After Chen Sheng and Wu Guang launched a popular uprising in Dazexiang, Xiang Liang, a descendant of a famous Chu general, also raised an army with his nephew Xiang Yu in response. They killed the governor of Wuzhong (present-day Suzhou, Jiangsu). The twenty-four-year-old Xiang Yu stood out remarkably, single-handedly slaying over a hundred guards in the governor's mansion, displaying unmatched bravery. They then led several thousand passionate young men from Wuzhong to join the great army rebelling against the Qin Dynasty.
After Chen Sheng was killed, his former general Lü Chen was filled with resentment and could not contain his anger. Lü Chen soon raised the banner of the Zhang Chu regime again, recapturing Chen County from the Qin army, and then together with his subordinate Zhao Ping, he defected to Xiang Liang, honoring Xiang Liang as the Supreme Pillar of State General, reviving the anti-Qin struggle. Not long after, Xiang Liang installed the grandson of King Huai of Chu as king, still calling him King Huai of Chu. Xiang Liang and Xiang Yu fought fiercely against the enemy, successively capturing Dong'e and Dingtao, scattering the Qin forces in all directions.
Meanwhile, in Zhongyang Village, located in Pei County (present-day Pei County, Jiangsu Province), news of a popular uprising also spread. The leader was a man named Liu Bang, originally a commoner who had idled away his youth without a proper occupation. Fortunately, he was adept at reading people and eloquent in speech, maintaining good relations with local officials, which allowed him to secure the position of a Tingzhang (a minor official overseeing an area of about ten li). Once, upon witnessing the grand procession of Qin Shi Huang during an imperial tour, Liu Bang was filled with admiration and sighed that a true man should aspire to such greatness.
Because the Second Emperor of Qin conscripted the entire nation's labor force to build his mausoleum at Mount Li and the Epang Palace, Liu Bang, as a village chief, had to send all able-bodied local workers to perform forced labor. One day, Liu Bang led a large group of laborers toward Mount Li, but people kept escaping from the group, and by the end, there were so few left that he could only sigh in despair. In such a situation, even if he reached Mount Li, he would be executed for not having enough men. Thinking this over, he took advantage of the night to untie the ropes binding the laborers, telling them to flee far away and let fate decide whether they lived or died. Just as everyone was about to leave, someone suddenly spotted a thick, long white python lying across the road. Liu Bang strode over, drew his sword, and sliced the python in two. Some thanked him and left, while others declared they would follow Liu Bang without regret to repay his life-saving grace. After much deliberation, Liu Bang decided to take these followers and hide out in the Mangdang Mountains to lie low.
Seeing uprisings erupting across the country, the magistrate of Pei County also wanted to join the anti-Qin movement, both to win the trust of the rebel forces and to maintain his own control over the county. At that time, there were two lower-ranking officials in the county office, one named Xiao He and the other Cao Shen. They believed that to consolidate power, they first needed to expand their ranks, so the magistrate, following their advice, summoned back all the Pei County natives who had fled into exile. He then asked Fan Kuai to find Liu Bang. Fan Kuai was a close friend of Liu Bang, and before long, he brought Liu Bang back from his hideout in Mount Mangdang, along with over a hundred followers, including some laborers who had stayed behind and commoners who had gradually come to join Liu Bang.
After sending Fan Kuai out, the county magistrate felt uneasy about his decision, fearing that Liu Bang would not follow his orders and might cause chaos if allowed back into the city—not only endangering Pei County but possibly getting himself killed. So the magistrate hastily closed the city gates, ordering that anyone who opened them be executed, and then instructed his soldiers to arrest Xiao He and Cao Shen. However, the two had received advance warning and had already fled Pei County, hiding along the road to wait for Liu Bang. They told him everything about the situation in the city, and Liu Bang decided to rally the people to revolt, coordinating an attack from both inside and outside to breach the gates. He wrote a letter, attached it to an arrow, and shot it into the city. The people, already angered by the magistrate's actions, stormed the county office in a fury, killed the magistrate, and opened the gates to welcome Liu Bang. With the support of the people, Liu Bang used the symbolic act of slaying a white snake to launch his rebellion, and because he started the uprising in Pei County, he became known as "Duke of Pei."
After that, Liu Bang led several thousand men to attack nearby counties, achieving some small successes in his uprising. However, his military strength was never sufficient. At that time, Xiang Liang was campaigning under the banner of "King Huai of Chu," so Liu Bang brought his followers to join King Huai of Chu.