About Chu-Han War 3

  The war was caused by Xiang Yu's annihilation of the main force of 400,000 Qin troops in the Battle of Julu, and he became the supreme commander of the allied forces. At the same time, Liu Bang led his army into Xianyang first, according to the agreement "whoever enters Guanzhong first will be king", Liu Bang wanted to become king of Guanzhong. Xiang Yu also led his army of 400,000 troops to Guanzhong. Xiang Yu thought he was superior and powerful, so he divided the world by himself and refused to make Liu Bang the king of Guanzhong, instead making him the king of Hanzhong (now Hanzhong, Shaanxi). This eventually led to war.

  In the 37th year of Qin Shi Huang's reign (210 BC), Qin Shi Huang died in Shaqiu (now Hebei Province, China). The eunuch Zhao Gao and others launched a coup, forging an edict to kill Fusu, the eldest son, and Meng Tian, a great general. They then enthroned Hu Hai, the youngest son, as the Second Emperor of Qin.

  The Second Emperor was incompetent and tyrannical, while Zhao Gao abused his power and misgoverned. Taxes were heavy, labor was endless, and the people suffered greatly. The empire declined rapidly over ten years, eventually leading to a massive peasant uprising at the end of the Qin dynasty.

  In July 209 BC, Chen Sheng and Wu Guang launched the Dazexiang Uprising, establishing the "Zhang Chu" regime. Chen Sheng proclaimed himself King of Chu, and many heroes responded to his call.

  In September, Xiang Yan, a former general of the State of Chu, and his nephews Xiang Liang and Xiang Yu, launched the Huaiyi Uprising. Xiang Liang declared himself the Lord of Wu Xin. At the same time, Liu Bang, the chief of the Suiyang Township, also rose up in arms in Pei County (now Jiangsu Province) and was known as the Duke of Pei.

  After Chen Sheng and Wu Guang's peasant uprising failed, Xiang Liang summoned the leaders of various rebel forces in Chu to a meeting in Xue County (now Shandong Province). Liu Bang also joined Xiang Liang with his troops. At that time, Yan, Zhao, Qi, and Wei had already declared independence.

  Xiang Liang adopted Fan Zeng's suggestion and enthroned the grandson of the former King of Chu, Xiong Xin, as king, still known as the King of Chu. The capital was established in Xu City (now Jiangsu Province).

  In August, the Qin army's supreme commander, Zhang Han, defeated the rebel leaders Wei Wang Jia and Qi Wang Tian Dan, and then led his troops to attack the rebel forces in Hebei Province.

  In October 208 BC, King Huai of Chu moved his capital to Pengcheng (now Jiangsu Province) due to Xiang Liang's defeat. Liu Bang was appointed as the governor of Suiyang Township and granted the title of Marquis of Wu'an. Xiang Yu was granted the title of Marquis of Lu.

  The king also appointed Song Yi as the Supreme General, known as "Gongzi Crown Army", and Xiang Yu as his deputy. They were ordered to lead their troops to rescue Zhao Wang Jia, who was besieged by the Qin army in Julu (now Hebei Province).

  Xiang Yu annihilated the main force of the Qin army, which had more than 40,000 soldiers, in the Battle of Julu. He then became the commander-in-chief of the allied forces and was granted the title of "Duke of Lu".

  At the same time, Liu Bang's rebel army entered Xianyang (now Shaanxi Province) first, according to the agreement that whoever entered Guanzhong first would be king.

  However, Xiang Yu refused to recognize Liu Bang as the King of Guanzhong and instead divided the land among his followers. He also forced Liu Bang to move to Hanzhong (now Shaanxi Province), which led to a war between them.

  Historical Background Main Article: Qin End Peasant Uprising In the 37th year of Qin Shi Huang (210 BC), Qin Shi Huang died in Shaqiu (now northwest of Guangzong, Hebei Province). The chief eunuch Zhao Gao and others launched a coup at Shaqiu, forging an imperial edict to execute the eldest son Fusu and General Meng Tian, and enthroning the youngest son Hu Hai as the Second Emperor. Qin Er Shi Hu Hai was incompetent and tyrannical, while Zhao Gao monopolized power and misgoverned, increasing taxes and labor, leading to widespread discontent among the people. The empire continued to decline, eventually triggering a massive peasant uprising at the end of the Qin dynasty. In the first year of Qin Er Shi (209 BC), Chen Sheng and Wu Guang launched the Daze Village Uprising in July, establishing the "Zhang Chu" regime, with Chen Sheng proclaiming himself King of Chu. Many heroes responded to the call to arms. In September, Xiang Liang, a former general of the State of Chu, launched the Huaiyi Uprising, declaring himself the Duke of Wu Xin. Liu Bang, a village elder from Pei County (now Jiangsu Province), also rose up in response, proclaiming himself the Duke of Pei. After Chen Sheng and Wu Guang's peasant uprising failed, Xiang Liang summoned the leaders of various rebel forces in Chu to a meeting in Xue County (now Tengzhou, Shandong Province) in February of the second year of Qin Er Shi (208 BC). Liu Bang also joined forces with Xiang Liang. At that time, Yan, Zhao, Qi, and Wei had already declared independence as kings. Xiang Liang adopted Fan Zeng's suggestion to enthrone the grandson of the former King of Chu, Xiong Xin, as king, still using the title "King of Chu", with his capital at Xu City (now Jiangsu Province). In August, the Qin army's supreme commander, General Zhang Han, defeated and killed the leaders of the anti-Qin forces, Wei Wang Jia and Qi Wang Tian Dan. Xiang Liang was killed in battle due to underestimating the enemy. Zhang Han then led his troops north to attack the rebel forces in Hebei Province, besieging King Zhao Xie in Julu (now Pingxiang, Hebei Province). King Zhao Xie sought help from the other lords (_Records of the Grand Historian: Basic Annals of Emperor Gaozu_). In October of the third year of Qin Er Shi (208 BC), King Chu saw that Xiang Liang's army had been defeated and was terrified. He moved his capital to Pengcheng (now Jiangsu Province) and appointed Liu Bang as the magistrate of Dan County, enfeoffing him as the Marquis of Wu'an. He also enfeoffed Xiang Yu as the Marquis of Lu, with the title "Rong Ru Gong". Soon after, he appointed Song Yi as the Supreme General, with the title "Guanzi Crown Army", and Xiang Yu as the Deputy General to lead the northern expedition to rescue Zhao. Meanwhile, Liu Bang was ordered to attack Guanzhong (the area west of Hangu Pass). The Chu rebel forces were divided into two routes.

  In the 37th year of Qin Shi Huang's reign (210 BC), Qin Shi Huang died in Shaqiu (now Hebei Province, China). The eunuch Zhao Gao and others launched a coup, forging an edict to kill Fusu, the eldest son, and Meng Tian, a great general. They then enthroned Hu Hai, the youngest son, as the Second Emperor of Qin.

  The Second Emperor was incompetent and tyrannical, while Zhao Gao abused his power and misgoverned. Taxes were heavy, labor was forced, and the people suffered greatly. The empire declined rapidly over ten years, eventually leading to a massive peasant uprising at the end of the Qin dynasty.

  In the first year of the Second Emperor's reign (209 BC), Chen Sheng and Wu Guang launched the Dazexiang Uprising in July, establishing the "Zhang Chu" regime. Chen Sheng proclaimed himself King of Chu, and many heroes responded to his call.

  In September, Xiang Yan, a former general of the State of Chu, and his nephews Xiang Liang and Xiang Yu launched the Huaiyi Uprising. Xiang Liang declared himself the Lord of Wu Xin. At the same time, Liu Bang, the chief of the Suiyang Township, also rose up in arms in Pei County (now Jiangsu Province) and was known as the Duke of Pei.

  After Chen Sheng and Wu Guang's peasant uprising failed, Xiang Liang summoned the leaders of various rebel forces in Chu to a meeting in Xue County (now Shandong Province) in February 208 BC. Liu Bang also joined Xiang Liang with his troops.

  At that time, Yan, Zhao, Qi, and Wei had already declared independence as kings. Xiang Liang accepted Fan Zeng's suggestion and enthroned the grandson of the former King of Chu, Xiong Xin, as king, still known as the King of Chu. The capital was established in Xu City (now Jiangsu Province).

  In August, the highest commander of the Qin army, General Zhang Han, defeated the anti-Qin forces led by Wei Wang Jiao and Qi Wang Tian Dan after killing them. He then believed that the land of Chu was no longer a threat and led his troops north to attack the rebel forces in Hebei Province.

  The King of Zhao, Xie, was besieged in Julu (now Hebei Province) and asked for help from other lords (_Records of the Grand Historian: The Basic Annals of Gaozu_).

  In October 208 BC, the King of Chu saw that Xiang Yu had annihilated the main force of the Qin army, with more than 40,000 soldiers killed. He considered himself to have made the greatest contribution and obtained the position of commander-in-chief of the allied forces.

  At the same time, Liu Bang's rebel army entered Xianyang (now Shaanxi Province) first and was about to be proclaimed king according to the agreement "whoever enters Guanzhong first will be king." However, Xiang Yu also led his troops into Guanzhong and refused to recognize Liu Bang as king. Instead, he divided the land among himself and others, leading to war.

  Xiang Yu considered himself powerful and self-sufficient, so he took it upon himself to divide the land and refused to make Liu Bang the King of Guanzhong. He changed Liu Bang's title to the King of Hanzhong (now Shaanxi Province), which eventually led to conflict between them.

  项羽于巨鹿之战一举歼灭秦军主力40余万，自恃功劳最大，并取得了诸侯上将军地位，统率诸侯之兵，实力雄厚。与此同时，楚地另一路刘邦所率义军得以乘隙率先进入咸阳，按照楚怀王“先入定关中者王之”之约，刘邦欲称王于关中。项羽亦率诸侯军40余万直奔关中。项羽自认功高，自恃强大，遂自行分封天下，并拒绝把先入关的刘邦封为关中王，将其改封到汉中（郡治南郑，今陕西汉中）为王，最后引发战争。

  In the 37th year of Qin Shi Huang's reign (210 BC), he died in Shaqiu (now Hebei Province). The eunuch Zhao Gao and others launched a coup, forging an imperial edict to have Fusu, the eldest son, and Meng Tian, a great general, put to death. Hu Hai, the youngest son, was enthroned as the Second Emperor of Qin. However, Hu Hai proved to be incompetent and tyrannical, while Zhao Gao abused his power, imposing heavy taxes and labor on the people, causing widespread discontent.

  Ten years later, this led to the outbreak of a massive peasant uprising at the end of the Qin dynasty. In July 209 BC, Chen Sheng and Wu Guang launched the Dazexiang Uprising, establishing the "Zhang Chu" regime, with Chen Sheng proclaiming himself King of Chu. Many heroes responded to their call.

  In September, Xiang Liang, a former general of the state of Chu, and his nephew Xiang Yu launched the Huaiyi Uprising, with Xiang Liang declaring himself the Duke of Wu Xin. At the same time, Liu Bang, a local leader from Pei County (now Jiangsu Province), also rose up in response, calling himself the Duke of Pei.

  After Chen Sheng and Wu Guang's peasant uprising failed, Xiang Liang summoned the leaders of various rebel forces in Chu to discuss matters in Xue County (now Shandong Province) in February 208 BC. Liu Bang also joined Xiang Liang with his troops.

  At that time, Yan, Zhao, Qi, and Wei had already declared independence as kings. Xiang Liang adopted the suggestion of Fan Zeng to proclaim himself the King of Chu, with the intention of uniting the various rebel forces under his command.

  Xiang Yu defeated the Qin army at the Battle of Julu, annihilating over 40,000 enemy soldiers and gaining a reputation as a great general. He then became the leader of the allied forces of the various states, with the title of "Overlord of the Western Chu".

  However, Xiang Yu refused to recognize Liu Bang's claim to the throne of Guanzhong (the region surrounding modern-day Xi'an), despite his earlier promise to let whoever entered Guanzhong first become king. Instead, he forced Liu Bang to accept a smaller territory in Hanzhong (now Shaanxi Province).

  This led to a conflict between Xiang Yu and Liu Bang, which eventually resulted in the downfall of Xiang Yu and the establishment of the Han dynasty under Liu Bang's rule.

  Historical background Main article: Qin's end peasant uprising In the 37th year of Qin Shi Huang (210 BC), Qin Shi Huang died in Shaqiu (now northwest of Guangzong, Hebei Province). The chief eunuch Zhao Gao and the prime minister Li Si forged the last will of Qin Shi Huang.

  巨鹿之战是中国历史上著名的以少胜多的经典战役。

  In October of the first year of Han (207 BC), Liu Bang arrived at Bashang (now southeast of Xi'an, Shaanxi Province) and accepted the surrender of Qin King Ziying, marking the end of the Qin Dynasty. According to the agreement between the leader of the anti-Qin coalition, Chu Huaiwang, and the rest of the world, "the first to enter Guanzhong will be king," Liu Bang should have been declared King of Guanzhong. However, he heard that Xiang Yu wanted to establish Zhang Han as King of Yong in Guanzhong, so he sent troops to guard Hangu Pass (now northeast of Lingbao Old City, Henan Province) to prevent other lords from entering.

  At the same time, Liu Bang announced the abolition of the harsh policies of the Qin Dynasty and made a pact with the people of Guanzhong, "Three Chapters of Law": "Those who kill will be killed, those who injure others or steal will be punished" (Shiji: Gaozu Benji). Xiang Yu had destroyed the main force of the Qin army, ensuring the inevitable downfall of the Qin Dynasty. He considered himself to have made the greatest contribution and was furious when Liu Bang entered Guanzhong first and seized the victory.

  In December of the first year of Han (207 BC), Xiang Yu ordered Ying Bu to attack and break through Hangu Pass, advancing to Xin Feng Hongmen (now east of Lintong, Shaanxi Province). The intention was to eliminate Liu Bang's army. However, Liu Bang's forces were less than 100,000, and he knew he could not defeat Xiang Yu, so he retreated to Bashang.

  Liu Bang sent his uncle, Liu Jiao, to persuade Xiang Yu's uncle, Xiang Bo, to mediate on his behalf. He also personally went to Hongmen to apologize and show his sincerity, expressing his willingness to submit. Xiang Yu was moved by this gesture and spared Liu Bang's life.

  A few days later, Xiang Yu led his army westward into Xianyang, killed the surrendered Qin king Ziying, and set fire to the palace, which burned for three months. At that time, Han Xin advised Xiang Yu: "Guanzhong is a place of strategic importance, with mountains and rivers surrounding it on all sides, making it an ideal location for a capital." However, Xiang Yu replied: "Wealth and honor do not return to one's hometown; it is like wearing embroidered clothes at night, who knows about it?" (Shiji: Xiangyu Benji). He then killed the advisor and abandoned the excellent choice of establishing his capital in Guanzhong.

