From ancient times to the present, Chinese liquor houses have not only been simple drinking and dining behaviors, but also have the complexity and importance of social interpersonal relationships. They are not only a way of life, but also a way of survival. As Laozi said, governing a great country is like cooking small delicacies. Every drinking and dining party is a competition between people. Amidst the clinking of glasses and eye contact, there are friendships, invitations, transactions, conspiracies, sincere words, and great adventures. Through the drinking party, we can see that there are many political interests, social relationships, and interpersonal rules······
Today, we will take you into the most classic and historically transformative banquet in ancient China – the Hongmen Banquet. The Hongmen Banquet “is a historical text created by Sima Qian, a historian and writer of the Han Dynasty, and comes from the” Annals of Xiang Yu “in the Records of the Grand Historian. The article describes a banquet held by the leaders of two anti Qin armies, Xiang Yu and Liu Bang, at Hongmen on the outskirts of Xianyang, the capital city of the Qin Dynasty, after the fall of the Qin Dynasty (206 BC). The whole text revolves around Liu Bang’s plea for guilt at Xiang Camp, divided into three parts before and after his departure. It begins with Cao Nuo reporting and Xiang Yu deciding to attack, and ends with Xiang Yu being punished and Cao Nuo being executed. The story unfolds layer by layer based on whether Xiang Yu launched an attack and whether Liu Bang could safely escape. The plot is full of ups and downs, the imagery is vivid and distinct, the organization is meticulous and rigorous, and the language is concise and beautiful.
Attendees of the banquet: Liu Bang, Zhang Liang, Fan Kuai, Cao Nuo, Xiang Yu, Fan Zeng, Xiang Zhuang, Xiang Bo.
At the end of the Qin Dynasty, Liu Bang and Xiang Yu each attacked the army of the Qin Dynasty. Although Liu Bang’s troops were not as strong as Xiang Yu’s, Liu Bang broke through Xianyang first. Xiang Yu was furious and sent Yingbu to attack Hangu Pass. After Xiang Yu entered Xianyang, he arrived in Xixi, while Liu Bang was stationed in Bashang and had not yet been able to meet Xiang Yu.
The left Sima Cao Nuo, who was in charge of military and political affairs in Liu Bang’s army, sent someone to tell Xiang Yu: “Liu Bang wants to declare himself king in Guanzhong and make Ziying his prime minister. All the treasures have been possessed by Liu Bang.” Xiang Yu was very angry when he heard this and said, “Tomorrow, I will reward the soldiers with wine and meat and defeat Liu Bang’s army!” At this time, Xiang Yu’s army was 400000, stationed at Hongmen in Xinfeng, and Liu Bang’s army had 100000 in hegemony.
Fan Zeng advised Xiang Yu, “When Liu Bang was in Shandong, he was greedy for wealth and loved beautiful women. Now that he has entered Guanzhong, he doesn’t want any wealth and doesn’t get close to any women, which shows that his ambition is not small. I have sent someone to see the clouds there, all in the shape of dragons and tigers, presenting colorful colors. This is the cloud energy of the emperor. Hurry up and defeat him, don’t miss the opportunity
Xiang Bo, the left governor of the Chu army, was the uncle of Xiang Yu and had always been on good terms with Marquis Zhang Liang. Zhang Liang was currently following Liu Bang. Xiang Bo rode his horse overnight to Liu Bang’s military camp and privately met with Zhang Liang, telling him the details of the matter. He wanted Zhang Liang to leave with him and said, “Don’t die with (Liu Bang) and the others
Zhang Liang said, “I escorted Pei Gong (entering the customs) on behalf of the King of Han. Now that Pei Gong is in danger, it is unethical for him to escape. I cannot help but tell him.” So Zhang Liang went in and told Liu Bang in detail about the cause and effect.
Liu Bang was greatly surprised and said, “What should we do? How should we deal with this matter?” Zhang Liang said, “Who came up with this plan for the king Liu Bang said, “A simple and ignorant person advised me, ‘Hold the Hangu Pass and don’t let the lords in. The land of Qin can be completely occupied and you can claim the throne, so I listened to him.’
