Speaking of the era of the founding war of the Western Han Dynasty, who is the most well-known figure today? The answer may not be the "Han Gaozu" Liu Bang as the victor, but his deadly enemy-Xiang Yu, the overlord of Western Chu. Needless to say, folk operas, for thousands of years, all kinds of literary works have been flying all over the sky, and a song has been sung from ancient times to the present. Its brave martial arts and lingering love have made generations of viewers cry.I sang in the play, and I filmed the TV series N times, and the movie won a round of awards back and forth.Times change, years change, fashions change, but Xiang Yu's "popularity" has remained unchanged for thousands of years, even rising with the development of society and the evolution of culture.Bottom line: this is a man loved by the world.

There are naturally many reasons why I like it.For example, although he is ruthless, he is straightforward and a bloody man.Another example is that although he failed in his career, he was single-minded in his love, and his love moved heaven and earth. If he met Concubine Yu in his life, what more could he ask for?The lingering love has added a lot of interesting talk to future generations.Of course, the most important reason is probably that he was wronged: as a descendant of the famous Chu family, he held the most powerful Jiangdong army in China at that time, and even the Qin army that swept Liuhe was defeated by him. He competed with him, but was finally defeated by mere Liu Bang, and ended up with a tragic ending of slaying himself by the Wujiang River.As regretful as Xiang Yu, as sad as Xiang Yu, after a thousand years, how can it not make future generations sigh again and again?

In fact, on the road of Xiang Yu's life, he had countless opportunities. Not only could he rule the world in one fell swoop, he could strangle his ambitious opponent Liu Bang to death in the cradle, but he could even establish a "Great Chu Empire" dominating the East Asian continent. ", However, he is like a "rich second generation" child who has great ambitions but does not know how to cherish, squandering the opportunities bestowed on him by God time and time again.The last tragedy, although deplorable, is also "God will not take it, but you will be blamed instead."

Let us take a look from beginning to end, what opportunities Xiang Yu has missed. When talking about Xiang Yu's life, we have to first talk about the demise of the Qin Dynasty. The death knell of the Qin Dynasty, which lasted only 15 years after the death of the second generation, was recognized as the death knell of the Daze Township Uprising in the southeast of Suzhou, Anhui in 209 BC.Chen Sheng and Wu Guang raised their arms and shouted "Princes and generals, I would rather have a kind", which opened the prelude to the vigorous peasant war in the late Qin Dynasty.Then there were heroes everywhere. First, Wei Jiu, a descendant of the royal family of Wei State, proclaimed himself king Fuguo in the old place of Wei State, then Tian Zhan and Tian Rong brothers of Qi King's family restored the state in Shandong, and Zhao Xie, a descendant of Zhao State, was supported by Zhang Er and Chen Yu in Zhaodi. Rejuvenation.For a time the world was in chaos, the rule of the Qin Empire was on the verge of collapse, and hundreds of thousands of people competed in the Central Plains. But in the end, who would "chase" that "deer"—the world?

Not long after tossing, the "heroes" revealed their secrets.Chen Sheng and Wu Guang were the most active, and at one time expanded to hundreds of thousands of people. But in the final analysis, it was a peasant uprising with low combat effectiveness and no long-term vision.The name of the country they established is "Zhang Chu", which means "Zhang Da Chu State", and they expanded their strength with the brand of Chu State during the Warring States Period.This move began to work, and Chen Sheng's army once reached Hangu Pass, almost taking over the old nest of the Qin Empire.But after several victories, the generals of "Zhang Chu" began to be busy becoming kings.His subordinates became self-reliant one after another, especially the nobles who originally belonged to the Six Kingdoms, took the opportunity to get rid of Chen Sheng and become self-reliant, and regained the title of king.As a result, Zhou Wenbu, the main force of Chen Sheng's army, failed to attack Hangu Pass. Instead, he was hit hard by Qin General Zhang Han.In December of the second year, Zhang Han, the general of the Qin Empire, led his army to conquer Chen County, the capital of "Zhang Chu", and Chen Sheng was killed by his subordinate Zhuang Jia.The Zhang Chu regime, which was once vigorous, was nothing more than a "pirated" Chu State in the final analysis, and ultimately failed.

