Life

Early life

Ying Bu was born in a family of commoners. In his childhood, a fortune teller once told him that he would become a convict first before becoming a king later. When he became older, Ying Bu committed a crime and under the laws of the Qin dynasty, he was sentenced to qing (黥; a form of punishment which involved branding a criminal by tattooing his face), but he laughed and said, "A fortune teller once told me that I would be convicted before becoming a king. Isn't it so?" He was scorned at by others when they heard him. Ying Bu was later sent to Mount Li to do hard labour by constructing Qin Shi Huang's mausoleum. He befriended many fellow convicts and later escaped with them, and became the leader of a bandit gang.

Uprising against Qin

In 209 BC, when Chen Sheng and Wu Guang started the Dazexiang Uprising to overthrow the Qin dynasty, Ying Bu joined rebel leader Wu Rui, his father-in-law, and rallied several thousand men. After the uprising was crushed by the Qin general Zhang Han, Ying Bu led his followers north to attack the Qin left and right flanks and defeated the enemy at Qingbo (清波; southwest of present-day Xincai County, Henan), and then moved east. When Ying Bu learnt that Xiang Liang had amassed a large rebel force in Kuaiji (then still centered on present-day Suzhou, not Shaoxing), he led his own followers to join Xiang Liang too.

Ying Bu fought bravely in battle and assisted Xiang Liang in defeating other insurgent leaders such as Jing Ju and Qin Jia (秦嘉). In the summer of 208 BC, Xiang Liang installed King Huai II on the throne of the Chu state, but the king was actually a figurehead used by Xiang Liang to rally more supporters in the name of restoring Chu. King Huai II granted Ying Bu the title of "Lord Dangyang" (当阳君). Xiang Liang was killed in action against Qin forces at the Battle of Dingtao in the winter of 208 BC, and King Huai II moved his capital to Pengcheng (彭城; present-day Xuzhou, Jiangsu). Ying Bu and other Chu generals were stationed in Pengcheng.

At the time, Qin forces were attacking another insurgent state, Zhao. The Zhao king Zhao Xie (赵歇) requested aid from Chu. King Huai II ordered Song Yi, Xiang Yu (Xiang Liang's nephew) and Fan Zeng to lead an army to rescue Zhao Xie. Xiang Yu accused Song Yi of treason, killed the latter and took control of the army. Ying Bu was originally under Song Yi, so he became Xiang Yu's subordinate after King Huai II approved Xiang Yu's command. In 207 BC, Chu forces led by Xiang Yu, Ying Bu and others defeated a larger Qin army led by Zhang Han at the Battle of Julu. After the battle, at Xin'an (新安; in present-day Yima, Henan), Xiang Yu had Ying Bu oversee the execution of Zhang Han's 200,000 surrendered Qin soldiers by burying them alive.

After his victory at Julu, Xiang Yu led his forces towards Guanzhong (the heartland of the Qin dynasty) and prepared for an invasion. In the winter of 207 BC, the last Qin emperor Ziying surrendered to Liu Bang in Xianyang (the Qin capital), bringing an end to the Qin dynasty. Xiang Yu later occupied Xianyang and divided the former Qin Empire into the Eighteen Kingdoms, each ruled by a vassal king. Ying Bu was named "King of Jiujiang" (九江王).

Chu–Han Contention

In the fourth lunar month of 206 BC, the rulers of the Eighteen Kingdoms returned to their respective domains. Xiang Yu ostensibly promoted King Huai II of Chu to a more honorific title of "Emperor Yi of Chu", and moved him to Changsha, effectively sending the puppet ruler into exile. Xiang Yu then secretly ordered Ying Bu to kill Emperor Yi, and Ying Bu intercepted the emperor at Chen County (郴县; present-day Chenzhou, Hunan) and killed him.

