The great general Han Xin, after five years of heroic battles on the side of Liu Bang, has finally defeated Xiang Yu, the powerful hegemon of Chu, thereby aiding in the rise to power of Liu Bang, who would become the Emperor Gaozu, founder of the Han dynasty. But the emperor was jealous of Han Xin's popularity and charisma, and had him assassinated, under the pretext that he was plotting against the throne. At his death, it is said, the sky turned black and his spirit was swept up into the beyond. His apotheosis is regarded as one of the great Daoist mysteries of the Hunan region. The history of his revenge against the emperor first became a local epic and then a liturgical drama, which the Daoists of today continue to stage.