SQ Ambition

 

Sima Qian judged Han Xin as a man whose ambition brought about his downfall [H1.183b].  I would like to defend the general, and offer up a different interpretation.  Han Xin was certainly ambitious, as were all the men on all sides of the war, including of course Emperor Gaozu.  Han Xin had such unswerving belief in the permanence of his achievements and merits, he did not believe the emperor would ever turn against him [H1.179b].  At the same time, I think his certainty about his conception of loyalty was also part of his belief in himself.  Ultimately, Han Xin’s main problem was that his emperor was not worthy of his personal loyalty [H1.178t]. 

Kuai Tong the rhetorician knew that Han Xin thought too much of his relationship with the emperor.  The emperor did not in fact owe him any loyalty in return, said Kuai Tong, quoting the proverb about the hunting dog outliving his usefulness and being cooked [H1.178b].  He also warned Han Xin “… evil arises from excess of desires, and the heart of man is hard to fathom.”  [H1.178m]  The general had enough power to make a sovereign tremble (or nervous), and more merit than the emperor could ever reward (or want to reward).  [H1.179t]  Perhaps Han Xin was arrogant in that he believed he was immune to rumours and accusations of disloyalty. 

The realization came too late, and when Han Xin decided to revolt, it was the wrong time.  The emperor did not value him, he realized, and he was ashamed to be treated the same as others of much less merit such as Zhou Bo and Guan Ying [H1.181m].  It was a time of peace, and he knew there was no use for a “good dog.” [H1.181t]   I don’t think it was ambition that drove him.  I think his plot against Empress Lu and the heir apparent [H1.182m] could be seen as an act of loyalty to the emperor who loved his concubine and wanted to replace the heir with the son he had with her.  It is worth noting that in the end, Han Xin was executed by Empress Lu, not Emperor Gaozu. 

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