Qu Yuan (340 BC - 278 BC [1]), surnamed Qu, given name Ping, courtesy name Yuan, was born in Danyang (now Zigui, Hubei), Chu State, at the end of the Warring States Period in China. He was the son of Xiong Tong, King Wu of Chu. Descendants of Qu Xia. One of China's greatest poets. In his early years, Qu Yuan was trusted by King Huai of Chu and served as his disciple. He often discussed state affairs with King Huai and participated in the formulation of laws. At the same time, he presides over foreign affairs. He advocated that Chu and Qi should unite and fight against Qin together. With Qu Yuan's efforts, Chu's national strength increased. However, due to his own upright character and the slander and exclusion of others, Qu Yuan was gradually alienated by King Huai of Chu. In 305 BC, Qu Yuan objected to King Chu Huai's signing of the Yellow Thorn Alliance with Qin, but Chu still completely fell into the arms of Qin. As a result, Qu Yuan was also expelled from Yingdu by King Huai of Chu and lived in northern Han Dynasty. Qu Yuan was expelled from Yingdu. During his exile, Qu Yuan felt depressed and began to create literature. His works were filled with his attachment to the Chu land and Chu Feng and his enthusiasm for serving the people and the country. His works have gorgeous words, strange imagination, novel metaphors and profound connotations, and have become one of the origins of Chinese literature. In 278 BC, Qin general Bai Qi sent his troops south and captured the capital of Ying. Qu Yuan, out of despair and grief, threw a large stone into the Miluo River and died. Legend has it that local people dropped rice dumplings to feed the fish to prevent Qu Yuan's body from being eaten by the fish. Later, it gradually formed a ritual. From now on, the fifth day of the fifth lunar month will be the Dragon Boat Festival every year. People eat rice dumplings and row dragon boats to commemorate this great patriotic poet. In 1953, the 2230th anniversary of Qu Yuan's death, the World Peace Council passed a resolution identifying Qu Yuan as one of the four cultural celebrities in the world commemorated that year.
Diplomacy during the Qu Yuan period
Since the Spring and Autumn Period, many small countries have gradually been annexed by big powers after long-term wars. By around 403 BC, a situation was formed in which seven great powers (Yan, Zhao, Wei, Han, Qi, Chu, and Qin) stood side by side and competed for supremacy. From then on until Qin unified the six kingdoms (221 BC), history calls these 180 years the Warring States Period. In this era, there were fierce struggles between countries, successive attacks, and political turmoil. The poet Qu Yuan lived in the late Warring States period when society was undergoing great changes. The strength of the Seven Heroes of the Warring States Period is not balanced, and as the political and economic reforms of various countries continue to deepen, their strength continues to wax and wane. In the early Warring States period, Zhao, Wei, and Han implemented reforms in their economic and political systems, and they were once powerful. After Li Kui's reforms, Wei State became the most powerful country at that time.
Unfortunately, their reforms were not thorough, and coupled with the unfavorable terrain, they quickly declined again. The State of Yan is located in a remote corner of the north and is working hard to expand its territory in the northeast. After the abdication of King Kuai of Yan, some political reforms were carried out, but they were not fully completed, so "there are seven warring states in the world, but Yan is weak." It's just that they suffered less from the war and were able to stay on one side. The remaining three kingdoms of Qi, Chu and Qin were evenly matched at first.
After Qin Xiaogong implemented Shang Yang's reform, he worked hard to increase production and encourage the people's fighting mood. Ten years later, the country was rich and the people were strong, and they attacked various countries in consecutive years, becoming a serious threat to the other six countries. Because of Qin's strength, any of the other six countries is no longer an opponent. So a group of strategists put forward the idea of ??"joint vertical line", that is, from Yan to Chu, the six northern and southern countries would unite into a vertical line to jointly oppose the Qin State in the west. The representative figure who advocated the joint vertical was called Su Qin. In 334 BC, he persuaded Marquis Wen of Yan to help him lobby the six countries and establish the joint vertical organization. In 318 BC, Su Qin made an appointment with six kingdoms to attack Qin. King Huai of Chu was once the commander, but unfortunately he was defeated. Contrary to this, the Qin State also organized a group of strategists to propose the idea of ??"Liancheng", that is, the Qin State in the West formed an alliance with one of the six eastern countries to form an east-west horizontal line to attack the other. nation. The representative figure of Lian Heng is Zhang Yi. In 328 BC, Zhang Yi became the prime minister of Qin and implemented the policy of lianheng, which was very effective. In the late Warring States period when Qu Yuan lived, the struggle among the seven kingdoms for supremacy was basically a struggle between vertical and horizontal alliances.
