Excerpt from Sima Qian's Death of Xiang Yu in the Western Han Dynasty;
Wang Xiang can't live without himself. He said: "I have been eight years old since I joined the army, and I have fought more than 70 wars. I have never lost, I have ruled the world. " However, today I am trapped here, and my death on this day is not a crime of war. Today, I am determined to die. I am willing to fight for you soon, and I will win three times. I will break the city, cut the generals and cut the flag for you, and let you know that this is not a war crime. "
Translation:
Wang Xiang himself estimated that he could not escape, so he said to his cavalry, "I have led the uprising for eight years, and I personally fought more than 70 wars. All the enemies who resisted me were defeated, and all the enemies I attacked surrendered and never lost, so I was able to dominate the world.
But now I'm finally stuck here. It's because God wants to destroy me, not because of the fight. Today, you will die. I am willing to give you a good fight, and I will win three times. I want to break through the encirclement, slay the Han generals and cut down the military flag, so that you can know that it is indeed God who destroyed me, and it is by no means the fault of war. "
Extended data
Theme and appreciation:
This article is excerpted from Records of the Historian Xiang Yu's Biography, and its title is drawn up by later generations.
This last scene consists of three scenes, namely, the siege of Gaixia, the fast battle in Dongcheng, and the self-mutilation of Wujiang River. It contains a series of thrilling plots and details, such as the night police of Chu songs, the sad songs of Yu, the misconduct of Yin Ling, the fast battle in Dongcheng, the refusal to cross the river, and the ceremony of the old friend.
Sima Qian skillfully unified all aspects of contradictions in Xiang Yu's character into this masterpiece. Although there is no lack of profound criticism, it is more sincere regret and sympathy.
The author uses historical facts, legends and imagination to tell the story of Xiang Yu's end of the road, constantly enriching and developing his character, making the hero die in tears and laughter, and achieving touching artistic effects.
Baidu Encyclopedia-The Death of Xiang Yu