Chapter 45 Chapter Three: The Death of Xiang Yu

After Xiang Yu laughed loudly, he raised his sword and killed himself. Wang Yi was the first to rush forward and cut off Xiang Yu's head.The generals of the Han camp surrounding him also rushed to grab Xiang Yu's body, so serious conflicts broke out, and even raised their knives at each other, cutting each other, and dozens of people died. In the battle of Guling, Xiang Yu defeated the Han army again Due to the severe shortage of food, Xiang Yu immediately ordered the army to return to Pengcheng immediately after the peace talks were established to replenish food and stockings. "March to Pengcheng in a hurry, and you can have a full meal!"

Xiang Yu announced the news of withdrawal to the hungry Chu army, and hoped that everyone would improve their efficiency to get out of trouble. However, from Xingyang to Pengcheng, you must pass through the places where Pengyue guerrillas haunt the most. Although Peng Yue, who was based in Changyi, was pursued and suppressed by Xiang Yu himself, his strategy of the enemy coming in and the enemy going out kept his strength intact, and he had effectively cut off the supply system of Xiang Yu's westward expedition. If he insisted on crossing the Liang land where Peng Yue haunted, although it was relatively close to Pengcheng, he would definitely encounter a lot of trouble.

This may cause panic to the hungry Chu army, and the staff officers of the Chu army constantly expressed their concerns to Xiang Yu. Therefore, Xiang Yu decided to retreat south into Chen State, and then go back to Pengcheng. Although the road is a little longer, it is much safer. This shows that Xiang Yu has lost his former domineering spirit. Hunger has become the biggest enemy of the Chu army. When the Chu army arrived at Guling in the northwest of Chencheng, they received information that Liu Bang commanded the army to cross the chasm and break the agreement to pursue it. Xiang Yu was furious and ordered the whole army to deploy in Guling.

Liu Bang, who was chasing behind, heard that the Chu army had stopped, and did not dare to venture forward, so he set up camp in the south of Yangxia City in the north of Guling. As early as when he ordered his troops to pursue the Chu army, Liu Bang sent special envoys to Han Xin and Peng Yue, asking them to send troops to attack Xiang Yu.However, when he arrived at the Guling battlefield, he could not see the troops of Han Xin and Peng Yue. "It seems that I have to face Xiang Yu alone!" Liu Bang discussed with Zhang Liang worriedly. "We must fight with all our strength!"

When things were like this, Zhang Liang believed that Liu Bang must not escape, and this battle would consume the strength of the Chu army no matter whether it won or lost, which might be a good thing for the Han army. The small amount of food aid sent by Pengcheng just allowed the hungry Chu army to have a full meal before fighting the Han army. It has always been Xiang Yu's dream to be able to fight the enemy. With anger and excitement, Chu Jun showed an astonishing impact. Xiang Yu took the lead and charged in front. The vanguard of the Han army quickly collapsed, but fortunately Zhou Bo's army blocked it with all their strength, and Liu Bang's main force of the Chinese army was able to safely retreat into Yangxia City.Liu Bang ordered to defend the city, and built deep fortifications without going out.

Although Xiang Yu led an army to attack fiercely, he couldn't help Liu Bang for a while, seeing that the food shipped from Pengcheng was about to be exhausted again. If Xiang Yu can order an emergency return to Pengcheng at this time, regardless of Liu Bang's attitude, there may be a chance for the Chu army to make a comeback. The Han army camp is assembled Although the Chu army's offensive was fierce, Zhou Bo's army fought calmly, and the Yangxia line of defense would not be in danger in the short term. Liu Bang and Zhang Liang discussed: "I have notified Han Xin and Peng Yue, but they obviously don't intend to help me, what should I do?"

Zhang Liang replied: "At this time, the Chu army has reached the end of its strength, but the king has never said how to divide the territory with them equally, so they are reluctant to come. If the king can express that he will share the world with them, I believe they will soon lead an army to help. "Han Xin's title as King of Qi was his own reluctant request, not the original intention of the king, so even Han Xin himself did not think that his position as King of Qi was stable, and he must have felt a lot of anxiety in his heart. "Peng Yue has almost controlled the land of Liang at present, but in the early years, the king regarded Wei Bao as the king of Liang and Peng Yue as the prime minister; now that Wei Bao is dead, Peng Yue hopes to become the king of Liang, but the king has not formally appointed him, so he is also very worried. uneven.

