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Xin, King of Hán (died 196 BC), also known as Hán Xin and as Hán Wang Xin, was a descendant of the royal family of the
state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...
of Hán during the
Warring States period The Warring States period () was an era in ancient Chinese history characterized by warfare, as well as bureaucratic and military reforms and consolidation. It followed the Spring and Autumn period and concluded with the Qin wars of conquest ...
of China. After the establishment of the
Han dynasty The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–207 BC) and a wa ...
, Emperor Gaozu granted Hán Xin the title of "King of Hán" (). In 201 BC, Hán Xin was suspected of conspiring with the
Xiongnu The Xiongnu (, ) were a tribal confederation of nomadic peoples who, according to ancient Chinese sources, inhabited the eastern Eurasian Steppe from the 3rd century BC to the late 1st century AD. Modu Chanyu, the supreme leader after 209 ...
to attack the Han Empire and decided to defect to the Xiongnu. He was killed in action during a battle against the Han army in 196 BC.


Biography


Early life

Hán Xin was a grandson of King Xiang of the Hán state of the
Warring States period The Warring States period () was an era in ancient Chinese history characterized by warfare, as well as bureaucratic and military reforms and consolidation. It followed the Spring and Autumn period and concluded with the Qin wars of conquest ...
. Around 207 BC, Hán Xin joined
Liu Bang Emperor Gaozu of Han (256 – 1 June 195 BC), born Liu Bang () with courtesy name Ji (季), was the founder and first emperor of the Han dynasty, reigning in 202–195 BC. His temple name was "Taizu" while his posthumous name was Empe ...
's rebel army in
Henan Henan (; or ; ; alternatively Honan) is a landlocked province of China, in the central part of the country. Henan is often referred to as Zhongyuan or Zhongzhou (), which literally means "central plain" or "midland", although the name is als ...
and joined him in overthrowing the
Qin dynasty The Qin dynasty ( ; zh, c=秦朝, p=Qín cháo, w=), or Ch'in dynasty in Wade–Giles romanization ( zh, c=, p=, w=Ch'in ch'ao), was the first dynasty of Imperial China. Named for its heartland in Qin state (modern Gansu and Shaanxi), th ...
. After the fall of the Qin dynasty in 206 BC,
Xiang Yu Xiang Yu (, –202 BC), born Xiang Ji (), was the Hegemon-King (Chinese: 霸王, ''Bà Wáng'') of Western Chu during the Chu–Han Contention period (206–202 BC) of China. A noble of the Chu state, Xiang Yu rebelled against the Qin dyn ...
divided the former Qin Empire into the
Eighteen Kingdoms The historiographical term "Eighteen Kingdoms" ( zh, t=十八國), also translated to as "Eighteen States", refers to the eighteen ''fengjian'' states in China created by military leader Xiang Yu in 206 BCE, after the collapse of the Qin dynasty ...
and granted Liu Bang the title of "King of Hàn" () and relocated him to the remote Ba and Shu regions around present-day
Chongqing Chongqing ( or ; ; Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), alternately romanized as Chungking (), is a municipality in Southwest China. The official abbreviation of the city, "" (), was approved by the State Co ...
and
Sichuan Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively romanized as Szechuan or Szechwan; formerly also referred to as "West China" or "Western China" by Protestant missions) is a province in Southwest China occupying most of t ...
.


Chu–Han contention

In late 206 BC,
Liu Bang Emperor Gaozu of Han (256 – 1 June 195 BC), born Liu Bang () with courtesy name Ji (季), was the founder and first emperor of the Han dynasty, reigning in 202–195 BC. His temple name was "Taizu" while his posthumous name was Empe ...
led his army out of Bashu to attack the Three Qins. This marked the beginning of a four-year-long power struggle for supremacy over China between Liu Bang and
Xiang Yu Xiang Yu (, –202 BC), born Xiang Ji (), was the Hegemon-King (Chinese: 霸王, ''Bà Wáng'') of Western Chu during the Chu–Han Contention period (206–202 BC) of China. A noble of the Chu state, Xiang Yu rebelled against the Qin dyn ...
, historically known as the
Chu–Han Contention The Chu–Han Contention ( zh, , lk=on) or Chu–Han War () was an interregnum period in ancient China between the fallen Qin dynasty and the subsequent Han dynasty. After the third and last Qin ruler, Ziying, unconditionally surrendered ...
. At that time, the Hán kingdom was ruled by Zheng Chang, who had been appointed King of Hán () by Xiang Yu. Liu Bang promised to help Hán Xin become the King of Hán, and appointed him as a general before sending him to attack Zheng Chang. By the following year, Hán Xin conquered more than ten cities in the Hán kingdom and forced Zheng Chang to surrender. Liu Bang recognised Hán Xin as the new King of Hán. In 204 BC, after Liu Bang was defeated by Xiang Yu at the Battle of Xingyang, Hán Xin was captured by Xiang Yu and forced to surrender. Later, he managed to escape and return to Liu Bang's side. Hán Xin was reinstated as the King of Hán and became a vassal of the
Han dynasty The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–207 BC) and a wa ...
after Liu Bang defeated Xiang Yu in 202 BC and became
Emperor of China ''Huangdi'' (), translated into English as Emperor, was the superlative title held by monarchs of China who ruled various imperial regimes in Chinese history. In traditional Chinese political theory, the emperor was considered the Son of Heave ...
. He was granted the lands around Yingchuan (; in present-day
Henan Henan (; or ; ; alternatively Honan) is a landlocked province of China, in the central part of the country. Henan is often referred to as Zhongyuan or Zhongzhou (), which literally means "central plain" or "midland", although the name is als ...
) as his fief and built his capital at Yangzhai (; present-day
Yuzhou City Yuzhou () is a county-level city in the central part of Henan, People's Republic of China. It occupies the northwest corner of the prefecture-level city of Xuchang. The city is named for Yu the Great, the founder of the Xia Dynasty, which the ...
, Henan).


