Chu – Han Contention The Chu – Han Contention ( 206 – 202 BC ) was an interregnum between the Qin Dynasty and the Han Dynasty in Chinese history . Following the collapse of the Qin Dynasty , Xiang Yu split the former Qin Empire into the Eighteen Kingdoms . Two prominent contending powers , Western Chu and Han , emerged from these principalities and engaged in a struggle for supremacy over China . Western Chu was led by Xiang Yu , while the Han leader was Liu Bang . During this period of time , several minor kings from the Eighteen Kingdoms also fought battles against each other . These battles were independent of the main conflict between Chu and Han . The war ended with total victory for Han , after which Liu Bang proclaimed himself " Emperor of China " and established the Han Dynasty . Background . In 221 BC , the Qin state unified China by conquering the six other major states and established the Qin Dynasty . However , the dynasty lasted 16 years only as its rule was extremely unpopular due to its oppressive policies . In 209 BC , Chen Sheng and Wu Guang led the Daze Village Uprising to overthrow Qin . Although the uprising was crushed , several other rebellions erupted consecutively all around China over the next three years . Many rebel forces claimed to be restoring the former six states and numerous pretenders to the thrones of the states emerged , resulting in the formation of many insurgent states . In 206 BC , the last Qin emperor Ziying surrendered to Liu Bang , bringing an end to the Qin Dynasty . Among all the rebel forces , the most powerful one was the Chu kingdom . Xiang Yu , a Chu general , won the support of many other rebel leaders after his victory at the Battle of Julu , and served as a " de facto " leader of all the insurgent forces . Upon the collapse of the Qin Dynasty , Xiang Yu divided the former Qin Empire into the Eighteen Kingdoms , each governed by a vassal king , and gave King Huai II of Chu a more honorific title , " Emperor Yi of Chu " . However , the emperor was merely a puppet ruler , as the power of Chu was in the hands of Xiang Yu . About a year later , Xiang Yu relocated Emperor Yi to the remote area of Chen County ( 郴縣 ; present - day Chenzhou , Hunan ) , effectively sending the puppet ruler into exile . He issued a secret order for the vassal kings around that area to murder the emperor . During the division of the Eighteen Kingdoms , Xiang Yu appointed some rebel generals as vassal kings , even though these generals were subordinates of other lords , who should rightfully be the kings instead . Besides , the Guanzhong region was granted to three surrendered Qin generals , even though the land was rightfully Liu Bang ' s , according to an earlier agreement , which stated that the person who conquered Xianyang first would receive the title of " King of Guanzhong " . Liu Bang was sent to the remote Bashu region ( 巴蜀 ; in present - day Sichuan ) instead and granted the title of " King of Han " ( 漢王 ) . Xiang Yu proclaimed himself " Hegemon - King of Western Chu " ( 西楚霸王 ) and ruled nine commanderies in the former Liang and Chu territories , with his capital at Pengcheng ( 彭城 ; present - day Xuzhou , Jiangsu ) . Initial stages . Rebellions in Qi and Zhao . In 206 BC Liu Bang was appointed " King of Han " by Xiang Yu and given the land of Bashu ( 巴蜀 ; in present - day Sichuan ) as his domain . Liu Bang had about 30 , 000 troops under his command then and several thousand civilians with him . After reaching his destination , Liu Bang ordered the gallery road s leading into Bashu to be destroyed as a precautionary move against any possible attack from the rear and to trick Xiang Yu that he had no intention of leaving Bashu . Meanwhile , in the former Qi state , Tian Rong ( Qi ' s chancellor ) was unhappy with Xiang Yu ' s allocation of Qi territories , and rose in rebellion against the vassal kings of Jiaodong , Qi and Jibei ( collectively known as the Three Qis ) . Tian Rong conquered the Three Qis and reinstated Tian Fu as the King of Qi , but took over the throne himself later . Tian Rong put Peng Yue in charge of his army and ordered Peng to attack Western Chu . Tian Rong also sent troops to support another rebellion in the former Zhao state , led by Chen Yu , a former Zhao vice chancellor . In 205 BC , Chen Yu overthrew Zhang Er , the King of Changshan , and seized Zhang ' s domain and reinstalled Zhao Xie ( King of Dai ) on the throne of Zhao . Xiang Yu felt threatened by the rebellions in Qi and Zhao and led an army to attack Tian Rong . Han conquest of the Three Qins . While Xiang Yu was away to suppress the rebellions , Liu Bang used the opportunity to attack the Three Qins in Guanzhong . Liu Bang ' s general Han Xin ordered his men to pretend to repair the gallery