Xiang Liang, a native of Xiangxiang (now Sucheng District, Suqian City, Jiangsu Province), was the son of Xiang Yan, a famous general in Chu State.
Xiang Yu, Xiang Liang's nephew.
Xiang Liang did not leave many traces in the history books, and there was nothing worth writing about, but his nephew Xiang Yu was different.
The famous Overlord of Western Chu!
Xiang Yu's famous name, courtesy name Yu. In ancient times, it was impolite and disrespectful to address people by their names, so later generations only addressed Xiang Yu by his name but not by his name. According to historical records, Xiang Yu had the power to lift mountains and lift cauldrons, and he was born with an unusual appearance - his eyes had double pupils.
Double pupils, which means there are two pupils in the eye, are caused by pupil distortion and have little impact on vision. It is also called synoptosis, and is now called polypupil syndrome.
The Xiang family was originally an aristocratic family in Chu State, and most of the family members served as officials in Chu State. The most famous one was Xiang Yan, who set up many obstacles to Qin's unification war. Therefore, after the fall of the Chu State, the Xiang family suffered strong revenge. Xiang Yu, Xiang Yu's cousin Xiang Zhuang, Xiang Yu's uncles Xiang Liang and Xiang Bo were lucky enough to survive.
The Xiang family suffered this disaster, and Xiang Liang pinned his hopes for the revitalization of the family on his nephew Xiang Yu. Little did he know that Xiang Yu and Liu Bang had something in common - they were tired of learning. Xiang Liang asked a famous teacher to teach Xiang Yu how to read. Xiang Yu studied for two and a half days and stopped studying. If you don't want to study literature, then learn martial arts. Maybe you can achieve success in martial arts. So Xiang Liang asked an expert to teach Xiang Yu swordsmanship. Xiang Yu studied for two and a half days and stopped studying. Xiang Liang was very angry, but Xiang Yu said: "Uncle, learning literature is just for remembering names, and swordsmanship is just for fighting alone. What's the use of learning these two? That's why I don't want to learn. I want to learn The best thing is the ability to be the 'enemy of ten thousand people'." Xiang Liang was happy when he heard it and thought to himself: My nephew is promising, he deserves to have double pupils! So Xiang Liang personally went out to teach Xiang Yu the strategy of war.
In his early years, Xiang Liang was arrested by Yueyang County because he was involved in a case. Fortunately, Xiang Liang had a friendship with Cao Jiu, the warden of Qixian County, and Cao Jiu had a friendship with Sima Xin, the warden of Yueyang County. Xiang Liang begged Cao Jiu to intercede, and was released. Xiang Liang, who had been in prison and had a criminal record, did not remember his lesson and killed someone not long after.
Murder is not a trivial matter. Not only does the government want to arrest him, but the deceased was also powerful during his lifetime, and his family will definitely want revenge. In order to avoid revenge, Xiang Liang fled to Wuxian County (now Suzhou, Jiangsu Province) with his nephew. Xiang Liang was also capable, and he quickly became prosperous in Wu County, where the sky was high and the emperor was far away.
With his daring uncle leading him, Xiang Yu was fearless. One time when Qin Shihuang was on a tour, Xiang Liang took Xiang Yu to watch the fun. Xiang Yu looked at it and suddenly said: "I want to replace him and become the emperor!" These words were much louder than Liu Bang's "This is what a man should do", and it clearly stated Xiang Yu's life goal at this time. There is nothing wrong with saying "men should be like Qin Shihuang"; saying "I want to replace him", at that time many people had the courage to think but did not dare to say it.
Xiang Liang was very pleased that his nephew could say this and felt that the child had a future.
In July of the first year of Qin II (209 BC), Chen Sheng and Wu Guang revolted in Daze Township. Soon after, their power became stronger and stronger, and the Qin Dynasty was tired of dealing with it.
In October of that year, the governor of Kuaiji County (now Zhejiang Province, which governs Wuxian County) summoned Xiang Liang for a secret discussion. The county guard spoke frankly and said: "Xiang Liang, you see, the north and south of the Yangtze River are now in reverse. This is the destruction of the Qin Dynasty by heaven! The so-called strike first, strike later to control others. Anyway, the Qin Dynasty is going to perish, and I don't want to be tied to the Qin Dynasty. Drowned on the ship. Now, I want to send troops, led by you and Huan Chu, to respond to the rebellion against Qin. What do you think?"
