Introducing the story of Xiang Yu's broken kettle...

At the end of the Qin Dynasty, Qin general Zhang Han led his army to attack Zhao, and the Zhao army was defeated and retreated to the land of Julu, and the king of Zhao asked King Huai of Chu for help, so King Huai of Chu made Song Yi as the first general and Xiang Yu as the vice general, and led his army to rescue Zhao.

Song Yi arrived at Anyang, but he was slow to move, drinking and enjoying himself all day long. Xiang Yu could not tolerate this, so he killed Song Yi, and after that, Xiang Yu led his troops to support Zhao with great speed.

After crossing the river, Xiang Yu ordered his soldiers to chisel and sink every ferry, break all the pots and pans in the army, burn down the barracks, and carry only three days' worth of food to show his determination, which had been signaled as a decisive battle and never retreat.

The whole army came to the place of Julu with the heart of certain death, and surrounded the Qin army in one fell swoop, so that it could not be connected with the outside world, and the morale of the Chu army was very strong, and the roar was loud and clear, and it fought against ten with one.

After nine fierce battles, the Chu army finally defeated the Qin army, and all the lords who came to reinforce them were scared and watched from the wall. Xiang Yu's reputation was so great that no one dared to look at him when he returned to Chu to meet the lords.

Expanded:

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Xiang Yu commanded the Chu army quickly surrounded Wang Li's army, and with the Qin army launched nine fierce battles, crossing the river of the Chu army is not one for ten, ten for a hundred, everyone as the following mountain fierce tiger, everyone fights bravely. Above the sand field, smoke and dust, killing sound shook the sky. Chu army generals fight more and more fierce, straight to kill the mountain shaking the ground, blood flow into the river.

After many encounters, the Chu army finally won the battle with fewer than many, and defeated the Qin army greatly, killed the Qin general Su Jiao, captured Wang Li, Shibu Ma was so desperate that he set fire to himself and died, and Zhang Han with the remnants of his army hurriedly retreated. Those reinforcements sent by the old nobles were admired and scared when they saw Xiang Yu's great victory. From then on, Xiang Yu became the upper general, and all the armies of the vassals were under his command.

Zhang Han led the remnants of his army to retreat dozens of miles and sent people to Xianyang to ask for reinforcements. However, Zhao Gao was busy seizing the throne and did not send any reinforcements. Zhang Han, in a desperate situation, led the remaining Qin army to surrender to Xiang Yu.

Breaking the kettle and sinking the boat is a Chinese idiom meaning to break the rice pot and chisel the ferry boat to sink, which is a metaphor for not leaving any way back, having to win the battle and resolving to do it to the end regardless of everything.

References:

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Baidu Encyclopedia-Breaking the Kettle