A generation of famous generals Zhang Han, at the critical moment of the fall of the Qin Dynasty, he could have relied on the heavy troops in his hands to seize power and claim the emperor, but finally chose to take refuge in Xiang Yu. What kind of twists and turns and helpless choices are hidden behind this seemingly contradictory decision? Why was Zhang Han willing to give up the opportunity to establish himself as king, and instead surrendered to Xiang Yu, who was also a general of the Qin Dynasty? What kind of fate does this contain in the Warring States Period?
1. Civil strife in the Qin Dynasty: Zhao Gao usurped power, and the imperial family was destroyed
The decline of the Qin Dynasty began with Zhao Gao's actions. Zhao Gao was originally just a eunuch, but after the death of Qin Shi Huang, he was scheming, tampering with the edict, supporting Hu Hai to the throne, and at the same time giving the emperor's eldest son Fusu to death. This move completely undermined the succession system that Qin Shi Huang had carefully designed for the Qin dynasty.
After Hu Hai ascended the throne, Zhao Gao took the opportunity to manipulate the government and purge dissidents. He continued to increase his power in the court until he replaced Prime Minister Li Si and became the de facto supreme controller of the government. Ignoring the exploits of the Li Si family to the Qin Dynasty, Zhao Gao annihilated his entire clan, which shocked the entire government and the opposition, and also indicated that the Qin government would be further turbulent.
A wave of peasant uprisings followed. Chen Sheng, Wu Guang and others led the crowd to unveil the pole in Daze Township, igniting the fuse of the popular uprising. At first, the Qin Dynasty did not pay attention to it, but soon the nobles and rangers from all over the country responded, and the uprising quickly spread into a raging wave.
Faced with a menacing peasant army, the Qin Dynasty could only take confrontation. During the resistance on the front line, Zhang Han made outstanding contributions to the formation of the Lishan Disciple Army, defeated Zhou Wen, the main force of the peasant army, and saved the vitality of the Qin Dynasty. But at this time, Zhao Gao killed Hu Hai, the second emperor of Qin, and monopolized the dynasty, triggering a new round of internal friction.
2. Zhang Hanjian's miraculous feats: Organize the Lishan Bandage Army to save the Qin Dynasty
The initial attack of the rebel army was like a thunderbolt from the sky, and it instantly beat the Qin Dynasty at a loss. At that time, the main forces of the Qin State were all pinned down on the front line of Xingyang, and they had no time to look eastward. At the critical juncture, Zhang Han was ordered to command the Lishan disciples and pointed to Xianyang to relieve the siege.
The Lishan disciples were the people requisitioned by Qin Shi Huang when he built the mausoleum, and the number reached hundreds of thousands. Zhang Han strategized and quickly incorporated this grassroots army into the ranks, obeyed the commander-in-chief, and became a force that should not be underestimated. In this way, this temporarily formed army of Minfu gave a fierce blow to Zhou Wen's army when it was in Xianyang, causing Zhou Wen's army to retreat one after another.
Zhou Wen died in battle, and the main force of the rebel army was completely annihilated. Zhang Han personally led a large army to join the Battle of Xingyang, and joined forces with Li You's main force that blocked Wu Guang. With Zhang Han's reinforcements, the rebel army finally collapsed in Xingyang, and Chen Sheng was also killed by the coachman.
After a fight, Zhang Han made outstanding achievements, almost turning the tide with his own hands, so that the Qin Dynasty regained the initiative. At that time, Qin II had been deposed by Zhao Gao, and the power of the court was lost, and Zhang Han could have relied on this great military exploit to seize power and become emperor and inherit the Qin system.
However, Zhang Han did not act rashly, but led the people to the north, joined forces with Wang Li's Great Wall Qin Wang Army, and insisted on joining forces to jointly exterminate the remnants of the remaining princes. After rectifying the Qin army, the two main forces surrounded the Zhao State, trying to completely revive the hegemony of the Qin Dynasty to unify the world.
3. Coalition uprising: The war was rekindled, and Zhang Han was in a dilemma
The impregnable rule of the Qin Dynasty has been cracked under the impact of the peasant uprising. But just as Zhang Han and Wang Li were working together to completely extinguish the rest of the rebel forces, a new wave of anti-Qin was already brewing.
After witnessing the rebellion of the peasant army, the princely group of the Six Kingdoms destroyed by Qin decided that the opportunity had come, so they set off a new round of coalition uprising. The monarch of Yan revolted, and soon Zhang Miao, Peng Yue and others also responded one after another, and for a time, almost all the princely groups regained their own troops.
