Han Xin (韓信) | 24 Histories

Overview

Han Xin was a king and General.

Life and dates

Death

BC 196 十一年春
Beheaded · At Canhe 參合 · Authority General Chai (柴將軍)
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 93, passage 50

Attested activity

BC 200 七年冬
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 93, passage 22
BC 202 五年春
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 93, passage 15
BC 196 十一年春
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 93, passage 38
BC 205 漢二年
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 93, passage 10

Family

Immediate relationships attested in the translated histories.

Parent of Crown Prince of Han Xin (韓太子)
crown prince 太子
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 93, passage 51
Descendant of King Xiang of Han (韓襄王)
descendant through a concubine's line 孽孫 · paternal line
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 93, passage 1
Child of Parent of Han Xin (韓信之父/母)
parent 父/母
Strongly inferred · Records of the Grand Historian 93, passage 1
Parent of Tuidang (穨當)
son 子
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 93, passage 52

Career and standing

Grand Commandant of Han 韓太尉
Appointed
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 93, passage 7
King of Han 韓王
BC 202 五年春 · At Yingchuan 潁川 · Invested
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 93, passage 15
King of Han 韓王
Appointed
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 93, passage 12
Entered
Rebel
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 93, passage 21

Places and affiliations

Polity Han · Relation Served
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 93, passage 4
Polity Xiongnu · Relation Defected to
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 93, passage 23

Works and attributed material

Letter · Author · With General Chai (柴將軍)
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 93, passages 42-48
Memorial · Author · With Gaozu (高祖)
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 93, passage 17
Speech · Speaker · With Gaozu (高祖)
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 93, passages 5-6

Events and relationships

Raided border
Military · General
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 93, passage 36

Assessments and attributes

eight chi five cun tall
Physical description
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 93, passage 1

References in the histories

Search passages

History

28 passages

Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 93Biographies of Han Xin (King of Han) and Lu Wan · 28 passages

Open chapter

韓王信者，故韓襄王孽孫也，長八尺五寸。 Han Xin, the King of Han, was a descendant of the former King Xiang of Han through a concubine's line. He stood eight feet five inches tall.

沛公引兵擊陽城，使張良以韓司徒降下韓故地，得信，以為韓將，將其兵從沛公入武關。 The Lord of Pei led his forces to attack Yangcheng and dispatched Zhang Liang, serving as the Minister of Education of Han, to secure the surrender of the former Han territories. There he obtained Han Xin's services, appointed him as a general of Han, and had him lead his troops to follow the Lord of Pei through the Wu Pass.

沛公立為漢王，韓信從入漢中，乃說漢王曰：「項王王諸將近地，而王獨遠居此，此左遷也。 When the Lord of Pei was established as King of Han, Han Xin followed him into Hanzhong. He counseled the King of Han, saying: 'The King of Xiang has enfeoffed all his other generals with territories close at hand, yet Your Majesty alone has been banished to this remote place. This is a demotion.

漢王還定三秦，乃許信為韓王，先拜信為韓太尉，將兵略韓地。 When the King of Han returned to conquer the Three Qin kingdoms, he promised to make Han Xin the King of Han. First, he appointed Xin as Grand Commandant of Han and sent him to lead troops to take the Han territories.

及聞漢遣韓信略韓地，乃令故項籍游吳時吳令鄭昌為韓王以距漢。 When Xiang Ji heard that Han had dispatched Han Xin to take the Han territories, he appointed Zheng Chang, who had served as the Magistrate of Wu when Xiang Ji was traveling in Wu, as King of Han to resist the Han forces.

漢二年，韓信略定韓十餘城。 In the second year of the Han dynasty, Han Xin conquered more than ten cities in the Han territory.

漢王至河南，韓信急擊韓王昌陽城。 When the King of Han arrived at Henan, Han Xin launched a swift attack on King Chang of Han at Yangcheng.

昌降，漢王乃立韓信為韓王，常將韓兵從。 Chang surrendered, and the King of Han thereupon established Han Xin as King of Han. Xin regularly led the Han troops in the king's service.

三年，漢王出滎陽，韓王信、周苛等守滎陽。 In the third year, when the King of Han left Xingyang, Han Xin the King of Han, along with Zhou Ke and others, was left to defend Xingyang.

及楚敗滎陽，信降楚，已而得亡，復歸漢，漢復立以為韓王，竟從擊破項籍，天下定。 When Chu defeated Xingyang, Xin surrendered to Chu. Later he managed to escape and returned to Han, and the Han court restored him as King of Han. He ultimately joined in the campaign that defeated Xiang Ji, and the realm was settled.