Zhang Liang asked Liu Bang, “Can the army of the king withstand the army of King Xiang?” Liu Bang fell silent for a moment and said, “Of course not. What should we do now?” Zhang Liang said, “Please let me tell Uncle Xiang that Pei Gong dare not betray King Xiang.” Liu Bang said, “Why do you have a relationship with Uncle Xiang?” Zhang Liang replied, “During the Qin Dynasty, I had a relationship with him. Uncle Xiang killed someone and I helped him survive. Now the situation is critical, luckily he came to tell me
Liu Bang said, “Who is older or younger than you?” Zhang Liang said, “Uncle Xiang is older than me.” Liu Bang said, “Please invite him in for me. I will treat him with the same courtesy as a brother.” Zhang Liang went out and invited Uncle Xiang in.
Liu Bang offered a toast to Xiang Bo with a glass of wine and made an agreement with Xiang Bo to become his in laws. He said, “When I entered Guanzhong, I dared not take anything for myself. I registered officials and civilians, closed the warehouse, and waited for the general to arrive. The reason why I sent officers and soldiers to guard Hangu Pass was to prevent other thieves from entering and leaving and unexpected changes. I waited day and night for the general’s arrival, how dare I rebel! I hope you (to King Xiang) can explain in detail that I dare not forget my kindness
Xiang Bo agreed and told Liu Bang, “Can you come earlier tomorrow to personally apologize to King Xiang?” Liu Bang said, “Okay.” So Xiang Bo left overnight and returned to Xiang Yu’s military camp, reporting Liu Bang’s words in detail to Xiang Yu. Seizing the opportunity, he said, “How dare you enter Guanzhong without first breaking through it? It is unjust for you to attack him now that he has achieved great success. Why not take the opportunity to treat him well?” Xiang Wang agreed.
The next morning, Liu Bang rode with more than a hundred people on horseback to meet Xiang Yu and arrived at Hongmen. He apologized to Xiang Yu and said, “I joined forces with the general to attack the state of Qin. The general fought north of the Yellow River, and I fought south of the Yellow River. However, I did not expect to enter Guanzhong first, break through the Qin Dynasty, and meet you here again. Now there are rumors of petty people, which have caused a rift between the general and me
Xiang Yu said, “This was said by Cao Nuo, the left Sima of Pei Gong. If it weren’t for this, how could I be so angry?” Xiang Wang left Liu Bang to drink with him that day. Xiang Yu and Xiang Bo sat facing east, while Ya Fu sat facing south. Yafu, also known as Fan Zeng, Liu Bang sits facing north; Zhang Liang sat with him facing west.
Fan Zengsheng signaled to King Xiang several times and raised the jade pendant he was wearing repeatedly to hint at him, but King Xiang remained silent and did not respond. Fan Zeng stood up, went out, summoned Xiang Zhuang, and said to Xiang Zhuang, “The king treats others kindly and cannot bear to take action. Go in and offer him a toast, finish the toast, ask for a sword dance to cheer him up, and at the same time knock Liu Bang down on his seat and kill him. Otherwise, you will all be captured by him
Xiang Zhuang went in to toast. After finishing the toast, he said, “The king and Pei Gong drink alcohol. There is nothing in the military camp that can be used for entertainment. Please let me dance my sword to cheer them up.” Xiang Yu said, “Okay.” Xiang Zhuang drew his sword and danced, and Xiang Bo also drew his sword and started dancing, often using his own body to cover up Liu Bang. Xiang Zhuang never had the opportunity to assassinate Liu Bang.
So Zhang Liang went to the entrance of the military camp to find Fan Kuai. Fan Kuai said, “How’s the situation today?” Zhang Liang said, “It’s very critical! Now Xiang Zhuang is drawing his sword and dancing, his intention is on Pei Gong!” Fan Kuai said, “This is too urgent! Please let me in and fight them desperately.” So Fan Kuai rushed into the military gate with his sword and shield. The guards holding halberds crossed the military gate to prevent him from entering, but Fan Kuai raised his shield and ran into it. The guards fell to the ground, and Fan Kuai went in.
