Preface
Xiang Yu, as a legendary figure in ancient Chinese history, his life is full of legends. However, as he lay dying, there was still a mystery that haunted future generations: why did he refuse to cross the river until he died?
According to historical records, just because he discovered a secret, he was completely desperate. What is the secret of this? Why did a hero who was once commanding and high-spirited finally choose to kill himself and die for the country? On the banks of the Wujiang River, what kind of tragedy and unwillingness does Xiang Yu's life-and-death choice contain?
The rise of heroes in the smoke of war
In 209 BC, Xiang Yu, the grandson of Xiang Yan, a famous general of the Chu State, was born in a turbulent era. After Qin Shi Huang ruled the world, he was autocratic and tyrannical, and the people were not able to make a living. Chen Sheng, Wu Guang and others rose up, opening the prelude to the overthrow of the Qin Dynasty.
The young Xiang Yu showed outstanding martial arts and courage. He is bold by nature, disdainful of only reading and learning swords, and eager to learn "the ability to defeat ten thousand people". Seeing this, Xiang Liang happily taught the art of war, although Xiang Yu only learned a rough outline, but he showed amazing military talent on the battlefield later.
Xiang Yu has shown an extraordinary temperament since he was a child. He is burly and has eyes like torches, giving people a heroic and heroic feeling. When he was a teenager, he often caused a sensation in the township, and his confident demeanor made people involuntarily fall for it.
Although Xiang Liang values Xiang Yu's martial arts, he has a lot of complaints about his character. He felt that Xiang Yu was too flamboyant and lacked a humble character, and it was difficult for him to become a big man. But Xiang Yu scoffed at this, he said: "Reading is only enough to remember the name and surname, learning the sword can only be against one person, what I want to learn is the ability to defeat ten thousand people!"
Seeing that Xiang Yu was so arrogant, Xiang Liang no longer hindered him, but happily taught him the essence of the art of war. Although Xiang Yu only learned a rough idea, he showed amazing military talent on the battlefield later. His strategic intrigue often surprises the enemy and makes it impossible to parry.
After joining the peasant rebel army, Xiang Yu rose rapidly and was invincible. He led the Chu army to join forces with Liu Bang, and finally overthrew the tyranny of the Qin Dynasty and removed the burden of burdens for the people. This battle not only made Xiang Yu famous, but also made him occupy an important position in Liu Bang's heart.
However, after becoming famous, Xiang Yu did not want to monopolize the power alone, but hoped to reproduce the situation of the princes standing side by side. He began to divide the princes and kings in a big way, but in the process of dividing the feudal kings, it appeared unfair. This caused dissatisfaction among the princes, and Liu Bang took the opportunity to unite with the other princes and launched a war against Xiang Yu, thus opening the prelude to the struggle between Chu and Han.
Dividing the vassals leads to wars
In the following battles, Xiang Yu repeatedly performed miraculous feats, and in the battle of Pengcheng, he only led 30,000 elite soldiers to defeat Liu Bang's 560,000 army, creating a precedent of winning more with less. This battle not only further proved Xiang Yu's military talent, but also further consolidated his prestige in the Chu army.
But Xiang Yu did not take advantage of the victory to pursue, but let Liu Bang go. He naively thought that if he kept Liu Bang's life, the world would be peaceful in the future, and he would be able to learn martial arts with him. As everyone knows, Liu Bang doesn't have such a good backbone, and on the way to defeat, he began to plan a comeback.
Although Liu Bang lost the battle of Pengcheng, he won the support of Han Xin. Han Xin, who was once regarded as a "horseman" by Xiang Yu, has extraordinary military talents. He is proficient in the art of war, good at using strange soldiers, and attacking the enemy unprepared. With Han Shin joining, Liu Bang's army became even stronger.
Han Xin said to Liu Bang: "If the general can call the world with the call of the king of Qin, the world can also be profitable." Liu Bang followed Han Xin's advice and began the strategy of "coercing the Son of Heaven to order the princes". He first captured Prince Ying of Qin and forced him to abdicate the throne, and then united with the princes to jointly crusade against Xiang Yu.
