Summary of "Apocalypse of the Fall of Qin and the Rise of Han"
In 210 BC, the first emperor of Qin died of illness in Shaqiu. The CRRC ordered Zhao Gao and Prime Minister Li Si to tamper with the imperial edict, forced the son Fusu to death, and established the mediocre Hu Hai as emperor. The foundation of the Qin Empire was quietly fissuring amidst conspiracy and blood.
Heavy corvee labor, harsh punishments, and famine-stricken people's livelihoods surged like fire from the earth. In Daze Township, garrison soldiers Chen Sheng and Wu Guang lost time due to rain. They beheaded the generals in desperate situations and shouted, "Princes and generals should rather have their own kind", which opened the scarlet prelude to the anti-Qin uprising. They pretended to be Prince Fusu and Chu general Xiang Yan, gathered tens of thousands of people, captured Chen County, and established the "Zhang Chu" regime, which shocked the world.
A storm arose. Liu Bang, the pavilion chief of Peixian County, released the prisoners in Mangdang Mountain, killed the White Snake and revolted. He called himself "Pei Gong" and took control of Peixian County to see the world. The old aristocrats of the Six Kingdoms, Zhang Er, Chen Yu and other heroes from all over the world, either joined the rebel army or set up their own banners. The Qin Empire, which was once an iron barrel, suddenly fell into a quagmire of war.
In the deep palace of Xianyang, Hu Hai, the second emperor of Qin, indulged in pleasure and failed to deal with the crisis under the control of Zhao Gao. Improper edicts on suppression and internal party strife further intensified conflicts. The famous general Meng Tian was framed and imprisoned, but was "pardoned" in a political game. He was ordered to lead the Lishan prisoner army to "make meritorious service" and conquer Chen Sheng, but he was trapped in the dilemma of loyalty and conscience, survival and morality.
In the bloody battle in Chen County, the fire of Shouyi was extinguished and Chen Sheng died, which showed the limitations of pure peasant power. However, the spark has already started a prairie fire. Liu Bang absorbed Chen Sheng's remaining troops in Peixian County, showing his inclusive leadership temperament; Xiang Yu sharpened his minions in Jiangdong, the sword of revenge for the old aristocracy.
