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{{Battle
==Biography==
|width=
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>
|prev=
|conc=[[Quest for the Chalice]]
|next=[[Battle of Arsuf]]
|name=Siege of Acre
|imageBG=
|image=Flow_of_Poison.png
|conflict=[[Third Crusade]]
|date=28 August 1189 &ndash; July 1191
|place=[[Acre]], [[Ayyubid dynasty|Ayyubid Sultanate]]
|result=[[Crusaders|Crusader]] victory
|BG2=
|side1=[[Crusaders]]
*[[Kingdom of Jerusalem]]
*[[Templars|Knights Templar]]
*[[Knights Hospitalier]]
*[[England|Kingdom of England]]
*[[France|Kingdom of France]]
*[[Holy Roman Empire]]
|side2=[[Saracens]]
*Ayyubid Sultanate of Egypt and Syria
----
[[Assassins]]
|side3=
|side4=
|commanders1=*[[Guy of Lusignan]]
*[[Conrad of Montferrat]]
*[[Gerard de Ridefort]]&dagger;
*[[Robert de Sablé]]
*[[Richard I of England]]
*[[Philip II of France]]
*[[wikipedia:Frederick VI, Duke of Swabia|Frederick VI]]&dagger;
*[[wikipedia:Leopold V, Duke of Austria|Leopold V]]
|commanders2=*[[Salāḥ ad-Dīn|Saladin]]
*[[wikipedia:Gökböri|Gökböri]]
----
*[[Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad]]
|commanders3=
|commanders4=
|forces1='''Initially''': 3,000<br>
'''Reinforcements''': ~25,000
|forces2='''Garrison''': 6,000<br>
'''Relief force''': 20,000+
|forces3=
|forces4=
|casual1= 2,500
|casual2='''Acre garrison''': 6,000<br>
'''Relief force''': heavy
|casual3=
|casual4=
|civilian=}}
The '''Siege of Acre''' was the first major engagement of the [[Third Crusade]]—one that would span almost the entirety of the war. With the assistance of the [[Templars|Knights Templar]] and the [[Knights Hospitalier]], the [[Kingdom of Jerusalem]] first launched an assault of [[Acre]] in 1189 before the arrival of the formal [[Crusaders|Crusader]] forces from [[Europe]]. Alerted by the siege, Sultan [[Salāḥ ad-Dīn|Saladin]] of Egypt and Syria hastily rallied his forces to relieve the coastal city only to mire himself in a prolonged stalemate against the besiegers.  


The [[Saracens]], faced with their inability to lift the siege, had little recourse but to settle into their own blockade around the Crusaders. As this double siege dragged on into the next year, the impatient Templars began to devise a plot to murder the entire population by poisoning their water supply, hoping that this would force a capitulation. Before the order could be carried out, however, it was sabotaged by the [[Assassins|Assassin]] [[Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad]], who infiltrated their camp and assassinated the commander responsible for the operation.
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>


Nevertheless, neither this setback nor the demise of many of the Christian leaders proved capable of breaking the siege. In 1191, the arrival of long anticipated reinforcements led by [[Richard I of England|King Richard the Lionheart]] and [[Philip II of France|King Philip II of France]] turned the tide in the Crusaders favor. Armed with greater siege weapons, the Crusaders breached Acre and effected its surrender, scoring a critical victory that would allow them to recover ground lost to the Saracens the previous years.
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" />


==Prelude==
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" />
The [[wikipedia:Crusader states|Crusader states]] established after the [[wikipedia:First Crusade|First Crusade]] had been vying to wrest control of the [[Levant]] from the Saracens for the past century. Even during the intervals between the crusades, war between the two factions raged on, punctuated by periods of uneasy peace.  


