In 202 BC, Liu Bang defeated Xiang Yu and established the Han Dynasty. Liu Bang is historically known as Emperor Gaozu.
However, if you compare the two men personality-wise, Liu Bang was a small man while Xiang Yu was often portrayed as the honourable, magnanimous (even romantic), and courageous leader. It was said that Liu Bang had kicked his two children off a cart so that he can escape. According to what Sima Qian wrote, he grabbed the hat of a Confucian scholar and urinated into it. He was also a big womanizer, cunning and very tricky.
But, one may say that Liu Bang was successful because he had political vision, and knew how to attract, retain, and reward talent. Many people from Xiang Yu's camp went over to Liu Bang's due to this reason. Xiang Yu only rewarded favourites of his.
Although Xiang Yu had courage and was devoted fully to his concubine Yuji, his weak points were that he was soft hearted and often ignored the advice of his chief councillor Fan Zeng. For example during Hongmen banquet, Fan wanted Xiang Yu to do away with Liu Bang by using a sword dance. Xiang Yu took no action despite his chief councillor's urges. Liu Bang came out of the party alive instead. If you switch roles, with Liu being the host and Xiang Yu being the target of the sword dance, most likely Liu Bang would waste no time in ensuring Xiang Yu's death. Xiang Yu's inaction at the banquet showed that he was magnanimous and stupid at the same time!
Shima Qian recorded the following in his ‘Records of the Grant Historian’:
While entertaining his generals and officials at a grand banquet after he took the throne, Liu Bang posed this question, ‘My beloved generals and officials, what do you think that made me defeat the powerful Xiang Yu and become the only emperor of the country?’
Gao Qi and Wang Ling replied, ‘My Highness, though you treat you subordinates arrogantly and rudely, you know whom to put in what position so that they can do what they are best at. You maintain a clear and explicit system of rewards and punishments so that people work for you willingly. Xiang Yu, on the other hand, appeared to be courteous and polite, but deep in his heart he was conceited and arrogant. He only trusted his kinsmen who, even when they turned out to be useless, were still placed in important positions. Those who were not related to him by blood were never put in important posts, even when they had rare talents. After his men won victories, he never rewarded them nor shared the profits from his land with them. I believe these are the factors brought his doom.’
Liu Bang said, ‘There is truth in what you say. However your answer is not complete. In making a long-term military plan, I am no match for Zhang Liang; in running a country and providing food and payment, I am no match for Xiao He; in commanding the army and fighting on the battlefield, I am no match for Han Xin. But when these three rare talents worked for me, how could I not succeed? Look at Xiang Yu, all he had was Fan Zeng and more often than not, he refused to accept Fan’s suggestions. These are the reasons for his failure.’
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公元前202年，刘邦打败项羽，成立汉朝。历史上，刘邦被称为高祖。
但是，如果我们比较两人的个性，刘邦可说是个小人，而项羽却被形容为一个令人尊敬的、度量大的（甚至是浪漫的）与英勇的领袖。据说刘邦曾经把他的孩子从车上踢下来，自己逃难。据司马迁记载，他也曾经用一个学者的帽来小便。他爱搞女人、狡猾与善于托辞。
不过，我们可以说刘邦之所以成功，因为他有政治眼光，知道如何吸引、收留及奖赏人才。因为这个原因，不少项羽的人改随刘邦。项羽只会奖赏他的宠臣。
虽然项羽有勇气，完全忠于他的爱妾虞姬，他的弱点是他有妇人之仁，时常不接纳他的谋臣范增的谋略。例如，在鸿门宴中，范增要乘着剑舞把刘邦杀掉。虽然范增一直在催促，项羽却不肯行动。刘邦因此逃过死劫。如果换成刘邦乘设宴以剑舞来杀掉项羽，刘邦把项羽除去的可能性是很大的。项羽不肯在宴会中有所行动，显示他有度量，同时也非常愚蠢。
司马迁在《史记》中有以下的记载：
高祖置酒雒阳南宫。高祖曰：‘列侯诸将无敢隐朕，皆言其情。吾所以有天下者何？项氏之所以失天下者何？’
高起、王陵对曰：‘陛下慢而侮人，项羽仁而爱人。然陛下使人攻城略地，所降下者因以予之，与天下同利也。项羽妒贤嫉能，有功者害之，贤者疑之，战胜而不予人功，得地而不予人利，此所以失天下也。’
高祖曰：‘公知其一，未知其二。夫运筹策帷帐之中，决胜於千里之外，吾不如子房。镇国家，抚百姓，给餽饟，不绝粮道，吾不如萧何。连百万之军，战必胜，攻必取，吾不如韩信。此三者，皆人杰也，吾能用之，此吾所以取天下也。项羽有一范增而不能用，此其所以为我擒也。’
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