At the beginning, the Qi envoy Tian Xian the Lord Gaoling, whom Song Yi met, was in the Chu army. When he met King Huai of Chu, he said, "Song Yi believed that Lord Wuxin's army would definitely fail. After a few days, the army failed. The army has not yet fought, but he has seen the signs of failure in advance. This can be said to be proficient in the art of war." King Huai of Chu summoned Song Yi to discuss matters with him, and appreciated him very much. The King appointed Song Yi as the general, Xiang Yu as the Duke of Lu, the second general, and Fan Zeng as the last general, and sent them to rescue Zhao. All the generals were subordinate to Song Yi, and Song Yi was known as the champion of the nobles. The army marched to Anyang and stayed there for forty-six days without moving forward. Xiang Yu said, "I heard that the Qin army has besieged the King of Zhao in Julu. We should cross the river quickly. The Chu army will attack from the outside, and the Zhao army will respond from the inside. Then we will definitely be able to defeat the Qin army." Song Yi said, "That's not the case. The horseflies that can bite cattle cannot deal with lice. Now the Qin army is attacking the Zhao army. If they win, the whole army will be exhausted. We can take advantage of the opponent's weakness. If the Qin army cannot win, we will lead the troops to beat the drums and march westward, and we will definitely be able to destroy the Qin State. Therefore, it is better to let the Qin and Zhao armies fight each other first. I am not as good as you in wearing armor, holding sharp weapons, charging and killing the enemy; you are not as good as me in observing the situation and planning strategies." Song Yi then ordered the army, "Those who are as fierce as tigers, as stubborn as sheep, as greedy as wolves, and stubborn and disobey orders will all be beheaded!" Song Yi then sent his son Song Xiang to assist the State of Qi, personally escorted him to Wuyan, and held a banquet for the guests. At that time, the weather was cold and it rained heavily, and the soldiers were cold and hungry. Xiang Yu said, "We are about to join forces to attack the Qin army, but you are staying here for a long time without moving forward. Now we are facing famine. The people are poor, the soldiers can only eat taro and beans, and there is no food in the army. However, General Song held a banquet to entertain his guests. He did not lead his troops across the river to find food in Zhao and join forces with the Zhao army to attack the Qin army, but said "take advantage of the opponent's weakness". Judging from the strength of Qin, its attack on the newly established Zhao will surely destroy Zhao. Zhao will be destroyed and Qin becoming stronger, what weaknesses can be exploited! Besides, our army has just been defeated, and King Huai is uneasy and has handed over all the domestic troops to General Song. The safety of the country depends on this battle. Now he does not have any sympathy for the our soldiers, but seeks his own personal gains instead. He is not a loyal minister of the country." Xiang Yu came to see General Song Yi in the early morning, and cut off his head in the his tent. Xiang Yu walked out the tent and ordered the army, "Song Yi and Qi conspired to rebel against Chu, and King Huai of Chu secretly ordered me to kill him." At this time, all the generals were shocked and no one dared to resist. Everyone said, "It was the general's family who founded the State of Chu. Now the general has killed the rebels." The generals and soldiers jointly recommended Xiang Yu as the acting general. Xiang Yu sent people to chase Song Yi's son, and chased him to Qi, then killed him. Xiang Yu sent Huan Chu to report to King Huai. King Huai appointed Xiang Yu as the general, and Lord Dangyang and General Pu were both subordinates to Xiang Yu.
初，宋义所遇齐使者高陵君显在楚军，见楚王曰：“宋义论武信君之军必败，居数日，军果败。兵未战而先见败徵，此可谓知兵矣。”王召宋义与计事而大说之，因置以为上将军，项羽为鲁公，为次将，范增为末将，救赵。诸别将皆属宋义，号为卿子冠军。行至安阳，留四十六日不进。项羽曰：“吾闻秦军围赵王钜鹿，疾引兵渡河，楚击其外，赵应其内，破秦军必矣。”宋义曰：“不然。夫搏牛之虻不可以破虮虱。今秦攻赵，战胜则兵罢，我承其敝；不胜，则我引兵鼓行而西，必举秦矣。故不如先斗秦赵。夫被坚执锐，义不如公；坐而运策，公不如义。”因下令军中曰：“猛如虎，很如羊，贪如狼，强不可使者，皆斩之。”乃遣其子宋襄相齐，身送之至无盐，饮酒高会。天寒大雨，士卒冻饥。项羽曰：“将戮力而攻秦，久留不行。今岁饥民贫，士卒食芋菽，军无见粮，乃饮酒高会，不引兵渡河因赵食，与赵并力攻秦，乃曰‘承其敝’。夫以秦之强，攻新造之赵，其势必举赵。赵举而秦强，何敝之承！且国兵新破，王坐不安席，埽境内而专属于将军，国家安危，在此一举。今不恤士卒而徇其私，非社稷之臣。”项羽晨朝上将军宋义，即其帐中斩宋义头，出令军中曰：“宋义与齐谋反楚，楚王阴令羽诛之。”当是时，诸将皆慴服，莫敢枝梧。皆曰：“首立楚者，将军家也。今将军诛乱。”乃相与共立羽为假上将军。使人追宋义子，及之齐，杀之。使桓楚报命于怀王。怀王因使项羽为上将军，当阳君、蒲将军皆属项羽。
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