Xiang Ji (232–202 BC),
courtesy name Yu, better known as
Xiang Yu, was a prominent warlord in the late
Qin dynasty. A noble of Xiaxiang (下相; present-day
Suqian,
Jiangsu), Xiang Yu was granted the title of "Duke of Lu" (魯公) by
King Huai II of the insurgent
Chu state in 208 BC. The following year, he led the rebel forces to victory at the
Battle of Julu against the Qin armies led by
Zhang Han. After the fall of the Qin dynasty, Xiang Yu proclaimed himself "Overlord of Western Chu" and ruled a vast area of land covering parts of present-day
Shanxi,
Henan,
Hubei,
Hunan and
Jiangsu, with Pengcheng (present-day
Xuzhou, Jiangsu) as his capital. He engaged
Liu Bang, the founding emperor of the
Han dynasty, in a long struggle for power, known as the
Chu–Han Contention, which concluded with his eventual defeat at the
Battle of Gaixia. He committed suicide at the bank of the
Wu River.