Forging an Army, Crafting a Plan
After his dramatic appointment as Grand General, Han Xin swiftly transformed Liu Bang’s ragged forces into a disciplined army. Through rigorous drills, clear commands, and fair discipline, he earned the loyalty even of skeptical veterans like Fan Kuai and Zhou Bo.
Working closely with Liu Bang and Xiao He, Han Xin devised a bold strategy to break out of Hanzhong and reclaim Guanzhong – the heartland of Qin. In the summer of 206 BCE, the Han army quietly departed Nanzheng, leaving Xiao He behind to manage logistics and grain supplies.
To mask their true intent, Han Xin issued a public order: Fan Kuai and Zhou Bo were to lead 10,000 men to repair the burned gallery roads, with a strict deadline of three months.
The Illusion of Futility
The task was monumental. Over 300 miles of mountainous paths – charred, collapsed, or dangling over ravines – needed rebuilding. Some sections required bridges; others demanded blasting through cliffs. After two weeks, only a tiny stretch was restored. Supplies dwindled, morale sank, and soldiers grumbled openly.
Even Fan Kuai lost patience: “Ten thousand men? A year wouldn’t be enough!”
When word reached headquarters, both Fan Kuai and Zhou Bo were “dismissed” for insubordination. New overseers arrived with 1,000 conscripted laborers, shouting orders and creating chaos – but making little real progress.
Yet the noise served its purpose. Reports flooded into Guanzhong:”The Han are desperately trying to rebuild the gallery roads – but failing miserably.”
The Trap of Misdirection
Zhang Han, King of Yong (one of the Three Qins), received these reports with cautious relief. He learned that Han Xin – the so-called “crotch-crawler” from Huaiyin – was leading the campaign, and that Han troops were demoralized and deserting daily.”How can they cross without the roads?” he reasoned. Still, as a seasoned general, he stationed troops at the eastern end of the gallery roads, just in case.
What Zhang Han didn’t know was that Han Xin had never used the gallery roads when he first came to Nanzheng. Guided by a woodcutter, he’d taken a hidden path through Chencang (east of Baoji, Shaanxi).
Now, Han Xin deployed his masterstroke: “Openly repair the gallery roads; secretly march through Chencang”.
While the world watched the futile construction, Han Xin led the main army – silent and swift – through the forgotten mountain trail.
Lightning Strike at Chencang
Suddenly, a frantic messenger burst into Zhang Han’s court: “The Han army has seized Chencang! They’re marching on us!”
Zhang Han was stunned.”Impossible! The roads aren’t finished!” But it was too late. Han Xin’s forces, battle-hardened and driven by homesickness “returning like arrows to their target”), crushed Zhang Han’s hastily assembled defense at Chencang.
Defeated and desperate, Zhang Han fled to beg Sima Xin (King of Sai) and Dong Yi (King of Di) for aid – but both, fearing for their own realms, refused.
Han Xin pressed his advantage. While Fan Kuai, Zhou Bo, and Guan Ying advanced on Xianyang, Han Xin himself diverted a river to flood the city walls where Zhang Han made his last stand. Cornered and humiliated, Zhang Han committed suicide.
With their leader dead and Xianyang fallen, the people of Qin – who remembered Liu Bang’s Three Simple Laws – welcomed the Han army as liberators. Sima Xin and Dong Yi, isolated and defeated in skirmishes, soon surrendered.
In less than three months, the Three Qins were no more. Guanzhong belonged to Liu Bang.
Xiang Yu’s Dilemma and Zhang Liang’s Ruse
News of the loss sent Xiang Yu into a rage”steam from his nostrils, smoke from his crown!” Yet he faced a crisis on two fronts:
Tian Rong of Qi and Chen Yu of Dai had rebelled in the east and north;
Peng Yue, backed by Tian Rong, harassed Liang territory (around Kaifeng), threatening Xiang Yu’s rear.
Should he crush Liu Bang in the west – or quell the eastern rebels first?
At this critical moment, Zhang Liang – now secretly allied with Liu Bang – sent Xiang Yu a letter:
“The King of Han seeks only to rule Guanzhong, as promised by King Huai. His ambition ends there. But if Tian Rong is not stopped, he will unite Qi, Zhao, and Dai against Western Chu – and the empire will collapse.”
Why would Zhang Liang, once loyal to Han King Cheng, now serve Liu Bang? Because Xiang Yu had executed Han Cheng – demoting him first, then killing him for “ingratitude.” Grief-stricken, Zhang Liang had defected to Liu Bang, vowing revenge.
Xiang Yu and Fan Zeng knew this was a delaying tactic – yet they calculated:”We can deal with Liu Bang later. If we ignore Tian Rong now, the east will be lost forever.”
So they played along. Xiang Yu ordered King Wei Bao and King Yin Sima Ang to guard against Han incursions, and summoned Ying Bu, King of Jiujiang, to join the eastern campaign.
But Ying Bu, aspiring to independence, feigned illness and sent only a token force. In secret, Xiang Yu gave him another order: assassinate the Righteous Emperor (Yi Di).
Earlier, Xiang Yu had forced the puppet emperor to relocate to Changsha. Resisting, the emperor delayed his journey. Now, Ying Bu dispatched assassins disguised as bandits, who caught up with the imperial barge and murdered the Yi Di on the river.
With this burden lifted, Xiang Yu turned fully east – to crush Tian Rong – unaware that every day he spent in Qi gave Liu Bang more time to consolidate power in Guanzhong… and prepare for the final war.
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