The Life of Xiang Yu, INTRO: The Death Knell of the Qin 项羽

"Farewell my Concubine:" 3D CG rendering by the amazing Qiang, please check out his works and his process for this great masterpiece.

Many in the west may have heard of the famous film: "Farewell My Concubine" and recognized its name. But few perhaps knows of the heroic figure that inspired this great tradegy.

THE GREAT REBELLION

The tyrant's house has been overthrown and now there were only two to decide the fate of the realm. This summarizes the political climate that immediately followed the collapse of the Qin dynasty: a dynasty that- if you recall, not only united China through a series of devastating wars but also forever changed China from a feudal society of many lords and kings into one unified empire under a powerful emperor. Though Qin Shi Huang- or the First Emperor of Qin had envisioned a mighty dynasty that would last a thousand generations, it would scarcely last longer than one mere decade. Then, only three years after his death, the realm would quickly unravel into a series of massive rebellions.

Everywhere, there were flocks of rebels who were resentful of Qin's iron fisted rule, with armies that were frequently larger than 100,000 strong.  Within only a few years the Qin would completely crumble, consumed by the armies of vengeful rebels and their warlords. Two of the most important of those rebel warlords were Liu Bang of Han and Xiang Xu of Western Chu.

THE FIRESTORM OF REBELLION

Consumed from within, the Qin was so hated that it was consumed by hundreds of 

simultaneous rebellions. Across the realm fierce rebels and warlords- many who

were previously unknowns would emerge as champions and heroes in the massive

rebellion. The Qin was finally toppled in 206 but with its demise a new political

order had emerged. Now there were some two dozens of powerful warlords who

had became the new masters of China, and none would lead them all.

The descendants of the royal families of the former Yan, Zhao, Qi and Wei states rebelled against the Qin Empire in the name of restoring their states. While in the other corner of the broken empire, two of the most prominent champions to emerge were both relatively unknowns, but they would both made their names in the great conflagration. One was the rebel Liu Bang, who had only been a lowly peasant, but who was also resourceful and very charismatic. The other was the great conqueror Xiang Yu, a tall and mighty prince who was perhaps one of the deadliest warriors in Chinese history. Liu Bang and Xiang Yu were both men of great charisma and merits, and each did their utmost in destroying the Qin.

THE WIT AND THE BRAWN

Always more than what he seemed: Liu Bang came from humble backgrounds 

and was an idle youth. However he has a crafty mind and a great sense of

intuition with people. In over a dozen times, Liu was beset by life threatening

situations, but through cunning and applying his particular persuasion to the

human factors he was able to emerge not only with little losses but with 

great gains instead. Taking advantage of the Qin's dissentegration, he 

rebelled and was able to take over western China. In an age of total war, 

his humanity allowed him to create a different world. 

A God in war, and hopelessly temperamental. Xiang Yu was so gifted and yet 

imbued with so much passion that the record of his life is reminiscent of a 

Greek tragedy. Tall and extraordinarily strong, Xiang Yu possessed a Herculean 

physique and was recorded that he could lift a Ding- a Chinese metal vessel 

that resembled a giant cauldron on tripods with his bare hands. He was 

trained by his uncle Xiang Liang, a high noble of the Chu royal court who 

had fought in the massive wars against the Qin. Having been made low by 

the Qin, Xiang Yu and his uncle rebeled against the Qin rule from 

eastern China. In an age of war, he was the man precisely made for it

-and in turn, took down an empire in revenge.

After many rebels had rose up and were crushed by the Qin, Xiang Yu and his mentor, his uncle Xiang Liang rose up and became two of the most influential leaders of the great rebellion. Under the pretext of restoring their former extinguished kingdom of Chu- which had been one of the biggest foes of the Qin empire, Xiang Liang placed one of the last descendant Chu: King Huai II upon its restored throne. However in reality power was securely controlled by Xiang Liang.

Beacon of resistance: During Qin's conquest of unification, the huge kingdom of Chu

in south eastern China marked the greatest obstacle to Qin's expansion. Despite having

been crushed by the Qin army, anti- Qin resentment pervades throughout the extinquished

kingdom. By placing King Huai II upon the throne and rule through him, the Xiang clan

effectively collected all of the fealty and power the memory of Chu garnered. Through

this beacon of resistance, Xiang Liang stoked the flames of rebellion

Here too is where another important rebel enters the story as well. Liu Bang joined Xiang Liang and served in Chu for some time. From where Liu Bang was granted the title "Marquis of Wu An" (武安侯) by the king. After Xiang Liang became arrogant and was killed by the Qin forces at the Battle of Dingtao, the rein of the Xiang clan fell upon the leadership of the 24 year old Xiang Yu. It was here Xiang Yu made himself the hero of the age. 

BATTLE OF JULU

Having been intensely trained by his uncle in stratagem and himself extraordinarily gifted in warfare, in a daring move, only months after his uncle's death at the hands of the Qin butchers, in 207 BC Xiang Yu mount up and took the fight directly to the Qin. From present-day Jiangsu, Xiang Yu marched north against the Qin army. 

Many other rebels armies soon joined him in his northern march. At Julu, near modern Xingtai, Hebei, Xiang Yu- leading his own army as a vanguard, Xiang Yu's coalition to utterly crushed the Qin forces. Nearly 200,000 of Qin's imperial forces were destroyed. The whole of the Qin dynasty would collapse only a year after Julu, but Xiang Yu did not stop there, he would make sure his uncle was thousands of times avenged.

Lurid atrocities: The Qin, even dying, would know of the great wrath of Xiang Yu, ...at least by the account of the later Han scholars. It was recorded that after Xiang Yu's victory at Julu, he ordered some 200,000 surrendered Qin soldiers to be buried alive as punishment. Though it's certainly likely that Xiang Yu punished the Qin soldiery after his victory, it should be reminded that the Han had every reason to demonize Xiang Yu and wildly exaggerated these numbers. Lower estimates have placed the number around some 20,000 but it's still debated.

How many of you have once regarded the images of the Terracotta Warriors, and saw them zoomed out, standing in rows as the Terracotta Army? Saw their stony faces- which were reported to have been modeled after real soldiers. How many of you have then thought from what you have just read, that some one out there was able to destroy nearly all of their living counterpart -and wipe off the very empire from which they were made? And if those soldiers were modeled after real life counterparts, that 1/5 of a million of them were slain by a vengeful unknown youth no more than 25 year of age. Such was the wrath of the empire destroyer. His name would forever be intertwined with their destruction.

"Hegemon" 

The Qin world became the oyster of Xiang Yu: or so it seemed. Despite his great

achievements in dismantling the imperial bulk of the Qin forces in the east, at the moment

of his greatest triumph, he would found his achievements undercut by one who he had

at times considered a comrade in arms. 

Join us for the world after the defeat of the tyrannical empire the world that followed would be of a world devoid of mercies and lit by the fire of wrath.