road s in order to put Zhang Han ( King of Yong ) off guard , while secretly making advances through Chencang ( 陳倉 ; present - day Chencang District , Baoji , Shaanxi ) . Zhang Han was taken by surprise and defeated by the Han forces in two consecutive battles . Taking advantage of the victory , Liu Bang proceeded to conquer Longxi ( 隴西 ) , Beidi ( 北地 ) and Shangjun ( 上郡 ) . Liu Bang also sent his men to fetch his family in Pei ( 沛 ; in present - day Xuzhou , Jiangsu ) . Upon hearing news of Liu Bang ' s attacks , Xiang Yu sent an army to Yangxia ( 陽夏 ) to intercept the Han army , and appointed Zheng Chang as " King of Hán " to help him cover his flank . In Yan , Zang Tu killed Han Guang ( King of Liaodong ) and seized Han ' s lands and proclaimed himself ruler of the unified Yan state . Battle of Pengcheng . In 205 BC , after establishing his base in Guanzhong , Liu Bang advanced his forces east of Hangu Pass to conquer the Henan region . Sima Xin ( King of Sai ) , Dong Yi ( King of Di ) and Shen Yang ( King of Henan ) surrendered to Liu Bang . Zheng Chang ( King of Hán ) refused to submit to Liu Bang and was defeated by Liu ' s general Han Xin in battle , and replaced with Hán Xin . Zhang Er ( former King of Changshan ) came to join Liu Bang after losing his domain to Zhao Xie and Chen Yu . In the third month , Liu Bang attacked Henei ( 河內 ) with help from Wei Bao ( King of Western Wei ) . When Liu Bang received news that Emperor Yi of Chu had been murdered on Xiang Yu ' s orders , he held a memorial service for the emperor , accusing Xiang of committing regicide , and using that incident as political propaganda to justify his war against Western Chu . In the fourth month of 205 BC , Xiang Yu defeated Tian Rong at Chengyang ( 城陽 ) and the latter was killed during his retreat to Pingyuan . Although the Qi kingdom surrendered to Western Chu , Xiang Yu did not appease the people and instead allowed his troops to loot and plunder Qi territories . Tian Rong ' s younger brother Tian Heng installed Tian Guang ( Tian Rong ' s son ) on the Qi throne , and continued to lead resistance against Chu . Meanwhile , Liu Bang had mustered an army of about 560 , 000 men with support from the surrendered vassal kings . In the eighth month , Chu ' s capital Pengcheng ( 彭城 ; present - day Xuzhou , Jiangsu ) fell to the coalition force led by Liu Bang . When Xiang Yu received news that Liu Bang had occupied Pengcheng , he led 30 , 000 troops back to retake Pengcheng . Liu Bang was caught off guard and his army suffered heavy casualties and his family was captured by Chu forces . After the battle , Han lost its territorial gains in Chu and most of the kings who surrendered to Han earlier defected to Chu . Battle of Jingsuo . After their defeat at Pengcheng , the strength of the Han forces decreased drastically . Liu Bang ' s family was captured by Western Chu forces and kept as hostages , and many of the vassal kings who surrendered to Liu Bang earlier defected to Xiang Yu ' s side . Besides , the Qi and Zhao kingdoms also requested to make peace with Chu . Upon reaching Xiayi ( 下邑 ; east of present - day Dangshan County , Suzhou , Anhui ) , which was defended by his brother - in - law , Liu Bang reorganised his troops for a retreat . When he arrived at Yu ( 虞 ; present - day Yucheng County , Shangqiu , Henan ) , Liu Bang sent an envoy to meet Ying Bu , the King of Jiujiang . Ying Bu agreed to join Liu Bang ' s side and rebelled against Western Chu . Xiang Yu sent Long Ju to lead an army to attack Ying Bu . In the sixth month of 205 BC , Liu Bang named his son Liu Ying as crown prince , and ordered him to defend Yueyang ( 櫟陽 ; present - day Yanliang District , Xi ' an , Shaanxi ) . Shortly after , Han forces conquered Feiqiu ( 廢丘 ; present - day Xingping , Shaanxi ) , which was guarded by Zhang Han , and Zhang committed suicide . On another front , Ying Bu was unable to defeat Long Ju and decided to give up , and he went to meet Liu Bang with Sui He . Liu Bang reorganised his army , which now included reinforcements from Guanzhong ( sent by Xiao He ) and Han Xin ' s troops . Liu Bang ' s forces attacked Western Chu at Jing County ( 京縣 ; around present - day Xingyang , Zhengzhou , Henan ) and Suoting ( 索亭 ; near present - day Xingyang , Henan ) and scored a victory , driving Xiang Yu ' s forces east of Xingyang . Northern front . Battle of Anyi . In 205 BC Wei Bao ( King of Wei ) left Liu Bang on the pretext of visiting an ill relative , and returned to his domain . Subsequently , Wei Bao pledged allegiance to Xiang Yu and rebelled against Liu Bang . Liu Bang sent Li Yiji to persuade Wei Bao to surrender but Wei refused , so Liu ordered Han Xin to lead an army to attack Wei . Wei Bao stationed his army at Puban ( 蒲阪 ) and