Threatened by the Qin army approaching the border of Yishui, Prince Dan of Yan tried his best to find a brave assassin, and finally got to know Jing Ke through Tian Guang, a recluse of Yan. Tian Guang called him a “brave” man who could do great things.
The plan to assassinate Qin was carried out in secret. In addition to a map showing a large area of fertile land, it also needed a “gift” that could more please the king of Qin. Otherwise, we could not get close to him. Jing Ke thought of fanyuqi, the traitor of Qin who was offered a reward by the king of Qin for arrest. He was taking refuge in Yan. Jing Ke personally came to the door to lobby, asking him to give up his life and achieve the great cause of assassinating Qin. General fan, whose family was destroyed by the king of Qin, also cut himself with his sword and sacrificed his precious head for revenge. Therefore, general fan’s head was placed in a sealed box, and the highly toxic dagger was cleverly hidden in the map. Jing Ke only waited for a close friend who helped him assassinate Qin to come and set out with his hand.
However, Prince Dan is the spokesman of the noble group after all. He just takes Jing Ke as a victim of his own use. He doubts Jing Ke’s loyalty and urges him to start quickly. He also says that if he hesitates again, he will send Qin Wuyang, a reckless boy who killed people at the age of 13, to the road first. Prince Dan’s words are a great insult to chivalrous men! Jing Ke, calm and resolute, could no longer calm down. He first angrily scolded Prince Edward, and then angrily hurried off.
The results of this trip have been clear to all: Jing Ke’s righteous and heroic sacrifice; The king of Qin panicked and ran for his life. Many people lamented the failure of the assassination of Qin. Some people once believed that Jing Ke’s “swordsmanship is not good”, and even TaoYuanming, a great poet of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, said: “Alas, swordsmanship is sparse, and miraculous achievements fail.” I once believed it.
Recently, after Rereading the biography of the assassin in the historical records and the relevant articles of some famous scholars, we finally understand the reasons for Jing Ke’s failure: first, we rushed out of the battle and failed to wait until Jing Ke’s capable assistant arrived in the state of Yan. Under the pressure of Prince Edward, we let Qin Wuyang, the foolhardy butcher, act as a helper. At the critical moment, we were afraid and confused; Second, there is something wrong with the plan for assassinating Qin made by Prince YAN Dan. He wants to follow the example of Cao Mo, a warrior in the state of Lu, who used a sharp knife to deter Duke Huan of Qi. Jing Ke had better hold and coerce the king of Qin, and order him to promise to return the land of princes of various countries. If he doesn’t, he will assassinate again. It was this choice of kidnapping and assassination, that moment of hesitation at the critical moment, lost the opportunity to assassinate, and left a lasting regret.