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Revision as of 03:09, 26 July 2005 by Nlu (talk | contribs) (Fixing two minor errors; adding another childhood anecdote)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)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 had a poor childhood. 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 crotch. 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." Once, when he was very hungry, an old lady gave him a meal. (After he later became the Prince of Chu, he gave her a gift of 24,000 Chinese ounces of gold in gratitude.)
During the rebellion against Qin rule, he initially served as a common soldier under Xiang Yu, who was then the most powerful general in the war against Qin. Although he showed great military abilities, he was not trusted or promoted by Xiang, so he left Xiang's forces. After Qin fell and Xiang divided the former Qin territories among many princes, Han Xin was recruited by Xiao He, a fellow statesman working under Liu Bang (who was made the Prince of Han under Xiang's division) who've heard of his gallantry and military prowess, to join his cause against Xiang. (Liu resented Xiang for reneging on the promise to give him the Principality of Qin (i.e., the former territories of Qin prior to its unification of China).)
Han Xin led Liu's Han forces in the efforts of expanding the Han territories and eventually strangling Xiang's Principality of Western Chu. Han was very successful, conquering the Principalities of Western Wei, Zhao, Dai, and Qi and merging them into the Han sphere of influence. Because of his many triumphs, he requested that he be created the Prince of Qi. This was reluctantly approved by Liu Bang. One of Han's advisors suggested that he disassociate himself from Liu Bang and establish an independent regime. But he rejected the idea because he felt he could never betray Liu Bang's trust and compassion for him. 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.
Despite his tragic death, Han was regarded as one of the greatest generals in Chinese history, often invoked in future generations as a comparison to when generals were praised
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