In 205 BC, Tian Rong (田荣) started a rebellion in Qi so Xiang Yu led an army to attack him. Xiang Yu requested reinforcements from Ying Bu, but the latter claimed that he was ill and instead sent his subordinates and a few thousand troops to assist Xiang Yu. At the same time, Liu Bang (King of Han) formed an alliance with five other kings and took advantage of Xiang Yu's absence to attack and seize the latter's capital Pengcheng (彭城; present-day Xuzhou, Jiangsu). When Xiang Yu asked help from Ying Bu, the latter claimed that he was ill again and refused to aid Xiang Yu. Xiang Yu was displeased with Ying Bu and sent a messenger to summon the latter but Ying Bu became afraid and refused to go. Xiang Yu did not attack Ying Bu because he faced the threats of Qi and Zhao, and Liu Bang in the west, and also because he felt that Ying Bu was a talent and wanted the latter to remain on his side.

In late 205 BC, Xiang Yu defeated Liu Bang at the Battle of Pengcheng and Liu was forced to retreat to Yu (虞). Liu Bang told his followers, "People like you are not worthy to discuss great plans with me." One of Liu Bang's advisors, Sui He (随何), asked why, and Liu Bang replied, "Who can help me go to Huainan and persuade (Ying Bu) to betray Chu, and keep Xiang Yu occupied in Qi for several months, then I can easily take control of the empire." Sui He volunteered for the mission and brought 20 escorts to Huainan. Three days after reaching his destination, Sui He had yet to see Ying Bu, so he said to Ying Bu's advisor, "The king refuses to see me because Chu is powerful and Han is weak. This is exactly the reason why I'm here. Why don't you allow me to meet him first? If what I've said is true, then that's what he wishes to hear. If what I've said is false, then me and my 20 men are willing to die in Huainan to prove that your king is against Han and loyal to Chu." The advisor relayed Sui He's message to Ying Bu, and Ying agreed to meet Sui He.

Sui He said, "The King of Han sends me to deliver a message to you. I'm curious why you're so close to Chu." Ying Bu responded that he had all along been serving Xiang Yu. Sui He said, "Both you and Xiang Yu are vassal kings. You're willing to be subservient to him because you feel that Chu is powerful and can be relied on. When Xiang Yu was attacking Qi, he fought ahead of his men. You should personally lead Huainan's forces and fight as Chu's vanguard. Yet now you only send 4,000 men to assist Chu, is this what a subordinate should do? When the King of Han was attacking Chu's capital Pengcheng, you should lead your men to help Xiang Yu and fight with the King of Han day and night. You have a large army but you don't send troops to help and would rather stand by and watch. Is this what a subordinate should do? You are subordinate to Chu in name, but actually you rely on yourself. I feel that this won't be good for you. You refuse to betray Chu because you think that Han is weak. However, although Chu is powerful, Xiang Yu has lost the people's trust when he broke his promises and murdered Emperor Yi, and now he still thinks that his state is strong and he can win any battle. The King of Han is recruiting other vassal lords, and garrisoning in Chenggao and Xingyang. His supply routes from Shu avoid deep trenches and are well defended. When Chu recall its forces, it is separated by Liang in between and is 800-900 li within enemy territory. Now Chu is unable to fight well and is exhausted. Its old and weak soldiers are transporting supplies over great distances. When Chu forces reach Xingyang and Chenggao, Han forces only need to put up a firm defence. In this way, Chu forces can neither advance by attacking nor retreat. Therefore, I say that Chu is unreliable. If Chu wins Han, other vassal states will help each other for fear of Chu. As such, we can see that if Chu becomes more powerful, it will invite hostility from many sides. It's obvious that Chu is worse than Han. I'm puzzled as to why you choose to depend on Chu, which is at stake, instead of Han, which has nothing to lose. I don't think that Huainan's forces are sufficient to resist Chu, but if you betray Chu, Xiang Yu will be held up in Qi for several months, and Han has higher chances of taking over the empire. I sincerely hope you can join the King of Han. He'll grant you a fief larger than the current Huainan you have. As such, he sends me to present this plan to you and hope that you'll consider it." Ying Bu agreed but he kept silent about his defection.

