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{{Mission
==Biography==
|prev= [[Battle of Forlì]]
What follows is the legend of Jing Ke as recounted in [[Sima Qian]]'s ''[[Record of the Grand Historian|Records of the Grand Historian]]''.<ref name="Sima">Sima Qian. (94 BCE). "Biographies of Assassins". In ''Records of the Grand Historian''. ''Chinese Text Project''. Accessed 5 July 2023. https://ctext.org/shiji/ci-ke-lie-zhuan.</ref>
|conc= [[Granada War]]
|next= [[Battle of Granada]]
|name=
|imageBG=
|image=
|conflict= [[Spanish Inquisition]]
|objective= Rescue the [[Spanish Assassins]] arrested for heresy by the [[Spanish Inquisition]]
|date= 1491
|place=*[[Barcelona]], [[wikipedia:Principality of Catalonia|Principality of Catalonia]]
*[[Zaragoza]], [[wikipedia:Kingdom of Aragon|Kingdom of Aragon]]
|result=
*[[Ezio Auditore da Firenze]] manages to save one [[Assassins|Assassin]] in Barcelona and five of six in Zaragoza
*Death of leading Inquisitors in Barcelona and Zaragoza
|BG2=
|side1=Assassins
|side2=*Spanish Inquisition
*[[Spain|Crown of Aragon]]
----
*[[Templars]]
|side3=
|side4=
|commanders1=
|commanders2=*[[Tomás de Torquemada]]
*[[Ferdinand II of Aragon]]
----
*[[Rodrigo Borgia]]
|commanders3=
|commanders4=
|ppl1=*[[Ezio Auditore da Firenze]]
*[[Raphael Sánchez]]
|ppl2=*[[Gaspar Martínez]]&dagger;
*[[Pedro Llorente]]&dagger;
|ppl3=
|ppl4=
|casual1=*unknown number of Barcelonan Assassins
*1 Zaragozan Assassin
|casual2=*Gaspar Martínez
*Pedro Llorente
|casual3=
|casual4=
|civilian=}}


The '''Mission to Aragon?''' was a mission undertaken in 1491 by the [[Italian Assassins|Italian Assassin]] [[Ezio Auditore da Firenze]]  to rescue the [[Assassins]] of [[Spain]] after receiving news of their arrests by the [[Spanish Inquisition]]. Though the Inquisition was unaware of the [[Spanish Assassins|Spanish Assassins']] affiliation, they had been supplied their names by [[Rodrigo Borgia]], [[Grand Master]] of the [[Templars]]. Rodrigo, playing on their religious fanaticism, merely informed them that they were atheists, and that was enough for the Inquisition to arrest them for heresy.
While Jing Ke was a native of {{wiki|Wey (state)|Wey}} (衛),<ref group="note" name="note1">The state Wèi (衛) is commonly spelled Wey in contravention of the {{wiki|Pinyin|Hanyu Pinyin}} romanization standard to distinguish from the more prominent state {{wiki|Wei (state)|Wèi}} (魏) because the two polities' modern {{wiki|Mandarin Chinese|Mandarin}} pronunciations are homophonic. In ancient times, their pronunciations were distinct and remain so in some other Chinese languages today.</ref> his ancestors originally lived in {{wiki|Qi (state)|Qi}}. To the people of Wey, he was called the Honorable Qing (慶卿). Only later among the people of {{wiki|Yan (state)|Yan}} (燕) was he known as the Honorable Jing (荊卿).<ref name="Sima" /> He was a well-educated adept of the [[sword]], but although he taught its art to Lord Yuan of Wey (衛元君), the ruler neglected to put it to use. Afterwards, [[Qin dynasty|Qin]] conquered the State of Wei (魏), established {{wiki|Dong Commandery}} (東郡, <small>lit.</small> "East Commandery") in its place, and forcibly relocated offspring of Lord Yuan residing there to {{wiki|Qinyang|Yewang}} (野王).<ref name="Sima" /><ref group="note" name="note2">These were specifically offspring not of Lord Yuan's legal wife.</ref>


The purge of the Assassins throughout Spain drove [[Luis de Santángel]] to seek the Assassins of [[Italy]] to protect his friend [[Christopher Columbus]]. It was here that Ezio Auditore heard of the plight of his allies in Spain after aiding Luis and Christopher. Feeling obligated to save them as a fellow Assassin, Ezio put aside his quest for to recovery the [[Ezio's Apple of Eden|Apple of Eden]] from Rodrigo and journeyed to Spain.
Wandering to {{wiki|Yuci District|Yuci}} (榆次), Jing Ke engaged with a man named Gai Nie (蓋聶) in discourse about swordsmanship that soon turned sour. Noticing Gai Nie's angry glare, Jing Ke left. Someone suggested to Gai Nie that he call him back, to which Gai Nie replied, "''A moment ago as I talked swordsmanship with him, we found each other disagreeable, and I glared at him. You can try to go after him, but it was appropriate for him to leave, and he would not dare to stay.''" They sent a messenger to the host of Jing Ke's lodgings, but Jing Ke had already departed from Yuci on a [[wagon|carriage]]. When the messenger reported back, Gai Nie repeated, "''Of course he's gone. I frightened him away with my glare.''"<ref name="Sima" />


