Chapter 1 A Great Injustice Throughout the Ages! On Xiang Yu's Ten Major Crimes Xiang Yu's injustice is legendary! Based on my research, the so-called 'Ten Crimes of Xiang Yu' were most likely fabricated by Liu Bang to demonstrate the righteousness of his rebellion. My analysis is as fo
- Book content
- Chapter list
Chapter 1
Chapter 1 A Great Injustice Throughout the Ages! On Xiang Yu's Ten Major Crimes
Xiang Yu's injustice is legendary! Based on my research, the so-called "Ten Crimes of Xiang Yu" were most likely fabricated by Liu Bang to demonstrate the righteousness of his rebellion. My analysis is as follows:
For example, one of his crimes was that Liu Bang said Xiang Yu broke his promise and did not make him the King of Guanzhong, but instead made him the King of Han.
In reality, Xiang Yu was completely unaware of this agreement before Liu Bang entered Guanzhong. Otherwise, Xiang Yu would not have refrained from marching for several months after incorporating Zhang Han, showing no urgency in entering Guanzhong.
The third charge Liu Bang leveled against Xiang Yu also proves this point. The third charge was that after rescuing Zhao, Xiang Yu should have led his army back to Chu to report to King Huai of Chu, instead of leading the various feudal lords into Guanzhong.
But aren't charges one and three contradictory? Given the agreement with the King of Guanzhong, why did Xiang Yu turn back to Chu? Why didn't Liu Bang turn back?
If King Huai of Chu's order to Xiang Yu was to rescue the State of Zhao, but his mission to Liu Bang was to enter Guanzhong, then what fairness could there be in this Guanzhong King's Agreement?
His second crime was killing Song Yi's self-respect, which was even more ridiculous. Song Yi was afraid of battle and did not advance, so he should have been killed. The leader of the anti-Qin movement in Chu was Xiang Liang, and King Huai of Chu was just a figurehead. Why couldn't Xiang Yu, who was a brilliant strategist, regain control of the Chu army?
Fourthly, Xiang Yu burned down the Qin Palace and dug up the First Emperor's tomb. The fire raged for three months without going out, something that could only be accomplished by burning an oil field, yet the First Emperor's tomb is still intact.
His fifth crime was the forced killing of Prince Ziying of Qin. But why couldn't he kill the ruler of an enemy state? So many people from the six states, so many members of the Xiang family died at the hands of the Qin people. Wouldn't it be right to seek revenge on the biggest enemy?
His sixth crime was to swindle 200,000 Qin soldiers in Xin'an. This statement was first made by Han Xin, who had already betrayed Xiang Yu at the time. He deliberately praised and framed Liu Bang in order to curry favor with him, so it should not be taken seriously.
There are too many unreasonable aspects to this. Even slaughtering 200,000 pigs wouldn't be that easy, let alone humans.
Historical records regarding the size of Xiang Yu's and Zhang Han's armies also prove this point. How could Zhang Han and the other two rule the Three Qin regions without troops? How could Xiang Yu intimidate the various feudal lords without troops?
Furthermore, Zhang Han's 200,000-strong army was primarily composed of prisoners from Mount Li, with a large proportion of them being from the six former states. They could easily be absorbed into his own army. Xiang Yu even spared Zhang Han, his enemy who killed Xiang Liang; there was no need for him to kill surrendered soldiers. At most, a portion of the surrendered Qin soldiers would rebel, which Xiang Yu would then suppress. Was it really necessary to kill surrendered soldiers who rebelled? Were they to be spared so they could later have a chance to kill the Chu army?
Crimes seven through ten all refer to the same thing: Xiang Yu drove Emperor Yi, Mi Xin, away and then killed him. While it's possible Mi Xin was driven away, it's also possible he didn't want to live in such oppression and wanted to leave on his own.
As for the killing of Emperor Yi, historical records clearly state that it was Ying Bu who killed Emperor Yi. On the surface, Ying Bu was the King of Jiujiang appointed by Xiang Yu and was also one of Xiang Yu's subordinates.
In reality, after Ying Bu was made a king, apart from killing Emperor Yi, he did not "help" Xiang Yu in any other way. On the contrary, after Liu Bang raised the banner of rebellion, Ying Bu immediately betrayed Xiang Yu and followed Liu Bang. Until Liu Bang ordered Ying Bu to eat Peng Yue's flesh, Ying Bu was loyal to Liu Bang.
It's hard to say exactly who ordered Ying Bu to kill Emperor Yi. Perhaps there were many people in the world who wanted Emperor Yi dead, so much so that even after Emperor Yi fled to a place more than 2,000 li away from Pengcheng, he still couldn't escape his clutches.
In my opinion, if Mi Xin hadn't left Pengcheng and had stayed in her position as a banner leader, she might have lived to old age. Xiang Yu was young enough to wait, but most people couldn't.
