xiao rongsheng liu bang quotation

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.

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.

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).

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 roads 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.

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 roads 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The Great Conqueror"s Concubine is a 1994 Hong Kong film directed by Wei Handao and Stephen Shin. Zhang Fengyi and Ray Lui starred as Liu Bang and Xiang Yu respectively.

The Myth is a 2010 Chinese television series adapted from the 2005 film of the same title. A present-day photographer travels back in time and meets Liu Bang and Xiang Yu and becomes sworn brothers with them.

Legend of Chu and Han is a 2012 Chinese television series directed by Gao Xixi. Chen Daoming and Peter Ho starred as Liu Bang and Xiang Yu respectively.

Chu Han Zhengxiong is a 2012 Chinese television series directed by Chen Jialin. Anthony Wong and Ren Chengwei played Liu Bang and Xiang Yu respectively.

Beauties of the Emperor is a 2012 Chinese television series produced by Yu Zheng. It romanticises the life stories of Liu Bang and Xiang Yu (played by Luo Jin and Ming Dow respectively), with the focus on Liu Bang"s wife Lü Zhi (played by Joe Chen), who loves and desires both of the two men.

Prince of Qin is a 2002 action RPG. The protagonist is the former Qin crown prince Fusu. He witnesses how the Qin Dynasty becomes corrupted by Qin Er Shi and Zhao Gao and decides to help Liu Bang and Xiang Yu overthrow the dynasty.

Li, J., Xu, H.-H., Liu, W.-C., Zhang, X.-W., and Lu, Y.-T. (2015). Ethylene inhibits root elongation during alkaline stress through AUXIN1 and associated changes in auxin accumulation. Plant Physiol. 168, 1777–1791. doi: 10.1104/pp.15.00523

Li, Y. H., Reif, J. C., Hong, H. L., Li, H. H., Liu, Z. X., Ma, Y. S., et al. (2017). Genome-wide association mapping of QTL underlying seed oil and protein contents of a diverse panel of soybean accessions. Plant Sci. 266, 95–101. doi: 10.1016/j.plantsci.2017.04.013

Qi, Z., Huang, L., Zhu, R., Xin, D., Liu, C., Han, X., et al. (2014). A high-density genetic map for soybean based on specific length amplified fragment sequencing. PLoS One 9:e104871. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0104871

Raihan, M. S., Liu, J., Huang, J., Guo, H., Pan, Q., and Yan, J. (2016). Multi-environment QTL analysis of grain morphology traits and fine mapping of a kernel-width QTL in Zheng58 × SK maize population. Theor. Appl. Genet. 129, 1465–1477. doi: 10.1007/s00122-016-2717-z

Zhaoye Fei, Yu Tian, Yongkang Wu, Xinyu Zhang, Yutao Zhu, Zheng Liu, Jiawen Wu, Dejiang Kong, Ruofei Lai, Zhao Cao, Zhicheng Dou and Xipeng Qiu (zyfei20@fudan.edu.cn)

Pengshan Cai, Fei Liu, Adarsha Bajracharya, Weisong Liu, Dan Berlowitz, Joe Sills, Alok Kapoor, Richeek Pradhan, David Levy and hong yu (pengshancai@cs.umass.edu)

Ying Zhao, Lixia Gao, Zhixiao Gao, Binnian Tian, Tao Chen, Jiatao Xie, Jiasen Cheng, Yanping Fu, Youguo Li, Shunyuan Xiao, Ton Bisseling and Daohong Jiang

Long Jiang, Shunyu Xiang, Xing Lv, Xiaoyan Wang, Fengwei Li, Weina Liu, Changyun Liu, Mao Ran, Jin Huang, Xiaohong Xu, Xiaozhou Ma, Yabo Jin and Xianchao Sun

Nan Yang, Qianqian Yu, Wenhao Li, Deng Chen, Jinzhuo Jian, Huixia Zhang, Gaofeng Wang, Shiming Liu, Wenkun Huang, Huan Peng, Deliang Peng, Jun Yang, Xiaoli Guo and Lingan Kong

Yunqing Li, Liqiang Huang, Ru Jiang, Shangming Han, Qing Chang, Yingmei Li, Zhijie Chen, Huan Peng, Wenkun Huang, Jingmin Guo, Huixia Li, Shiming Liu and Deliang Peng

Simplicillium spp. are mycoparasites that exert growth-inhibitory effects on phytopathogenic fungi. However, limited studies have examined the effects of Simplicillium spp. on powdery mildews. In this study, morp...

