han Xin. So Liu Bang sent Cao Shen to recruit Han Xin of the Shu state. However, Cao Shen had no affection for the Shu kingdom at all, so he killed him after chatting with Han Xin. Cao Shen's son Cao Jun colluded with Qi Wang Tian Guang to murder Han Xin. Soon after, Tian Guang was also killed, which made Xiang Yu hate the Qi state even more.
In the end, Han Xin was demoted to the title of Marquis of Huaiyin, and his son was killed a year later. For a long time after that, Han Xin lived in this fear. In a conspiracy between Empress Lu and Xiao He, Han Xin was finally pulled back from the ghost gate. Later, Liu Bang killed Huaiyin Marquis on charges of treason.
In fact, it is not that "the king is not enough", but the desire for power and ambition has made these founding heroes abandon Liu Bang one after another, becoming a famous "loner" in history.
4. The main relationship between Xiang Yu and Liu Bang
In the second year of the Second Emperor of Qin (208 BC), Liu Bang raised troops against Qin in Peixian County, and he led his men to defect to Xiang Liang, and under Xiang Liang, Liu Bang, Xiang Yu and others became the core figures of the anti-Qin rebel army. However, although Liu Bang and Xiang Yu were both leaders of the anti-Qin rebel army, the two were two completely different people.
Liu Bang is from the city well, the bottom level; Xiang Yu, on the other hand, is of noble origin and is a descendant of nobility. Therefore, the thinking mode and style of action of the two are completely different.
Xiang Yu was hot-tempered and reckless. Liu Bang, on the other hand, is cautious, old-fashioned, and likes to strategize. Therefore, when the two act together, conflicts often occur, and although they can be resolved many times, this contradiction will still exist. And even if Xiang Yu and Liu Bang don't quarrel, they will still have conflicts because of some small things.
Xiang Yu is a very strategic person, he knows about "entering the pass first to be king", but he knows that Liu Bang is more capable and strategic, so he will choose to go to war with Liu Bang.
In the Chu-Han War, Xiang Yu only gave Liu Bang the title of King of Guanzhong , but did not let Liu Bang stop there. If Xiang Yu really sealed Guanzhong to Liu Bang at that time, then he would not be the Emperor of the Ages!
Therefore, whether in the War of Annihilation of Qin or the War of Chu and Han, the two had contradictions and conflicts. Of course, the main thing is because both sides have ghosts in the Hongmen banquet and both want to replace each other!
Although the two sides were full of contradictions in the Hongmen banquet, they were still in the same camp. Liu Bang said to Xiang Yu at the Hongmen banquet: "If we don't start first, we will become the prisoners of others!" ”
But Xiang Yu didn't care about this: "I think that the sages in the world are beyond their reach", and think that there is no one in the world who is more virtuous than himself! Xiang Yu said this just to find a step for Liu Bang.
In Xiang Yu's eyes: You Liu Bang can't even compare with me! This sentence is enough to see Xiang Yu's contempt for Liu Bang!
1. The Battle of the Giant Deer
In the Battle of Julu, Xiang Yu led the Chu army to defeat Zhang Wei under Julu City, and after achieving victory, Xiang Yu said to Wang Li, who came to persuade him to surrender, at the head of the city: "Qin loses its deer, and the whole world chases it." After Zhang Han and Wang Li and others surrendered, King Huai of Chu made Liu Bang the King of Han, and the fief was in Hanzhong; Crowned King Leopard of Wei as King of Wei; Feng Tian Rong as King of Qi; Song Yi was made the Duke of Jin.
In order to avoid letting Liu Bang sit in the position of "co-lord of the world", Xiang Yu decided to go head-to-head with Liu Bang. At that time, Liu Bang had led an army of 200,000 to confront Zhang Wei in Julu for more than a year. For more than a year, Xiang Yu and Liu Bang fought continuously, winning and losing each other. Although Xiang Yu is very powerful, Liu Bang is not a vegetarian, so the two have always been in a stalemate. But as time passed, Liu Bang also gradually gained the strength to fight a protracted war with Xiang Yu.
