刺客列傳

Cao Mo was a man of Lu who served Duke Zhuang of Lu through his courage and strength. Duke Zhuang admired physical prowess. Cao Mo served as a general of Lu, fought Qi three times, and was defeated every time. Duke Zhuang grew afraid and ceded the territory of Sui to make peace. Yet he still kept Cao Mo as general.

Duke Huan of Qi agreed to meet Duke Zhuang of Lu at Ke for a covenant ceremony. When Duke Huan and Duke Zhuang had taken their places on the altar, Cao Mo seized a dagger and held Duke Huan hostage. None of Duke Huan's attendants dared move. Duke Huan asked: "What do you want?" Cao Mo said: "Qi is strong and Lu is weak, yet your great state has encroached upon Lu grievously. Now Lu's walls are crumbling right up against Qi's border — consider that, my lord." Duke Huan thereupon promised to return all the territory seized from Lu. Once the promise was made, Cao Mo threw down his dagger, descended from the altar, took his place among the ministers facing north, his expression unchanged and his speech as composed as before. Duke Huan was furious and wanted to break the agreement. Guan Zhong said: "You must not. To snatch a petty advantage for momentary satisfaction while abandoning your word before all the lords and losing the support of All-Under-Heaven — better to give it back." Duke Huan therefore returned every parcel of land taken from Lu, and all the territory lost in Cao Mo's three defeats was restored.

One hundred and sixty-seven years later, in Wu there was the affair of Zhuan Zhu.

Zhuan Zhu was a man of Tangyi in Wu. When Wu Zixu fled Chu and came to Wu, he learned of Zhuan Zhu's abilities. Wu Zixu had an audience with King Liao of Wu and urged the advantages of attacking Chu. Prince Guang of Wu said: "Wu Yuan's father and brother were both killed by Chu — his talk of attacking Chu is for his own private revenge, not for Wu's benefit." The King of Wu dropped the plan. Wu Zixu realized that Prince Guang had designs of his own — he wanted to kill King Liao — and said: "Guang has internal ambitions; he cannot be persuaded with external affairs." He therefore recommended Zhuan Zhu to Prince Guang.

Guang's father was King Zhufan of Wu. Zhufan had three younger brothers: Yuzhai, Yimei, and the youngest, Jizha. Zhufan, knowing that Jizha was the most capable, did not designate a crown prince but passed the throne through his brothers in succession, intending that the kingship would ultimately reach Jizha. When Zhufan died, the throne passed to Yuzhai. When Yuzhai died, it passed to Yimei. When Yimei died, it should have passed to Jizha, but Jizha fled and refused to take the throne. The men of Wu then installed Yimei's son Liao as king. Prince Guang said: "If succession follows the order of brothers, then Jizha should be king. If it must go to a son, then I am the legitimate heir and should be king." He therefore secretly cultivated strategists to pursue his claim.

Having secured Zhuan Zhu, Guang treated him with the finest hospitality. Nine years passed, and King Ping of Chu died. In the spring, King Liao of Wu wished to exploit Chu's mourning and sent his two half-brothers, Princes Gaiyu and Zhuyong, to lead an army to besiege Qian in Chu. He sent Jizha of Yanling to Jin to observe the response of the lords. Chu dispatched forces to cut off the retreat of the Wu generals Gaiyu and Zhuyong, and the Wu army could not return. Prince Guang said to Zhuan Zhu: "This chance must not be lost — if we do not seize it, what will we gain? Moreover, I am the rightful heir and should be king. Even if Jizha returns, he will not depose me." Zhuan Zhu said: "King Liao can be killed. His mother is old, his son is young, and his two brothers have taken the army to attack Chu while Chu has cut their line of retreat. At present, Wu is pressed from without by Chu and hollow within, with no ministers of backbone. No one can stop us." Prince Guang bowed his head to the ground and said: "My life is yours."