Killing Emperor Yi and framing Xiang Yu was truly a brilliant move. As for the truth, who cared at the time?
The so-called ten crimes that Liu Bang accused Xiang Yu of were nothing more than a fig leaf that everyone knew about. What's laughable is that even today, people still believe such a flawed frame-up.
...
If you still have questions about Hao Jiu's characterization of Xiang Yu after reading this article, you might want to check out another article in the table of contents, "Reading the History of Chu and Han Using Logical Dialectical Analysis." If you still have questions, you can read the articles published in the "Related to Works" section of my old book, where all the questions about Xiang Yu are answered in detail.
There are always trolls or sycophants who don't read the book who come to the circle to question Xiang Yu. To be honest, I'm tired of replying to them and I feel helpless. Some people just can't stand to see Xiang Yu doing well; it's purely out of jealousy and hatred.
The following explains the character design of Xiang Yu in this book:
Great benevolence and righteousness—
At the Feast at Hongmen, Xiang Yu had the opportunity to kill Liu Ji, but he didn't. Part of the reason was that he regarded Liu Ji as a brother, but the main reason was that Xiang Yu wanted to destroy the tyrannical Qin and bring peace to the world. The tyrannical Qin had been destroyed, and it was time for the people to recuperate. Therefore, he was willing to take some risks and not declare himself emperor, rather than cause more trouble. The purpose of dividing the world into fiefdoms was to quickly quell the war. What the people needed most was a ceasefire. This was true benevolence and righteousness.
Liu Ji, driven by selfish desires, reignited the war, causing immense suffering to the people. Tragedy even erupted in Liu Ji's territory, with people resorting to cannibalism. While Xiang Yu's own army frequently went hungry, the people of Chu fared much better.
Xiang Yu employed elite troops, allowing the people to recuperate and rebuild their lives. Liu Ji, on the other hand, had almost wiped out all the able-bodied men and still failed to defeat Xiang Yu, so he had to send the elderly and weak from Guanzhong to fight.
Coincidentally, after the elderly and weak people of Guanzhong joined the battle, Xiang Yu was defeated. One can imagine the scene of Liu Ji's army driving away the elderly and weak people of Guanzhong and forcing Xiang Yu to retreat.
Iron Will and Tender Heart
I don't need to elaborate on the relationship between Xiang Yu and Yu Ji, right? The Overlord actually had a soft heart. He was not only loyal to Yu Ji in his affections, but he also shed tears for warhorses and wounded soldiers. Some people even interpreted this as womanly compassion. But would a womanly compassionate person do something like slaughtering innocent civilians?
Courageous and resourceful, possessing both wisdom and bravery.
The battles of Julu and Pengcheng perfectly illustrate Xiang Yu's courage and strategy. He possessed not only bravery and martial prowess but also strategic acumen. Could a mere brute have won consecutive victories? Could someone without wisdom have written a treatise on military strategy? Could he have become the overlord who divided the land among the feudal lords? Liu Ji went to great lengths to unite the feudal lords, resorting to spies, traitors, and frame-ups to defeat Xiang Yu. It's not an exaggeration to say that Xiang Yu was courageous, resourceful, and brave.
Unyielding to the death, a hero of unparalleled stature—
Refusing to cross the Yangtze River to the east, he committed suicide. Isn't this the act of a hero who would rather die than submit? If it were Liu Ji, he would definitely have been kneeling and begging for mercy again. He won the world but lost his integrity. Xiang Yu didn't care!
The death of Xiang Yu ended the Chu-Han Contention, which had lasted for several years. This allowed the people, who should have been recuperating after the fall of Qin, to finally breathe a sigh of relief, and also spared Jiangdong from the ravages of war.
Isn't that enough to make him a hero?
In short, while I wouldn't say my premise is flawless, it does make some sense, and it's not just something I made up.
If Xiang Yu were truly as cruel, ruthless, cunning, and treacherous as recorded in Han Dynasty historical texts, many of his choices would have been different. It's too easy to smear the loser; it's three parts truth and seven parts falsehood. Without carefully examining the original historical records, one cannot obtain the true answer.
In order to consolidate its rule, the Han Dynasty had to brainwash the people and officials. If Liu Ji's empire was obtained by betraying Xiang Yu and rebelling, why should he demand that others not rebel?
Therefore, proving that Liu Ji's rebellion against Xiang Yu was correct and deserved is the greatest function of history books. Thus, apart from the three parts of bravery that are true, the remaining seven parts of the records about Xiang Yu are all negative accounts of Xiang Yu losing the hearts of the people and the morale of the army, being cruel and inhumane, etc.
But a fake is a fake. When you cross-reference them, there will always be oversights and inconsistencies. If you're interested, you can read the next article in the section related to the work.
Chapter 2 uses logical dialectical analysis to read the history of Chu and Han.
