Ji Xin (; died 204 BC) was a general serving Liu Bang (later
Emperor Gaozu of Han
Emperor Gaozu of Han (256 – 1 June 195 BC), born Liu Bang () with courtesy name Ji (季), was the founder and first emperor of the Han dynasty, reigning in 202–195 BC. His temple name was "Taizu" while his posthumous name was Emper ...
) during the
Chu–Han contention
The Chu–Han Contention ( zh, , lk=on) or Chu–Han War () was an interregnum period in ancient China between the fallen Qin dynasty and the subsequent Han dynasty. After the third and last Qin ruler, Ziying, unconditionally surrendered t ...
.
In the summer of 204 BC, Liu Bang was besieged in the city of
Xingyang by the much larger forces of
Xiang Yu
Xiang Yu (, –202 BC), born Xiang Ji (), was the Hegemon-King (Chinese: 霸王, ''Bà Wáng'') of Western Chu during the Chu–Han Contention period (206–202 BC) of China. A noble of the Chu state, Xiang Yu rebelled against the Qin dynas ...
. After a month in the seemingly desperate situation, Ji Xin came up with a plan and volunteered to act as a
decoy
A decoy (derived from the Dutch ''de'' ''kooi'', literally "the cage" or possibly ''ende kooi'', " duck cage") is usually a person, device, or event which resembles what an individual or a group might be looking for, but it is only meant to lu ...
to help his lord escape. Ji Xin rode out of the city in Liu Bang's distinctive
chariot
A chariot is a type of cart driven by a charioteer, usually using horses to provide rapid motive power. The oldest known chariots have been found in burials of the Sintashta culture in modern-day Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia, dated to c. 2000&nbs ...
, pretended to be Liu and offered to surrender. It took Xiang Yu some time to realize that he had been fooled, and when he discovered that the real Liu Bang had already escaped, had Ji Xin burnt to death.
He was later enshrined as the
City God
A tutelary () (also tutelar) is a deity or a Nature spirit, spirit who is a guardian, patron, or protector of a particular place, geographic feature, person, lineage, nation, culture, or occupation. The etymology of "tutelary" expresses the concep ...
of
Zhengzhou
Zhengzhou (; ), also spelt Zheng Zhou and alternatively romanized as Chengchow, is the capital and largest city of Henan Province in the central part of the People's Republic of China. Located in north-central Henan, it is one of the National ...
and
Xingyang which was the town he saved.
See also
* , the temple dedicated to him in
Zhengzhou City
Zhengzhou (; ), also spelt Zheng Zhou and alternatively romanized as Chengchow, is the capital and largest city of Henan Province in the central part of the People's Republic of China. Located in north-central Henan, it is one of the National ...
, built no later than
1501
Year 1501 ( MDI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
January–June
* January 17 – Cesare Borgia returns triumphantly to Rome, from Romagna.
* March 25 & ...
(14th year of
Hongzhi era,
Ming dynasty
The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...
).
References
Siege of Xingyang, 204 BC
204 BC deaths
Chu–Han contention people
Year of birth unknown
People executed by China by burning
3rd-century BC executions
Executed Chinese people
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