As the Warring States period drew to a close, Ying Zheng, King of the State of Qin, later known the Emperor Qin Shi Huang, pursued with greater verve the program of conquest by which he was to bring all the states under his rule in 221 B.C. By 227 B.C. Qin had conquered the states of Han and Zhao and was threatening the State of Yan to the northeast along the coast.

Prince Dan, son of the King of Yan, didn't think he had much chance of defending his state, so he decided the best thing to do was to get someone to assassinate Ying Zheng. In fact, he had a special grudge against the King of Qin for he had been captured and held prisoner in Qin for five years before he escaped.

About this time Prince Dan found a new crony. He was Jing Ke, an adventurer from the State of Wei who in his wanderings had come to Yan. There he mingled with the common people, was always ready to help, and soon gained a good reputation. He and the prince took to each other from their first meeting. The prince decided that Jing Ke was the very person to accomplish his end. Courting Jing Ke's favor, the prince had a luxurious palace built for him and the best food sent to him. He visited Jing Ke nearly every day and made his favorite chariot available to him.

One day while the two of them were admiring the fish in a pond, a big turtle surfaced. Jing Ke picked up a pebble and threw it at the turtle. So Prince Dan had some gold pellets made just for Jing Ke to throw at turtles.

Another time when they were out hunting Jing Ke happened to remark on what a tasty dish horse liver was. The prince had his best horse slaughtered and the liver cooked for Jing Ke. All this made a big impression on Jing Ke, He felt he would be willing to do anything for the prince.

Qin troops were massing along Yan's southern border. Prince Dan called Jing Ke in and told him of his hope for saving Yan by killing the King of Qin.

"I've been thinking about that," said Jing Ke. "The problem is to get access to the king." He asked for two things: One was a map of the Dukang district(just southwest of the present Beijing capital district), the most fertile part of Yan, which the King of Qin longed to possess. The other: the head of a man named Yan Yuqi, who had defected from Qin to Yan and was on Qin's wanted list. "If I offer these to the Qin King, he will certainly meet me personally and then I'll have the chance to assassinate him. "said Jing Ke.

While the prince prepared a map of Dukang, Jing Ke went to Fan Yuqi's home and told him of the assassination plot. He convinced Fan that giving up his head would be a great service to Yan and afford him a chance to avenge himself against Qin. Fan cut his own throat and Jing Ke took his head. The prince gave Jing Ke a dagger with a poisoned blade and assigned another well-known bravo, Qin Wuyang, to accompany him.

The two arrived in the state of Qin and soon gained an audience with the king. But when they got in Jing Ke's companion lost his nerve. His hands started tremble. This aroused the king's suspicion but JIng Ke explained that this was because he was overawed in the royal presence.

Carrying a wooden box containing the head, and the map scroll with the poisoned dagger rolled up inside it, Jing Ke approached the king. When he unrolled the map, the dagger was revealed. As the king stepped back, Jing Ke leaped at him, grabbed him by the sleeve and pointed the dagger at him. the king jerked away and the dagger only tore his sleeve.

The king leaped behind a pillar with Jing Ke after him, Long in fear of his life, the king had ordered that no one could enter the throne room with a weapon, so his retainers were all unarmed. But the king's personal physician tried to get between them with his bag of medicine, and this gave the king a moment 's respite. The king pulled out his sword and severed Jing Ke's left leg. With a last desperate fling, Jing Ke threw the dagger at the king, but he missed. The guards rushed in from outside and killed Jing Ke and his accomplice, and the plot came to naught.

From this story in Chinese history comes a well-known figure of speech: "When the map is rolled, the dagger is revealed," meaning that a person's evil intentions are finally exposed. After the incident Qin's forces drove down on Yan. Reaching its capital next year, Ying Zheng forced the King of Yan to have his own son Prince Dan put to death. By 222 B.C. the State of Yan had been completely wiped out by the State of Qin.

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