After entering, Fan Kuai lifted the curtain and stood facing west, staring at King Xiang with his hair standing straight up and his eye frames about to crack open. Xiang Yu stood up with a sword in hand and asked, “What does the guest do?” Zhang Liang replied, “It’s Fan Kuai, a passenger of Pei Gong.” Xiang Yu replied, “Brave man! Give him a glass of wine.” Xiang Yu’s guards handed him a large glass of wine, and after Fan Kuai thanked him, he stood up and drank the wine in one breath.
Xiang Yu said again, ‘Give him a pig’s front leg.’ The guards then gave him another half life pig’s front leg. Fan Kuai fastened his shield to the ground, placed the pig leg on the shield, drew his sword, and began to eat while cutting.
Xiang Yu said, “Brave warrior! Can we drink more?” Fan Kuai said, “I’m not afraid of death. What’s the point of refusing a cup of wine? The King of Qin has a heart like a tiger and a wolf. He kills people for fear of not being able to kill them all, and punishes people for fear of not being able to use all the torture. Therefore, people all over the world have betrayed him. King Huai once made an agreement with the generals to defeat the Qin army and grant the title of King of Guanzhong to those who enter Xianyang first. Now that Pei Gong has defeated the Qin army and entered Xianyang, he dare not use anything at all. He has closed the palace and the army has retreated to Ba Shang, waiting for the arrival of the king. The reason for sending generals to guard Hangu Pass is to prevent other thieves from entering and unexpected changes. This is a great effort and great achievement. He did not receive the reward of a feudal lord, but instead listened to the slanderous words of petty people and wanted to kill those who had made contributions. This is the successor of the destroyed Qin Dynasty. I don’t think the king should have taken this approach
Xiang Yu didn’t answer and asked Fan Kuai to sit next to Zhang Liang. After sitting for a while, Liu Bang called Fan Kuai out using the excuse of going to the restroom. After Liu Bang left, Prince Xiang sent Captain Chen Ping to call Liu Bang. Liu Bang said, “Now come out, I haven’t said goodbye yet. What should I do?” Fan Kuai said, “When doing big things, you don’t have to pay attention to details, and when giving big gifts, you don’t have to be modest. Now they are like kitchen knives and cutting boards, while we are like fish and meat. What should we say goodbye to?” So he decided to leave. Liu Bang asked Zhang Liang to stay and apologize.
Zhang Liang asked, “What did the king bring with him when he came?” Liu Bang replied, “I brought a pair of jade bi to offer to King Xiang, and a pair of jade dou to give to Yafu. He was angry and didn’t dare to offer them personally. Can you offer them for me?” Zhang Liang said, “Okay
At this time, King Xiang’s army was stationed at Hongmen, while Liu Bang’s army was stationed at Bashang, forty miles apart. Liu Bang left behind his vehicles and followers, and fled on foot with Fan Kuai, Xiahou Ying, Jin Qiang, and Ji Xin, who were holding swords and shields. They took the path of Zhiyang from the foot of Mount Li and took a small path.
Liu Bang said to Zhang Liang, “It’s only twenty miles from this road to our military camp. When I’m almost back in the camp, you can go in.” After Liu Bang left and returned to the camp, Zhang Liang went in to apologize, saying, “Liu Bang is not strong enough to drink and has been drinking too much. He can’t say goodbye in person. I brought a pair of jade gems to offer to the king, and a pair of jade buckets to offer to the general
Xiang Yu said, “Where is Pei Gong?” Zhang Liang said, “I heard that the king intends to blame him, so he left alone and has already returned to the military camp.” Xiang Yu accepted the jade jade and placed it on his seat. Yafu took the jade bucket and placed it on the ground. He drew his sword and broke it, saying, “Alas! This kid is not worth conspiring with him to cause great things! The person who took over the world of Xiang Wang must be Liu Bang. We are all going to be captured by him
Liu Bang returned to the army and immediately killed Cao Nuo.
