Han Xin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Han Xin韓信 (Chinese) |
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| Marquis of Huaiyin (淮陰侯) | |
| Tenure | 201–196 BC |
| King of Chu (楚王) | |
| Tenure | 202–201 BC |
| Predecessor | Xiang Yu |
| Successor | Liu Jiao |
| King of Qi (齊王) | |
| Tenure | 203–202 BC |
| Predecessor | Tian Guang |
| Successor | Liu Fei |
| Personal Details | |
| Born | Unknown Huaiyin |
| Died | 196 BC Changle Palace, Chang'an (Modern day Xi'an, Shaanxi) |
| Allegiance | Xiang Liang Xiang Yu Liu Bang |
| Rank | Captain of the Palace Guards (郎中) 208-206 BC Captain of Rations(治粟都尉) 206 BC Commander in Chief (大將軍) 206-202 BC Left Chancellor (左丞相) 205 BC Chancellor of Zhao (相國) 204 BC |
| Notable Battles | Battle of Anyi Battle of Jingxing Battle of Wei River Battle of Gaixia |
Han Xin (simplified Chinese: 韩信; traditional Chinese: 韓信; pinyin: Hán Xìn; Wade–Giles: Han2Hsin4; ? – early 196 BCE) was a famous Chinese military general. He helped Liu Bang create the Han dynasty. Han Xin was known as one of the "Three Heroes of the early Han dynasty." The other two heroes were Zhang Liang and Xiao He.
Han Xin was a brilliant military leader. He used clever strategies and tactics in battles. Some of his ideas became famous Chinese idioms. He was never defeated in battle, earning him the nickname "God of War." Liu Bang made him "King of Qi" and later "King of Chu." However, Liu Bang became worried about Han Xin's power. He slowly reduced Han Xin's authority. In 202 BCE, Han Xin became "Marquis of Huaiyin." In 196 BCE, Han Xin was accused of planning a rebellion. He was tricked and lost his life.
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Contents
Han Xin's Early Life
Han Xin was born in Huaiyin, which is now part of Jiangsu Province. This area was once part of the ancient state of Chu. People say he might have been from a noble family, but he was very poor. When his mother passed away, he didn't have money for a proper burial. He found a high piece of land for her grave. He hoped that one day, many families would live there.
Han Xin couldn't get a government job or become a merchant. He was very poor and often relied on others for food. People looked down on him because of this. He often ate at the home of the Chief of Nanchang Pavilion. After some months, the Chief's wife started to dislike Han Xin. One day, she cooked and ate very early. When Han Xin arrived, there was no food left. Han Xin understood he was not welcome and never returned.
One time, when he was very hungry, he met an old woman. She was washing clothes by a river. She gave him food for many days. Han Xin was very happy and promised to repay her greatly. But she scolded him, saying, "You are a young man who cannot feed himself. I feel sorry for you, so I feed you. I don't expect anything in return!"
A young man from a butcher's family in Huaiyin once made fun of Han Xin. He said Han Xin was a coward, even though he was tall and carried a sword. The young man told Han Xin in front of a crowd, "If you're not afraid to die, stab me. If you are afraid, crawl between my legs." Han Xin thought about it. He decided to crawl between the young man's legs. Because of this, everyone in town mocked him for being a coward.
Years later, Han Xin became the King of Chu. He returned to his hometown. He found the old woman who had fed him. He gave her 1,000 gold coins as a reward. He found the Chief of Nanchang Pavilion. He gave him 100 coins, saying, "You are not a truly good person. Your kindness has limits." Han Xin also found the young man who had humiliated him. He made him a zhongwei, which was like a lieutenant. He told his officers, "This man is brave. I could have killed him when he shamed me. But I wouldn't have become famous that way. I chose to endure the shame to achieve great things later."
Serving Xiang Yu
In 209 BC, Han Xin joined Xiang Liang's rebel army. Many rebellions were happening in China. People wanted to overthrow the Qin dynasty. After Xiang Liang died in battle, Han Xin served Xiang Yu, Xiang Liang's nephew. But Xiang Yu did not think highly of Han Xin. Han Xin worked as a "langzhong," a palace guard. He often suggested battle plans to Xiang Yu, but Xiang Yu ignored him. During this time, he became friends with Zhongli Mo, one of Xiang Yu's top generals.
In 206 BC, Han Xin left Xiang Yu's army. He decided to join Liu Bang instead.
Serving Liu Bang: The Chu–Han War
When Han Xin first joined Liu Bang's army, he didn't get important jobs. One time, he broke a military rule and was going to be executed. When it was his turn, Han Xin saw Xiahou Ying, one of Liu Bang's trusted generals. Han Xin said, "I thought the King wanted to rule an empire. Why is he killing brave men?" Xiahou Ying was surprised by his words. He spared Han Xin's life. After talking with Han Xin, Xiahou Ying was very impressed. He recommended Han Xin to Liu Bang. Liu Bang wasn't very impressed at first. He made Han Xin the Captain of Rations, in charge of food supplies. Han Xin often met Xiao He, Liu Bang's Chancellor. Xiao He was very impressed by Han Xin's skills.
In April of that year, many of Liu Bang's soldiers left the army. Han Xin thought that Liu Bang wasn't using his talents. So, he also left. When Xiao He heard Han Xin had left, he immediately went to find him. He didn't even tell Liu Bang first. Xiao He caught up with Han Xin and convinced him to come back. This event led to a famous saying: "Xiao He chases Han Xin under the moonlight" (蕭何月下追韓信). Meanwhile, Liu Bang was very upset when he heard Xiao He had left. When Xiao He returned, Liu Bang was relieved but also angry. He asked Xiao He, "Why did you run away?" Xiao He explained, "I didn't run away; I was chasing Han Xin." Liu Bang got angry again, saying, "Many soldiers left, but you didn't chase them. You must be lying about chasing Han Xin." Xiao He then explained how talented Han Xin was. He strongly insisted that Liu Bang make Han Xin the top general, the Commander-in-Chief. Xiao He also told Liu Bang to hold a formal ceremony for the appointment. Liu Bang agreed and held a special ceremony for Han Xin.