And at this time, the "authentic" state of Chu was born - in October 209 BC, Xiang Liang, the former general of Chu State Xiang Yan, killed the prefect of Suzhou and won 8,000 soldiers from Suzhou, and then swore to cross the river to support the clan of Chu Xiong Xin is the emperor, known as the king of Chuhuai, and the state of Chu, the most staunch opponent of the Qin state in the Warring States period, has returned to the state. Before the restoration of the state of Chu, the land of the Central Plains had long been made into a pot of porridge.Chen Sheng and Wu Guang made trouble first, and then the clans of the six countries came in to join in the fun.Wei Guonao, Qi Guonao, and Zhao Guonao are nothing more than Nao Nao, and these "heroes" themselves are really worthless.Needless to say, Chen Sheng, from the beginning to the end, it could only be a peasant uprising, which at most would cause trouble for the Qin Empire.As for the states of Wei, Qi, and Zhao, it is even more difficult to achieve a climate-during the reign of Qin Shihuang, he adopted an extremely cruel policy of suppressing the clans of the six countries, and all the big families of the six countries were weakened. The east tour caused serious production damage in the north, people were displaced, and the economy was exhausted.In addition, these few "Queens of the Royal Family" are not people who have achieved great things. Most of them just closed their doors and became kings immediately after recovering the territory of their motherland, without any ambition to compete in the world.Heroes from all walks of life in the north who want nothing but nothing more than to cause trouble for the Qin Empire.After Chen Sheng and Wu Guang were pacified, the Qin Empire concentrated its forces and defeated the northern princes one by one, and finally pacified the world. It seemed that it would be a matter of time.

Until the restoration of Chu State. With the state of Chu, things are different.In fact, in the chaotic situation at the end of Qin Dynasty, only Chu State could end the fate of Qin Dynasty.The only one with the power to unify the world is Chu State.In terms of the reasons, it is well known that during the period when Qin State destroyed the six kingdoms, the resistance of Chu State was the most intense, and the fate of the Chu royal family was also the most tragic. Needless to say, the sympathy of the world, the nostalgia of Chu State survivors for their homeland , is also the strongest.However, more importantly, compared with the brutal suppression of the descendants of the Central Plains countries by the Qin Empire, the strength of Chu State is the most preserved.This is not because the Qin Dynasty is kind, but because the Chu people are located in the Yangtze River Basin, which is beyond the reach of the Qin Dynasty at this time.The tyranny of Qin Shihuang in his later years caused a large number of farmers in the Central Plains to flee.In order to escape harsh government, military service, and taxation, a large number of people who originally lived in Shandong, Henan, and Hebei took refuge in the Yangtze River Basin, where the sky is high and the emperor is far away, and they can still live and work in peace.During the reign of Qin II Hu Hai, the population and economic strength of Chu were enough to compete with the Qin Dynasty.Of course, the biggest capital is still the people—the Xiang family, the clan of Chu State.

The Xiang family, that is, Xiang Yu's family.This family is not simple. It is said that it is the direct royal family of Chu State. Because it was sealed in Xiangdi, it changed its surname to Xiang.It is also said that they are nobles from Chu State, from a family of generals.But no matter what it is said, this family has always been very powerful in the history of Chu State, and generations of heroes have emerged in large numbers.In Qin Shihuang's war of destroying the six kingdoms, the one who dealt the heaviest blow to the invincible Qin army was General Xiang Yan of Chu State. The 200,000 Qin army was wiped out by him. In the end, Qin general Wang Jian went south with 600,000 heavy troops. With long-term stalemate tactics, Qin's strong national strength and logistical support capabilities, he finally dragged down Xiang Yan's one million Chu army. The country also perished.But Qin State also suffered heavy losses in this battle, and Xiang Yan, who was on the verge of defeat, was the "sinner" of Chu State's demise, and died heroically in the final blow of the Qin Army.But because of his tragic resistance, he has won the respect of the survivors of the Six Kingdoms for a long time.Even when Chen Sheng and Wu Guang raised the flag to rebel in Daze Township, although they dared to say "the princes and generals, I would rather have a kind", they still used the name of Xiang Yan to use the name of "Chu".And not long after, the descendants of the Xiang family, who were burdened with the glory and hatred of their ancestors, also started their fierce revenge action-the restoration of Chu State.

The protagonist of "Reviving the Country" is Xiang Yan's son and grandson—Xiang Liang, Xiang Yu's uncle and nephew.After the fall of Chu, the Xiang family was brutally suppressed by the Qin Empire.Xiang Yu was born in Suqian, Jiangsu. When he was young, his family was searched and killed by the Qin Dynasty, so he had to take refuge in the Suzhou area in the south of the Yangtze River.This is the old land of Chu State, and it is also the place where the survivors of Chu State live together. Although the Qin Empire has an official office here, it is difficult to control it for a while. "The sky is high and the emperor is far away", the Xiang family developed rapidly, and with the appeal of a prominent family background and two generations of brave heroes, they soon became a hero.As for Xiang Yu himself, historians have more records about his "martial bravery" when he was young.His father died young, and he was brought up by his uncle Xiang Liang. He was taught calligraphy first, and he got tired of it after a while, and then he was asked to learn the art of war. The era is full of powerful martial arts and natural supernatural power, and he soon became a hero, but it also buried his final tragic fate: martial arts can be noisy for a while, but a person who is often tired will eventually be tired of fate.

