Synopsis of The Rise of Han: Lessons from the Fall of Qin
In 210 BC, Qin Shi Huang dies at Sand Hill. Zhao Gao, Prefect of the Imperial Secretariat, joins forces with Chancellor Li Si to falsify the imperial edict, force Prince Fusu to his death, and install the incompetent Hu Hai as emperor. The foundations of the Great Qin Empire begin to fracture amid conspiracy and bloodshed.
The crushing corvee labor, harsh laws, and famine-stricken lives of the people surge like subterranean fire. At Daze Village, conscripts Chen Sheng and Wu Guang miss their deadline because of rain. With no way out, they kill their commanding officers and cry, “Are kings, nobles, generals, and ministers born to their station?” The bloody curtain rises on the rebellion against Qin. They claim to be fighting in the names of Prince Fusu and Chu general Xiang Yan, rally tens of thousands, seize Chen County, and establish the Zhangchu regime, shaking the land.
The storm sweeps across the realm. Liu Bang, a village head from Pei County, releases convicts at Mount Mangdang, slays a white serpent to launch his uprising, declares himself the Duke of Pei, and takes Pei County as he sets his sights on the realm. Zhang Er, Chen Yu, and other heroes among the former Six Kingdoms’ nobility take up arms with the rebel forces or raise their own banners. The once-impregnable Qin Empire suddenly sinks into a mire of flames and war.
Deep within the palace at Xianyang, Qin Er Shi Hu Hai indulges in pleasure under Zhao Gao’s control, failing to respond to the crisis. Edicts that mishandle both suppression and appeasement, along with factional infighting, only deepen the conflict. The famed general Meng Tian is framed and imprisoned, then “pardoned” as part of a political maneuver. Ordered to lead an army of convicts from Mount Li and redeem himself by defeating Chen Sheng, he is trapped in an impossible choice between loyalty and conscience, survival and justice.
The bloody battle at Chen County crushes the first spark of rebellion, and Chen Sheng dies, revealing the limitations of a purely peasant uprising. But the sparks have already become a prairie fire. Liu Bang gathers the remnants of Chen Sheng’s forces in Pei County, showing his ability to embrace people from all walks of life. Xiang Yu sharpens his claws in Jiangdong, a sword of vengeance forged by the old nobility.