On the bingzi day of the fourth month, Guang concealed armored soldiers in a cellar and prepared a banquet for King Liao. King Liao deployed soldiers from his palace all the way to Guang's house. At every gate, stairway, and entrance, the guards were King Liao's own kinsmen, standing on both sides with long halberds. When the wine was flowing freely, Prince Guang feigned a foot ailment and withdrew to the cellar. He had Zhuan Zhu conceal a dagger inside the belly of a roasted fish and present it. When the dish reached the king, Zhuan Zhu split the fish open, seized the dagger, and stabbed King Liao. The king died instantly. The guards killed Zhuan Zhu in turn, and the royal household fell into chaos. Prince Guang released his concealed troops and attacked King Liao's followers, annihilating them all. He then proclaimed himself king — this was King Helu. Helu enfeoffed Zhuan Zhu's son as a senior minister.

More than seventy years later, in Jin there was the affair of Yu Rang.

Yu Rang was a man of Jin who had formerly served the Fan and Zhonghang clans, but never gained recognition. He left them and served Zhi Bo, who greatly honored and favored him. When Zhi Bo attacked Zhao Xiangzi, Zhao Xiangzi conspired with Han and Wei to destroy Zhi Bo, and after destroying him they divided his lands among themselves. Zhao Xiangzi bore the deepest grudge against Zhi Bo and had his skull lacquered and made into a drinking cup. Yu Rang fled into the mountains and said: "Alas! A man dies for the one who truly knows him, just as a woman adorns herself for the one who delights in her. Zhi Bo truly knew me. I must die avenging him — then my spirit will have nothing to be ashamed of." He changed his name, disguised himself as a convict laborer, entered the palace, and plastered the privy, concealing a dagger on his person, intending to stab Zhao Xiangzi. When Zhao Xiangzi went to the privy, he felt a sudden unease. He seized and questioned the convict plastering the walls — it was Yu Rang, with a weapon hidden on him. Yu Rang said: "I wished to avenge Zhi Bo!" The attendants wanted to kill him. Zhao Xiangzi said: "He is a man of honor. I shall simply take care to avoid him. Zhi Bo is dead and has no heirs, yet his subject seeks to avenge him — this man is one of the worthiest in All-Under-Heaven." He released him.

Some time later, Yu Rang lacquered his body to raise sores, swallowed charcoal to make himself mute, and so transformed his appearance that he was unrecognizable. He begged in the marketplace. His own wife did not know him. He encountered a friend, who recognized him and said: "Are you not Yu Rang?" He said: "I am." His friend wept and said: "With your abilities, if you pledged yourself as a subject of Zhao Xiangzi, he would surely take you into his confidence. Once in his confidence, you could do as you wished — would that not be easier? Why mutilate your body and torture your form to seek revenge on Zhao Xiangzi? Is that not impossibly hard?" Yu Rang said: "If I pledged myself as his subject and then sought to kill him, that would be serving my lord with a divided heart. What I am doing is indeed the hardest course! But my purpose in doing it is to shame all those in generations to come who serve their lords with divided hearts."

Some time after this, Zhao Xiangzi was about to go out. Yu Rang hid beneath a bridge the lord would cross. When Zhao Xiangzi reached the bridge, his horse shied. Zhao Xiangzi said: "This must be Yu Rang." He sent men to investigate — indeed it was Yu Rang. Zhao Xiangzi confronted him: "Did you not once serve the Fan and Zhonghang clans? Zhi Bo destroyed them utterly, yet you did not seek revenge for them. Instead you pledged yourself to Zhi Bo. Now Zhi Bo too is dead — why do you seek revenge for him alone with such intensity?" Yu Rang replied: "When I served the Fan and Zhonghang clans, they treated me as an ordinary man — so I repaid them as an ordinary man. As for Zhi Bo, he treated me as the finest man in the state — so I repay him as the finest man in the state." Zhao Xiangzi sighed deeply and wept, saying: "Ah, Yu Rang! Your devotion to Zhi Bo has already won you an enduring name, and I have already pardoned you once — that should suffice. Make your own arrangements. I will not release you again." He had soldiers surround him. Yu Rang said: "I have heard that an enlightened lord does not suppress another man's noble qualities, and that a loyal subject accepts the duty of dying for his name. Earlier my lord generously pardoned me, and everyone in All-Under-Heaven praised your virtue. Today I accept my execution. But I beg to strike my lord's robe, to fulfill the intent of my vengeance — then I would die without regret. I dare not hope for this, but I lay bare my heart." Zhao Xiangzi, deeply moved by his sense of honor, had an attendant bring his robe to Yu Rang. Yu Rang drew his sword, leaped three times, and struck the robe, crying: "Now I can go below and face Zhi Bo!" He fell upon his sword and killed himself. On the day of his death, every man of resolve in Zhao wept for him.