After the uprising in Daze Township, the Xiang family also took action immediately, launching an attack in June 209 BC, killing Yin Tong, the prefect of Kuaiji sent by the Qin Empire to the south of the Yangtze River, and occupying the land of the south of the Yangtze River in one fell swoop.This operation was launched by Xiang Yu's uncle Xiang Liang, and the 24-year-old Xiang Yu participated in it. He beheaded hundreds of guards in Yintong and made his first debut in the Jianghu.Then they supported Xiong Xin as the emperor and rebuilt the state of Chu.Then he sent his troops to the north to fight for the top of the world.The first battle went very smoothly, and it went all the way to the Dingtao area in Shandong.During this period, Xiang Yu also grew from a partial general beside his uncle to a general in charge of his own.Acting as a pioneer all the way, the momentum is like a broken bamboo.Especially in the battle of Yongqiu, he took the lead in charging, killed the Qin general Li You, defeated the Qin army, and made his first contribution.But when they arrived in Dingtao, the Chu army met their opponent for the first time—the Qin general Zhang Han who suppressed the Chen Sheng and Wu Guang uprising.This Confucian general who was born as a civil servant is the last general of the Great Qin Empire.In the Battle of Dingtao, Zhang Han's old tricks were repeated. He used steady defense tactics to drag down the Chu army, concentrated superior forces to launch an attack, and wiped out the main force of Commander Xiang Liang. Xiang Liang himself died in the battle.The fate of history has reached a juncture again: at this time, the situation in the north against Qin could not be worse. Qi Wang Tianzhan, who had raised the flag to restore the country, was destroyed by Zhang Han, and Wei Wang Wei Jiu was also pacified. , the originally vigorous "Six Kingdoms Restoration Movement" in the north left only the family of Zhao Guo and Zhao Xie, who were besieged and lingering in Julu City.And the Chu army that Xiang Liang marched northward was also beaten to annihilation. The generals of Xiang's family died in this battle.Zhang Han then sent his troops to the north and besieged Julu City with an army of 600,000. Once Julu City was broken, the anti-Qin forces of the six northern countries would be completely wiped out.And the state of Chu, which guards the south of the Yangtze River, is bound to be unable to survive alone. This is a war of death and teeth.

"The death of lips" is imminent, but the performance of the "teeth" is very chilling: at this time, Zhao State, which is besieged in Julu, is facing the attack of Qin State's northern frontier army from Hetao in the north, and Zhang Han's army is stationed in the south of the Yellow River. The division of hundreds of thousands of tigers and wolves.After the Qi State was wiped out, the incumbent Tian Rong was frightened and led his army to retreat in the eastern Shandong area to protect himself.Zhao General Chen Yu and others led an army to rescue, but after seeing the might of the Qin army, they all retreated.However, there are also internal struggles in Chu State.After Xiang Liang's death, King Huai of Chu, who was supported, attempted to seize power. On the one hand, he reused Liu Bang, who was not from the Xiang family, and gave him independent command of the army, and ordered him to attack Qin from the west to contain the Qin army's actions.On the other hand, he sent his confidant Song Yi as the main general to lead the reinforcements from all over the world.Xiang Yu was just his lieutenant general, and just like that, King Huai of Chu took back the Xiang family's power over the sky with one hand. Therefore, it was not until September 207 BC that Chu State formally organized reinforcements, led by Liu Bang, to attack Hangu Pass, the old nest of Qin State, to the west.The terrain of Hangu Pass is dangerous. Although the main force of Qin State is exhausted, it is not easy for Liu Bang's 100,000 people to conquer it.The key point of the battle is still Julu. If the siege of Julu cannot be lifted and the 400,000 main force of the Qin army can be eliminated, then Liu Bang's destruction will only be a matter of time.King Huai of Chu handed over the task of aiding Julu to Song Yi, and Xiang Yu was only a lieutenant general.This Song Yi, like Xiang Liang, is also a family of the Chu State. After the restoration of the Chu State, he served as the Ling Yin (Prime Minister) of the Chu State, and had many fights with Xiang Liang.After the restoration of the Chu State, Song Yi's tasks were mainly to stabilize the place, raise food and grass, and recruit refugees to produce. He contributed a lot to the stability of the Chu State regime, but military affairs were not his specialty.His "contribution" to the later Western Han Dynasty was: he advised King Huai of Chu to send Liu Bang to the west to restrain the Qin army, and established the rule of "whoever enters Hanzhong will be the king", which made Liu Bang's success in