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Emperor Yi of Chu (Traditional Chinese: 楚義帝, sometimes 南楚義帝, literally "the Righteous Emperor of Chu"), also known as Prince Huai of Chu (楚懷王), personal name Mi Xin (羋心) (d. late 206 BC or early 205 BC) was a key figure in the rebellions that led to the downfall of Qin Dynasty.

Early life

Mi Xin was a descendant of the royalty of Chu, one of the major states in the Warring States period. Specifically, he was the grandson of Mi Huai (羋槐), Prince Huai of Chu, but he was not in the main line of succession; there were four intervening princes of Chu before its destruction by Qin in 212 BC. Prince Huai had been remembered with deep affection by the people of Chu because of his tragic death; in 299 BC, he was tricked by Qin to an international conference with its prince and was kidnapped at that conference, and while he would live on for years, he would never be able to return to his land of Chu, and only his casket was returned after his death, which the people received with great honor and grief.

When Xiang Liang (項梁) led a coalition of anti-Qin rebels in the Chu region after Chen Sheng (陳勝)'s death, he was advised by Fan Zeng (范增) to increase the appeal of the rebels by making a member of the Chu royalty the prince. After some search, he found Mi Xin, who was a shepherd at that time. (Mi's age at this time is not known.)

As Prince of Chu

in summer 208 BC, Xiang made Mi Xin prince, with the title "Prince Huai of Chu," deliberately using the same title as his grandfather in order to attract the people of Chu to him (even though "Prince Huai" is a posthumous name and therefore otherwise inappropriate for a living monarch). Initially, he was effectively Xiang's puppet, but after Xiang's death in battle in winter 208 BC while fighting the Qin general Zhang Han (章邯), Prince Huai asserted himself on a greater scale and basically ruled in a collective leadership with the major generals, but having the final say. He issued an edict stating that whoever entered Qin proper (the core of the old Qin state, modern central Shaanxi) would be made the Prince of Qin.

In winter 208 BC, Prince Huai would make a decision that would have more impact on history than it seemed at the time. Xiang Liang's nephew Xiang Yu (項羽), angry over Xiang Liang's death at the hands of Qin, had vowed to destroy Qin and volunteered to lead an expeditory force against Qin proper, along with another general, Liu Bang (劉邦). Believing Xiang to be excessively cruel and impetuous, Prince Huai declined. Instead, he made Xiang the second-in-command to Song Yi (宋義) in an expeditory force to relieve Zhao Xie (趙歇), the Prince of Zhao, who was then under resurgent Qin siege by Qin general Zhang Han (章邯) in his capital Handan (in modern city of the same name in Hebei) while putting Liu Bang in command, alone, of the expeditory force against the heart of Qin itself.

The two armies would both be very successful -- oddly, eventually at Prince Huai's detriment. The Zhao-relieving force, commanded by the arrogant Song, stopped on the way there because Song wanted to let Qin and Zhao wear each other out, not realizing the actual danger that Zhao was in. Xiang assassinated Song and then advanced quickly, saving Zhao and destroying much of the Qin force, eventually forcing Zhang Han to surrender in summer 207 BC and then advanced toward Qin proper. At the same time, however, Liu surprisingly easily advanced into Qin proper, and Qin's final ruler Ying Yin surrendered to him in winter 207 BC, ahead of Xiang's arrival, ending Qin Dynasty.

Downfall and death

Under Prince Huai's edict, Liu should be made the Prince of Qin. However, Xiang, angry that Liu robbed him of the victory he considered rightfully his, advised Prince Huai to renege on the promise. Prince Huai refused. In response, Xiang, working with other generals of the coalition (from both Chu and other rebel states), staged a coup d'etat. Then, under the guise of giving Prince Huai greater honor, Xiang honored him with the title of "Emperor Yi of Chu," but moved his "empire" to an uncivilized region centering Chencheng (郴城, in modern Chenzhou, Hunan), effecitvely exiling Emperor Yi into the wilderness. Xiang divided the remaining parts of the former Qin empire into 18 principalities.

Still bearing a grudge against Emperor Yi, however, Xiang was not satisfied with merely exiling him. In winter 206 BC, Xiang forced Emperor Yi, who had been stalling for time, to start his trek to Chencheng. Xiang, meanwhile, issued a secret order to Ying Bu (英布), the Prince of Jiujiang; Wu Rui (吳芮), the Prince of Hengshan; and Gong Ao (共敖), the Prince of Linjiang, to have Emperor Yi assassinated. As Emperor Yi was crossing the Yangtze River, assassins placed on his ship by the three princes surprised him and killed him.

The death of Emperor Yi became a major point of political propaganda for Liu Bang in the Chu Han Contention.

Note: throughout this article, wang (王) has been translated as "prince." It can also be translated as "king," and is often so in translations involving the Warring States.