After the death of Chu, the young hero, Xiang Jia was massacred, and his young grandfather Xiang Keli was dismembered in his hometown Wuzhong. He and his younger brother Xiang Zhuang went into exile with his uncle Xiang Liang to Wuxian (now Suzhou, Jiangsu). When he was young, Xiang Liang asked someone to teach him calligraphy and poetry, but he soon got tired of it. Hou Liang asked someone to teach him martial arts again, but he didn't learn it quickly. Liang is furious! Ji said: "Learning literature can only remember names, and learning martial arts can only be worth one hundred. If you want to learn, learn from ten thousand enemies! " So Liang taught him the art of war. But he didn't want to learn after studying for a while, so Liang had to follow him and leave him alone.
Xiang Yu's ability to lift the tripod (the origin of the word "overlord lifting the tripod") was extremely stressful and ambitious when he was young. When Qin Shihuang visited Zhejiang (now Qiantang River), Xiang Yu saw that his chariots and horses were magnificent and said to Xiang Liang, "I can replace him." In the first year of Qin Ershi (209 BC), Chen Sheng and Guangwu rose up in osawa Township (that is, the Daze Township Uprising), and Xiang Yu responded with his uncle Xiang Liang's assassination of the satrap Yin Tong and his troops in Wuzhong. In this campaign, Xiang Yu single-handedly killed nearly 100 guards of Yintong, showing his unparalleled martial arts for the first time! Twenty-four-year-old Xiang Yu led 8,000 people from Wuzhong (present-day Suzhou) to fight against Qin and stepped onto the historical stage.
Historical Assessment: Reasons for Failure
1. Sima Lu has a section "Farewell My Concubine: The Last Aria of Heroes" in the book Han Law, and evaluates Xiang Yu: Xiang Yu, Liu Bang, Han Xin, Sean and Chu Han, all of whom can be said to be heroes since ancient times, but their temperament and personality are completely different. Han Xin can be said to be a hero of depression. He can endure and turn over, but sometimes he is indecisive. Sean can be said to be a sticky hero. He is good at making suggestions behind the scenes, and he is not proud afterwards. He is low-key and indifferent to fame and fortune. Liu Bang can be said to be a bloody hero. He is good at communication. He is good at wooing and blowing, and his political skills are first-class. As for Xiang Yu, I'm afraid he is a courageous hero. He is straightforward, enthusiastic, energetic, impulsive, with violent mood changes, and sometimes he is a little immersed in love. The legendary "temperament middleman" is this type. A hero like Xiang Yu pays attention to imposing manner. Breaking into the county magistrate's office and killing Yin Tong all depend on one person's strength. The battle of the giant deer, cross the rubicon, win more with less, depends on a spirit. In the battle of Pengcheng, the thirty thousand fighters of the Western Chu defeated the multinational force of 560,000 people and bloodbath the Han army, relying on anger. However, in the elevation and light weapons of the Central Plains, the long-term stalemate and tired two-line battle finally cut off the route for providing foodstuff, which slowly exhausted the courage and strength of the overlord of Chu. As soon as the gap agreement was signed, everyone thought of peace and going home, and the grudge of Xiang Yu's army was drained, and once it was drained, it was difficult to mention it again. Xiang Yu's failure is precisely because of this.
2. As for the reason of Liu Sheng's failure, Liu Bang himself had a very proud "experience summary" after he became emperor. In the fifth year of Emperor Gaozu (202 BC), the world was settled. Gaozu bought wine in Nangong, Luoyang, and asked his ministers, "How can I win the world?" Why did Xiang Jia lose the world? "When Wu Gong got up, Xinping Cemetery replied," Your Majesty insulted others slowly, and Xiang Yu loved others. But your majesty makes people attack the city slightly, and it is also beneficial to the world to give it to those who fall. Xiang Yu is jealous of talents, and those who have made meritorious deeds will be harmed. Those who make meritorious deeds are suspicious, those who win are not rewarded, and those who seize land are not rewarded. That's why they lost the world. However, Liu Bang said, "The public knows one, but not the other. I am not as good as an ovary, because I am a winner thousands of miles away. I am not as good as Han Xin, for I can help the country, comfort the people and provide Wei with endless food. These three are outstanding people, and I can use them, so I win the world. Xiang Yu has a Fan Zeng, so he can't use it. That's why he was arrested for me. "For a long time, based on Liu Bang's opinion, most commentators analyzed the inevitability of Liu Sheng's defeat from the sharp contrast between Liu Xiang and Liu Xiang in strategy and employment.