the future.In September of that year, Song Yi was formally appointed as the "General" by King Huai of Chu to lead his troops northward.After marching into Caoyang, Shandong, Song Yi was intimidated by the huge formation of the Qin army, and immediately ordered the whole army to rest and confront the Qin army with the Yellow River as the boundary.Although later generations said he was "cowardly", Song Yi's thinking still made sense: at this time, the rear of Chu State was stable and the supplies were sufficient, while the Central Plains was in constant war, and the Qin Army had just won a victory, so they used a steady defense to kill the Qin Army Your spirit is the safest way. But what Song Yi didn't know was that the Qin Dynasty at this time was also thinking similarly: with the strength of the Qin army at the time, it would not be a problem to take down the Julu, but during the several months of besieging the Julu, the Qin army had been taking only siege measures. The strategy of not fighting, Zhang Han's real intention is to "surround the spot and fight for aid", to use the giant deer as bait to attract all kinds of rebels to rescue, and then finish his work in one battle and wipe out all the "rebels" in the Central Plains in one fell swoop.In the early days of the arrival of the Song Yi army, the Qin army had no firm foothold, and the encirclement circle was not yet stable.At this time, the chances of winning the army in one fell swoop are not great. The longer the reinforcements are delayed, the more favorable the situation will be for the Qin army, because the Qin army is fighting at home after all, unlike the reinforcements that work hard to attack far away.So after Song Yi began to choose a stalemate with the Qin army, the balance of victory tilted towards the Qin Dynasty a little bit. The inflection point happened at this time.Xiang Yu, who was eager to march, had a dispute with Song Yi on the issue of marching, and killed Song Yi in a rage.Most of Song Yi's generals were originally Xiang Liang's old troops, but under the great change, they all fell to Xiang Yu.King Huai of Chu had no choice but to push the boat with the current, and Feng Xiang Yu succeeded as the general.This unexpected change made the Chu army finally choose to take the initiative to attack, rushing into the "trap" carefully arranged by Zhang Han for several months.The situation at this time is still beneficial to the Qin Dynasty.The Qin army has been fortified for a long time, the city is strong, and it is well prepared. It is difficult for Xiang Yu's army to defeat it in one fell swoop.At that time, Xiang Yu's army numbered about 50,000 people. Most of the elite Xiang family died in the battle of Dingtao. Xiang Yu's army was just a "rookie".The Qin army on the opposite side was the Zhanghan tribe that wiped out Chen Sheng and Wu Guang, and the Wangli tribe composed of Hetao cavalry in the north. This is the most elite Baizhan Tiger Division of the Qin army.The result of rushing into the army is bound to be bloody. But after all the calculations, one thing was missed: the two armies of the Qin State, Wang Li's troops were stationed in Julu, and Zhang Han's troops were stationed in the south of Julu. Between the two armies was the Qin army's grain transportation channel , As long as this channel is interrupted, it is equivalent to interrupting Qin Jun's blood vessels.Xiang Yu took action. He first sent his general Yingbu to lead an army of 20,000 to forcefully cross the river. He won the first battle, and then the whole army was exhausted. It is the famous "break the boat and sink the boat" in history.Then the Chu army, who had no way out, launched a fierce attack on the Qin army, first launching an offensive against Zhang Han in the south of Julu.As a result, the Qin army whose "blood vessels" were cut off suddenly collapsed, Wang Li's 100,000 frontier army was wiped out, Zhang Han retreated in a hurry, and the siege of Julu was resolved.During the battle, the more than 100,000 "rebels" who were watching around witnessed the bravery and strength of the Chu army, and they all bowed at the feet of the Chu army after the battle.As a result of this battle, Xiang Yu became a real anti-Qin leader.This famous battle of winning more with less is the famous Battle of Julu. After the Battle of Julu, Xiang Yu did not stop and cut off Zhang Han's retreat at Sanhujin, and finally forced Zhang Han to surrender at the end of 207 BC.In this way, the last powerful army of the Qin Dynasty that was able to fight well was wiped out, and the fate of destruction was irreversible.In order to prevent Qin's troops from surrendering, Xiang Yu killed all 200,000 Qin's troops, and his brutality was well-known all over the world.At the same time, Liu Bang, another Western Expeditionary Army that was intended to contain the Qin Army, took advantage of Xiang Yu's opportunity to fight to the death with the Qin Army, successfully broke through Hangu Pass in December 207 BC, and conquered Xianyang.The Qin