Arriving at [[Barcelona]] in the Crown of Aragon, Ezio assassinated the prosecutor [[Gaspar Martínez]] and saved an Assassin from execution with the help of the Spanish Assassin [[Raphael Sánchez]]. They then proceeded to [[Zaragoza]], where Ezio repeated his success by rescuing the majority of the Assassins and killing the ''calificador'' [[Pedro Llorente]], thereby disrupting the Inquisition's operations in Aragon.
Jing Ke travelled to {{wiki|Handan}}, where he and a man named Lu Goujian (魯勾踐) played a game of ''{{wiki|liubo|boxi}}'' (博戲) but ended up quarrelling over the way it should be played. His opponent furiously berated him, so Jing Ke silently slipped away never to meet him again. (i.e. He ghosted him!)<ref name="Sima" />


==Background==
Arriving in Yan, he became intimate friends with a [[dog]] butcher and Gao Jianlei (高漸離), a musician skilled at playing the ''{{Wiki|zhu (string instrument|zhu}}''. He enjoyed [[alcohol]], and everyday he would drink with them in the [[Beijing|city]]. Whenever the wine was sweet, and they were drunk but high in spirits, Gao Jianlei would play the ''zhu'', and Jing Ke would join in with a song to the city. They would share in merriment with one another and then likewise cry their woes away together, paying no mind to anyone else in the world. Though he was an alcoholic, he remained fond of engrossing himself in books, and he had formed connections with many a heroic and eminent individual during his travels through the feudal lands. Being in Yan, the local retired knight Sir Tian Guang (田光) entreated with him, for he intuited that Jing Ke was no ordinary person.<ref name="Sima" />
In 1478, the  [[Roman Catholic Church|Catholic]] Monarchs [[Isabella I of Castile]] and [[Ferdinand II of Aragon]], driven by religious zeal, established the [[Spanish Inquisition]] as a means to enforce religious conformity. Under the first Grand Inquisitor [[Tomás de Torquemada]], the Inquisition cracked down on heterodox faiths throughout the country. A great majority of the arrests and prosecutions were conducted against [[Judaisms|Jews]] and [[wikipedia:Crypto-Judaism|crypto-Jews]], those who were thought to be insincere in their conversion to [[Christianity]].


Sensing the opportunity, the Grand Master of the Templars, Rodrigo Borgia, sought to exploit these persecutions to eliminate his Assassin enemies in Spain by proxy. He released the names of Assassins throughout the country to the Inquisition, condemning them as atheists while withholding that they were Assassins. Though an atheist himself, he had a long history of service to the Catholic Church as a cardinal-bishop and was therefore highly trusted by Torquemada.
Shortly after, Yan's crown prince {{wiki|Crown Prince Dan|Dan}} escaped from [[Qin dynasty|Qin]] to return home in violation of his status as a collateral to the Qin. Originally, he had been a political hostage in {{Wiki|Zhao (state)|Zhao}} (趙), where [[Qin Shi Huang|Zheng]], the future King of Qin, was born. In their youth, Zheng was amicable to Dan, but after Zheng became king and Dan his hostage in Qin, Zheng treated him derisively. The resentful Dan fled and returned to Yan to beseech for reprisals against Qin, yet Yan was a small state too weak to commit to such endeavours. Meanwhile, Qin was daily fielding armies east out of the mountains, unleashing invasions against {{Wiki|Qi (state)|Qi}}, {{Wiki|Chu (state)|Chu}}, and the {{Wiki|Jin (Chinese state)|Three Jin}}<ref group="note" name="note3">i.e. {{Wiki|Han (state)|Han}} (韓), {{Wiki|Zhao (state)|Zhao}} (趙), and {{Wiki|Wei (state)|Wei}} (魏)</ref> and little by little swallowing all the princely states until they fast approached Yan. Lords and subjects of Yan alike feared the calamity upon them. Himself filled with trepidation, Crown Prince Dan asked his {{wiki|Three Ducal Ministers|tutor}} Ju Wu (鞠武) for counsel. Ju Wu replied:<ref name="Sima" /><ref name="Burton 1961">Sima Qian. (1961). "The Biography of Ching K'o", translated by J.R. Hightower. In ''Records of the Grand Historian of China'', edited by Burton Watson. 1st ed. New York, NY: Columbia University Press, pp. 106–117.</ref>


By 1491, the Inquisition had targeted [[Assassin Guilds]] throughout the [[wikipedia:Crown of Aragon|Crown of Aragon]], a systematic purge that left the Assassin [[Luis de Santángel]] without much allies with an expertise in combat. That same year, his friend [[Christopher Columbus]], seeking financial backing for a voyage west across the [[Atlantic Ocean]], was contacted by a man known as the Spaniard—actually Rodrigo Borgia—offering his sponsorship, and the two scheduled a meeting in [[Venice]].
<blockquote>''Qin is expanding their territory across the world, menacing the Houses of Han, Zhao, and Wei. To their north, they have the strongholds at Sweet Springs (甘泉) and the Valley Mouth (谷口); to their south, the watery torrents of the {{wiki|Jing River|Jing}} (涇) and {{wiki|Wei River|Wei}} (渭). They boast the fertile soils of {{wiki|Ba (state)|Ba}} (巴) and {{wiki|Hanzhong|Han}} (漢); on their right, the mountains of {{wiki|Mount Liupan|Long}} (隴) and {{wiki|Shu (kingdom)|Shu}} (蜀); on their left, the chokepoints at the {{Wiki|Hangu Pass|[Hangu] Pass}} and {{wiki|Xiao Mountains|Mount Xiao}}. Their people are numerous, their troops rigorous, their implements of war in surplus. Should they have the intent to move further out, then there would be no place south of the [[Great Wall]] and north of the {{wiki|Yi County, Henan|Yi River}} (易水) that would be secure. So why would you desire to prick at their [[wikt:逆鱗|inverted scales]] just for having felt the sting of humiliation?!''<ref group="note" name="note4">"Inverted scales" is a metaphor for an individual's trigger. This line is translated less literally by J.R. Hightower in {{wiki|Burton Watson}}'s ''Records of the Grand Historian of China'' (1961) as: "''Angry as you are at the insults you have suffered, how can you dream of baiting such a dragon?''"</ref></blockquote>