Beenish Hassan, Yu-Ting Peng, Sha Li, Xiao-Xiao Yin, Chen Chen, Faiza Gulzar, Shi-Xin Zhou, Mei Pu, Yun-Peng Ji, Yu-Ping Wang, Wensheng Zhao, Fu Huang, You-Liang Peng, Zhi-Xue Zhao and Wen-Ming Wang

Feng He, Jie Yang, Yancun Zhao, Pedro Laborda, Yifan Jia, Asma Safdar, Alex Machio Kange, Bingxin Li, Lan Zhou, Quan Zeng, Sally Brown, Zheng Qing Fu and Fengquan Liu

Ying Zhao, Lixia Gao, Zhixiao Gao, Binnian Tian, Tao Chen, Jiatao Xie, Jiasen Cheng, Yanping Fu, Youguo Li, Shunyuan Xiao, Ton Bisseling and Daohong Jiang

Long Jiang, Shunyu Xiang, Xing Lv, Xiaoyan Wang, Fengwei Li, Weina Liu, Changyun Liu, Mao Ran, Jin Huang, Xiaohong Xu, Xiaozhou Ma, Yabo Jin and Xianchao Sun

Nan Yang, Qianqian Yu, Wenhao Li, Deng Chen, Jinzhuo Jian, Huixia Zhang, Gaofeng Wang, Shiming Liu, Wenkun Huang, Huan Peng, Deliang Peng, Jun Yang, Xiaoli Guo and Lingan Kong

Yunqing Li, Liqiang Huang, Ru Jiang, Shangming Han, Qing Chang, Yingmei Li, Zhijie Chen, Huan Peng, Wenkun Huang, Jingmin Guo, Huixia Li, Shiming Liu and Deliang Peng

Simplicillium spp. are mycoparasites that exert growth-inhibitory effects on phytopathogenic fungi. However, limited studies have examined the effects of Simplicillium spp. on powdery mildews. In this study, morp...

Beenish Hassan, Yu-Ting Peng, Sha Li, Xiao-Xiao Yin, Chen Chen, Faiza Gulzar, Shi-Xin Zhou, Mei Pu, Yun-Peng Ji, Yu-Ping Wang, Wensheng Zhao, Fu Huang, You-Liang Peng, Zhi-Xue Zhao and Wen-Ming Wang

Feng He, Jie Yang, Yancun Zhao, Pedro Laborda, Yifan Jia, Asma Safdar, Alex Machio Kange, Bingxin Li, Lan Zhou, Quan Zeng, Sally Brown, Zheng Qing Fu and Fengquan Liu

Xiao He (257 BC – 16 August 193 BCWestern Han dynasty. He served Liu Bang (Emperor Gao), the founder of the Han dynasty, during the insurrection against the Qin dynasty, and fought on Liu"s side in the Chu–Han Contention against Liu"s rival, Xiang Yu. After the founding of the Han dynasty, Xiao He became the chancellor and held office until his death. For his contributions, he is also known as one of the "Three Heroes of the early Han dynasty" (漢初三傑), along with Han Xin and Zhang Liang.

Xiao He was born in Fengyi County, Sishui Commandery (present-day Feng County, Jiangsu). In his early days, he served as a gongcao (功曹; magistrate"s secretary) in the administrative office of Pei County. He was studious, tactful and amiable. He was well versed in law and had a wide network of friends and acquaintances, among whom include Liu Bang, Cao Shen, Fan Kuai, Xiahou Ying and Zhou Bo.

Once, Liu Bang released some prisoners he was escorting to Mount Li to be labourers, and became a fugitive. He hid in an outlaw stronghold on Mount Mangdang (in present-day Yongcheng, Henan) and maintained secret contact with Xiao He and Cao Shen. In 209 BC, Chen Sheng and Wu Guang started the Dazexiang Uprising to overthrow the Qin dynasty, and was followed by numerous other rebellions throughout China. The magistrate of Pei County considered rebelling as well, so he heeded Xiao He and Cao Shen"s advice to invite Liu Bang back to support him. However, he changed his mind later and denied Liu Bang"s party entry into the city. As he was afraid that Xiao He and Cao Shen might open the gates for Liu Bang, he intended to have them executed, but Xiao and Cao escaped and joined Liu. As suggested by Xiao He, Liu Bang had letters sent to the townsfolk, fired into the city on arrows, urging them to join him. The people responded to Liu Bang"s call and killed the magistrate and welcomed him back into the city.

