During the early Han Dynasty, the future prince Han Xin was once dismissed as weak and useless. He joined Xiang Liang's anti-Qin rebellion but remained unknown, then served Xiang Yu, offering repeated strategies that were all ignored. So he defected to Liu Bang, who put him in charge of army provisions—another dead end. Only after Prime Minister Xiao He's persistent recommendations did Liu Bang finally appoint Han Xin as his chief general.
After the ceremony appointing him as general, Liu Bang asked Han Xin, "The prime minister has spoken highly of you—what wisdom do you have to share?" Han Xin humbly deflected before countering, "Your Majesty, in courage, benevolence, and military strength, how do you compare to Xiang Yu?" Liu Bang fell silent for a long moment, then admitted, "I am inferior to him in every way."
Then, Han Xin specifically analyzed Xiang Yu's characteristics and fatal weaknesses, proving that although Xiang Yu was nominally the hegemon of the world, he actually had no popular support or backing from the common people. Finally, Han Xin proposed a plan for advancing the troops:
"Now, Great King, if you adopt the opposite approach of Xiang Yu—employing the brave and skilled warriors of the realm—what place could you not conquer? If you grant the cities of the world as fiefs to your meritorious officers, who would not submit willingly? Our military campaign aligns with the soldiers' desire to march eastward—what enemy could we not defeat? Moreover, when Your Majesty entered the Wu Pass, you maintained strict discipline, never harming the common people, abolished the harsh laws of Qin, and established only three simple rules: no killing, no injuring, and no stealing. The people of the Guanzhong region all wish for you to be their king. Now, if you lead the army east, a single decree will suffice to reclaim the entire Guanzhong area!"
Liu Bang was overjoyed to hear Han Xin's words, regretting only that he had not met him sooner, and immediately adopted his plan, setting the targets for each general's advance.
Later, the idiom "Not a Single Autumn Hair" came to describe an army with strict discipline that takes nothing from the people, and sometimes also describes a person who is incorruptible and never infringes on others.
Source: *Records of the Grand Historian*, "Biography of the Marquis of Huaiyin"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "秋毫无犯" came to describe an army with strict discipline that takes nothing from the people, and sometimes also describes a person who is incorruptible and never infringes on others.