Dynasty, which swept the world, died just like this.Although Liu Bang "picked up a bargain", the most powerful force in northern China during this period and the leader who was recognized and supported was Xiang Yu, the overlord who defeated the main force of the Qin army.It can be said that the master of China in this period was named Xiang. After the Battle of Julu, Xiang Yu marched eastward and defeated Liu Bang at Hangu Pass who wanted to become the king of Guanzhong.Liu Bang was forced to take the initiative to seek peace in Xiang Yu's camp, and handed over the Hanzhong area to Xiang Yu.During this period, Xiang Yu's counselor Fan Zeng suggested that Xiang Yu take the opportunity to kill Liu Bang, but Xiang Yu did not accept it.This incident was considered by later generations to be one of Xiang Yu's defeats.At that time, Xiang Yu had 500,000 troops, far stronger than Liu Bang, who had 100,000 troops.Although Liu Bang was highly regarded in Guanzhong because of his strict discipline all the way, after Xiang Yu broke through Hangu Pass, Liu Bang had long been "the weak on the chopping board". Xiang Yu may have his reasons for not killing Liu Bang.At this time, the Qin Dynasty had just died and the situation was unstable. After all, Liu Bang and himself belonged to the same line of "Rebel Army". Once internal friction occurs, it is likely to trigger new civil strife.After all, the princes from all walks of life are newly attached, and stability comes first. The same is true of the enfeoffment policy, which is generally regarded as a "mistake": Xiang Yu's army, which is said to belong to him with 500,000 people, is actually a patchwork of anti-Qin troops from all walks of life, mainly the clans and old nobles of the six countries .The main purpose of these people's "revolution" is to restore the land of the motherland.After the Qin Dynasty was destroyed, the so-called "enfeoffment" also naturally "successful".Although Xiang Yu is strong, at this time his direct descendants do not yet have the absolute advantage over the princes of the six countries.Therefore, after the Qin Dynasty was destroyed, Xiang Yu honored King Chuhuai as the "Emperor of Righteousness" and conferred feudal lords on the one hand. They were all named kings, and they were stationed in Xingping, Shaanxi, Fuping, and Yan'an, Shaanxi, directly blocking Liu Bang's eastward passage.In the enfeoffment of other kings, Xiang Yu also insisted on the principle of splitting, making maximum use of the internal contradictions of the clans of the six countries, weakening the forces of all parties, and achieving the goal of dividing and ruling, which can be described as painstaking. However, after a lot of painstaking efforts, it was actually a mistake.The first is the treatment of Liu Bang.Sealing Liu Bang in the land of Shu seemed to be "distributed", but in fact it fulfilled Liu Bang.Although Shu is remote, it has been the grain storage base of Qin since the Warring States period.Through Li Bing's "Dujiangyan" project, the State of Qin turned Shu into a "Land of Abundance".Especially since the war at the end of the Qin Dynasty, the land of Shu has become a refuge for the peasants of the Central Plains, especially the peasants of the Sanqin land.A large number of refugees poured in to open up wasteland and produce locally, which can be said to be the best base for conquering the world.Giving Liu Bang the land of Shu is tantamount to giving Liu Bang a huge gold ingot. The bigger mistake was that Xiang Yu misjudged the situation after Qin's demise.In fact, the war in China at that time did not end with the demise of the Qin Dynasty.The anti-Qin forces were originally in a state of disunity, and the result of the distribution of enfeoffments was that various factions would have civil wars due to uneven entrustment, and new wars were doomed.For Xiang Yu, although enfeoffment is a matter of course, but taking advantage of the conflicts and even wars among the princes from all walks of life to continuously weaken the princes, and finally unify the world and become the master of the world, this is the choice he should make the most.But Xiang Yu didn't.In his eyes, when the Qin Dynasty perished and King Huai of Chu was deposed, the world would already belong to him, and then he could put swords and guns into the treasury, and put his horses on Nanshan.After that, he led his army back to Pengcheng to become the Overlord of Western Chu, and looted and burned Afang Palace in Xianyang, all without foresight.Not only did he fail to prepare for a new round of war, but he allowed Liu Bang to sit up. Therefore, Xiang Yu's miscalculation was met with retribution after he became the "Overlord of Western Chu". His exile of King Huai of Chu gave Liu Bang an excuse to send troops.After more than a year of recuperation, Liu Bang finally raised the banner of breaking with Xiang Yu at the end of 206 BC. Through the strategy of repairing plank roads in the open and secretly planning Chencang, he defeated Zhang Han