  The war began because Xiang Yu had annihilated the main force of the Qin army, 400,000 strong, in the Battle of Julu, considering himself to have made the greatest contribution. At the same time, Liu Bang's army entered Xianyang first and, according to Chu Huaiwang's agreement, "the first to enter Guanzhong will be king," Liu Bang wanted to declare himself king in Guanzhong.

  Xiang Yu also led an army of over 400,000 men straight into Guanzhong. He considered himself powerful and strong, so he took it upon himself to divide the world and refused to make Liu Bang King of Guanzhong, instead demoting him to be King of Hanzhong (now south of Shaanxi Province). This ultimately led to war.

  Xiang Yu's army was too large, and his soldiers were undisciplined. They plundered and burned, causing the people of Guanzhong to suffer greatly. Liu Bang took advantage of this situation to win over the hearts of the people and eventually defeated Xiang Yu at the Battle of Gaixia.

  Historical Background Main Article: Qin's End Farmer Uprising In the 37th year of Qin Shi Huang (210 BC), Qin Shi Huang died in Shaqiu (now northwest of Guangzong, Hebei Province). The middle car commander Zhao Gao and others launched a coup at Shaqiu, forged an imperial edict to kill the eldest son Fusu and General Meng Tian, and established the younger son Hu Hai as the Second Emperor. Qin's second emperor Hu Hai was tyrannical and incompetent, and Zhao Gao again monopolized power and disrupted politics, with increasingly heavy taxes and labor, leading to widespread poverty and suffering among the people. The empire continued to decline, and after ten years, it finally triggered a large-scale peasant uprising at the end of Qin. In the first year of Qin's second emperor (209 BC), Chen Sheng and Wu Guang launched the Daze Village Uprising, and Liu Bang also rose up in Pei County. At that time, Yan, Zhao, Qi, and Wei had already established themselves as kings, and Xiang Liang adopted Fan Zeng's suggestion to establish the former Chu king Huai Wang Sun as the king, still known as "Chu Huai Wang", with his capital in Xu City (now Xuancheng, Anhui Province). In August, the commander-in-chief of the Qin army, Zhang Han, defeated and killed the leaders of the anti-Qin forces Wei Wang Jia and Qi Wang Tian Dan after defeating and killing the leaders of the anti-Qin forces Wei Wang Jia and Qi Wang Tian Dan. Xiang Liang launched a war against Zhang Han in Dingtao, but was defeated and killed due to underestimating the enemy. Zhang Han then led his army north to attack the Zhao state, besieging King Xie of Zhao in Julu (now Pingxiang, Hebei Province), and King Xie sought help from the other vassals (_Records of the Grand Historian: The Basic Annals of Gaozu_). In October of the third year of Qin's second emperor (208 BC), Chu Huai Wang was frightened by Xiang Liang's defeat and moved his capital to Pengcheng (now Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province). He appointed Liu Bang as the governor of Lu County and enfeoffed him as Marquis of Wu'an, commanding the army of Lu County. He also enfeoffed Xiang Yu as Duke of Lu and ordered Song Yi to be the commander-in-chief, with Xiang Yu as his deputy, to go north to rescue Zhao and at the same time sent Liu Bang to attack Guanzhong (west of Hangu Pass), dividing the Chu army into two routes to attack Qin. They agreed that "whoever enters Guanzhong first will be king" (_Records of the Grand Historian: The Basic Annals of Gaozu_). In 208 BC, Song Yi's army stopped for 46 days in Anyang (now southeast of Anyang, Henan Province) without advancing, and Xiang Yu killed him. Chu Huai Wang had to appoint him as commander-in-chief, and Xiang Yu led more than 50,000 Chu soldiers to continue northward, fighting against Zhang Han and Wang Li's 400,000-strong Qin army. At that time, the anti-Qin forces of Chu and Qi were newly defeated, and Zhao was in danger. This battle had become a decisive battle between the main force of the Qin army and the main force of the anti-Qin forces, with the rescue troops watching from the sidelines without daring to fight. The situation was very critical. In December, Xiang Yu broke through the encirclement and led more than 20,000 Chu soldiers to defeat Wang Li's 200,000-strong Qin army outside Julu City, shaking the vassals and becoming the commander-in-chief of the vassals, commanding the armies of the vassals. The next year (207 BC), Zhang Han and others were forced to surrender with their remaining 200,000 troops, and the Battle of Julu ended in victory. The Battle of Julu not only restrained the main force of the Qin army but also created favorable conditions for Liu Bang's army to enter Guanzhong smoothly. After this battle, the Qin dynasty was already in name only (see Battle of Julu). In August, Zhao Gao killed the Second Emperor of Qin and established his son Ying as the King of Qin. In November, Xiang Yu was afraid that the 200,000 surrendered soldiers would rebel during their entry into Guanzhong, so he massacred them all in Xin'an (now east of Gongyi, Henan Province), shocking the world. This also made Xiang Yu and Zhang Han lose the hearts and minds of the people of Guanzhong to a great extent. At the same time, in October, Liu Bang took advantage of the situation to enter Guanzhong, entering Xianyang, and King Ying of Qin surrendered, marking the end of the Qin dynasty (_Records of the Grand Historian: The Biography of Xiang Yu_).

  The situation developed after the initial victory Main article: Feast at Hongmen In October of Han's first year (207 BC, the beginning of the Han dynasty inherited the Qin system, with October as the start of the year), Liu Bang arrived in Bashang (now southeast of Xi'an City, Shaanxi Province) and accepted the surrender of King Ziying of Qin. The Qin dynasty was destroyed. According to the agreement between the leader of the anti-Qin coalition "Chu Huai Wang" and the "first to enter Guanzhong will be king", Liu Bang should have been called the King of Guanzhong, but he heard that Xiang Yu wanted to establish Zhang Han in Guanzhong as the King of Yong. Therefore, he sent troops to guard Hangu Pass (now northeast of Lingbao Old City, Henan Province) to prevent other vassals from entering Guanzhong. At the same time, he announced the abolition of the harsh policies of the Qin dynasty and made an agreement with the elders of Guanzhong "to establish three chapters of law": "those who kill will be killed, those who injure others or steal will be punished" (Shiji Gaozu Benji). Xiang Yu broke through the Qin army's main force, determining the inevitable trend of the Qin dynasty's demise. He thought he had made the greatest contribution. However, on the eve of victory, Liu Bang seized the opportunity to enter Guanzhong first and took the fruit of victory, naturally making him furious. Therefore, he led more than 400,000 troops into Guanzhong. In December of Han's first year (207 BC, the beginning of the Han dynasty inherited the Qin system, with October as the start of the year), Xiang Yu ordered Ying Bu to attack and break through Hangu Pass, advancing to Hongmen in Xinfeng (now east of Lintong, Shaanxi Province). He intended to eliminate Liu Bang's army. Liu Bang's army was less than 100,000 strong, and he knew that his strength was not enough to resist the enemy. Therefore, he retreated to Bashang and tried his best to win over Xiang Yu's uncle Xiang Bo to mediate, personally going to Hongmen to apologize and show his sincerity, indicating his submission. Xiang Yu's determination wavered, and he let Liu Bang go. A few days later, Xiang Yu led his troops westward into Xianyang, killing the surrendered King Ziying of Qin, burning down the palace, and setting a great fire that lasted for three months. At that time, Han Xin advised Xiang Yu: "Guanzhong is surrounded by mountains and rivers on all sides, with fertile land, it can be used as the capital." However, Xiang Yu said: "Wealth and honor do not return to one's hometown, like wearing brocade at night, who knows about it?" (Shiji Xiangyu Benji), so he boiled and killed the advisor, giving up the good opportunity to establish his capital in Guanzhong.

  In the second month of the first year of Han (206 BC), Xiang Yu divided the land and enfeoffed 18 vassal kings, restoring feudalism. He made himself the King of Western Chu, ruling over nine counties in Liang and Chu, with his capital at Pengcheng (now Xuzhou, Jiangsu). Xiang Yu suspected that Liu Bang had ambitions for the throne, and fearing that he would betray him, used the excuse that "Ba and Shu are also part of Guanzhong" (Shiji: Xiang Yu Benji) to enfeoff Liu Bang as King of Hanzhong, ruling over three counties in Ba, Shu, and Hanzhong, with his capital at Nanzheng (now Hanzhong, Shaanxi). He also divided the Guanzhong region into three parts, enfeoffing Qin's surrendered generals Zhang Han, Sima Xin, and Dong Yi as Kings of Yong, Sai, and Di, respectively, collectively known as the "Three Qins", in an attempt to control Guanzhong through them and confine Liu Bang to the Hanzhong-Ba-Shu region. At the same time, he also enfeoffed Wei Bao as King of Western Wei, Shen Yang as King of Henan, Han Cheng as King of Han, Sima Ang as King of Yin, Zhao Ye as King of Dai, Zhang Er as King of Changshan, and Jiujiang Wang.

  In February of the first year of the Han Dynasty (206 BC), Xiang Yu divided the land and granted titles to the vassals. He pretended to respect King Huai of Chu as Emperor Yi, forcing him to move his capital to Cheng County (now Chenzhou, Hunan Province). In reality, he did not use his orders.

  In April, Xiang Yu relied on his great merit in destroying Qin and his overwhelming military advantage, dividing the land into 18 vassal kingdoms, restoring feudalism and separatism. He established himself as the Hegemon-King of Western Chu, governing the Yellow River and the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, including nine counties in Liang and Chu. His capital was set at Pengcheng (now Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province).

  Xiang Yu suspected that Liu Bang had ambitions for the world, which he had already explained, and hated his breach of promise. He feared that the vassals would rebel against him, thinking "Ba and Shu are also territories within the Pass" (Shiji: Xiang Yu Benji). Therefore, he granted Liu Bang the three counties of Ba, Shu, and Hanzhong, making him King of Hanzhong, with his capital at Nanzheng (now Hanzhong, Shaanxi Province).

  He also divided the Guanzhong region into three parts, granting Qin's surrendered generals Zhang Han, Sima Xin, and Dong Yi as Yong Wang, Sai Wang

  In the second month of the first year of Han (206 BC), Xiang Yu divided the land and enfeoffed 18 vassal kings, restoring feudalism and establishing himself as the Hegemon-King of Western Chu. He controlled nine commanderies along the Yellow River and the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, with his capital in Pengcheng (present-day Xuzhou, Jiangsu). Xiang Yu suspected that Liu Bang had ambitions for the empire, and he was also afraid of betraying the agreement, fearing that the vassal kings would rebel against him. He said, "The Bashu region is also part of Guanzhong" (Shiji: Xiang Yu Benji), and so he enfeoffed Liu Bang as the King of Hanzhong, with his capital in Nanzheng (present-day Hanzhong, Shaanxi). He also divided the Guanzhong region into three parts, enfeoffing Qin's surrendered generals Zhang Han, Sima Xin, and Dong Yi as the Kings of Yong, Sai, and Di, respectively. These were collectively known as the "Three Qins", with the intention of using them to control Guanzhong and confine Liu Bang to the Hanzhong-Bashu region. At the same time, he also enfeoffed Wei Bao as the King of Western Wei, Shen Yang as the King of Henan, Han Cheng as the King of Han, Sima Ang as the King of Yin, Zhao Ye as the King of Dai, Zhang Er as the King of Changshan, Ying Bu as the King of Jiujiang, Wu Rui as the King of Hengshan, Gong Ao as the King of Linjiang, Han Guang as the King of Liaodong, Zang Tu as the King of Yan, Tian Shi as the King of Jiaodong, Tian Du as the King of Qi, and Tian An as the King of Jibei.

  Liu Bang went to Han Liu Bang was changed to be sealed in Hanzhong, and initially did not want to take the country. He planned to attack Xiang Yu, but Xiao He spoke out and said: "The Han River is above the sky, and Hanzhong has a strategic location, advancing can be attacked, retreating can be defended, Qin used it to have the world." Liu Bang then adopted Xiao He's suggestion, humbly accepted the title of King of Han, recruited talents to plan for the world, and at the same time determined to use Ba (the county seat is Jiangzhou, now north of Chongqing City, on the north bank of Jialing River), Shu (the county seat is Chengdu, now Sichuan Chengdu), and also fixed the three Qins, facing east to contend for the world's strategy. In April, Liu Bang went to Hanzhong (the county seat is Nanzheng, now east of Hanzhong City) to take the country, with 30,000 soldiers sent by Xiang Yu following him. Along the way, he burned and destroyed the plank roads he passed through, preventing the vassal armies from launching a surprise attack, and also used this to show that he had no intention of going east, in order to numb Xiang Yu. Xiang Yu also demobilized his troops at Pengcheng at the same time.

  In the first year of the Han Dynasty (206 BC), in April, the vassals were dismissed and each returned to their respective countries. King Cheng of Han was left in Pengcheng by Xiang Yu due to his lack of merit, and was demoted to a marquis. He was killed soon after.

  In May, Tian Rong, the prime minister of Qi, dissatisfied with Xiang Yu's division of land, welcomed back Tian Du, the king of Qi who had just returned to his country. Tian Du fled to Chu, where he was killed by Xiang Yu. The original king of Qi and newly appointed king of Jiaodong, Tian Shi, feared Xiang Yu and went to Jiaodong to take up his position. Tian Rong angrily pursued and killed him, then declared himself the king of Qi. He also attacked and killed Tian An, the king of Jibei.

  In August, King Guang of Liaodong (formerly the king of Yan) was unwilling to move to Liaodong and was killed by Yan Wang Zangtu, who incorporated Liaodong into the state of Yan. At the same time, Xiang Yu reappointed Zheng Chang as the king of Han.

  Also in August, Zhao Tuo, the magistrate of Longchuan (now Longchuan County in Guangdong Province), who had not yet been divided land, declared himself the king of Nanyue and occupied the Lingnan region (now most of Guangdong and Guangxi provinces).

  In the second year of the Han Dynasty (206 BC), in October, Chen Yu, a general of Zhao, dissatisfied with Xiang Yu's division of land, joined forces with Tian Rong, the king of Qi who had already rebelled, and defeated Zhang Er, the king of Changshan. Zhang Er surrendered to the Han.

  Chen Yu welcomed back Zhao Xie, the former king of Dai, as the king of Zhao, and declared himself the king of Dai. He appointed Xia Shuo as his prime minister to guard Dai, while he himself stayed behind to assist the king of Zhao.

  In the same month, Xiang Yu secretly ordered Ying Bu, the king of Jiujiang, to send a general to kill Emperor Yi in Chen County. In August, the Han army also began to attack the three Qins, and from then on, the situation among the vassals in the central plains underwent tremendous changes.

