Chapter 15: The Defeat of Qin and the Flight of King You of Chu

  Here is the translation:

  Yesterday, King Huiwen of Qin arrived at Lueyang (County) and rested for a night. His fear had just subsided when he got up early this morning and said to Sima Cuo with a sigh: "I never expected that I would suffer such a great defeat as soon as I became king."

  Sima Cuo said, "It's not because of my incompetence, Your Majesty was frightened."

  King Huiwen of Qin said, "It's not your fault, nor is it your mistake. I never expected King Huai of Chu to be so brave and the Chu army to be so strong."

  Just after King Huiwen and others finished their breakfast, a horseman came rushing in to report: "Report to Your Majesty! King Huai of Chu has led his troops to Bao Han (Hanzhong City) and is marching towards us with a large army!"

  Upon hearing the report, Sima Cuo said to King Huiwen, "Your Majesty should lead your troops to flee to Longnan (City), while I will stay here to defend the city and fight a decisive battle against the Chu army."

  King Huiwen grasped Sima Cuo's hands and said, "Your arm injury has not healed yet, and you are not in good health. You are no match for King Huai of Chu. Don't sacrifice your life in vain here. I would rather give up this city than lose you, a famous general. Take the troops with you and follow me to Longnan (City)."

  Thus, Sima Cuo followed King Huiwen and abandoned the city to flee to Longnan (City).

  King Huai of Chu led his army to Lueyang (County) and saw that King Huiwen had already fled to Longnan. He then left 3,000 infantrymen and 2,000 cavalrymen to garrison Lueyang (County), while he himself led the main force back to Bao Han (Hanzhong City).

  Here is the translation:

  Furthermore, Zhao Yu led 40,000 cavalry and infantry to cross the Han River and advance on Nanzheng. When the King of Shu heard the news, he immediately ordered the city gates closed and personally led 13,000 cavalry and infantry to defend the city walls to the death. Zhao Yu led 40,000 Chu soldiers across the Han River and arrived at Nanzheng, arraying his troops and challenging the enemy to battle. The Shu army neither came out to fight nor surrendered. Zhao Yu had no choice but to order his soldiers to prepare battering rams and cloud ladders to attack the city.

  At this time, King Hui of Chu led his main force back to Bao Han (Hanzhong City) and ordered 20,000 infantry to cross the river and attack the city. The King of Shu saw that he was in a precarious situation and could only lead his army to escape from the rear mountain. However, behind Nanzheng were the steep mountains of Mount Song, which soldiers could climb over but war horses could not. Over 10,000 war horses were unable to escape.

  The King of Shu had wanted to order his soldiers to kill the war horses so that they would not fall into the hands of the Chu army, but it was already too late. The sound of killing shook the heavens as the Chu army attacked from both the west and east wings, with 50,000 Chu soldiers separately attacking the villages of Zhan Dou, Guo Jia Ying (west of Nanzheng County), Xia Jia An, and Xi Ma Xiang (east of Nanzheng County). The King of Shu could only lead his army in a frantic retreat over the rear mountain.

  Zhao Yu led the Chu army into Nanzheng and saw that the Shu army had already escaped over the mountain by grabbing onto vines. He ordered his soldiers to cut off the vines, block the roads behind the mountain, and then deployed 3,000 infantry and 2,000 cavalry to guard Nanzheng. He himself led the main force across the river back to Bao Han (Hanzhong City).

  Up to now, the ten-day Battle of Bo Han ended with the victory of the Chu army and the defeat of the Qin-Shu coalition. In this battle, the Chu army killed 195,000 soldiers of the Qin-Shu coalition, including 85,000 Qin soldiers and 110,000 Shu soldiers; captured 35,000 war horses, 190,000 sets of armor and weapons, and a large number of grain carts. This battle allowed King Huai of Chu to expand his territory from Ankang City to Luyang County, covering over 400 miles, and gain control of ten cities (counties), including Bo Han (Hanzhong City), Hanyin, Ziyang, Zhenba, Ningqiang, Shiquan, Xixiang, Chenggu, Nanzheng, Ningqiang, and Luyang. Meanwhile, King Huiwen of Qin had proclaimed himself king at the beginning of the year, seeking to dominate the Central Plains and replace King Hui of Wei as the overlord of the world. However, he was defeated by King Huai of Chu in the Battle of Bo Han and fled in disarray, narrowly escaping capture by the Chu army. From then on, whenever King Huiwen of Qin heard the names "Hanzhong Prefecture" and "King Huai of Chu", he would be filled with fear.

  Thereafter, King Hui of Chu changed the name of Bao Han to Hanzhong Prefecture, with a jurisdiction spanning over 700 li from Luoyang County to Fang County. The Yong Prefecture was abolished, and its governor was ordered to take office in Hanzhong. The prefectural seat of the original Yong Prefecture was moved from Xunyang to Ankang, as a subordinate of Hanzhong Prefecture. A banquet was held in Bao Han to reward the three armies for three days.

  King Hui of Chu raised his wine cup and said to all the generals: "The Han River is the auspicious place of my Chu people. In ancient times, the Chu people went down along the Han River to reach Jinghan. Therefore, Chu is both Jing and Han. Today, we have come to our ancestors' old land, and our ancestors' old land has returned to my Chu state, which is a joyous occasion.

  This place is not Bao, nor is it Zheng, but Han. I want to establish the prefectural seat here, and make our ancestors' hometown prosperous. This is the middle reaches of the Han River, so from today on, this place will be officially named Hanzhong Prefecture."

  The Chu army cheered, waving their long spears and shouting: "Hanzhong Prefecture!" "Hanzhong Prefecture!"

  Three days later, King Huai of Chu appointed Liu Xiang (originally named Liu Yang, father of Liu Bang's great-grandfather) as the Grand General, leading 100,000 Chu troops (40,000 cavalry and 60,000 infantry) to garrison Hanzhong Commandery, and arranged for the wounded soldiers to be treated in Hanzhong. Liu Xiang received the order and issued a decree: 20,000 cavalry and 30,000 infantry were stationed in Hanzhong, with 2,000 cavalry and 3,000 infantry from each of Lüeyang, Ningqiang, Nanzheng, Xixiang, and Zhenba, and the remaining 10,000 cavalry and 15,000 infantry were stationed in Hanzhong, distributed among Mianxian, Hanzhong, and Chenggu. 20,000 cavalry and 30,000 infantry were stationed in Ankang, with 2,000 cavalry and 3,000 infantry from each of Zhen'an, Ziyang, Zhenping, Fangxian, and Yunxi, and the remaining 10,000 cavalry and 15,000 infantry were stationed in Ankang, distributed among Hanyin, Ankang, and Xunyang. Liu Xiang ordered the soldiers to open up wasteland for farming, practice martial arts, and not slacken. King Huai of Chu made all the arrangements, and then led his army of 150,000 (50,000 cavalry and 100,000 infantry, with over 70,000 new recruits from Ankang to Hanzhong) back to Jingzhou in a grand procession.