"Now, it is advisable to grant Peng Yue all the territory of Liang State from the north of Suiyang to Gucheng, and grant Han Xin the land from Chen Yidong to the sea and the original territory of South Korea. Moreover, Han Xin is from Chu, and he also wants to return to his hometown in good clothes. If the king can share the world with them and ask them to lead their army to attack King Xiang, the Chu army will be defeated soon." Liu Bang immediately approved Zhang Liang's proposal, sent a special envoy with a map of Fengjiang, and hurriedly asked Han Xin and Peng Yue to send troops to help.

Sure enough, Han Xin immediately led the army from Linzi to the south. Peng Yue's army also set off from Changyi in batches, intending to cut off Xiang Yu's back route to Pengcheng. In addition, Liu Bang also sent Liu Jia's task force across the Huai River to attack Shouchun, and sent people to lure Chu State Grand Sima Zhou Yin to rebel against Chu with soldiers from Shucheng and support Yingbu again.Yingbo then re-administered the Jiujiang area as the King of Huainan, an ally of Liu Bang, and went northward with Liu Jiajun to Chengfu, preparing to attack from the south to cut off Xiang Yu's retreat.

After Xiang Yu received unfavorable information from various places, he panicked, so he quickly withdrew his troops eastward and entered Gaixia around December. Since Pengcheng's retreat route had been cut off by Peng Yue, it was a blessing among misfortunes that the Chu army could retreat to Gaixia without being attacked on the way. Gaixia is located on the north bank of the Huai River in Anhui Province today. Many rivers flow through the area, forming many ditches and rock walls, which are very conducive to the construction of fortifications. Xiang Yu had to rely on the location to defend at this time.