[edit] Diplomacy of Chu State
Among the three countries of Qin, Chu and Qi, Qin and Chu are the countries most likely to unify the six countries, and Qin has the advantage. Therefore, Chu State can only confront Qin State if it unites with Qi State. Only by destroying the alliance between Qi and Chu can Qin be able to establish alliances with distant and close enemies, defeat them one by one, and realize her great cause of unifying the six kingdoms. This was the diplomatic situation of Chu State in Qu Yuan's time; as far as Chu's internal affairs were concerned, in order to enrich the country and strengthen its army and defeat Qin, it was necessary to strengthen the rule of law, limit the privileges of the nobility, promote talents and develop economic strength. Qu Yuan advocated reform and opposed the corrupt aristocratic rule; he advocated alliance and insisted on the foreign policy of uniting Qi to resist Qin. It was based on the situation of the Warring States Period when the seven heroes were competing for hegemony and was the correct policy in line with the long-term interests of the Chu State.
[edit] Qu Yuan first served as Zuo Tu
Qu Yuan was an outstanding talent among the nobles of Chu State. Proficient in history, literature and mythology, with insight into the situation of various countries and ways of governing the world; smart and eloquent. Sima Qian's "Historical Records" said that he was "well-informed and strong-willed" and "skilled in rhetoric." In his 20s, he became the disciple of King Huai of Chu. Zuo Tu was only one level lower than the Ling Yin of Chu State. He discussed state affairs with the King of Chu internally, issued orders, received guests externally, and responded to the marquis. The King of Chu trusted him very much and asked him to draft laws and sent him as an envoy to Qi to unite Qi against Qin. This shows that Qu Yuan was once an important official in the Chu State in charge of domestic and foreign affairs. However, his reform spirit and measures aroused the opposition and jealousy of the noble ministers of Chu State. Representatives of the opponents were King Huai of Chu's beloved concubine Zheng Xiu, his son Zilan, and Shangguan official Jin Shang.
This group of people is short-sighted, jealous of the virtuous and harmful to the capable. They only want to protect their own aristocratic privileges, but they ignore the long-term interests of the country. But they were very powerful. They surrounded King Huai of Chu all day long and influenced King Huai's words and deeds. The confused King Huai of Chu believed the slander and gradually alienated Qu Yuan.
[edit] The first exile (Northern Han Dynasty)
The first time Qu Yuan was exiled to the northern Han Dynasty was in the sixteenth year of King Huai of Chu (313 BC) on the upper reaches of the Han River. In order to break the alliance between Chu and Qi, Qin State sent Zhang Yi with a lot of treasures to Chu State for activities. Zhang Yi bribed a group of dignitaries and favored ministers of Chu State, and deceived the King of Chu, saying: "If Chu State can break off diplomatic relations with Qi State, Qin State is willing to donate more than 600 miles of land to Shang. [9]" King Huai of Chu didn't take it seriously and believed Zhang Yi's lies, so he awarded Zhang Yi the Prime Minister's Seal and made Zhang Yi the Prime Minister. He coveted six hundred miles of business land and really severed the alliance with Qi State. He also sent people to follow Zhang Yi. Go to Qin to receive the land. After Zhang Yi returned to Qin, he pretended to be ill and did not see Chu envoys for three months. The stupid King Huai thought Zhang Yi was blaming him for not being firm enough in Jue Qi, so he sent someone to insult King Qi. The King of Qi was furious and severed his alliance with Chu, and instead united with Qin. At this time, Zhang Yi came forward and said to the Chu envoy: "Why don't you accept the land? From a certain place to a certain place, it is six miles long and wide. [10]" The six hundred miles became six miles. The Chu envoy was very angry and returned In response to King Huai, King Huai was furious. He launched two armies to attack Qin, but was defeated by Qin twice. He lost 80,000 troops. More than 70 people, including General Qu Gai and General Pi Fenghou Chou, were captured by the Qin army and were taken to Hanzhong. Large areas of land.
