Sima Xin

Sima Xin was a Chinese military general of the Qin dynasty. Between 209 and 208 BC, when uprisings against the Qin dynasty broke out, Sima Xin, along with Zhang Han and Dong Yi, led Qin forces into battle against the various rebel groups and defeated some of them. However, they lost to rebel forces led by Xiang Yu in 207 BC at the Battle of Julu and were forced to surrender. After the rebels overthrew the Qin dynasty in 206 BC, China was divided into the Eighteen Kingdoms and the three surrendered Qin generals were made kings – Zhang Han as the King of Yong, Sima Xin as the King of Sai, and Dong Yi as the King of Di. Their three kingdoms were collectively known as the Three Qins since they occupied the Guanzhong region, the heartland of the Qin state during the Warring States period. In 205 BC, Liu Bang, the King of Han, invaded Zhang Han's kingdom and defeated Zhang Han in battle. Sima Xin and Dong Yi initially surrendered to Liu Bang, but defected to Xiang Yu after the Battle of Pengcheng. In 204 BC, Sima Xin and Dong Yi joined Xiang Yu's subordinate Cao Jiu in fighting Liu Bang's forces during the Battle of Chenggao, but they were defeated and all three of them committed suicide.