In this way, under Han Xin's plan, Liu Bang's army became stronger and stronger. And Xiang Yu gradually fell into passivity. Although he is still brave and good at fighting, he has repeatedly suffered losses in the face of Han Xin's strange soldiers. After several encounters, Xiang Yu had to sign a peace treaty with Liu Bang and divide the sphere of influence.
However, how could Liu Bang be a man who kept his promise? He conspired with Han Xin behind his back and waited for an opportunity to move. In 202 BC, Liu Bang suddenly sent troops to attack Pengcheng, Xiang Yu's base. Xiang Yu rushed to hear the news, but it was too late. Pengcheng was captured, and Xiang Yu's army suffered heavy losses.
In the siege of the wall, the hero fell
Xiang Yu retreated to the wall and held on to Liu Bang's army. It was originally an easy place to defend and difficult to attack, but Xiang Yu was deeply encircled. It turned out that Han Xin had used the strategy of "repairing the plank road in the open and Chen Cang in the dark", and secretly went around Xiang Yu's back. Xiang Yu was attacked by the enemy on his back and fell into a desperate situation.
The trapped beast was still fighting, and Xiang Yu did not admit defeat. He led the remnants of the army and fought to the death against the Han army. Xiang Yu took the lead and was invincible, and the Han army suffered heavy casualties. However, outnumbered, Xiang Yu was finally defeated.
Just when Xiang Yu was about to break through, an unexpected change happened. It turned out that Xiang Yu's beloved wife Yu Ji, worried that she would drag Xiang Yu down, and actually killed herself. Seeing this, Xiang Yu was overwhelmed with grief and lost his fighting spirit for a while. In this way, Xiang Yu missed the opportunity to break through and failed completely.
The siege of Qixia is a turning point in Xiang Yu's life. Since then, he has never been able to reverse the decline. Although he is still brave and good at fighting, he is powerless in the face of the joint efforts of Liu Bang and Han Xin. In the end, Xiang Yu was defeated by Wujiang and killed himself, becoming a legend through the ages.
The mental journey on the way to escape
Before Wujiang, Xiang Yu experienced a thrilling escape. He led the only remaining 800 cavalry to break out of the encirclement of the Han army on a stormy night. It was not until dawn that the Han army discovered that Xiang Yu had broken through. Liu Bang was furious and ordered the whole army to pursue.
Xiang Yu was followed by a group of loyal soldiers. These people are all brothers who were born and died on the battlefield. They would rather advance and retreat with Xiang Yu than surrender to Liu Bang. Even if there were only twenty-eight horsemen left in the end, none of them betrayed Xiang Yu.
On the way to escape, Xiang Yu met an old farmer. The old peasant asked Xiang Yu: "Why is the general so embarrassed?" Xiang Yu replied: "I am Xiang Yu, the overlord of Western Chu, and now I am being chased and killed by the Han army, so I am so embarrassed." When the old farmer heard this, he burst out laughing.
Xiang Yu was furious and asked the old peasant why he was laughing? The old peasant said: "Now that the king has lost the world, what else is there to fight for? It is better to follow me to the village to hide for a while, and when the limelight has passed, I will try to make a comeback." After Xiang Yu heard this, his heart moved, and he followed the old farmer to the village.
Who knows, this is actually a trap set by the Han army. The old peasant turned out to be a spy of the Han army, who specially lured Xiang Yu to take the bait. When Xiang Yu came to the village, the Han army had already been in ambush for a long time. Xiang Yu was outnumbered by the enemy on his back and finally broke out of the encirclement, but there were only twenty-eight horsemen left around him.
On the way to escape, Xiang Yu witnessed the suffering brought by the war to the people. He saw the hungry and cold, the weeping women and children, and the devastated home. Xiang Yu couldn't help but begin to wonder, what was he fighting for many years?
