In 221 BCE, King Zheng of Qin unified the Chinese states by force, and proclaimed the founding of the Empire of Ten Thousand Years. Renaming himself as Shi Huangdi, the First Emperor, under advise, expanded the Qin Legalist-oriented administration all over the Empire. The Chinese script, coinage, weights, cart-widths, measurements etc were standardized across the Empire, ensuring a unified China for ages to come. Particularly the draconian Qin laws were implemented and enforced thru out the Empire.
The simple hardy people of Qin proper were able to endure the draconian laws, due to the contingencies of inter-state warfare and threats of barbarian attacks from all directions. However, for the more sophisticated elites and peoples of the other Chinese states, the laws of Qin were impossible. Discontent was rife, and only awaited a proper opportunity to be ignited.
In 209 BCE, a year after the death of Shi Huangdi, a farmhand named Chen Sheng rebelled. Though this rebellion in itself was quickly suppressed by the Qin army, it signalled the beginning of a general Empire-wide rebellion against Qin imperial authority, by original people, and former royalists and aristocrats alike.
One of the more organized of these diseparate rebellions was by Xiang Liang, and Xiang Yu, his nephew, in the former state of Chu. Xiang Liang enthroned a descendant of the former King of Chu, and won a series of victories against the Qin. But he grew over-confident and was killed in one battle.
Then, the former kingdom of Zhao was under heavy attack by the Qin armies and requested for aid from other rebel forces. The King of Chu dispatched an army to aid them, with Xiang Yu as second commander. But the army didn't move as the commander awaited his chance. Xiang Yu, ever rash and impatient, killed him and took over the command. Nobody objected as he was the paramount warrior of the age. Having no choice, the King of Chu confirmed his new position as commander of the Chu army.
The anti-Qin rebel forces all converged on Zhao, to battle the formidable Qin armies. The Chu army, led by Xiang Yu, was at the very forefront, and won a whole series of victories against the Qin. By general acclaim, he was acknowledged as the leader of the anti-Qin forces. In the meantime, the great Qin general, Zhang Nan, was forced to retreat repeatedly. Back in Xianyang, the imperial capital, the power behind the throne, the eunuch Zhao Gao, began to plot against the general, whom he feared because of his military ability.
Fearing for his safety, Zhang Nan surrendered, along with 200000 of his troops, to Xiang Yu. Many of the anti-Qin rebels had suffered great hardship at the hands of the soldiers of Qin, as labourers, commoners etc. During the night, they slaughtered the 200000 men of Qin while they slept, with the tacit approval of their commander, Xiang Yu, except for Zhang Nan and his immediate associates. The anti-Qin forces were victorious and the days of Qin were numbered.
Xiang Yu then led his large army to Xianyang and was infuriated to discover it had been occupied by Liu Bang, commander of another rebel army sent by the King of Chu to subjugate the imperial capital. Liu Bang, from the village of Pei in Chu, had started off by serving under Xiang Liang. A minor official; he had set free the labourers he was supposed to escort to work on the huge tomb of the First Emperor. Faced with punishment shld he return to his post, Liu Bang rebelled instead and joined up with Xiang Liang who assigned him a force of 5000 men to lead.
Liu Bang and Xiang Yu fought side-by-side. After the death of Xiang Liang, Xiang Yu agigated and demanded to be allowed to attack Xianyang immediately. The King of Chu, fearing his rashness and vengefulness, disallowed him. Then, came the Zhao situation, and Xiang Yu was sent to help the newly-raised and inexperienced Zhao forces. And the more benign Liu Bang instead, was sent with an army to capture the Qin capital.
In Nov 207, Liu Bang entered the captial, accepted the surrender of the Qin heir, the Second Emperor having been murdered by the eunuch Zhao Gao, held order over the Qin lands and sealed off the treasuries and palaces to prevent looting, to the general acclaim of the Qin people. This was after he had broken thru the last Qin forces guarding the passes into the Wei Valley, wherein laid the magnificent captial of Shi Huangdi.
Xiang Yu was furious that Liu Bang had entered the enemy's capital first. With 400000 troops at his command encamped at Hongmen, he prepared to attack Liu Bang and his much smaller army of maybe 100000 troops. Alerted by Xiang Bo, an uncle to Xiang Yu, (who owed a favour to Zhang Lian, Liu Bang's strategist and advisor), Liu Bang rushed to Xiang Yu's camp, attended by none except Zhang Lian and a guard, to apologise, explain and mollify the impetous Xiang Yu. Mollified, Xiang Yu entertained Liu Bang to a banquet, and allowed him to go free, despite advice fr his advisor, Fan Zeng, to kill him. Fan Zeng had seen Liu Bang as Xiang Yu's greatest opponent in the power struggle now commencing.
Xiang Yu marched into Xianyang in the spring of 206 BCE. He immediately executed the last heir of the Qin, looted the treasuries, and burned the palaces. It was said the palaces burned for three whole months. Then came the great conference of the anti-Qin forces. As leader of the rebellion, Xiang Yu divided China into 19 kingdoms and rewarded them to the generals of the rebel forces. He, of course, took the lion's share. Liu Bang was given Han Zhong, in mountainous and remote northern Sichuan, and ennobled as the King of Han. Xiang Yu set three defected Qin generals, incl Zhang Nan, as kings of adjacent territories to watch over him.
The conference ended, and Liu Bang and his army marched into Han Zhong. He burned the suspended roadway over the gorge separating the territory fr the rest of China - a grand signal to signify he didn't intend to return to contest with Xiang Yu. In practise, it was to prevent Xiang Yu fr chasing him with an army. In fact, Xiang Yu did change his mind and send off an army to pursue the Han army but by then it was too late.
