Editing Jing Ke (section)

==Background==
In 230 BC, the Qin state began [[Qin's wars of unification|conquering other states]] as part of King Zheng's ambition to unify the country.  The Qin army, having already achieved absolute military supremacy over the other states since 260 BC, first successfully annihilated the [[Han (Warring States)|state of Han]], the weakest of the [[Seven Warring States]]. Two years later, the once-formidable [[Zhao (state)|Zhao state]] was also conquered in 228 BC.<ref name="gongtong70">王恆偉. (2005) (2006) 中國歷史講堂 #2 戰國 秦 漢. 中華書局. {{ISBN|962-8885-25-1}}. pp. 70–71.</ref>

Zhao's northeastern neighbor, the [[Yan (state)|Yan state]] was next in line to be threatened by Qin expansion. In exchange for peace, [[King Xi of Yan]] had earlier forced his son [[Crown Prince Dan]] to be held a [[hostage diplomacy|diplomatic hostage]] in the Qin, but Prince Dan returned knowing that Qin was far stronger than Yan and would attack it sooner or later.<ref name="gongtong70" />

Jing Ke originally came from the minor [[Wey (state)|Wey state]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Sima |first=Qian |title=Kinas förste kejsare |url=http://www.adlibris.com/se/bok/kinas-forste-kejsare-9789127143029 | publisher=[[Natur & Kultur]] |date=2016 |pages=131 |chapter=Jing Ke och mordförsöket på kungen av Qin |language=Swedish |isbn=9789127143029 }}</ref> He was of the clan name Qing ([[:zh:庆氏|庆氏]]) of the [[Jiang (ancestral name)|ancestral name Jiang]] (姜姓) and a distant descendant of [[Wukui]] of [[Qi (state)|Qi]], had good education and was proficient in the [[swordsmanship|art of the sword]].  His homeland of Wey was annexed by Qin in 239 BC, and Jing Ke fled to Yan.<ref name="gongtong70" /> A ''[[youxia]]'' named [[Tian Guang]] (田光) first introduced him to Prince Dan.<ref>曹正文. [1998] (1998). 俠客行: 縱談中國武俠. 知書房出版集團 publishing. {{ISBN|957-9663-32-7}}, {{ISBN|978-957-9663-32-8}}. p. 27.</ref> There Jing Ke accepted the hospitality of Prince Dan, who, as a last resort, decided to send an assassin against the King of Qin.<ref name="gongtong70" /> The plan involved either kidnapping the king and forcing him to release the territories from his control; or failing this, killing him.<ref name="gongtong70" /> The expectation in either case was that Qin would be left disorganized, enabling the other remaining major states to unite against its conquest.<ref name="gongtong70" />