The Hongmen Banquet was an important meeting between Liu Bang and Xiang Yu, which took place after the fall of the Qin Dynasty. The leaders of the two anti Qin armies, Xiang Yu and Liu Bang, held a banquet at Hongmen on the outskirts of Xianyang, the capital of the Qin Dynasty. This banquet became an important turning point in the relationship between Liu Bang and Xiang Yu, and laid the foundation for the later Chu Han rivalry.
Liu Bang went to Hongmen to “apologize”. Although Xiang Bo intervened, he was in a tiger’s den and his fate was difficult to predict, but this was not enough to calm Xiang Yu’s anger. He still kept his appointment; Returning to the military, ‘killing Cao without harm’ shows his resolute and decisive actions.
He has always been arrogant in dealing with people, and this time he is the first to break through Qin and enter Xianyang, a person who has made great achievements. However, in front of Xiang Yu, he humbly bowed and saluted, fearing that something might not be done. At the banquet, he remained calm and composed, and even when he left without resigning, he felt that it was not in line with the etiquette, which once again demonstrated his capable and flexible personality. As for his cunning, it is evident from details such as cursing Tong Sheng, wooing Xiang Bo, and cursing informants.
Sima Qian mainly portrayed the image of Xiang Yu in “The Banquet at Hongmen”, focusing on his self righteous and heroic character. Because the main force of Qin was defeated by him, all the feudal lords obeyed him and recognized his “hegemonic” status. Therefore, upon hearing that Liu Bang “wanted to rule Guanzhong” and violated his dignity, he immediately decided to attack; But upon learning that Liu Bang was a “registered official and citizen, sealed in the treasury”, and waiting for him to handle it, he gave up the plan to attack.
Moreover, due to his own pride and courage, he did not consider Liu Bang as his main opponent and did not want to kill him during the banquet. Liu Bang also paid attention to maintaining his dignity, which made him feel “unbearable”. Therefore, he “silently refused” Fan Zeng’s repeated hints and did not take a stance on the sword dance between Xiang Zhuang and Xiang Bo’s banquet.
This kind of “unbearable” heart even led him to adopt a particularly tolerant attitude towards Fan Kuai: Fan Kuai was not qualified to participate in the banquet and could have been scolded, but he understood Fan Kuai’s feelings and instead gave him wine. Although Fan Kuai made accusations, he regarded him higher than King Huai and had the intention of seeking rewards, which was in line with his self righteous mentality. He felt guilty and did not respond, so he gave Fan Kuai a seat with more courtesy. Although successful for a time, ultimately unable to avoid failure, one should be self righteous and brave, yet also ‘unable to bear to bear it’.
The reactions of Xiang Yu after listening to Cao Nuo’s report and Xiang Bo’s persuasion formed two extremes, vividly depicting Xiang Yu’s indecisive and indecisive personality, as well as his tendency to be impulsive and easily deceived.
At the Hongmen banquet, he ignored Fan Zeng’s repeated reminders to kill Liu Bang, and did not stop Xiang Zhuang’s sword dance to kill Liu Bang. He also regarded Fan Kuai’s anger as heroic and allowed Liu Bang’s escape, showing his indecisiveness everywhere.
Sima Qian portrayed Xiang Yu as a tragic hero. He once commented, “To be self righteous and brave, to strive for personal wisdom without learning from the past, is called the business of a tyrant, to conquer the world with force, and to die after five years.” Although “The Banquet at Hongmen” only depicts one aspect of Xiang Yu, it is not impossible to glimpse a glimpse and know the whole leopard.
Xiang Yu has indecisive, stubborn, emotional, and irritable personality traits. These personality flaws ultimately influenced his political and military decisions, causing him to gradually lose his advantage in the Chu Han conflict and ultimately commit suicide on the Wujiang River.
