Chen Xi

Chen Xi (died November or December 196BC ) was a Chinese rebel leader against the first Han emperor Liu Bang (posthumously the "Emperor Gaozu" or "High Ancestor").

Life The approximate borders of the Han Empire in 195BC, the year after Chen Xi's rebellion was quelled. The vassal or princely states of Dai, Zhao, and Yan lie to the north and northeast. Chen Xi came from Yuanqu, but Liu Bang came to place great trust in him and his abilities. Chen Xi resisted Zang in Dai and helped the emperor's push into Yan, From his exile among the Xiongnu, Han Xin dispatched Wang Huang (t s Wáng Huáng) and Manqiu Chen ( Mànqiū Chén) to convince Chen that he now had no choice but to rebel or be executed. It probably occurred in the 9th lunar month of the 10th year of Liu Bang's reign (25 Sept.–23 Oct. 197BC). Liu Bang was satisfied when he reached Zhao's natural and traditional stronghold at Handan, which was well protected against armies from the south by the course of the Zhang River;

Chen sent Wang Huang to Modu, the chanyu of the Xiongnu to his north, to seek help from the nomads. For his part, the king of Yan sent Zhang Sheng (t s Zhāng Shèng) to convince the Xiongnu that Chen's rebellion stood no chance of success and that they should refrain from involving themselves. Hou Chang ( Hóu Chǎng) raiding the countryside with a force of around ten thousand men; and Zhang Chun (t s Zhāng Chūn) crossing the Yellow River with a similar force in order to attack Liaocheng. From Handan, the emperor dispatched forces under his general Guo Meng ( Guō Méng) and the army of the princely state of Qi under its chancellor Cao Shen. Together, they defeated and executed Zhang at Liaocheng and Wang below Quni; Guan Ying was responsible for capturing and executing Hou in the same engagement. The emperor's cousin Liu Ze (t s Liú Zé) also participated in these battles, for which he was created Marquis of Yingling. The emperor led a siege of Dingyuan (now Zhengding, Hebei). Its governor Zhao Li held out more than a month, with some of his defenders lampooning the emperor from the battlements; upon the town's surrender, Liu Bang—still incensed—offered amnesty for all the rebels provided that they bring him the comics in their midst for execution. Following this victory, he named his son Liu Heng (later posthumously known as the "Wen" or "Literary Emperor") as the legitimate King or Prince of Dai.

His eastern forces fully defeated, Chen Xi seems to have fled west into what is now northern Shanxi, where he was joined by Zhao Li and by Han Xin, the former king of Han. The emperor was said to have defeated their combined forces at Loufan near present-day Ningwu. Zhou Bo then led a separate force past Taiyuan to Mayi (present-day Shuozhou) at the edge of the steppe. When it did not submit to his authority as an agent of the Han Empire, he assaulted and sacked the town. At one of these battles or sometime before the end of the year, Han Xin was finally killed.

In late 196BC, the emperor led his army against Ying Bu while sending Fan Kuai to attack Chen Xi. One captive taken by Fan Kuai told him of Fan Qi's presence at Chen's court; other Xiongnu captives reported Zhang's continued residence with Modu. The emperor then directed Fan Kuai to lead his army against Yan, and Lu fled in exile to the Xiongnu, dying in 194BC.