SuaveG – The Gentle Path

Chinese mythology, folktales, and literature

Liu Bang

  • Ashes of the Palace, Seeds of Rebellion [Western Han]

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    Juan

    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…

  • The Hongmen Banquet [Western Han]

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    Juan

    A Looming Threat in the West After Liu Bang’s swift capture of Guanzhong and his merciful governance under the “Three Simple Laws,” Xiang Yu – camped with 400,000 troops at Hongmen, just 40li from Bashang – grew suspicious. His chief strategist, Fan Zeng, warned him:“Liu Bang once loved wealth and women. Now he refuses…

  • The Three Simple Laws: Liu Bang’s Mercy and the Fall of Qin [Western Han]

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    Juan

    The Last Days of Qin As rebel armies closed in on Xianyang, panic gripped the Qin court. Emperor Er Shi (The Second Emperor of Qin), trembling with fear, ordered Zhao Gao to mobilize troops – but Zhao Gao had other plans. Fearing that defeat would expose his treachery, he assassinated Er Shi and sought…

  • Breaking Pots and Sinking Boats: Xiang Yu’s Gamble at Julu [Western Han]

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    Juan

    The Race to the Qin Heartland After the death of Xiang Liang, King Huai II of Chu faced a critical decision. With the Qin dynasty still formidable – and the rebel cause reeling from recent defeats – he sought to strike at its core. Gathering his generals, he declared:”Whoever first enters Guanzhong (the Qin…

  • Liu Bang

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    Ana

    Liu Bang (256 or 247 BCE – 195 BCE), posthumously known as Emperor Gaozu of Han, was the founder of the Western Han dynasty and reigned from 202 to 195 BCE. His courtesy name was Ji, and he was from Pei County (in present-day Xuzhou, Jiangsu). He initially served as a minor local official…

  • Zhang Liang

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    Ana

    Zhang Liang (?–189 BCE) was a prominent statesman in the early Western Han dynasty. His courtesy name was Zifang, and he was from Chengfu, Yingchuan (in present-day southwestern Xiangcheng, Henan). His ancestors were nobles of the former state of Han, with five generations serving as Han ministers. Seeking revenge for the Qin conquest of…

  • The Rising Tide: How rebellions united and fractured? [Western Han]

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    Juan

    Chen Sheng and Wu Guang were dead – but the flame they lit could not be extinguished. Across the land, rebellions erupted anew. Heroes like Xiang Yu and Liu Bang would rise from this chaos, ultimately toppling the Qin dynasty within three years.

  • The Spark That Lit the Empire Ablaze [Western Han]

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    Juan

    Only after Fusu and Meng Tian were murdered in the palace coup did the court publicly announce Qin Shi Huang’s death. Huhai ascended as the Second Emperor (Qin Er Shi), with Zhao Gao wielding de facto power. 

  • Why did Xun Yu choose Cao Cao? [Three Kingdoms]

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    Rob

    The most renowned strategists of the Three Kingdoms period include core figures such as Zhuge Liang, Sima Yi, Guo Jia, Xun Yu, and Jia Xu. They were celebrated for their outstanding strategic planning, military tactics, and political acumen, playing a decisive role in shaping the geopolitical landscape of the Three Kingdoms.