Liu Bang's ambitions remained undiminished, and he used Tian Rong to instigate war. Xiang Yu, on the other hand, tried his best to bring about a ceasefire, including sending people to persuade Han Xin to divide the world into three, and also reaching an agreement with Liu Bang at the Honggou Canal, all in an effort to end the war as soon as possible.
In his final moments, Xiang Yu had the opportunity to return to Jiangdong. With the natural barrier of the Yangtze River, the outcome of the battle was still uncertain. However, he chose to commit suicide, unilaterally ending the Chu-Han Contention.
Of course, Xiang Yu did not commit suicide solely for this reason, but he did indeed end the war with his own life.
Moreover, Xiang Yu saved not only the people of Jiangdong, but the longer this war lasted, the more people all over the world would suffer. In the areas ruled by Liu Ji, the tragedy of cannibalism to feed a million soldiers would probably be commonplace.
Even if we take a step back and assume that Xiang Yu went up the mountain to fight as a guerrilla, waited for ten years until Liu Ji died before raising an army, or even didn't have to wait for Liu Ji's death, but instead jumped out and rallied the troops when Liu Ji was slaughtering meritorious officials, the world might not still belong to the Liu family.
However, this contradicted Xiang Yu's original intention of bringing peace to the world, so Xiang Yu did not choose to do so.
Unfortunately, Xiang Yu's final efforts to bring peace to the world came to naught once again. Liu Ji, during his eight-year reign, launched wars and wiped out all the kings of different surnames one after another. The only remaining king of Changsha was the former king of Changsha who gave his life and all his strength to secure his rule.
Furthermore, in the Battle of Baideng against the Xiongnu, Liu Ji's reckless charge destroyed the Han Dynasty's military strength, which was comparable to that of the Xiongnu. From then on, the Han Dynasty was subjected to humiliation by the Xiongnu until Emperor Wen of Han ascended the throne, when the people finally had a chance to recuperate.
Even after Liu Bang died, the seeds of the Lü clan he left behind continued to bring war to the land.
Xiang Yu was wrong. Even if he had gone to the mountains to fight as a guerrilla, the peace of the world would have come much sooner than when Liu Bang gained the world.
These are all things I read from historical books produced during the Han Dynasty. The Han Dynasty was great, but that doesn't mean Liu Bang was a wise ruler or a good person, nor does it mean Xiang Yu was an irredeemable villain.
Of course, even if I use the revised version of the Records of the Grand Historian from the Han Dynasty to prove that Xiang Yu was a benevolent and great hero, it would still be in vain for some people, because in their eyes the Records of the Grand Historian is a private history, unofficial, and almost labeled as unofficial history.
I'm puzzled. The author of the book was Sima Qian, a historian of the Han Dynasty, whose father also served as a historian. After the completion of the *Records of the Grand Historian*, it underwent two large-scale revisions and several additions under official supervision. How can this be considered a private history? The *Book of Han* quotes extensively from the *Records of the Grand Historian*. How can this be called a private history?
Some experts are truly capable of eating shit.
(iii) Deceiving people to the end, and covering up the whole truth, but under logical analysis, a lie is a lie.
Getting back to the main point, how can those who distort history prove that Liu Bang's rebellion against Xiang Yu and his seizure of the empire was just?
It's very simple. Just smear Xiang Yu, proving that he was illegitimate and unreasonable, and deserved to be rebelled against.
Moreover, Liu Bang had already done this during his rebellion against Xiang Yu and his struggle for power. The ten major crimes of Xiang Yu that he listed were all very detailed and convincing, enough to deceive the ignorant masses.
Before the Records of the Grand Historian, there was another historical book called the Spring and Autumn Annals of Chu and Han, written by Lu Jia, a contemporary of Liu Bang. This book was already somewhat embellished, but some facts are common knowledge and cannot be concealed.
However, by the time the Records of the Grand Historian was revised, many records were no longer verifiable, leaving a lot of room for manipulation, especially in the later revisions. Moreover, the Han dynasty imperial family had always controlled the Records of the Grand Historian and prevented it from being circulated, so it was not difficult to embellish and smear Xiang Yu while whitewashing Liu Bang.
To make the whole thing a complete charade, the accounts of Xiang Yu from the very beginning are full of strangeness and many parts cannot withstand scrutiny.
For example, Xiang Yu could not learn this or that and seemed to be useless. So why was such a person able to win battle after battle and never lose in more than seventy battles, big and small, throughout his life?
I think he should be able to learn this quickly and that quickly, and even surpass his teachers, with his own unique insights and understanding. Otherwise, how could he be able to rule over all the feudal lords at such a young age?
In addition, Xiang Yu was deeply influenced by the Confucian moral principles of benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness. His speech and behavior clearly indicated that he was a well-educated person, unlike Liu Bang who would insult people at the drop of a hat.
The idea that "a scholar can be killed but not humiliated" was fully embodied by Xiang Yu. He would kill anyone who insulted him, and if he couldn't kill them, he would rather commit suicide than accept a humiliating surrender.
The descriptions of Xiang Liang and Xiang Yu killing Yin Tong and raising an army are far too detailed, vividly portraying their inhumanity and treachery. But is that really the case?