Luis, however, suspected that the meeting would be a trap, and urged Christopher against it, but the desperate explorer refused to heed his warnings. The Assassin's intuition had not been wrong. The Templars had become privy to the existence of an [[wikipedia:Americas|entire landmass]] across the Atlantic unknown to the [[Europe|Europeans]]. Hoping to claim the continent for themselves before the other powers—or the Assassins for that matter—they sought to prevent Christopher's voyage by murdering him.
Dan asked, "''Then what should I do?''" to which his mentor responded, "''Please allow me to think it over.''"<ref name="Sima" />
A short while later, a Qin general, Fan Yuqi (樊於期), ran afoul of King Zheng and fled to Yan as well. Crown Prince Dan received him charitably, permitting him to make himself at home. Ju Wu remonstrated:<ref name="Sima" />
<blockquote>"''You cannot do this! With the Qin king's cruelty and the anger he has nursed against Yan, it is already enough to chill our hearts. And now you would even be receptive to General Fan being here? This is called 'Tossing meat onto the path of a hungry tiger'. There would certainly be no way to shake off the disaster! Even if you had {{wiki|Guan Zhong|Guan ''[Zhong]''}} and {{wiki|Yan Ying|Yan ''[Ying]''}} [for ministers], they still would not be able to concoct a plan out of it. I hope that the Crown Prince would send General Fan away to the [[Xiongnu]] to silence him and his affair. Please form a pact with the Three Jin to the west, connect with Qi and Chu to the south, and bargain with the Xiongnu to the north, after which we could then plan some more.''"</blockquote>
The crown prince replied:<ref name="Sima" />
<blockquote>"''The Grand Tutor's plan would extend the problem for far too many days. My mind is in turmoil. I fear I cannot last another moment. Besides, it is not solely because of this. General Fan, impoverished by hardship unto the very ends of the world, has turned himself over to me. I would never, for the sake of evading the powerful Qin, abandon a pitiable friend. To set him up to the Xiongnu must be when my life is at its end. I hope that the Grand Tutor will reconsider this.''"</blockquote>
Ji Wu remained displeased:<ref name="Sima" />
<blockquote>"''You tread in danger while asking for safety, foment disaster to beg for good fortune, are shallow in your plans yet deep in your grudges. You connect with one person, then call them a friend, without caring for the tremendous harm to the nation. This is called 'funding resentment to subsidize peril'. Torch a swan's feather on a charcoal stove, and it would be [gone in a wink] like nothing happened! Not to mention that with the raptor that is Qin driving its violent fury upon us, what road would there still be to walk?! Yan has one Sir Tian Guang, an individual with deep wisdom and profound courage. You might consult with him.''"</blockquote>
To this last advice, the crown prince was receptive: "''I would like to make the acquaintance of Sir Tian Guang through the Great Tutor. May I?''" "''You may''", said Ji Wu, and he went out to meet with Sir Tian, telling him, "''The Crown Prince wishes to plot a national affair with you, sir.''" Tian Guang replied, "''It would be my pleasure to advise,''" and accompanied him back to see the crown prince.<ref name="Sima" />


Without Assassin agents left in Spain to rely upon, Luis and Christopher arrived in Venice lacking protection from the Templars. Since Christopher continued to insist on meeting with the Spaniard, Luis contacted the thieves' guild of the city, run by the Assassin [[Antonio de Magianis]]. In response to his request for aid, Antonio recommended Ezio Auditore da Firenze. Because Luis did not initially disclose to Ezio that he, himself, was an Assassin, Ezio considered his request to be mercenary work and was reluctant.
Crown Prince Dan courteously invited Tian Guang inside, where he knelt down to prepare a seat for him. Once Tian Guang had settled in his seat, and they had ensured that no one else was around, Dan came off his own to humbly begin making his request, "''Yan and Qin cannot coexist. I hope that you sir can pay mind to this.''" Understanding his meaning, Tian Guang offered an alternative:<ref name="Sima" />
<blockquote>"''I have heard that when fine steeds are at their prime, they can gallop 1,000 ''{{wiki|li (unit)|li}}'' in one day—until it has weakened with age, and then even the mangiest nag would advance ahead of it. Today, the Crown Prince has heard of the time when Tian Guang was at his prime, without knowing that his vigour has already withered away. Although I dare not plot a national affair with you, my good colleague the Honourable Jing may undertake this mission.''"</blockquote>
As before, Crown Prince Dan asked, "''I would like to befriend the Honourable Jing through you, sir. May I?''" Tian Guang assented, and the two hastened out to find him. At Jing Ke's door, Dan warned Tian Guang, "''What I have reported to you and everything that you have said are vital affairs of the state. Please sir, do not divulge them to others!''" The old man bowed with a smile and said, "I promise".<ref name="Sima" />