Conquering the Three Qins
After the ceremony, Han Xin studied the situation for Liu Bang. He created a plan to conquer Xiang Yu's kingdom. In late 206 BCE, Liu Bang's army left Hanzhong. They prepared to attack the Three Qins region. Han Xin ordered some soldiers to pretend to fix the roads that connected the regions. At the same time, he sent another army to secretly go through Chencang. This was a surprise attack on Zhang Han. Zhang Han was caught off guard, and Liu Bang's forces won. They then took over the kingdoms of Sima Xin and Dong Yi. This strategy became famous. It is known as mingxiu zhandao, andu Chencang (明修棧道, 暗度陳倉). This means "appearing to repair the gallery roads while making secret advances." It is now one of the Thirty-Six Stratagems, a collection of Chinese strategies.
Han Dynasty Service
Becoming a Marquis
When Xiang Yu died in 202 BCE, Zhongli Mo, one of Xiang Yu's generals, came to Han Xin. He asked Han Xin for protection. Because they were old friends, Han Xin let Zhongli Mo stay with him. Emperor Gaozu (Liu Bang) heard that Zhongli Mo was hiding with Han Xin. He ordered Han Xin to arrest Zhongli Mo, but Han Xin refused.
A year later, Gaozu heard rumors that Han Xin was planning a rebellion. Chen Ping, Gaozu's trusted advisor, suggested a plan. They decided Gaozu couldn't defeat Han Xin in battle. So, it would be best to surprise him. Chen Ping suggested luring Han Xin to a meeting. The excuse would be Liu Bang touring the Yunmeng Marshes. This message was sent to all leaders. When Han Xin heard Gaozu was coming, he thought about rebelling. But he decided he had done nothing wrong and stayed put. Someone told Han Xin that if he killed Zhongli Mo and showed it to Gaozu, Gaozu would be happy and spare him. Han Xin did as he was told. But Gaozu ordered Han Xin to be arrested anyway. Han Xin said, "It's true what people say: A hunting dog is eaten after it catches the game. A good bow is put away when there are no more birds to shoot. An advisor dies after helping his lord win a kingdom. Now that the empire is set, I am no longer needed!" Liu Bang only replied, "Someone claimed you had rebelled." He then had Han Xin taken back to Luoyang. Gaozu later pardoned Han Xin and released him. But he changed Han Xin's title from "King of Chu" to "Marquis of Huaiyin."
Han Xin's Final Years
After his demotion, Han Xin knew that Gaozu no longer trusted him. Gaozu was worried about Han Xin's great talent. So, Han Xin often pretended to be sick and stayed home. He wanted to make Gaozu less suspicious. Around 197 BCE, Chen Xi met Han Xin. Han Xin pulled him aside and sent away all servants. He promised to help Chen Xi from inside the capital if Chen Xi started an uprising. Soon after, Chen Xi rebelled. Gaozu personally led an army to stop the rebellion. Han Xin claimed to be sick and stayed behind.
While Gaozu was away, one of Han Xin's servants upset him. Han Xin locked the servant up as punishment. The servant's younger brother told Empress Lü Zhi that Han Xin wanted to rebel. The Empress then planned with Xiao He to trick Han Xin. They pretended Gaozu had returned from stopping the rebellion. They said there would be a feast to celebrate. Xiao He convinced Han Xin to come to Changle Palace, where the Empress lived. As soon as he entered, he was captured and died. Han Xin's family was also removed from power by the Empress's orders. When Gaozu returned, he felt both relief and sadness about Han Xin's death. He asked the Empress for Han Xin's last words. Han Xin had said, "I regret not listening to Kuai Che's advice. Now I have been tricked by bad people. This is fate!"
Another historical record, "The Hereditary House of Chancellor Xiao," tells a different story. In this version, Liu Bang was told about Han Xin's rebellion and death right away. He didn't wait until he returned.
Historians and scholars have long discussed whether Han Xin truly rebelled. Even though the "Records of the Grand Historian" says he did, many believe Han Xin was loyal. They think that Empress Lü Zhi and Xiao He framed Han Xin. They did this because Han Xin was too popular with the army. His talents made him a threat to the throne. Some historians believe that the writer, Sima Qian, couldn't write against the government's official story. A poet from the Tang dynasty, Xu Hun, wrote a poem about Han Xin. It says it's unlikely Han Xin would rebel when he had no soldiers. He had stayed loyal when he had military power.
Han Xin's Legacy
Many Chinese idioms and sayings come from events in Han Xin's life:
- Shame of crawling through between someone's legs (胯下之辱): This means a very humiliating event. It comes from when Han Xin was bullied by the young man.
- When Han Xin selects his troops, the more the better (Chinese: 韓信點兵,多多益善): This comes from a talk between Han Xin and Liu Bang. Liu asked Han, "How many men can I lead?" Han Xin said, "A maximum of 100,000." Liu Bang asked, "What about you?" Han Xin replied, "The more, the better." Liu Bang then asked, "So you mean I can't defeat you?" Han Xin explained, "No, my lord, you lead generals, while I lead soldiers."
- Both success and failure are due to Xiao He, life and death are due to two women (Chinese: 成也蕭何, 敗也蕭何): Xiao He helped Han Xin become a general, which allowed him to use his talents. But Han Xin's downfall was also because of Xiao He. In his early life, Han Xin was helped by the old woman who gave him food. His death was caused by Empress Lü Zhi.
