Mavericks › Knight-errant / Assassin
Hou Ying
Aged gatekeeper of Daliang in Wei who devised Lord Xinling's plan to steal the tally and rescue Zhao, then took his own life
On a moonlit night in a bamboo grove, a covered wooden bridge crosses a misty gorge with glowing lanterns hanging along it, and a small figure in a wide hat stands in the middle of the bridge; a cloak and a wine gourd hang on the railing in the foreground.
Also known as Master Hou · Gatekeeper of the Yi Gate
Hou Ying was a recluse of Wei who, at seventy and poor, kept the Yi Gate of the capital Daliang. Lord Xinling drove out to fetch him in person, leaving the seat of honour empty, and made him a guest of the first rank. When Qin besieged Handan and the Wei general Jin Bi held back his army, Hou Ying proposed having Lady Ru steal the military tally and recommended the butcher Zhu Hai as a backup. On the day Xinling reached Jin Bi's camp, Hou Ying cut his own throat facing north. He is the strategist behind 'Lord Xinling Steals the Tally to Save Zhao'.
Life and times
Dates Birth unknown; died 257 BCE