Abdication and Death
In 299 BCE Zhao Wuling, perhaps tired out from all he had done and wishing to become more involved with military instead of political affairs, abdicated and gave the throne of Zhao to his younger son, Zhao He (Simplified Chinese: 赵何) who was to become King Huiwen of the Zhao (Simplified Chinese: 赵惠文王). He called himself the "Lord Father" (Simplified and Traditional Chinese: 主父), using his new title to visit neighbouring countries, especially the Qin, which he visited secretly. He lived long enough to see the annexation of the Zhongshan by the Zhao in 296 BCE.
In 295 BCE Wuling's older son Zhao Zhang (Simplified Chinese: 赵章) rebelled against King Huiwen and lost. He escaped to the palace in Shaqiu (Simplified and Traditional Chinese: 沙丘), where Zhao Wuling took pity on him and kept him in his palace.
Seeing this, the Prime Minister Lord Anping (Simplified and Traditional Chinese: 安平君), who was Lord Cheng uncle of Wuling, and his subordinate Lord Fengyang (Simplified Chinese: 奉阳君), also known as Li Yu (Simplified and Traditional Chinese: 李兌) surrounded the palace, allowing no food or water to be provided to the inhabitants inside. In desperation, King Wuling ordered Zhang to be killed, but still the besiegers did not retreat. Thus after 100 days, King Wuling starved to death. When the siege was finally lifted, King Wuling's body was already rotting and full of worms - a pitiful ending for such a king.
Wuling was the first Zhao ruler to have the title "king".
Read more about this topic: King Wuling Of Zhao
Famous quotes containing the words abdication and/or death:
“The abdication of Belief
Makes the Behavior small—
Better an ignis fatuus
Than no illume at all.”
—Emily Dickinson (1830–1886)
“Yea, worse than death: death parts both woe and joy:
From joy I part, still living in annoy.”
—Sir Philip Sidney (1554–1586)