In the end, after discussing with King Huai of Chu and the generals, he decided: "Attack Wuguan first"! At this time, Chen Yu had already sent troops to guard Wuguan, plus Liu Bang also sent troops to guard outside Hangu Pass, so at this time, although Zhang Wei was in the downwind, it was still difficult to break through Hangu Pass!
2. The Battle of Pengcheng
After the Hongmen banquet, Xiang Yu did not let Liu Bang go, but sent someone to bring Liu Bang's father, Liu Taigong, and his wife Lü Hei back to Pengcheng. Xiang Yu immediately tore his face after seeing the two, and he said the words "Pei Gong wants Wang Guanzhong" at the Hongmen banquet. However, Liu Bang did not have the slightest intention of repentance, and he said to Xiang Yu: "You just want to seal Guanzhong to me, that's why I started a war with you!" ”
So Xiang Yu and Liu Bang went to war in Pengcheng again. At that time, Han Xin led troops to attack Pengcheng, and Liu Bang was very worried about this, but he did not ask Xiang Yu for help. Because at this time, Xiang Yu was addicted to wine. When Liu Bang saw this situation, he feasted guests in his barracks to paralyze Xiang Yu. But Liu Bang's approach made Xiang Yu suspicious: "Is this person a spy sent by Liu Bang?" So he ordered a search of Liu Bang's barracks.
After searching Liu Bang's barracks, Xiang Yu found that Liu Bang was indeed doing something improper, so he was very angry and ordered Liu Bang to be detained. He also said, "The reason why I want to attack Pengcheng is to let you people know that we Pei Gong are already the co-lords of the world!" ”
At this time, Xiang Yu was immersed in wine, so he didn't notice that Liu Bang and Han Xin had come to his side at all! After the Battle of Pengcheng, Xiang Yu said to his subordinates: "I originally wanted to fight with you for the world, but you betrayed me!" If this continues, I won't be able to become an overlord! So he ordered the slaughter of more than ten cities around Pengcheng. So Xiang Yu led his army on the road back to Western Chu.
3. Xingyang confrontation
Xiang Yu led his army to attack Liu Bang and counterattacked with the Han army led by Han Xin, and the two armies fought at Xingyang. The two sides were at a stalemate, and Liu Bang failed to capture the city with all his might. At this time, Xiang Yu's adviser Fan Zengjin said to Xiang Yu: "Han Xin is a famous general in the world, how can His Majesty let him go?" It is better to send an envoy to recruit Han Xin. If Han Xin is willing to surrender, then who in the world would dare to be an enemy of His Majesty? But Xiang Yu did not take Fan Zeng's suggestion. Liu Bang and Xiang Yu were immediately victorious, and although Liu Bang won in the end, Liu Bang's men began to worry at this time. After all, if he continued to fight, then Xiang Yu would definitely kill all the generals under him! In order to save his life and military power, Liu Bang and Han Xin signed a "gap" treaty: that is, the Chu and Han armies agreed to divide the world equally between the chasm.
4. The Battle of the Fall
In December of the second year of the Han dynasty (205 BC), the Han army was defeated by Xiang Yu's subordinates, and Xiang Yu fled to the bow. The Han army surrounded on all sides, and at this time Xiang Yu was already embattled, and there were only 28 people around him. Xiang Yu was very frightened in the face of embattled, and said to the left and right: "It has been four years since I started the army, and there are 8,000 Jiangdong disciples following me. Now they are all dead at my hands. I'm also old and have no face to meet them. I hope to commit suicide here tonight, I hope that the princes will help me send my head to Koto, and I will die without regrets!" So he was a sword to his heart.
