Xiang Liang ultimately gave up on his nephew, who showed no sign of motivation or apparent talent apart from his great strength, and let the latter decide his own destiny.
He also leveraged on his popularity to rally supporters and form a secret militia in preparation for a future uprising against the Qin dynasty to restore the Chu state.
Yin Tong (殷通), the Qin-appointed administrator of Kuaiji Commandery, considered turning against the Qin government so he invited Xiang Liang to discuss how they would start a rebellion.
His purpose was to use King Huai II as a figurehead to rally support from people in the former Chu territories to join him in overthrowing the Qin dynasty.
In 208 BC, Xiang Liang engaged the Qin general Zhang Han in battle at Dingtao, where he underestimated the enemy and lost his life.
However, Xiang Yu took Song Yi by surprise in a coup, accused him of treason, and killed him, thereby taking back control over the Chu rebel group's armed forces.