At the same time, Xiang Yu had sent a messenger to Huainan to request reinforcements from Ying Bu. Sui He called for the messenger and declared, "The King of Jiujiang has already joined Han. Why does he need to send troops to help Chu?" Ying Bu was startled. The Chu messenger was surprised and left. Sui He then said to Ying Bu, "It's now a fact (that you've joined Han), so you should kill the Chu messenger and stop him from returning to Chu. You should also ally with Han as soon as possible.", and Ying Bu heeded his advice.

When Xiang Yu learnt that Ying Bu had turned against him, he sent Xiang Sheng (项声) and Long Ju to attack Huainan while he remained behind to attack Xiayi (下邑). Months later Long Ju defeated Ying Bu and conquered Jiujiang. Ying Bu was afraid that he would be killed so he fled to Han territory.

Ying Bu wanted to meet Liu Bang after he arrived in Han. Liu Bang was sitting on his bed and washing his feet when Ying Bu came to see him. Ying Bu was furious because he felt that Liu Bang was treating him with contempt, and he regretted joining Han and wanted to commit suicide. When Ying Bu was shown to his living quarters, he was surprised to see that everything was similar to Liu Bang's and he was delighted. He then sent his men to Jiujiang and learnt that Xiang Yu's uncle Xiang Bo had taken control of his former troops and killed his family. His men also found several of his former followers and brought them back to Han. Liu Bang put Ying Bu in command of some troops.

In 203 BC, Liu Bang instated Ying Bu as "King of Huainan" (淮南王). Later that year, Ying Bu led an army to attack Jiujiang and conquered many cities. He entered Jiujiang together with Liu Gu (刘贾) and persuaded Zhou Yin (周殷) to defect from Chu to Han. Ying Bu and Zhou Yin led their armies to join Liu Bang in attacking Xiang Yu and eventually defeated Xiang at the Battle of Gaixia in 202 BC. Xiang Yu committed suicide and the rest of Chu surrendered to Han.

Following his victory in the Chu–Han Contention, Liu Bang was proclaimed "Emperor" and became historically known as "Emperor Gaozu of Han" after establishing the Han dynasty. Ying Bu became a vassal king of the Han dynasty, under the title King of Huainan (淮南王), with his capital at Lu (六; present-day Lu'an, Anhui), and the commanderies of Jiujiang (九江), Lushan (庐山), Hengshan (衡山) and Yuzhang (豫章) under his control.

Rebellion against Han

In 196 BC, Han Xin, the Marquis of Huaiyin (淮阴侯), was executed on Empress Lü Zhi's order. Ying Bu became uneasy when he learnt of this. In the summer of that year, Peng Yue, the King of Liang (梁王), suffered a similar fate, and his corpse was minced into pieces and the gory parts distributed to various nobles and vassal kings. Ying Bu was terrified and was worried that he would end up like Han Xin and Peng Yue, so he started gathering his forces and paying closer attention to happenings in the nearby areas.

