Storyline

[Cao Chao]

Peace is a term that has now been forgotten in the Middle Kingdom. From the ashes of six destroyed kingdoms the Qin arose and brutally subjugated all dissent and took possession of the Empire. The Qin King named Zheng declared himself the First Emperor, believing that he had created an Empire that would last till the end of time. But that was not to be the case.

A mere eleven years after founding the Qin Dynasty the First Emperor fell ill and died at Shaqiu. That singular event ignited an avalanche that sounded the death knell for a once mighty Empire that absolutely terrified its citizens and the barbarians that ringed the borders. Some say that it was only fear of the First Emperor that permitted peace to last so long, others that the death of the First Emperor was the first real chink in the seemingly invincible Qin. We may never know the true cause of what was to happen but we know that the Qin was doomed.

The succession of the Second Emperor resulted in the death of the Crown Prince, Fusu, and two great officials, Meng Yi, a ranking Minister, and Meng Tian, the Supreme Commander. With their deaths, power was concentrated in the hands of Li Si, the Prime Minister, and Zhao Gao, the Chief Eunuch. Ignoring the affairs of state, the Second Emperor wiled away the time in his palace, playing with his harem and gorging himself on wine and food. The empire slowly began to crumble.

Revolts erupted across the Middle Kingdom while the situation in Xianyang continued to deteriorate. An internal power struggle resulted in the execution of Li Si and his entire family. All seemed to be lost for the Qin with Zhao Gao in power. It was only through the efforts of a former treasury official named Zhang Han who created an army out of slaves was the Qin spared an immediate and crushing defeat. A talented general, Zhang Han, a man who had been recommended by Li Si, easily crushed rebellion after rebellion, including that of Chen She, who had rebelled in Chu.

While Chen She had died, the center of the rebellion remained in Chu, shifting into the hands of the Xiang clan, led by Xiang Liang, son of the famed Chu general Xiang Yan. A scion of the Chu royal family, Mi Xin, was discovered shepherding sheep and was used to establish the legitimacy of Xiang Liang's leadership of the fractured rebels. Soon, Mi Xin declared himself King Huai of Chu, establishing his capital at Pengcheng. There, in a conference before his assembled generals that included many who would make their names in the years to come, Mi Xin made the announcement that whoever was the first to enter into Guanzhong would be named King of Qin.

While his subordinates suffered grievous defeats at the hands of Xiang Liang, especially at Donga and Dingtao, Zhang Han, with reinforcements, exploited Xiang Liang’s arrogance. Before the walls of Dingtao Xiang Liang and his army perished. Satisfied, Zhang Han then turned his attention to dealing with rebels in Zhao.

In the meantime, though he was perturbed by the defeat and death of Xiang Liang, Mi Xin quickly took two steps to counter the sudden situation. First, he dispatched a Chu rescue force under the command of Song Yi, Xiang Yu, and Fan Zeng to march north to render assistance to the beleaguered Zhao troops. Second, he created Liu Bang, Marquis of Wu'an and delegated him to build up a new army and march west into the Qin heartlands.

The northern expedition soon became a joke, as Song Yi decided that it was better for Qin and Zhao to fight it out. Song Yi himself partied daily with his subordinates while sending his son to become Prime Minister of Qi. Disgusted by the lethargy and inaction of his superior, Xiang Yu assassinated Song Yi and took over. Crossing the Huang He, Xiang Yu burned his boats and took only enough supplies for three days. He attacked Zhang Han’s army besieging Julu. Short of supplies and unable to obtain more from a jealous Zhao Gao, the Qin army was crushed by Xiang Yu in a series of brutal engagements. With no options left, Zhang Han was forced to surrender. At Xiang Yu’s command, the allied army butchered the 200,000 hungry and leaderless Qin troops rather than risk any future revolts. As a result of the heroism and martial prowess that he had displayed before Julu, Xiang Yu became the de facto ruler of China.

At the same time, Liu Bang had made headway in his western campaign. With the help of Li Yiji and the Marquis of Gangwu, Liu Bang marched west, defeating the Qin army sent to stop him on two occasions before arriving in the lands of former Kingdom of Hann. Gaining Zhang Liang's aid, Liu Bang swiftly was able to conquer the cities of Hann. With the surrender of Governor Yi and other successes, Liu Bang consolidated his holdings before preparing to attack the Qin heartland. Through persuasion and his army’s marital might, Liu Bang soon found himself before the walls of Xianyang, the Qin capital.

The Qin internal situation had continued to deteriorate. Fearing that he would be blamed for the failure of the armies on the field to put down the various rebellions, Zhao Gao had Er Shi assassinated. Ziying, a son of the First Emperor, succeeded to the throne. Immediately, he put Zhao Gao to death. As he reviewed the situation, he found that the empire built by his father was virtually gone. Realizing the severity of the situation, he declared himself King of Qin, as he no longer controlled the entire empire. Alas, a mere forty-six days after he had ascended to the throne, he was forced to surrender to Liu Bang. Liu Bang became the first to enter Guanzhong.

Four years was all it took for the Qin to fall. An empire that took hundreds of years to create disappeared.

Adhering to a policy of leniency, Liu Bang spared the life of Ziying and the cities within the Qin heartland. Xiang Yu was not so magnanimous when he entered into Guanzhong. Ziying was executed and city of Xianyang was put to the sword and fire. It is said that the fires ravaged the city for some three months and the death toll numbered in the tens of thousands. Amongst the landmarks destroyed was the infamous Epang Palace, the massive palace said to be built by more than 700,000 farmers and slaves. Furious at Liu Bang, Xiang Yu attempted to assassinate him at the infamous banquet at Hongmen and was only stopped by the intercession of Xiang Bo, his uncle.

Despite a message from King Huai of Chu that ordered Xiang Yu to make Liu Bang King of Qin in accordance with the earlier agreement, Xiang Yu refused to acknowledge Liu Bang as King of Qin. While generals that had marched with Xiang Yu garnered great recognition and were made Kings over wealthy districts, Xiang Yu first made Liu Bang the King of Shu before relenting and granting him the title King of Han. With thirty thousand sick, old and demoralized troops, Liu Bang has made the trek into Ba-Shu, burning the plank roads behind him as a sign that he had no intention of returning. But in his heart, Liu Bang was not content. He promised that he would one day have his vengeance.

After forcing Liu Bang into Ba-Shu and unwilling to remain in the ravaged Qin lands, Xiang Yu abandoned Guanzhong and retreated eastwards. As the first among equals, Xiang Yu has returned to the province of Chu, wresting authority and control from the hands of Mi Xin while he slowly dispatches armies to fight against those who still oppose his hegemony.

The year is 206 BC. The peace that exists now is tenuous . . . For those who seek to affect the tide of history there are bountiful opportunities to do so. Do you choose to assist Xiang Yu in perpetuating and extending his hegemony? Or do you dare challenge the might of the Hegemonic King of Western Chu? The choice is yours to make and the consequences yours to suffer.