There is also a fatal direct cause of Xiang Yu's failure, which has been ignored by historians for two thousand years. The former leader is high above the grave, and it is very important to say that "Your Majesty slowly insults others, and Xiang Yu loves others". People are deeply impressed by Liu Bang's "slow and humiliating". The most typical example is that he despised intellectuals and peed on the crown of Confucianism. Xiang Yu's "benevolence" was completely ignored. A really can be called a murderous demon. Attack Xiangcheng in his early years. Because he can't attack for a long time, once he wins, he will kill unarmed people. "Xiangcheng is a pit." When we marched into Xianyang, in the First World War of Xin 'an, there were "more than 200,000 Qin soldiers killed at night". He "led the troops to slaughter Xianyang in the west, kill Qin Zhi, burn Qin Gong, and the fire will not go out in March". Later, at the Battle of Chengyang, "Guo Cheng Palace was burned in the north, and all of them were cheated by Tian Rong, who was old, weak, women and children. Because it was destroyed in many places in Beihai, the first world war against the Yellow River actually killed more than 0/5 men in the city. I'm afraid he has killed countless people in his life, not only "enemies", but also prisoners and people. However, it is Gao Qi and the tomb in his hostile camp who say that he is "benevolent and loves others". How do you explain this? Gao Qi and the tomb were ministers of the Han Dynasty. In the face of Liu Bang, the ancestor of the Han Dynasty, they could not go against the facts and whitewash Xiang Yu, and Liu Bang did not refute them. It can be seen that "Xiang Yu is kind and loving" was a common view at that time. Sima Qian did not judge heroes by success or failure, but made an exception and asked Xiang Yu to write Historical Records, which was certainly commendable. But Sima Qian is also a Han minister after all. He can't deliberately beautify Xiang Yu and impose nonexistent virtues on him. The phrase "Xiang Yu is benevolent and loves others" must have its roots. What is "benevolence"? Confucius said, "The benevolent loves others." Say, "Give it to the people and help them." He said, "Benevolent people don't have to live to harm benevolence, but to kill themselves." Mencius said, "This is a boon to everyone in the world. Say: "Kiss the people, be kind to the people, and love things." Yue: "Ren Jun, be merciless; Junyi, all righteousness; Jun Zheng, Mo Zheng. One is the monarch, and the country has been decided. "Xiang Yu is cruel by nature. When he was young, he "studied books instead of swords" and probably didn't read many sage books. But after all, he was born in a famous family, and the moral code of "benevolence, righteousness, courtesy and wisdom" advocated by Meng is not necessarily convincing, but it is difficult to get rid of its bondage. It was this that became his achilles heel, which was manifested at several critical moments in the struggle between Chu and Han.
In 206 AD (the first 206 years), Xiang Yu gave a "Hongmen Banquet" to kill Liu Bang. In terms of military strength at that time, Xiang Yu had an army of 400,000, claiming to be a million, while Liu Bang had only 6,543,800+million, claiming to be 200,000, a great disparity. Liu Bang came to see Xiang Yu trembling and bowed down as a "minister", not an opponent at all. At that time, Xiang Yu wanted to kill Liu Bang, which was a piece of cake! However, he didn't do it. The biggest obstacle is not Liu Bang or Xiang Bo who secretly helped Liu Bang, but Xiang Yu's inner world. What Fan Kuai said when he broke into the tent with a sword and shield hit the nail on the head: "It was agreed with the generals that the one who first broke Qin and entered Xianyang was king. Today, Pei Gong first broke the Qin Dynasty and entered Xianyang, but he dared not go near. He closed the palace and returned to the army to wait for the arrival of the king. Therefore, people who will keep the customs should be prepared for him to steal in and out. I will not be rewarded if I work so hard, but I will listen to the details. Those who want to punish meritorious deeds died in Qin Er and stole it as a king. " No matter what the actual actions of Liu Bang and Fan Kuai are, at least in theory, they are benevolent and moral, methodical, confident and enterprising, but Xiang Yu was speechless. Chu Huaiwang, the "righteous emperor", was established by him and Liu Bang, and "Wang Zhi, who first broke Qin into Xianyang" was agreed by * * * *; If he kills Liu Bang, he will break the contract and put himself in a passive position of "unkind and unfair". In fact, Yidi is just a puppet. Liu Bang and all the generals are afraid of Xiang Yu. Even if he betrayed Yidi and killed Liu Bang, no one dared to say anything. But there is a "moral court" in his own heart that prevents him from doing that. So, regardless of Fan Zeng's dissuasion, Xiang Yu released the tiger. This is a big mistake of Xiang Yu. As Fan Zeng said afterwards, "Alas! Insufficient vertical shaft, ask. Those who win the king's world will be rewarded repeatedly! " Facts have proved that this mistake caused Xiang Yu's lifelong regret. Liu bang survived and was able to recuperate. When he is full-fledged, it will be difficult for Xiang Yu to destroy him again.