One of Ying Bu's favourite concubines fell sick and was sent for medical treatment. The physician who attended to her was a neighbour of a palace official called Ben He (贲赫). As Ying Bu's concubine often visited the physician, Ben He used the opportunity to get close to her and offered her expensive gifts, and they had drinks at the physician's house. When the concubine returned home she praised Ben He in front of Ying Bu, saying that Ben He was a warm hearted man. Ying Bu asked her how she knew Ben He, and she told him everything. Ying Bu began to suspect that Ben He was having an affair with his concubine. Ben He became afraid when he heard that Ying Bu suspected him so he feigned illness and remained at home. Ying Bu became more angry and wanted to arrest Ben He. In desperation, Ben He accused Ying Bu of plotting a rebellion and fled to the capital Chang'an. Ying Bu sent his men to pursue Ben He but could not catch up with the latter. Upon reaching Chang'an, Ben He claimed that Ying Bu was showing signs of plotting a rebellion and urged the Han imperial court to send an army to launch a preemptive attack on Ying Bu. Emperor Gaozu discussed with his chancellor Xiao He, and the latter commented, "Ying Bu wouldn't do this. I believe that his enemies are trying to frame him. Please put Ben He under custody first and then send people to investigate Ying Bu." When Ying Bu saw that Ben He had escaped and accused him of plotting a rebellion, he suspected that Ben He had already revealed what he had been secretly planning to do. Besides, the Han imperial court had sent people to investigate, so Ying Bu decided to proceed with his plan. He killed Ben He's family and started a rebellion. When news of Ying Bu's revolt reached Chang'an, Emperor Gaozu pardoned Ben He and appointed him as a general.

Gaozu summoned his subjects to discuss on how to deal with Ying Bu and they urged the emperor to send an army to attack Ying Bu and destroy him. Xiahou Ying consulted Xue Gong (薛公), a former lingyin of Chu, and asked him, "The emperor granted him a fief and the title of a vassal king, allowing him to enjoy luxuries and rule over thousands, why does he still want to rebel?" Xue Gong replied, "Peng Yue and Han Xin were executed in the past two years. The three of them contributed heavily to the dynasty's founding and are almost equal to each other. Ying Bu feared that he would experience the same fate (as Han Xin and Peng Yue) so he rebelled." Xiahou Ying then recommended Xue Gong to Emperor Gaozu. Xue Gong analysed to the emperor that Ying Bu would make three possible moves: 1. Attack and capture Wu, Chu, Qi, Lu, Yan and Zhao, and the Han dynasty would lose the Shandong region as a result; 2. Attack and capture Wu, Chu, Han, Wei, rely on supplies from Aoyu to block Chenggao, the outcome of this move was uncertain; 3. Attack Wu, Xiacai, return to Yue and Changsha, there was nothing to worry if Ying Bu made this move. Xue Gong predicted that Ying Bu would take the third option because Ying Bu was a convict and he attained his kingly status through his own efforts, and everything he did was for personal gain and he did not care about the people and his descendants. Gaozu put Xue Gong in charge of 1,000 households and installed his son Liu Chang (刘长) as "Prince of Huainan" to replace Ying Bu. Gaozu then personally led an army to suppress Ying Bu's rebellion.

Before Ying Bu rebelled, he told his men, "The emperor is old and hates going to war. He'll definitely not come. Even if he sends any of his generals, among them only Han Xin and Peng Yue are dangerous, but since both of them are already dead there's nothing to fear." Ying Bu moved east to attack Jing (荆) and in Fuling (富陵) he defeated and killed Liu Gu (刘贾), Prince of Jing (荆王). He then crossed the Huai River to attack Chu. Chu sent its forces to intercept Ying Bu between Xu (徐) and Tong (僮), with three armies ready to come to each other's aid if any came under attack. Someone warned the Chu commanders, "Ying Bu is versed in warfare and the people have long feared him. Chu forces are fighting on their own territory and are easily scattered. Now the army is divided into three forces, if one is defeated the other two would follow suit. How is it possible for them to help each other?" The warning was ignored. Ying Bu later really did defeat one army and the other two dispersed.

Ying Bu then advanced west and encountered the Han army led by Emperor Gaozu in Qixi (蕲西; south of present-day Su County, Anhui) and they battled at Zhui (甀). Ying Bu's army was well-trained so Gaozu had to retreat to Yongcheng (庸城). From a distance, Gaozu saw that Ying Bu's forces were deployed like Xiang Yu's and he hated that. Gaozu asked Ying Bu, "Why do you want to rebel?", to which Ying Bu replied, "I want to be the emperor." Gaozu was furious and scolded Ying Bu, and launched an attack. Ying Bu was defeated and retreated back across the Huai River. At times he halted and turned back to resist the Han forces but failed. Ying Bu was eventually left with around 100 men and they retreated to south of the Yangtze River.