  The regions of Lingnan and Minzhong (now most of Fujian Province and parts of Zhejiang and Jiangxi provinces), which had not yet been divided land, were occupied by Zhao Tuo, the king of Nanyue, and Wu Zhu, the magistrate of Minzhong County. Among these eighteen vassals, as well as Nanyue and Minzhong, only the king of Nanyue was relatively independent and did not participate in the Chu-Han War, maintaining a neutral stance.

  The kings of Hengshan and Linjiang belonged to the Chu state camp but never intervened in the war. At the end of the Chu-Han War, the king of Hengshan surrendered to the Han. The original king of Minyue and the magistrate of Minzhong County, Wu Zhu, had contributed to the destruction of the Qin dynasty but was not appointed as a king by Xiang Yu. Later, he also led troops to resist the Chu state.

  All the other vassals in the central plains directly or indirectly, actively or passively participated in the Chu-Han War.

  In May of the first year of the Han Dynasty (206 BC), Tian Rong, a nobleman from Qi who was not enfeoffed by Xiang Yu, rose up in rebellion against Chu in the territory of Qi (present-day Shandong Province) and drove out Xiang Yu's newly appointed King of Qi, Tian Du. He also killed Jiaodong King Tian Shi and declared himself King of Qi. Soon after, he had Peng Yue kill Jibei King Tian An and take control of the three Qis. He also gave Peng Yue a general's seal and ordered him to rebel in Liang territory while borrowing troops from Chen Yu to help defeat Changshan King Zhang Er, who then surrendered to Han. Chen Yu welcomed Zhao Xie back as King of Zhao and declared himself King of Dai, appointing Xia Shuo as his chancellor to guard Dai while he assisted the King of Zhao. The territory of Zhao was also turned against Chu. As a result, Xiang Yu dispatched troops to attack Qi. Liu Bang took advantage of Xiang Yu's distraction and the instability of the three Qin kings to "decide on an eastern campaign and contend for the empire" (Shiji: Gaozu Benji). He ordered Xiao He to collect taxes from Ba and Shu to supply the army, and with Xiao He's strong recommendation, appointed Han Xin as a general, with Cao Can as his vanguard commanding tens of thousands of troops. In August, the Han army used Han Xin's plan of "openly repairing the plank road while secretly crossing at Chen Cang" to launch a surprise attack on Yong Prefecture (present-day Feng County in Shaanxi Province), advancing to besiege Zhang Han's army at Feiqiu (present-day Xingping in Shaanxi Province). At the same time, they divided their forces to capture Longxi (the seat of which was Didao, present-day Lintao in Gansu Province), Beidi (the seat of which was Yiqu, present-day Ning County in Gansu Province), and Wangyi (the seat of which was Fushi, present-day Yulin in Shaanxi Province), forcing the surrender of Sai King Sima Xin and Di King Dong Yi. They quickly pacified the three Qins and occupied most of the Guanzhong region. Afterwards, they ordered General Xue Ou to exit through Wuguan (present-day Danfeng in Shaanxi Province) and advance on Chu territory but were blocked by the Chu army at Yangxia (present-day Taikang in Henan Province). The war was caused by Xiang Yu's annihilation of over 40 million Qin troops at the Battle of Julu, after which he considered himself to have achieved the greatest merit and obtained the position of Supreme Commander of the feudal lords, commanding their armies. At the same time, Liu Bang led his volunteer army into Xianyang, where according to the agreement with Chu Huai Wang "whoever first occupies Guanzhong will be king," Liu Bang wanted to declare himself king in Guanzhong. Xiang Yu also led over 40 million troops from the feudal lords straight to Guanzhong. Xiang Yu considered his own achievements and strength to be superior, so he unilaterally divided up the empire and refused to enfeoff Liu Bang as King of Guanzhong, instead demoting him to King of Hanzhong (the seat of which was Nanzheng, present-day Hanzhong in Shaanxi Province). This ultimately led to war.

  The historical background of the Qin dynasty's collapse began in 210 BC, when Emperor Qin Shi Huang died at Shaqiu (now Hebei Province). The eunuch Zhao Gao and others staged a coup, forging an edict to have the emperor's eldest son Fusu and general Meng Tian killed. They then installed the younger son Hu Hai as the Second Emperor of Qin.

  However, Hu Hai proved to be incompetent and tyrannical, while Zhao Gao abused his power and increased taxes and labor burdens on the people. The empire became increasingly unstable, leading to widespread discontent among the population.

  In 209 BC, Chen Sheng and Wu Guang launched a peasant uprising in Dazexiang (now Anhui Province), establishing the "Zhang Chu" regime. Chen Sheng declared himself King of Chu, and many other rebel groups responded to his call.

  In September of that year, Xiang Liang and Xiang Yu, two prominent generals from the former state of Chu, launched an uprising in Kuaiji (now Jiangsu Province). They were joined by Liu Bang, a minor official who had also risen up against the Qin. Chen Sheng's rebellion ultimately failed, but the other rebel groups continued to fight.

  In 208 BC, Xiang Liang summoned the leaders of various rebel groups to a meeting in Xue County (now Shandong Province). Liu Bang attended this meeting and pledged his allegiance to Xiang Liang.

  At that time, several regional kings had already declared independence from the Qin. Xiang Liang adopted the suggestion of Fan Zeng and installed the grandson of the former King Huai of Chu as the new king, with the title "King Huai of Chu". The capital was established at Xiayi (now Jiangsu Province).

  In August 208 BC, the Qin general Zhang Han defeated and killed several rebel leaders, including the King of Wei and the King of Qi. He then turned his attention to Xiang Liang's forces and defeated him in battle.

  Xiang Liang died in the fighting, and Zhang Han believed that the Chu region was no longer a threat. He therefore led his army north to attack the Zhao state, besieging the city of Julu (now Hebei Province).

  In October 208 BC, King Huai of Chu became frightened by Xiang Liang's defeat and moved his capital to Pengcheng (now Jiangsu Province). He appointed Liu Bang as the governor of Pei County and granted him the title "Marquis of Wu'an". He also appointed Xiang Yu as the Marquis of Lu and ordered him to lead an army north to rescue the Zhao state.

  Liu Bang was instructed to attack the Qin heartland, while Xiang Yu led his forces against Zhang Han. The king promised that whoever entered the Qin capital first would be granted the throne.

  In 208 BC, Song Yi's army stopped for 46 days at Anyang (now Henan Province) without advancing further. Xiang Yu killed Song Yi and took command of the army himself. He then led his forces against Zhang Han and Wang Li, who commanded over 400,000 Qin soldiers.

  The battle was fierce, with both sides suffering heavy casualties. However, Xiang Yu ultimately emerged victorious, defeating the Qin army and killing Wang Li. This victory made him a hero among the rebel groups, and he became known as the "Hegemon-King of Western Chu".

  In 207 BC, Zhang Han surrendered to Xiang Yu, marking the end of the Qin dynasty's resistance in the region.

  However, Xiang Yu's actions also had negative consequences. In November 208 BC, he ordered the massacre of over 20,000 Qin soldiers who had surrendered to him at Xin'an (now Henan Province). This act shocked the other rebel leaders and damaged Xiang Yu's reputation.

  Meanwhile, Liu Bang took advantage of the situation and launched a surprise attack on the Qin capital, entering the city without encountering any resistance. The last Qin emperor, Ziying, surrendered to him, marking the end of the Qin dynasty.

  The fall of the Qin dynasty led to a period of division and warlordism in China, as various regional leaders vied for power. However, Liu Bang eventually emerged victorious, establishing the Han dynasty and becoming one of the most famous emperors in Chinese history.

  The situation developed after the initial victory Main article: Feast at Hongmen In October of Han's first year (207 BC, the beginning of the Han dynasty), Liu Bang advanced to Bashang (now southeast of Xi'an City, Shaanxi Province) and accepted the surrender of Qin King Ziying, marking the end of the Qin Dynasty. According to the agreement between the leader of the anti-Qin coalition, Chu Huaiwang, and the "first to enter Guanzhong will be king", Liu Bang should have been declared King of Guanzhong. However, he heard that Xiang Yu wanted to establish Zhang Han as King of Yong in Guanzhong, so he sent troops to guard Hangu Pass (now northeast of Lingbao City, Henan Province) to prevent other vassals from entering Guanzhong. At the same time, he announced the abolition of the harsh policies of the Qin Dynasty and made an agreement with the people of Guanzhong, "Three Chapters of Law": "Those who kill will be executed, those who injure others or steal will be punished" (Shiji: Gaozu Benji). Xiang Yu had destroyed the main force of the Qin army, ensuring the inevitable trend of the fall of the Qin Dynasty. He believed that he had made the greatest contribution to the victory. However, just as victory was within reach, Liu Bang seized the opportunity to enter Guanzhong first and took the fruits of victory, naturally arousing Xiang Yu's anger. Therefore, he led an army of over 400,000 vassals into Guanzhong. In December of Han's first year (207 BC), Xiang Yu ordered Ying Bu to attack Hangu Pass, advance to Hongmen in Newfeng (now east of Lintong, Shaanxi Province), and intended to eliminate Liu Bang's army. Liu Bang's army was less than 100,000 strong, and he knew that he could not defeat the enemy, so he retreated to Bashang and tried his best to win over Xiang Yu's uncle, Xiang Bo, to mediate, and personally went to Hongmen to apologize and show his sincerity, indicating his submission. Xiang Yu's determination wavered, and he let Liu Bang go. A few days later, Xiang Yu led his army westward into Xianyang, killed the surrendered Qin King Ziying, burned down the palace, and the fire raged for three months without being extinguished. At that time, Han Xin advised Xiang Yu: "Guanzhong is a place with mountains and rivers on all sides, rich and fertile land, it can be used as the capital." However, Xiang Yu said: "Wealth and honor do not return to one's hometown, like wearing brocade at night, who knows about it?" (Shiji: Xiangyu Benji), so he boiled and killed the advisor, giving up the excellent choice of building his capital in Guanzhong.

  In the second month of the first year of Han (206 BC), Xiang Yu divided the land and granted titles to 18 vassal kings, restoring feudalism and dividing the land. He also established himself as the Hegemon-King of Western Chu, governing the nine commanderies of Liang, Chu, and the lower reaches of the Yellow and Yangtze rivers, with his capital in Pengcheng (now Xuzhou, Jiangsu). Xiang Yu suspected that Liu Bang had ambitions for the empire and was dissatisfied with the agreement, fearing that the vassal kings would rebel against him. He said, "Ba and Shu are also territories within the Pass." (Shiji, Xiang Yu Benji) Therefore, he granted Liu Bang the three commanderies of Ba, Shu, and Hanzhong, making him the King of Hanzhong, with his capital in Nanzheng (now Hanzhong, Shaanxi). He also divided the Guanzhong region into three parts, granting Qin's surrendered generals Zhang Han, Sima Xin, and Dong Yi the titles of Yong Wang, Sai Wang, and Di Wang, respectively, collectively known as the "Three Qins". This was an attempt to control Guanzhong through them and confine Liu Bang to the Hanzhong-Ba-Shu region. At the same time, he also granted titles to Wei Bao as the King of Western Wei, Shen Yang as the King of Henan, Han Cheng as the King of Han, Sima Ang as the King of Yin, Zhao Xie as the King of Dai, Zhang Er as the King of Changshan, Ying Bu as the King of Jiujiang, Wu Rui as the King of Hengshan, Gong Ao as the King of Linjiang, Han Guang as the King of Liaodong, Zang Tu as the King of Yan, Tian Shi as the King of Jiaodong, Tian Du as the King of Qi, and Tian An as the King of Jibei.

  Liu Bang went to Han Liu Bang was changed to be sealed in Hanzhong, and at first he did not want to take the country. He planned to attack Xiang Yu, and Xiao He spoke out: "The Han River is above the sky, and Hanzhong has a strategic location, advancing can be attacked, retreating can be defended, Qin used it to have the world." Liu Bang then adopted Xiao He's suggestion, humbly accepted the title of King of Han, recruited talents to plan for the world, and at the same time determined the strategy of using Ba (the county seat is Jiangzhou, now north of Chongqing City, on the north bank of Jialing River), Shu (the county seat is Chengdu, now Sichuan Chengdu), and also fixed the three Qins, facing east to contend for the world. In April, Liu Bang went to Hanzhong (the county seat is Nanzheng, now east of Hanzhong City) to take the country, with 30,000 soldiers sent by Xiang Yu following him. Along the way, he burned and destroyed the plank roads he passed through, preventing the vassal armies from launching a surprise attack, and also used this to show that he had no intention of going east, in order to numb Xiang Yu. Xiang Yu also returned to Pengcheng at the same time.

  In the first year of the Han Dynasty (206 BC), in April, the vassals were dismissed and each returned to their respective countries. King Cheng of Han was left behind by Xiang Yu in Pengcheng due to his lack of merit, and was demoted to a marquis. He was killed soon after. In May, Tian Rong, the prime minister of Qi, dissatisfied with Xiang Yu's division of territory, welcomed back the king of Qi, Tian Du, who had gone into exile. Tian Du fled to Chu, where he was killed by Xiang Yu. The original king of Qi and newly appointed king of Jiaodong, Tian Shi, feared Xiang Yu and went to Jiaodong to take up his position. Tian Rong angrily pursued and killed him, then declared himself the king of Qi. He soon attacked and killed the king of Jibei, Tian An. In August, the king of Liaodong, Han Guang (formerly the king of Yan), was unwilling to relocate to Liaodong and was killed by Yan's prime minister, Zang Tu, who incorporated Liaodong into Yan. At the same time, Xiang Yu reappointed Zheng Chang as the king of Han. Also in August, Zhao Tuo, the former magistrate of Longchuan (now Longchuan County in Guangdong Province), declared himself the king of Nanyue and occupied the Lingnan region (now most of Guangdong and Guangxi provinces). In October of the second year of the Han Dynasty (206 BC, the beginning of the Han calendar was in October), Chen Yu, a general of Zhao, dissatisfied with Xiang Yu's division of territory, joined forces with the king of Qi, Tian Rong, who had already rebelled against him. They defeated Zhang Er, the king of Changshan, and Zhang Er defected to the Han. Chen Yu welcomed back the former king of Dai, Zhao Xie, as the new king of Zhao, and declared himself the king of Dai. He appointed Xia Yue as his prime minister to guard Dai, while he himself stayed behind to assist the king of Zhao. In the same month, Xiang Yu secretly ordered Ying Bu, the king of Jiujiang, to send a general to kill Emperor Yi in Chen County. Meanwhile, in August, the Han army began to attack the three Qins, and from then on, the situation among the vassals in the Central Plains underwent great changes. The regions of Lingnan and Minzhong (now most of Fujian Province and parts of Zhejiang and Jiangxi provinces), which had not yet been divided, were occupied by Zhao Tuo, the king of Nanyue, and Wu Zhu, the magistrate of Minzhong. Among these eighteen vassals, as well as Nanyue and Minzhong, only the king of Nanyue maintained his independence, did not participate in the Chu-Han War, and remained neutral. The kings of Hengshan and Linjiang belonged to the Chu camp but never intervened in the war. At the end of the Chu-Han War, the king of Hengshan defected to the Han. The original king of Minyue and the magistrate of Minzhong, Wu Zhu, had contributed to the destruction of the Qin dynasty but were not appointed as kings by Xiang Yu. Later, they led their armies in resistance against Chu. All the other vassals in the Central Plains, as well as those that evolved from them, participated directly or indirectly, actively or passively, in the Chu-Han War.