At this time, King Huai came to his senses and "regretted not using Qu Yuan's strategy", "so he reused Qu Yuan" and asked him to go to Qi as an envoy to rebuild the Chu-Qi alliance. After Qin defeated the Chu army twice, it was also afraid that Qi and Chu would resume their diplomatic relations, so they offered to return half of the Hanzhong land to seek peace. King Huai of Chu hated Zhang Yi so much that he wanted Zhang Yi's head instead of Hanzhong. King Qin Hui initially disagreed, but Zhang Yi confidently said: "I, Zhang Yi, can equal the land of Hanzhong, and I am willing to go to Chu. [11]" After Zhang Yi arrived in Chu, he bribed Zheng Xiu and Jin. After Shang Zhiliu made some sweet words in front of King Chu Huai, King Chu Huai, who was extremely confused, actually let Zhang Yi go again; he even got married to King Qin. When Qu Yuan's envoys came back to explain their interests, King Huai wanted to recover Zhang Yi, but Zhang Yi had already disappeared without a trace. In this way, Chu State once again lost its trust with Qi State. In 305 BC, in the twenty-fourth year of King Huai of Chu, Chu once again joined Qi and went to Qin to welcome his bride. In the second year, King Huai met with King Qin at Huangji (now northeast of Xinye County, Henan Province) and accepted the money returned by Qin. The land of Shangyong (now Zhushan County, Hubei). Although Qu Yuan tried his best to oppose it at that time, the result was not only ineffective, but he was exiled for the first time, to the Hanbei area (today's Ankang area and the upper reaches of the Han River).
In 303 BC, in the twenty-sixth year of King Huai of Chu, the three kingdoms of Qi, Han, and Wei attacked Chu, accusing Chu of violating the treaty. Chu asked Qin for help and sent the prince to Qin as a hostage. The next year, the prince of Chu killed Doctor Qin and fled back to Chu. In 301 BC, the twenty-eighth year of King Huai of Chu, Qin used this as an excuse to unite Qi, Han, and Wei to attack Chu, killed Chu general Tang Mei, and occupied Chongqiu (now northeast of Biyang County, Henan). The next year, he attacked Chu again and wiped out 20,000 Chu troops. He also killed Chu general Jing Que. At this time, the dim-witted King Huai remembered the importance of the Qi-Chu alliance again, and asked the prince to hold Qi hostage in order to ask the Qi-Chu alliance to fight against Qin. In 299 BC, Qin attacked Chu again and captured eight cities of Chu. Taking advantage of this situation, King Zhao of Qin "invited" King Huai to meet at Wuguan (east of today's Shang County, Shaanxi).
Qu Yuan had returned from his exile in northern Han Dynasty at this time. Together with Zhaoju and others, he urged King Huai not to attend the meeting, saying: "Qin, a country of tigers and wolves, cannot be trusted, and it is better to do nothing." But King Huai's youngest son Zilan was afraid of losing the favor of King Qin, so he tried his best to encourage King Huai to go. As a result, as soon as King Huai entered Wuguan, he was detained by the Qin army and taken to Xianyang, forcing him to cede Wu County and Qianzhong County. King Huai of Chu was kidnapped and taken to Xianyang. The prince of Chu was welcomed back by Qi and he was established as the king of Qingxiang. The prince Zilan was appointed as the commander. However, he refused to cede the land to Qin. Qin sent troops to attack Chu again, defeated the Chu army and beheaded 50,000 people. Take sixteen cities. In 296 BC, in the third year of King Qingxiang's reign, King Huai died in the state of Qin, and the state of Qin sent his body back to the state of Chu for burial. The people of Chu State sympathized with him as if they were mourning their own parents and brothers. The princes thought that Qin was unjust. Qin and Chu severed ties with each other.
