Fan Zeng (; 277–204 BC) was an adviser to the Chinese warlord

Xiang Yu Xiang Yu (), born Xiang Ji, was a Chinese warlord who founded and led the short-lived ancient Chinese states, kingdom-state of Western Chu during the interregnum period between the Qin dynasty, Qin and Han dynasty, Han dynasties of China, d ...

, who fought for supremacy over China during the

Chu–Han Contention The Chu–Han Contention (), also known as the Chu–Han War (), was an interregnum in Imperial China between the fall of the Qin dynasty and the establishment of the Han dynasty. After the Qin dynasty was overthrown in 206 BCE, the empir ...

(206–202 BC) with

Liu Bang Emperor Gaozu of Han (2561 June 195 BC), also known by his given name Liu Bang, was the founder and first emperor of the Han dynasty, reigning from 202 to 195 BC. He is considered by traditional Chinese historiography to be one o ...

, the founding emperor of the

Han dynasty The Han dynasty was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China (202 BC9 AD, 25–220 AD) established by Liu Bang and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–206 BC ...

Early life

Fan was from Juchao (), which is in present-day Yafu Subdistrict,

Chaohu Chaohu () is a county-level city of Anhui Province, China, it is under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Hefei. Situated on the northeast and southeast shores of Lake Chao, from which the city was named, Chaohu is under the adm ...

Anhui Anhui is an inland Provinces of China, province located in East China. Its provincial capital and largest city is Hefei. The province is located across the basins of the Yangtze and Huai rivers, bordering Jiangsu and Zhejiang to the east, Jiang ...

. Although he had led most of his life as a recluse, he was known for being well-versed in strategy. Around 207 BC, at the age of 69, he met

Xiang Liang Xiang Liang (; died 208 BC) was a Chinese military leader who led a rebellion against the Qin dynasty between 209 and 208 BC. He is best known as an uncle of Xiang Yu, the rival of the Han dynasty's founding emperor Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Ban ...

, the leader of a rebel group seeking to overthrow the ruling

Qin dynasty The Qin dynasty ( ) was the first Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China. It is named for its progenitor state of Qin, a fief of the confederal Zhou dynasty (256 BC). Beginning in 230 BC, the Qin under King Ying Zheng enga ...

and restore the Chu state of the

Warring States period The Warring States period in history of China, Chinese history (221 BC) comprises the final two and a half centuries of the Zhou dynasty (256 BC), which were characterized by frequent warfare, bureaucratic and military reforms, and ...

. He advised Xiang Liang to find a descendant of the royal family of Chu and put him on the throne to secure greater legitimacy for the rebel group's cause and attract more people from the former Chu lands to join them. Xiang Liang heeded Fan's advice and found Xiong Xin, a grandson of

King Huai of Chu King Huai of Chu (), personal name Xiong Huai, was from 328 BC to 299 BC the king of the Chu state. King Huai succeeded his father, King Wei, who died in 329 BC. In 299 BC, King Huai was trapped and held hostage by King Zhao of Qin when he w ...

, and made him the figurehead ruler of the Chu rebel group under the title "King Huai II".''Shiji'' vol. 7.

Service under Xiang Yu

After Xiang Liang was killed in battle at Dingtao against Qin forces, Fan continued serving as an adviser to Xiang Liang's nephew,

. Xiang Yu respectfully addressed Fan Zeng as ''yafu'' (; "second father"). In 206 BC, Fan noticed that

, a rebel leader who had led his followers to join the Chu rebel group earlier, was particularly popular and ambitious, he constantly urged Xiang Yu to find opportunities to kill Liu Bang in case the latter posed a threat to him in the future. Yet, Xiang Yu did not heed Fan's advice. During the Feast at Swan Goose Gate, Fan secretly instructed Xiang Yu's cousin Xiang Zhuang to pretend to perform a

sword dance Weapon dances incorporating swords or similar weapons are recorded throughout world history. There are various traditions of Solo dance, solo and mock-battle (Pyrrhic dance, Pyrrhic) sword dances in Africa, Asia and Europe. Some traditions use ...

and use the chance to assassinate Liu Bang, who was attending the feast at Xiang Yu's invitation. However, Xiang Zhuang's attempt failed when Xiang Bo, another uncle of Xiang Yu, intervened and blocked Xiang Zhuang every time he tried to kill Liu Bang. Liu Bang eventually escaped from the feast under the pretence of going to the latrine. When Fan heard about it, he was so furious that he exclaimed, In 204 BC, during the

, when Liu Bang was besieged by Xiang Yu at the Battle of Xingyang, he requested to make peace. When Xiang Yu wanted to accept Liu Bang's peace offer, Fan strongly objected to it, warning him that he would regret his decision. Xiang Yu initially heeded Fan's advice and continued attacking Liu Bang. However, one of Liu Bang's advisers, Chen Ping, secretly bribed some of Xiang Yu's men to spread rumours that Fan had the intention of betraying Xiang Yu. Falling for the ruse, Xiang Yu ultimately dismissed Fan, who had also made up his mind to leave Xiang Yu. Before his departure, Fan told Xiang Yu,

Death

Fan died of illness on his journey home in Pengcheng (; present-day

Xuzhou Xuzhou ( zh, s=徐州), also known as Pengcheng () in ancient times, is a major city in northwestern Jiangsu province, China. The city, with a recorded population of 9,083,790 at the 2020 Chinese census, 2020 census (3,135,660 of which lived in ...

Jiangsu Jiangsu is a coastal Provinces of the People's Republic of China, province in East China. It is one of the leading provinces in finance, education, technology, and tourism, with its capital in Nanjing. Jiangsu is the List of Chinese administra ...

) and was buried there. His hometown in present-day

is named Yafu Subdistrict in remembrance of him. One ''yeshi''（; "unofficial historical record") mentioned that Fan lived in retirement under a different identity at Mount Jiuzhe () in present-day Tiantai County,

Zhejiang ) , translit_lang1_type2 = , translit_lang1_info2 = ( Hangzhounese) ( Ningbonese) (Wenzhounese) , image_skyline = 玉甑峰全貌 - panoramio.jpg , image_caption = View of the Yandang Mountains , image_map = Zhejiang i ...

, where he worked as a healer and still kept himself up-to-date with current affairs. When he heard that Xiang Yu had died at the Battle of Gaixia, he lamented that Xiang Yu had met his downfall because he did not listen to him. When the locals asked him whether he was Fan Zeng, he denied it, claiming that Fan had already died at Pengcheng. He was never seen again after that.

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fan, Zeng 270s BC births Year of birth uncertain 204 BC deaths Chu–Han contention people