The Execution of Ziying and the Sack of Xianyang
Days after the Hongmen Banquet, Xiang Yu marched into Xianyang city at the head of a coalition of feudal lords, with Liu Bang following cautiously behind. The first order of business was the fate of Ziying, the last ruler of Qin, who had reigned for only 46 days before surrendering peacefully.
Though Ziying posed no real threat, the assembled lords and over 500,000 soldiers saw him as the living symbol of Qin’s centuries of tyranny. When Xiang Yu asked,”How shall we deal with the Qin king?” the crowd roared:”Repay blood with blood!” Without hesitation, Ziying was hacked to death by frenzied soldiers.
The violence did not stop there. Cries rose from the ranks:”It wasn’t just the king – Qin nobles and officials drowned our families in tears and fire!” Xiang Yu gave the order:”Hand over the Qin princes, aristocrats, and corrupt officials to the troops.” Fan Zeng quickly added:”But spare the common people!”
In the ensuing massacre, over 800 Qin nobles and 4,000 officials were slaughtered. Streets ran red with blood. To the people of Qin, Xiang Yu – who had come as a liberator – now appeared as a new tyrant, undoing all the goodwill Liu Bang had built with his Three Simple Laws.
Fearing chaos, Xiang Yu ordered the allied armies to camp outside the city while he and his Eight Thousand Sons of Wu entered the imperial palace.
Burning the Palace of Tears
Though Liu Bang had sealed the treasury, most valuables were already gone. But what remained – the Epang Palace (Afang Gong) – ignited fury in the hearts of the Chu soldiers. Built by conscripted laborers from across the empire, it stood as a monument to suffering:”Five steps a tower, ten steps a pavilion – each brick laid on the bones of the dead.”
At Xiang Yu’s command “Burn it!” – the soldiers erupted in vengeful joy:”Burn it! Burn it now!”
For days and nights, flames engulfed the palace complex. Smoke choked Xianyang; the sky glowed crimson. What had taken decades to build turned to smoldering rubble – a catharsis of generations of hatred.
The Folly of Rejecting Guanzhong
With Qin destroyed, the victors expected rewards. A strategist named Han Sheng urged Xiang Yu:
“Guanzhong is a land of strategic passes and fertile soil – perfect for building an empire. Stay here and rule!”
But Xiang Yu refused. The people of Qin despised him, his men longed for home, and the palaces lay in ashes. He famously declared:
“To be rich and noble yet not return to one’s homeland is like walking in silk robes at night – no one sees your glory.”
Han Sheng mocked him afterward:”They say Chu people are monkeys in hats – now I believe it.”
When Xiang Yu heard this, he had Han Sheng boiled alive.
Rather than claim Guanzhong for himself, he chose to return east – and divide the empire.
The Division of the Empire: Eighteen Kings and One Overlord
Xiang Yu proclaimed himself “Hegemon-King of Western Chu” (Xichu Bawang), establishing his capital at Pengcheng (modern Xuzhou). He enfeoffed eighteen kings, including:
Liu Bang as King of Han (granted Hanzhong and Bashu – remote, mountainous regions);
Zhang Han, Sima Xin, and Dong Yi as the Three Qins, ruling Guanzhong to block Liu Bang;
Ying Bu as King of Jiujiang;
Zhang Er as King of Changshan.
He nominally honored King Huai II of Chu as the “Righteous Emperor” (Yi Di) – a ceremonial figurehead, much like the Zhou kings of old.
Thus, China fractured once more – not into warring states, but into kingdoms ruled by rebel generals, each eyeing the others with suspicion.
Seeds of Revolt: Unfair Rewards Spark New Wars
Peace was short-lived. Many felt wronged by the distribution:
- Liu Bang, who had entered Guanzhong first, was exiled to the “backwater” of Hanzhong and Sichuan – seen as a form of banishment.
- Tian Rong of Qi, who had defied Xiang Yu since Xiang Liang’s time and refused to join the western campaign, received no title at all. Enraged, he expelled Xiang Yu’s appointed Qi king and declared himself ruler.
- Peng Yue, a guerrilla leader with 10,000 men near Juye (Shandong), had no lord. Tian Rong recruited him as a general to seize cities.
- Chen Yu, once equal to Zhang Er, fumed at being passed over. He borrowed troops from Tian Rong, defeated Zhang Er, and split Zhao into Zhao and Dai, installing Zhao Xie as king while making himself King of Dai.
Qi and Zhao had openly rebelled against the Hegemon-King.
Trapped in the Southwest: Liu Bang’s Patient Strategy
Xiang Yu feared Liu Bang most of all. Initially granting him only Bashu, he later added Hanzhong after Xiang Bo – bribed by Liu Bang – pleaded on his behalf. To contain him, Xiang Yu installed the Three Qins in Guanzhong as a buffer.
As Liu Bang departed for his remote domain, Zhang Liang escorted him to Baozhong (northwest of Nanzheng). There, he gave crucial advice:
“As you march along the gallery roads (wooden plank paths built on cliffs), burn them behind you.”
Liu Bang hesitated: “Won’t that cut off my return?”
Zhang Liang explained: “It will reassure Xiang Yu you have no ambition to return – and prevent others from invading you.”
Liu Bang understood. He burned the roads.
Zhang Liang then returned to Xiang Yu, reporting:”The King of Han has destroyed the gallery roads. He has no intention of coming back. But Tian Rong is in open revolt – you must act.”
Convinced, Xiang Yu turned east to crush Tian Rong – leaving Liu Bang unwatched.
The Flight of the Chancellor – and the Coming of a General
In Nanzheng, Liu Bang began rebuilding: appointing Xiao He as chancellor, Cao Shen, Fan Kuai, and Zhou Bo as generals. Yet morale plummeted. Soldiers, unwilling to live in harsh mountain terrain, deserted daily.
One day, word came:”Chancellor Xiao He has fled!”
Distraught, Liu Bang sent riders to pursue him. On the third morning, Xiao He returned – exhausted but triumphant.
Liu Bang scolded him:”Even you abandoned me?!”
Xiao He replied calmly:”I would never flee. I went to chase someone who did.” “Who?” everyone wondered.
The answer would change history: Han Xin – a former lowly officer, overlooked by all, but recognized by Xiao He as a military genius.
Thus, in the ashes of Epang Palace and the silence of burned mountain paths, the true contest for China began – not with fire, but with strategy, patience, and the rise of a forgotten man.
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