[edit] Second Exile (Jiangnan Region)
In 293 BC, the sixth year of King Qingxiang, the State of Qin sent Bai Qi to Yique to attack South Korea and achieved a major victory. 240,000 beheaded. The State of Qin then sent a letter to the King of Chu saying: "The State of Chu has betrayed the State of Qin, and the State of Qin is preparing to lead the princes to attack the State of Chu to decide the outcome. I hope you can rectify your troops and fight happily." King Qingxiang of Chu was very worried. He planned to make peace with Qin again. Qu Yuan was absolutely intolerable. Like the people of Chu, he blamed Zi Lan for not persuading King Huai to enter Qin, which led to King Huai's death in Qin, and also for inciting King Qingxiang to surrender to Qin. He wrote poems and expressed his feelings about the Chu Kingdom, caring about the king and not forgetting his desire to rebel. He also pointed out that the reason why King Huai ended up in a foreign country was because "the so-called loyal ones are unfaithful, and the so-called virtuous ones are not loyal." He is not virtuous." This posed a threat to Zilan, so Zilan ordered Jin Shang to slander King Qingxiang, causing Qu Yuan to be exiled to a remote area in the south for the second time.
According to the analysis of "Ai Ying", the route of this exile started from Yingdu (Jianling County, Hubei Province), first went southeast along the river, passed through Xia Shou (southeast of Shashi, Hubei Province), and passed by Longmen (east gate of Yingdu). Dongting Lake entered the Yangtze River, then left Xiapu (Hankou, Hubei), and finally reached Lingyang (said to be the south of Qingyang County in present-day Anhui).
[edit] Expressing emotions with poetry
From the sixth to the eighteenth year of King Qingxiang, the State of Chu was basically controlled by the State of Qin, bowing its head and obeying orders, not daring to move. Qu Yuan was heartbroken about this, but was powerless to do anything about it. Seeing that the country was getting weaker and the people's livelihood was becoming more difficult, he had no choice but to express his worries about the country and the people in poetry.
Xiang Yu (232 BC - 202 BC), with the surname Xiang and the courtesy name Yu, was a famous general and political figure in ancient China. He was a native of Qin Xiangxiang (now Sucheng District, Suqian City, Jiangsu Province) in the late Qin Dynasty. At that time, he was named Duke of Lu by King Mi (pronounced mǐ) Xin (also known as Xiong Xin) of Chu Huai. He led the Chu army to defeat the Qin army in the decisive battle of Julu in 207 BC. After the death of Qin, he proclaimed himself the "Overlord of Western Chu". , ruled the nine counties of Liang and Chu in the lower reaches of the Yellow River and the Yangtze River. Later, he was defeated by Liu Bang, the emperor of the Han Dynasty, in the Chu-Han War, and committed suicide in Wujiang (now He County, Anhui).
Xiang Yu is invincible in martial arts and is generally regarded as the most courageous general in China's five thousand years of history. The word "overlord" refers specifically to Xiang Yu.
Rarely ambitious
"Historical Records of Xiang Yu" says that Xiang Yu "failed to learn books when he was young, and failed to learn swordsmanship." His uncle Xiang Liang was dissatisfied with him because of this. Yu said "Books are enough to record names and surnames. A sword can defeat one person, but it is not enough to learn. Ten thousand people can be defeated by learning." So Xiang Liang taught him the art of war, but Xiang Yu refused to finish learning it all after he knew the general idea.
Later, Xiang Liang and Xiang Yu fled to Wuzhong (now southern Jiangsu) to avoid their enemies because they killed someone. When the First Emperor of Qin was touring Kuaiji (the county is now located in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province), Xiang Yu and Xiang Liang watched the emperor's tour together. Yu said, "He can take his place." Xiang Liang was so frightened that he hurriedly shut up and looked at Xiang Yu differently from then on.