  Here is the translation:

  In May of Han's first year (206 BC), Qi noble Tian Rong, who was not enfeoffed by Xiang Yu, rebelled against Chu in Qi territory (present-day Shandong province) and drove out Xiang Yu's newly appointed Qi King Tian Du. He killed Jiaodong King Tian Shi and declared himself the King of Qi. Soon after, he ordered Peng Yue to kill Jibei King Tian An and unify the three Qis under his rule. He also gave Peng Yue a general's seal and ordered him to rebel in Liang territory while borrowing troops from Chen Yu to help defeat Changshan King Zhang Er, who then surrendered to Han. Chen Yu welcomed Zhao King Zhao Xie back as the King of Zhao and declared himself the King of Dai, appointing Xia Shuo as his chancellor to guard Dai while he assisted the King of Zhao. The land of Zhao was also won over.

  Xiang Yu then sent troops to attack Qi. Liu Bang took advantage of Xiang Yu's distraction and the instability of the three Qin kings to "decide on a strategy to turn eastward and contend for the empire" (Shiji, Gaozu Benji). He ordered Xiao He to collect taxes from Ba and Shu to supply his troops and, with Xiao He's strong recommendation, appointed Han Xin as a general. With Cao Can as his vanguard, he led tens of thousands of soldiers in an active deployment eastward.

  In August, the Han army used Han Xin's plan of "openly repairing the plank road while secretly crossing Chen Cang" to sneak out of their usual route (the river was named after this route, and it is now located in Shaanxi province). They reached Chen Cang (present-day Baoji, Shaanxi) and launched a surprise attack on Yong State, surrounding Zhang Han's army at the abandoned hill of Yongdu.

  The Northern Front: The Battle of An Yi

  In August of Han's second year (205 BC), Wei King Piao rebelled against Han in He Dong (the capital was Anyi, now in Shanxi province) and threatened the flank of the Han army. Liu Bang first sent Lü Sheng to persuade him but failed, then ordered Han Xin to lead troops to attack. In September, Han Xin launched a surprise attack on Anyi, capturing Wei Piao alive and destroying the state of Wei.

  The main article is: Battle of the Jiecheng, Backwater War, Han Xin's conquest of Dai, Zhao, Yan and Qi. After the Battle of An Yi, Liu Bang adopted Han Xin's suggestion to "go north to Yan and Zhao, east to attack Qi, south to cut off Chu's grain road, and west to meet with the Great King at Jiecheng" (Hanshu Korean Xinzhuan), and gave Han Xin an additional 30,000 troops. He opened up a northern battlefield to eliminate Chu's wings and achieve strategic encirclement of Chu. In the same year, in the ninth month of the lunar calendar, Han Xin first conquered Dai, captured Xiangguo Xia Shuo, and Dai was destroyed. In October of the third year of the Han Dynasty (205 BCE), Han Xin and Zhang Er led the Han army across the Taihang Mountains and fought against Zhao's wings at Jiechengkou (now southeast of Jiexiu, Hebei). Han Xin broke with convention, set up an array with his back to the water, and defeated 200,000 Zhao troops. He beheaded the main commander of the Zhao army, Chen Yu, and captured King Xie of Zhao, destroying the state of Zhao in one fell swoop. Subsequently, he adopted the suggestion of Li Zuiche, a surrendered general of Zhao, and took advantage of the momentum to force Yan Wang Zangtu to surrender without a fight, pacifying the state of Yan.

  The main article is: Battle of Wei River In the eleventh month of the fourth year of the Han Dynasty (204 BC, the beginning of the Han Dynasty followed the Qin system, with October as the first month), Han Xin again defeated the combined forces of Chu and Qi at the banks of the Wei River (now Weihui, Shandong) and pacified the state of Qi. By this time, Han Xin had advanced more than 2,000 li to the east, forming a strategic encirclement of the Chu army from both the eastern and northern sides, directly threatening the rear of the Chu forces.

  After the defeat of Han at Pengcheng in April 205 BC, Peng Yue retreated westward and abandoned all the cities he had captured. He led his army north to guard the banks of the Yellow River. In 204 BC, Peng Yue frequently launched surprise attacks on the Chu army, disrupting their supply lines and grain storage in Liang territory. In winter 203 BC, while the Han and Chu armies were locked in a stalemate at Xingyang, Peng Yue captured seventeen cities including Yingyang and Waihuang. When Xiang Yu learned of this, he sent Cao Jiu to guard Chenggao and personally led an army east to retake the cities captured by Peng Yue, which all reverted to Chu control. Peng Yue then led his army north to Guicheng. In autumn 202 BC, when the Chu army retreated south to Xiayang, Peng Yue again captured over twenty cities including Changyi, seizing more than a million hu of grain for Liu Bang's military supplies.

  The war was caused by Xiang Yu's annihilation of the main force of 400,000 Qin troops in the Battle of Julu, and he became the supreme commander of the allied forces. At the same time, Liu Bang led his army into Xianyang and wanted to be king according to the agreement "whoever enters Guanzhong first will be king". Xiang Yu also led his army of 400,000 troops to Guanzhong. Xiang Yu thought he was superior and powerful, so he divided the world by himself and refused to make Liu Bang the King of Guanzhong, instead making him the King of Hanzhong (now Hanzhong, Shaanxi). This eventually led to war.

  The historical background of the Qin dynasty's collapse began in 210 BC, when Emperor Qin Shi Huang died at Shaqiu (now Hebei Province). The eunuch Zhao Gao and others staged a coup, forging an edict to have the emperor's eldest son Fusu and general Meng Tian killed. They then installed the younger son Hu Hai as the Second Emperor of Qin.

  However, Hu Hai proved to be incompetent and tyrannical, while Zhao Gao abused his power and increased taxes and labor burdens on the people. The empire became increasingly unstable, leading to widespread discontent among the population.

  In 209 BC, Chen Sheng and Wu Guang launched a peasant uprising in Dazexiang (now Anhui Province), establishing the "Zhang Chu" regime. Chen Sheng declared himself King of Chu, and many other rebel groups responded to his call.

  In September of that year, Xiang Liang and Xiang Yu, nephews of the former king of Chu, launched an uprising in Kuaiji (now Jiangsu Province). They were joined by Liu Bang, who had risen up in Pei County (now Jiangsu Province) and was known as the "Duke of Pei".

  After Chen Sheng's rebellion failed, Xiang Liang summoned a meeting of rebel leaders in Xue County (now Shandong Province), where they decided to support the restoration of the Chu kingdom. They installed a descendant of the former king of Chu, Xiong Xin, as the new King of Chu.

  In August 208 BC, the Qin general Zhang Han defeated and killed the rebel leader Wei Jia and then turned his attention to attacking the rebel groups in the north. He besieged the city of Julu (now Hebei Province), where the king of Zhao was trapped.

  The king of Zhao appealed for help from other rebel leaders, who responded by sending troops to relieve the siege. However, they were hesitant to engage in battle and instead waited to see how events would unfold.

  In October 208 BC, Xiang Liang's forces were defeated, and he was killed in battle. Zhang Han then turned his attention to attacking the rebel groups in the south.

  The king of Chu, Xiong Xin, appointed Liu Bang as the governor of Suiyang (now Jiangsu Province) and granted him the title of "Marquis of Wu'an". He also appointed Xiang Yu as a general and ordered him to lead an army north to relieve the siege of Julu.

  Liu Bang was instructed to attack the Qin dynasty's capital, Xianyang (now Shaanxi Province), while Xiang Yu led his army north to rescue the king of Zhao. The king of Chu promised that whoever entered the capital first would be granted the title of king.

  In December 208 BC, Xiang Yu defeated a large Qin army at the Battle of Julu, killing over 200,000 soldiers and forcing Zhang Han to retreat. This victory made Xiang Yu the de facto leader of the rebel groups, and he was hailed as a hero by the other leaders.

  However, this also created tension between Xiang Yu and Liu Bang, who had been instructed to attack the Qin capital but had not yet done so. The stage was set for a conflict between these two powerful leaders, which would ultimately decide the fate of China.

  The historical background of the Qin dynasty's collapse began in 210 BC, when Emperor Qin Shi Huang died at Shaqiu (now Hebei Province). The eunuch Zhao Gao and others staged a coup, forging an edict to have the emperor's eldest son Fusu and general Meng Tian killed. They then installed the younger son Hu Hai as the Second Emperor of Qin.

  However, Hu Hai proved to be incompetent and tyrannical, while Zhao Gao abused his power and increased taxes and labor burdens on the people. The empire became increasingly unstable, leading to widespread discontent among the population.

  In 209 BC, Chen Sheng and Wu Guang launched a peasant uprising in Dazexiang (now Anhui Province), establishing the "Zhang Chu" regime. Chen Sheng declared himself King of Chu, and many other rebel groups responded to his call.

  In September of that year, Xiang Liang and Xiang Yu, nephews of the former king of Chu, launched an uprising in Kuaiji (now Jiangsu Province). They were joined by Liu Bang, who had risen up in Pei County (now Jiangsu Province) and was known as the "Duke of Pei".

  After Chen Sheng's rebellion failed, Xiang Liang summoned a meeting of rebel leaders in Xuecheng (now Shandong Province) in February 208 BC. Liu Bang also attended this meeting.

  At that time, several regions had already declared independence, including Yan, Zhao, Qi, and Wei. Xiang Liang adopted the suggestion of Fan Zeng to restore the former king of Chu, Xiong Xin, as the King of Chu, with his capital at Xiayi (now Jiangsu Province).

  In August 208 BC, the Qin general Zhang Han defeated the rebel leaders Wei Jiao and Tian Dan, and then turned north to attack the rebel groups in Hebei Province. Xiang Liang was killed in battle, and Zhang Han believed that the Chu region was no longer a threat.

  However, the King of Chu, Xiong Xin, became frightened by Xiang Liang's defeat and moved his capital to Pengcheng (now Jiangsu Province). He appointed Liu Bang as the governor of Suiyang (now Anhui Province) and granted him the title of "Marquis of Wu'an". He also appointed Xiang Yu as the "Marquis of Lu" and ordered him to lead an army north to rescue Zhao.

  In October 208 BC, the King of Chu saw that Xiang Liang's army had been defeated and became increasingly fearful. He then appointed Liu Bang as the governor of Suiyang and granted him control over the armies in the region. He also appointed Song Yi as the "General-in-Chief" and ordered him to lead an army north to rescue Zhao.

  However, Song Yi's army stopped at Anyang (now Henan Province) for 46 days without advancing further. Xiang Yu then killed Song Yi and took command of his army. The King of Chu had no choice but to appoint Xiang Yu as the new "General-in-Chief".

  Xiang Yu led an army of over 50,000 soldiers north to rescue Zhao, where they encountered a massive Qin army of over 400,000 soldiers led by Zhang Han and Wang Li. This battle became a decisive confrontation between the Qin army and the rebel groups.

  In December 208 BC, Xiang Yu launched a surprise attack on the Qin army at Julu (now Hebei Province), defeating them decisively. The Qin army suffered heavy casualties, with over 200,000 soldiers killed or captured.

  The victory at Julu marked a turning point in the war against the Qin dynasty. Xiang Yu became known as the "Hegemon-King" and was recognized as the leader of the rebel groups. However, this also created tension between Xiang Yu and Liu Bang, who had been granted control over the region of Guanzhong (now Shaanxi Province).

  In 207 BC, Zhang Han and his remaining soldiers surrendered to Xiang Yu. The Qin dynasty effectively collapsed, and the stage was set for a new round of conflict between the various rebel groups.

  Xiang Yu then divided the empire among the rebel leaders, but refused to grant Liu Bang control over Guanzhong as promised earlier. Instead, he granted him control over Hanzhong (now Shaanxi Province) and declared himself the "Hegemon-King" of Western Chu.

  This led to a new round of conflict between Xiang Yu and Liu Bang, which would eventually lead to the establishment of the Han dynasty.

  The historical background of the Qin dynasty's collapse is as follows: In the 37th year of the reign of Qin Shi Huang (210 BCE), Qin Shi Huang died in Shaqiu (now Hebei Province). The eunuch Zhao Gao and others launched a coup, forging an edict to have the eldest son Fusu and General Meng Tian killed. They then installed the younger son Hu Hai as the Second Emperor.

  The Second Emperor Hu Hai was incompetent and tyrannical, while Zhao Gao monopolized power and misgoverned, increasing taxes and labor, leading to widespread discontent among the people. The empire continued to decline, eventually triggering a massive peasant uprising in the tenth year of his reign.

  In the seventh month of the first year of the Second Emperor (209 BCE), Chen Sheng and Wu Guang launched the Dazexiang Uprising, establishing the "Zhang Chu" regime, with Chen Sheng proclaiming himself King of Chu. Many heroes responded to their call, and in the ninth month, Xiang Liang and his nephew Xiang Yu launched the Huaiyin Uprising.

  In the same month, Liu Bang, a local leader from Pei County (now Jiangsu Province), also rose up in response, calling himself the Duke of Pei. After Chen Sheng and Wu Guang's uprising failed, Xiang Liang summoned the leaders of various rebel forces to a meeting in Xue County (now Shandong Province) in the second month of the second year of the Second Emperor (208 BCE). Liu Bang also joined Xiang Liang's forces.

  At that time, the states of Yan, Zhao, Qi, and Wei had already declared independence. Xiang Liang adopted the suggestion of Fan Zeng to install the grandson of the former King of Chu, Xiong Xin, as king, still using the title "King of Chu," with his capital in Xu City (now Jiangsu Province).

  In the eighth month, the Qin general Zhang Han defeated and killed the leaders of the anti-Qin forces, Wei Wang Jia and Qi Wang Tian Dan. He then led his army north to attack the rebel forces in Hebei Province, besieging the King of Zhao, Xie, in Julu (now Hebei Province). The King of Zhao sought help from the other lords.

  In the tenth month of the third year of the Second Emperor (208 BCE), the King of Chu, seeing that Xiang Liang's army had been defeated, became frightened and moved his capital to Pengcheng (now Jiangsu Province). He appointed Liu Bang as the governor of Suiyang County and enfeoffed him as the Marquis of Wu'an. He also enfeoffed Xiang Yu as the Marquis of Lu and appointed Song Yi as the Supreme General, with the title "Guanzi Crown Army." Xiang Yu was appointed as the second-in-command to lead an army north to rescue Zhao.

