Hongmen Party - Hongmen Party

This is an incident in which Liu Bang, a farmer who rose to become the founder of the Western Han Dynasty in China, narrowly escaped danger during his execution. In October 207 BC, toward the end of the Qin Dynasty, Liu Bang approached the Qin capital of Xianyang from the south, capturing the capital about a month before Xiang Yu, who was advancing from the east, and waited for Xiang Yu's arrival. The two men had an agreement that whoever reached Guanzhong, the heart of the Qin Empire, first would become king of the land. However, Xiang Yu was the supreme commander of the entire anti-Qin army, while Liu Bang was only a general, and he led an army of 400,000 to Liu Bang's 100,000, so Liu Bang was at a disadvantage. Xiang Yu had no intention of fulfilling the pact, and his strategist Fan Zeng saw through Liu Bang's fearsome character and suggested that they assassinate him. He planned to hold a banquet at Hongmen (east of Lintong County, Shaanxi Province), Xiang Yu's headquarters, and take the opportunity to kill him. Fan Zeng urged Liu Bang, who was at the banquet, to stab him now, but for some reason Xiang Yu did not respond. Fan Zeng still tried to have Xiang Yu's cousin Xiang Zhuang perform a sword dance and stab him in the middle of it, but Xiang Bo, who was a member of the same family but had a connection with Liu Bang, drew his sword and joined the dance to protect Liu Bang. Then Liu Bang's trusted vassal Fan Kuai, a fierce warrior, rushed to the scene upon hearing of his master's emergency. With his hair standing on end and his eyes about to burst, Xiang Yu was so shocked by the intruder that he drew his sword, but Liu Bang's close aide Zhang Liang mediated between them. Fan Kuai accepted the large cup from Xiang Yu while standing, placed meat on his shield and ate it, and tried his best to explain that Liu Bang had no ulterior motives. Meanwhile, Liu Bang got up, claiming to go to the toilet, and sprinted to his own camp, finally escaping the tiger's mouth.

[Akira Kasugai]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

農夫から身をおこして中国の前漢王朝を創設した劉邦(りゅうほう)が、その遂行過程で危うく難を逃れた事件。秦(しん)朝末期の紀元前207年10月、南から秦の都咸陽(かんよう)に迫る劉邦は、東から進撃してくる項羽(こうう)より約1か月早く都を占領、秦王を虜(とりこ)にし、項羽の到着を待っていた。2人の間には、秦帝国の心臓部である関中に先に入ったほうがこの地の王となるとの約があった。しかし、項羽は討秦軍全体の最高指揮官、劉邦はその一部将、そして率いる軍勢は40万対10万と、劉邦が劣勢であった。項羽には盟約を果たす意志はなく、彼の謀臣范増(はんぞう)は劉邦の恐るべき人物たるを見抜き、劉邦謀殺を進言、項羽の本陣である鴻門（陝西(せんせい)省臨潼(りんどう)県の東）で酒宴を催し、これを機に殺そうとした。范増は、酒席についた劉邦をいまこそ刺すべしとしきりに促すが、項羽はなぜか応じない。范増はなおも項羽の従弟項荘に剣の舞をさせその最中に刺させようとするが、一族でありながら劉邦に脈を通じる項伯が剣を抜いて舞いに加わり劉邦をかばう。そこへ劉邦の腹臣の猛者(もさ)樊噲(はんかい)が主君の危急を聞いて駆けつける。髪は逆立ち目は張り裂けんばかりの闖入(ちんにゅう)者に項羽は驚き剣を抜くが、劉邦の近臣張良がとりなす。樊噲は立ったまま項羽からの大杯を受け、手にする盾の上に肉をのせて食い、懸命に劉邦の異心なきを述べる。その間に劉邦は厠(かわや)に行くと称して席をたち、そのまま自陣に疾駆してようやく虎口(ここう)を脱した。

［春日井明］

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