Welcome back to the Silk and Steel Chinese History Series.
In this episode, Carl Zha and JJ return to 206 BC, in the chaotic aftermath of the collapse of the Qin Dynasty.
The great rebel commander Xiang Yu has divided the former Qin territories among rival generals. He believes he can keep his potential enemies divided and under control. Liu Bang, meanwhile, has been effectively exiled to the remote Sichuan and Hanzhong region with a dramatically reduced army.
Xiang Yu has made a critical mistake.
He has underestimated Liu Bang. More importantly, he has failed to recognise the extraordinary talent of a 22-year-old former wanderer named Han Xin.
Han Xin's early life did not suggest a future military genius. He struggled to feed himself, was mocked as a coward after he crawled between the legs of a local bully, and was repeatedly ignored by powerful commanders.
Yet Xiao He recognised something nobody else could see.
When Han Xin deserted Liu Bang's army, Xiao He personally chased him down and convinced him to return. Xiao He then persuaded Liu Bang to make this virtually unknown 22-year-old the Grand Commander of the Han army.
What happened next would change Chinese history.
Han Xin identified Xiang Yu's weaknesses, exploited Liu Bang's advantages, and helped transform a supposedly exiled force into a massive army.
The Qinling Mountains appeared to be an enormous logistical obstacle. But Han Xin found a way through.
The Han army eventually surged out of Sichuan with vastly superior numbers, overwhelming the divided Three Qin kingdoms. Zhang Han — once one of the most formidable commanders of the Qin — was isolated and besieged.
Meanwhile, Xiang Yu was distracted by rebellions and rivalries in Qi, Zhao and elsewhere.
Within a remarkably short period, Liu Bang conquered almost all of the former Qin heartland and marched east.
The episode also examines the famous Chinese saying “明修栈道，暗度陈仓” — commonly understood as "appearing to repair one route while secretly moving through another." We question how much of the traditional story may have been embellished by later sources.
Most importantly, this episode explains why Liu Bang succeeded where later commanders such as Zhuge Liang struggled.
The difference wasn't simply clever battlefield tactics.
Liu Bang knew how to delegate.
Zhang Liang handled strategy.
Xiao He handled logistics and administration.
Han Xin commanded the army.
Xiang Yu had created a divided political landscape that was supposed to protect his power. Instead, that division gave Liu Bang the opportunity to grow stronger.
With Liu Bang now moving east, the stage is set for the eventual showdown between Liu Bang and Xiang Yu.
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