After Xiang Yu's death, Liu Bang sent people to look for Xiang Yu's head. Soon after, Liu Bang discovered that Xiang Yu was dead and transported his head back to the capital and handed it over to Liu Bang, the king of Han. Xiang Yu was then buried in Xiangdi.
Conclusion: So there is no basis for saying that the "king is not the item" in history! Even if Xiang Yu and Liu Bang were not crowned kings, then they were all "kings but Xiang"! Because the situation at that time was indeed an incomprehensible fight between Xiang Yu and Liu Bang, and no one could enter the pass first to destroy Qin!
Fifth, the analysis of the reasons why Xiang Yu, the overlord of Western Chu, was not called king
When Xiang Yu and Liu Bang competed for the world, Liu Bang adopted the strategy of "Ming Xiu Plank Road, Secretly Crossing Chen Cang", sneaking up on Xiang Yu's rear from behind Liu Bang, and finally defeated Xiang Yu. After that, Liu Bang defeated Xiang Yu with the scheme of "Han Xin destroying Qi". During this period, Xiang Yu had many opportunities to become king. But he missed the opportunity to become king again and again.
The main reasons are: first, Xiang Yu has always had a strong hatred of Qin Shi Huang, which led to his reluctance to become king; Second, when he competed with Liu Bang for the world, he always followed the principle of "the first to enter the pass", and on this reason rejected Liu Bang's proposal to become emperor; Third, Xiang Yu's fact that he never claimed the title of king in the Chu-Han War also has a lot to do with his personal character. Because Xiang Yu was a man with strong self-esteem and a competitive spirit, he often lost battles when fighting Liu Bang, and was chased by Liu Bang's army to Wujiang.
Finally, Xiang Yu is a very emotional person, and he is also a very complicated emotion for his good brother Liu Bang, who was born and died together.
On the one hand, Xiang Yu regarded Liu Bang as his worst enemy; On the other hand, Xiang Yu regarded Liu Bang as his best brother. That's why Xiang Yu released Liu Bang at the Hongmen banquet. For him, killing Liu Bang is not good for him, it is better to give him to Liu Bang. This is also the fundamental reason why Xiang Yu's soldiers committed suicide in the defeat of Xiang Yu in the Battle of Yaxia. As a politician and military strategist, Xiang Yu knew very well what attitude he should adopt on the battlefield and in political struggles, because only in this way could he achieve ultimate victory.
VI. Summary
From the above analysis, Liu Bang and Xiang Yu are not the "king but the Xiang" in history, but the "king is not the hegemon" in history. Xiang Yu was a descendant of the nobles of the State of Chu, while Liu Bang was from a peasant background, and the two had a disparity in status. In the Chu-Han War, because Liu Bang occupied the advantages of heaven and time, location, people, etc., he was defeated by Xiang Yu.
Although Xiang Yu also had the idea of becoming emperor, because Xiang Yan had high prestige and appeal among the people of the Chu State, and the anti-Qin forces in the Chu State had always maintained relative unity, Xiong Xin, the king of Chu Huai, decided to make Xiang Yu the "King of Chu", so that he had absolute authority and right to speak.
Although Liu Bang won a military victory in the later stages of the Chu-Han War, Liu Bang's strength had been greatly weakened by this time, so even if Liu Bang did not want to claim the throne, he could not succeed. Although Xiang Yu was powerful, because he had been competing with Liu Bang for important strategic places such as the Guanzhong region and the Bashu region, if he rashly declared himself emperor, he would probably be opposed by Xiang Yu.
Liu Bang has many supporters, most notably from the Guanzhong region and the Bashu region. Therefore, although Xiang Yu wanted to be called emperor, he could not be called emperor because his strength was not as good as Liu Bang. Therefore, historically, "the king is not the item" has a certain reason. If Xiang Yu rashly declared himself emperor, he would probably be opposed by opposition forces or even destroy the country. Therefore, although Xiang Yu wanted to claim the title of emperor, he did not succeed in the end.