Xiang Yu, who has always been good at fighting, actually gave up this opportunity this time. It seems that Xiang Yu has indeed reached the end of the road. Although Gaixia had a little food, it didn't take a few months at all, and the communication with Pengcheng was completely cut off. Therefore, Xiang Yu's main force had become a lone army that was heavily besieged and had no foreign aid at all. Gaixia battle, Xiang Yu's first tactical defeat In mid-December, the main force of the Han army and the troops of the princes all arrived at Gaixia. Han Xin personally led the Qi army with 300,000 troops as the vanguard, Liaohou Kongxi was on the left, Feihou Chen He was on the right, Liu Bang also led the main force to follow, Zhou Bo and General Chai followed behind Liu Bang. A group of people went straight to Gaixia in a mighty manner. Xiang Yu personally led the main force of 100,000 soldiers and horses, and went out of the city to prepare for a head-on blow to the Han army. In this battle, the Han camp was led by Han Xin himself. This is also the first and last face-to-face decisive battle between two contemporary military wizards. Xiang Yu still showed his ferocity like a beast, and personally led the cavalry to sprint ahead. Han Xin is still known for his ingenuity, and his battlefields are all carefully designed. Not long after contact, Han Xin ordered to retreat, he did not want the sergeant to suffer too much damage from the Chu army's death battle. Xiang Yu still launched a fierce offensive to hit the morale of the Han army. However, Kong Xi and Chen He's troops cut off the Chu army's retreat from both sides, causing the Chu army to fall into a pincer attack from both sides. Xiang Yu fought back against the left and right armies, but Han Xin's main force turned back to attack the Chu army.The two sides fought for half a day. The Chu army was too hungry to fight for a long time. In addition, the enemy was outnumbered and the casualties were heavy. Xiang Yu had to retreat into Gaixia again and closed the city. Liu Bang led the princes' army to surround Gaixia. After a day of hard work, Xiang Yu was physically and mentally exhausted. Before he could take off his armor, he collapsed into the tent to take a rest, with Poppy taking care of him. When I woke up, it was late at night, and everything was still. But the singing of Chu people came from a distance, and gradually the surroundings began to respond. All the Chu troops in Gaixia City ran outside to listen to the familiar singing. Isn't this the ballad of Chudi?Chu Jun developed a nostalgic complex one after another. Thinking that he might die alone in a foreign country, and thinking of his parents, wives and children at home, he couldn't help covering his face and crying bitterly. After waking up, Xiang Yu lost all drowsiness, and immediately got up and muttered to himself: "Could it be that the Han army has completely occupied Chu? Why are there so many Chu people in the Han camp?" Sighing, Xiang Yu's strong will slowly disappeared. This is the so-called "besieged on all sides!" in history! It is true that many Chu troops have been captured by the Han army or surrendered voluntarily, but the number is not too large. This is obviously Zhang Liang and Chen Ping's intentional design, to let the Chu army in the camp teach the Han camp army and the princes' troops to practice singing Chu songs, using the momentum of the chorus, coupled with the almost unreal effect from a distance, to completely attack the Gaixia defenders morale. Yu Xi Yu Xi Nai Ruo He When the last moment came, Xiang Yu decided to die like a hero. He got up and put on his full armor.He ordered a banquet to be held in the tent, accompanied by poppies. The groom also led the steed named Zou to the camp. The 800 death-defying cavalry units selected by the army are ready to risk their lives to break through. This is the last feast. Xiang Yu told his subordinates that after he breaks out of the siege, he will start a heroic decisive battle of life and death, and then the Chu army in Gaixia can surrender to the Han army to avoid unnecessary casualties. He asked Yu Meiren and all important generals not to die lightly, but to protect their clansmen with all their strength after the fall of Chu. He believed that both Liu Bang and Han Xin were from Chu, so they should not embarrass them too much. After finishing speaking, Xiang Yu got up and sang generously: Power to pull out the mountain and surpass the world time is bad There is no way to die Yu Xi Yu Xi Nai Ruo He This song is Xiang Yu's last words. My strength can shake mountains and rivers, and my aura is unparalleled in the world! But the current situation is very unfavorable to me, making it impossible for me to use my martial arts! It is really a pity that the martial arts can not be used, and the name Zou loses his majesty. Concubine Yu, concubine Yu, our separation is a helpless eternal hatred! When Xiang Yu sang, Yu Meiren also got up and sang. "Chu Han Chunqiu" records, Yu Meiren's antiphonal song is as follows: The Han soldiers have already Quartet Chu Song The king is exhausted He Liaosheng Although the "Historical Records" and the whereabouts of Yu Meiren are not clearly stated, judging from the meaning of the lyrics, Yu Ji has actually made it clear that she will die to show her ambition. "Xiang Yu Benji" records: Xiang Yu's Last Fight Xiang Yu immediately got on his horse and led a cavalry death squad of 800 people, broke out from the small road under the cover of night, and then attacked the guards of the Han camp like a raging fire, and the whole team galloped south. Xiang Yu didn't intend to escape, but because there were too few troops, he had to choose a more favorable battlefield to fight the Han army in order to highlight his last bravery. At dawn, the patrol found that Xiang Yu had broken through and immediately reported to Liu Bang. Liu Bang ordered Guan Ying, the commander of the cavalry regiment, to lead five thousand cavalry to pursue from behind. Due to poor vision at night, many daredevils got lost or fell into the deep valley on the way, and only a hundred or so riders were able to keep up at dawn. Xiang Yu