Nevertheless, the [[Florence|Florentine]] Assassin hurried to find Christopher, saving him from a Templar ambush. Luis then issued one final request: for Ezio to recover Christopher's atlas from their lodgings, which had been raided by the Templars. Once this had been accomplished, the grateful pair prepared to return to Spain, but not before Ezio advised them to bring their own protection the next time they were in [[Italy]].
When Tian Guang saw Jing Ke, he arced his back low and said:<ref name="Sima" />
<blockquote>"''You and I have been cordial with one another—there is no one in Yan who does not know that. Now the Crown Prince had heard of the time when I was at my prime, without knowing that my physique is no longer up to par, and he honoured me with this instruction: 'Yan and Qin cannot coexist. I hope that you sir can pay mind to this.' I will not steal more of your time by treating you like a stranger. I have already spoken of you to the Crown Prince. Would you please go over to the Crown Prince at his palace?''"
</blockquote>
"''I would be much obliged,''" responded Jing Ke, and Tian Guang continued:<ref name="Sima" />
<blockquote>"''I have heard it said that when an elderly man takes action, he should not arouse others' suspicion. Today the Crown Prince told me, 'Everything we have said are vital affairs of the state. Please sir, do not divulge them to others!' This was the Crown Prince mistrusting me. For one to take action but arouse the suspicion of others, they would not be a [[youxia|hero]] of integrity.''"
</blockquote>
He wanted to use suicide to incite Jing Ke into action, and he gave him these final words, "''Please hurry over to the Crown Prince and tell him that Guang has already died, proving my silence.''" Thereupon, he slit his own throat and died.<ref name="Sima" />


It was this point that Luis, still concealing that he too was an Assassin, explained that the Inquisition was cracking down on the Brotherhood in Spain. Troubled by this news, Ezio returned to Antonio to inform him that he had resolved to travel to Spain to rescue their allies there, feeling that this was his duty as an Assassin.
Jing Ke accordingly went to see the Crown Prince and inform him that Tian Guang had died, imparting as well his last words. The Crown Prince bowed twice and then sank to his knees breaking down in tears. After a while had passed, he finally spoke up, "''I warned Sir Tian not to chatter only because I wished for us to succeed in this great plot. That Sir Tian Guang used death today to prove his silence—could that truly have been my intention?!''"


==Barcelona==
Jing Ke sat still as he vented, and then the Crown Prince got off from his seat and tipped his head to him. He said:<ref name="Sima" /><ref name="Burton 1961" />
===Finding the Assassins' Guild===
<blockquote>"''Sir Tian, not knowing how unworthy I am, brought me before you so that I may be so bold as to confer with you. This must be Heaven's pity for Yan such that it will not forsake us to a lonesome fate. Today, Qin harbours a greedy heart, and their desires can never be satisfied. Without having conquered all the land in the world and made servants out of all rulers within the four seas, their ambition would never be sated. Now Qin has already captured the King of Han and annexed his entire territory. They have raised troops and marched them south to invade Chu. To their north, they are bearing down on Zhao. {{Wiki|Wang Jian}}, leading several tens of thousands of soldiers, has reached the {{wiki|Zhang River}} and {{wiki|Linzhang County|Ye County}} (鄴縣). And as for {{Wiki|Li Xin (Qin general)|Li Xin}}, he has marched out of [[Taiyuan]] and {{wiki|Yunzhong Commandery|Yunzhong}} (雲中).''"</blockquote>
{{Quote|How strange to meet a gentleman leaping through these sewers. Are you on the run, or just recreating?|Raphael Sánchez upon meeting Ezio Auditore for the first time|Assassin's Creed II: Discovery}}
When Ezio arrived in [[Barcelona]], he sought to contact the local thieves' guild to learn the extent of the Inquisition's purge. After meeting with two of Antonio's contacts in the city, the Assassin located the guild within the tallest building at the center of the city. As instructed, he entered through a secret hatch on the roof, only to find that—much as he expected—the entire guild had been raided with not an Assassin in sight. His arrival immediately alerted the [[Spanish Army|Spanish soldiers]] who had occupied the premises and declared it a restricted area.


[[File:Raphael Sanchez.jpg|thumb|left|150px|Raphael Sánchez]]
==Appearances==
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Dynasty]]'' {{Mo}}


After killing the surrounding soldiers, Ezio quickly rolled past the guard captain charging at him and out the exit, with more soldiers behind in rapid pursuit. Faced with such an overwhelming force as he raced through the rooftops, Ezio slipped into the underground sewers hoping that this would allow him to escape them only to find that it was already crawling with troops.
==Notes==
<references group="note"/>


Through his expert [[freerunning]], he at last managed to lose the guards only to run headlong into a stranger who introduced himself as the Assassin [[Raphael Sánchez]] upon recognizing Ezio's Assassin outfit. Like Ezio, Raphael was conducting a mission to rescue his fellow Assassins, arriving in Barcelona just that morning. While Raphael did not know who betrayed them to the Inquisition, he did learn the name of the prosecutor responsible for their arrests: [[Gaspar Martínez]].
==References==
 
{{Reflist}}
===Assassination of Gaspar Martinez===
{{Dialogue|Gaspar|Whoever those men claim to be, it won't matter after today. A public burning is about to commence for one of them. A wilful young man.|Ezio|If he dies, I will keep that fire burning until this town is a cinder.|Gaspar and Ezio, just before the former's demise|Assassin's Creed II: Discovery}}
[[File:Gaspardie.jpg|thumb|right|The Assassination of Gaspar Martinez]]
 
Without further ado, Ezio began his hunt for Gaspar Martínez, tracking him to a grand, stately building adjacent to a castle in the rich district of the city. Gaspar, idling alone on a balcony overlooking Barcelona, was incredibly vulnerable to the Assassin, who merely scaled up from below to confront him.
 