Ying Bu was Wu Rui's son-in-law, so Wu Hui (吴回; Wu Rui's grandson), King Ai of Changsha (长沙哀王), sent a messenger to Ying Bu, lying that he would help Ying Bu escape to Nanyue. Ying Bu believed Wu Hui and followed the messenger to Poyang (番阳), where he was killed by peasants in Zi Village (兹乡).

Legacy

Ying Bu is sometimes venerated as a door god in Chinese and Taoist temples, usually partnered with Peng Yue. He is one of the 32 historical figures who appear as special characters in the video game Romance of the Three Kingdoms XI by Koei. He is also featured under the name "Qing Bu" as a playable character of the "Muscleman" class in the action role-playing game Prince of Qin.

生平经历

早期

英布年轻时，有位客人给他看相说：「当在受刑之后称王。」后因为犯法而受黥刑（与纹面不同），所以又称黥布。英布愉快地笑著说：「有人看了我的面相，说我当在受刑之后称王，现在大概是这种情形吧？」英布后来被带到骊山当役徒，修筑秦始皇陵墓，骊山刑徒有数十万人，英布专门和罪犯的头目、英雄豪杰来往，其后带领一些人逃到其它地方成为盗贼。

秦末时期

秦末，陈胜、吴广发动大泽之变，反抗秦朝，英布去约番君（番阳县令）吴芮一同举兵，番君被说服，于是加入起义行列，还把女儿嫁给英布，聚集了几千人。

在陈胜败死于秦朝章邯之手后，英布带兵北上攻打秦左、右校的军队，在清波打败了他们，就带兵向东挺进。听说项梁平定了会稽，渡过长江向西进发，陈婴因为项氏世世代代做楚国的将军，就带领著自己的军队归属了项梁，向南渡过淮河，于是英布、蒲将军也归附项梁。项梁率师渡过淮河向西进发，攻打景驹、秦嘉等人的战斗中，英布骁勇善战，总是列于众军之首。立熊心为后楚怀王时，英布成为楚的当阳君。

项梁在定陶之役战死后，楚国迁都到彭城，将领们和英布也都聚集在彭城守卫。正当这时，秦军加紧围攻赵国，英布便随宋义、项羽北上救赵，项羽刺杀宋义，发动兵变，英布归项羽指挥。在前207年的钜鹿之战中，项羽命令英布先行率兵渡河攻击秦军，小胜数仗后，项羽带领其馀楚军跟诸侯联军投入战场，击破秦军主力。诸侯军队服从项羽的原因，英布以少胜多也居一大功。

秦将章邯投降后，英布等人奉项羽之命在新安（今河南义马内）坑杀秦降兵二十馀万人。在项羽进军咸阳的过程中，英布经常担任先锋。到达函谷关，项羽不得入，又派英布等人，先从隐蔽的小道，打败了守关的刘邦军队，才得以进关，一直到达咸阳。

项羽时期

前206年，项羽分封天下十八路诸侯时，因为英布经常担任军队前锋，便立英布为九江王，以六为都。同年项羽尊后楚怀王为楚义帝后，暗中命令英布等人暗杀前往长沙途中的义帝。

前205年，田齐公族田荣背叛楚国，自立为齐王，项羽前往攻打齐国，向英布徵调军队，英布托辞病重不能前往，只派将领带著几千人前去。刘邦在彭城打败楚军，英布又托辞病重不去辅佐楚国。项羽因此怨恨英布，屡次派使者前去责备英布，并召他前往，英布越发恐慌，不敢前往。项羽正为北方的齐国、赵国担心，西边又忧患刘邦起兵，知交的只有英布，又推重英布的才能，打算亲近任用他，所以没有攻打。