More than forty years later, in Zhi there was the affair of Nie Zheng.

Nie Zheng was a man of the Deep Well district in Zhi. Having killed a man and needing to evade retribution, he fled with his mother and elder sister to Qi, where he worked as a butcher.

Some time later, Yan Zhongzi of Puyang, who served Marquis Ai of Han, had a feud with the Han minister Xia Lei. Fearing execution, Yan Zhongzi fled and traveled among the lords seeking someone who could take vengeance on Xia Lei. Coming to Qi, he heard that Nie Zheng was a brave and daring warrior hiding among the butchers to avoid an enemy. Yan Zhongzi went to his door repeatedly, then at last prepared a banquet and presented himself before Nie Zheng's mother. When the wine was flowing, Yan Zhongzi offered a hundred yi of gold as a birthday gift for Nie Zheng's mother. Nie Zheng was startled by such extravagance and firmly declined. Yan Zhongzi pressed him. Nie Zheng said: "I am fortunate that my old mother is still alive. My family is poor, and I work as a dog-butcher in a foreign land so that I can procure delicacies to nourish her day and night. Since she is well provided for, I dare not accept your gift." Yan Zhongzi dismissed the attendants and spoke to Nie Zheng privately: "I have an enemy. I have traveled among the lords far and wide. But when I reached Qi, I heard that your sense of honor is very high. The hundred gold pieces were meant for your mother's basic expenses, so that I might earn your friendship — I would not dare to make a request." Nie Zheng said: "The reason I have lowered my ambitions and endured the shame of living as a butcher in the marketplace is solely to care for my old mother. While my mother lives, I dare not pledge my life to another." Yan Zhongzi pressed again, but Nie Zheng would not accept. Yan Zhongzi completed the courtesies of host and guest and departed.

Much later, Nie Zheng's mother died. After the burial and mourning period, Nie Zheng said: "Alas! I am a man of the marketplace, plying the butcher's knife. Yet Yan Zhongzi is a minister of the lords, and he came a thousand li, turning his chariot aside to befriend me. What I offered in return was shallow indeed — I performed no great deed worthy of mention. Yet Yan Zhongzi presented a hundred gold pieces as a gift for my mother. Though I did not accept, what this shows is that he truly understood me. When a worthy man, driven by passionate resentment, places his trust in an obscure and lowly man — how can I remain silent? Moreover, when he previously sought me out, I refused only because of my mother. Now my mother has lived out her natural span. I will serve the one who knew me." He traveled west to Puyang and said to Yan Zhongzi: "The reason I refused you before was solely that my mother was alive. Now she has died at her natural age. Who is the man you wish to take vengeance upon? I am at your service!" Yan Zhongzi told him the full story: "My enemy is Xia Lei, the Minister of Han. Xia Lei is also an uncle of the ruler of Han. His clan is large and powerful, and his residence is heavily guarded. I have tried to have him assassinated but never succeeded. Now that you do not disdain me, allow me to provide you with carriages, horsemen, and warriors to serve as your support." Nie Zheng said: "Han and Wei are not far apart. To kill a state's minister — and one who is the ruler's own kinsman — many men cannot be used. With many men, something will go wrong. If something goes wrong, word will leak. If word leaks, the entire state of Han will become your enemy — is that not perilous?" He declined the carriages and men, and departed alone.

Carrying his sword, he traveled to Han. Minister Xia Lei was seated in his office, with armed guards thickly arrayed around him. Nie Zheng charged straight in, ascended the steps, and stabbed Xia Lei to death. The attendants fell into chaos. Nie Zheng roared and cut down dozens of them. Then he flayed his own face, gouged out his eyes, sliced open his belly, and pulled out his entrails, dying where he stood.

Han took Nie Zheng's body and exposed it in the marketplace, offering a reward for anyone who could identify him. No one knew who he was. Han posted the notice with a reward of a thousand gold pieces for anyone who could name the man who had killed Minister Xia Lei. For a long time, no one came forward.

