He joined Xiang Liang's rebel force in around 208 BC when uprisings erupted throughout China to overthrow the Qin dynasty.
Zhongli Mo was a close friend of Han Xin, then serving as a low-ranking soldier in Xiang Yu's army.
Following the collapse of the Qin dynasty in 207 BC, Xiang Yu and Liu Bang began to engage in a power struggle for supremacy over China, historically known as the Chu–Han Contention.
Xiang Yu fell for a ruse by Liu Bang's strategist Chen Ping and began to doubt Zhongli Mo's loyalty towards him.
Although Liu Bang released him later, Han Xin was still demoted to the rank of "Marquis of Huaiyin" and was eventually executed on charges of treason by Empress Lü Zhi.