刘邦在彭城大败后，派随何成功游说英布反叛项羽。这时，楚国的使者也在淮南，正迫不及待地催促英布出兵，住在宾馆里。随何径直闯进去，坐在楚国使者的上席，说：「九江王已归附汉王，楚国凭什么让他出兵？」英布显出吃惊的样子。楚国使者站起来要走。随何趁机劝英布说：「大事已成，就可以杀死楚国的使者，不能让他回去，我们赶快向汉靠拢，协同作战。」英布说：「就按照你的指教，出兵攻打楚国罢了。」于是杀掉使者，出兵攻打楚国。项羽对此反应激烈，派出项声、龙且进攻英布。战争持续了几个月，龙且、项声在淮南的战役中，打败了英布的军队。英布想带兵撤退到汉国，又怕楚军拦截杀掉他，所以，和随何从隐蔽的小道逃归汉国。

英布到时，刘邦召见英布，但是刘邦完全没有作好谈话的准备，无礼地坐在床上，由美人洗脚。英布见状，怒火燃胸，后悔前来，想要自杀，英布到刘邦为他准备的宾馆，见到帐幔、用器、饮食、侍从官员一如刘邦那么豪华，英布又喜出望外，又打消死意。于是英布就派人返回九江。这时项羽已经派项伯收编了英布的部队，杀尽了英布的妻子儿女。英布派去的人找到不少当时英布的宠臣故友，带著几千人马回到汉国。刘邦又给英布增加了兵力一道北上，到成皋招兵买马，他的势力又回复了一些。

前203年七月，刘邦封英布为淮南王。英布又派人进入九江，夺得了好几个县。前202年，英布和刘贾进入九江，诱降楚国大司马周殷，周殷反叛楚国后，以舒城的兵力攻占六县并进行屠城，调动九江的军队迎接英布；英布将几支军队合并，在城父屠城，随后到垓下会合其他汉军打败项羽，项羽拒绝了乌江亭亭长的建议，自刎而亡。

汉高祖时期

项羽死后，汉王刘邦称帝，淮南王英布成为异姓诸侯王之一。治下的地区包括九江、庐江、衡山、豫章等郡。前201年，英布到陈县朝见刘邦。次年，到洛阳朝见。前199年到长安朝见。其后英布眼见消灭异姓王风潮中韩信、彭越被吕雉诛杀，心中不安。吕雉诛杀彭越后，把他的尸首处以酼刑，剁成了肉酱，又把肉酱装好分别赐给诸侯。送到淮南，英布正在打猎，看到肉酱，特别害怕，暗中使人部署，集结军队，守候并侦察邻郡的意外紧急事变。

一次，英布为生病的宠幸小妾求医时，医师的家和淮南中大夫（侍中）贲赫家住对门，因此爱妾多次去医师家治疗，贲赫认为自己是侍中，想要巴结她，就送去了丰厚的礼物，还随著爱妾在医师家饮酒。爱妾侍奉英布时，不慌不忙地称赞贲赫是忠厚老实的人。英布生气地说：「你怎么知道的呢？」爱妾就把与贲赫来往的情况全都告诉他。英布却更怀疑她和贲赫通奸，召见贲赫。贲赫惊惧，藉口有病不去。英布更加恼怒，就要逮捕贲赫。贲赫打算控告英布叛变，就坐著驿车前往长安。英布派人追赶，没赶上。贲赫到了长安，上书告变，说英有造反的迹像，可以在叛乱之前诛杀他。刘邦看了他的报告，对萧何商量，萧何说：「英布不应该造反，恐怕是这个人因怨诬陷他。请把贲赫关押起来，派人暗中验证淮南王。」英布见贲赫畏罪潜逃，上书言变，本来已经怀疑他会说出自己暗中布署的情况，刘邦的使臣又取得了许多不利英布的证据，英布就族灭贲赫的全家，起兵造反。英布造反的消息传到长安，刘邦大怒，立即释放了贲赫，封贲赫做了将军。