  The King of Chu then sent Liu Bang to attack Guanzhong (the area west of Hangu Pass), dividing his forces into two routes to attack Qin. He also agreed that whoever entered Guanzhong first would be made king.

  In the third year of the Second Emperor (208 BCE), Song Yi's army stopped for 46 days in Anyang (now Henan Province) without advancing. Xiang Yu then killed Song Yi, and the King of Chu had no choice but to appoint him as the Supreme General. Xiang Yu led an army of over 50,000 soldiers north to rescue Zhao.

  At that time, the rebel forces of Chu and Qi had been defeated, and Xiang Yu's army was the only one left. He defeated the Qin army in Julu (now Hebei Province), killing over 400,000 soldiers. This battle created favorable conditions for Liu Bang's entry into Guanzhong.

  In the eighth month, Zhao Gao killed the Second Emperor and installed his son, Ziying, as king. In the eleventh month, Xiang Yu, fearing that the 20,000 Qin soldiers who had surrendered would rebel, massacred them all in Xin'an (now Henan Province). This event shocked the world.

  Xiang Yu, considering himself the greatest hero, refused to grant Liu Bang the title of King of Guanzhong, instead enfeoffing him as the King of Hanzhong (with his capital in Nanzheng, now Shaanxi Province). This led to a war between Xiang Yu and Liu Bang.

  The historical background of this period is as follows: In the 37th year of Qin Shi Huang's reign (210 BC), Qin Shi Huang died in Shaqiu (now Hebei Province). The eunuch Zhao Gao and others launched a coup, forging an edict to have Fusu, the eldest son, and Meng Tian, a great general, killed. They then installed Hu Hai, the youngest son, as the Second Emperor of Qin.

  The Second Emperor of Qin, Hu Hai, was incompetent and tyrannical. Zhao Gao again monopolized power, increasing taxes and labor, leading to widespread discontent among the people. The empire continued to decline, eventually triggering a large-scale peasant uprising in the late Qin period.

  In the first year of the Second Emperor's reign (209 BC), Chen Sheng and Wu Guang launched the Dazexiang Uprising, establishing the "Zhang Chu" regime. Chen Sheng proclaimed himself King of Chu, and many heroes responded to his call.

  In September, Xiang Yan, a former general of the State of Chu, and his nephew Xiang Yu launched the Huaiyin Uprising. Xiang Liang declared himself the Duke of Wu Xin. In the same month, Liu Bang, a village elder from Pei County (now Jiangsu Province), also rose up in response to Chen Sheng's call.

  After Chen Sheng and Wu Guang's peasant uprising failed, in February 208 BC, Xiang Liang summoned the leaders of various rebel forces in Chu to discuss matters. Liu Bang also joined Xiang Liang with his troops.

  At that time, Yan, Zhao, Qi, and Wei had already declared independence as kings. Xiang Liang adopted Fan Zeng's suggestion and installed Xiong Xin, a descendant of the former King of Chu, as king, still using the title "King of Chu." The capital was established at Xu (now Jiangsu Province).

  In August, the Qin army's supreme commander, Zhang Han, defeated the rebel leaders Wei Wang Jiao and Qi Wang Tian Dan. He then turned to attack Xiang Liang, who underestimated the enemy and died in battle. Zhang Han believed that Chu was no longer a threat and led his troops north to attack the rebel forces of Zhao.

  The King of Zhao sought help from other lords (according to the Records of the Grand Historian). In October 208 BC, King Huai of Chu saw that Xiang Liang's army had been defeated and became frightened. He moved the capital to Pengcheng (now Jiangsu Province) and appointed Liu Bang as the magistrate of Dingyuan County, enfeoffing him as Marquis Wu'an.

  He also appointed Xiang Yu as the Marquis of Lu and ordered Song Yi to lead an army north to rescue Zhao. At the same time, he sent Liu Bang to attack Guanzhong (the area west of Hangu Pass). The Chu forces were divided into two routes to attack Qin, with the agreement that "whoever enters Guanzhong first will be king" (according to the Records of the Grand Historian).

  In 208 BC, Song Yi's army stopped for 46 days at Anyang (now Henan Province) without advancing. Xiang Yu killed Song Yi, and King Huai had no choice but to appoint him as the supreme commander. Xiang Yu then led more than 50,000 Chu soldiers north to rescue Zhao.

  At that time, the rebel forces of Chu and Qi had been defeated, and Zhao was in a precarious situation. This battle would essentially become a decisive showdown between the main force of the Qin army and the various rebel forces. The other rebel armies did not dare to join the battle, and the situation was extremely critical.

  In December, Xiang Yu broke through the enemy lines and led more than 20,000 Chu soldiers to defeat Wang Li's army of over 200,000 Qin soldiers outside the city of Julu. Xiang Yu's reputation shook the feudal lords, and he became the supreme commander of the rebel forces.

  The next year (207 BC), in June, Zhang Han and others were forced to surrender with their remaining troops. The Battle of Julu created favorable conditions for Liu Bang's entry into Guanzhong. After this battle, the Qin dynasty was already in name only (see the Battle of Julu).

  In August, Zhao Gao killed the Second Emperor of Qin and installed his son as king. In November, Xiang Yu massacred 20,000 surrendered Qin soldiers at Xin'an (now Henan Province), shocking the world. This also made Xiang Yu lose the hearts and minds of the people in Guanzhong.

  At the same time, in October, Liu Bang took advantage of the situation to enter Guanzhong, capturing Xianyang, and the King of Qin surrendered. The Qin dynasty was destroyed (according to the Records of Xiang Yu).

  The situation developed after the initial victory Main article: Feast at Hongmen In October of the first year of Han (207 BC, the beginning of the Han dynasty), Liu Bang arrived in Xianyang (now Xi'an City, Shaanxi Province) and accepted the surrender of Qin King Ziying, marking the end of the Qin dynasty. According to the agreement between the leader of the anti-Qin coalition, Chu Huaiwang, and the "first to enter Guanzhong will be king", Liu Bang should have been declared King of Guanzhong. However, he heard that Xiang Yu wanted to establish Zhang Han as King of Yong in Guanzhong, so he sent troops to guard Hangu Pass (now north of Lingbao City, Henan Province) to prevent other vassals from entering the region. At the same time, he announced the abolition of the harsh policies of the Qin dynasty and made an agreement with the people of Guanzhong, "Three Chapters of Law": "Those who kill will be executed, those who injure or steal will be punished" (Shiji: Gaozu Benji). Xiang Yu had destroyed the main force of the Qin army, ensuring the inevitable trend of the fall of the Qin dynasty. He believed that he had made the greatest contribution to the victory. However, just as victory was within reach, Liu Bang seized the opportunity to enter Guanzhong first and took the fruits of victory, naturally arousing Xiang Yu's anger. As a result, Xiang Yu led an army of over 400,000 soldiers into Guanzhong. In December of the first year of Han (207 BC), Xiang Yu ordered Ying Bu to attack Hangu Pass, advance to Hongmen in Xinfeng (now Lintong District, Shaanxi Province), and intended to eliminate Liu Bang's army. Liu Bang's army was less than 100,000 strong, and he knew that he could not defeat the enemy, so he retreated to Xianyang and tried his best to win over Xiang Yu's uncle, Xiang Bo, to mediate, and personally went to Hongmen to apologize and show his sincerity. Xiang Yu's determination wavered, and he let Liu Bang go. A few days later, Xiang Yu led his army westward into Chang'an, killed the surrendered Qin king Ziying, and burned down the palace, with the fire raging for three months. At that time, Han Xin advised Xiang Yu: "Guanzhong is a place of strategic importance, surrounded by mountains and rivers on all sides, with fertile land and abundant resources, it can be used as the capital." However, Xiang Yu said: "Wealth and honor do not return to one's hometown, like wearing brocade at night, who knows about it?" (Shiji: Xiangyu Benji), and then he boiled and killed the advisor, giving up the excellent choice of building his capital in Guanzhong.

  In the second month of the first year of Han (206 BC), Xiang Yu divided the land and granted titles to 18 vassal kings, restoring feudalism and establishing himself as the Hegemon-King of Western Chu. He controlled nine commanderies along the Yellow River and the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, with his capital in Pengcheng (present-day Xuzhou, Jiangsu). Xiang Yu suspected that Liu Bang had ambitions for the empire and was dissatisfied with the agreement, fearing that the vassal kings would rebel against him. He said, "The lands of Ba and Shu are also part of the Guanzhong region." (Shiji: Xiang Yu Benji) Therefore, he granted Liu Bang control over the three commanderies of Ba, Shu, and Hanzhong, making him the King of Hanzhong, with his capital in Nanzheng (present-day Hanzhong, Shaanxi). He also divided the Guanzhong region into three parts, granting Qin's surrendered generals Zhang Han, Sima Xin, and Dong Yi the titles of Yong Wang, Sai Wang, and Di Wang respectively, collectively known as the "Three Qins". This was an attempt to control the Guanzhong region through them and confine Liu Bang to the Hanzhong-Ba-Shu area. At the same time, he also granted titles to other vassal kings: Wei Bao as the King of Western Wei, Shen Yang as the King of Henan, Han Cheng as the King of Han, Sima Ang as the King of Yin, Zhao Xie as the King of Dai, Zhang Er as the King of Changshan, Ying Bu as the King of Jiujiang, Wu Rui as the King of Hengshan, Gong Ao as the King of Linjiang, Han Guang as the King of Liaodong, Zang Tu as the King of Yan, Tian Shi as the King of Jiaodong, Tian Du as the King of Qi, and Tian An as the King of Jibei.

  Liu Bang went to Han Liu Bang was changed to be sealed in Hanzhong, and initially did not want to take the country. He planned to attack Xiang Yu, but Xiao He spoke out and said: "The Han River is above the sky, and Hanzhong has a strategic location, advancing can be attacked, retreating can be defended, Qin used it to have the world." Liu Bang then adopted Xiao He's suggestion, humbly accepted the title of King of Han, recruited talents to plan for the world, and at the same time determined to use Ba (the county seat is Jiangzhou, now north of Chongqing City, on the north bank of Jialing River), Shu (the county seat is Chengdu, now Sichuan Chengdu), and also fixed three Qin, facing east to contend for the world's strategy. In April, Liu Bang went to Hanzhong (the county seat is Nanzheng, now east of Hanzhong City) to take the country, with 30,000 soldiers sent by Xiang Yu following him. Along the way, he burned and destroyed the plank roads he passed through, preventing the sneak attacks of the vassal troops, and also used this to show that he had no intention of going east, in order to numb Xiang Yu. Xiang Yu also demobilized his army at Pengcheng at the same time.

  In the first year of the Han Dynasty (206 BC), in April, the vassals were dismissed and each returned to their respective countries. King Cheng of Han was left behind by Xiang Yu in Pengcheng due to his lack of merit, and was demoted to a marquis. He was killed soon after. In May, Tian Rong, the prime minister of Qi, dissatisfied with Xiang Yu's division of territory, welcomed back the king of Qi, Tian Du, who had gone into exile. Tian Du fled to Chu, where he was killed by Xiang Yu. The original king of Qi and newly appointed king of Jiaodong, Tian Shi, feared Xiang Yu and went to Jiaodong to take up his position. Tian Rong angrily pursued and killed him, then declared himself the king of Qi. He soon attacked and killed the king of Jibei, Tian An. In August, the king of Liaodong, Han Guang (formerly the king of Yan), was unwilling to relocate to Liaodong and was killed by Yan's prime minister, Zang Tu, who incorporated Liaodong into Yan. At the same time, Xiang Yu reappointed Zheng Chang as the king of Han. Also in August, Zhao Tuo, the former magistrate of Longchuan (now Longchuan County in Guangdong Province), declared himself the king of Nanyue and occupied the Lingnan region (now most of Guangdong and Guangxi provinces). In October of the second year of the Han Dynasty (206 BC, the beginning of the Han Dynasty followed the Qin system, with the tenth month as the start of the year), Chen Yu, a general of Zhao, dissatisfied with Xiang Yu's division of territory, joined forces with the king of Qi, Tian Rong, who had already rebelled, and defeated Zhang Er, the king of Changshan. Zhang Er surrendered to Han. Chen Yu welcomed back the former king of Dai, Zhao Xie, as the king of Zhao, and declared himself the king of Dai. He appointed Xia Yue as his prime minister to guard Dai, while he himself stayed behind to assist the king of Zhao. Also in October, Xiang Yu secretly ordered Ying Bu, the king of Jiujiang, to send a general to kill Emperor Yi in Chen County. In August, the Han army also began to attack the three Qins, and from then on, the situation among the vassals in the Central Plains underwent great changes. The regions of Lingnan and Minzhong (now most of Fujian Province and parts of Zhejiang and Jiangxi provinces), which had not yet been divided, were occupied by Zhao Tuo, the king of Nanyue, and Wu Zhen, the magistrate of Minzhong. Among these eighteen vassals, as well as Nanyue and Minzhong, the king of Nanyue was relatively independent and did not participate in the Chu-Han War, remaining neutral. The kings of Hengshan and Linjiang belonged to the Chu camp but never intervened in the war. At the end of the Chu-Han War, the king of Hengshan surrendered to Han. The original king of Minyue and the magistrate of Minzhong, Wu Zhen, had contributed to the destruction of Qin but were not appointed as kings by Xiang Yu. Later, they also led troops in resistance against Chu. All the other vassals in the Central Plains, as well as those that evolved from them, participated directly or indirectly, actively or passively, in the Chu-Han War.