When Xiang Liang heard this, countless thoughts flashed through his mind: Anti-Qin? Opposite or not? This is indeed the general trend of the world! But, rebelling with the county governor? This is not possible. With such an excellent opportunity, how can he, Xiang Liang, be inferior to others! Why not kill the county guard, replace him with yourself, and then lead the rebellion!
Xiang Liang made a decision quickly, pretending to be admired and flattered, and said: "Master Sheriff, you are really far-sighted! I agree with your decision. However, Huan Chu is now on the run, and no one knows where this person is. Where. He is a good friend of my nephew Xiang Yu. I think Xiang Yu knows where he is hiding. Please allow me to ask." After getting the governor's consent, Xiang Liang immediately went to Xiang Yu, lay on Xiang Yu's ear and gave instructions carefully. Then he asked Xiang Yu to put on his sword and wait outside the gate of the county guard. He walked into the room with a happy face and sat down again.
Xiang Liang said to the county guard: "My lord, I have brought Xiang Yu. Do you think I will call him in now?" The county guard hurriedly ordered Xiang Liang to bring Xiang Yu in. Xiang Liang took this time to observe and made sure there was no one else nearby, so he called Xiang Yu in loudly. As soon as Xiang Yu came in, before the county guard woke up, Xiang Liang immediately winked. Soon enough, Xiang Yu suddenly pulled out his sword with a "swish" sound and stabbed the governor straight in the heart. There was only a "pop" sound, and the county guard who had no time to shout fell into a pool of blood.
Maybe he won’t die in peace!
Xiang Yu killed someone for the first time. He was not nervous at all. He calmly pulled out his sword and chopped off the head of the governor. Xiang Liang carried the governor's head in his hand, found out the governor's seal and ribbon and hung it around his neck. With Xiang Yu's protection, he swaggered in front of everyone. The county guard's subordinates were horrified when they saw this scene. Some ran away, some trembled in a ball, and some drew their swords to catch the murderer. Xiang Yu was not afraid, he shouted loudly, raised his sword and rushed forward to meet him, hitting anyone who dared to attack with a sword in the chest.
The corpses on the ground were lying next to each other, and the blood on the sword was still warm. There was no trace of impatience on Xiang Yu's face, and he kept shouting: "Who else is there!" The bold and unyielding ones were already lying on the ground, and the rest almost peed their pants. , lying on the ground whining and begging for mercy.
Xiang Liang nodded with satisfaction, summoned the gentry and officials who had always been obedient and capable, and told everyone clearly: "The Qin Dynasty is coming to an end, and I have decided to rebel. We usually get along well, and I hope you will follow me. If If you have different opinions, please say hello to my nephew Xiang Yu." Everyone took a peek at Xiang Yu, who had blood-stained clothes and a ferocious face. How dare you have any objections. Xiang Liang usually presided over some projects and funerals. He took the opportunity to use military skills to organize these people. He had already known what these people were capable of. At this time, they assigned duties in the hall, and everyone was happy.
In September of the first year of Qin II (209 BC), Xiang Liang established himself as the governor of Kuaiji County. With Xiang Yu as his general, he gathered nearly 10,000 elite soldiers and established a separate empire.
Another heroic figure in the history of the late Qin Dynasty, Xiang Yu, appeared. Everyone in the world says that blessings never come in pairs and misfortunes never come alone, but since Xiang Liang and Xiang Yu raised the flag of rebellion, good things have happened one after another.
At the time of the uprising of Xiang's uncle and nephew, except for the Qin Dynasty, which controlled a large area, almost all the surrounding areas were occupied by other rebel forces. Xiang Liang had less than 10,000 men and horses, and he didn't dare to make any big moves for a while. When Xiang Liang and Xiang Yu were planning their next move, the first piece of pie fell down.
Chen Sheng had a general named Zhao Ping. When Chen Sheng became king in Chen County, he sent several groups to expand territory. Among them, the group that captured Guangling (today's Yangzhou) was led by Zhao Ping. Zhao Ping led his troops to Guangling, but could not attack for a long time. Just when they were running out of ideas, news came one after another that Wu Guang was killed, Chen Sheng fled, and the Qin army would aim at Zhaoping as its next target. Zhao Ping thought to himself that the heroes were coming to Guangling, how dare he neglect them! Without wasting a moment, he led his troops and horses across the Yangtze River to escape.