滕公夏侯婴推荐故楚令尹薛公，来商讨平定英布的事。薛公向刘邦说：「英布之造反并不值得奇怪。倘使英布采用上计，那么山东（崤函以东）之地就不是汉朝所能保有；若用中计，那么双方胜负难见分晓；若为下计，那么汉可以高枕无忧了。上计就是东取吴，西取楚，合并齐，拿下鲁，并传檄燕、赵使他们各安其国，这样山东就不是汉朝所有了。中计就是东取吴，西取楚，合并韩国，拿下魏国，并夺取敖仓之粟，堵住成皋，这双方胜负就难见分晓。下策就是：东取吴，西取下蔡，把辎重归于越，而本人往长沙，这样陛下就可安枕无忧了。」刘邦问：「那英布会采取哪种策略？」薛公答说：「必取下策！英布及其手下皆为骊山亡命刑徒出身，有生之年取得这样的地位，因而不会为子孙后代及百姓考虑，故而会出下计。」

刘邦病重，本不欲御驾亲征，欲使太子刘盈代为出征。太子之门客商山四皓力陈利害，劝太子勿出征。吕后因此泣谏刘邦勿令太子出征，樊哙闯宫，刘邦无奈只好抱病率军亲征，撤除英布封爵，改封刘长为淮南王。英布初以为刘邦年事已高必不能亲征，而所虑者韩信、彭越等皆已死。起兵果如薛公所言，出兵东击荆国，荆王刘贾逃亡富陵，被英布军所杀。英布合并荆国部队，渡过淮河，与楚军战于徐（今安徽泗县）、僮（今安徽宿县）间。楚兵战略失当，为三军，结果英布败其一军，另二军皆散走。英布攻打楚国境内下蔡县的时候，下蔡亭长责骂英布：「陛下封你在东南为淮南王，难道还不能满足你们这些受黥刑的强盗胃口吗？为何还要造反？」

英布遂率军西向，前196年十月与汉军会战于蕲。英布士兵非常精锐，刘邦驻兵于庸城，望英布之布阵如项羽一般，刘邦对此感到愤怒。刘邦于两军对垒时遥对英布曰：「何苦造反呢？」英布答曰：「我想当皇帝罢了！」。两军遂战，结果英布战败而走。而齐相国曹参率领齐军也赶到，对淮南军进行夹击，淮南军队接连失利。刘邦遣别将追击，大败英布于洮水南、北，于是英布仅带数百人渡江南。长沙王吴臣是英布的妻舅，写信伪称要与其一起逃亡到越国。英布相信吴臣，于是跟随使者到番阳，随即被番阳人在兹乡百姓的农舍之中刺杀。

部下

• 贲赫，英布中大夫，英布怀疑与其妾私通，欲将之杀害，贲赫逃往刘邦处指英布密谋造反。

• 肥铢，英布副将，被灌婴打败。

• 朱建，英布国相，英布欲反，极力谏诤。

影视形象

• 电影《西楚霸王》（1994年）：由张利华饰演英布。

• 中国电视剧《汉刘邦》（1998年）：由董子午饰演英布。

• 香港电视剧《楚汉骄雄》（2004年）：由王俊棠饰演英布。

• 中国电视剧《楚汉风云》（2005年）：由郭明翰饰演英布。

• 中国电视剧《大风歌》（2010年）：由李宝成饰演英布。

• 中国电视剧《楚汉争雄》（2011年）：由郑仕明饰演英布。

• 中国电视剧《楚汉传奇》（2012年）：由胡东饰演英布。

• 杭州玄机科技信息技术有限公司制作的中国大陆三维武侠动画《秦时明月》第五季君临天下第24集（2015年）：由张欣担任英布的配音员。