[edit] Raising troops against Qin
In July of the first year of Qin II (209 BC), Chen Sheng and Wu Guang raised troops against Qin. In September, Kuaiji guard Yintong planned to rebel against Qin , went to Xiang Liang to discuss, but Xiang Liang and Xiang Yu killed Yin Tong (first Xiang Liang raised troops and led Xiang Yu into the Kuaiji Shou court. After testing that the Kuaiji Shou had no intention of rebelling [source request], Xiang Yu drew his sword and faced each other. History records record that Xiang Yu was powerful at that time. Fighting, or killing dozens to a hundred people), he raised his own troops to fight against Qin, and soon gathered 8,000 elite soldiers. Xiang Liang appointed himself the governor of Kuaiji, and Xiang Yu appointed him as the general.
Later, Xiang Liang led 8,000 people across the Yangtze River and gained the support of some anti-Qin troops. The number of troops increased to 60,000 to 70,000 and was stationed in Xiapi. Xiang Liang adopted Fan Zeng's suggestion and found Mi Xin, the direct grandson of King Chu Huai among the people. He made him King of Chu and still called him King Chu Huai in order to win the hearts and minds of the people of Chu.
[edit] Battle of Julu
Main article: Battle of Julu
Xiang Liang was later killed by Qin general Zhang Han in the Battle of Dingtao After his death, Zhang Han then led his army to attack Zhao and defeated the Zhao army. Zhao Xie, the king of Zhao, retreated to Julu (also known as Julu). King Huai of Chu moved to Pengcheng after the defeat of Ding Tao, appointed Song Yi as the general, and Xiang Yu as the second general to lead troops to rescue Zhao, and named Xiang Yu the Duke of Lu.
Song Yijun stopped advancing after arriving in Anyang and stayed there for forty-six days. Xiang Yu suggested marching, but Song Yi refused, so Xiang Yu killed Song Yi. The generals of the Chu army did not dare to resist Xiang Yu and supported Li Yu as a false general. Xiang Yu sent someone to report to King Huai, who appointed Xiang Yu as general. In 207 BC, Xiang Yu invaded Julu. Xiang Yu ordered his men to smash pots and scuttle ships after crossing the river, which meant that they would die if they could not win. Later generations called it "breaking the cauldron and sinking the boat", which meant fighting to the death. In the end, Xiang Yu won nine out of nine battles and defeated the Qin army of 300,000 with more than 20,000 men under his command. The other anti-Qin princes' armies surrendered in hope. When Xiang Yu was summoned at the gate, they were all so frightened that they knelt down and no one dared to look up at Xiang Yu. Xiang Yu became the general of the princes and the commander-in-chief of the armies of all princes.
Qin general Zhang Han later led his troops to surrender to Xiang Yu. Xiang Yu was worried that there might be a rebellion among the surrendered troops, so he ordered the Chu army to kill more than 200,000 Qin surrendered troops in the south of Xin'an City overnight, but he failed. He did not kill his enemies Zhang Han, Qin Changshi Sima Xin, and Captain Dong Yi.
[edit] Entering Guanzhong
Xiang Yu continued to march towards Guanzhong, but Pei Gong Liu Bang had already taken the lead in occupying Xianyang, the capital of Qin. Liu Bang's subordinate Zuo Sima Cao Wushang sent someone to say to Xiang Yu, " Pei Gong wants to make the king of Guanzhong his son Ying as his prime minister, and he will have all the treasures." Xiang Yu was furious. At that time, Xiang Yu commanded 400,000 troops, while Liu Bang only had 100,000 troops. Fan Zeng lobbied Xiang Yu to eradicate Liu Bang. Xiang Yu hosted a banquet for Liu Bang at Hongmen, but did not kill him during the banquet. Liu Bang left safely. Later generations called this banquet the "Hongmen Banquet". In 206 BC, Xiang Yu entered Xianyang, killed Qin Jiang's prince Ying, and burned Qin's palace.
[edit] Proclaimed himself king
At this time, someone persuaded Xiang Yu to stay in Guanzhong and achieve hegemony. However, Xiang Yu had no intention of staying in Guanzhong. He said: "Wealth and honor will not return to your hometown. Who knows if the clothes are embroidered and travel at night?"
