Enjoying the Records of the Grand Historian: Liu Bang and the Three Heroes of the Early Han

How did a middle-aged nobody who loved wine and women go on to become a founding emperor? Among the rulers who rose from common beginnings to found a unified dynasty in Chinese history, Liu Bang was the first of his kind! His life was exceptionally colorful: his reputation for loving wine and women, the age at which his career began, and the three great ministers who served the early Han have all been favorite topics for later generations. Because the events were not so far in the past, Sima Qian's Records of the Grand Historian gives vivid, detailed accounts of Liu Bang and the "Three Heroes" who helped him achieve greatness. They are among the most moving passages in the book! Liu Bang was a late bloomer whose humble origins could not conceal his extraordinary talent and ambition. Han Xin, the Marquis of Huaiyin, "won every battle and took every city he attacked." Zhang Liang "planned from his tent and secured victory a thousand miles away." And no one surpassed Xiao He at "stabilizing the state and caring for the people." Their portraits shine with brilliance! Here, in accessible language and based on the original text, we bring these figures to life once more as Sima Qian portrayed them. We hope you enjoy the retelling, and perhaps it can also serve as a special way of interpreting these chapters of history!