ordered Yu Qi to gather in Yinling.Since this place is already a swampy area, if you are not familiar with the road, you will easily fall into desperation. The leading scouts then asked the farmer for directions, but were deceived instead, causing the whole army to fall into the swamp. Then the forward troops of the Han army caught up, and the Chu army fought to the death to protect Xiang Yu. Xiang Yu was able to break through and reach the east city. This place belongs to the plain area, which is a good place for a decisive battle, but the Chu army only has 28 cavalry left. The Guanying cavalry unit that was about to catch up behind had at least a thousand cavalry. There is a huge disparity between the number of people and the number, but Xiang Yu still decides to make the final fight here. He said to the last twenty-eight rides: "It has been eight years since I followed my uncle to fight against Qin. I personally participated in and commanded more than 70 battles. I won almost every battle. There was no enemy that I could not defeat, so I was able to dominate the world. "However, today I am in this predicament. It is God's intention to destroy me, not my combat ability. Now I am ready to launch the final battle to kill a bloody path for you. I set three goals: break the siege, Cut off the generals, cut down the flag, and let the lords evaluate for me, whether it is my lack of luck or my lack of ability!" Immediately, he divided the remaining twenty-eight cavalry of the Chu army in four directions, and the Han army also surrounded Xiang Yu and the Chu army heavily from all sides. Xiang Yu pointed to a general of the Han army and said: "I will kill that general myself, everyone can see if I can do it!" He ordered the Chu army to sprint from all sides and gather in front again. So Xiang Yu shouted loudly and rushed to the general first. The Han army standing in the middle was all scattered under Xiang Yu's charge. Xiang Yu quickly rode in front of the Han general, raised his knife and killed him under his horse. At this time, the former commander of the Han army was Lang Zhongqi Yang Xi, who personally planned to challenge Xiang Yu. Xiang Yu glared at him and shouted at him. Xiang Yu and Yu Qi were divided into three places to meet up. The Han army could not tell where Xiang Yu was, so they had to divide their troops into three places to encircle. Seeing that the Han army was scattered, Xiang Yu turned around and charged again, beheading a captain of the Han army on the spot, and hundreds of Han soldiers were also killed or injured.Xiang Yu gathered the remaining Chu troops and found that only two people had been lost, so he said to the remaining Chu cavalry: "How do you evaluate our results this time?" The rest of the Chu army were all moved and said: Wujiang self-japonica overlord dismembered . Xiang Yu led the rest of the Chu army to retreat southward to the Wujiang River. If he could cross the river smoothly, he could return to his hometown of Kuaiji. On the north bank of the Wujiang River, there is a pavilion chief of the state of Chu at Wujiangpu. This pavilion chief has always admired Xiang Yu's bravery, so he has prepared boats to cross the river to send Xiang Yu back to the east of the river. The people in the pavilion will also fight to the death to ensure Xiang Yu's safety. "Your Majesty, please get on the boat quickly! This is the only boat here. It will take a lot of work and time for the pursuers to cross the river. Your Majesty's safety will be safe!" Seeing another sacrifice for him, Xiang Yu couldn't bear it, so he lowered his head and shook his head. Seeing that King Xiang was hesitant, the pavilion chief expressed more positively: "Even though Jiangdong (referring to Kuaiji County) is still thousands of miles away and has tens of thousands of people, it can still be the king of one side, not to mention we still have a chance to make a comeback." Xiang Yu thought that he had led his children to fight for several years, but ended up like this. Now even if he crossed the river, it would be difficult for him to escape the pursuit of the Han army. Instead, he would only extend the flames of war to his hometown, adding more humiliation and tragedy. Sighing, Xiang Yu said to Wujiang Pavilion Chief: "My luck has already been set, even if I cross the river to escape temporarily, it is useless. Besides, Xiang Ji led 8,000 children from Jiangdong across the Wujiang River, and went west to fight for hegemony. Now there is no one alive. Even if Jiangdong's elders take pity on me and embrace me again As a vassal king, what face do I have to accept their love? Even if they don't criticize me, can I not feel ashamed?" The pavilion chief was also sad when he heard it, and couldn't help crying loudly. Chu Jun all sighed and wept. After seeing it, Xiang Yu was quite calm, and he told the pavilion chief: "I know that you are indeed a respectable elder. I have ridden this horse for five years. It has traveled thousands of miles a day and is invincible. It is a rare and famous horse. I can't bear to kill it. Now I will present it to you. I hope you Treat it well." After finishing speaking, Xiang Yu ordered the remaining Chu cavalry to dismount and continue to fight against the Han army on foot. He even bravely killed hundreds of Han soldiers by himself.At this time, the Chu State Death Squadron who followed had all casualties, and Xiang Yu also suffered from several wounds, and was exhausted and could no longer fight. He looked back and saw Lu Matong, the cavalry commander of the Han army, who was also in the ranks surrounding him, so he shouted: "We should have met, you know me too!" Lu Matong then said to the Han general Wang Yi next to him: "This person is King Xiang." Xiang Yu smiled and said: "I heard that the King of Han offered a reward of a thousand pieces of gold, and he named me for my head. I will give you credit for this achievement!" Since no one dared to approach Xiang Yu again, after Xiang Yu laughed loudly, he raised his sword and killed himself. Wang Yi charged forward and cut off Xiang Yu's head. The generals of the Han camp surrounding him also rushed to grab Xiang Yu's body, so serious