What was the reason why Jing Ke failed to assassinate King Qin?

1. Short-sighted and suspicious nature

According to records, Prince Dan of Yan was a hostage in the Qin State and suffered humiliation. After escaping back to the Yan State, he wanted to take revenge on the King of Qin, so he At this time, Qin State General Fan Yuqi offended the King of Qin and was hunted down by the King of Qin, who killed his entire clan. He escaped alone and fled to the State of Yan. Prince Dan of Yan took him in and became the Taifu. After Ju Wu heard about it, he urged Prince Dan of Yan not to take Fan Yuqi in, otherwise he would have a grudge with the Qin State, which would be detrimental to the Yan State. He could let Fan Yuqi join the Xiongnu, and then the Yan State should treat the three Jin Dynasties in the west and make peace with the north. Shanyu made peace to resist the Qin soldiers, but Prince Dan did not listen, thinking that this would appear to be unkind. Moreover, the second plan was delayed for too long, and he could not immediately avenge me for being captured in Qin.

Ju Wu had no choice but to recommend Tian Guang to Prince Dan of Yan. Because of his old age, Tian Guang recommended Jing Ke to Prince Dan of Yan. Prince Dan of Yan was overjoyed, but when Prince Dan came to Yan, As he was leaving, he warned Tian Guang, "What Dan has reported is exactly what you said. It is an important matter for the country. I hope you will not divulge it." Leak. As soon as Prince Dan of Yan left, Tian Guang made his final confession to Jing Ke, and then committed suicide to prove his innocence and loyalty with his death. This is enough to show that Prince Dan of Yan was eager for quick success and suspicious of his character. His character paved the way for Jing Ke's failure to assassinate Qin.

2. Illusionism and unrealism

When Prince Dan of Yan met Jing Ke for the first time, he explained his plan to Jing Ke. Prince Dan of Yan wanted Jing Ke to assassinate King Qin. , first coerce the King of Qin, forcing the King of Qin to return the lands of the vassal states, and then kill the King of Qin if the coercion fails. Such an idea is obviously absurd. He wanted to kill the King of Qin and also wanted to coerce the King of Qin. The focus of Jing Ke's assassination of Qin became to coerce the King of Qin, thus disrupting Jing Ke's position.

According to "Historical Records", after Jing Ke failed to assassinate Qin, he was slashed by the King of Qin. Jing Ke leaned on a pillar and laughed, while Ji Ju scolded: "Those who fail to do things because they want to cause disaster must get the contract." To repay the prince. "This is probably the most important reason why Jing Ke failed to assassinate Qin.

3. Too much suspicion will prevent great achievements

From the incident of Prince Dan forcing Tian Guang to death, we can see Prince Dan’s suspicion, and his treatment of Jing Ke was no exception. According to "Historical Records", when Jing Ke was about to leave for Qin, he wanted to wait for someone to go with him. However, Prince Dan of Yan suspected that he had regrets, so he asked again: "The sun is over, how can Jing Qing be interested?" "Dan please send Qin Wuyang first."

This was obviously to force Jing Ke to leave quickly. After hearing this, Jing Ke was furious and scolded the prince, saying: "What is the prince sending? Anyone who goes without turning back is a fool! Let's mention it." A dagger enters the unexpected Qin Dynasty. If you stay here, please stay with me.

The prince is late, please resign!" After Jing Ke said this, he set off. This reflects from the side that Jing Ke was forced to leave by Prince Dan of Yan before he was fully prepared. If Jing Ke had waited for his friends and everything was ready, then the success or failure of Jing Ke's assassination of Qin would not be certain.

Throughout history, what Prince Dan of Yan did did all affect the success of Jing Ke’s assassination of Qin. Although Prince Dan of Yan planned the plan to assassinate Qin, his eagerness for quick success and suspicious character, It also indirectly led to the failure of Jing Ke's assassination of Qin, leaving future generations with endless sighs.

Extended information:

"Jing Ke Assassins the King of Qin" comes from "Warring States Policy·Yan Ce III", which records the tragic historical story of Jing Ke's assassination of the King of Qin during the Warring States Period, reflecting the political situation at that time. The social and political situation reflects Jing Ke's spirit of valuing justice over life, resisting the tyranny of the Qin Dynasty, and having the courage to sacrifice. The article expresses the character through a series of plots and dialogues, actions, expressions, demeanor, etc., and creates the image of the hero Jingke.

Another view is that at the end of the Warring States Period, the Qin State represented the interests of the emerging landlord class. The old aristocracy, that is, the slave-owning class headed by the kings of the Six Kingdoms, although they were at the end of their days, they were still They are using all their strength, political, military and even despicable assassinations, to make the final struggle, and Jing Ke's assassination of Qin is an outstanding representative of it.

In 227 BC, Jing Ke took Yandukang Tu and Fan Yuqi's head to the State of Qin to assassinate King Yingzheng of Qin.

Before leaving, Prince Dan of Yan and others saw Jing Ke off by the Yishui River. The scene was very tragic. When his friend Gao Jianli was building a building, Jing Ke sang in time: "The wind is rustling and the water is cold. A strong man will never return once he is gone." This is the verse that Jing Ke sang when he said goodbye.

After Jing Ke came to Qin, the King of Qin summoned him in Xianyang Palace. When Jing Ke presented the map of Dukang of Yan, he saw the map, but in the end the assassination attempt failed and he was killed by the guards of the King of Qin. Jing Ke died like this.

Reference: Baidu Encyclopedia-Jing Ke assassinated the King of Qin