First of all, the claim that Yin Tong was a friend of Xiang Liang is debatable. Even if they were friends, their relationship wouldn't have been that deep. Xiang Liang was extremely well-known in Chu, and he had many "friends" like Yin Tong.
The truth is that Xiang Liang had no choice but to acknowledge Yin Tong as a friend in order to establish himself in Kuaiji Commandery.
Secondly, the governor of Kuaiji wanted to raise an army to rebel against Qin, but he asked Xiang Liang and Huan Chu to lead the troops. However, Huan Chu was on the run in Dazexiang, and only Xiang Yu knew his exact location. So Xiang Liang took the opportunity to call Xiang Yu in and kill Yin Tong.
It seems that Yin Tong regarded Xiang Liang as a close friend and invited him to discuss the matter of raising an army to rebel against Qin, which also provided an excuse for Xiang Yu to appear.
But upon closer examination, a big question arises: Who exactly was Huan Chu? What made him worthy of being ranked alongside Xiang Liang? After the Chen Sheng and Wu Guang uprising at Dazexiang, Huan Chu fled to Dazexiang for some unknown crime. Why wasn't he given a prominent position by the rebel army?
It should be noted that Dazexiang is more than 800 li away from Wu County, the seat of Kuaiji Commandery. Yin Tong didn't even know where Huan Chu was, so why did he insist on naming Huan Chu to lead the troops?
Huan Chu is so well-known, so why is the earliest record of him about killing Yin Tong?
Another record of Huan Chu happens to be related to Xiang Yu killing Song Yi. It was Huan Chu who reported the killing of Song Yi by Xiang Yu to King Huai of Chu.
Don't forget that among the ten crimes Liu Bang listed for Xiang Yu, one was Xiang Yu killing Song Yi, and Huan Chu, a minor character, happened to appear at this time.
Finally, if Yin Tong was a friend of Xiang Liang and genuinely rebelled against Qin, and Xiang Liang was truly a treacherous villain who seized the opportunity to take over Yin Tong's army.
How did this story get out? Even every detail of their conversation was recorded in historical records. Shouldn't the only people who truly knew the truth be Xiang Liang and Xiang Yu? Didn't Xiang Liang know that doing this would damage his image?
But did Xiang Liang actually ruin his political image because of his uprising?
Not only did not he become Lord Wuxin, but various forces, including Liu Bang, came to pledge allegiance to him.
Therefore, the conversation between Xiang Liang and Yin Tong, including the motive for the murder, was just a clumsy lie, the purpose of which was to smear Xiang Liang and, by extension, Xiang Yu.
The truth has been buried in the long river of history, but I can imagine some things that are certainly more logical than what is recorded in history books.
Seeing the great momentum of the Dazexiang Uprising, Yin Tong was not satisfied with being just a prefect and began to think of declaring himself king. However, the Chen Sheng and Wu Guang uprising had relied on the Mandate of Heaven and the name of the Chu general Xiang Yan. Would anyone follow him if he directly rebelled against Qin?
Coincidentally, Xiang Yan's family and descendants lived in Kuaiji County. Wouldn't using this as a living signboard be much more clever than Chen Sheng using Xiang Ying's name?
So Yin Tong brought Xiang Liang to him, making Xiang Liang his figurehead or puppet. Xiang Liang then used this as a pretext to bring Xiang Yu, a descendant of Xiang Ying, to see Yin Tong.
Yin Tong naturally had to be wary of Xiang Liang and Xiang Yu, so he couldn't bring any weapons in. However, Xiang Yu was incredibly powerful, so snatching a sword would be a piece of cake for him.
Thus, Yin Tong met his tragic end, and Xiang Liang seized the opportunity to take control of Kuaiji Commandery and successfully launched his uprising.
Another point that proves Xiang Yu's killing of Yin Tong as unrighteous and immoral is pure slander. If this were true, Liu Bang should have put this matter first when listing Xiang Yu's ten major crimes, but he didn't mention it at all.
Besides what was mentioned above, most other negative accounts about Xiang Yu are also untenable and anyone with a certain level of logical ability can spot the problems.
Moreover, there is a great deal of evidence from the archaeological community that has proven that Xiang Yu was wronged.
Many people have already discussed the issue of Xiang Yu's massacre of cities, and I've analyzed it myself, so I don't want to repeat it here. Historical records do indeed use the word "massacre" to describe Xiang Yu's infamous reputation; after all, the pen was in his hands.
However, in historical records such as the Records of the Grand Historian and the Book of Han, there are more accounts of Liu Ji and his subordinates massacring cities than in Xiang Yu's works.
If massacring a city should be condemned for all time, and Liu Ji's massacre of a city is an indisputable fact, then how can we maintain Liu Ji's righteous image?
Of course, it still relied on smearing Xiang Yu. Not only did he slaughter surrendered soldiers, but he also slaughtered civilians, sparing neither women nor children. He claimed that no one was spared, and that a great fire lasted for three months. At the very least, this gave the people the impression that everyone slaughtered the city.