Ezio questioned Gaspar as to the source for the names of the Assassins, baffling Gaspar, who was ignorant that they even still existed. Given the systematic nature of the purge, Ezio doubted his sincerity, but the prosecutor only turned away to end what he thought was a meaningless conversation, for one of these prisoners was to be shortly executed anyways. Gaspar had not understood the threat this stranger posed, and with his back turned, Ezio easily killed him with his [[Hidden Blade]].
 
After recovering a list of six names from his corpse, Ezio rushed across the rooftops to the public square where the young Assassin mentioned by Gaspar was to be burned at the stake. All the while, he was beset by guards throughout the city in retaliation for his assassination. Upon reaching the plaza, he wasted no time to dispatching the soldiers there and freed the Assassin.
 
When Ezio presented the list of names to Raphael, Raphael confirmed that the listed men were Assassins, but that they were in the city of Zaragoza in the Kingdom of Aragon. Ezio therefore determined that Zaragoza would be his next destination, and asked if Raphael would join him. Though Raphael believed his combat skills had diminished with age, he agreed to accompany Ezio to provide aid as a guide. The Barcelonan Assassin saved by Ezio, on the other hand, opted out and only wished them safety in their mission. With that, Ezio and Raphael began their journey to Zaragoza.
 
==Zaragoza==
===Finding the Assassins===
[[File:Pedro.jpg|thumb|181px|Pedro Llorente]]
Upon arrival in Zaragoza, Raphael instructed Ezio to locate the ''calificador'' of the city, [[Pedro Llorente]]. Because he was well known to the locals, Raphael left Ezio to his own devices for the time being, knowing he would need an alibi should Llorente suffer an untimely fate. This was aside from the fact that as the treasurer to Queen Isabella, he was scheduled to attend a finance meeting in Zaragoza that day anyways.
 
Taking Raphael's advice, Ezio began his search at the tribunal building on the far side of town, where he immediately found Llorente. From the windows on the roof, he watched as Llorente, in the midst of interrogating an Assassin, was greeted by the Inquisitor-General Tomás de Torquemada himself. Llorente humbly welcomed his superior, who had arrived unexpectedly, but Torquemada rebuffed his pleasantries and inquired as to the status of the prisoner. Impressed by the Assassin's fearlessness but revolted by his atheism, Torquemada had him executed on the spot, remarking that Rodrigo was right to have him arrest this man and his allies.
 
Hearing this, Ezio understood that—just as he and Raphael had expected—it had been Rodrigo himself who had supplied the names of the Assassins to the Inquisitors. Torquemada immediately departed with Llorente and the executioner, leaving the Assassin to bleed on the ground. In vain, Ezio hurried to save him, only to find that he was already dead.
 
[[File:Tomas.jpg|thumb|left|The Inquisitor General, Tomas Torquemada]]
Determined more than ever to save the remaining Assassins, Ezio tracked his comrades to the underground catacombs. He navigated the labyrinth and rescued four of the Assassins one at a time.
 
News of Ezio's efforts spread quickly, and when Llorente caught word of the Assassins' escape, he was enraged. Berating one of his guard captains, he ordered him to maximize the security over the last remaining prisoner at his palace, threatening to have him "disemboweled" by Torquemada should he fail. Unbeknownst to them, their adversary was lurking just around the corner, slipping into the palace right on after them. The extra security thus proved fruitless, as Ezio easily advanced to the top bedroom of the palace, where the fifth and final Assassin was held, and freed him. He then made his escape via a [[Leap of Faith]].
 
===Assassination of Pedro Llorente===
[[File:Pedrodie.jpg|thumb|180px|Pedro's final moment]]
{{Dialogue|Llorente|The Templars? Surely you're joking, young man. The Templars were disgraced and disbanded two centuries ago. Rumors of their continued activities are as reliable as fairy tales.|Ezio|That's a shame, Padre... if they don't exist, they won't be able to save you.|Assassin's Creed II: Discovery}}
Meeting with Raphael once more, Ezio updated Raphael on his current progress, including that he had learned that Rodrigo was behind the Inquisition's purge of the Assassins. With that he took his leave, hoping to eliminate Llorente as swiftly as possible.
 
As Raphael predicted, Llorente was easy for Ezio to find: at the [[Cathedral-Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar]]. Though access to the cathedral was restricted, Ezio had no trouble infiltrating from its roof. Like Gaspar before him, Llorente was caught by the Assassin alone, but believing the young man to be little more than a trespasser, he felt no peril. Ezio gauged the extent of the Inquisition's collusion with the Templars by casually asking Llorente for help contacting them. The ''calificador'' scoffed at his query, believing that rumors of the Templars were nothing but conspiracy theories. Not having expected any more than that, the Assassin struck down the Inquisitor on the spot and retreated back to Raphael as the [[guards]] sounded the alarm.
 