  In May of the first year of the Han Dynasty (206 BC), Tian Rong, a nobleman from the state of Qi who was not enfeoffed by Xiang Yu, rose up in rebellion against Chu in the region of Qi (present-day Shandong province) and drove out Xiang Yu's newly appointed King of Qi, Tian Du. He also killed Jiaodong King Tian Shi and declared himself King of Qi. Soon after, he had Peng Yue kill Jibei King Tian An and unite the three Qis under his rule. He also gave Peng Yue a general's seal and ordered him to rebel in the region of Liang (present-day Shandong province), while at the same time lending troops to Chen Yu to help him defeat Changshan King Zhang Er, who then surrendered to Han. Chen Yu welcomed back Zhao King Zhao Xie as king and declared himself King of Dai, appointing Xia Yue as his chancellor to guard Dai, while he himself assisted the King of Zhao, and the region of Zhao was also turned against Chu. As a result, Xiang Yu dispatched troops to attack Qi. Liu Bang took advantage of Xiang Yu's distraction and the instability of the three Qin kings to "decide on an eastern campaign (towards) and contend for the empire" (Shiji: Gaozu Benji). He ordered Xiao He to collect taxes from Ba and Shu to supply his army, and with Xiao He's strong recommendation, appointed Han Xin as a general, with Cao Can as his vanguard commanding tens of thousands of troops, actively preparing for an eastern campaign. In August, the Han army used Han Xin's plan of "openly repairing the plank road, secretly crossing Chen Cang" to launch a surprise attack on the enemy (the name "Chen Cang" comes from the fact that there was water in front of the old road; it is now located in Fengxian county, Shaanxi province), and arrived at Chen Cang (present-day Baoji, Shaanxi province), attacking Yong State and besieging Zhang Han's army at Yongdu Feiqiu (present-day Xingping county, Shaanxi province). At the same time, they divided their troops to attack and capture Longxi (the capital was Didao, present-day Lintao county, Gansu province), Beidi (the capital was Yiqu, present-day Ningxian county, Gansu province), and Wangyi (the capital was Fushi, present-day Yulin city, Shaanxi province), forcing the surrender of Sai King Sima Xin and Di King Dong Yi, quickly pacifying the three Qin regions and occupying most of the Guanzhong region. Afterwards, he ordered his general Xue Ou to lead troops out of Wuguan (present-day Danfeng county, Shaanxi province) to advance on Chu territory, but they were blocked by the Chu army at Yangxia (present-day Taikang county, Henan province). The war was caused by Xiang Yu's annihilation of over 400,000 Qin troops in the Battle of Julu, after which he considered himself the greatest hero and obtained the position of Supreme Commander of the Allied Armies, commanding all the allied troops. At the same time, Liu Bang led his volunteer army to enter Xianyang first, according to the agreement with King Huai of Chu "whoever enters Guanzhong first will be king", Liu Bang wanted to declare himself king in Guanzhong. Xiang Yu also led over 400,000 allied troops to rush towards Guanzhong. Xiang Yu considered himself a great hero and very powerful, so he took it upon himself to divide the empire and refused to enfeoff Liu Bang as King of Guanzhong, instead demoting him to be king of Hanzhong (the capital was Nanzheng, present-day Hanzhong city, Shaanxi province), which ultimately led to war.

  The historical background of the Qin dynasty's collapse began in 210 BC, when Emperor Qin Shi Huang died at Shaqiu (now Guangzong County, Hebei Province). The eunuch Zhao Gao and others staged a coup, forging an edict to have Crown Prince Fusu and General Meng Tian killed. They then installed Hu Hai, the younger son of Qin Shi Huang, as the Second Emperor.

  The Second Emperor was incompetent and tyrannical, while Zhao Gao dominated the government, imposing heavy taxes and labor burdens on the people. The empire's situation continued to deteriorate, eventually leading to a massive peasant uprising in 209 BC.

  In July 209 BC, Chen Sheng and Wu Guang launched the Dazexiang Uprising, establishing the "Zhang Chu" regime, with Chen Sheng proclaiming himself King of Chu. Many heroes responded to their call, and by September, Xiang Liang and his nephew Xiang Yu had also risen up in revolt.

  In 208 BC, after Chen Sheng's uprising failed, Xiang Liang summoned the leaders of various rebel groups to a meeting at Xucheng (now Tengzhou, Shandong Province). Liu Bang, who had joined forces with Xiang Liang, was present at the meeting. At this time, several kingdoms, including Yan, Zhao, Qi, and Wei, had already declared independence.

  Xiang Liang adopted the suggestion of Fan Zeng to install a descendant of the former Chu royal family, Xiong Xin, as king, still using the title "King Huai of Chu". The capital was established at Xiayi (now Xuyi County, Jiangsu Province).

  In August 208 BC, the Qin general Zhang Han defeated and killed the rebel leaders Wei Jia and Tian Dan. He then turned his attention to attacking the rebel forces in the north.

  In October 208 BC, King Huai of Chu moved his capital to Pengcheng (now Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province) and appointed Liu Bang as the governor of Suiyang County, enfeoffing him as Marquis of Wu'an. He also appointed Xiang Yu as the Duke of Lu and ordered him to lead an army north to rescue Zhao.

  Liu Bang was sent to attack Guanzhong (the area west of Hangu Pass), with the agreement that whoever entered Guanzhong first would be made king.

  The situation developed after the initial victory Main article: Feast at Hongmen In October of the first year of Han (207 BC, the beginning of the Han dynasty), Liu Bang arrived in Xianyang (now Xi'an City, Shaanxi Province) and accepted the surrender of Qin King Ziying, marking the end of the Qin dynasty. According to the agreement between the leader of the anti-Qin coalition, Chu Huaiwang, and the "first to enter Guanzhong will be king", Liu Bang should have been declared King of Guanzhong. However, he heard that Xiang Yu wanted to establish Zhang Han as King of Yong in Guanzhong, so he sent troops to guard Hangu Pass (now north of Lingbao City, Henan Province) to prevent other lords from entering the pass. At the same time, he announced the abolition of the harsh policies of the Qin dynasty and made an agreement with the people of Guanzhong, "Three Chapters of Law": "Those who kill will be killed, those who injure or steal will be punished" (Shiji: Gaozu Benji). Xiang Yu had destroyed the main force of the Qin army, ensuring the inevitable trend of the fall of the Qin dynasty. He believed that he had made the greatest contribution to the victory. However, just as victory was within reach, Liu Bang seized the opportunity to enter Guanzhong first and took the fruits of victory, naturally arousing Xiang Yu's anger. Therefore, he led an army of over 400,000 soldiers into Guanzhong. In December of the first year of Han (207 BC), Xiang Yu ordered Ying Bu to attack Hangu Pass, advance to Hongmen in Newfeng (now Lintong District, Shaanxi Province), and intended to eliminate Liu Bang's army. Liu Bang's army was less than 100,000 strong, and he knew that he could not defeat the enemy, so he retreated to Xianyang and tried his best to win over Xiang Yu's uncle, Xiang Bo, to mediate, and personally went to Hongmen to apologize and show his sincerity. Xiang Yu's determination wavered, and he let Liu Bang go. A few days later, Xiang Yu led his army westward into Chang'an, killed the surrendered Qin king Ziying, and burned down the palace, with the fire burning for three months without being extinguished. At that time, Han Xin advised Xiang Yu: "Guanzhong is a place of strategic importance, surrounded by mountains and rivers on all sides, with fertile land, it can be used as the capital." However, Xiang Yu said: "Wealth and honor do not return to one's hometown, like wearing brocade at night, who knows about it?" (Shiji: Xiangyu Benji), and then he boiled and killed the advisor, giving up the good opportunity to establish his capital in Guanzhong.

  In the second month of the first year of Han (206 BC), Xiang Yu divided the land and granted titles to 18 vassal kings, restoring feudalism and dividing the land. He also established himself as the Hegemon-King of Western Chu, governing the nine commanderies of Liang, Chu, and the lower reaches of the Yellow and Yangtze rivers, with his capital in Pengcheng (now Xuzhou, Jiangsu). Xiang Yu suspected that Liu Bang had ambitions for the empire, and he was also afraid of being betrayed by the vassal kings. He said, "The lands of Ba and Shu are also part of the Guanzhong region." (Shiji: Xiang Yu Benji) Therefore, he granted Liu Bang the three commanderies of Ba, Shu, and Hanzhong, making him the King of Hanzhong, with his capital in Nanzheng (now Hanzhong, Shaanxi). He also divided the Guanzhong region into three parts, granting Qin's surrendered generals Zhang Han, Sima Xin, and Dong Yi the titles of Yong Wang, Sai Wang, and Di Wang respectively, collectively known as the "Three Qins". This was an attempt to control the Guanzhong region through them and confine Liu Bang to the Hanzhong-Ba-Shu region. At the same time, he also granted titles to other vassal kings: Wei Bao as the King of Western Wei, Shen Yang as the King of Henan, Han Cheng as the King of Han, Sima Ang as the King of Yin, Zhao Xie as the King of Dai, Zhang Er as the King of Changshan, Ying Bu as the King of Jiujiang, Wu Rui as the King of Hengshan, Gong Ao as the King of Linjiang, Han Guang as the King of Liaodong, Zang Tu as the King of Yan, Tian Shi as the King of Jiaodong, Tian Du as the King of Qi, and Tian An as the King of Jibei.

  Liu Bang went to Han Liu Bang was changed to be sealed in Hanzhong, and at first he did not want to take the country. He planned to attack Xiang Yu, and Xiao He spoke out: "The Han River is above the sky, and Hanzhong has a strategic location, advancing can be attacked, retreating can be defended, Qin used it to have the world." Liu Bang then adopted Xiao He's suggestion, humbly accepted the title of King of Han, recruited talents to plan for the world, and at the same time determined to use Ba (the county seat is Jiangzhou, now north of Chongqing City, on the north bank of Jialing River), Shu (the county seat is Chengdu, now Sichuan Chengdu), and also fixed three Qin, facing east to contend for the world's strategy. In April, Liu Bang went to Hanzhong (the county seat is Nanzheng, now east of Hanzhong City) to take the country, with 30,000 soldiers sent by Xiang Yu following him. Along the way, he burned and destroyed the plank roads he passed through, preventing the sneak attacks of the vassal troops, and also used this to show that he had no intention of going east, in order to numb Xiang Yu. Xiang Yu also returned to Pengcheng at the same time.

  In the first year of the Han Dynasty (206 BC), in April, the vassals were dismissed and each returned to their respective countries. King Cheng of Han was left behind by Xiang Yu in Pengcheng due to his lack of merit, and was demoted to a marquis. He was soon killed. In May, Tian Rong, the prime minister of Qi, dissatisfied with Xiang Yu's division of territory, welcomed back the king of Qi, Tian Du, who had gone into exile. Tian Du fled to Chu, where he was killed by Xiang Yu. The original king of Qi and newly appointed king of Jiaodong, Tian Shi, feared Xiang Yu and went to Jiaodong to take up his position. Tian Rong angrily pursued and killed him, then declared himself the king of Qi. He soon attacked and killed the king of Jibei, Tian An. In August, the king of Liaodong, Han Guang (formerly the king of Yan), was unwilling to relocate to Liaodong and was killed by Yan's prime minister, Zang Tu, who incorporated Liaodong into Yan. At the same time, Xiang Yu reappointed Zheng Chang as the king of Han. In the same month, Zhao Tuo, the former magistrate of Longchuan (now in Guangdong Province), declared himself the king of Nanyue and occupied the region of Lingnan (now most of Guangdong and Guangxi). In the second year of the Han Dynasty (206 BC), in October, Chen Yu, a general of Zhao, dissatisfied with Xiang Yu's division of territory, joined forces with Tian Rong, who had already rebelled against Qi, and defeated Zhang Er, the king of Changshan. Zhang Er surrendered to Han. Chen Yu welcomed back the former king of Dai, Zhao Xie, as the new king of Zhao, and declared himself the king of Dai. He appointed Xia Yue as his prime minister to guard Dai, while he himself stayed behind to assist the king of Zhao. In the same month, Xiang Yu secretly ordered Ying Bu, the king of Jiujiang, to send a general to kill Emperor Yi in Chen County. Meanwhile, in August, the Han army began to attack the three Qins, and from then on, the situation among the vassals in the Central Plains underwent great changes. The regions of Lingnan and Minzhong (now most of Fujian and parts of Zhejiang and Jiangxi), which had not yet been divided, were occupied by Zhao Tuo, the king of Nanyue, and Wu Zhuo, the magistrate of Minzhong. Among these eighteen vassals, as well as Nanyue and Minzhong, only the king of Nanyue maintained his independence, did not participate in the Chu-Han War, and remained neutral. The kings of Hengshan and Linjiang belonged to the Chu camp but never intervened in the war. At the end of the Chu-Han War, the king of Hengshan surrendered to Han. The original king of Minyue and the magistrate of Minzhong, Wu Zhuo, had contributed to the destruction of Qin but were not appointed as kings by Xiang Yu. Later, they led their armies in resistance against Chu. All the other vassals in the Central Plains, as well as those that evolved from them, directly or indirectly, actively or passively participated in the Chu-Han War.

  Here is the translation:

  In May of Han's first year (206 BC), Qi noble Tian Rong, who was not enfeoffed by Xiang Yu, rebelled against Chu in Qi territory (present-day Shandong province) and drove out Xiang Yu's newly appointed Qi King Tian Du. He killed Jiaodong King Tian Shi and declared himself the King of Qi. Soon after, he had Peng Yue kill Jibei King Tian An and unify the three Qis under his rule. He also gave Peng Yue a general's seal and ordered him to rebel in Liang territory while borrowing troops from Chen Yu to help defeat Changshan King Zhang Er, who then surrendered to Han. Chen Yu welcomed Zhao King Zhao Xie back as the King of Zhao and declared himself the King of Dai, appointing Xia Shuo as his chancellor to guard Dai while he assisted the King of Zhao. The land of Zhao was also turned against Chu.

  Xiang Yu then sent troops to attack Qi. Liu Bang took advantage of Xiang Yu's distraction and the instability of the three Qin kings to "decide on a strategy to turn eastward and contend for the empire" (Shiji, Gaozu Benji). He ordered Xiao He to collect taxes from Ba and Shu to supply his troops and, with Xiao He's strong recommendation, appointed Han Xin as a general. With Cao Can as his vanguard, he led tens of thousands of soldiers in an active deployment eastward.

  In August, the Han army used Han Xin's plan of "openly repairing the plank road while secretly crossing Chen Cang" to sneak out of their usual route (the river was named after this route, and it is now located in Shaanxi province). They reached Chen Cang (present-day Baoji, Shaanxi) and launched a surprise attack on Yong State, surrounding Zhang Han's army at the abandoned hill of Yongdu.

  In August of Han's second year (205 BC), Wei King Piao rebelled against Han and surrendered to Chu, threatening the Han army's flank. Liu Bang first sent Lü Sheng to persuade him, but when that failed, he ordered Han Xin to lead troops in an attack. In September, Han Xin launched a surprise attack on Anyi (present-day Xia county, Shanxi), capturing Wei Piao alive and destroying the state of Wei.

  The main article is: Battle of Jingxing, Back to the Water War, Han Xin's conquest of Dai, Zhao, Yan and Qi. After the Battle of An Yi, Liu Bang adopted Han Xin's suggestion "to raise the banner in the north, attack Qi in the east, cut off the grain road from Chu in the south, and meet with the Great King at Jingxing" (Hanshu Korean Xinzhuan), and gave Han Xin an additional 30,000 troops to open up the northern battlefield, eliminating the wings of Chu and achieving a strategic encirclement of Chu. In the same year, in the ninth month of the intercalary period, Han Xin first conquered the Dai State, capturing the Prime Minister Xia Shuo, and the Dai State perished. In October of the third year of the Han Dynasty (205 BCE, the beginning of the Han Dynasty followed the Qin system, with the tenth month as the start of the year), Han Xin and Zhang Er led the Han army across the Taihang Mountains and fought against the Zhao State, a wing of Chu, at Jingxingkou (now southeast of Jingxing, Hebei). Han Xin reversed the usual practice, setting up an array with his back to the water, and defeated 200,000 Zhao troops, killing the main commander of the Zhao army, Chen Yu, and capturing the King of Zhao, Xie. With one move, he destroyed the Zhao State. Then, adopting the suggestion of Li Zu Che, a surrendered general of the Zhao State, he took advantage of the situation to force the surrender of Yan Wang Zang Tu without a fight, pacifying the Yan State.