After that, Xiang Yu honored King Huai as Emperor Yi of Chu, and based on his great achievements in destroying Qin, he divided the world among himself. He granted the lands of the Six Kingdoms to meritorious subordinates and other anti-Qin army generals, while sealing the kings of the Six Kingdoms to remote areas. He also violated the agreement with King Huai and sealed Guanzhong, which was originally owned by Liu Bang, to Zhang. Han, Sima Xin, and Dong Yi, three generals who surrendered to the Qin Dynasty, sealed Liu Bang to Hanzhong as the King of Han. Xiang Yu established himself as the "Overlord of Western Chu" and ruled the nine counties of Liang and Chu, with his capital at Pengcheng.
These improper enfeoffment measures made some people dissatisfied with Xiang Yu, sowing the seeds of Xiang Yu's future failure due to multiple enemies.
Xiang Yu soon moved Emperor Yi to Chen County in Changsha and secretly ordered people to kill him on the way. In the same year, Tian Rong raised troops and proclaimed himself king of Qi. He also sent troops to support Chen Yu in defeating Zhang Er, king of Changshan. Chen Yu restored Zhao Xie, the acting king, as king of Zhao.
[edit] Chu-Han War
Main article: Chu-Han War
In 206 BC, King Liu Bang of Han sent troops to occupy Guanzhong. Xiang Yu used troops in Qi, He did not attack Liu Bang with all his strength. In 205 BC, the Han army took this opportunity to unite the armies of the five princes to attack Chu with 560,000 troops and occupied Pengcheng. After Xiang Yu heard the news, he led 30,000 elite troops from Qi to rescue the Han army and defeated the Han army. The Han army suffered several losses. One hundred thousand people and the corpses in Suishui even blocked the river flow, and Liu Bang managed to escape.
Xiang Yu led his troops to pursue westward, but the Han army held fast at Xingyang, preventing the Chu army from advancing westward. In 204 BC, Xingyang was in crisis. The Han general Ji Xin disguised himself as Liu Bang and went out of the city to surrender. Liu Bang took the opportunity to flee west. Xiang Yu was furious when he learned that he had been tricked and burned Ji Xin to death. The Chu army soon captured Xingyang.
After that, the Chu and Han armies were in a tug-of-war situation in what is now Henan Province. However, the Han army led by Han Xin repeatedly won in the area north of the Yellow River. Peng Yue also led his troops to attack the rear of the Chu army. The situation began to turn against Xiang Yu. unfavorable.
In 203 BC, Chu and Han negotiated peace and divided the world equally, using the chasm as the boundary, with the west returning to the Han and the east returning to the Chu. Xiang Yu led his army back east, but Liu Bang soon broke the agreement and sent troops to attack Chu. Liu Bang agreed that Han Xin and Peng Yue would attack Xiang Yu together, but they did not move. As a result, Liu Bang was defeated by Xiang Yu. On the one hand, Liu Bang stood firm, and on the other hand, he tried to induce Han Xin and Peng Yue to send troops by breaking the soil and sealing the king. Finally, they led their troops to join Liu Bang.
[edit] Wujiang committed suicide
At the beginning of 202 BC, the three-party Han army with 400,000 soldiers surrounded Xiang Yu's army in Gaixia with an ambush from all sides, and asked the soldiers to speak in the Chu dialect Singing, Xiang Yujun mistakenly thought that their hometown was controlled by the Han army. This "besieged on all sides" strategy demoralized Xiang Yu's army. Soon, the Chu army ran out of food and its troops were greatly reduced. After Xiang Yu and his favored concubine Yu sang the famous "Gaixia Song" on this occasion, Xiang Yu led his elite cavalry and decided to break out.
Xiang Yu led more than 800 men to break through, and the Han army followed closely with 5,000 cavalry. After crossing the Huai River, Xiang Yu's cavalry only had a hundred people left. Xiang Yu got lost in Yinling and asked a farmer on the roadside for directions. The farmer lied about the route, causing Xiang Yu's army to get lost in the swamp.