After returning to Pei County, the townsfolk wanted Liu Bang to lead them to overthrow the Qin dynasty. However, Liu Bang expressed reluctance in taking up the leadership position and the people agreed to decide their leader by luck. Xiao He was in charge of the process and he had the names of ten respectable men in town, including Liu Bang, written on separate pieces of paper and shuffled. Xiao He then asked Liu Bang to pick any piece from the pile, without seeing the name on it, and Liu picked his own name by chance. Liu Bang looked at Xiao He and wanted to decline again. Xiao He immediately grabbed the remaining pieces of paper, put them into his mouth and chewed them to shreds, after which he proclaimed Liu Bang as their leader. Liu Bang became known as the "Duke of Pei" and built his rebel army in Pei County, with Xiao He and his friends supporting him. Liu Bang learnt from Xiao He later that actually all the ten pieces of paper contained his name, and Xiao had deliberately tampered with the system to help him.

In 206 BC, the Qin dynasty collapsed after the last Qin ruler, Ziying, surrendered to Liu Bang. Liu Bang"s army occupied the Qin capital Xianyang. Upon entering the Epang Palace, Liu Bang and most of his men seized treasures and women for themselves, while Xiao He rushed to the chancellor"s office and ordered it to be heavily guarded. Xiao He then brought a few men with him to collect all official documents in the office and bring them out safely. Xiao He later explained that the documents were more valuable than riches and women, because they contained crucial information about the Qin Empire and would be useful in intelligence.

Liu Bang was forced to retreat from Xianyang later as Xiang Yu"s army arrived and occupied the city. After plundering Xianyang and destroying the palace, Xiang Yu divided the former Qin Empire into the Eighteen Kingdoms. Liu Bang received the title of "King of Han" and was relocated to the remote Bashu region (in present-day Sichuan), with Xiao He and his followers accompanying him. Liu Bang was unhappy and wanted to attack Xiang Yu because the land of Guanzhong rightfully belonged to him, according to an earlier promise by Emperor Yi of Chu, but was granted by Xiang to three surrendered Qin generals instead. However, Xiao He and others managed to persuade Liu Bang to temporarily remain in Bashu and build up his forces in preparation for a battle for supremacy with Xiang Yu later. Xiao He was appointed by Liu Bang as the chancellor of the Han kingdom.

During that time, Xiao He met Han Xin, who had recently joined Liu Bang"s army and was serving as a low-ranking soldier, and recognised Han Xin"s brilliance in military strategy. Not long later, many of Liu Bang"s men deserted as they were unable to cope with living in remote Bashu, and Han Xin also left as he was disappointed because he felt his talent would go to waste in Liu Bang"s camp. When Xiao He learnt that Han Xin had left, he immediately rushed to find Han and bring him back, without managing to inform Liu Bang in time. Xiao He caught up with Han Xin after trailing him for a few days, even at night, and succeeded in persuading Han to return. Meanwhile, Liu Bang thought that Xiao He had also deserted him and was shocked, but was relieved when he saw Xiao returning with Han Xin days later. Liu Bang asked Xiao He, "Of all those who deserted, why did you choose to bring back Han Xin only?" Xiao He then strongly recommended Han Xin to Liu Bang, saying that Han"s talent was unmatched. Liu Bang heeded Xiao He"s suggestion and appointed Han Xin as a general.

In 206 BC, Liu Bang conquered the Three Qins and left Xiao He in charge of Guanzhong and Bashu, while he led his army eastward to attack Xiang Yu"s Western Chu kingdom. Xiao He governed those territories effectively and provided support to Liu Bang"s army at the warfront in the form of supplies, provisions and reinforcements. While in Guanzhong, Xiao He restored peace and order by implementing a new system of governance and reconstructing destroyed buildings. Under the new system, taxes were readjusted to reduce the burden on the poor; land that used to belong to the Qin aristocracy was redistributed to peasants, in order to increase agricultural output; capable and respectable men were selected from among commoners to assist government officials in administration.

Liu Bang eventually defeated Xiang Yu at the Battle of Gaixia in 202 BC and unified China under his rule. He was proclaimed "Emperor" and became historically known as "Emperor Gaozu of Han". The following year, when Gaozu rewarded his subjects according to their contributions, Xiao He received the title of "Marquis of Zan" (酇侯) in addition to his appointment as chancellor. Besides, Gaozu also granted Xiao He a rare special privilege: Xiao was allowed to enter the imperial court carrying a sword and with his shoes on, and not required to walk in briskly while others had to.

In 201 BC, Emperor Gaozu wanted to build his capital in Luoyang but Zhang Liang suggested Xianyang instead, because it was surrounded by natural defences such as mountain passes, and had fertile land for agriculture. Gaozu put Xiao He in charge of the constructions in Xianyang. Two years later, the project was completed and Xiao He took Gaozu on a tour of Xianyang. The new palace was called Weiyang Palace and served as the central imperial palace throughout the Western Han dynasty and Xin dynasty. Gaozu also renamed Xianyang to "Chang"an", which meant "long-lasting peace".