Xiang Yu returned to his own fief, the kingdom of Chu. Bearing a grudge against the incumbent king, he had him murdered and took the throne of Chu for himself.
The simple hardy people of Qin proper were able to endure the draconian laws, due to the contingencies of inter-state warfare and threats of barbarian attacks from all directions. However, for the more sophisticated elites and peoples of the other Chinese states, the laws of Qin were impossible. Discontent was rife, and only awaited a proper opportunity to be ignited.
In 209 BCE, a year after the death of Shi Huangdi, a farmhand named Chen Sheng rebelled. Though this rebellion in itself was quickly suppressed by the Qin army, it signalled the beginning of a general Empire-wide rebellion against Qin imperial authority, by original people, and former royalists and aristocrats alike.
One of the more organized of these diseparate rebellions was by Xiang Liang, and Xiang Yu, his nephew, in the former state of Chu. Xiang Liang enthroned a descendant of the former King of Chu, and won a series of victories against the Qin. But he grew over-confident and was killed in one battle.
Then, the former kingdom of Zhao was under heavy attack by the Qin armies and requested for aid from other rebel forces. The King of Chu dispatched an army to aid them, with Xiang Yu as second commander. But the army didn't move as the commander awaited his chance. Xiang Yu, ever rash and impatient, killed him and took over the command. Nobody objected as he was the paramount warrior of the age. Having no choice, the King of Chu confirmed his new position as commander of the Chu army.
The anti-Qin rebel forces all converged on Zhao, to battle the formidable Qin armies. The Chu army, led by Xiang Yu, was at the very forefront, and won a whole series of victories against the Qin. By general acclaim, he was acknowledged as the leader of the anti-Qin forces. In the meantime, the great Qin general, Zhang Nan, was forced to retreat repeatedly. Back in Xianyang, the imperial capital, the power behind the throne, the eunuch Zhao Gao, began to plot against the general, whom he feared because of his military ability.
Fearing for his safety, Zhang Nan surrendered, along with 200000 of his troops, to Xiang Yu. Many of the anti-Qin rebels had suffered great hardship at the hands of the soldiers of Qin, as labourers, commoners etc. During the night, they slaughtered the 200000 men of Qin while they slept, with the tacit approval of their commander, Xiang Yu, except for Zhang Nan and his immediate associates. The anti-Qin forces were victorious and the days of Qin were numbered.
Xiang Yu then led his large army to Xianyang and was infuriated to discover it had been occupied by Liu Bang, commander of another rebel army sent by the King of Chu to subjugate the imperial capital. Liu Bang, from the village of Pei in Chu, had started off by serving under Xiang Liang. A minor official; he had set free the labourers he was supposed to escort to work on the huge tomb of the First Emperor. Faced with punishment shld he return to his post, Liu Bang rebelled instead and joined up with Xiang Liang who assigned him a force of 5000 men to lead.
Liu Bang and Xiang Yu fought side-by-side. After the death of Xiang Liang, Xiang Yu agigated and demanded to be allowed to attack Xianyang immediately. The King of Chu, fearing his rashness and vengefulness, disallowed him. Then, came the Zhao situation, and Xiang Yu was sent to help the newly-raised and inexperienced Zhao forces. And the more benign Liu Bang instead, was sent with an army to capture the Qin capital.
In Nov 207, Liu Bang entered the captial, accepted the surrender of the Qin heir, the Second Emperor having been murdered by the eunuch Zhao Gao, held order over the Qin lands and sealed off the treasuries and palaces to prevent looting, to the general acclaim of the Qin people. This was after he had broken thru the last Qin forces guarding the passes into the Wei Valley, wherein laid the magnificent captial of Shi Huangdi.
Xiang Yu was furious that Liu Bang had entered the enemy's capital first. With 400000 troops at his command encamped at Hongmen, he prepared to attack Liu Bang and his much smaller army of maybe 100000 troops. Alerted by Xiang Bo, an uncle to Xiang Yu, (who owed a favour to Zhang Lian, Liu Bang's strategist and advisor), Liu Bang rushed to Xiang Yu's camp, attended by none except Zhang Lian and a guard, to apologise, explain and mollify the impetous Xiang Yu. Mollified, Xiang Yu entertained Liu Bang to a banquet, and allowed him to go free, despite advice fr his advisor, Fan Zeng, to kill him. Fan Zeng had seen Liu Bang as Xiang Yu's greatest opponent in the power struggle now commencing.
Xiang Yu marched into Xianyang in the spring of 206 BCE. He immediately executed the last heir of the Qin, looted the treasuries, and burned the palaces. It was said the palaces burned for three whole months. Then came the great conference of the anti-Qin forces. As leader of the rebellion, Xiang Yu divided China into 19 kingdoms and rewarded them to the generals of the rebel forces. He, of course, took the lion's share. Liu Bang was given Han Zhong, in mountainous and remote northern Sichuan, and ennobled as the King of Han. Xiang Yu set three defected Qin generals, incl Zhang Nan, as kings of adjacent territories to watch over him.
The conference ended, and Liu Bang and his army marched into Han Zhong. He burned the suspended roadway over the gorge separating the territory fr the rest of China - a grand signal to signify he didn't intend to return to contest with Xiang Yu. In practise, it was to prevent Xiang Yu fr chasing him with an army. In fact, Xiang Yu did change his mind and send off an army to pursue the Han army but by then it was too late.
Xiang Yu returned to his own fief, the kingdom of Chu. Bearing a grudge against the incumbent king, he had him murdered and took the throne of Chu for himself.
The Han soldiers sang the folk-songs of the Chu homeland. Overnight, the morale of the exhausted Chu army collapsed. When morning came, less than 1000 men were left for Xiang Yu to command. 
Who knows...
