King Youmiu of Zhao (; r. 235–228 BCE), personal name Zhao Qian, was a king of the
Zhao state.
The younger son of
King Daoxiang and
Queen Daochang, King Youmiu was nevertheless able to succeed to the Zhao throne before his elder brother
Zhao Jia due to his mother Chang Hou's intervention. He inherited a country that was in danger of being conquered by the
Qin state
Qin (, , or ''Ch'in'') was an ancient Chinese state during the Zhou dynasty. It is traditionally dated to 897 BC. The state of Qin originated from a reconquest of western lands that had previously been lost to the Xirong. Its location at ...
, as it had been since a defeat at the
Battle of Changping
The Battle of Changping () was a military campaign during the Warring States period of ancient China, which took place from 262 to 260 BC at Changping (northwest of present-day Gaoping, Shanxi), between the two strongest military powers, the St ...
in 260 BCE.
The state of Zhao, however, was able to survive thanks to the services of General
Li Mu
Li Mu (; died 229 BC), personal name Zuo (繓), courtesy name Mu (牧), was a Chinese military General of the State of Zhao during the Warring States period. He is regarded by Chinese folklore as one of the four Greatest Generals of the Late Wa ...
, who successfully repelled Qin attempts at exploiting the situation. The Qin devised a scheme to get rid of him; through bribing a close confidante of King Youmiu, the courtier Guo Kai (郭開), Li Mu was arrested and executed on suspicion of treason.
Without Li Mu, Zhao's defenses were unable to resist the might of Qin. In 228 BCE, Qin forces under the leadership of
Wang Jian captured the Zhao capital of
Handan
Handan is a prefecture-level city located in the southwest of Hebei province, China. The southernmost prefecture-level city of the province, it borders Xingtai on the north, and the provinces of Shanxi on the west, Henan on the south and Shando ...
. King Youmiu surrendered and was then exiled to Fangling (modern-day northwestern
Hubei
Hubei is a province of China, province in Central China. It has the List of Chinese provincial-level divisions by GDP, seventh-largest economy among Chinese provinces, the second-largest within Central China, and the third-largest among inland ...
). Zhao Jia then took the throne as King of Dai (代王) and reigned over a rump state in Zhao's far north.
Notes and references
* Zhao Guo Shi Gao (Draft History of the Zhao State), Shen Changyun, Zhonghua Book Company, China.
{{Monarchs of Zhao (state)
Monarchs of Zhao (state)
3rd-century BC Chinese monarchs
Zhou dynasty nobility