Han Xin: The Most Famous General of the Han Dynasty (2 of 2)
 
In August of 205 BC, Liu Bang appointed Han Xin as the Left Prime Minister. Han Xin led the Han army to attack the country of Wei. The Lord of Wei, Bao, stationed a large number of troops along the east bank of the Yellow River. In light of Wei's troop placement, Han Xin placed a large number of ships at Linjin County, on the opposite shore of the Yellow River, pretending to force a frontal attack. Meanwhile he covertly built temporary equipment for crossing the river using wooden frames tied together with tiles and crocks. The troops crossed the river upstream at Xiayang County and made a surprise attack at Anyi County. With the unexpected emergence of Han's troops behind Wei's army, Han Xin defeated Wei's army and captured Lord Bao.
 
In September of 204 BC, Han Xin led troops eastward to attack the kingdom of Zhao. He captured the acting Prime Minister Xia Yue of the affiliated Dai country and recaptured the areas of Dai. At this time, Liu Bang ordered Han Xin to quickly shift his main forces to the Xingyang region to reinforce the defense. Thus, Han Xin led only about ten thousand troops eastward to attack Zhao at Jingxing County. The Load of Zhao, Zhao Xie, and the commander-in-chief, Chen Yu, amassed two hundred thousand soldiers at the gateway of Jingxing in the Taixing Mountain region. This elevated terrain gave a huge advantage to defense as the Zhao army prepared for a decisive battle with Han Xin. Han Xin dispatched 2000 light cavalry overnight to outflank behind Zhao's main regiment. At daybreak, Han Xin lined up the main forces at the edge of the river bank, with the river behind the troops and lured Zhao's army to attack. The Han army fought with the river behind them. Seeing this, Chen Yu ordered an all-out attack on the Han army. Knowing there was no way to retreat, the Han troops fought desperately. While the Zhao army focused on the attack, the 2000 cavalry used the opportunity to attack Zhao's battalion and planted the red flags of the Han army. By the afternoon, the Zhao army had grown weary of not being able to defeat the enemy, and was ordered to regroup at base. When the Zhao troops saw the red flags of Han flying everywhere, they panicked and fell into total chaos. Han Xin used the situation to counter attack and defeated the 200,000 people-strong Zhao army. Han's troops killed the commander Chen Yu and captured Lord Zhao Xie. This was the famous “Battle of Jingxing” that created the idiom “The last stand with one’s back to the river.”
 
In November of 203 BC, Han Xin used the tactics of heavy troops to quickly overcome the capital of the Qi kingdom, Linzi. The Chu general, Long Qie, led an army of 200,000 troops to the rescue and met the defeated Qi army at Gaomi (in today's Shandong Province). They faced the Han troops on the opposing side of the Huai River. Han Xin secretly dispatched troops overnight to block the river water upstream with more than ten thousand sand bags. At daybreak, he sent part of the troops to cross the Huai River to attack the Chu troops and then withdrew pretending to be defeated. General Long Qie mistook it that the Han army was timid and sent his main force to cross the river to attack. Han Xin ordered his troops to open up the dam upstream and the rushing water split the Chu troops in two. He then applied the strategy of "attacking the enemy during the middle of river crossing" and killed all the troops that had crossed the river. Long Qie was also killed. The joint troops of Qi and Chu that did not cross the river collapsed without fighting. Han Xin took the opportunity to pursue the withdrawing troops and captured the Lord of Qi, Tian Guang. He conquered Qi's territory completely.
 
After Han Xin occupied the Qi territory, Xiang Yu was in a panic. He quickly sent people to persuade Han Xin to cooperate with Chu to oppose Han, with the vision of splitting the lands between three rulers. Han Xin refused. Han Xin's advisor Quai Tong tried to persuade him: "General, haven't you heard that it is dangerous when one's courage and talent exceed one's master and that too great a merit will not be rewarded? Your reputation now alarms your master and you have meritorious services. If you join Chu, they won't trust you, and if you return to Han, Han's lord will fear you too. If you do not establish yourself as a lord in your own right, then where will be your home?" Han Xin quickly stopped him: "Speak no more. The Lord of Han treats me with great kindness and favor. He gave me his personal carriage to use. He gave me his clothes to wear. He gave me food to eat. The ancients said: 'When you ride another person's carriage, you will share his worry; when you wear his clothes, you should also share his worry; and when you take his food, you should do your best to support him.' How can I see only my own self-interest and forget righteousness?"
 
He refused to turn against Liu Bang. But the Qi territory had been newly conquered and there was a need to establish a lord to govern the country and to pacify people's minds. Han Xin thus wrote a letter to Liu Bang requesting to be the acting lord for Qi. At first, Liu Bang didn't consent to the request because he was beset by Xiang Yu at Xingyang. But after listening to the opinions of Zhang Liang and Chen Ping, Liu Bang said, “You have conquered and thus you are a real lord. What’s the point of being an acting lord!” Therefore, he named Han Xin the Lord of Qi and ordered him attack Chu.
 
In December of 202 BC, Chu and Han faced each other in a decisive battle at Gaixia (today's Binan, Anhui Province). Liu Bang appointed Han Xin as the commander-in-chief. Xiang Yu commanded 100,000 Chu troops to fiercely attack the Han head on. Han Xin ordered the midsection of his troops to withdraw slightly and to avoid the vigorous drive of the Chu troops. He then spread both wings out to carry out flank attacks and then ordered the midsection troops to push forward. The strategy completely surrounded the Chu troops. At night, Han Xin ordered the troops to sing songs from the hometown of Chu from all sides. Chu's troops lost their fighting spirit and were annihilated at Gaixia. Xiang Yu committed suicide on the bank of the Wu River. The five year war between Chu and Han ended with Liu Bang conquering the entire country.
 