In the face of this powerful counterattack from the old aristocracy, although Zhang Han and Wang Li once won the Battle of Julu, the price they paid was extremely heavy, and Wang Li died on the battlefield. The victory of the coalition forces was in sight, but in the end Zhang Han was forced to withdraw from the Great Wall and fall, and he was forced to retreat to Xianyang.
At this time, Liu Bang marched west with the Qi army and became another powerful force that threatened Guanzhong. The situation suddenly turned critical, the Qin Dynasty suffered unprecedented heavy losses, and it was difficult for Zhang Han to fight against the best soldiers on all sides alone.
What's more serious is that Zhao Gao is eyeing Zhang Han and suspects him of being ambitious. Zhang Han was once suspected of conspiring with Wang Li to rebel against Qin, and now that he has made great achievements, Zhao Gao must not let go easily. As a precaution, Zhao Gao had to send Zhang Han to the border and temporarily isolate him in the center of power.
Fourth, Zhang Han introspectively reflected, and historical successes and failures are intertwined
Sandwiched between Zhao Gao and the coalition forces, Zhang Han fell into a dilemma. After being sent to the border, he was alone and quietly examined the current situation.
Looking back, Zhang Han recalled the glorious period of the Qin Dynasty in the last century. At that time, with the help of reform, the Qin State gradually occupied the length of the princes, until it finally unified China. But with the death of Qin Shi Huang, traitors like Zhao Gao gradually revealed their hideousness, completely destroying the original inheritance system of the Qin Dynasty, leading to the outbreak of civil strife.
Although the peasant uprising was temporarily quelled, the counterattack of the old princes brought the situation into a stalemate. At this time, Zhao Gao's assignment to Zhang Han was undoubtedly a harm to his own ambitions. Zhang Han knew that if he established himself as king, he would be surrounded and attacked by the coalition forces, and it was destined to be difficult for a long time.
Immersed in memories and reflections, Zhang Han gradually realized that Qin Tong had no hope of revival. Once upon a time, the Qin State was prosperous and hegemonic, with a vast territory and rich national strength. But today it is so dilapidated, not only is there a powerful coalition army on the outside, but also the portal is in disrepair and the ants are hideous.
Just as Zhang Han was reflecting alone on the border, Xiang Yu's envoys also came to recruit him one after another. Zhang Han judged the situation and felt that taking refuge in Xiang Yu might be the wisest choice at the moment. After all, Xiang Yu is a Qin general, with ambition to serve the country, and with heavy troops, he is most likely to dominate the world at the moment.
5. Fate Choice: Take refuge in Xiang Yu and end the Warring States dispute
After careful consideration, Zhang Han finally decided to work for Xiang Yu. Xiang Yu saw that Zhang Han was willing to surrender, and he also attached great importance to it, and immediately ordered him to guard Chen Cang, command heavy troops, and prevent Liu Bang from attacking.
At this time, Liu Bang's power was growing, and the confrontation with Xiang Yu's two armies was a foregone conclusion. In the ensuing battles, Zhang Han made many military exploits, led the army to resist the attacks of Liu Bang's army many times, and became an important general under Xiang Yu.
At the end of the Warring States Period, the princes were divided, and the seven heroes rose together. In the end, Xiang Yu and Liu Bang gradually gained the upper hand and became the last two forces competing for the world. In the Battle of Pengcheng, Xiang Yu defeated Liu Bang and once controlled the overall situation. But because of his arrogance, he finally lost the hearts of the people and was defeated by Liu Bang.
The flames of war quickly spread in the Central Plains, and the two sides met in various places to start a decisive battle. Zhang Han personally led a heavy army, brave and brave, and finally was captured by Liu Bang because he was outnumbered, and was imprisoned in Pengcheng.
Although Xiang Yu was ultimately defeated, Zhang Han's choice witnessed the end of the Warring States period. He could have chosen to betray Xiang Yu and take refuge with Liu Bang in time to seek glory and wealth. But Zhang Han insisted on being loyal to Xiang Yu until he was captured, all the way to the end. This unswerving loyalty is the last gift of the Confucian spirit of the Warring States Period.
After Zhang Han was captured, the world was finally reunited in the hands of Liu Bang. An era of more centralization and unification began. It is worth mentioning that after Zhang Han was pardoned by Liu Bang, he still followed him and died during the reign of Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty at the age of seventy-eight.