Xiang Yu thought of Yu Ji and remembered the sweet time between the two. He regretted that he did not listen to Yu Ji's advice, retired to the mountains and forests early, and lived a leisurely life. Now, Yu Ji has died, and she has become a fugitive from the world, and it is too late.
Xiang Yu thought of the soldiers who had followed him to fight the world. Some of these people have died on the battlefield, and some have abandoned the darkness and turned to the light. And those who are still following themselves are already panicked and don't know where to go. Xiang Yu couldn't help but have doubts about human nature, is there anyone in the world who is truly trustworthy?
In this way, Xiang Yu gradually lost his way on the way to escape. He began to doubt his ideals and his choices. The once high-spirited spirit has been sharpened by reality without a trace. Xiang Yu only felt that his life had come to an end.
A life-and-death choice by the Wujiang River
In the end, Xiang Yu came to the Wujiang River. He could have crossed the river and returned to the east and regrouped, but he gave up after all. Perhaps, after so many lives and deaths, Xiang Yu has lost hope in life. He chose to kill himself and chose to die. At this moment, heaven and earth were moved, and history was remembered.
Just when Xiang Yu was hesitating, the chief of Wujiang Pavilion came to Xiang Yu with a flat boat. The pavilion chief said to Xiang Yu: "King, Jiangdong is your foundation, as long as you cross the Wujiang River, you can make a comeback." "
After hearing this, Xiang Yu shook his head and said, "I have no shame to face Jiangdong's father. At the beginning, I took it as my mission to pacify the world, but the result was a mountain of defeat. Now, I am already a king of a dead country, how can I return to Jiangdong?"
The pavilion chief persuaded him bitterly and said, "King, you are fighting the world for the sake of the people. Today, although you have failed, your original intention has not changed. As long as you can return to Jiangdong alive, there will always be a chance to make a comeback. "
Xiang Yu was silent for a long time, and finally made up his mind and said, "No, I can't go back to Jiangdong." I am the king of the Chu country, and the Chu country is dead, so I should go with it. With that, Xiang Yu pulled out his sword and stabbed it into his throat.
At this moment, a voice suddenly sounded: "King, wait!" It turned out that it was Xiang Yu's deputy general, Long Ji, who stopped Xiang Yu's self-killing sword. Long He knelt in front of Xiang Yu and pleaded: "King, please think twice! You are the hope of the Chu State and the hope of the people. As long as you live, there is still hope for the Chu State!"
Xiang Yu looked at Long Ji, a trace of hesitation flashed in his eyes. But in the end, he shook his head and said, "Long Ji, you don't understand. The reason why I don't want to go back to Jiangdong is not because I'm afraid of death, but because I've seen people's hearts clearly. "
It turned out that in this escape, Xiang Yu had seen the ugliness of human nature. The old farmer who deceived himself is the best example of this. People's hearts are like the sea, and those who are sanctimonious are calculating themselves behind their backs. Xiang Yu has been completely disappointed in human nature, and he is unwilling to be in the company of such people anymore.
Xiang Yu continued: "I have fought all my life, and I have been fighting for the people. Now, I have failed, and returning to Jiangdong will only make the people suffer even more. It is better to die than to live. "
Long and saw that Xiang Yu had made up his mind, and he didn't say anything more. He just fell to his knees and wept bitterly. The other soldiers also knelt down one after another, begging Xiang Yu to change his mind. But Xiang Yu had already made up his mind, he swung his sword and killed himself, and blood splattered all over Long Ji's clothes.
In this way, Xiang Yu, the overlord of Western Chu, ended his legendary life with full of grief and unwillingness. His death marked the end of the Chu-Han controversy and the end of an era.
epilogue
Although Xiang Yu is dead, his spirit lives on. His tragic life, noble sentiments, and unyielding will will will forever be engraved on the monument of history. The people of later generations are all moved and admired by it. As Sima Qian commented in the "Historical Records": "If the strength is not born, the name will be remembered by future generations."
Although Xiang Yu failed, his life was a tragic epic and a generous tragedy. That strong patriotic feeling and unswerving ideals and beliefs will always illuminate our way forward.