Those who are interested can take a look; those who are not can skip it.
(I) On the book "Records of the Grand Historian"
History is written by the victors, and this is especially true when the dynasty established by the victors lasts for hundreds of years.
No victor would deliberately smear themselves in history books. They would either be fair and strictly
……
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
Chapter 128
Chapter 129
Chapter 130
Chapter 131
Chapter 132
Chapter 133
Chapter 134
Chapter 135
Chapter 136
Chapter 137
Chapter 138
Chapter 139
Chapter 140
Chapter 141
Chapter 142
Chapter 143
Chapter 144
Chapter 145
Chapter 146
Chapter 147
Chapter 148
Chapter 149
Chapter 150
Chapter 151
Chapter 152
Chapter 153
Chapter 154
Chapter 155
Chapter 156
Chapter 157
Chapter 158
Chapter 159
Chapter 160
Chapter 161
Chapter 162
Chapter 163
Chapter 164
Chapter 165
Chapter 166
Chapter 167
Chapter 168
Chapter 169
Chapter 170
Chapter 171
Chapter 172
Chapter 173
Chapter 174
Chapter 175
Chapter 176
Chapter 177
Chapter 178
Chapter 179
Chapter 180
Chapter 181
Chapter 182
Chapter 183
Chapter 184
Chapter 185
Chapter 186
Chapter 187
Chapter 188
Chapter 189
Chapter 190
Chapter 191
Chapter 192
Chapter 193
Chapter 194
Chapter 195
Chapter 196
Chapter 197
Chapter 198
Chapter 199
Chapter 200
Chapter 201
Chapter 202
Chapter 203
Chapter 204
Chapter 205
Chapter 206
Chapter 207
Chapter 208
Chapter 209
Chapter 210
Chapter 211
Chapter 212
Chapter 213
Chapter 214
Chapter 215
Chapter 216
Chapter 217
Chapter 218
Chapter 219
Chapter 220
Chapter 221
Chapter 222
Chapter 223
Chapter 224
Chapter 225
Chapter 226
Chapter 227
Chapter 228
Chapter 229
Chapter 230
Chapter 231
Chapter 232
Chapter 233
Chapter 234
Chapter 235
Chapter 236
Chapter 237
Chapter 238
Chapter 239
Chapter 240
Chapter 241
Chapter 242
Chapter 243
Chapter 244
Chapter 245
Chapter 246
Chapter 247
Chapter 248
Chapter 249
Chapter 250
Chapter 251
Chapter 252
Chapter 253
Chapter 254
Chapter 255
Chapter 256
Chapter 257
Chapter 258
Chapter 259
Chapter 260
Chapter 261
Chapter 262
Chapter 263
Chapter 264
Chapter 265
Chapter 266
Chapter 267
Chapter 268
Chapter 269
Chapter 270
Chapter 271
Chapter 272
Chapter 273
Chapter 274
Chapter 275
Chapter 276
Chapter 277
Chapter 278
Chapter 279
Chapter 280
Chapter 281
Chapter 282
Chapter 283
Chapter 284
Chapter 285
Chapter 286
Chapter 287
Chapter 288
Chapter 289
Chapter 290
Chapter 291
Chapter 292
Chapter 293
Chapter 294
Chapter 295
Chapter 296
Chapter 297
Chapter 298
Chapter 299
Chapter 300
Chapter 301
Chapter 302
Chapter 303
Chapter 304
Chapter 305
Chapter 306
Chapter 307
Chapter 308
Chapter 309
Chapter 310
Chapter 311
Chapter 312
Chapter 313
Chapter 314
Chapter 315
Chapter 316
Chapter 317
Chapter 318
Chapter 319
Chapter 320
Chapter 321
Chapter 322
Chapter 323
Chapter 324
Chapter 325
Chapter 326
Chapter 327
Chapter 328
Chapter 329
Chapter 330
Chapter 331
Chapter 332
Chapter 333
Chapter 334
Chapter 335
Chapter 336
Chapter 337
Chapter 338
Chapter 339
Chapter 340
Chapter 341
Chapter 342
Chapter 343
Chapter 344
Chapter 345
Chapter 346
Chapter 347
Chapter 348
Chapter 349
Chapter 350
Chapter 351
Chapter 352
Chapter 353
Chapter 354
Chapter 355
Chapter 356
Chapter 357
Chapter 358
Chapter 359
Chapter 360
Chapter 361
Chapter 362
Chapter 363
Chapter 364
Chapter 365
Chapter 366
Chapter 367
Chapter 368
Chapter 369
Chapter 370
Chapter 371
Chapter 372
Chapter 373
Chapter 374
Chapter 375
Chapter 376
Chapter 377
Chapter 378
Chapter 379
Chapter 380
Chapter 381
Chapter 382
Chapter 383
Chapter 384