A single thread cannot make a thread, and a single tree cannot make a forest. Without the Zhang Chu regime to rely on, Zhaoping was lonely and helpless. At this time, Xiang Liang, with seven or eight thousand troops, raised a rebel flag. Zhao Ping was so excited that tears filled his eyes. Since Chen Sheng was still alive and dead, Zhao Ping had the courage to write to Xiang Liang in Chen Sheng's name, worshiping Xiang Liang as the Shangzhu of the Chu State. General level. This was an unexpected surprise for Xiang Liang. With such a hat, it would undoubtedly be of great benefit to him to recruit Zhang Chu's defeated soldiers and unite other forces that were originally part of Zhang Chu's regime.
Officials are not appointed for free. Zhao Ping said to Xiang Liang: "A generation of heroes are rising in Jiangdong, so don't worry about it for the time being. Now a group of Qin troops have arrived in the south of the Yangtze River. If we let them gain a foothold and cross the river to fight, you and I will be in danger." I hope you can lead an army across the river to attack and solve this trouble."
Take people's money and eliminate disasters with them. Xiang Liang was benevolent and righteous. He also understood the general situation and took the overall situation into consideration. After receiving Zhao Ping's request, without saying a word, he led eight thousand soldiers across the Yangtze River to prepare to meet the Qin army.
Just after crossing the river, Xiang Liang learned good news: a guy named Chen Ying raised a rebel flag in the south of the Yangtze River and captured Dongyang County, which is today's Dongyang Township, Xuyi County, Jiangsu Province. Smart people are good at uniting all the forces that can be united, while fools can be heroic and act recklessly alone. Xiang Liang was originally forced to cross the river by himself, but now he seemed to have found a life-saving straw. He quickly sent someone to contact Chen Ying and asked him to attack Qin from the west together.
Chen Ying was originally the magistrate of Dongyang County and a minor official. Although Chen Yingguan is not a big man, he has a high reputation in the county and is known for his integrity and prudence. Chen Ying's rebellion against Qin was not voluntary, but was influenced by Chen Sheng and Wu Guang's uprising. After the news of the Daze Township uprising spread, the young people in Dongyang were so excited that they couldn't control it and killed the county magistrate. A snake cannot survive without a head, and a bird cannot fly without a head. An uprising must have a leader. Some people disagreed with whomever was proposed as leader, but when Chen Ying was mentioned, it was unanimously approved. Chen Ying is cautious by nature, and he would never do such a stupid thing. However, the objection was invalid. Everyone unanimously said: This leader must be Chen Ying, no matter how hard he thinks about it!
In this way, Chen Ying was forced to become the leader of the group. As soon as Chen Ying came forward, responders gathered, and the Dongyang Uprising Army soon reached 20,000 people. After their strength surged, those Dongyang teenagers became dishonest again and demanded that Chen Ying become king so that they could advance.
Chen Ying's mother is not an ordinary woman, she is quite knowledgeable. After knowing that everyone wanted his son to be king, he immediately dissuaded his son: "Since I married into your Chen family, I have never heard that any of the ancestors of the Chen family had a high-ranking official. This is the fate of our family. We must be content and cannot have anything. Unreasonable thought. I heard that those people advised you to become king. What kind of family are we, how can we be destined to be king? If you become this king, death will not be far away. In my opinion, you should not It is better to defect to others, if the big thing succeeds, you can also become a prince; if you fail, someone will naturally support you when the sky falls. As long as you are not the leader, you will not be noticed, and it will be easy to escape."
Let alone being the king, Chen Ying, the leader, originally didn't even want to be the leader. Chen Ying deeply believed what his mother said. Just at this time, Xiang Liang sent someone to contact him. Chen Ying thought it was just right, why not just join Xiang Liang! He called a meeting with his subordinates and said to everyone: "I have no ability, but you promoted me and made me the leader. Since I sit in this position, I have to make plans for everyone's future. I just sent someone to deliver the message. Xiang Liang, as many people may know, is a family of generals and prime ministers, and is well-known in the original Chu country. We want to do big things, and if we choose the wrong leader, we are doomed to fail. Whether it is reputation, combat experience, or ability to lead troops, Xiang Liang has He is far better than me, so we might as well join Xiang Liang, and great things will surely happen in the future."
The gap between Chen Ying and Xiang Liang is indeed too big. Originally, Dongyang chose Chen Ying because there was no better candidate. Now that Xiang Liang appeared in front of everyone, the children of Dongyang felt that it would be safer to follow Xiang Liang. In this way, the proposal to defect to Xiang Liang was unanimously approved, and 20,000 Dongyang descendants became Xiang Liang's men from then on. Chen Ying felt that he had found a scapegoat, while Xiang Liang got an unexpected gain and strengthened his strength. It can be said that both sides get what they need.