In 203 BC, on the Guangwu battlefield bounded by gaps, Xiang Yu once blackmailed Liu Bang, arrested Liu Bang's father, tied him to the other side of the high standard, and said to Liu Bang, "Don't worry now, I will cook too much!" He thought that Liu Bang would give in to him because of his filial piety. Unexpectedly, Liu bang was completely unmoved and calmly replied: "Xiang Yu and I were both ordered to be the king of Huaibei, saying: about brothers. If my Weng is an Weng, he will want to cook two Weng, so he is lucky to have a piece of me! " This move is miscalculated again. He originally used morality as a weapon to try to subdue Liu Bang, only to be restrained by Liu Bang. For the sake of the overall interests, Liu Bang showed no mercy to some necessary sacrifices. Even if my father was really cooked by Xiang Yu, he would never compromise. "Governing a big country can be something new." What is a "boiled" squire? ! Besides, he knows Xiang Yu's weakness. Since Xiang Yu is "about brothers" with him, if he cooks squire, he will be accused of "unfilial" and "unjust", so he decided that Xiang Yu would never dare to cook! And Liu bang
What about yourself? When he escaped from Pengcheng, he kicked the child out of the car several times in order to reduce the burden and make the car run faster to get rid of the pursuit of Chu army! He only has himself in his heart, so he doesn't care about morality! But when necessary, he carried the banner of morality and created public opinion for himself. Xiang Yu killed the "righteous emperor", and Liu Bang took this opportunity to make an article to mourn for the "righteous emperor" and unite the princes to crusade against the "unjust" Xiang Yu, which hit the key again!
In the winter of 202 BC, Xiang Yu was defeated by Gaixia and exhausted. After Yu Meiren committed suicide, he gave it to the director of Wujiang Pavilion with his love for Ma Zhui, who fought in the south and fought in the north. He also drew his sword and committed suicide, ending the hero's life. There have always been many comments on the death of Xiang Yu. Xiang Yu said to himself before he died: "Killing me today is not a crime of war!" I completely avoided my responsibility, so I died confused. "Mountain will be angry, and unfavorable will not die. What can I do if I don't die? " It is pedantic to attribute everything to "luck" and "fate". At that time, the director of Wujiang Pavilion said to him: "Although Jiangdong is small, it is far away, with hundreds of thousands of people, which is enough for the king. May the king rush by. This minister has a boat alone, and the Han army has arrived, and there is no way to cross it. " Xiang Yu refused this last chance to save him from danger and said, "What can I do if the sky dies?" ! Besides, 8,000 people crossed the river to the west with Jiangdong's children, and none of them came back today. How can I see them? If you don't say anything, is a person worth it? "He would rather die than go back and live up to his elders in Jiangdong. It can be said that the death was clear and heroic. Earlier, he also said a more heroic sentence: "People of several years old in Hungary all over the world are willing to challenge Hanwang and fight it out, and are unwilling to let the father and son of the people all over the world suffer. "The desire to end the war has risen to the height of worrying about the country and the people. Chen Sheng and Guangwu uprising, all in the name of Xiang Yu's grandfather Chu Jiang Xiang Yan and Qin Gongzi Fu Su. Xiang Yu and Liu Bang later named Chu Huaiwang's grandson as the "righteous emperor" in order to establish a moral and moral image in the whole country, and put the act of rebellion and seizure of power on the color of "doing justice for heaven", which is easy to win the hearts of the people all over the world. In How Old Is the World, Xiang Yu's desire to make a quick decision could not be realized, but he was defeated. He is determined to quell the war by death, which is the so-called "sacrifice one's life for justice" and "sacrifice one's life for justice" At this moment, there are only two words that affect his thoughts and actions: morality. Xiang Yu did a lot of immoral things in his life, either because of his personality or because he had to, but in the end he died morally and drew a perfect end for himself. Later generations regard him as a failed hero, reverence and regret, probably because of this. And it is precisely because of this that Xiang Yu finally failed completely. Imagine if Liu Bang had defeated Wujiang instead of Xiang Yu, would he have died? Never. Since there is only one boat by the Wujiang River, the pursuer must be helpless to him. Jiangdong also has a "base area" of "thousands of people". Why not regroup, recruit and make a comeback? Du Mu wrote a poem about the Wujiang Pavilion, saying that "winning or losing is the plan of a military strategist by surprise. Children of Jiangdong, brilliant, make a comeback, unknown. "But xiang yu is xiang yu, not liu bang. In "Fight to the Death", he chose death instead of living. He has affection for his elders in Jiangdong, for the corn poppy and for the war horse. He said to the director of Wujiang Pavilion: "I rode this horse when I was five years old, and I was invincible. I've tried to travel thousands of miles every day, and I can't bear to kill it for the public. "In the last scene of his life, it seems that we are not a murderous tyrant of Chu, but a frustrated hero and a perfect martyr. Even before he died, he saw that it was Lv Matong, a "traitor", who came to kill him, and he cried affectionately, "If it weren't for my enemy?" "I heard that Han bought my head and daughter. I am a good man. "Draw a sword and commit suicide, so that the' old friend' can take its head and take credit for Liu Bang.
