i need info on Liu Bang and Sima Qain?

Answer 1

Liu Bang
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Emperor Gao (256 BC or 247 BC–June 1, 195 BC), commonly known inside China as Gaozu (Chinese: 高祖; pinyin: Gāozǔ), personal name Liu Bang, was the first emperor of the Chinese Han Dynasty, ruling over China from 202 BC until 195 BC, and one of only a few dynasty founders who emerged from the peasant class (the other major example being Zhu Yuanzhang founder of the Míng Dynasty). Before becoming an emperor, he was also called Duke of Pei (沛公) after his birthplace. He was also created as the Prince of Hàn by Xiang Yu, the Grand Prince of Western Chu following the collapse of Qín Dynasty, and was called so before becoming emperor.

Historians' account described Xiang Yu as "having the kindness of women," meaning that, in his opinion, Xiang's "kindness" was petty and did not benefit either his regime or his people.

Xiang Yu also did not know how to utilize his talented subordinates; Han Xin, for example, was a soldier under Xiang, and his later defection to Liú Bāng, for whom he served as the commander in chief, would be extremely damaging to Xiang. Other main problems with Xiang's rule was his deliberate cruelty in military campaigns, his inability to accept criticism and wise counsel, and his inability to delegate.

Liú Bāng, on the contrary, was bold and arrogant. These being said, he knew how to manipulate his peers and subordinates. He bid them glory and territories generously when he was fighting Xiang Yu, which won the hearty support of most of his peer princes and subordinates. However, once he became the emperor, Liú Bāng ruthlessly oppressed them and executed several of them, most notably Han Xin and Peng Yue. Ying Bu was driven to rebellion by fear, and was also destroyed. Liú Bāng's strong suits were his ability to make decisions based on counsel of others, having an uncanny ability to figure out what counsel is wise and what counsel is not wise; his ability to delegate; and his ability to figure out what would bring a person to follow him.


An incident involving Ying Bu demonstrates his personality well. Ying Bu was initially a subordinate of Xiang's, and in reward for Ying's military capabilities, Xiang created him the Prince of Jiujiang. However, Xiang also clearly began to distrust Ying, and once when Ying, then ill, was unable to lead a force on Xiang's behalf, Xiang sent a delegation to rebuke him and to monitor his illness, not believing the illness to be genuine. In fear and goaded by the diplomat Sui He (隨何), whom Liú Bāng sent to Jiujiang to try to make an alliance with Ying, Ying rebelled against Xiang, but his army was defeated by Xiang and he fled to Liú Bāng's headquarters. When Liú Bāng received Ying, he was half-naked and washing his feet, and he greeted Ying in crude language. Ying, a great general in his own right and a prince, was so humiliated that he considered suicide. However, once Liú Bāng had Ying escorted to the headquarters that he had built in ancitipation of Ying's arrival, Ying became impressed — Ying's headquarters had the same size, same furnishings, same level of personnel staffing, and same security as Liú Bāng's own headquarters. Ying got the impression that Liú Bāng's earlier slights were in fact endearments, treating him as an equal and a brother in arms, and he became a key figure in Liú Bāng's campaign against Xiang.

Xiang Yu was generally remembered as a fallen hero, while many considered Liú Bāng a rogue. However, Liú Bāng treated the commons much better than the former nobles. He was a truly popular monarch, thus establishing one of the golden ages of China.

* Father: Liu Zhijia (劉執嘉) (3rd son of)
* Mother: Wang Hanshi (王含始)
* Wife: Empress Lü, mother of Emperor Hui and Princess Luyuan
* Major concubines:
o Consort Cao, mother of Prince Fei -- initially Emperor Gao's mistress
o Consort Zhao, mother of Prince Chang
o Consort Zhang
o Consort Wei
o Consort Qi, mother of Prince Ruyi
o Consort Bo, mother of Emperor Wen
* Children:
o Ying (劉盈), the Crown Prince, later Emperor Hui
o Ruyi, Prince Yin of Zhao (劉如意) (created 198 BC, killed by Empress Dowager Lü 195 BC)
o Heng (劉恆), the Prince of Dai (created 196 BC), later Emperor Wen
o Fei, Prince Daohui of Qi (created 202 BC, d. 195 BC)
o Hui, Prince Gong of Zhao, initially Prince of Liang (created 196 BC) (created Prince of Zhao 180 BC, committed suicide 179 BC)
o You, Prince You of Zhao, initially Prince of Huaiyang (created 196 BC) (created Prince of Zhao 194 BC, starved to death by Empress Dowager Lü 180 BC)
o Chang, Prince Li of Huainan (b. 198 BC(?), created 196 BC, deposed and died in exile 174 BC, possibly by suicide)
o Jian, Prince Ling of Yan (created 211 BC, d. 181 BC)
o Princess Luyuan

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Sima Qian
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Si Ma Qian (司馬遷) (c. 145–90 BC) was a Prefect of the Grand Scribes (太史令) of the Han Dynasty. He is regarded as the father of Chinese historiography because of his highly praised work, Shiji (史記, "history record"), an overview of the history of China covering more than two thousand years from the Yellow Emperor to Emperor Han Wudi (漢武帝). His work laid the foundation for later Chinese historiography.