How could someone who sheds tears at the sight of wounded warhorses and ordinary soldiers, a sentiment often described as "womanly compassion," possibly commit the heinous act of massacring the entire city, sparing neither the elderly nor women and children?
In the end, wasn't Xiang Yu just changing his mind according to the needs of consolidating the Han Dynasty's power?
Those who slander Xiang Yu against their conscience, those who pretend to know what they don't and insult Xiang Yu, those who follow the crowd and misunderstand Xiang Yu... all of them owe Xiang Yu an apology and justice!
I don't have the power to make those people apologize, but I hope that Xiang Yu will not be misunderstood by more people from now on.
If you're still interested in reading Lao Jiu's analysis of the Chu-Han Contention, you can check out my old books section for related works; there are some detailed analytical articles there.
Chapter 1 The Strongest 666 System
The Han army has already seized territory, and the Chu songs echo from all sides;
The tyrant's ambition has vanished; what reason does this lowly concubine have to live...?
Mountains and rivers are torn apart, rivers and streams are cleaved, the Five Sacred Mountains shake and tremble, how many times have I sought the sword of Tai'a, speaking of despair.
They divided the world, each ruling their own kingdom and deploying their armies, how laughable that those in fine clothes and riches would not return to their hometowns.
If one spends one's life on battlefields, one can naturally conquer the world and the four directions.
With a do-or-die spirit, they rise to power, their armor and weapons poised to determine the fate of the nation.
Seeing that eight thousand soldiers could not return, the general beat the drum, drew his sword, and rushed to the great river; Yu Ji, across the river, still sang the Chu songs…
Amidst the mournful yet stirring and soaring red feather song, Hao Jiu, a programmer who worked tirelessly year-round and was a struggling online writer, was gloriously killed by a screen full of golden treasure chests.
Then he arrived in a strange space and heard a sentence that made him ecstatic.
"I am the God of Systems. I want to talk to you about systems. Are you willing?" the God of Systems said quietly.
"I'm willing!" Hao Jiu blurted out. The God of Systems wanted to talk to him about systems, wasn't that obviously a way of giving him a system?
He was all too familiar with this kind of plot: falling in love and accidentally obtaining a system, and from then on reaching the pinnacle of life. Although it was a bit old-fashioned, when it happened to him, it was surprisingly appealing!
"A wise move. Do you like the system?" the God of the System asked again.
"I love it so much! I love it to the extreme! To be able to meet the God of the System today is the greatest honor of my life, and I have no regrets even if I die! My admiration for the God of the System is like a surging river that never stops, or like the Yellow River overflowing its banks and becoming unstoppable..." Hao Jiu decisively switched to sycophant mode. It would be a waste not to flatter the god with such a good opportunity, and it would be a shame to waste it!
"Since you like it so much, I'll turn you into a system."
"Haha, my God, your Mandarin is still a little bit off. You should have said 'give me a system,' or 'conjure up a system for me,' not 'conjure up a system,' what kind of nonsense is that..." Hao Jiu's smile froze on his face.
“I’m not wrong, I’m going to turn you into a system, a system that can live forever.”
In Hao Jiu's mind, no matter how powerful a system is, they are all ruthless beings that strictly follow the rules and act like machines. Some of them even have no independent consciousness at all. What good is immortality then?
"Why did you turn me into a system? I disagree! I don't want to be a system! I want to be a host, I want to reach the pinnacle of life!" Hao Jiu was furious. After all that fuss, it turned out that this was exactly what the damned God of Systems was talking about when he talked about systems.
The space suddenly fell silent, and after a moment, the voice of the God of the System rang out again.
“You’ve already agreed, and there’s a recording as proof. Play it.”
Are you willing?
I do!
...
"You see, 'willing' means 'to agree,' and it's not wise to try to cheat God."
"Who's being unreasonable between us? You asked me if I was willing to talk to you about the system, and that's why I said yes. You didn't even ask me if I wanted to become the system before!" Hao Jiu was furious. Even the God of Systems has to be reasonable, right?
"Is there a difference? You humans keep talking about falling in love, but you don't just talk about it. You still do all sorts of things you want to do, don't you?"
I'm fucking...
Hao Jiu knew that the God of the System was determined to renege on his promise, and he couldn't fight city hall. It seemed the system was bound to change. But the fact that the God of the System was willing to waste so much time talking to him, pretending to ask if he was willing to talk, and even tempting him with the promise of immortality meant that his attitude was still very important. He had to make good use of this, otherwise it would be a waste.
The God of Systems continued, "What's wrong with being an immortal system? It can reach the pinnacle of life alongside its host, or it can, within the limits of the rules, completely ruin its host's life..."
"Okay, I can be the system, but you have to meet three conditions. If you can't meet these conditions in a relationship, it'll definitely fall apart, right?"
Tell me about it.
"First, I want to retain my existing personality, memories, emotions, etc., and try to be as human as possible, and I also need to be handsome!"
"Can."
"Secondly, I want to create the strongest system."
"That's fine too."
"Third, grant me three more requests..."
"..."
Hao Jiu acted like a dead pig that wasn't afraid of boiling water. Anyway, with the first two conditions as a backup, he had basically become a god, and he had preserved himself to the greatest extent possible.