明年春，上以韓信材武，所王北近鞏、洛，南迫宛、葉，東有淮陽，皆天下勁兵處，乃詔徙韓王信王太原以北，備御胡，都晉陽。 The following spring, the Emperor, noting that Han Xin was a man of martial talent and that his kingdom lay close to Gong and Luoyang in the north, bordered Wan and Ye in the south, and included Huaiyang in the east—all strategic positions for the empire's most formidable troops—issued a decree transferring the King of Han to rule north of Taiyuan, charged with defending against the Hu nomads, with his capital at Jinyang.

信上書曰：「國被邊，匈奴數入，晉陽去塞遠，請治馬邑。」 Xin submitted a memorial saying: 'My kingdom lies along the frontier, and the Xiongnu invade frequently. Jinyang is too far from the border passes. I request permission to govern from Mayi.'

上許之，信乃徙治馬邑。 The Emperor granted his request, and Xin moved his seat of government to Mayi.

秋，匈奴冒頓大圍信，信數使使胡求和解。 That autumn, the Xiongnu Chanyu Modu besieged Xin with a massive force. Xin sent envoy after envoy to the Xiongnu to negotiate peace.

漢發兵救之，疑信數閒使，有二心，使人責讓信。 Han dispatched troops to relieve him, but suspected that Xin's frequent secret embassies meant he harbored divided loyalties, and sent a messenger to rebuke him.

信恐誅，因與匈奴約共攻漢，反，以馬邑降胡，擊太原。 Xin, fearing execution, made a pact with the Xiongnu to jointly attack Han. He rebelled, surrendered Mayi to the Xiongnu, and struck at Taiyuan.

七年冬，上自往擊，破信軍銅鞮，斬其將王喜。 In the winter of the seventh year, the Emperor personally led a campaign against him, defeating Xin's army at Tongdi and beheading his general Wang Xi.

信亡走匈奴。 Xin fled to the Xiongnu.

（與）其與白土人曼丘臣、王黃等立趙苗裔趙利為王，復收信敗散兵，而與信及冒頓謀攻漢。 Together with Manqiu Chen and Wang Huang, men of Baitu, they set up Zhao Li, a scion of the Zhao royal house, as king. They rallied Xin's defeated and scattered troops and, together with Xin and Modu, plotted to attack Han.

韓信為匈奴將兵往來擊邊。 Han Xin now served as a general for the Xiongnu, leading raids back and forth along the border.

漢十年，信令王黃等說誤陳豨。 In the tenth year of the Han dynasty, Xin had Wang Huang and others persuade and lead Chen Xi astray.

十一年春，故韓王信復與胡騎入居參合，距漢。 In the spring of the eleventh year, the former King of Han, Xin, once again rode in with Xiongnu cavalry and occupied Canhe, defying Han.

漢使柴將軍擊之，遺信書曰：「陛下寬仁，諸侯雖有畔亡，而復歸，輒復故位號，不誅也。 Han sent General Chai to attack him. Chai sent a letter to Xin, saying: 'His Majesty is generous and benevolent. When lords have rebelled and fled but later returned, he has always restored their former titles and ranks without executing them.

韓王信報曰：「陛下擢仆起閭巷，南面稱孤，此仆之幸也。 Han Xin the King of Han replied: 'His Majesty raised me from the common lanes to sit upon a throne facing south and bear the title of king. That was my great fortune.

柴將軍屠參合，斬韓王信。 General Chai stormed Canhe and beheaded Han Xin, the King of Han.

信之入匈奴，與太子俱； When Xin went over to the Xiongnu, he brought his crown prince with him.

及高祖七年冬，韓王信反，入匈奴，上至平城還，乃封豨為列侯，以趙相國將監趙、代邊兵，邊兵皆屬焉。 In the winter of the High Ancestor's seventh year, after Han Xin the King of Han rebelled and fled to the Xiongnu and the Emperor had gone to Pingcheng and returned, Chen Xi was enfeoffed as a marquis and appointed Chancellor of Zhao with command over the border troops of Zhao and Dai. All the border forces were placed under his authority.

太史公曰：韓信、盧綰非素積德累善之世，徼一時權變，以詐力成功，遭漢初定，故得列地，南面稱孤。 The Grand Historian remarks: Han Xin and Lu Wan came not from families that had long cultivated virtue and accumulated merit. They seized upon the expedient shifts of their time, winning success through cunning and force. It was only because they happened to live at the founding of the Han dynasty that they were able to receive territories, face south, and bear the title of king.