===Report to Raphael===
Escaping the soldiers, Ezio met back with Raphael to report his assassination and that he had no clue as to Torquemada's whereabouts. Raphael had expected as much and thought it a shame that during his finance meeting, Queen Isabella had failed to mention that the Grand Inquisitor would be in Zaragoza. Since this was the first time Ezio had heard that Raphael was in service to the Queen, he was stunned, amazed that an Assassin could be among the highest ranks of the Spanish royal court.
 
Nevertheless, Raphael acknowledged that while the Assassins had influence over the queen, it was likely that the Templars did as well through other confidants. He offered to explain more along the trip to [[Granada]], but Ezio hesitated, saying it would be best that he returned home to [[Italy]] as he had accomplished his task in Spain.
 
Raphael, however, was adamant, insisting that the Templars had a horrible scheme in the works to assume control of Spain. Thus, putting his priorities aside and surrendering once more to his sense of duty, Ezio followed his brother Assassin south to the [[Moors|Moorish]] stronghold of [[Granada]].
 
==Aftermath==
Because of Ezio Auditore's intervention in Aragon, the Inquisitions' operations there were heavily disrupted. Despite this, the Inquisition remained intact, and all its tribunals, including those of Barcelona and Zaragoza, would persist for the coming centuries. Ezio and Raphael moved on to Granada, where they would then foil a Templar plot to prolong the [[Granada War|war]] between the emirate and Spain indefinitely to exhaust the Castilian treasury from funding Christopher Columbus's voyage. While Ezio returned to Italy afterwards, Luis de Santángel and Raphael Sánchez continued to persevere at swaying the queen from Templar influence or that of the Inquisition.
 
Ultimately, they would fail, with the Inquisition's persecution only intensifying in the next few decades thanks to the Templar Grand Master Rodrigo Borgia's succession to the [[Papacy]] as Pope Alexander VI. Queen Isabella, initially regarded as a potential ally to the Assassins, would fall further and further into the trappings of religious fanaticism, threatening to spread the Inquisition to [[Portugal]]. As a result, Luis would change his stance and resolve to have her assassinated slowly through [[poison]], a process finalized by Ezio's [[apprentices]] in 1503 after Luis's death.
 
<s>
==Granada==
===Weakening of Granada's finest===
Raphael and Ezio Auditore advanced towards the entrance of Granada, according to Raphael Granada (at the time) was unstable and minor battles and wars took place frequently. One side, the Moors, continued to fight; Raphael suggested that the Moors would soon have victory due to their nearly developed siege equipment.
 
Ezio shrugged and asked Raphael of the plan, to which he replied that "''it was nothing serious, but a mere sweep of the area.''" Their goal was to penetrate the guard forces and weaken their command, as well as scout a potential path in order to get closer to Ezio's target.
 
Being marked on his map, Ezio's prey, the captain guards, were easy to find. Stationed on rooftops, Ezio impaled, stabbed and pulled guards off ledges. He was soon approached by Raphael; who said that the job was soon to be done. He explained that almost all guard captains were dead; though some still remained, and that they were bashing civilians in an effort to interrogate them concerning the deaths of their fellow soldiers.
 
Ezio sought justice and Raphael sought peace and a better future for Granada. They both set out to save the civilians. Raphael told Ezio that they would meet in a chapel to the east when their work was done.
 
Hours had passed as Ezio finished the job; the majority of the civilians were saved. Soon before his arrival at the chapel, Ezio was ambushed by over a dozen soldiers. Ezio slew them all, but was almost bested. He walked into the outskirts of Granada, retaining some major injuries that would later be healed by Raphael Sánchez.
 
Upon his arrival at the chapel, Ezio was told by Raphael that a spy was in Granada, fetching information about his King for the Templars (who were to aid the Moors in their siege of Granada).
 
[[File:Juan.jpg|thumb|left|155px|Juan de Marillo, the spy]]Ezio traveled through the city of Granada to search for the spy, who escaped to the underground catacombs. Ezio then traversed the same catacombs to find [[Juan de Marillo]], the spy, and kill him. He stealthily came across Torquemada talking to him, saying that he was surprised that the Queen let the Moor King live. He ordered Juan to expel anyone who denied allegiance to the Pope and kill anyone who refused to leave. He left with Juan's guard captain, leaving the spy alone. Ezio ran up behind the spy and assassinated him before he could do any more harm.
 
He returned to Luis, only to find that Corombo had left for Paris to finance his journey. Ezio found him before he could be harmed and killed his attacker. With the Queen's change of heart, Corombo was financed to travel to the New World safely.
 
===The unexpected events===
[[File:Ezio and Torquemada.png|thumb|right|200px|Ezio confronting Torquemada]]
Ezio was about to leave for Italy to find the Apple, but before he could, Luis was alerted that Torquemada had sent Inquisitors to arrest him. Ezio went around the palace and sealed off all the doors to stop any further attacks. He saved Luis and then left the palace to rescue Raphael. Both told him to bring Torquemada to justice. He infiltrated Torquemada's palace and eventually found him, but before he could kill him some gates barred and blocked him from Torquemada. He then returned to Luis and Raphael with the news, and set off back to Italy.</s>
 
==Reference==
*''[[Assassin's Creed II: Discovery]]''
{{AC2D}}
{{Timeline}}

Latest revision as of 04:32, 30 January 2024

Biography[edit | edit source]

