Ying Bu

  • Breaking Pots and Sinking Boats: Xiang Yu’s Gamble at Julu

    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…

  • Zhang Liang

    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…