In 1187, after Saladin, the Sultan of [[Egypt]], had unified the squabbling Muslim states of the Levant, warfare erupted once more between the Saracens and Crusaders. On 3 July, he baited a massive Christian army led by all its major leaders into the [[Battle of Hattin]], where he dealt a major victory that severely crippled the entire Kingdom of Jerusalem. Among his prisoners were the King of Jerusalem, [[Guy of Lusignan]], and the [[Grand Master]] of the [[Templars|Knights Templar]], [[Gerard de Ridefort]]. Though both were released by Saladin the next year, the defeat was catastrophic for the Crusaders, allowing Saladin to swiftly conquer almost all of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, including [[Jerusalem]] itself.
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" />


The fall of Jerusalem ignited calls for a [[Third Crusade]] in [[Europe]] to recapture it. In the meantime, Guy of Lusignan traveled to [[Tyre]], the last stronghold of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, having managed to ward off a major Saracen invasion through the leadership of [[Conrad of Montferrat]]. Conrad, recognizing that Guy's hold on the kingship was tenuous as it derived only from his marriage to [[wikipedia:Sibylla, Queen of Jerusalem|Queen Sibylla]], expected that with his newfound prestige, he could seize the throne himself. As a result, he steadfastly refused Guy's entry into the city until the formal Crusader armies led by [[Richard I of England|King Richard I of England]] and [[Philip II of France|King Philip II of France]] arrived to resolve their dispute.
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>


Left without a home or a base to defend himself, Guy resolved to capture [[Acre]] with his forces, thereby initiating the the first major battle of the Third Crusade on 28 August 1189.
<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>


==Siege==
Dan asked, "''Then what should I do?''" to which his mentor responded, "''Please allow me to think it over.''"<ref name="Sima" />
===Battle for Acre===
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" />
Acre did not prove easy to conquer, and Guy's assault quickly evolved into a protracted siege. Hearing news of this attack, Saladin promptly gathered a relief force for the rescue of Acre. Meanwhile, newly arriving Crusaders from across the seas rallied to Guy's initiative, even convincing Conrad to do the same with his army of Tyre.
<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" />


On 4 October, Saladin's army clashed with the besiegers who were trapped between the Saracens of the city and the relief force. In spite of this, the Saracens failed to dislodge the invaders from their position. They did, however, manage to capture Gerard de Ridefort once again. Refusing to repeat his previous act of mercy, Saladin executed the Templar Grand Master by decapitation.
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" />


===Double siege===
When Tian Guang saw Jing Ke, he arced his back low and said:<ref name="Sima" />
After this intense battle, both sides settled into their respective blockades. While the Crusaders resumed their investment of Acre, the relief force kept the Crusaders surrounded with no hope of escape. Throughout the next year, reinforcements continued to arrive from various states in Europe to assist the siege, such as the remnants of the [[Holy Roman Empire]] army led by [[wikipedia:Frederick VI, Duke of Swabia|Frederick VI]] whose father, the Emperor [[wikipedia:Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor|Frederick Barbarossa]], had drowned en route to the Levant.
<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" />


In response, the Saracens continued to call in reinforcements of their own, and the number of soldiers involved in the siege massively swelled. Eventually, both the city and the Christian camp were entirely contained by Saladin's forces, a state of affairs that severely impacted the living conditions for the Crusaders. Epidemics broke out and even the Crusader leaders began to succumb to disease, including Duke Frederick VI of Swabia.
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?!''"


==Flow of poison==
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" />
Sometime in that same year, 1190, the Templars, frustrated with the stalemate, hatched a secret scheme to poison the entire water supply of Acre. Such was the extent of the operation that they expected the entire population of the city to die by the next morning, leaving the city empty for the Crusaders' taking.<ref name="ACAC">''[[Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles]]''</ref>
<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>


When the ''de facto'' successor to Gerard, [[Basilisk]], was defeated by the Assassin Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad in Tyre, however, the Templar leaked the plot to the Assassin in exchange for mercy. As both were in a [[Quest for the Chalice|competition]] for the [[Adha|Chalice]], which they now knew to be a woman hiding in Jerusalem, Basilisk hoped that by playing on Altaïr's conscience to save Acre, he would delay the Assassin long enough for him to reach Jerusalem first.<ref name="ACAC" />
==Appearances==
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Dynasty]]'' {{Mo}}


===Assassin intervention===
==Notes==
Sure enough, Altaïr detoured to Acre, desperate to rescue its people from the massacre that could be carried out at anytime. The night of his arrival in the city, the Crusaders' latest assault had finally breached sections of the city wall, allowing some of their forces to surge through.<ref name="ACAC" />
<references group="note"/>
 
