Figure 3.1
Qin Shi Huang Di was the first ruler to unify China (See Fig. 3.2 below). He gained the country by war; this caused him to have many enemies even though he was the emperor of China. Even in his 15 year reign he did many projects (like the construction of the Great wall of China or the making of the Terracotta army).
The emperor had many assassination attempts on him but none of these succeeded. One of the assassination attempts was attempted by a man called Jing Ke. He poisoned a sharp dagger to attack the king with. He then concealed the dagger in a scroll which was meant to be presented as a gift to the king.
When the King opened the scroll, Jing Ke immediately seized the revealed dagger and attacked the King, who managed to back away from the thrust, tearing off a sleeve in the process. While the king was running away from the attacker, he attempted to draw his own sword that was hanging from his belt, but was unable to unsheathe the weapon in the hurry as it was a ceremonial sword and these swords are made very long. None of other Qin officials within the range of the assassination attempt were armed and able to stop Jing Ke. Qin had no help as the guards were stationed outside the palace and unable to reach the site in time. In the confusion, Jing Ke began to close in on the King, who struggled to get away from the assassin and was now placing a pillar between him and the assassin.
Seeing the king is in grave danger, a royal physician named Xia Wuqie (夏無且) grabbed his medicine bag and threw it at Jing Ke with as much strength as he could muster. This slowed down the assassin just enough to allow the king to recover some distance. Reminded by cries from other officials, the King managed to shift the sword behind his back and draw it out over the shoulder. He then immediately rushed at Jing Ke and then he hit him in the thigh, effectively immobilizing him. Jing Ke, out of a desperate last attempt, threw his dagger towards the King but missed the target. The King then proceeded to stab Jing Ke eight more times, mortally wounding him. At this point, the guards finally arrived to help finish off Jing Ke. After the ordeal settled, the Qin King was said to be slouching on his throne paralyzed and it took him a while to recover from all the shock and the adrenaline rush.
Visit this site to see an reenactment video of what the assassination might have looked like,
http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/other-shows/videos/first-emperor-assassin-attempt.htm
Qin Shi Huang Di was the first ruler to unify China (See Fig. 3.2 below). He gained the country by war; this caused him to have many enemies even though he was the emperor of China. Even in his 15 year reign he did many projects (like the construction of the Great wall of China or the making of the Terracotta army).
The emperor had many assassination attempts on him but none of these succeeded. One of the assassination attempts was attempted by a man called Jing Ke. He poisoned a sharp dagger to attack the king with. He then concealed the dagger in a scroll which was meant to be presented as a gift to the king.
When the King opened the scroll, Jing Ke immediately seized the revealed dagger and attacked the King, who managed to back away from the thrust, tearing off a sleeve in the process. While the king was running away from the attacker, he attempted to draw his own sword that was hanging from his belt, but was unable to unsheathe the weapon in the hurry as it was a ceremonial sword and these swords are made very long. None of other Qin officials within the range of the assassination attempt were armed and able to stop Jing Ke. Qin had no help as the guards were stationed outside the palace and unable to reach the site in time. In the confusion, Jing Ke began to close in on the King, who struggled to get away from the assassin and was now placing a pillar between him and the assassin.
Seeing the king is in grave danger, a royal physician named Xia Wuqie (夏無且) grabbed his medicine bag and threw it at Jing Ke with as much strength as he could muster. This slowed down the assassin just enough to allow the king to recover some distance. Reminded by cries from other officials, the King managed to shift the sword behind his back and draw it out over the shoulder. He then immediately rushed at Jing Ke and then he hit him in the thigh, effectively immobilizing him. Jing Ke, out of a desperate last attempt, threw his dagger towards the King but missed the target. The King then proceeded to stab Jing Ke eight more times, mortally wounding him. At this point, the guards finally arrived to help finish off Jing Ke. After the ordeal settled, the Qin King was said to be slouching on his throne paralyzed and it took him a while to recover from all the shock and the adrenaline rush.
Visit this site to see an reenactment video of what the assassination might have looked like,
http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/other-shows/videos/first-emperor-assassin-attempt.htm
Figure 3.2