Editing Wei Yu

{{Era|Individuals|Assassins}}
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{{Character Infobox
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'''Wei Yu''' (魏羽) was the leader of a group of ''[[youxia]]'' operating in early [[Qin dynasty]] [[China]]. In 210 BCE, he [[assassination|assassinated]] [[Qin Shi Huang]], the first Emperor of [[China]], with a [[spear]]. For this act in fighting tyranny and preserving the welfare of the people, he later became legendary among the [[Assassins|Assassin Brotherhood]] and was posthumously honored as one of their own.<ref group="note" name="note1">Wei Yu being posthumously honoured as an Assassin is based on information from two sources, ''Assassin's Creed II'' and ''Assassin's Creed: Origins''. In ''Assassin's Creed II'', he and six others are commemorated as legendary Assassins in the [[Sanctuary]] under the [[Villa Auditore]]. However, ''Assassin's Creed: Origins'' establishes that the Assassins, originally known as the Hidden Ones, were not founded until 47 BCE in Egypt—after Wei Yu's time—rendering Wei Yu's status as an Assassin posthumous. Additionally, ''[[Assassin's Creed: Dynasty]]'' establishes that, to the Chinese, "Assassin" became more than just the name of an organization but also a mantle that ''[[youxia|xiake]]'' could inherit in the fight for the common people. The Chinese translation of ''Assassin'' (حشاشين) being ''Cìkè'' (刺客), the term used to refer to five noteworthy heroes in [[Sima Qian]]'s ''[[Record of the Grand Historian|Records of the Grand Historian]]'', the two identities melded together so that legendary Cike of Wei Yu's era also became remembered as Assassins.</ref> 

==Biography==
===Journey to Ionia===
In 215 BCE, Wei Yu traveled to [[Ionia]] in order to retrieve an [[Isu]] [[Piece of Eden|relic]] from a [[Roman Republic|Roman]] general who was engaged in a battle with [[Hannibal Barca]]'s {{Wiki|Carthaginian military|Carthaginian soldiers}}. With the help of the ''[[Mercenary|misthios]]'' [[Kassandra]], he made his way across the battlefield and killed the general, acquring the relic: a [[Tianyan Stone|stone tablet]]. Afterwards, Kassandra handed him a set of scrolls detailing one of his [[Wei Yu's disciple|disciples]]' current unusual circumstances, along with an ornate [[Short blade|dagger]] as a gift for the disciple.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Jade]]'' – [[A Mediterranean Expedition]] </ref>

===Assassination of Qin Shi Huang===
The first Emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang, was a tyrannical ruler with ties to the [[Order of the Ancients]].<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed Encyclopedia]]''</ref> In order to protect his people, Wei Yu resolved to assassinate the Emperor, hoping to liberate China from his oppression.<ref name="AC2">''[[Assassin's Creed II]]'' – [[Floating conversations]]: Unlocking Monteriggioni's Secrets</ref> On 10 September 210 BCE, during one of Qin Shi Huang's {{Wiki|Qin Shi Huang's imperial tours|imperial tours}},<ref name="Wikipedia Qin Shi Huang">{{WP|Qin Shi Huang}}</ref> Wei Yu struck the Emperor with his spear, killing him.<ref name="AC2" />

== Legacy ==
Wei Yu's feats earned him legendary status among the Assassins who, centuries after his death, honored him as one of their own. By the time of the [[Renaissance]], a [[Assassin Tombs|tomb]] dedicated to Wei Yu had been built on the top floor of the [[Torre Grossa]] in [[San Gimignano]], [[Italy]]. The [[Italian Brotherhood of Assassins|Italian Assassin]] [[Ezio Auditore da Firenze|Ezio Auditore]] explored the tomb and took the hidden [[Assassin Seals|seal]] from its sarcophagus, which later allowed him to obtain the [[Armor of Altaïr|Armor]] of [[Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad]] sealed in the [[Sanctuary]] beneath [[Villa Auditore]] in [[Monteriggioni]], where a statue of Wei Yu, alongside other celebrated Assassins, had been erected.<ref name="Torre Grossa's Secret">''[[Assassin's Creed II]]'' – [[Torre Grossa's Secret]]</ref>

==Behind the scenes==
Wei Yu was introduced in ''[[Assassin's Creed II]]'' as one of seven legendary Assassins commemorated with a statue in the Sanctuary of the Villa Auditore.

In [[The Hidden Ones (Part 2)|Chapter 34]] of ''[[Assassin's Creed: Dynasty]]'', the protagonist [[Li E]] is shown the Assassins' secret [[Northern Treasury Under Heaven]] beneath the [[Mohist village]] in [[Qinghe Commandery|Qinghe]] by the community's leader, [[Pei Min]]. The vault is a repository of Assassin arms and equipment collected for safeguarding through the ages. After Pei Min tells Li E that is welcome to take any weapon he likes, a powerful spear catches the [[Hidden Ones|Hidden One]]'s eyes. The elder explains that the spear dates to the [[Qin dynasty|Qin period]] and that it is named "[[Jing Ke (spear)|Jing Ke]]" after the [[Jing Ke|fabled Assassin]] who, according to [[Sima Qian]]'s ''[[Record of the Grand Historian]]'', is said to have lost his life in a failed assassination attempt against Qin Shi Huang. The context behind the spear strongly implies that it belonged to Wei Yu and is the same spear used to kill the Chinese emperor, but to date, this can only be inferred and has not been explicitly confirmed.<ref name="Dynasty 34">''[[Assassin's Creed: Dynasty]]'' – [[The Hidden Ones (Part 2)]]</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery widths="180" spacing="small" position="center" captionalign="center">
Wei Yu 1 v.png|Wei Yu's statue and sarcophagus
Wei Yu 2 v.png|The Seal of Wei Yu
Torre Grossa's Secret 9.png|Wei Yu's Insignia
Wei Yu ACoP.png|Statue in the Sanctuary
File:Wei Yu.png|Drawing depicting the Wei Yu statue in the Sanctuary of Monteriggioni.
</gallery>

==Appearances==
*''[[Assassin's Creed II]]'' {{Io|sculpture}}
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Initiates]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Assassin's Creed: The Ming Storm]]'' {{c|non-canon, mentioned only}}
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Jade]]'' {{1st}}

==Notes==
<references group="note"/>

==References==
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[[fr:Wei Yu]]
[[ru:Вэй Ю]]
[[zh:魏羽]]
[[Category:Individuals]]
[[Category:Qin people]]
[[Category:Han Chinese]]
[[Category:Assassins]]
[[Category:Chinese Assassins]]
[[Category:Regicides]]
[[Category:Wei (魏) lineage]]
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