Nie Zheng's elder sister Rong heard that someone had assassinated the Minister of Han, that the assassin could not be identified, that the state did not know his name, and that his body was on display with a thousand gold bounty. She said in grief: "Could it be my brother? Alas — Yan Zhongzi knew my brother!" She set out at once for Han, went to the marketplace, and found that the dead man was indeed Nie Zheng. She threw herself on the body and wept bitterly, crying: "This is the man called Nie Zheng, of the Deep Well district in Zhi!" The people in the marketplace said: "This man brutally murdered our minister. The king has posted a thousand-gold reward for his identity. Have you not heard? How dare you come and claim him?" Nie Rong answered: "I have heard. But the reason my brother endured shame and degraded himself among the market butchers was that our old mother was still alive and I was not yet married. Now that our mother has lived out her natural span and I am married, Yan Zhongzi looked into my brother's wretched circumstances and befriended him — his kindness was immense. What could be done? A man dies for the one who knows him. He mutilated his face only because I was still alive, to cut off the trail that might lead to me. How can I fear death and the destruction of my body, if it means erasing the name of my worthy brother?" The people of the Han marketplace were astounded. She cried out to heaven three times, then collapsed in grief and died beside her brother's body.

When the people of Jin, Chu, Qi, and Wei heard of this, they all said: "It was not Nie Zheng alone who was extraordinary — his sister too was a woman of fierce resolve. If Nie Zheng had known that his sister would not meekly endure, that she would not shrink from the danger of exposing his body, and would travel a thousand li through peril to proclaim his name — so that both brother and sister would die displayed in the Han marketplace — then he might not have dared pledge his life to Yan Zhongzi at all. Yan Zhongzi too may be called a man who understood people and could win over men of worth!"

More than two hundred and twenty years later, in Qin there was the affair of Jing Ke.

Jing Ke was a man of Wei. His ancestors were from Qi and had moved to Wei, where people called him Qing Qing. When he went to Yan, the Yan people called him Master Jing.

Master Jing loved reading and swordsmanship. He tried to present his ideas to Lord Yuan of Wei, but Lord Yuan did not use him. Later, Qin conquered Wei and established the Eastern Commandery, relocating Lord Yuan's collateral kinsmen to Yewang.

Jing Ke once passed through Yuci and discussed swordsmanship with Gai Nie. Gai Nie grew angry and stared him down. Jing Ke left. Someone suggested calling him back. Gai Nie said: "When we discussed swords, there was something he said that was not right, so I fixed him with my gaze. Go check — he should have left, not daring to stay." A messenger was sent to his lodging, and indeed Jing Ke had already harnessed his horses and departed Yuci. The messenger returned and reported. Gai Nie said: "Of course he left. I cowed him with my look."

Jing Ke visited Handan, where Lu Goujian played a board game with him. They quarreled over a move, and Lu Goujian shouted at him angrily. Jing Ke said nothing and slipped away. They never met again.

When Jing Ke reached Yan, he grew fond of a dog butcher there and of Gao Jianli, a skilled player of the zhu. Jing Ke loved wine. Every day he drank with the dog butcher and Gao Jianli in the Yan marketplace. When the wine had taken hold, Gao Jianli would play the zhu and Jing Ke would sing along, right there in the market — delighting in each other, and then weeping together, as though no one else existed. Though Jing Ke moved in the company of drinkers, his nature was deep and reserved, and he loved books. In all his travels among the lords, he had formed bonds with every worthy, heroic, and venerable man he met. When he came to Yan, the reclusive scholar Master Tian Guang also received him warmly, recognizing that he was no ordinary man.