conflicts broke out, and even raised their knives at each other, cutting each other, and dozens of people died. In the end, Langzhong Qi Yang Xi, Cavalry Sima Lu Matong, Langzhong Lu Sheng, and Yang Wu each got a part of the body, and the head cut off by Wang Yi was indeed Xiang Yu's own body. Afterwards, Liu Bang made Lu Matong the Marquis of Zhongshui, Wang Yi the Marquis of Du Yan, Yang Xi the Marquis of Chiquan, Yang Wu the Marquis of Wufang, and Lu Sheng the Marquis of Nieyang. The body of a generation of overlords was brutally crushed, which also ended the four-year struggle between Chu and Han. The time was 202 BC, and Xiang Yu was only 31 years old when he died. Chu's final outcome In his early years, Xiang Yu was conferred the title of Duke of Lu by King Huai of Chu, which was also his first fiefdom and official official position. After Xiang Yu's death, all the tribes of the Chu State surrendered to Liu Bang, only the Lu land refused to accept the appeasement, so the generals of the Han camp all advocated to lead the army of the princes from all over the world to annihilate it.But Liu Bang did not agree. He believed that the world had settled down, and the sentiments of Lu Di's death festival and observance of etiquette were the most worthy of praise. Therefore, a special envoy was sent to hold Xiang Yu's head to hold sacrifices in Lu Di according to etiquette. And conduct consolation actions. Seeing that Liu Bang obeyed righteous principles, Lu Guo's father and brother opened the door and surrendered. Liu Bang ordered Xiang Yu to be buried in Gucheng with the ceremony of Duke Lu, and went to hang the sacrifice in person.He lamented that the two had changed from colleagues to old enemies, and they fought to the death to fight for world hegemony. Xiang Yu is still the most respected enemy in his heart.Seeing this ending and thinking of the old man, Liu Bang couldn't help feeling sad and weeping. All Xiang's elders were pardoned and retained their original positions. Xiang Bo, Zhang Liangzhi's best friend and kindness to Liu Bang, was granted the title of Marquis of Sheyang, and the other important elders were named Marquis of Tao, Marquis of Pinggao, and Marquis of Xuanwu respectively, and they were given "the surname Liu to show the favor of the royal family." As Xiang Yu said before his death, Liu Bang is from Chu, so he will not embarrass the elders of Chu too much. Sima Qian thought that Xiang Yu had heavy pupils and was tall, so he suspected that he was a descendant of Emperor Shun.Shun belongs to the bird totem family and is active in today's Shandong area.Legend has it that Xiang Yu is the eldest grandson of Xiang Yan, a famous general of Chu. Although Xiang Yan is from Chu, he has been managing the border area between the northeast of Chu State and Qi State for many years. If the eldest son of Xiang Yan married the daughter of a nobleman in Qi State, it was quite possible according to the international marriage system at that time. of.Xiang Yu is tall and majestic, different from the short Chu people, perhaps he inherited his blood from his mother. Xiang Yu is a natural war machine, and his combat efficiency is almost unprecedented, but he is by no means an excellent operator, and his final fiasco is actually predictable. 【Chen Wende Commentary】 Lao Tzu's "Tao Te Ching Chapter 48": "In order to learn more and more, for the sake of Dao, it is damaged and damaged, so that doing nothing, doing nothing but doing everything, taking the world is often nothing, and even having things is not enough to take the world. .” Those who are scholars keep increasing their knowledge, but those who practice the Tao are just the opposite. Their thoughts and desires must be continuously reduced and reduced until they become pure and powerless. People who can do nothing, because they have no thoughts, no desires, and everything goes with nature, instead they become omnipotent and omnipotent. The world belongs to everyone, and the world runs according to the way of nature, so only those who hold the spirit of inaction can take advantage of the world.And those who are too strong-minded and unable to follow the natural way, no matter how positive their attitude is and how efficient they are, they will not be able to defeat nature, so they are not good enough to conquer the world. In his masterpiece "Xiang Yu vs. Liu Bang", the famous Japanese novelist Shiba Ryotaro described Xiang Yu's defeat by Liu Bang due to accidental factors with the novelist's unique romantic sentiment. After reading his works carefully, we can't understand why Xiang Yu lost and why Liu Bang won, because even in the Guangwu confrontation, Liu Bang was still as timid as a mouse, and he couldn't compare with the all-powerful King Xiang. We do not insist on judging heroes by success or failure, but success or failure is by no means an accidental factor, there must be reasons and reasons. Xiang Yu is indeed a hero, his words and deeds make people think about it, and his final tragic ending is also amazing.But he made too many mistakes, and his failures cannot be summed up by lack of military luck or lack of luck.regardless of operating capacity.In terms of mentality and strategic planning, Xiang Yu is indeed inferior to Liu Bang. It is indeed a childish joke that Xiang Yu thinks that as long as he can fight, he can conquer and rule the world. War is an act against nature, that is, to change the form of nature with human ideas and desires, and to believe that manpower will surely conquer the sky. This may not be the most persistent thing in Xiang Yu's heart is "ideas." It is this idea that makes him not understand the importance of inaction. His words and deeds continue to violate God's will, but in the end he said "Heaven will kill me, it is not a crime of war" as his last words. He is really a person who does not understand himself. Sima Qian finally commented in "The Benji of Xiang Yu": "If you want to conquer and manage the world with strength, you will die in the country in five years, and you will die in Dongcheng. You still don't feel embarrassed and don't blame yourself. It's too much!" Isn't it absurd to use soldiers as a crime!"