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Xiang Yan
Last great general of Chu, grandfather of Xiang Yu, whose army was crushed by Wang Jian and whose name Chen Sheng borrowed to rally rebels against Qin
At dusk on a hilltop, a large tent stands open with a table holding a map marked with small stones inside, a saddled horse tethered outside, and fire stands burning; campfires dot the river plain below, and one tiny sentry stands on the slope.
- Roles
- Commanders
Xiang Yan was a Chu general at the end of the Warring States period, father of Xiang Liang and grandfather of Xiang Yu; the Records of the Grand Historian (Shiji) says the Xiang had been Chu generals for generations and took their surname from their fief. In 225 BCE, when Li Xin and Meng Tian invaded Chu with two hundred thousand men, a Chu army followed them for three days and nights without rest and routed Li Xin, a victory usually credited to Xiang Yan. The next year Wang Jian came with six hundred thousand and broke the Chu army south of Qi. The sources disagree on his end: some Shiji chapters say Qin troops killed him, while the First Emperor's annals say he made Lord Changping king of Chu and killed himself after defeat in 223. Because he had cared for his soldiers and was mourned in Chu, Chen Sheng claimed to act in his name when he rose against Qin.
Life and times
Dates Birth unknown–223 BCE