Shortly afterward, Crown Prince Dan of Yan, who had been held hostage in Qin, escaped and returned to Yan. Crown Prince Dan had previously been a hostage in Zhao. King Zheng of Qin had been born in Zhao, and as boys the two had been friends. But when Zheng became King of Qin and Dan was sent as hostage to Qin, the King of Qin treated Crown Prince Dan badly. Dan therefore bore a grudge and escaped home. Upon his return he sought someone who could take vengeance on the King of Qin, but Yan was small and lacked the strength. Thereafter Qin sent armies east year after year to attack Qi, Chu, and the Three Jin, nibbling away at the lords' territories. The threat was reaching Yan, and the court of Yan was gripped by fear. Crown Prince Dan, deeply troubled, consulted his tutor Ju Wu. Ju Wu replied: "Qin's territory spans All-Under-Heaven. It menaces Han, Wei, and Zhao. To the north it has the strongholds of Ganquan and Gukou; to the south, the fertile lands of the Jing and Wei Rivers. It commands the wealth of Ba and Han, the mountains of Long and Shu on the right, and the barrier of the Pass and Xiao on the left. Its people are numerous and its soldiers fierce — it has arms to spare. If it sets its mind on action, then everything from south of the Long Wall to north of the Yi River is uncertain. How can you, nursing the resentment of one who has been humiliated, dare to brush against the dragon's scales?" Dan said: "Then what course is there?" Ju Wu answered: "Let me go in and think on it."

After some time, the Qin general Fan Yuqi, having offended the King of Qin, fled to Yan. The Crown Prince received him and gave him shelter. Ju Wu remonstrated: "This cannot be done. The King of Qin's cruelty and his accumulated rage against Yan are enough to make one's blood run cold — and now he will learn where General Fan is? This is what they call 'placing raw meat in the path of a hungry tiger.' The calamity will be beyond repair! Even Guan Zhong and Yanzi could not devise a strategy for this. I beg you to send General Fan into the Xiongnu at once to remove the pretext. Then forge an alliance with the Three Jin to the west, link up with Qi and Chu to the south, and negotiate with the Shanyu to the north — only then may we plan further." The Crown Prince said: "The Grand Tutor's plan would take far too long. My heart is in turmoil — I cannot wait even a moment. Moreover, this is not merely about strategy. General Fan, desperate and with nowhere to turn in All-Under-Heaven, entrusted himself to me. I will not, under pressure from mighty Qin, cast aside a friend I have pitied and sheltered, sending him to the Xiongnu. That would be the end of me. I beg the Grand Tutor to think again." Ju Wu said: "To seek safety through dangerous action, to invite disaster while hoping for good fortune, with shallow plans and deep resentments, clinging to one man's friendship without regard for the great harm to the state — this is what they call 'funding resentment and fueling disaster.' A goose feather set on a bed of hot coals will be gone in an instant. And against a Qin as fierce as a hawk, raging with violent anger — what more is there to say? In Yan there is Master Tian Guang, a man of deep intelligence and steady courage. He is one you can consult." The Crown Prince said: "Could you introduce me to Master Tian?" Ju Wu said: "I shall." He went out to see Master Tian Guang and said: "The Crown Prince wishes to discuss affairs of state with you." Tian Guang said: "I respectfully comply." He went to the palace.

The Crown Prince came out to greet him, walking backward to lead the way, and knelt to brush off the mat for him. When Tian Guang was seated and they were alone, the Crown Prince left his mat and said: "Yan and Qin cannot both stand. I hope you will give this your attention." Tian Guang said: "I have heard that a fine steed in its prime can gallop a thousand li in a single day, but when it grows old, a nag can outrun it. The Crown Prince has heard of me in my prime, but does not know that my vitality has faded. Even so, I dare not presume to plan affairs of state. The man I recommend is my friend Master Jing — he can be employed." The Crown Prince said: "Could I form a connection with Master Jing through you?" Tian Guang said: "I shall." He rose and hurried out. The Crown Prince escorted him to the gate and cautioned him: "What I have reported to you and what you have said — these are affairs of state. I beg you not to let this leak." Tian Guang bowed his head and smiled: "I will not." Stooping with age, he went to see Jing Ke and said: "You and I are close friends — everyone in Yan knows this. The Crown Prince has heard of me in my prime but does not know my body is no longer up to the task. He instructed me, saying: 'Yan and Qin cannot both stand — I hope you will give this your attention.' Presuming on our friendship, I spoke of you to the Crown Prince. I hope you will visit him at the palace." Jing Ke said: "I shall respectfully comply." Tian Guang said: "I have heard that when a man of character acts, he does not leave others in doubt. The Crown Prince told me: 'These are affairs of state — I beg you not to let this leak.' That means the Crown Prince doubts me. To act in a way that leaves others doubting you is not the way of a man of honor." He wished to kill himself to steel Jing Ke's resolve. He said: "I beg you to go to the Crown Prince at once and tell him that Tian Guang is dead — proof that I did not speak." He then cut his own throat and died.