and others in one fell swoop and successfully occupied 800 people. Li Qinchuan suddenly became a force to compete with Xiang Yu.It is worth mentioning that Liu Bang, who had only 100,000 troops when he entered Sichuan, had 560,000 troops after he occupied the land of Sanqin, which can be said to be on par with Xiang Yu. In fact, in the early days when Liu Bang came out of Sichuan to attack and kill, with Xiang Yu's power, Liu Bang could be completely wiped out, but Xiang Yu continued to make mistakes in his strategic choice: at the same time Liu Bang came out of the Three Qin Dynasty, Xiang Yu's enfeoffed Qi State also rose up. The flames of war.Tian Rong, the clan of the Qi State, drove away Xiang Yu's Tiandu, the king of Qi, and established himself as king in Shandong.In Xiang Yu's eyes, Tian Rong was obviously more threatening than Liu Bang, so he personally led the elite to conquer Tian Rong, only sent Chen Ping and Zheng Chang to Han to contain Liu Bang, and himself led the main force to attack Tian Rong.As a result, taking advantage of Xiang Yu's main force being restrained in Shandong, Liu Bang quickly sent his troops south, occupying Xiang Yu's old nest Chudi in one fell swoop, and besieging Xiang Yu's capital Pengcheng.The result of "avoiding reality and attacking fiction" this time is to push Xiang Yu, who was still dominant in the world before, to the edge of the precipice of defeat. But Xiang Yu is Xiang Yu after all, and returned to the teacher quickly under the crisis.At this time, Xiang Yu's rear fell, his supplies were cut off, his soldiers and horses suffered heavy losses, and he was trapped in a dilemma in the east.Xiang Yu put it to death and was born again, and quickly assembled 30,000 elite cavalry to return south.It is worth mentioning that he left his main infantry in Qidi to confuse Liu Bang. He personally led 30,000 cavalry and marched overnight to cover up a roundabout, and suddenly appeared to the west of Liu Bang's Han army besieging Pengcheng.As a result, a large-scale cavalry charge suddenly collapsed the hundreds of thousands of Shu infantry that Liu Bang had painstakingly trained.In the Battle of Pengcheng, Xiang Yu lured the enemy with a small group of cavalry, and then a large force of cavalry charged to encircle and annihilate. The Han army only fell into the water and drowned more than 100,000 people. Liu Bang lost all his capital in the first battle, and even his father became a prisoner of Xiang Yu.The result of breaking the boat again is that Xiang Yu has completely grasped the initiative in the Chu-Han War, and Liu Bang's demise seems to be on the verge of life and death. After Pengcheng's big reversal, Xiang Yu once again faced a great situation.Most of the princes who originally surrendered to Liu Bang turned to Xiang Yu again, especially the Qi Ditian family who had been restraining Xiang Yu, and now they all surrendered to Xiang Yu.Liu Bang is much worse.Hundreds of thousands of troops were lost, and his father Liu Taigong and his wife Lu Zhi also fell into Xiang Yu's hands.Liu Bang himself retreated to Xiayi County, Henan Province with only tens of thousands of remnants.At this time, Liu Bang was wiped out in one fell swoop, which seemed to be a matter of flatness. Under the crisis, Liu Bang responded calmly, using the favorable terrain on the Chenggao line in Henan to build a defense line, repulsed Xiang Yu's pursuers, and stabilized the front line.At this time, it was Xiao He who he stayed in Hanzhong to "watch the house" who played a key role in him.Xiao He not only stabilized his rear, provided sufficient food and pay, but also mobilized the people of Hanzhong and sent him a large number of young and strong soldiers.Especially in May 205 BC, 50,000 young and strong soldiers from Guanzhong sent by Xiao He arrived at the front line of Chenggao. It was with this new force that Liu Bang repelled Xiang Yu's attack in the Battle of Jingsuo and stabilized the front line. Take a breath. But the situation at this time is still very unfavorable to Liu Bang.To the north of Liu Bang, the kings of Wei, Zhao, Changshan, and Qi who had fallen to Liu Bang had all surrendered to Xiang Yu. The front of Liu Bang was Xiang Yu's main force.Under attack from both sides, Liu Bang will be "squeezed" to death by Xiang Yu sooner or later.At this time, Liu Bang made an important decision, that is, to appoint Han Xin as the commander-in-chief, and lead 30,000 elites to the north to wipe out the northern princes.This is actually an extremely risky decision. If Xiang Yu also divides his troops into the north to support the northern princes, once Han Xin's entire army is wiped out, Liu Bang may be next. But the turning point appeared again, and Xiang Yu made a wrong judgment.During Chenggao's stalemate, Xiang Yu constantly mobilized his troops to attack Liu Bang's Chenggao defense line.When Liu Bang was struggling to defend, Han Xin made a breakthrough in the north, and King Wei, King Zhao, and King Qi were successively destroyed by