When Xiang Yu arrived at Dongcheng, he had only 28 cavalry left, and he was chased by the Han cavalry. Xiang Yu thought that he could not escape, so he told his subordinates that everything was arranged by God and was not the responsibility of his own incompetence in fighting. Then he led his cavalry to attack and killed a general of the Han army. , Pi Yishuli". Since Xiang Yu divided his cavalry into three groups, the Han army did not know Xiang Yu's true location and could only disperse his troops to surround him. Xiang Yu suddenly rushed down again and killed a captain of the Han army, killing and wounding nearly a hundred people. He only lost two of his twenty-eight men, as proof of his strong combat effectiveness.
Xiang Yu retreated to Wujiang River, and the head of the Wujiang Pavilion prepared a boat for him to cross the river. However, Xiang Yu said that he had led eight thousand people from Jiangdong across the river, but now none of them could come back or see the elders from Jiangdong, so Refuse to cross the river. Xiang Yu ordered all the soldiers to dismount and fight on foot. In the end, all the Chu troops were killed. Xiang Yu fought the Han army alone, killing hundreds of people, but also suffered dozens of injuries. At this time, when he saw his old friend Lu Matong, he said, "I heard that the Han Dynasty used thousands of gold and ten thousand households to buy my head, so I will do it to you as a favor." Then he committed suicide. Xiang Yu's body was obtained by Lu Matong and other five people, and they each received rewards. After Xiang Yu's death, the rest of Western Chu surrendered to the Han, and the King of Han buried Xiang Yu in Gucheng with the rites of Lu Gong.
[edit] Evaluation
Sima Qian, the author of "Historical Records", criticized Xiang Yu in the book: "Being proud of his merits and exploiting his own wisdom instead of learning from the past is called the overlord's career, and he wants to He used force to conquer the world, but his country was destroyed in five years. He died in Dongcheng, but he did not feel guilty and did not blame himself. It was too much to say, "It is not the crime of using troops to destroy me." Isn't it wrong? "But! Sima Qian still listed Xiang Yu's biography as this chronicle in the Historical Records, and he was on the same level as the highest rulers of China in the past dynasties. He was the only person to enjoy this honor without the title of emperor (empress).
Han Xin, Xiang Yu's main military opponent, once criticized Xiang Yu for his courage as a man who dominates when he is strong, and as benevolent as a woman who shows mercy when he is weak. He could not appoint capable generals, but he also expelled the Righteous Emperor and used troops to drive them all to death. Although he is called the Overlord, he actually loses the hearts of the people.
Du Mu, a talented man from the Tang Dynasty, wrote a poem titled "Inscribed on Wujiang Pavilion": "The victorious and defeated soldiers have unpredictable family affairs, and it is a man who is ashamed and endures shame. The disciples in Jiangdong are many talented people, and their comeback is unknown." Wang Anshi and Du Mu of the Northern Song Dynasty had exactly the same views. On the contrary, he said in "Ti Wu Jiang Pavilion": "The warriors are exhausted after a hundred battles, and the Central Plains will never recover from a defeat. Although the children of Jiangdong are here today, who will come back as the king."
Female poet of the Song Dynasty Li Qingzhao's poem praised: "I was born as a hero, and died as a ghost hero. I still miss Xiang Yu and refuse to cross the Yangtze River."
Mao Zedong, the leader of the Communist Party of China, once said: "It is better to leave brave men behind." Chasing the poor bandits, you can't just pretend to be a scholar." In a talk in 1964, Mao Zedong further pointed out three mistakes in Xiang Yu's defeat: Hongmen Banquet did not listen to Fan Zeng and let Liu Bang go; mechanically abided by the Chaos Agreement; and established the capital in Xuzhou (then called Xuzhou). Pengcheng).
[edit] Cultural influence
Xiang Yu’s martial arts and personality have been passed down to the Chinese nation through the ages.
Xiang Yu has a strong character, even willful, and ultimately ends in failure. But he would rather die than be ashamed of his father Jiangdong, and his tragic and beautiful love with Yu Ji has also been remembered by generations. He is the exclusive owner of the word "overlord".
Sun Ce, a brave general in the Three Kingdoms era and the founder of Soochow forces, was nicknamed the "Little Overlord" because of his extraordinary force and bravery.
There are many contents related to Xiang Yu in traditional Chinese operas. For example, there is a famous play Farewell My Concubine in modern Peking Opera.