Jing Ke then went to see the Crown Prince and told him of Tian Guang's death, delivering his final words. The Crown Prince bowed twice, fell to his knees, and crawled forward on them, weeping. After a long pause he spoke: "The reason I cautioned Master Tian not to speak was to safeguard the great plan. That Master Tian chose death to prove his silence — how could that have been my wish?" When Jing Ke was seated, the Crown Prince left his mat, touched his forehead to the ground, and said: "Master Tian, not knowing how unworthy I am, sent you to me. I dare to speak of my concerns — this must be Heaven's pity on Yan, not abandoning this orphan state. Qin's greed knows no limit. It will not be satisfied until it has swallowed every inch of land and subjugated every ruler within the seas. Qin has already captured the King of Han and absorbed all his territory. It has sent armies south against Chu and north against Zhao. Wang Jian leads hundreds of thousands along the Zhang and Ye, while Li Xin advances from Taiyuan and Yunzhong. Zhao cannot withstand Qin and must submit — and once Zhao submits, the disaster reaches Yan. Yan is small and weak, repeatedly exhausted by war. By my reckoning, even our entire state cannot stand against Qin. The lords all submit to Qin; none dares to form a vertical alliance. My foolish private plan is this: if I can get the bravest warrior in All-Under-Heaven to go to Qin, dangling rich bait — the King of Qin is greedy and will certainly take it — then if we can seize the King of Qin and force him to return all the territory seized from the lords, as Cao Mo did with Duke Huan of Qi, that would be best. If that proves impossible, then kill him. With Qin's great generals abroad commanding armies and chaos within, ruler and ministers will distrust one another, and the lords will seize the moment to form their alliance — then breaking Qin is certain. This is my highest hope, but I do not know to whom to entrust it. I beg you to consider it." After a long silence, Jing Ke said: "This is a great matter of state. I am dull and unworthy — I fear I am not equal to the task." The Crown Prince came forward, bowed his head to the ground, and urgently begged him not to decline. At last Jing Ke consented. The Crown Prince honored him as a Senior Minister, lodged him in the finest quarters, visited his gate daily, served the Grand Sacrifice, presented rare gifts, and furnished carriages, horses, and beautiful women — whatever Jing Ke wished — to satisfy his every desire.

A long time passed, and Jing Ke still showed no sign of setting out. The Qin general Wang Jian had destroyed Zhao, captured the King of Zhao, absorbed all its territory, and was advancing north to the southern border of Yan. Crown Prince Dan, terrified, said to Jing Ke: "Qin's army will cross the Yi River any day now — even if I wished to attend you forever, how could I?" Jing Ke said: "Even without the Crown Prince's words, I would have wished to go. But if I go without credentials, Qin will not grant me access. General Fan's head — the King of Qin has offered a thousand catties of gold and a fief of ten thousand households for it. If I can obtain General Fan's head along with the map of Yan's Dukang territory and present them to the King of Qin, he will surely be pleased to receive me, and then I will have my chance." The Crown Prince said: "General Fan came to me in desperate straits. I cannot bear to sacrifice a worthy man's trust for my own purposes. I beg you to think of another way."

Jing Ke knew the Crown Prince could not bring himself to do it, so he went privately to see Fan Yuqi: "Qin's treatment of the General has been cruel beyond measure — your parents and clan have all been slaughtered. Now I hear there is a bounty of a thousand catties of gold and ten thousand households for your head. What will you do?" Fan Yuqi looked up to heaven, drew a deep breath, and wept: "Every time I think of it, the pain penetrates to my marrow. But I have no plan." Jing Ke said: "I have a proposal that can relieve Yan's peril and avenge the General's wrongs. What do you say?" Fan Yuqi stepped forward: "What is it?" Jing Ke said: "I wish to take the General's head and present it to the King of Qin. The King of Qin will surely be pleased and grant me an audience. I will seize his sleeve with my left hand and stab him in the chest with my right. Then the General's revenge will be accomplished and Yan's humiliation erased. Would the General consider this?" Fan Yuqi bared one shoulder, gripped his wrist, and stepped forward: "This is what I have been grinding my teeth and burning with anguish over day and night — and now I hear the way!" He cut his own throat. When the Crown Prince heard, he rushed to the scene and threw himself on the body, weeping bitterly. But what was done could not be undone. He placed Fan Yuqi's head in a box and sealed it.