Han Xin.The original "Chu and Han struggle" situation has become a tripartite confrontation among Xiang Yu, Liu Bang, and Han Xin.At this time, whoever Han Xin falls to is the winner of this competition.But Han Xin was snubbed by Xiang Yu back then, but Liu Bang had "the kindness of knowing you" to him. At this time, it was too late for Xiang Yu to win him over again.At the beginning of 204 BC, Xiang Yu finally broke through the Chenggao defense line that Liu Bang had been holding on for more than half a year after hard work, and took Chenggao in one fell swoop. Liu Bang was defeated and fled back to Guanzhong.However, just when Xiang Yu was about to go all out to wipe out Liu Bang, the consequences of his strategic misjudgment were met with retribution again: Peng Yue, who had already taken refuge in Liu Bang, marched into northern Jiangsu, captured Suining, and forced Xiang Yu to return to the rescue twice. As a result, Liu Bang took the opportunity Counterattack and regain Chenggao again.After attacking for half a year, Xiang Yu turned back and ran in vain, losing a large number of soldiers and horses in vain, and worked hard to no avail.Since then, the two sides have faced each other with Guangwu Mountain as the boundary, and neither can move forward. But Liu Bang can not move, but Xiang Yu can't.Due to the perennial wars, the production in Chu was seriously damaged, and the material supply capacity was greatly insufficient. In addition, Yingbu, who was stationed in Jiujiang, Jiangxi, also betrayed Xiang Yu, which cut off the supply of Xiang Yu's rear.In November 204 BC, Xiang Yu, who was running out of ammunition and food, had to agree to negotiate a peace with Liu Bang. The two sides took the "Gap" in Xingyang, Henan as the boundary, and ceased fighting. After the peace talks in Xingyang, Xiang Yu had actually lost the initiative to fight for the world. At this time, most of the northern regions were owned by Liu Bang. Han Xin, Peng Yue, and Yingbu had all surrendered to Liu Bang. Work hard.With Xiang Yu's military strength at this time, it is far from enough for him and Liu Bang who lost the opportunity to compete for the world.But it was difficult for Liu Bang to defeat Xiang Yu in one fell swoop. The combat effectiveness of the Chu army was originally higher than that of the Han army. For many years of fighting between Chu and Han, Xiang Yu almost won most of the field battles. In the battle of the main decisive battle, Liu Bang lost even more. Liu Bang could only compete with Xiang Yu by relying on his strategic brilliance and the strength of uniting the princes from all walks of life.At this time, it is difficult for Xiang Yu to go north, and it is equally difficult for Liu Bang to completely destroy Xiang Yu. If Xiang Yu has a proper strategy, it is completely achievable to separate the kingdom according to Chu. And Xiang Yu's mistake was to underestimate Liu Bang's betrayal of the alliance.After the peace talks, Xiang Yu immediately led his army to withdraw eastward. If he could safely retreat to his headquarters in the five counties of Jiangdong, Liu Bang would have no chance to calm down Xiang Yu. Therefore, taking advantage of Xiang Yu's eastward retreat to launch a surprise attack is the best way to eliminate Xiang Yu. opportunity.Liu Bang really did so.In October 202 BC, Liu Bang personally led an army to pursue Xiang Yu to Guling, Henan.Xiang Yu, who was annoyed at Liu Bang's betrayal of the alliance, fought back again. In a big battle, he killed more than 20,000 people in Liu Bang's army, so that Liu Bang had to stand by and wait for help.At this time, the choice of fate was placed in front of Xiang Yu again, whether to continue to retreat, or to pursue the victory.Xiang Yu, annoyed by Liu Bang's treachery, chose to drive Liu Bang to death.The Chu army stopped retreating and attacked Liu Bang with heavy troops. Although Liu Bang was slightly inferior in field battles, his defensive ability was still there and his main force was still there, so it was not a problem to stick to it.And the choice of this difference of thought doomed Xiang Yu's fate to be irreversible. During the Battle of Guling, although Xiang Yu still had more than 100,000 troops, the Chu army could not supply food and grass at this time, and the surrounding Peng Yue and Yingbu had already defected to Liu Bang, and their flanks lost their protection.The victory in the Battle of Guling was certainly due to the bravery of the Chu army, but the more important reason was that Han Xin, Peng Yue, and Yingbu were dissatisfied with Liu Bang's reward, and they deliberately stood still to blackmail Liu Bang. Vigorously win over 3 people, in exchange for 3 people to come to reinforce.Once this happens, the Chu army stranded in the Guling area will be surrounded by Liu Bang.And these are exactly what Xiang Yu didn't consider. Sure enough, after the Battle of Guling, Han Xin went south from Shandong to occupy the northern Jiangsu area.At the same time, the 200,000 newly reorganized