The Game of Throne

The last king of Xia dynasty named Jie was a tyrant and oppressor who brought about the collapse of his dynasty.


In 1697, Tang, the king of Shang (a feudal vassal of Xia), led his army defeated Jie's and killed him in the last battle.




Tang wanted to take over Jie's throne and became the so-called the Son of Heaven, but he was afraid people would think what he did was totally out of his greed of the throne. So, he asked Wu Guang, a nobleman with very good reputation, to be the new ruler.

He said to Wu Guang in public: "As I know, the smart man planing, the brave man fighting and the merciful man governing is the immutable truth. Now I have overthrown the tyrant. You, a merciful lord, should be the new ruler."

Behind the curtain, however, Tang sent a spy who was a friend of Wu Guang to tell him: "Tang is jealous of your reputation.

Thus he killed the king and ask you to have the throne. In this way, you will be the regicide and blamed by all people." So Wu Guang, in order to show his innocence, drowned himself in a river.

Writer Comment:

Tang was smart but not noble, while Wu Guang just opposite.