楚汉之争
It refers to the war between Xiang Yu and Liu Bang.
楚汉之争指项羽和刘邦之间的战争。
After the collapse of the Qin Empire, the country fell apart again.
秦王朝崩塌后,整个国家分崩离析。
A new round of power struggle broke out in 206 BC between two leaders of rebellion army.
新一轮的权利争夺在公元前206年的两个起义军首领间爆发。
One of the rivals was Xiang Yu, who was born in an aristocratic family of former Chu State in present Jiangsu Province.
项羽,出生在今江苏省一个前朝楚国的贵族家庭。
He received martial arts training from childhood and was versed in military matters.
他自幼习武并精于军事。
At the end of the Qin Dynasty (221----206 B.C.), he rose up and led his men to defeat the main body of Qin army, proclaimed himself King Of West Chu.
秦朝末年,他奋起反抗,带领军队打败秦军主力,自封西楚霸王。
The other was Liu Bang, who was also from present Jiangsu Province.
刘邦,祖籍也是今天的江苏省。
It was his army who first broke into the Qin capital in 206 B.C. and abolished all the harsh laws set by the Qin, which help him won popularity among local people.
刘邦率领军队在公元前206年率先攻克秦朝首都咸阳,并废除了严酷的秦律,这使得刘邦广受民众爱戴。
However, Liu Bang realized that he was inferior lo Xiang Yu in military force.
然而,刘邦意识到自己的军事力量远不及项羽,
So when he felt the jealousness by Xiang Yu, he decided to beat a temporary retreat in Hanzhong in Shaanxi Province with the title King of Han authorized by Xiang Yu.Liu Bang fostered his force secretly in Hanzhong.
所以当他察觉到项羽的妒忌时,便决定暂时撤回今陕西汉中,并接受项羽封汉王。刘邦在汉中暗中培养他的力量。
Soon he got a better hank over Xiang Yu.
很快他的势力便超过了项羽。
The tug of war lasted four years.
战争拉锯持续了四年。
Due to his blind arrogance and blindness to men of ability, Xiang Yu lost the battles at last and committed suicide at Wujiang River in present Anhui Province.
由于盲目自大且用人不当,项羽失去了最终兵败并在今安徽乌江江畔自刎。
Liu Bang became the founder of the Western Han Dynasty (206 B.C.----24 A.D.) in 206 B.C, the second empire in imperial history after Qin.
公元前206年,刘邦成为了西汉(公元前206年----公元24年)的开朝皇帝,而西汉也是继秦朝之后中国帝国史上的第二个王朝。