Flight to Xiongnu

In 201 BC, Liu Bang (Emperor Gaozu) felt that Hán Xin's fief was in a strategic location and was worried that Hán might pose a threat to the Han Empire. Hence, under the pretext of sending him to defend the northern border, the emperor had Hán Xin relocated to
Taiyuan Commandery Taiyuan Commandery ( zh, 太原郡) was a commandery of China from the Warring States period to Tang dynasty. It was located in modern central Shanxi province. The commandery was established by the Qin state in 248 BC, after Qin general Meng Ao at ...
, with Jinyang (; present-day
Taiyuan Taiyuan (; ; ; Mandarin pronunciation: ; also known as (), ()) is the capital and largest city of Shanxi Province, People's Republic of China. Taiyuan is the political, economic, cultural and international exchange center of Shanxi Provinc ...
,
Shanxi Shanxi (; ; formerly romanised as Shansi) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China and is part of the North China region. The capital and largest city of the province is Taiyuan, while its next most populated prefecture-level ...
) as the new Hán capital. Hán Xin requested to have his capital at Mayi (present-day Shuozhou, Shanxi) instead and the emperor approved. When the
Xiongnu The Xiongnu (, ) were a tribal confederation of nomadic peoples who, according to ancient Chinese sources, inhabited the eastern Eurasian Steppe from the 3rd century BC to the late 1st century AD. Modu Chanyu, the supreme leader after 209 ...
attacked Mayi, Emperor Gaozu suspected Hán Xin of secretly conspiring with the Xiongnu so he sent an imperial edict to Hán Xin to reprimand him. Hán Xin was afraid of being exterminated so he formed an alliance with the Xiongnu against the Han Empire. In late 200 BC, Emperor Gaozu personally led the Han army to attack Hán Xin and forced him to retreat to Xiongnu territory. However, the Han army lost to the Xiongnu at the
Battle of Baideng The Battle of Baideng (白登之戰) was a military conflict between Han China and the Xiongnu in 200 BC. Han Dynasty of China invaded the territory of the Xiongnu in 200 BC attempting to subjugate them. However the Xiongnu united their forces und ...
and retreated. Hán Xin and the Xiongnu constantly raided the northern border in the following years.


Death

In 196 BC, Hán Xin allied with the Xiongnu again to attack the Han Empire, and occupied the town of Canhe (; possibly the place where a decisive battle occurred 600 years later). Chai Wu (), the Han general assigned to fend off the invasion, wrote a letter to Hán Xin, asking him to surrender to the Han Empire. Chai Wu also told Hán Xin that he had a chance of being pardoned since his betrayal was not as serious as others' so the emperor would be more inclined to forgive him. However, Hán Xin refused, claiming he had already committed high treason three times by allying with the Xiongnu on three occasions to attack the Han Empire. He also cited the examples of Fan Li, Wen Zhong and
Wu Zixu :''Note: names are in simplified characters followed by traditional and Pinyin transliteration.'' Wu Yun (died 484 BC), better known by his courtesy name Zixu, was a Chinese military general and politician of the Wu kingdom in the Spring and A ...
to imply that Emperor Gaozu would not be as forgiving as Chai Wu claimed.''Shi Ji'', Volume 93. In the ensuing battle, Chai Wu massacred the population of Canhe and killed Hán Xin.


Descendants

Hán Xin had at least two sons: * Crown Prince of Hán (), name unknown, who followed his father to Xiongnu territory and fathered Hán Ying (). * Hán Tuidang (), a younger son who was born in Tuidang in Xiongnu territory. Both Hán Tuidang and Hán Ying returned to the Han Empire during the reign of Emperor Wen.''Han Shu'', Volume 33. There were other more distant descendants of Hán Xin as follows: * Hán Leng (), an official of the early
Eastern Han dynasty The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–207 BC) and a w ...
, was recorded as a descendant through Hán Tuidang. * Hán Ji (), an official of the late Eastern Han dynasty and
Cao Wei Wei (Hanzi: 魏; pinyin: ''Wèi'' < : *''ŋjweiC'' < Western Jin dynasty official
Jia Chong Jia Chong (217–19 May 282), courtesy name Gonglü, was a Chinese politician who lived during the late Three Kingdoms period and early Jin dynasty of China. He started his career as an advisor to Sima Shi and Sima Zhao, the regents of the ...
, his maternal grandfather. Drawn into the turmoil of
War of the Eight Princes The War of the Eight Princes, Rebellion of the Eight Kings, or Rebellion of the Eight Princes () was a series of civil wars among kings/princes (Chinese: ''wáng'' 王) of the Chinese Jin dynasty from 291 to 306 AD. The key point of contention in ...
, he was executed in 301 along with his immediate and extended family – both Hán and Jia clan members. * Hán Yu (), the
Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingd ...
literary figure recognised for his role in Classical Prose Movement, also traced his ancestry to Hán Tuidang.


References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Han, Xin 196 BC deaths Han dynasty generals from Henan Chinese nobility Chu–Han contention people Year of birth unknown