Why did the mighty Xiang Yu fail before Liu Bang?

Liu Bang’s patience

After the uprising led by Tran Thang and Ngo Quang failed, Save state Together with Xiang Yu continue to lead the army to overthrow Qin Dynasty. In 207 BC, Xiang Yu led a small army to attack the Qin army, then stationed at Cu Loc (present-day Hebei province).

Simultaneously, Liu Bang’s army advanced to Xianyang (Shaanxi province), forcing Er Shi to abdicate.

Liu Bang succeeded in the battle to capture the Qin capital, but when Xiang Yu appeared, he tried to retreat, accepting to give up all treasures, avoiding conflict. Meanwhile, Xiang Yu, claiming to be the Western Chu Ba Vuong, kept the management of 9 key districts, decided to establish the Han dynasty, bestowed it on Liu Bang.

However, it was considered a “very small gift” compared to what Liu Bang spent.

Liu Bang “swallows” his pride and accepts Xiang Yu’s offer. He knew that Xiang Yu’s complacency could topple him at any moment. The Han dynasty under the leadership of Liu Bang was more peaceful than any other land.

He abolished some harsh and inhuman laws of the Qin Dynasty, then replaced and reformed them to better suit the lives of the people.

Liu Bang also actively sought to recruit new talents, who he could not only “teach”, but also “teach” him. This gives him the ability to create an army that is “invincible” at any given time.

Meanwhile, although Xiang Yu was originally a brave man and possessed top-notch military talent, unfortunately, his personality was somewhat arrogant and bossy. This nature was emphasized in the story of his meeting with one of his courtiers. This official gave suggestions on choosing a location as the capital.

However, Xiang Yu disobeyed, believing that the capital should be located in his hometown, where he could daily “bathe” in the glory and admiration of the people.

Han Chu painting hero

In 205 BC, when King Chu was assassinated, Xiang Yu was accused of planning to kill the king in order to take over all of China. Liu Bang sees this as an opportune moment to tarnish Xiang Yu’s reputation. He contacted a number of smaller vassal states, planning revenge.

A year later, Han – Department of War broke out. While Xiang Yu had a strong army of 400,000 soldiers, Liu Bang had only 100,000 troops.

Although Liu Bang succeeded in persuading Xiang Yu’s allies to pull in the rebels. However, thanks to his superior military talent, as well as the possession of many good generals, Xiang Yu still won.

Xiang Yu imprisons Liu Bang’s father and wife (Lu Zhi) and threatens to kill them if he doesn’t surrender. Besides, the rebellions among the vassals in the territory of Chu made him decide to completely destroy Liu Bang’s army.

However, after many inconclusive wars, the two sides decided to negotiate in Quang Vu. Unable to fight the three armies at the same time, Xiang Yu had to contract with Liu Bang to divide the space between the world. Xiang Yu suddenly turned into a “naive” person and released Luu Bang’s family.

In 202 BC, Liu Bang broke his promise, and together with his vassals fought the Chu army in a fierce battle at Cai Ha (present-day Anh Huy province), where Xiang Yu was stationed. While spending a wine night with his confidant Yu Ji, Xiang Yu heard the Han troops from all around sing Chu’s voice, thinking that Liu Bang had captured Chu, so some of his courtiers broke the siege and fled.

Pursued by the enemy to O Giang, he was asked to take him on a boat to escape. However, feeling ashamed of the soldiers who died in battle, he refused and took his own life, at the age of 30.

After the civil war ended, Liu Bang defeated Xiang Yu on the road to unification of China.

Why did Xiang Yu lose to Liu Bang?

In terms of identity and personal status, Liu Bang is not as good as Xiang Yu. While Xiang Yu was born and raised in an aristocratic family, Liu Bang was only a commoner and was once identified by Sima Thien as “a lover of wine, arrogant and contemptuous”.

In addition, Luu Bang does not have a powerful army, nor does he have the strength and talent to lead an army like Xiang Yu.

However, above all, Luu Bang “very” knows how to overcome weaknesses. With his political prowess, he took over the fertile central plains, gradually building up a stronger army. He also devised a trick to please people, minimizing the number of people killed in wars.

In contrast, Xiang Yu organized the army in an undisciplined manner. He defied everything, using the impulsiveness, “more blood than losing” of youth, turning war into inhuman massacres. Therefore, for the people of that time, Xiang Yu was a very evil and cruel person.

However, it seems that Luu Bang’s victory over the whole world is just “heaven’s destiny”. In the eyes of later generations, the respect for Liu Bang is far less than Xiang Yu. Even his and La Tri’s love story “many plots and many schemes” was compared with Xiang Yu – who was only talented as a general, not destined to be a king.