What follows is the legend of Jing Ke as recounted in Sima Qian's Records of the Grand Historian.[1]

While Jing Ke was a native of Wey (衛),[note 1] his ancestors originally lived in Qi. To the people of Wey, he was called the Honorable Qing (慶卿). Only later among the people of Yan (燕) was he known as the Honorable Jing (荊卿).[1] He was a well-educated adept of the sword, but although he taught its art to Lord Yuan of Wey (衛元君), the ruler neglected to put it to use. Afterwards, Qin conquered the State of Wei (魏), established Dong Commandery (東郡, lit. "East Commandery") in its place, and forcibly relocated offspring of Lord Yuan residing there to Yewang (野王).[1][note 2]

Wandering to Yuci (榆次), Jing Ke engaged with a man named Gai Nie (蓋聶) in discourse about swordsmanship that soon turned sour. Noticing Gai Nie's angry glare, Jing Ke left. Someone suggested to Gai Nie that he call him back, to which Gai Nie replied, "A moment ago as I talked swordsmanship with him, we found each other disagreeable, and I glared at him. You can try to go after him, but it was appropriate for him to leave, and he would not dare to stay." They sent a messenger to the host of Jing Ke's lodgings, but Jing Ke had already departed from Yuci on a carriage. When the messenger reported back, Gai Nie repeated, "Of course he's gone. I frightened him away with my glare."[1]

Jing Ke travelled to Handan, where he and a man named Lu Goujian (魯勾踐) played a game of boxi (博戲) but ended up quarrelling over the way it should be played. His opponent furiously berated him, so Jing Ke silently slipped away never to meet him again. (i.e. He ghosted him!)[1]

Arriving in Yan, he became intimate friends with a dog butcher and Gao Jianlei (高漸離), a musician skilled at playing the zhu. He enjoyed alcohol, and everyday he would drink with them in the city. Whenever the wine was sweet, and they were drunk but high in spirits, Gao Jianlei would play the zhu, and Jing Ke would join in with a song to the city. They would share in merriment with one another and then likewise cry their woes away together, paying no mind to anyone else in the world. Though he was an alcoholic, he remained fond of engrossing himself in books, and he had formed connections with many a heroic and eminent individual during his travels through the feudal lands. Being in Yan, the local retired knight Sir Tian Guang (田光) entreated with him, for he intuited that Jing Ke was no ordinary person.[1]

Shortly after, Yan's crown prince Dan escaped from Qin to return home in violation of his status as a collateral to the Qin. Originally, he had been a political hostage in Zhao (趙), where Zheng, the future King of Qin, was born. In their youth, Zheng was amicable to Dan, but after Zheng became king and Dan his hostage in Qin, Zheng treated him derisively. The resentful Dan fled and returned to Yan to beseech for reprisals against Qin, yet Yan was a small state too weak to commit to such endeavours. Meanwhile, Qin was daily fielding armies east out of the mountains, unleashing invasions against Qi, Chu, and the Three Jin[note 3] and little by little swallowing all the princely states until they fast approached Yan. Lords and subjects of Yan alike feared the calamity upon them. Himself filled with trepidation, Crown Prince Dan asked his tutor Ju Wu (鞠武) for counsel. Ju Wu replied:[1][2]

Qin is expanding their territory across the world, menacing the Houses of Han, Zhao, and Wei. To their north, they have the strongholds at Sweet Springs (甘泉) and the Valley Mouth (谷口); to their south, the watery torrents of the Jing (涇) and Wei (渭). They boast the fertile soils of Ba (巴) and Han (漢); on their right, the mountains of Long (隴) and Shu (蜀); on their left, the chokepoints at the [Hangu] Pass and Mount Xiao. Their people are numerous, their troops rigorous, their implements of war in surplus. Should they have the intent to move further out, then there would be no place south of the Great Wall and north of the Yi River (易水) that would be secure. So why would you desire to prick at their inverted scales just for having felt the sting of humiliation?![note 4]

Dan asked, "Then what should I do?" to which his mentor responded, "Please allow me to think it over."[1] A short while later, a Qin general, Fan Yuqi (樊於期), ran afoul of King Zheng and fled to Yan as well. Crown Prince Dan received him charitably, permitting him to make himself at home. Ju Wu remonstrated:[1]

"You cannot do this! With the Qin king's cruelty and the anger he has nursed against Yan, it is already enough to chill our hearts. And now you would even be receptive to General Fan being here? This is called 'Tossing meat onto the path of a hungry tiger'. There would certainly be no way to shake off the disaster! Even if you had Guan [Zhong] and Yan [Ying] [for ministers], they still would not be able to concoct a plan out of it. I hope that the Crown Prince would send General Fan away to the Xiongnu to silence him and his affair. Please form a pact with the Three Jin to the west, connect with Qi and Chu to the south, and bargain with the Xiongnu to the north, after which we could then plan some more."

The crown prince replied:[1]

"The Grand Tutor's plan would extend the problem for far too many days. My mind is in turmoil. I fear I cannot last another moment. Besides, it is not solely because of this. General Fan, impoverished by hardship unto the very ends of the world, has turned himself over to me. I would never, for the sake of evading the powerful Qin, abandon a pitiable friend. To set him up to the Xiongnu must be when my life is at its end. I hope that the Grand Tutor will reconsider this."