The Crown Prince had meanwhile sought the sharpest dagger in All-Under-Heaven and obtained one made by the Zhao craftsman known as Master Xu. He paid a hundred gold pieces for it and had an artisan temper it with poison. When tested on a man, the blood soaked a single thread of silk and the victim died instantly. They prepared Jing Ke for departure. In Yan there was a brave youth named Qin Wuyang, who at thirteen had killed a man — no one dared look him in the eye. He was assigned as Jing Ke's second. But Jing Ke was waiting for someone else, wishing to take that person along. The man lived far away and had not yet arrived, and meanwhile the preparations for departure were completed. Time passed and Jing Ke still had not set out. The Crown Prince grew impatient, suspected he had changed his mind, and said: "The days are running out. Does Master Jing still intend to go? Allow me to send Qin Wuyang ahead." Jing Ke was furious and rebuked the Crown Prince: "What is the Crown Prince sending? To go and not return — that is the work of a boy! I am carrying a single dagger into the unfathomable might of Qin. The reason I have delayed is that I am waiting for a companion to come with me. Since the Crown Prince thinks I am stalling — very well, I take my leave now!" He departed.

The Crown Prince and all the guests who knew of the plan wore white caps and robes to see him off. At the bank of the Yi River, after the road sacrifice was performed and they were about to set out, Gao Jianli struck the zhu and Jing Ke sang along, in the mournful bianzhi mode. Every warrior wept. Then Jing Ke came forward and sang:

"The wind sighs, sighs — the Yi River is cold. The warrior departs — and will not return!"

Then the music shifted to the fierce yu mode, stirring and passionate. Every warrior's eyes blazed, and their hair stood on end beneath their caps. Jing Ke mounted his chariot and drove away. He never looked back.

They reached Qin. Carrying gifts worth a thousand gold pieces, Jing Ke lavished bribes on Meng Jia, a favored attendant of the King of Qin. Meng Jia spoke to the king first: "The King of Yan truly trembles before Your Majesty's power. He dares not raise arms against your officers. He wishes to submit his entire state as an inner vassal, ranked among the lords, paying tribute and performing services like a commandery — so that he may preserve the ancestral temples of his forebears. In fear and trepidation, he dares not present his case in person. He has respectfully beheaded Fan Yuqi and offers the map of Yan's Dukang territory, sealed in a box. The King of Yan bowed in farewell at his court and sends this envoy to inform Your Majesty. All is at Your Majesty's command." The King of Qin was greatly pleased. He donned his court robes, arranged the ceremony of the Nine Guests, and received the Yan envoy in the Xianyang Palace. Jing Ke bore the box containing Fan Yuqi's head, while Qin Wuyang bore the map case. They advanced in order. At the steps of the throne, Qin Wuyang's face changed color and he shook with terror. The ministers stared. Jing Ke glanced back and smiled at Wuyang, then stepped forward with an apology: "He is a rough man from the northern frontier who has never seen the Son of Heaven. That is why he trembles. May Your Majesty indulge him briefly, so that he may complete his mission before you." The King of Qin said to Jing Ke: "Bring me the map that Wuyang is holding." Jing Ke took the map and presented it. The King of Qin unrolled it. As the map reached its end, the dagger appeared. Jing Ke seized the king's sleeve with his left hand and grabbed the dagger with his right to stab him. Before the blade reached the king's body, the king started back and leaped to his feet — the sleeve tore away. He reached for his sword, but the sword was long and caught in its scabbard. In his frantic haste, the blade was stuck fast and would not come free. Jing Ke chased the King of Qin. The king ran around a pillar. The ministers were all stunned — the crisis had erupted without warning and they lost all composure. Under Qin law, ministers attending in the hall were not permitted to carry so much as an inch of blade. The armed guards were all posted below the hall and could not ascend without a royal summons. In the emergency there was no time to summon them, and so Jing Ke chased the king. In the panic, with nothing to strike Jing Ke with, they tried to grapple him with their bare hands. At that moment the royal physician Xia Wuqie hurled his medicine bag at Jing Ke. The King of Qin was still running around the pillar, frantic and bewildered, when his attendants cried: "Your Majesty — sling the sword to your back!" He slung it to his back, drew it, and struck Jing Ke, severing his left thigh. Jing Ke collapsed. He hurled his dagger at the king — it missed, striking a bronze pillar. The king struck Jing Ke again. Jing Ke sustained eight wounds. Knowing the mission had failed, he leaned against the pillar and laughed, then sat with legs spread and cursed: "The reason I failed is that I wanted to seize you alive and force a treaty, to repay the Crown Prince." The attendants then rushed forward and killed him. The King of Qin was unsettled for a long time afterward. When merit was assessed, the ministers and those who had been involved were rewarded according to their rank. The physician Xia Wuqie was given two hundred yi of gold, with the words: "Wuqie showed his devotion to me by hurling his medicine bag at Jing Ke."

