The word overlord refers to a king who is stronger than the average king, and is often regarded as a title of respect for Xiang Yu by scholars.
There were five powerful governors in the Spring and Autumn Period, the so-called five tyrants in the Spring and Autumn Period. From the beginning, the word "tyrant" became the title of a powerful political party. In feudal times, a king who enjoyed a higher status than an ordinary king would be called a overlord. Miscellaneous Notes on Appellations. Overlord: "After five overlords, even the overlords can call." At that time, Ji Xiang had no ambition to conquer the world, but he had to pretend to be a powerful vassal to rule the king. For example, Xiang Yu claimed to be the overlord of Chu when he enfeoffed the princes, and the word overlord also became the personal title of Xiang Yu, such as Farewell My Concubine in the play.
During the struggle between Chu and Han, Han Xin asked Liu Bang to make him a fake king of Qi. However, at that time, Liu Bang's identity was Hanwang (earlier Wang Ba), and the status of the king was equal to that of the king, so it was suggested that Liu Bang should be called the overlord and the king should be named the overlord.
Refers to above the general "king" and below the "emperor", and also refers to the leader among the princes. Therefore, Xiang Yu's self-styled overlord shows that he is the leader of the vassal and regards Chu Huaiwang as the emperor.
In addition to Xiang Yu, there are three people in history who are called "overlord".
1, Gou Jian: In those days, the Vietnamese army was rampant in Jiang and Huai Dong, and the vassal Bi He was called overlord. -"Historical Records" Volume 41 "The Eleventh Family of Gou Jian, King of Yue"
2. Xue Ju: Because he sent troops to imprison county officials, he opened a warehouse to help the poor. Jianyuan proclaimed himself emperor, Qin Xing, proclaimed himself emperor and appointed himself emperor. -"Old Tang Book, Volume 5, Biography 5, Xue Ju"
3. Kang: In the second year of Gan Yuan, Xiangzhou General Kang and others rebelled and the historian escaped. Chu Yuan pretended to be the overlord of southern Chu and inherited Jingzhou. -"The Book of the New Tang Dynasty, Volume 126, Biography, May 1, Du Hongxian"