Jing Ke facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Jing Ke |
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This mural shows Jing Ke's assassination attempt. T
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| Traditional Chinese | 荊軻 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 荆轲 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Jing Ke (died 227 BC) was a brave wandering hero, known as a youxia, during the late Warring States period in Ancient China. He worked for Crown Prince Dan of the Yan state. Jing Ke became famous for his failed attempt to assassinate King Zheng of the Qin state. King Zheng later became Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of the Qin Dynasty. Jing Ke's story is found in a famous historical book called Records of the Grand Historian by Sima Qian.
Contents
Why the Assassination Plot?
In 230 BC, the Qin state started to conquer other states. King Zheng of Qin wanted to unite all of China under his rule. The Qin army was very strong. They had already defeated the Han state, which was the weakest. Two years later, in 228 BC, the powerful Zhao state was also conquered.
The Yan state, located northeast of Zhao, was the next target for Qin. To try and keep peace, King Xi of Yan had sent his son, Crown Prince Dan, to Qin as a diplomatic hostage. But Prince Dan returned, knowing that Qin was much stronger than Yan. He knew Qin would attack his state sooner or later.
Jing Ke came from a smaller state called Wey, which Qin had already taken over in 239 BC. He was well-educated and skilled in swordsmanship. Jing Ke fled to Yan and met Prince Dan through a youxia named Tian Guang. Prince Dan treated Jing Ke very well. As a last hope, Prince Dan decided to send an assassin to kill the King of Qin. The plan was to either kidnap the king and make him give back land, or kill him. Prince Dan hoped this would cause chaos in Qin, allowing other states to unite against it.
The Assassination Plan
Getting Ready
By 228 BC, the Qin army was close to the Yan state. Jing Ke agreed to go to Qin pretending to be a nobleman seeking mercy. The Qin state wanted a fertile area of Yan called Dukang. The plan was to offer a map of Dukang as a gift to the King of Qin. This would allow Jing Ke to get close to the king.
At this time, a Qin general named Fan Yuqi (also known as Huan Yi) had fallen out of favor with King Zheng. Fan Yuqi wanted revenge against Qin. Jing Ke met with Fan Yuqi, who agreed to the assassination plan. Fan Yuqi even offered his own head to be presented to the King of Qin as a sign of loyalty from Yan, which would help Jing Ke get even closer.
Prince Dan then found a very sharp dagger and made sure it was coated with poison. He gave this special dagger to Jing Ke. To help him, Prince Dan assigned Qin Wuyang as Jing Ke's assistant.
In 227 BC, Prince Dan and other friends wore white clothes to say goodbye to Jing Ke and Qin Wuyang at the Yi River. Jing Ke sang a sad song: "The wind howls, and the waters of the River Yi are cold. Once the hero sets out, he never returns!" The King of Qin heard that visitors were bringing him gifts and agreed to meet them.
The Attempt
Jing Ke hid the poisoned dagger inside the map scroll. He and Qin Wuyang entered the palace as ambassadors from Yan to meet King Zheng. Qin Wuyang became very nervous and almost froze when they entered the palace. Jing Ke quickly made an excuse, saying his partner was just a country boy who had never seen such a grand palace. Qin Wuyang was then stopped from going further into the palace, and Jing Ke was told to present the map alone.
Jing Ke walked up to King Zheng and politely offered the map scroll. As King Zheng unrolled the map, the dagger was revealed. Jing Ke quickly grabbed the dagger, seized the king's sleeve, and attacked him. King Zheng managed to pull away, tearing off his sleeve. As King Zheng ran away from Jing Ke, he tried to pull out his own long ceremonial sword, but it was difficult while running.
No other Qin officials nearby were armed to help the king. The guards were outside the palace and could not get there immediately. Jing Ke started to catch up to the king, who ran around a pillar to escape.
Seeing the king in great danger, a royal doctor named Xia Wuju threw his medicine bag at Jing Ke. This slowed Jing Ke down just enough. It gave King Zheng time to shift his long sword behind his back and finally pull it out. Now armed, the king quickly turned and struck Jing Ke in the thigh, making him unable to move well.
Injured, Jing Ke made a desperate last attempt. He threw his dagger at King Zheng, but it missed. The king then stabbed Jing Ke eight more times, causing fatal wounds. Knowing he had failed, the dying Jing Ke sat down, stretching his legs out (a very rude posture then). He used his last strength to insult King Zheng. At this point, the guards arrived and finished off both Jing Ke and the fleeing Qin Wuyang.
It is said that right after the attack, King Zheng sat on his throne, holding his sword. He was in shock from the adrenaline rush. After a short while, he recovered and thanked the physician Xia Wuju for helping him.
Yan State Falls
After Jing Ke's failed attempt, the Qin army, led by General Wang Jian, attacked the Yan state. In 226 BC, Prince Dan sent his army to fight at Ji, but they were quickly defeated. To try and calm the King of Qin, King Xi of Yan ordered his own son, Prince Dan, to be killed. However, this did not save the Yan state. Qin still conquered and destroyed Yan.
See also
- Gao Jianli