When three [[Knights Hospitalier|Hosptalier]] soldiers spotted Altaïr, he evaded them by throwing a [[bombs|smoke bomb]] and fleeing to the rooftops, from where he then sniped a few Templars with a [[crossbow]]. His indiscretion alerted the invaders of his presence, and Crusaders entering into the city were on the look out for him. As soon as he returned to the streets, he was confronted by a group of Crusaders who were immediately killed by a collapsing building. Rather than offering a reprieve, the commotion attracted the attention of more soldiers who Altaïr swiftly dispatched.<ref name="ACAC" />
 
Altaïr intended to travel to the other side of the city to reach the Templar camp and assassinate the general in charge of the poison plot. After killing more Crusaders along the way, he found his route down a street blocked by a Templar commander and three of his knights. While his knights barricaded the way with their shields, the commander eagerly drew his sword at the Assassin, only to be slain in the ensuing duel. His knights nevertheless maintained their shield barricade, only to have Altaïr forcibly break through it and escape.<ref name="ACAC" />
 
Moving on, the Assassin found himself before a city gate just as it was blasted open by the Crusaders, killing the Saracens that were desperately holding it back. Altaïr alone held back the force of Crusaders pouring in through the gate, but after a while, he came to realize the futility of this. Thinking quickly, he launched a catapult to destroy the lintel of the gate: the collapsing debris sealed the breach, forcing the Crusaders outside to scale the wall with ladders.<ref name="ACAC" />
 
To this, Altaïr responded by firing ballistae from the walls at Crusaders on observation towers as well as pushing down any ladders raised. His actions successfully stalled the assault on that section, and he proceeded onward to a square nearby where Templars were assembling [[civilians]] for execution. From his vantage point on the roofs, the Assassin sniped the executioner with his crossbow before killing the rest of his compatriots.<ref name="ACAC" />
 
As he battled the invaders through the streets and rooftops, he rescued another woman who was taken prisoner by Hospitalier soldiers. At last he reached the gate closest to the Templar camp, one that had also been breached but with Saracens still defending it. While Altaïr repeated his solution before: using a catapult to destroy the lintel to seal the breach, the Saracens mistook him for an enemy, recognizing him to be an Assassin.<ref name="ACAC" />
 
Knowing that he could not exit the city through the gate itself without attracting enemies, Altaïr escaped the Saracens and fled onto the wall, from where he was able to then stealthily lower himself to the other side via a ladder while the combatants were preoccupied with the battle.<ref name="ACAC" />
 
===Infiltration of the Templar camp===
Arriving at the Templar camp, Altaïr was accosted by two sergeants that demanded he relinquish all his weapons as per orders to disarm all civilians. To this, the Assassin consented, retaining only his [[Hidden Blade]], but the guards forbade his entry. Without waiting to see if their would-be trespasser complied, they left him to return to their posts. Altaïr thus found himself free to sneak up on an unsuspecting soldier, kill him, and retrieve his uniform to serve as a disguise.<ref name="ACAC" />
 
The disguise proved effective, allowing him to explore the camp unmolested until he reached an area walled off by palisades. The guards at the gate prohibited Altaïr from passing through the checkpoint, reminding him that a soldier of his rank was not allowed inside, not realizing his true identity. Opting to create a diversion, the Assassin detonated explosives he found at a section of the camp. With many tents ablaze and the flames rapidly spreading, the guards before the gate felt compelled to leave their post to assist in extinguishing the fire.<ref name="ACAC" />
 
It was this point that Altaïr slipped inside. Well aware that his disguise would not be effective in this area, the Assassin was forced to rely purely on his skill at stealth to elude detection. When he came across a trebuchet, he decided to tamper with it to create yet another diversion. As he expected, a couple of soldiers noticed the malfunction and attempted to repair it, only to trigger a trap that caused the machine to drop its flaming projectile onto them. The "accident" lured more soldiers over to investigate, alleviating pressure for Altaïr to move forward.<ref name="ACAC" />
 
Approaching another wooden wall, Altaïr took note that [[scholars]] were permitted to move freely through this next checkpoint, correctly assuming that only captains were granted entry otherwise. He therefore killed a scholar idling in solitude and changed into his robes, allowing him to enter through the gate by [[blending]] in with a group of scholars.<ref name="ACAC" />
 