The King of Qin was enraged. He dispatched additional armies toward Zhao and ordered Wang Jian's forces to attack Yan. Within ten months they took Ji, the Yan capital. King Xi of Yan, Crown Prince Dan, and others retreated east with their best troops to Liaodong. The Qin general Li Xin pressed the pursuit. The King of Dai, Jia, sent a letter to King Xi of Yan: "The reason Qin pursues Yan so relentlessly is because of Crown Prince Dan. If Your Majesty kills Dan and presents his head to the King of Qin, the King of Qin will surely relent, and the state may yet survive." When Li Xin closed in, Crown Prince Dan hid among the marshes of the Yan River. The King of Yan sent men to behead Crown Prince Dan, intending to present the head to Qin. Qin continued its advance regardless. Five years later, Qin finally destroyed Yan and captured King Xi.

The following year, Qin unified All-Under-Heaven and established the title of Emperor. Qin then hunted down the associates of Crown Prince Dan and Jing Ke. All of them fled. Gao Jianli changed his name and hired himself out as a laborer, working in hiding at Songzi. After a long time of toil, he heard a guest playing the zhu in his employer's hall and could not bear to leave. Each time, he would say: "That passage was good; that one was not." A servant told the master: "That laborer knows music — he keeps commenting on the playing." The master summoned him to play. The entire room praised his skill and offered him wine. Gao Jianli reflected that he could not live in hiding and fear forever. He withdrew, brought out his own zhu and fine clothes from his traveling case, changed his appearance, and came forward. The entire company was astonished. They stepped down to greet him as an equal and seated him in the place of honor. He played the zhu and sang, and not a single guest left without tears. Word of him spread through Songzi and reached the First Emperor. The First Emperor summoned him. Someone who recognized him said: "That is Gao Jianli." The Emperor, valuing his musical skill, spared his life but had his eyes put out. He had Gao Jianli play the zhu, and the Emperor always praised the music. Gradually he allowed him closer. Gao Jianli then filled his zhu with lead. When he was next admitted close to the Emperor, he swung the zhu at the First Emperor — but missed. Gao Jianli was executed. The Emperor never again allowed anyone from the former lords' states near his person.

Lu Goujian, upon hearing that Jing Ke had attempted to assassinate the King of Qin, said privately: "Alas, what a pity that he did not master the art of the stabbing sword! How wrong I was in my judgment of the man! When I berated him that day, he must have thought me beneath contempt!"

The Grand Historian comments: Popular accounts of Jing Ke claim that Crown Prince Dan's mission was foretold by signs — that heaven rained grain and horses grew horns — but this is excessive. Others say Jing Ke wounded the King of Qin — this too is wrong. I learned the true facts from Gongsun Jigong and Master Dong, who had known the physician Xia Wuqie personally and told me the story as it happened. From Cao Mo to Jing Ke, these five men — some succeeded in their purpose and some did not. But their intentions were clear and plain. They did not betray their own convictions, and their names have been handed down to posterity. Is this not fitting?

Cao Mo swore the covenant at Ke and restored Lu's lost land. Zhuan Zhu presented the roasted fish and secured the usurper's throne. The sister wept in the marketplace to proclaim her brother; the avenger plastered the privy to repay his lord. One cut his throat to clear the way; another seized a sleeve to strike. Fearsome Qin was shaken to its core, and even cowards found their courage.