The dispute between Chu and Han is not about who is right or wrong politically, or even who is strong or weak militarily, or who is skillful or clumsy strategically. There is an invisible moral force around them, which becomes the direct key to victory or defeat. Liu bang knew that he was not bound by morality, but he used it as a weapon to suppress Xiang Yu again and again, and he would want to kill him. Xiang Yu is passive everywhere, but he always wants to be impeccable in morality. He missed the opportunity again and again, and finally he was besieged on all sides and hated Wujiang River. Xiang Yu's tragedy is actually a moral tragedy. The reason why it has been lamenting for more than two thousand years is mostly because of his moral strength and personality charm. The most representative is a poem by Li Qingzhao: "Life is a hero, and death is a hero." . I still miss Xiang Yu and refuse to cross Jiangdong. "
Summary:
Xiang Yu's invincible position on the battlefield is politically naive and even stupid. Pit and kill prisoners of war, give up Guanzhong, miss Chu, exile Yidi, stand on one's own feet, and lose people's hearts. The more outstanding performance is that Liu Bang's men, Xiao He, Han Xin, Ying Bu, come from different backgrounds but can give full play to their strengths, and Xiang doesn't even need a Fan Zeng, which is in sharp contrast with Liu Bang. Later, the demise of Soochow in the Three Kingdoms period also showed that Jiangdong was unstoppable when there was only Jiangdong left in the world. According to Mr. Wang Liqun of Henan University, "Xiang Yu is a very useful person, but he sits in the position of employing people". This is Xiang Yu's sorrow.
But political failure can't hide Xiang Yu's military talent. At the age of 24, he fought against Qin. At the age of 27, he became the overlord of Chu, a vassal of the 18th Route Army. At the age of 30, he committed suicide in Wujiang. He is a worthy hero. He is different from the emperors and princes in the history of China. He is just a tyrant of Chu.
In the history of China, there are countless heroes. But there are few ruthless and gentle men like Xiang Yu. Surrounded by all the troops, this embattled man will not be defeated. But Yu Ji's departure made him choose death. The roar of the battlefield is unforgettable in front of Iraqis. Heroes like Xiang Yu deserve to be admired by future generations.
Throughout the long history, there are countless heroes with endless romantic feelings. Xiang Yu generously went to Jiangdong for the death of his father and brother, and calmly laid down his life to comfort the man. Such integrity, when his heroic body fell to the ground, he soared, lingyun went straight up, overwhelming, destroying people so far. I would rather die with a clear conscience than live with shame.
Personality review
1, the tomb said, "Your Majesty is slow to insult others, and Xiang Yu is kind and loving. (Feather) Virtue is good and jealous, and merit will be harmful, and merit will be doubtful. " (Biography of the Great)
2. Chen Ping said: "Wang Xiang is a respectful lover, and loyal and polite people repay him; As for the meritorious service, the scholars also attached it. " ("Chen Prime Minister's Family")
Han Xin said, "Please tell me that Wang is a man. Wang Xiang's thought is arrogant, and thousands of people waste it; However, you can't be a wise general. It's a man's courage. When Xiang Wang saw that people were respectful and loving, they spoke with disgust and sobbed and ate. When you want people to make meritorious deeds and be knighted, it is very embarrassing to print. This is the so-called woman's benevolence. " (Biography of Huaiyin Hou)
All the veterans said:' Xiang Yu was a fierce and slippery thief, and everything he did was ruined. "("biographies of high-impedance ")
Qian Zhongshu said, "You should get it from Fan Zeng and other languages. Spit it out in words, respect it with love, be fierce with a thief, love it with a courtier and envy it with a sage, be good with a woman and kill it with a pit, eat it with a drink, and play it with a seal, all of which are opposites. However, if you are a feather, you have two hands and different throats, but you don't have the same penetrating power. You can learn nature with your mind. There is no comprehensive description of the characters in Historical Records. Every time a scholar talks about the song "Yu Xi", it is still superficial. " ("Compilation and Translation of Pipe Cone")