The Battle of Gaixia was a last stand fought in December 203 BC during the Chu–Han Contention between the forces of Liu Bang and Xiang Yu.

The victorious Liu Bang would ascend to the throne a few months after the battle, declaring himself emperor of the newly christened Han dynasty.

Liu Bang simply replied that since the two had sworn to regard each other as 'brothers' (during the earlier years of the revolt against the Qin dynasty) he would be effectively cooking his own father, and joked that Xiang Yu should not forget to send him a cup of 'their' father's flesh to share as good brothers.

Under Han Xin's overall command, in December the armies were able to coordinate and rendezvous on Chu territory, a logistically impressive feat considering it was winter.

Han Xin returned his centre to the offensive once the enemy had been pinned in place and was beginning to falter, and he inflicted a major defeat on the Chu army.

[10] Hemorrhaging soldiers through defections and believing his position hopeless, Xiang fled later that night with only 800 cavalry.

He reportedly killed hundreds of his Han pursuers and suffered a dozen wounds before he committed suicide by cutting his own throat.

The Han cavalrymen, who had been promised rewards for the killing of Xiang Yu, tore apart his body in the fight to claim responsibility for his death.

When five soldiers fitted together Xiang Yu's head and limbs to identify him, the reward - 1000 catties of gold and a fief of 10,000 households - was divided between them five ways.

Han Xin captured the cities of Lu and Huling (Lu eventually surrendered on being shown the head of Xiang Yu), and Liu Bang sent Jin Xi to conquer the pro-Xiang Yu kingdom of Linjiang and capture its king Gong Wei, who was executed by Liu.