The Disarmament of a Hero
After Xiang Yu’s death at the Wu River in 202 BCE, Liu Bang moved swiftly – not to celebrate, but to consolidate power. His first target was Han Xin, the brilliant general who had delivered victory at Gaixia.
Liu Bang rode directly into Han Xin’s camp in Qi and seized command of his army. Then, with honeyed words, he addressed the startled king:
“Your merits are immense – I’ll never forget them. But now that peace reigns, it’s dangerous for you to still command such vast forces. Envy and suspicion may arise. To protect our bond, I’ve decided: since Chu is pacified and has no heir to the late Righteous Emperor, and since you’re from Huaiyin, I appoint you King of Chu – return to your homeland.”
Though Chu was smaller than Qi and stripped of military authority, Han Xin accepted. After all, “riches mean nothing if not enjoyed in one’s native land.” He surrendered his seal as King of Qi and departed for Chu.
Mercy and Memory in Huaiyin
As King of Chu, Han Xin’s first acts were deeply personal. He summoned two figures from his past:
The old woman who once fed him by the river. He repaid her kindness with 1,000 jin of gold (a fortune). She left overjoyed.
The butcher’s son who had forced him to crawl through his legs. Trembling, the man begged for mercy.
But Han Xin raised him up:
“Boyish taunts – why hold grudges? Serve me as Zhongwei (captain of guards).”
To his courtiers, Han Xin explained: “I could have killed him then – but what glory in slaying a fool? His shame drove me to greatness.”
Thus, the “crotch-crawler” became a ruler who turned humiliation into magnanimity.
The Coronation and the Question of Power
In 202 BCE, Liu Bang formally ascended the throne as Emperor Gaozu of Han, founding the Han Dynasty. The capital was initially set at Luoyang.
At a grand banquet, Gaozu posed a historic question: “Why did I gain the empire, while Xiang Yu lost it?”
Minister Wang Ling replied:”You reward merit; he hoarded power.”
Gaozu smiled:
“You see only part of it. True success lies in using talent.
- Zhang Liang plans victories from within tents;
- Xiao He governs states and feeds armies;
- Han Xin commands millions and conquers cities.
These three are peerless – and I trusted them.
Xiang Yu had Fan Zeng and cast him aside. That is why he fell.”
All present bowed in awe.
Unrest Beneath the Victory
Yet Gaozu found no peace. Two threats haunted him:
Tian Heng, brother of the fallen Qi king, hid on an island with 500 loyalists.
Zhongli Mo, Xiang Yu’s fiercest general, remained at large.
When summoned to Luoyang, Tian Heng chose death over submission. At 30 li from the capital, he told his two companions: “Once equals, now I’d kneel as a vassal? Better die free.”
He committed suicide – as did his followers. Upon hearing this, the 500 warriors sailed to his tomb, sang a mournful dirge, and all took their own lives.
Gaozu, shaken, buried Tian Heng with royal honors – but grew more fearful:If men die so loyally for a dead lord, what might Zhongli Mo do for Xiang Yu?
Then came the report: Zhongli Mo was hiding with Han Xin in Xiapi.
Gaozu’s face darkened.”Han Xin + Zhongli Mo = a tiger with wings.” He resolved to act.
The Move to Chang’an: A Capital of Strategy
Amid this tension, a commoner named Lou Jing (later ennobled as Lou Jing) advised:
“Luoyang is open to attack. Guanzhong – with its mountains and rivers – is a fortress. Make it your capital.”
Most ministers, being easterners, opposed the move. Gaozu hesitated – until Zhang Liang, preparing to retire, was summoned.
Gaozu pleaded:”Without you, who can I consult on matters like this?”
Moved, Zhang Liang stayed and endorsed Lou Jing: “Guanzhong is ‘a golden city for a thousand li’ – secure, fertile, defensible. Control the east from here, and the realm is yours.”
Thus, Gaozu relocated the capital to Chang’an (renamed from Qin’s Xianyang), founding what historians call the Western Han (or Former Han). Later, after Wang Mang’s interregnum, Liu Xiu would restore the dynasty with Luoyang as capital – the Eastern Han.
The Trap at Yunmeng: Han Xin’s Downfall
In 201 BCE, Gaozu enacted Chen Ping’s scheme:
He announced a royal tour of Yunmeng (central Hubei) and ordered all kings to meet him at Chen.
Han Xin panicked. Sheltering Zhongli Mo, he feared exposure. Torn, he confessed to his guest.
Zhongli Mo cursed:”I trusted the wrong man! My death today is your doom tomorrow!” – then killed himself.
Han Xin presented Zhongli Mo’s head to Gaozu – but it was too late. “You only confess when caught,” Gaozu snapped.”Seize him!”
Bound in chains, Han Xin cried bitterly:
“When the hare is dead, the hound is cooked; when birds vanish, good bows are stored; when foes fall, wise counselors perish. Now that peace reigns – I am to be boiled!”
At courtiers’ pleas, Gaozu spared his life – but stripped him of kingship, demoting him to Marquis of Huaiyin.
An Emperor Without Sleep
With Tian Heng and Zhongli Mo gone, Gaozu might finally rest. But no – three crises loomed:
- No unified system of governance;
- Xiongnu raids from beyond the Great Wall;
- Ambitious feudal kings plotting secession.
Peace had been won – but empire had yet to be built. And Gaozu knew: the hardest battles were just beginning.
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