Within this section of the camp, the Assassin assassinated the knights guarding a group of ballistae before destroying the weapons with explosives. While alarmed knights rushed to the scene of the disaster, he traveled deeper into the camp until he was stopped by another knight who informed him that scholars were prohibited from proceeding any further. This knight was secretly conspiring to liberate a young woman imprisoned by the Templars and bargained to allow Altaïr through if he were to [[pickpocketing|steal]] the key to the prisoner's cage from the torturer. The Assassins accomplished this without issue, and the grateful knight freed the girl and hastily left to escort her out of the camp.<ref name="ACAC" />
 
Nevertheless, Altaïr had not advanced much further before he reached the gate of a final enclosure, where only captains were granted entry. Seeking an opportunity to foment another diversion, he sneaked into a nearby large tent and discovered that it was a detention center for prisoners-of-war. One such prisoner was in the midst of being tortured by a Templar for the whereabouts of a great treasure. Without further ado, Altaïr ended the interrogation by assassinating the torturer from behind. In gratitude, the Saracen tried to reveal the location of the treasure to the Assassin but succumbed to his wounds before he was able to complete his sentence. Only mildly disappointed, Altaïr then liberated all the other prisoners, counting on the prison break to lure the guards away.<ref name="ACAC" />
 
Indeed, the two captains guarding the last checkpoint rushed off in pursuit of the escaping prisoners, and Altaïr proceeded inside. Soon he came upon a line of trebuchets being operated against the city. Keen as he was on stopping them—even at risk of blowing his cover—he killed a [[crossbowmen|crossbowman]] overlooking the trebuchets on a lookout tower, then recovered the [[crossbow]] to use against the soldiers operating the siege weapons. After sniping two of them, the rest of the group looked up to find the source of teh attack but were too stunned to react before they were all shot down.<ref name="ACAC" />
 
===Foiling the poison plot===
Up ahead before him was the base of the Templar commander in charge of the operation to poison the city. Though he had yet delivered the order for the poisoning of the city, Altaïr had reason to believe that it would occur that very night. It just so happened that as he neared the gate of the base, the commander issued a summons for all his captains to meet with him for an announcement. The captain that came out to call on all the other captains was the only one who stayed behind to guard the entrance while the rest hurried inside for the speech. As a result, Altaïr had no trouble sneaking through the gate, in time to witness the commander rallying his captains to prepare for an all-out assault against Acre.<ref name="ACAC" />
 
The commander had preemptively assumed that the city's defenses had been all but annihilated—a conclusion that was incorrect—and he had refrained from issuing the command for the poisoning before dismissing his captains. As the captains departed from the meeting, the commander spotted Altaïr lurking about. Believing him to be a mere scholar, and excusing the fact he had trespassed well beyond the boundaries for scholars, he requested Altaïr to join him and give him his blessings from God. Thus, the Assassin climbed up onto the roof of the small, ruined building from which the commander had delivered his speech.<ref name="ACAC" />
 
Watching the battle over the city from afar, the Templar commander proclaimed his imminent victory. With his back turned to Altaïr, the Assassin seized a sword and prepared to strike him down. However, his indiscretion—neglecting the Hidden Blade and shouting that the Templar was mistaken beforehand—gave the commander the chance to wheel around with his own sword drawn and defend himself. The commander wasted no time in calling for his guards who raised the alarm.<ref name="ACAC" />
 
As Altaïr and the commander clashed on top of the small roof, Templar soldiers rushed to assist their leader. Because they required the ladders to climb onto the roof, they could not swarm the Assassin all at once, ensuring that he was only outnumbered by several solders at any given time. A master swordsman, Altaïr had no trouble holding his own in spite of the disadvantage, slaying any Templar that made it to the roof to join their commander, and eventually overwhelming the leader himself and disarming him. Shocked and wounded, the Templar commander could do little as Altaïr swiftly followed through by pouncing to execute him with his Hidden Blade.<ref name="ACAC" />
 
Although victorious, the Assassin now realized that he was deep in the center of an enemy camp on high alert for his whereabouts. Despite his skills, he did not entertain the possibility that he could fight his way through the entire army out and frantically searched for an exit. It was then that he looked to a nearby catapult for his escape. In as desperate of a predicament he was, he did not hesitate to climb onto its bucket and launch himself towards the city of Acre just as Templar knights charged at him from behind believing him caught for good.<ref name="ACAC" />
 
