Competition between Chu and Han

Han King Liu Bang appointed Han Xin as a general and Xiao as prime minister, reorganized the rear and trained troops. In August 206 BC, King Han and Han Xin led the Han army to attack Guanzhong. The people of Guanzhong originally had a favorable impression of the Han king, who was known for his "Three Chapters on the Constitution". However, when the Han army arrived, most of them were unwilling to resist. In less than three months, the King of Han eliminated the forces of former Qin surrendered generals such as Zhang Han, and the Guanzhong region became the territory of the King of Han.

This will infuriate Xiang Yu, the ruler of Western Chu. Xiang Yu planned to send troops west to attack Liu Bang, but there was also an incident in the east. Tian Rong of the state of Qi expelled the Qi king that Xiang Yu had conferred upon him and declared himself king. The situation was even more severe than in the west. Xiang Yu had to deal with the state of Qi first.

King Liu Bang of Han took advantage of the stalemate between Xiang Yu and the state of Qi and attacked eastward, capturing the capital of the Western Chu tyrant, Pengcheng. Xiang Yu had no choice but to abandon the end of Qi and rushed back to fight against the Han army on the Sui River.

The Han army suffered a major defeat, with countless people drowning in the water and many captured. The father of the Han king, Grand Duke, and his wife, Empress Lv, were also captured by the Chu army.

The King of Han retreated to the areas of Rongyang and Chenggao (both located in present-day Xingyang County, Henan Province) to collect scattered troops. At this time, Xiao He transferred a team from Guanzhong, and Han Xin came to see the King of Han with his army. Only then did the Han army cheer up again.

The King of Han adopted the strategy of using offense as defense, while holding Xingyang and using a small number of troops to delay Xiang Yu's army; On one hand, Han Xin led troops and horses to conquer the states of Wei, Yan, and Zhao to the north.

Xiang Yu's strategist Fan Zeng urged Xiang Yu to quickly attack Xingyang. The King of Han is very anxious. His strategist Chen Ping originally defected from Xiang Yu's side and offered a strategy to sow discord between Xiang Yu and Fan Zeng.

Xiang Yu is a person with a strong sense of suspicion. He fell into a trap and became suspicious of Fan Zeng. Fan Zeng was very angry, and said to Xiang Yu, "The world's major event has been decided. The king should do well by himself. I'm old and weak, and it's time to go back to my hometown."

Fan Zeng left Xingyang, feeling angry and sad all the way, and fell ill. He did not return to Pengcheng and died of a sore on his spine.

After Fan Zeng's death, no one in the Chu camp came up with ideas for the tyrant anymore. The pressure on the Han army has also been reduced. The King of Han used a small number of troops to restrain Xiang Yu's forces in the areas of Xingyang and Chenggao, allowing Han Xin to continue attacking the north and east. He also instructed General Peng Yue to cut off the Chu army's grain transportation route in the rear, forcing Xiang Yu's army to fight back and forth.

The Chu and Han sides faced off like this for over two years.

In 203 BC, Xiang Yu went to attack Peng Yue himself, leaving his general Cao Jie behind to defend Chenggao, and repeatedly warned him not to engage in combat with the Han army.

As soon as the King of Han saw Xiang Yu leave, he challenged Cao Jiu. At first, Cao Jie didn't say anything and didn't come out to fight. The King of Han ordered his soldiers to constantly insult the Chu camp across the Sishui River.

After cursing for several days in a row, Cao Jie couldn't calm down and decided to cross the Sishui River and fight to the death with the Han army.

The Chu army had more troops and fewer ships, so they had to cross the river in batches. The Han army took advantage of the fact that the Chu army had just crossed the halfway point and defeated the front army of the Chu army, causing chaos in the rear army. Cao Jue felt ashamed to see Xiang Yu again and committed suicide by the water's edge.

Xiang Yu was winning the battle in the east, but when he heard that Chenggao had fallen, he rushed to the west to deal with the Han king. In Guangwu (now northeast of Xingyang County, Henan Province), the Chu and Han armies once again confronted each other.

Over time, the food supply of the Chu army became inadequate. Xiang Yu had no choice but to tie up the father of the Han king and place him on the pig slaughter table. He sent someone to shout loudly:

If Liu Bang doesn't surrender soon, he will kill your father

The King of Han knew that Xiang Yu was scaring him, so he answered loudly, "We were once brothers, and my father is also your father. If you kill my father and cook him into meat soup, please give me a bowl to taste

Xiang Yu gritted his teeth in hatred and really wanted to kill the Grand Duke, but it was Xiang Bo who persuaded him.

Xiang Yu sent an envoy to the King of Han and said, "The chaos in the world is nothing but a stalemate between you and me. Do you dare to come out and compete with me?" The King of Han asked the envoy to reply, "I can compete with you in intelligence, not in strength

Xiang Yu also called for the King of Han to come out and have a conversation in front of the formation. The King of Han criticized Xiang Yu's ten major crimes behind his back, saying that he did not uphold integrity, killed the righteous emperor, massacred the people, and so on. Xiang Yu became angry upon hearing this and pointed forward with his halberd, causing the archers in front to shoot arrows together. The King of Han quickly returned to his horse, as he had already been hit by an arrow in the chest and was seriously injured.

He held back the pain and deliberately bent over to touch his feet, cursing, "The thief shot me in the toe

Left and right helped the Han king into the tent. The Han army panicked when they heard that the Han king was injured. Zhang Liang feared that the morale of the army would be strong, so he urged the King of Han to reluctantly rise up and inspect the various military camps before everyone settled down.

Xiang Yu was greatly disappointed to hear that the King of Han had not died. Subsequently, Han Xin suffered a major defeat to the Chu army in the Qi region, and the Chu army's grain transportation route was cut off by Peng Yue, resulting in a decreasing supply of food and supplies.

The King of Han took advantage of Xiang Yu's difficult situation and sent people to make peace with him, demanding the return of Duke Taigong and Empress Lv. He also initiated the division between Chu and Han (southeast of Xingyang), with the east of the division returning to Chu and the west returning to Han.

Xiang Yu believed that this delineation of the "Chu Galaxy Realm" was not bad, so he agreed and released Grand Duke and Empress Lv, and then brought his own troops back to Pengcheng.

In fact, the Han king's peace treaty this time was just a delaying tactic. The King of Han used the strategy of Zhang Liang and Chen Ping, and within two months, organized the troops of Han Xin, Peng Yue, and Ying Bu to gather together, led by Han Xin, to pursue Xiang Yu. The final battle between Chu and Han began.