1. "History": "Xiong Xin, the king of Chuhuai, named Xiang Yu the king of the 'State of Chu', and there was no righteousness to eat the seal."
...... King Huai then made Xiang Yu the king of 'Western Chu'. Chu Empress Huai Wang followed it. ”
2. "History": "King Xiang wanted to establish himself as the overlord of Western Chu, and the adviser Fan Zeng: 'No. The king of Han has also made his sons, and now that the merit has been accomplished and you have nothing to seal, this so-called heaven and not take it, but suffer from it. It is better to stand up for yourself and keep yourself. 'King Xiang followed. ”
3. "History": "In the spring of the second year of the Han Dynasty, Liu Bang made an agreement with Xiang Yu, and the one who entered the pass first was the king. He made Yingbu guard the Hangu Pass with tens of thousands of troops, and attacked Chu with 140,000 people north. ”
4. "History": "In December, Xiang Yu heard that Qi Wang Tian Rong, Yan Wang Zang Xin, and Han Wang Xin all surrendered to the Han, but he attacked Qi with 30,000 horses, broke the Qi army, and killed Tian Du. So all the princes and soldiers arrived, and they would meet in Pengcheng. King Huai of Chu made a covenant with the king of Qi: 'King Xin of Chu broke Qi and established; Those who do not obey will be cursed. So the state of Qi was from the covenant of Chu. ”
5. "History": "The king of Han sent an envoy to summon the princes and kings: 'King Huai of Chu covenants, and the one who enters the pass first is the king.'" When the king of Han struck, all the generals said: 'Chu soldiers and broken!' It's not early today, it's too much! ’”
6. "History": "Liu Bang led troops to the north of Xiayi and Yongqiu, and all the generals south of Yongqiu came to surrender Chu. ”
7. "History": "August Pengyin... Xiang Bo is an internal history; Out of the army in the northern valley of Peixian ... Pei Gong to Pei ... North of Chen Liu, Pei Gongjun... Liu Ji and Xiang Yu are between Guling and Chen County... The Chu army surrounded on all sides... Fan Yu broke Liu Ji from Lu Chen"
8. "History": "Gaozu made Liu Bang say: 'The Chu army was defeated at the hands of the righteous emperor, and all the princes have already conquered Qin, and only Pei Gong Sugong is high and light... Those who have meritorious service will be rewarded, and those who are able will be punished'. He made Pei Gong worship Xiao He and Cao Shen as great Sima, great general, and Xiangguo. ”
9. "History": "Han Xin to the army... And so it was collected... Sui Ding Qi Wang Xin. ”
2. "Book of Han": "Liu Bang started at the end of the micro and won the hearts of the world, so he was called emperor."
The world has decided, and he wants to benefit himself, and to strengthen the princes, this act against the heavens is also unreasonable. King Xiang was benevolent and weak, and respected his wise subjects, so he was a sage in all his appointments. Now I want to use force, fear of hurt and anger; To stand by deception, fear the Holy Spirit. ”
"Zizhi Tongjian": "Xiang Yu's loss of power is also a self-proclaimed achievement; Do you know that the king of Han entered the pass and attacked the city; Leveling the crowd; so that the people will not be weary; and can divide its land and seal the generals; Make Guanzhong the Three Qins; All the princes are attached. Then do the covenant and forbid tyranny, and the people may be restored to a new one. And Xiang Yu can't control the crowd. Although King Xiang dominated the world and died in Chu, how could he be? This is God's help. ”
"History": "Although there are three families in Chu, the death of Qin will be Chu." ”
"Zizhi Tongjian": "After Xiang Yu made the princes, when the King of Han entered the customs and competed with Xiang Yu for the world, he began to go downhill. ”
3. "History": "'He who wins the hearts of the people wins the world'." Therefore, he who wins the hearts of the people wins the world. ”
4. "Zizhi Tongjian": "Han became an emperor with the breadth of Qin's land, the number of people, the wealth of people, and the possession of everyone, which can be described as wisdom. ”
5. "History": "Therefore, the three kingdoms are dangerous and weak; The Eastern Han Dynasty was humble and strong. ”
3, "Zizhi Tongjian": 'Xiang Yu has ten years old under the world,...... Lost to Han'".