Guanzhong Army also reinforced Liu Bang, and the newly established Han Empire, the war machine rumbled into action, and Xiang Yu's 100,000 army was instantly surrounded by a comprehensive encirclement in the southeast, northwest, and north.In the Battle of Guling, Xiang Yu won a brilliant victory, but in exchange for eternal defeat. By November 202 BC, the total strength of the Han army encircling Xiang Yu had reached 700,000.Under the siege, the Chu army once again broke out with strong combat effectiveness, rushing from left to right, and finally broke through to the Gaixia area.But at this time, Xiang Yu's territory north of the Yangtze River had all fallen.The only hope is to break through and return to the five counties of Jiangdong, but from the time, it was basically impossible. Almost impossible, but possible.At this time, the combat effectiveness of Xiang Yu's army is still there, and the cavalry under Xiang Yu's subordinates are the most elite cavalry troops in China at this time except for the Huns.If you can concentrate the superior cavalry to rush out and adopt the method of segmented cover, there is still hope for a successful breakout.Of course, the loss of doing so is extremely heavy. Xiang Yu chose another way. Even in such a desperate situation, he still believes that he can "put to death and live later".In desperation, he chose a decisive battle with the Han army, that is, to concentrate the elite troops, take the initiative to launch a counterattack against the Han army, and strive to defeat the Han army.If his opponent is Zhang Han, there may be some hope. Unfortunately, at this time his opponent is Han Xin who "the more soldiers the better".Faced with Xiang Yu's final counterattack, Han Xin adopted the method of "ambush from ten sides", that is, first pretended to retreat, lured Xiang Yu to attack, and then attacked from all sides, divided and surrounded Xiang Yu's army, and defeated each one. His strategy worked.In desperation, the Chu army rushed from left to right, but was still unable to break through the iron wall encircled by the Han army.The result of Xiang Yu's "breaking the boat" was that his last army of 100,000 was wiped out by the Han army with more than 40,000 people and more than 20,000 people were captured.Of course, the Han army also suffered heavy losses.After the counterattack failed, Xiang Yu led 20,000 remnants of soldiers to hold on to Gaixia. At this time, the camp was surrounded by "besieged on all sides". Amid the mournful songs of Chu, the self-confidence of the Chu army, who had been stubborn and fierce for many years, was finally crushed: their hometown had been destroyed by the Han Dynasty. What's the point of holding on to the army? The result of the collapse of confidence is the complete collapse of the army.Under the general attack of the Han army, Xiang Yu's concubine Yu Ji killed herself angrily. Xiang Yu, full of grief and indignation, led 800 cavalry to break through to Wujiang River. At this time, there were only more than 20 people around.As the Han army approached, the desperate Xiang Yu finally refused the boatman's offer to take him across the river.He committed suicide by brandishing a sword by the Wujiang River, performing the last swan song of his life. Xiang Yu, who "sees Jiangdong's elders without face", may not know that the moment he refused to cross the river also meant that he rejected the last chance in his life to stand up. In the battle of Gaixia, the Han army ambushed on all sides, majestic and majestic, but in fact there was only one breath left.Years of wars have severely damaged the economy in the north and the population has plummeted.Regardless of the outcome of the Battle of Gaixia, the Han army actually did not have much confidence to fight on.What's more, the five counties in Jiangdong, which are still in the hands of Xiang Yu, have not been greatly damaged by the war. If Xiang Yu survives, even if he can't fight back to the north, it is entirely possible to use him as a banner to separate Jiangdong and stand on his own.Only in this way, China's division may last for a longer period of time. But from Xiang Yu's point of view, making such a choice is completely normal for his character.Compared with Liu Bang's cunning, Xiang Yu is a person who is willing to be kind and friendly, and he pays attention to straightforward things. For example, if he has a disagreement with Song Yi, he will be killed if he says he wants to kill him. Hit whoever you say.This is a man who never stoops.But with this kind of personality, it is fine to be friends, but not to fight for the world. Fighting for the world is about being able to bend and stretch, to be able to compromise, to seek perfection, and to endure humiliation.This happened to be what Xiang Yu disliked the most.The result of doing as one pleases is strategic misjudgments time and time again, until the final demise.The result of the struggle between Chu and Han is not Liu Bang's luck, but his character determines his destiny.