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Han Xin

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Nlu (talk | contribs) at 01:27, 26 July 2005 (Clear that the initial stripping of his title was without cause; not so clear that he did not conspire later or did; also removing some ambiguity and unsubstantiated claims). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

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Han Xin (韓信) (?-196 BC), aka Marquess of Huaiyin (淮陰候), was a capable Chinese statesman and military strategist under Liu Bang. His father died early and he and his mother were very poor. As a child, he was scrawny and never good at anything other than playing with his sword. It was said that one time when he was alone playing, he was confronted by a couple of hoodlums. They wanted to make fun of him that they made him crawl under their pants. Han Xin knew at that time that if he were to combat them, he would be at a great disadvantage. So instead of putting up a fight, he did as he was told. This incident as he recalled later on was the best thing that happened in his life, because instead of letting his misfortunes handle his life, he used this event as a stepping stone to achieving his ambitions. After a couple of years of striving, he was able to master the art of war and, not long after, become one of the greatest strategist at that time. "Restraint," as he said, "must be practiced as a child, deny it, will cause your downfall."

After the outburst of the Qin rebellion, he initially worked as a common soldier under Xiang Yu, who was then the most powerful rebel leader at that time to fight against the Qin Dynasty. And although he showed great aptitude, he was never promoted nor awarded for his valor that he felt deprived, so without a word he left Xiang Yu's forces. As the war with the Qin forces was at its nadir, Han Xin was recruited by Xiao He, a fellow statesman working under Liu Bang who've heard of his gallantry and military prowess, to join his cause. This eventually led to Xiang Yu's defeat and downfall.

Han Xin led the forces of Liu Bang to even the scores between Xiang Yu's amassed army. And because of his many triumphs, he requested that he be given a higher position than what he already had. This was eventually and reluctantly approved by Liu Bang. After more victories, he was advised by one of his subordinates to revolt against the Han and establish his own kingdom. But he rejected the idea because he felt he could never betray Liu Bang's trust and compassion for him. And besides he was satisfied with what he had and wanted nothing more. This opportunity lost was to become the source of his regret later on as he was being sentenced to death.

After Liu Bang (later known as Emperor Gao) was declared emperor of Han, paranoia spread across the imperial court -- all who were considered a threat to the Han empire just had to be removed, including Han Xin. Han, then the Prince of Chu, was summoned to a meeting and captured, and then stripped of his principality and made a mere marquess with no military authority. Then, while Emperor Gao was away on an expedition, he was accused by Empress Lü of treason and executed. He was executed, along with his close relatives on both parents' side and his wife's side.

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