 His early life and circumstances are not recorded, but Liu Bang came to place great trust in him and his abilities.The Chu general Xiang Yu defeated Zhang Han at Julu (within present-day Pingxiang County, Xingtai, Hebei) in 207, effectively ending the Qin Empire.Chen joined Liu with 500 conscripts the next year, pledging his loyalty at the beginning of the internecine wars that became known as the Chu–Han Contention.