The above is the analysis of the reasons why Xiang Yu is "Wang but Xiang". Moreover, in the later stages of the Chu-Han War, because Liu Bang had the advantage, Xiang Yu gradually fell into a disadvantage and was eventually defeated by Liu Bang.
To sum up, whether in terms of strength or strategic position, Xiang Yu cannot be "king but Xiang". If analyzed from a political and military point of view, Xiang Yu did have the idea of becoming an emperor. However, because his strength was not enough to claim the title of emperor, he was eventually defeated by Liu Bang.
It can be seen that "Wang Buxiang" is actually very reasonable, it reflects a political situation and social development trend at that time. Therefore, in history, "Wang Buxiang" is actually an objectively existing historical fact, not the result of Xiang Yu's personal will.
Do you have any different opinions or opinions on this? Welcome to leave a message below to interact with me.
4. The Book of Han: "However, when Qin died, Xiang Yu did not want to be king, and the one who entered the pass first was the king of Chu, and now he is a king, but he will be killed."
At this time, King Xiang's heart had been determined, and Nai Yin made people subordinate to Han, and King Xie Zhi of Han. Xiang Yu was killed. Han Nai took his military power, divided his land to seal the meritorious person, and granted it to the government and sent him. ”
"Shiji Xiang Yu Benji": "It is said that Han Sheng said: 'The prince of my family, until the great king comes here, I am afraid that he will not be able to live here for a long time.'" And it is said that the Chu people 'have half the world', this is also true. The great king Cheng was able to conquer the four kingdoms, and the lands of Fuqi, Zhao, Chu, Yan, and Han were divided into two of the three worlds to watch the world's provocations. His Majesty takes advantage of the time to take the world, and it is also appropriate to plan it. ”
The above historical materials can be seen: 1. Although Xiang Yu ultimately lost the Chu-Han War, he still held the title and authority of "King of Chu"; 2. Although Liu Bang achieved the world, he still had the title of "King of Chu" at that time. These people were all anti-Qin forces killed by Xiang Yu; 3. Although Xiang Yu finally killed Liu Bang, he was still the "King of Chu" recognized by the princes of the world; 4. Although Liu Bang eventually gained the world, there were still many opposition forces against him at that time; 5. Although Xiang Yu eventually lost the world, some people still consider him the "King of Chu".
VII. Concluding remarks
From the above discussion, it can be seen that the historical "king is not enough" is not completely impossible. Although Liu Bang and Xiang Yu have had several head-to-head confrontations, in fact, the gap in their strength is not obvious. Although Liu Bang failed to kill Xiang Yu at the Hongmen banquet, he used various means to cause contradictions between Xiang Yu and Fan Zeng, and then achieved the purpose of containing Xiang Yu. Xiang Yu, on the other hand, did not attack Guanzhong with all his strength because of Liu Bang's containment.
The main difference between Liu Bang and Xiang Yu is that Liu Bang knows that his worst enemy is Xiang Yu, but he still dares to choose to go head-to-head with Xiang Yu and eventually wins. Although Xiang Yu had great military strength, he did not dare to confront Liu Bang head-on. Because he knew that once he confronted him head-on, he was likely to be destroyed by Liu Bang.
From here, we can see that if in terms of strength, Xiang Yu does have the ability to defeat Liu Bang, but he did not choose to confront head-on. His huge gap in strength prevented him from winning in a head-on confrontation; In terms of tactics, because he could not compete head-on with Liu Bang, he finally chose to escape, which was also one of the important reasons for his failure.