That’s Not a Horse!On September 10th, 210 BC the First Emperor of China Qin Shi Huangdi died after y
That’s Not a Horse!On September 10th, 210 BC the First Emperor of China Qin Shi Huangdi died after years of consuming various mercury concoctions in hopes of gaining immortality. Immediately there was a scramble to decided who should ascend to the throne after the death of the Emperor. The Emperor declared that his eldest son, Fusu, should gain the throne, but instead one of his ministers, a eunuch named Zhao Gao schemed to take power for himself. Zhao Gao changed the edict, making his youngest son, Qin Ershi, the new Emperor. Zhao Gao then convinced Fusu to commit suicide, and arranged the deaths of other family members who had claim to the throne.Qin Ershi was little more than a puppet of Zhao Gao, with the eunuch using the position to manipulate government and politics from behind the throne. However the rule of Qin Ershi was fraught was strife as rebellion tore the empire apart, bandits roamed the countryside, and nomadic step peoples raided from the north. Qin Ershi was no Qin Shi Huangdi, it’s not uncommon throughout history for the son of a great ruler to be unable to fill his father’s shoes. Zhao Gao saw this, and decided that soon it would be time to overthrow Qin Ershi and take the throne for himself.Before he could organize a coup, Zhao Gao needed to know who among the Emperor’s ministers and officials were loyal to him. One day he presented an animal “from a mysterious far away land” to the Emperor. Zhao Gao announced that it was a special breed of horse, when in fact it was a deer. The Emperor thought he was joking, but Zhao Gao was adamant that it was a horse. The Emperor then questioned those around him. Those who were loyal to the Emperor responded that it was a deer, but those who were loyal to Zhao Gao responded that it was horse. Shortly afterward, Zhao Gao had all those who answered that it was a deer secretly killed.In 207 BC Zhao Gao made his move and overthrew Qin Ershi. However Fuyu’s brother, Ziying, took the throne and in revenge had Zhao Gao lured into a trap and killed. Bad luck for Zhao Gao. Ziying’s rein would only last 46 days before the empire totally collapsed, and he was killed by rebels. -- source link
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