  The Battle of Wei Water Main article: Battle of Wei Water In the eleventh month of 204 BC, Han Xin again defeated the combined forces of Chu and Qi at the banks of the Wei River (now Weihui, Shandong), pacifying the state of Qi. By this time, Han Xin had advanced over 2,000 li to the east, forming a strategic encirclement of the Chu army from both the eastern and northern sides, directly threatening the rear of the Chu forces.

  After the defeat of Han at Pengcheng in April 205 BC, Peng Yue retreated westward and abandoned all the cities he had captured. He led his army north to guard the Yellow River. In 204 BC, Peng frequently launched surprise attacks on the Chu army, disrupting their supply lines in Liang territory. In winter 203 BC, while the Han and Chu armies were locked in a stalemate at Xingyang, Peng Yue attacked and seized seventeen cities including Yingyang and Waihuang. When Xiang Yu learned of this, he sent Cao Jiu to guard Chenggao and personally led an army east to retake the cities captured by Peng Yue, restoring them to Chu control. Peng Yue then led his army north to Guicheng. In autumn 202 BC, when the Chu army retreated south to Xiayang, Peng Yue attacked and seized more than twenty cities including Changyi, capturing over a million hu of grain for the Han king's army.

  The war was caused by Xiang Yu's annihilation of the main force of 400,000 Qin troops in the Battle of Julu, and he became the supreme commander of the allied forces. At the same time, Liu Bang led his army into Xianyang first, according to the agreement "whoever enters Guanzhong first will be king", Liu Bang wanted to become king of Guanzhong. Xiang Yu also led his army of 400,000 troops to Guanzhong. Xiang Yu thought he was the most meritorious and powerful, so he divided the world by himself and refused to make Liu Bang the king of Guanzhong, instead making him the king of Hanzhong (now Hanzhong, Shaanxi). This led to war.

  The historical background of the Qin dynasty's collapse began in 210 BC, when Emperor Qin Shi Huang died at Shaqiu (now Hebei Province). The eunuch Zhao Gao and others staged a coup, forging an edict to have the emperor's eldest son Fusu and general Meng Tian killed. They then installed the younger son Hu Hai as the Second Emperor of Qin.

  However, Hu Hai proved to be incompetent and tyrannical, while Zhao Gao abused his power and increased taxes and labor burdens on the people. The empire became increasingly unstable, leading to widespread discontent among the population.

  In 209 BC, Chen Sheng and Wu Guang launched a peasant uprising in Dazexiang (now Anhui Province), establishing the "Zhang Chu" regime. Chen Sheng declared himself King of Chu, and many other rebel groups responded to his call.

  In September of that year, Xiang Liang and Xiang Yu, descendants of the former state of Chu, launched an uprising in Kuaiji (now Jiangsu Province). They were joined by Liu Bang, who had risen up in Pei County (now Jiangsu Province) and was known as the "Duke of Pei".

  After Chen Sheng's rebellion failed, Xiang Liang summoned a meeting of rebel leaders in Xue County (now Shandong Province), where they decided to support the restoration of the former state of Chu. They installed Xiong Xin, a descendant of the royal family of Chu, as king.

  In August 208 BC, the Qin general Zhang Han defeated and killed the rebel leader Wei Jia and then turned his attention to the rebels in the north. He besieged the city of Julu (now Hebei Province), where the Zhao king Xie was trapped.

  The following month, the Chu king Xiong Xin appointed Liu Bang as governor of Suiyang (now Jiangsu Province) and granted him the title of "Marquis of Wu'an". He also appointed Xiang Yu as a general and ordered him to lead an army north to rescue the Zhao king.

  Liu Bang was tasked with attacking the Qin heartland, while Xiang Yu led his army against the Qin forces in Julu. The Chu king promised that whoever entered the Qin capital first would be granted the throne.

  In October 208 BC, Song Yi's army arrived at Anyang (now Henan Province) but failed to advance further. Xiang Yu killed Song Yi and took command of the army, leading them north against the Qin forces.

  The battle was fierce, with both sides suffering heavy losses. However, Xiang Yu emerged victorious, defeating the Qin general Wang Li's army of over 200,000 soldiers. The victory at Julu marked a turning point in the war, as the Qin dynasty began to collapse.

  In June 207 BC, Zhang Han surrendered his remaining forces to Xiang Yu, marking the end of the Qin dynasty's resistance. However, Xiang Yu's actions were not without controversy, as he had killed many of the Qin soldiers who had surrendered to him.

  The following month, Liu Bang entered the Qin capital and accepted the surrender of the last Qin emperor, Ziying. The Qin dynasty came to an end, and a new era began in Chinese history.

  The situation developed after the initial victory Main article: Feast at Hongmen In October of the first year of Han (207 BC, the beginning of the Han dynasty), Liu Bang arrived in Xianyang (now Xi'an City, Shaanxi Province) and accepted the surrender of Qin King Ziying, marking the end of the Qin Dynasty. According to the agreement between the leader of the anti-Qin coalition, Chu Huaiwang, and the "first to enter Guanzhong will be king", Liu Bang should have been declared King of Guanzhong. However, he heard that Xiang Yu wanted to establish Zhang Han as King of Yong in Guanzhong, so he sent troops to guard Hangu Pass (now north of Beikou Village, Lingbao City, Henan Province) to prevent other vassals from entering Guanzhong. At the same time, he announced the abolition of the harsh policies of the Qin Dynasty and made an agreement with the people of Guanzhong, "Three Articles of Law": "Those who kill will be executed, those who injure or steal will be punished" (Shiji: Gaozu Benji). Xiang Yu destroyed the main force of the Qin army, determining the inevitable trend of the fall of the Qin Dynasty. He believed that he had made the greatest contribution to the victory. However, just as victory was within reach, Liu Bang seized the opportunity to enter Guanzhong first and took the fruits of victory, naturally arousing Xiang Yu's anger. Therefore, he led an army of over 400,000 vassals into Guanzhong. In December of the first year of Han (207 BC), Xiang Yu ordered Ying Bu to attack Hangu Pass, advance to Hongmen in Xinfeng (now Lintong District, Shaanxi Province), and intended to eliminate Liu Bang's army. Liu Bang's army was less than 100,000 strong, and he knew that he could not defeat the enemy, so he retreated to Xianyang and tried his best to win over Xiang Yu's uncle, Xiang Bo, to mediate, and personally went to Hongmen to apologize and show his sincerity. Xiang Yu's determination wavered, and he let Liu Bang go. A few days later, Xiang Yu led his army westward into Chang'an, killed the surrendered Qin King Ziying, burned down the palace, and the fire raged for three months without being extinguished. At that time, Han Xin advised Xiang Yu: "Guanzhong is a place with mountains and rivers on all sides, rich and fertile land, it can be used as the capital." However, Xiang Yu said: "Wealth and honor do not return to one's hometown, like wearing embroidered clothes at night, who knows?" (Shiji: Xiangyu Benji), so he boiled and killed the advisor and gave up the good opportunity to establish his capital in Guanzhong.

  In the second month of the first year of Han (206 BC), Xiang Yu divided the land and enfeoffed 18 vassal kings, restoring feudalism and establishing himself as the Hegemon-King of Western Chu. He controlled nine commanderies along the Yellow River and the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, with his capital in Pengcheng (present-day Xuzhou, Jiangsu). Xiang Yu suspected that Liu Bang had ambitions for the empire, and he was also afraid of betraying the agreement, fearing that the vassal kings would rebel against him. He said, "Ba and Shu are also territories within the Pass." (Shiji: Xiang Yu Benji) Therefore, he enfeoffed Liu Bang as the King of Hanzhong, with control over the three commanderies of Ba, Shu, and Hanzhong, and his capital in Nanzheng (present-day Hanzhong, Shaanxi). He also divided the Guanzhong region into three parts, enfeoffing Qin's surrendered generals Zhang Han, Sima Xin, and Dong Yi as the Kings of Yong, Sai, and Di, respectively. They were collectively known as the "Three Qins." Xiang Yu attempted to control Guanzhong through them, trapping Liu Bang in the Hanzhong-Ba-Shu region. At the same time, he also enfeoffed Wei Bao as the King of Western Wei, Shen Yang as the King of Henan, Han Cheng as the King of Han, Sima Ang as the King of Yin, Zhao Ye as the King of Dai, Zhang Er as the King of Changshan, Ying Bu as the King of Jiujiang, Wu Rui as the King of Hengshan, Gong Ao as the King of Linjiang, Han Guang as the King of Liaodong, Zang Tu as the King of Yan, Tian Shi as the King of Jiaodong, Tian Du as the King of Qi, and Tian An as the King of Jibei.

  Liu Bang went to Han Liu Bang was changed to be sealed in Hanzhong, and initially did not want to accept the country. He planned to attack Xiang Yu, but Xiao He spoke out and said: "The Han River is above the sky, and Hanzhong has a strategic location, advancing can be attacked, retreating can be defended, Qin used it to have the world." Liu Bang then adopted Xiao He's suggestion, humbly accepted the title of King of Han, recruited talents to plan for the world, and at the same time determined to use Ba (prefectural capital Jiangzhou, now Chongqing City North Jialing River North Bank), Shu (prefectural capital Chengdu, now Sichuan Chengdu), and also to conquer the three Qins, facing east to contend for the world's strategy. In April, Liu Bang went to Hanzhong (prefectural capital Nanzheng, now Hanzhong City East) to accept the country, with 30,000 soldiers sent by Xiang Yu following him. Along the way, he burned and destroyed the stack of wooden boards.

  Xiang Yu's division of fiefs In February of the first year of Han (206 BCE), Xiang Yu pretended to respect Chu Huai Wang as Emperor Yi, forcing him to move his capital to Chen County (now Hunan Chenzhou), but in reality did not use his orders. In April, Xiang Yu relied on his great merit in destroying Qin and his overwhelming military advantage, dividing the land into 18 fiefs, restoring the feudal system of division, and self-proclaimed himself as the Western Chu Hegemon King, governing over the Yellow River and the lower reaches of the Yangtze River's nine prefectures, with his capital at Pengcheng (now Jiangsu Xuzhou). Xiang Yu suspected that Liu Bang had ambitions for the world, which had already been explained, and also hated betraying agreements, fearing that the vassals would rebel against him. He said "Ba and Shu are also within the Pass" (_Records of the Grand Historian - Xiang Yu's Basic Annals_), so he sealed Liu Bang in Ba, Shu, and Hanzhong's three prefectures, as the King of Hanzhong, with his capital at Nanzheng (now Shaanxi Hanzhong). He also divided the Guanzhong region into three parts, sealing Qin's surrendered generals Zhang Han, Sima Xin, and Dong Yi respectively as the Kings of Yong, Sai, and Di, collectively known as the "Three Qins", attempting to control Guanzhong through them, trapping Liu Bang in the Hanzhong-Ba-Shu area. Additionally, he simultaneously divided fiefs for Wei Bao, King of West Wei; Shen Yang, King of Henan; Han Cheng, King of Han; Zima Ang, King of Yin; Zhao Xie, King of Dai; Zhang Er, King of Changshan; Jibu, King of Jiujiang; Wu Rui, King of Hengshan; Gong Ao, King of Linjiang; Han Guang, King of Liaodong; Zang Ju, King of Yan; Tian Shi, King of Jiaodong; Tian Du, King of Qi; and Tian An, King of Jibei.

  Liu Bang went to Han Liu Bang was changed to be sealed in Hanzhong, and initially did not want to take the country. He planned to attack Xiang Yu, and Xiao He spoke out: "The Han River is above the sky, and Hanzhong has a strategic location, advancing can be attacked, retreating can be defended, Qin used it to have the world." Liu Bang then adopted Xiao He's suggestion, humbly accepted the title of King of Han, recruited talents to plan for the world, and at the same time determined to use Ba (the county seat is Jiangzhou, now Chongqing City North Jialing River North Bank), Shu (the county seat is Chengdu, now Sichuan Chengdu), and also fixed three Qin, facing east to contend for the world's strategy. In April, Liu Bang went to Hanzhong (the county seat is Nanzheng, now Hanzhong City East) to take the country, with 30,000 soldiers sent by Xiang Yu following him. Along the way, he burned and destroyed the plank roads he passed through, preventing the sneak attacks of the vassal armies, and also used this to show that he had no intention of going east, in order to numb Xiang Yu. Xiang Yu also demobilized his troops at Pengcheng at the same time.

  In the first year of the Han Dynasty (206 BC), in April, the vassals were dismissed and each returned to their respective countries. The King of Han, Xiang Yu, left the King of Korea, Cheng, in Pengcheng, demoted him to a marquis, and soon killed him. In May, the Prime Minister of Qi, Tian Rong, dissatisfied with Xiang Yu's division of territory, welcomed back the King of Qi, Tian Du, who had returned to his country, but Tian Du fled to Chu, where he was killed by Xiang Yu. The original King of Qi and newly appointed King of Jiaodong, Tian Shi, feared Xiang Yu and went to Jiaodong to take up his position, but Tian Rong angrily pursued and killed him, then declared himself the King of Qi, and soon attacked and killed the King of Jibei, Tian An. In August, the King of Liaodong, Han Guang (formerly the King of Yan), was unwilling to move to Liaodong and was killed by the King of Yan, Zang Tu, who incorporated Liaodong into the territory of Yan; at the same time, Xiang Yu reappointed Zheng Chang as the King of Korea. In the same month, Zhao Tuo, the former magistrate of Longchuan (now in Guangdong Province), declared himself the King of Nanyue and occupied the Lingnan region (now most of Guangdong and Guangxi provinces). In the second year of the Han Dynasty (206 BC, the beginning of the Han Dynasty followed the Qin system, with October as the first month), in October, Chen Yu, a general of Zhao, dissatisfied with Xiang Yu's division of territory, joined forces with the King of Qi, Tian Rong, who had already rebelled, and defeated Zhang Er, the King of Changshan, who then surrendered to Han. Chen Yu welcomed back the former King of Dai, Zhao Xie, as the King of Zhao, declared himself the King of Dai, appointed Xia Yue as his prime minister to guard Dai, and stayed behind to assist the King of Zhao. In the same month, Xiang Yu secretly ordered Ying Bu, the King of Nine Rivers, to send a general to kill Emperor Yi in Chen County. Meanwhile, in August, the Han army also began to attack the three Qins, marking a significant change in the situation among the vassals in the Central Plains. The regions of Lingnan and Minzhong (now most of Fujian Province and parts of Zhejiang and Jiangxi provinces), which had not yet been divided, were occupied by Zhao Tuo, the King of Nanyue, and Wu Zhen, the magistrate of Minzhong. Among these eighteen vassals, as well as Nanyue and Minzhong, the King of Nanyue was relatively independent, did not participate in the Chu-Han War, and maintained a neutral stance. The Kings of Hengshan and Linjiang belonged to the Chu camp but never intervened in the war; at the end of the Chu-Han War, the King of Hengshan surrendered to Han. The original King of Minyue and the magistrate of Minzhong, Wu Zhen, had contributed to the destruction of Qin but were not appointed kings by Xiang Yu; later, they also led troops in resistance against Chu. All the other vassals in the Central Plains, as well as those that evolved from them, directly or indirectly, actively or passively participated in the Chu-Han War.

