Xiang Yu, the overlord of Chu, ended his life by suicide, and although he was heroic, he died somewhat hastily. His failure is not only related to his lack of strategy, but also to his hesitation and missed opportunities at critical moments. The biggest mistake in Xiang Yu's life was the entanglement and indecision at the Hongmen banquet, and the hesitation at this moment made him fail.
In 206 BC, Liu Bang conquered Xianyang with the intention of becoming king in Hanzhong. At that time, Xiang Yu was recognized as the leader by various princes, and Liu Bang was only his subordinate, which made Xiang Yu very angry, and he ordered the army to prepare to meet Liu Bang, seemingly to clean up Liu Bang, the disobedient younger brother.
However, Xiang Yu's uncle, Xiang Uncle, considering his old relationship with Liu Bang, quietly went to Liu Bang's camp at night to convey Xiang Yu's anger and determination to him. Liu Bang, although his strength was far inferior to Xiang Yu, he dared to contend with Xiang Yu, which greatly displeased Xiang Yu. However, when negotiating with Liu Bang face-to-face, Liu Bang showed extreme humility, emphasizing that he had no ambition to claim the throne, but only wanted to live peacefully with Xiang Yu.
Faced with Liu Bang's sincerity, Xiang Yu fell into a tangle. He began to consider whether to forgive Liu Bang, after all, Liu Bang had already come to apologize. At dinner, Xiang Yu originally gritted his teeth and prepared to attack, but in the end he decided to raise a glass with Liu Bang and drink together, and instead held a banquet.
However, Xiang Yu's godfather Fan Zeng, disagreed. He believes that Liu Bang, despite his humility, remains a potential threat. He suggested assassinating Liu Bang so as not to leave behind consequences. He even offered to arrange for Xiang Zhuang to assassinate Liu Bang at the banquet, and prepared a knife and axe hand to ensure that there were no survivors.
The next day, Liu Bang came to visit, and Xiang Yu felt that Liu Bang's attitude was very good, and he fell into a tangle again. Fan Zeng, however, saw this as a great opportunity and insisted on assassinating Liu Bang. Eventually, at Fan Zeng's strong request, Xiang Zhuang began to dance the sword, but Liu Bang's confidant Fan Yu immediately jumped out to protect him. Xiang Yu praised Liu Bang, and Fan Yu's heroic deeds were also affirmed, and the banquet turned into peaceful coexistence.
Then, Liu Bang temporarily left the table, and Xiang Yu sent someone to ask him where he went. Although Xiang Yu had already seen Liu Bang's purpose, he was still hesitant, and after seeing the jade offered by Liu Bang, he was even more entangled. In the end, he missed the opportunity to pursue Liu Bang.
Xiang Yu's entanglement and hesitation allowed Liu Bang to escape danger and bury the tragedy of his life. Like Xiang Yu, there are many people who are entangled in life and miss opportunities. Therefore, we should learn to let go of entanglements, seize the opportunity, and make our lives more exciting.