Altaïr survived his stunt, and content with having foiled the poison plot by assassinating the commander in charge of its order, he hurried to Jerusalem to find the mysterious woman that was the Chalice. Fortunately for him, his decision to burn Basilisk's fleet in Tyre before making his journey to Acre would ensure that the Templars would only beat him to the target by mere moments.<ref name="ACAC" />
 
==Reinforcements by England and France==
Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad's intervention, while not crippling it outright, did disrupt the Crusaders' siege. The night he killed one of the leading Templar commanders, the Templars had expected that their invasion would prove victorious by the morning, given that multiple breaches had already been blasted through the walls, and droves of Crusaders had already found their way inside the city. Much to their chagrin, by the next day, the Crusaders had in fact been driven back from Acre. The walls were reinforced and fortifications restored; the Saracens and Crusaders were once again at an impasse, one that would drag on for yet another year, facilitated in part by the destruction of some of the siege weapons.
 
Throughout that time, the Crusader camp continued to be afflicted by disease, propagated by their own contaminated water supply. The epidemic claimed the lives of many Christian leaders, among them Queen Sibylla herself, whose death voided Guy of Lusignan's legal claim to the throne of Jerusalem, though he refused to surrender it.
 
Not until April of 1191 did the long awaited army of [[France]] led by King Philip Augustus arrive, to be followed by [[England]] under King Richard the Lionheart in June. Richard had been delayed by a conquest of [[Cyprus]], which he would immediately sell to the Knights Templar, but upon their rendezvous at Acre, the tide swiftly turned against the Saracens. With the supplies to build more siege weapons, breaches within Acre's walls became more and more frequent, but Saladin continued to be prompt in assaulting the Crusaders  from behind to deter them whenever they sought to exploit these openings. In spite of this, the Acre garrison came to recognize a worsening situation and lost the morale to maintain their defense any longer. On 12 July, the city surrendered conditionally, with their terms accepted by the Crusaders. Saladin, whose army still largely blockaded the Crusaders respected the capitulation.
 
==Aftermath==
When the Crusaders entered Acre, they immediately seized three thousand of its population to use as bargain for the Christian prisoners in the Saracens' hands.<ref name="AC1">''[[Assassin's Creed]]''</ref> Erstwhile, Conrad of Montferrat, insistent on the kingship of Jerusalem, had married [[wikipedia:Isabella I of Jerusalem|Isabella]], the half-sister of Sibylla and the rightful heir to the throne since Sibylla's death. His contest for the Jerusalemite throne in opposition to Guy of Lusignan angered King Richard, for Guy was his vassal. Despite this, the English king appointed Conrad's father [[William of Montferrat|Marquis William V of Montferrat]] as his regent in Acre.<ref name="AC1" />
 
Philip Augustus of France did not linger long after the fall of Acre. By the end of the month, he aborted his participation in the crusade to return home to moderate the succession over the [[wikipedia:County of Flanders|Counties of Flander]] and [[wikipedia:Vermandois|Vermandois]], which he feared would be in dispute after their count [[wikipedia:Philip I, Count of Flanders|Philip of Alsace]] perished to the epidemic at the siege. His departure left Richard in overall command of the entire Crusader force.
 
Negotiations between Richard and Saladin—of which Conrad served as a chief negotiator—lasted until 20 August. Against Richard's own judgment, William had all three thousand Muslim hostages decapitated before the eyes of Saladin's army.<ref name="AC1" /> In retaliation, Saladin returned the favor, executing every last Christian prisoner his army held. In the wake of this violent breakdown in diplomacy, Conrad stormed back to Tyre, and it was speculated by the Assassin [[Rafiq]] [[Jabal]] that William appointment as regent was in fact Richard's way of keeping him hostage to discourage Conrad from betraying him.<ref name="AC1" />
 
Once it was clear that the war would resume, Richard led his forces out from Acre to [[Jaffa]], a port city whose control was vital for the Crusaders to have a chance of retaking Jerusalem. For the next weeks, his army would be pursued by Saladin's forces, whose camel archers and raiders would dog his march for the entire way until Saladin finally intercepted Richard at [[Arsuf]] on 7 September, the site of the next major battle of the Third Crusade.<ref name="AC1" /> The Crusaders' decisive victory there would open their way for another victory at Jaffa and the path to Jerusalem though the war would end without them ever attacking it as a result of internal dissent.


==References==
==References==
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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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