Ji Wu remained displeased:[1]

"You tread in danger while asking for safety, foment disaster to beg for good fortune, are shallow in your plans yet deep in your grudges. You connect with one person, then call them a friend, without caring for the tremendous harm to the nation. This is called 'funding resentment to subsidize peril'. Torch a swan's feather on a charcoal stove, and it would be [gone in a wink] like nothing happened! Not to mention that with the raptor that is Qin driving its violent fury upon us, what road would there still be to walk?! Yan has one Sir Tian Guang, an individual with deep wisdom and profound courage. You might consult with him."

To this last advice, the crown prince was receptive: "I would like to make the acquaintance of Sir Tian Guang through the Great Tutor. May I?" "You may", said Ji Wu, and he went out to meet with Sir Tian, telling him, "The Crown Prince wishes to plot a national affair with you, sir." Tian Guang replied, "It would be my pleasure to advise," and accompanied him back to see the crown prince.[1]

Crown Prince Dan courteously invited Tian Guang inside, where he knelt down to prepare a seat for him. Once Tian Guang had settled in his seat, and they had ensured that no one else was around, Dan came off his own to humbly begin making his request, "Yan and Qin cannot coexist. I hope that you sir can pay mind to this." Understanding his meaning, Tian Guang offered an alternative:[1]

"I have heard that when fine steeds are at their prime, they can gallop 1,000 li in one day—until it has weakened with age, and then even the mangiest nag would advance ahead of it. Today, the Crown Prince has heard of the time when Tian Guang was at his prime, without knowing that his vigour has already withered away. Although I dare not plot a national affair with you, my good colleague the Honourable Jing may undertake this mission."

As before, Crown Prince Dan asked, "I would like to befriend the Honourable Jing through you, sir. May I?" Tian Guang assented, and the two hastened out to find him. At Jing Ke's door, Dan warned Tian Guang, "What I have reported to you and everything that you have said are vital affairs of the state. Please sir, do not divulge them to others!" The old man bowed with a smile and said, "I promise".[1]

When Tian Guang saw Jing Ke, he arced his back low and said:[1]

"You and I have been cordial with one another—there is no one in Yan who does not know that. Now the Crown Prince had heard of the time when I was at my prime, without knowing that my physique is no longer up to par, and he honoured me with this instruction: 'Yan and Qin cannot coexist. I hope that you sir can pay mind to this.' I will not steal more of your time by treating you like a stranger. I have already spoken of you to the Crown Prince. Would you please go over to the Crown Prince at his palace?"

"I would be much obliged," responded Jing Ke, and Tian Guang continued:[1]

"I have heard it said that when an elderly man takes action, he should not arouse others' suspicion. Today the Crown Prince told me, 'Everything we have said are vital affairs of the state. Please sir, do not divulge them to others!' This was the Crown Prince mistrusting me. For one to take action but arouse the suspicion of others, they would not be a hero of integrity."

He wanted to use suicide to incite Jing Ke into action, and he gave him these final words, "Please hurry over to the Crown Prince and tell him that Guang has already died, proving my silence." Thereupon, he slit his own throat and died.[1]

Jing Ke accordingly went to see the Crown Prince and inform him that Tian Guang had died, imparting as well his last words. The Crown Prince bowed twice and then sank to his knees breaking down in tears. After a while had passed, he finally spoke up, "I warned Sir Tian not to chatter only because I wished for us to succeed in this great plot. That Sir Tian Guang used death today to prove his silence—could that truly have been my intention?!"

Jing Ke sat still as he vented, and then the Crown Prince got off from his seat and tipped his head to him. He said:[1][2]

"Sir Tian, not knowing how unworthy I am, brought me before you so that I may be so bold as to confer with you. This must be Heaven's pity for Yan such that it will not forsake us to a lonesome fate. Today, Qin harbours a greedy heart, and their desires can never be satisfied. Without having conquered all the land in the world and made servants out of all rulers within the four seas, their ambition would never be sated. Now Qin has already captured the King of Han and annexed his entire territory. They have raised troops and marched them south to invade Chu. To their north, they are bearing down on Zhao. Wang Jian, leading several tens of thousands of soldiers, has reached the Zhang River and Ye County (鄴縣). And as for Li Xin, he has marched out of Taiyuan and Yunzhong (雲中)."

Appearances[edit | edit source]

Notes[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ The state Wèi (衛) is commonly spelled Wey in contravention of the Hanyu Pinyin romanization standard to distinguish from the more prominent state Wèi (魏) because the two polities' modern Mandarin pronunciations are homophonic. In ancient times, their pronunciations were distinct and remain so in some other Chinese languages today.
  2. ↑ These were specifically offspring not of Lord Yuan's legal wife.
  3. ↑ i.e. Han (韓), Zhao (趙), and Wei (魏)
  4. ↑ "Inverted scales" is a metaphor for an individual's trigger. This line is translated less literally by J.R. Hightower in Burton Watson's Records of the Grand Historian of China (1961) as: "Angry as you are at the insults you have suffered, how can you dream of baiting such a dragon?"

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 Sima Qian. (94 BCE). "Biographies of Assassins". In Records of the Grand Historian. Chinese Text Project. Accessed 5 July 2023. https://ctext.org/shiji/ci-ke-lie-zhuan.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Sima Qian. (1961). "The Biography of Ching K'o", translated by J.R. Hightower. In Records of the Grand Historian of China, edited by Burton Watson. 1st ed. New York, NY: Columbia University Press, pp. 106–117.
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