What does it mean for Xiang Yan to be a general of Chu?

Xiang Yan is a Chu general, from "Chen She Family", excerpt from the original text:

Chen Sheng said: "Ku Jin suffers all over the world. I heard that II had a younger son, but it was not done properly. It was done by his son Fu Su. Fu Su admonished foreign generals with several words. If you are not guilty today, you will be killed by II. Many people have heard of their sages, but they don't know their death. Xiang Yan, the general of Chu, made many contributions and loved foot soldiers. The Chu people pitied him. Or think of death, or think of death. Today, I sincerely call myself Fusu Xiangyan, the son of my people, and sing for the world. I should respond more actively. " Guangwu thinks so. Naixingbu

Translation:

Chen Sheng said: "People all over the world were persecuted by the Qin Dynasty for a long time. I heard that Qin Ershi, the youngest son of Qin Shihuang, should not be an emperor, but a childe Fu Su. Because of Fu's repeated remonstrance, the emperor sent troops abroad. Now some people hear that he is innocent, but Qin Ershi killed him. Most people heard that he was clever, but they didn't know that he was dead.

Xiang Yan is a general of Chu. He has repeatedly made meritorious military service and cared for soldiers. People in Chu love him very much. Some people think he is dead, others think he has run away. Now, if we pretend to be the team of childe Fu Su and Xiang Yan, and call on the people all over the world to jointly fight against the State of Qin, there should be many people responding. "Guangwu thinks he is right. So they went to divination.

Brief introduction of the author

Sima Qian, born in Longmen (xia yang in the Western Han Dynasty, Hancheng in Shaanxi, Hejin in Shanxi), was a historian, writer and thinker in the Western Han Dynasty. Sima Tan's son was appointed Taishiling, and was called Shi Qian, Taishiliong and the father of history by later Buddhas. He created China's first biographical and general Historical Records with the historical knowledge of "studying the relationship between man and nature, learning from the changes of ancient and modern times, and making a family statement".

This book is recognized as a model of China's history books, recording the history of more than 3,000 years from the legendary period of the Yellow Emperor to the first year of founding ceremony, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. It is the first of the "twenty-four histories" and is praised by Lu Xun as "a historian's swan song, and Li Sao has no rhyme."