In 196 BC, while Gaozu was away on a military campaign to suppress a rebellion by Chen Xi, one of Han Xin"s servants reported to Empress Lü Zhi that his master was involved in a conspiracy with Chen Xi and was planning a coup in Chang"an. Empress Lü approached Xiao He for help and they formulated a plan to lure Han Xin into a trap. Xiao He had an imperial edict sent to Han Xin, announcing news of Gaozu"s victory over Chen Xi, asking Han to meet the emperor and offer his congratulations. As soon as Han Xin arrived in Changle Palace, he was arrested and executed in a torturous manner for alleged treason.

In 195 BC, Xiao He saw that Chang"an was becoming more congested and the imperial garden was full of uncultivated land, hence he suggested to Gaozu to carve out parts of the garden and grant them to peasants as farmland. Gaozu was unhappy and accused Xiao He of accepting bribes and dishonouring imperial authority. Xiao He was arrested and imprisoned, but was released later after Gaozu was convinced that Xiao He had the people"s interests at heart. Gaozu summoned Xiao He to see him and he said with jest and embarrassment, "The chancellor was asking for the fields in the imperial garden out of interest for the people, but I did not approve. This showed that I"m only like Jie and Zhou (Emperors of the Xia and Shang dynasties), and that you"re the most understanding chancellor. Therefore, I intentionally imprisoned you to show the people that I"m a tyrant."

After the death of Gaozu, Xiao He continued serving Gaozu"s successor Emperor Hui as chancellor until he died in 193 BC. Before his death, Xiao He recommended Cao Shen to succeed him. Cao Shen inherited the system of governance left behind by Xiao He and maintained it well but did not implement any new changes.

Two of his descendants would later found imperial dynasties during the Southern and Northern Dynasties period. Xiao Daocheng would found the Southern Qi, while his distant cousin Xiao Yan would found the subsequent Liang dynasty.

Xiao He chases Han Xin under the moonlight (蕭何月下追韓信): Originated from the event where Xiao trailed Han Xin for a few days, even at night, in order to catch up with the latter and bring him back to Liu Bang. It is used to describe an urgent situation in which action has to be taken immediately without notification.

Success is due to Xiao He, downfall is also due to Xiao He (成也蕭何 敗也蕭何 Hangul: 성야소하 폐야소하): Xiao He helped Han Xin become a general, which enabled Han to put his talent to good use. However, Xiao also played an important role in Han"s death. It is used to describe a situation where one"s success and failure are both due to the same factor.

Cao following Xiao"s rules (萧规曹随): Cao Shen, Xiao He"s successor as chancellor, inherited the system of governance left behind by Xiao and maintained it well but did not implement any new changes. It is used to describe the continuation of the work of one"s predecessor.

Xiao He is one of the 32 historical figures who appear as special characters in the video game Koei. He also appears as a non-playable character in the action RPG

Hanwen Tong:Fudan University;Chenhao Xie:SenseDeal Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd.;Jiaqing Liang:Fudan University;Qianyu He:Fudan University;Zhiang Yue:Fudan University;Jingping Liu:East China University of Science and Technology;Yanghua Xiao:Fudan University,Fudan-Aishu Cognitive Intelligence Joint Research Center;Wenguang Wang:DataGrand Inc.

Haolun Wu:McGill University;Chen Ma:City University of Hong Kong;Yingxue Zhang:Huawei Noah"s Ark Lab;Xue Liu:McGill University;Ruiming Tang:Huawei Noah"s Ark Lab;Mark Coates:McGill University

Zihan Liu:Zhejiang University,AI Lab, Westlake Institute for Advanced Study;Yun Luo:Westlake University;Lirong Wu:AI Lab, Westlake Institute for Advanced Study;Siyuan Li:AI Lab, Westlake Institute for Advanced Study;Zicheng Liu:AI Lab, Westlake Institute for Advanced Study;Stan Li:AI Lab, Westlake Institute for Advanced Study

Fuxian Li:Tsinghua University;Huan Yan:Tsinghua University;Guangyin Jin:Tsinghua University;Yue Liu:Alibaba Group;Yong Li:Tsinghua University;Depeng Jin:Tsinghua University

Wentao Ning:The University of Hong Kong,Southern University of Science and Technology;Reynold Cheng:The University of Hong Kong;Jiajun Shen:TCL Research;Nur Al Hasan Haldar:The University of Western Australia;Ben Kao:The University of Hong Kong;Xiao Yan:Southern University of Science and Technology;Nan Huo:the University of Hong Kong;Tian Li:TCL Research;Wai Kit Lam:TCL Research;Bo Tang:Southern University of Science and Technology