  Here is the translation:

  In May of Han's first year (206 BC), Qi noble Tian Rong, who was not enfeoffed by Xiang Yu, rebelled against Chu in the Qi region (now most of Shandong Province). He drove out Xiang Yu's newly appointed Qi King Tian Du, killed Jiaodong King Tian Shi, and declared himself Qi King. Soon after, he had Peng Yue kill Jibei King Tian An and unify the three Qis under his rule. He also gave Peng Yue a general's seal and ordered him to rebel in Liang territory while lending troops to Chen Yu to help defeat Changshan King Zhang Er, who then surrendered to Han. Chen Yu welcomed Zhao King Zhao Xie back as king of Zhao and declared himself king of Dai, appointing Xia Shuo as his chancellor to guard Dai while he assisted the king of Zhao. The region of Zhao was also won over.

  Xiang Yu then sent troops to attack Qi. Liu Bang took advantage of Xiang Yu's distraction and the instability of the three Qin kings to "decide on a strategy to head east and contend for the empire" (Shiji, Gaozu Benji). He ordered Xiao He to collect taxes from Ba and Shu to supply the army and, with Xiao He's strong recommendation, appointed Han Xin as general. With Cao Can as vanguard, he led tens of thousands of troops in an active deployment eastward.

  In August, the Han army used Han Xin's plan of "openly repairing the plank road while secretly crossing at Chen Cang" to sneak out of the old path (named for its location near a river, now in Shaanxi Province) and launch a surprise attack on Yong Prefecture. They advanced to besiege Zhang Han's army at the abandoned hill of Yongdu.

  In August of Han's second year (205 BC), Wei King Bao, stationed in He Dong (now Shanxi Province), rebelled against Han and surrendered to Chu, threatening the flank of the Han army. Liu Bang first sent Lü Sheng to persuade him, but when that failed, he ordered Han Xin to lead troops to attack. In September, Han Xin launched a surprise attack on Anyi, capturing Wei Bao alive and destroying the state of Wei.

  The main article is: Battle of Jieqiao, Backwater War, Han Xin's conquest of Dai, Zhao, Yan and Qi. After the Battle of Ancheng, Liu Bang adopted Han Xin's suggestion to "go north to Yan and Zhao, east to attack Qi, south to cut off Chu's grain road, and west to meet with the Great King at Jieqiao" (Hanshu: Biography of Han Xin), and gave Han Xin an additional 30,000 troops to open up the northern battlefield, in order to eliminate Chu's wings and achieve a strategic encirclement of Chu. In the same year, in the ninth month of the intercalary period, Han Xin first conquered the State of Dai, capturing the Prime Minister Xia Yue, and Dai was destroyed. In the third year of the Han Dynasty (205 BCE, at the beginning of the Han Dynasty, October was the start of the year), in October, Han Xin and Zhang Er led the Han army across the Taihang Mountains, and fought against the State of Zhao, a wing of Chu, at Jieqiao Pass (now southeast of Jiexiu, Hebei). Han Xin went against convention, setting up his formation with his back to the water, and defeated 200,000 troops of Zhao, killing the commander-in-chief Chen Yu, and capturing King Xie of Zhao. With one move, he destroyed the State of Zhao. Then, adopting the suggestion of Li Zuiche, a surrendered general of Zhao, he took advantage of the momentum to force the surrender of Yan Wang Zangtu without a fight, and pacified the State of Yan.

  The main article is: Battle of Wei River In the eleventh month of the fourth year of the Han Dynasty (204 BC, the beginning of the Han Dynasty followed the Qin system, with October as the first month), Xiang Yu again defeated the combined forces of Chu and Qi at the banks of the Wei River (now Weihui, Shandong) and pacified the state of Qi. From this point on, Xiang Yu advanced over 2,000 li to the east, forming a strategic encirclement of the Chu army from both the eastern and northern sides, directly threatening the rear of the Chu forces.

  After the defeat of Han at Pengcheng in April 205 BC, Peng Yue retreated westward and abandoned all the cities he had captured. He led his troops north to guard the banks of the Yellow River. In 204 BC, Peng frequently moved back and forth between Han and Chu, attacking the Chu army and cutting off their supply lines in Liang territory. In winter 203 BC, while the Chu and Han armies were locked in a stalemate at Xingyang, Peng Yue attacked and captured seventeen cities including Yingyang and Waihuang. When Xiang Yu learned of this, he sent Cao Jiu to guard Chenggao and personally led an army east to retake the cities that Peng had captured, restoring them to Chu control. Peng then led his troops north to Guicheng. In autumn 202 BC, when the Chu army retreated south to Xiayang, Peng Yue attacked and captured more than twenty cities including Changyi, seizing over a million hu of grain for Liu Bang's military supplies.

  The war was caused by Xiang Yu's annihilation of the main force of 400,000 Qin troops in the Battle of Julu, and he became the supreme commander of the allied forces. At the same time, Liu Bang led his army into Xianyang first, according to the agreement "whoever enters Guanzhong first will be king", Liu Bang wanted to become king of Guanzhong. Xiang Yu also led his army of 400,000 troops to Guanzhong. Xiang Yu thought he was the most meritorious and powerful, so he divided the world by himself and refused to make Liu Bang the king of Guanzhong, instead making him the king of Hanzhong (now in Shaanxi province), which eventually led to war.

  The historical background of the Qin dynasty's collapse began in 210 BC, when Emperor Qin Shi Huang died at Shaqiu (now Hebei Province). The eunuch Zhao Gao and others staged a coup, forging an edict to have Crown Prince Fusu and General Meng Tian killed. They then installed Hu Hai, the younger son of Qin Shi Huang, as the Second Emperor.

  The Second Emperor was incompetent and tyrannical, while Zhao Gao dominated the government, imposing heavy taxes and labor on the people. The empire's situation continued to deteriorate, leading to widespread discontent among the population.

  In 209 BC, Chen Sheng and Wu Guang launched a peasant uprising in Daze Township, establishing the "Zhang Chu" regime. Chen Sheng declared himself King of Chu, and many other rebel groups responded to his call.

  In September of that year, Xiang Liang and Xiang Yu, nephews of the former king of Chu, launched an uprising in Kuaiji (now Zhejiang Province). They were joined by Liu Bang, who had risen up in Pei County (now Jiangsu Province) and was known as the "Duke of Pei".

  After Chen Sheng's rebellion failed, Xiang Liang summoned a meeting of rebel leaders at Xuecheng (now Shandong Province) in February 208 BC. Liu Bang joined forces with Xiang Liang, who then adopted the suggestion of Fan Zeng to install Xiong Xin, a descendant of the former king of Chu, as the new King of Chu.

  In August, the Qin general Zhang Han defeated and killed the rebel leaders Wei Jia and Tian Dan, and then turned his attention to attacking the rebel groups in the north. He besieged the Zhao king at Julu (now Hebei Province), who sought help from other rebel groups.

  In October 208 BC, King Xiong Xin moved his capital to Pengcheng (now Jiangsu Province) and appointed Liu Bang as the governor of Dang County, enfeoffing him as the Marquis of Wu'an. He also appointed Xiang Yu as the Marquis of Lu, with the title "Rongruo General". Later, he appointed Song Yi as the Supreme Commander, with the title "Guanzi Crown General", and Xiang Yu as his deputy.

  King Xiong Xin ordered Liu Bang to attack Guanzhong (the area west of Hangu Pass), dividing the rebel forces into two routes to attack Qin. He also promised that whoever entered Guanzhong first would be made king.

  In 208 BC, Song Yi's army stopped at Anyang (now Henan Province) for 46 days without advancing. Xiang Yu killed Song Yi and took command of his army, leading over 50,000 soldiers to continue the campaign against Qin.

  At that time, the rebel groups in Chu and Qi had been defeated, and the Zhao kingdom was on the brink of collapse. The situation was extremely critical, with the outcome hanging in the balance.

  In December, Xiang Yu led a daring charge at Julu, defeating the Qin general Wang Li's army of over 200,000 soldiers. Xiang Yu became famous throughout the land, and was appointed as the Supreme Commander of the rebel forces.

  The following year, in June 207 BC, Zhang Han surrendered with his remaining troops. The Battle of Julu marked a decisive victory for the rebels, creating favorable conditions for Liu Bang's army to enter Guanzhong.

  In August, Zhao Gao killed the Second Emperor and installed Ziying as the new king of Qin. In November, Xiang Yu massacred 20,000 surrendered Qin soldiers at Xin'an (now Henan Province), shocking the world.

  At the same time, in October, Liu Bang took advantage of the situation to attack Guanzhong, entering Xianyang and accepting the surrender of King Ziying. The Qin dynasty came to an end.

  The situation developed after the initial victory Main article: Feast at Hongmen In October of the first year of Han (207 BC, the beginning of the Han dynasty), Liu Bang arrived in Bashang (now southeast of Xi'an City, Shaanxi Province) and accepted the surrender of Qin King Ziying, marking the end of the Qin Dynasty. According to the agreement between the leader of the anti-Qin coalition, Chu Huaiwang, and the "first to enter Guanzhong will be king", Liu Bang should have been declared King of Guanzhong. However, he heard that Xiang Yu wanted to establish Zhang Han as King of Yong in Guanzhong, so he sent troops to guard Hangu Pass (now northeast of Lingbao City, Henan Province) to prevent other vassals from entering Guanzhong. At the same time, he announced the abolition of the harsh policies of the Qin Dynasty and made a covenant with the people of Guanzhong: "Those who kill will be killed, those who injure others or steal will be punished" (Shiji Gaozu Benji). Xiang Yu destroyed the main force of the Qin army, ensuring the inevitable trend of the fall of the Qin Dynasty. He believed that he had made the greatest contribution to the victory. However, just as victory was within reach, Liu Bang seized the opportunity to enter Guanzhong first and took the fruits of victory, naturally arousing Xiang Yu's anger. Therefore, he led an army of over 400,000 vassals into Guanzhong. In December of the first year of Han (207 BC), Xiang Yu ordered Ying Bu to attack Hangu Pass, advance to Hongmen in Xinfeng (now east of Lintong District, Shaanxi Province), and intended to eliminate Liu Bang's army. Liu Bang's army was less than 100,000 strong, and he knew that he could not defeat the enemy, so he retreated to Bashang and tried his best to win over Xiang Yu's uncle, Xiang Bo, to mediate, and personally went to Hongmen to apologize and show his sincerity, indicating his submission. Xiang Yu's determination wavered, and he let Liu Bang go. A few days later, Xiang Yu led his army westward into Xianyang, killed the surrendered Qin king Ziying, and burned down the palace, with the fire raging for three months. At that time, Han Xin advised Xiang Yu: "Guanzhong is a place of strategic importance, surrounded by mountains and rivers on all sides, with fertile land and abundant resources, it can be made into a capital." However, Xiang Yu said: "Wealth and honor do not return to one's hometown, like wearing embroidered clothes at night, who knows about it?" (Shiji Xiangyu Benji), so he boiled and killed the advisor, giving up the excellent choice of building his capital in Guanzhong.

  In the second month of the first year of Han (206 BC), Xiang Yu divided the land and granted titles to 18 vassal kings, restoring feudalism and dividing the land. He also established himself as the Hegemon-King of Western Chu, governing the nine commanderies of Liang, Chu, and the lower reaches of the Yellow and Yangtze rivers, with his capital in Pengcheng (now Xuzhou, Jiangsu). Xiang Yu suspected that Liu Bang had ambitions for the empire and was dissatisfied with the agreement, fearing that the vassal kings would rebel against him. He said, "Ba and Shu are also part of the Guanzhong region." (Shiji, Xiang Yu Benji) Therefore, he granted Liu Bang the three commanderies of Ba, Shu, and Hanzhong, making him the King of Hanzhong, with his capital in Nanzheng (now Hanzhong, Shaanxi). He also divided the Guanzhong region into three parts, granting Qin's surrendered generals Zhang Han, Sima Xin, and Dong Yi the titles of Yong Wang, Sai Wang, and Di Wang, respectively, collectively known as the "Three Qins". This was an attempt to control the Guanzhong region through them and confine Liu Bang to the Hanzhong-Ba-Shu region. At the same time, he also granted titles to Wei Bao as the King of Western Wei, Shen Yang as the King of Henan, Han Cheng as the King of Han, Sima Ang as the King of Yin, Zhao Xie as the King of Dai, Zhang Er as the King of Changshan, Ying Bu as the King of Jiujiang, Wu Rui as the King of Hengshan, Gong Ao as the King of Linjiang, Han Guang as the King of Liaodong, Zang Tu as the King of Yan, Tian Shi as the King of Jiaodong, Tian Du as the King of Qi, and Tian An as the King of Jibei.

  Liu Bang went to Han Liu Bang was changed to be sealed in Hanzhong, and initially did not want to take the country. He planned to attack Xiang Yu, and Xiao He spoke out: "The Han River is above the sky, and Hanzhong has a geographical advantage. It can be attacked and defended, and Qin used it to have the world." Liu Bang then adopted Xiao He's suggestion, humbly accepted the title of King of Han, recruited talents to plan for the world, and determined to use Ba (the county seat is Jiangzhou, now north of Chongqing City) and Shu (the county seat is Chengdu, now Sichuan Province). , also fixed three Qin, facing east to compete for the world's strategy. In April, Liu Bang went to Hanzhong (the county seat is Nanzheng, now east of Hanzhong City) to take the country, and Xiang Yu sent 30,000 soldiers to follow him. On the way, he burned and destroyed the plank roads he had passed through, preventing the sneak attacks of the vassal states' armies, and also used this to show that he had no intention of going east, in order to numb Xiang Yu. Xiang Yu also returned to Pengcheng at the same time.

  The path was used to prevent the vassal troops from making a surprise attack, and also to show that there was no intention of going east, in order to numb Xiang Yu. Xiang Yu also withdrew his troops to Pengcheng at the same time.