blocked the route to Linjin . Han Xin tricked Wei Bao into believing that he was planning to attack Linjin ( 臨晉 ) , while secretly sending a force from Xiayang ( 夏陽 ) to cross the river and attack Anyi ( 安邑 ; present - day Xia County , Yuncheng , Shanxi ) . In the ninth month , Wei Bao personally led an attack on Han Xin but lost the battle and was captured . Wei Bao surrendered and was accepted by Liu Bang as a general . In the ninth month , Han Xin led his army to attack the Kingdom of Dai with support from Zhang Er ( former King of Changshan ) , and scored another decisive victory against Dai , capturing Dai ' s chancellor Xia Shuo in battle . Battle of Jingxing . After achieving victory over the Dai kingdom , Han Xin and Zhang Er led an army to attack the Zhao kingdom at Jingxing Pass . Zhao Xie ( King of Zhao ) and his chancellor Chen Yu led a 200 , 000 strong army to resist the Han forces . The Zhao general Li Zuoche proposed a plan to trap Han Xin within 10 days : Li Zuoche would lead 30 , 000 men to disrupt Han Xin ' s supply route and block his return route , while Chen Yu would defend the frontline firmly and prevent Han Xin from advancing . However , Chen Yu refused to accept Li Zuoche ' s plan . The evening before the battle , Han Xin sent 2 , 000 horsemen , each carrying a flag of the Han army , to station near the Zhao camp . The next morning , Han Xin feigned defeat in a skirmish with Zhao forces , luring them to follow him , while his 2 , 000 men proceeded to capture the Zhao camp . Meanwhile , the Zhao soldiers retreated after failing to conquer Han Xin ' s fort , and were surprised to see that their camp had been overrun by Han forces . The Zhao army fell into chaos and Han Xin seized the opportunity to launch a counterattack and scored a victory . Chen Yu was killed in action while Zhao Xie and Li Zuoche were captured . Battle of Wei River . In 204 BC the Yan kingdom surrendered to Han Xin , and Zhang Er was appointed as King of Zhao . Xiang Yu constantly sent his armies to attack Zhao but Han Xin and Zhang Er managed to hold their positions . Xiang Yu then turned its attention towards Xingyang , where Liu Bang was stationed , and forced Liu to retreat to Chenggao . Liu Bang was besieged in Chenggao and had no choice but to head north of the Yellow River to join Han Xin . In a surprise move , Liu Bang took over Han Xin and Zhang Er ' s command of the military in Zhao , and ordered Han to lead an army to attack the Qi kingdom . Just as Han Xin was preparing to attack Qi , Liu Bang sent Li Yiji to persuade Tian Guang ( King of Qi ) to surrender , without informing Han Xin . Tian Guang decided to surrender and ordered his troops to withdraw from Lixia ( 歷下 ; present - day Lixia District , Jinan , Shandong ) . However , Han Xin was not aware that Tian Guang had the intention of surrendering , and followed the advice of Kuai Tong to launch an attack . Han Xin ' s army conquered Lixia and arrived at Qi ' s capital Linzi . Tian Guang thought that Li Yiji had lied to him and he had Li killed , thereafter he retreated to Gaomi and requested aid from Western Chu . Meanwhile , Han Xin conquered Linzi and continued to pursue retreating Qi forces to Gaomi . Xiang Yu sent Long Ju to lead a 200 , 000 strong army to help Tian Guang . The allied forces of Qi and Chu lost to Han in the first battle . Someone advised Long Ju to avoid engaging Han Xin directly and focus on strengthening their defences , while asking Tian Guang to rally support from the Qi cities that had fallen to Han . In that case , the Han army would eventually be deprived of supplies and be forced to surrender . However , Long Ju rejected the proposal and insisted on taking on Han Xin . In 203 BC , on the night before the battle , Han Xin sent his men to dam the Wei River ( 濰水 ) with sandbags . The next morning , after a skirmish with Long Ju ' s forces , Han Xin feigned retreat , luring Long to follow him . When about a quarter of the Chu army had crossed the river , Han Xin signalled for his men to open the dam , drowning many Chu soldiers and isolating Long Ju with only a fraction of his force . Taking advantage of the situation , Han Xin launched a counterattack . Long Ju was killed in action and the rest of the Chu army disintegrated as Han Xin continued pressing the attack . Tian Guang fled and Han Xin continued pursuing the retreating enemy to Chengyang ( 城陽 ) . After his victory , Han Xin swiftly took control of the Qi territories and he sent an envoy to Liu Bang , requesting that Liu let him be the acting King of Qi . At that time , Liu Bang was besieged in Xingyang by Xiang Yu , and eagerly waiting for reinforcements from Han Xin , but Han made a request to be the acting - ' King of Qi ' instead , which greatly angered Liu . However , Liu Bang reluctantly approved Han Xin ' s request after listening to advice from Zhang Liang and Chen Ping . At the same time , Xiang Yu became worried after losing Long Ju and he sent Wu She to persuade Han Xin to rebel against Liu Bang and declare himself king . However , despite additional urging from Kuai Tong , Han Xin firmly refused to betray Liu Bang . Han Xin later organised an army to move southward and attack Western Chu . Battle of Chenggao . On the southern front , Liu Bang ' s forces started building supply routes from Xingyang to Aocang ( 敖倉 ) . In 204 BC , Xiang Yu led an attack on the routes and the Han army started to run short of supplies . Liu Bang negotiated for peace with Xiang Yu and agreed to cede the lands east of Xingyang to Western Chu . Xiang Yu had the intention of accepting Liu Bang ' s offer , but Fan Zeng advised him to reject and urged him to use the opportunity to destroy Liu . Xiang Yu changed his decision and pressed the attack on Xingyang , besieging Liu Bang ' s forces inside the city . To lift the siege , Liu Bang followed Chen Ping ' s suggestion to bribe Xiang Yu ' s men with 40 , 000 catties of gold , for them to spread rumours that Fan Zeng had the intention of betraying Xiang . Xiang Yu fell for the trick and dismissed Fan Zeng . In late 204 BC , while Xiang Yu was away suppressing the rebellion in the Qi kingdom , Li Yiji advised Liu Bang to use the opportunity to attack Western Chu . Han forces conquered Chenggao and defeated the Chu army , led by Cao Jiu , at a battle near the Si River . Liu Bang ' s forces advanced further until they reached Guangwu ( 廣武 ) . Chu forces led by Zhongli Mo were trapped by the Han army at the east of Xingyang . Following Han Xin ' s victory in the Battle of Wei River , the Chu army ' s morale fell and it ran low on supplies months later . Xiang Yu had no choice but to request for an armistice and agreed to release Liu Bang ' s family members , who were held hostage by him . Both sides came to the Treaty of Hong Canal ( 鴻溝和約 ) , which divided China into east and west under the Chu and Han domains respectively . End of the war . In 203 BC , while Xiang Yu was retreating eastward , Liu Bang , following the advice of Zhang Liang and Chen Ping , renounced the Treaty of Hong Canal and ordered an attack on Western Chu . He also requested assistance from Han Xin and Peng Yue in forming a three - pronged attack on Xiang Yu . However , Han Xin and Peng Yue did not mobilise their troops and Liu Bang was defeated by Xiang Yu at Guling ( 固陵 ; south of present - day Taikang County , Zhoukou , Henan ) . Liu Bang retreated and reinforced his defences , while sending messengers to Han Xin and Peng Yue , promising to grant them fiefs and titles of vassal kings if they joined him in attacking Chu . Battle of Gaixia . Three months later in 202 BC , Han forces led by Liu Bang , Han Xin and Peng Yue , attacked Western Chu from three directions . The Chu army was running low in supplies and Xiang Yu was trapped in Gaixia ( 垓下 ; southeast of present - day Lingbi County , Suzhou , Anhui ) . Han Xin ordered his troops to sing Chu folk songs , to create a false impression that Xiang Yu ' s native land of Chu had fallen to Han forces . The Chu army ' s morale plummeted and many soldiers deserted . Xiang Yu attempted to break out the siege and was only left with 26 men when he reached the northern bank of the Wu River ( near present - day He County , Chaohu City , Anhui ) . Xiang Yu made a last stand and managed to slay several Han soldiers before eventually committing suicide . Aftermath . After the death of Xiang Yu , the rest of Western Chu surrendered to Han and China was unified under Liu Bang ' s rule . Liu Bang granted Peng Yue , Ying Bu and Han Xin the titles of " King of Liang " , " King of Huainan " and " King of Chu " respectively . Months later , at the urging of his followers and vassals , Liu Bang declared himself " Emperor of China " and named his dynasty " Han " . He built his capital in Luoyang ( later moved to Chang ' an ) and named Lü Zhi his empress , and Liu Ying as crown prince . Although Liu Bang initially handsomely rewarded his subjects who helped him become emperor of China , he gradually became suspicious of them and started to doubt their loyalties towards him . Han Xin was demoted from " King of Chu " to " Marquis of Huaiyin " in late 202 BC . He was subsequently arrested and killed on Empress Lü ' s orders in 196 BC after Liu Bang suspected him of being plotting a rebellion with Chen Xi . Similarly in that year , Liu Bang believed rumours that Peng Yue was also involved in the rebellion and he demoted Peng to the status of a commoner . Peng Yue was later executed on Empress Lü ' s orders and his clan was exterminated .