Xianjie Guo:Hefei University of Technology;Yujie Wang:Hefei University of Technology;Xiaoling Huang:Hefei University of Technology;Shuai Yang:Hefei University of Technology;Kui Yu:Hefei University of Technology

Lili Zhao:University of Science and Technology of China;Linan Yue:University of Science and Technology of China;Yanqing An:University of Science and Technology of China;Yuren Zhang:University of Science and Technology of China;Jun Yu:IFLYTEK;Qi Liu:University of Science and Technology of China;Enhong Chen:University of Science and Technology of China

Quanliang Jing:Institute of Computing Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences;Shuo Liu:Institute of Computing Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences;Xinxin Fan:Institute of Computing Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences;Jingwei Li:Department of Computer Science and Engineering, University at Buffalo, SUNY;Di Yao:Institute of Computing Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences;Baoli Wang:Microsoft Search Technology Center Asia;Jingping Bi:Institute of Computing Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Yu Hong:Fudan University;Zhixu Li:Fudan University;Jianfeng Qu:Soochow University;Jiaqing Liang:Fudan University;Yi Luo:Fudan University;Miyu Zhang:Fudan University;Yanghua Xiao:Fudan University,Fudan-Aishu Cognitive Intelligence Joint Research Center;Wei Wang:Fudan University

Yu Wang:University of Illinois at Chicago;Hengrui Zhang:University of Illinois at Chicago;Zhiwei Liu:Salesforce;Liangwei Yang:University of Illinois at Chicago;Philip S Yu:University of Illinois at Chicago

Jiangxia Cao:Institute of Information Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences,School of Cyber Security, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences;Xin Cong:Institute of Information Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences,School of Cyber Security, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences;Jiawei Sheng:Institute of Information Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences,School of Cyber Security, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences;Tingwen Liu:Institute of Information Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences,School of Cyber Security, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences;Bin Wang:Xiaomi AI Lab, Xiaomi Inc.

Qinggang Zhang:The Hong Kong Polytechnic University;Junnan Dong:The Hong Kong Polytechnic University;Keyu Duan:The Hong Kong Polytechnic University;Xiao Huang:The Hong Kong Polytechnic University;Yezi Liu:University of California Irvine;Linchuan Xu:The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Hanwen Du:Soochow University;Hui Shi:Soochow University;Pengpeng Zhao:Soochow University;Deqing Wang:Beihang University;Victor S. Sheng:Texas Tech University;Yanchi Liu:Rutgers University;Guanfeng Liu:Macquarie University;Lei Zhao:Soochow University

Jiangui Chen:CAS Key Lab of Network Data Science and Technology, ICT, CAS,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences;Ruqing Zhang:CAS Key Lab of Network Data Science and Technology, ICT, CAS,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences;Jiafeng Guo:CAS Key Lab of Network Data Science and Technology, ICT, CAS,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences;Yiqun Liu:BNRist, DCST, Tsinghua University;Yixing Fan:CAS Key Lab of Network Data Science and Technology, ICT, CAS,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences;Xueqi Cheng:CAS Key Lab of Network Data Science and Technology, ICT, CAS,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences

Jiaqian Ren:Institute of Information Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences,School of Cyber Security, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences;Lei Jiang:Institute of Information Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences;Hao Peng:Beihang University;Lingjuan Lyu:Sony AI;Zhiwei Liu:salesforce;Chaochao Chen:Zhejiang University;Jia Wu:Macquarie University;Xu Bai:Institute of Information Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences;Philip S. Yu:University of Illinois Chicago

Kangzheng Liu:National Engineering Research Center for Big Data Technology and System, Services Computing Technology and System Lab, Cluster and Grid Computing Lab, School of Computer Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology;Feng Zhao:National Engineering Research Center for Big Data Technology and System, Services Computing Technology and System Lab, Cluster and Grid Computing Lab, School of Computer Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology;Hongxu Chen:Data Science and Machine Intelligence Lab, University of Technology Sydney;Yicong Li:Data Science and Machine Intelligence Lab, University of Technology Sydney;Guandong Xu:Data Science and Machine Intelligence Lab, University of Technology Sydney;Hai Jin:National Engineering Research Center for Big Data Technology and System, Services Computing Technology and System Lab, Cluster and Grid Computing Lab, School of Computer Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology

Junwei Zhang:Tianjin University;Ruifang He:Tianjin University;Fengyu Guo:Tianjin Normal University;Jinsong Ma:Tianjin University;Mengnan Xiao:Tianjin University