After Han Xin was killed by Empress Lu, Liu Bang felt both joy and pity, and asked:
"Han Xin left what words before his death?" Empress Lu replied, "Han Xin regretted not heeding Kuai Tong's advice."
Emperor Gaozu immediately ordered Kuai Tong arrested and brought before him.
Emperor Gaozu personally interrogated Kuai Tong: "Was it you who taught the Marquis of Huaiyin to rebel?" Kuai Tong replied without concealment: "Yes, the ignorant fool did not follow my plan, so you were able to kill him. If he had used my strategy, how could Your Majesty have slain him?"
Liu Bang flew into a rage and wanted to execute him. Kuai Tong cried out:
"Unjust!" Liu Bang found it unbelievable. "You taught Han Xin to rebel—how can you claim injustice?"
Kuai Tong replied, "When the Qin dynasty lost its mandate, heroes across the land vied for power—at that moment, the swiftest runner seized the prize. They raised banners, led armies, and declared themselves kings, while their advisors and generals plotted and fought with all their might to defeat rivals. Even the tyrant Jie's dog barked at the sage-king Yao, not because Yao was unkind, but because Yao was not its master. Back then, I knew only Han Xin, not Your Majesty. Moreover, when the empire's heroes scrambled to serve you, not all could be employed by you—some naturally turned to others. How could you possibly kill every last one of them?"
Hearing this, Liu Bang found the reasoning sound and released him.
Later, the idiom "Swift Feet Reach First" came to describe those who move quickly to achieve their goals.
Source: *Records of the Grand Historian*, "Biography of the Marquis of Huaiyin"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "捷足先登" came to describe those who move quickly to achieve their goals.