Starting as a lowly guard for Xiang Yu, Han Xin became a general under Liu Bang and achieved outstanding victories repeatedly within just a few years. He was the major figure in deciding the outcome of the war between Han and Chu. Quai Tong praised this all-powerful military figure as: "A rare brilliant strategist." His principle of maneuvering troops was highly praised by the later military strategists. According to The Book of Han: Art, Literature and Ideals, Han Xin wrote three chapters of Han Xin Military Strategy. It's a pity that the book has been lost.
 
Han Xin's ability made Liu Bang extremely uneasy. After defeating Xiang Yu, Liu Bang seized his military command and made him the Lord of Chu. Later, Han Xin was demoted to the Marquis of Huaiyin and placed under house arrest by Liu Bang’s side.
 
In 196 BC, Empress Lu and Prime Minister Xiao He lured Han Xin to the Changle Palace and executed him on the excuse of conspiracy against the state. It is sad to see how the life of the greatest general of his time ended.
 
打下汉朝天下的第一名将─韩信 (下)
 
八月，刘邦封韩信为左丞相，领兵攻魏。魏王豹陈重兵于黄河东岸，韩信针对魏军部署，将大量船只集中在黄河对面的临晋，佯作正面渡河之势，暗用木框架绑扎瓦罐做成临时渡河器材，从上游夏阳渡河奇袭安邑，突然出现在魏军背后，大破魏军，俘获魏王豹。
 
汉高祖三年（公元前204年）九月，韩信又引兵东向阏与，活捉代相夏说，收复了代郡。这时，刘邦却命韩信急调其主力至荥阳加强该地守备，故韩信只带了万余部队东下井陉攻赵。赵王歇和赵军统帅成安君陈余集中二十万兵力于太行山区的井陉口，占据有利地形，准备与韩信决战。韩信先以两千轻骑，乘夜迂回到赵军大营的侧后方埋伏。天明后亲率主力前出到河边背水列阵，诱使赵军出营攻击。汉军背河而战，无路可退，人人拚死作战。预先伏下的两千轻骑乘机攻入赵军空营，遍插汉军红旗，赵军见状，军心大乱。韩信挥军趁势反击，大破二十万赵军，斩杀赵军统帅陈余，生擒赵王歇。成语“背水一战”由此而来。
 
汉高祖四年（公元前203年）十一月，韩信又用重兵急袭的办法攻破了齐都临淄。楚将龙且急领二十万人马来援，与败退的齐军会师于高密，然后与汉军隔淮水对峙。韩信秘密派人用一万多个沙袋，乘暗夜在上游把淮水堵住。天明后派部分军队渡过淮水，在侧后攻击楚军，继而佯装溃败。龙且误以为汉军胆怯，率主力渡淮水追击。韩信命部属掘开上游堤坝，将楚军冲成两段，汉军运用半渡而击的办法，把已渡水的楚军全歼，龙且被杀。未渡水的齐楚联军不战自溃。韩信趁势挥军追歼逃敌，俘虏齐王田广，全部平定了齐地。
 
韩信攻占齐地后，项羽恐慌万分，连忙派人去游说韩信，以三分天下为条件，希望韩信反汉联楚，被韩信所拒绝。韩信的谋士蒯通劝他：“将军难道没有听说过勇略震主者身危，功盖天下者不赏的道理吗？将军如今既有震主的威名，又挟难赏的大功，归楚，楚不信；归汉，汉王震恐。若不自立为王，何处是你的归宿呢？” 韩信听了连连摆手道：“请不要再说了，汉王待我十分厚恩，把他的车给我乘，把他的衣给我穿，把他的饭给我吃。古人说过：乘人家的车，要替人分担忧患；穿人家的衣，也应替人分担忧患；吃人家的饭，就应该为人家卖命。我怎么能见利忘义呢？”于是，谢绝了蒯通的建议。可是齐地初定，需立王掌政以安民心。所以韩信已遣使修书请求刘邦立他为假齐王（代理齐王）。当时，刘邦正被项羽困在荥阳，自顾不暇，看罢来书后不悦，本不想应允。后来，听取了张良和陈平的意见后，又说：“大丈夫平定了诸侯就是真王，当假王干什么！”于是，立韩信为齐王，并征调他的部队攻楚。
 
汉高祖五年（公元前202年）十二月，楚汉两军在垓下（今安徽灵璧南）展开决战。刘邦以韩信为主将，统一指挥各路大军。项羽指挥十万楚军，从正面向汉军阵地猛攻。韩信采用典型的侧翼攻击战法，令汉军中军稍稍后退，避开楚军锐气，而将两翼展开，实行侧击，然后再令中军推进，一下子完成了合围。入夜，韩信令汉军四面唱起楚歌，终使楚军丧失斗志，被汉军一举聚歼于垓下。项羽眼见大势已去，自刎于乌江边。历时五年的楚汉战争以汉王刘邦取得天下而告终。
 
韩信以项羽帐下执戟卫士的低微身份，几年内登坛拜将，屡建奇勋，终至成为左右楚汉战争的一方诸候。蒯通以“略不世出”来赞誉这位叱咤风云的军事人物。其用兵之道，为后世兵家所推崇。据《汉书・艺文志》记载，他曾着有《韩信兵法》三章，可惜已经失传。韩信的军事才能令刘邦极度不安，故在项羽败亡后，即夺其兵权，徙封为楚王，继又黜为淮阴侯，软禁于刘邦身边。
 
汉高祖十一年（公元前196年），吕后和萧何诱韩信至长乐宫的钟室，以谋反罪名杀之。一代名将，死非其所，实堪哀伤。