The Strategic Stalemate at Xingyang

In the winter of 204 BCE, the ancient walls of Xingyang bore witness to one of the most dramatic sieges of the Chu-Han Contention. Liu Bang, the future founder of the Han dynasty, found himself trapped within the city’s formidable defenses, staring across the frozen plains at the crimson banners of Xiang Yu’s Chu forces. The two warlords, once allies in overthrowing the Qin dynasty, now stood locked in a deadly struggle for supremacy.

Xingyang was no ordinary city—it was the linchpin of central China, controlling vital supply routes between the fertile Guanzhong plains and the eastern territories. For over a year, Liu Bang had used it as a bulwark against Xiang Yu’s superior forces, employing a strategy of attrition to wear down his opponent. But as food supplies dwindled and Chu troops tightened their encirclement, desperation began to seep into the Han ranks.

The Desperate Gambit: A Hero’s Sacrifice

The turning point came when Liu Bang received simultaneous reports from his two most trusted operatives: Han Xin’s conquests in the north and Sui He’s diplomatic triumph in persuading the warlord Ying Bu to defect from Chu. Yet these victories offered little immediate relief to the besieged city.

Facing imminent starvation, Liu Bang’s strategist Chen Ping devised an audacious plan. General Ji Xin, whose striking resemblance to Liu Bang made him the perfect decoy, volunteered to impersonate the Han leader. As night fell, the gates of Xingyang creaked open—not for a military sortie, but for a procession of two thousand women dressed as soldiers, a surreal spectacle designed to distract the Chu sentries. Behind this diversion, Ji Xin rode forth in Liu Bang’s ornate chariot, declaring surrender while the real Liu Bang and his core advisors slipped out through the western gate.

When Xiang Yu discovered the ruse, his fury knew no bounds. The captured Ji Xin met a gruesome end—burned alive in a bronze cauldron—but his sacrifice bought Liu Bang precious time to regroup.

The Ripple Effects of a Siege

The fall of Xingyang sent shockwaves through the conflict:

1. Strategic Reassessment: Liu Bang abandoned his head-on confrontation strategy, adopting mobile warfare to exhaust Xiang Yu’s forces.
2. Alliance Reshuffling: Ying Bu’s defection marked the beginning of Chu’s diplomatic isolation.
3. Moral Turning Point: Ji Xin’s martyrdom became legendary, immortalized in temples that still stand today near ancient Xingyang (modern-day Guxing Town).

The Legacy of Resilience

Historians often compare the Chu-Han contention to a high-stakes game of weiqi (Go), where territorial control trumped battlefield glory. Xingyang exemplified this—though physically lost, its prolonged defense drained Chu’s resources while Han forces consolidated elsewhere. When Liu Bang finally triumphed at Gaixia in 202 BCE, the seeds of victory had been sown during those desperate months at Xingyang.

The siege also revealed the contrasting leadership styles of the rivals. Where Xiang Yu relied on personal bravery and intimidation, Liu Bang’s willingness to retreat, regroup, and empower subordinates like Han Xin and Chen Ping proved decisive. As the Records of the Grand Historian notes: “The emperor’s talent lay in gathering heroes; the hegemon’s strength ended at his sword arm.”

Today, the story of Xingyang endures as a testament to strategic patience and the power of sacrifice—a reminder that in war, as in weiqi, sometimes yielding a stone wins the game.