6.Playing with Beacon Fires（220）

Lesson 6 Playing with Beacon Fires

About 2800 years ago, in China's Zhou Dynasty, there was an emperor named You.

He loved wine and fun more than taking care of his country's important matters.

He was very fond of a concubine named Bao Si and did everything he could to make her smile.

On the advice of a minister who always agreed with him, he had beacon fires lit on the mountains just to make Bao Si smile.

Beacon fires were usually a sign that enemy forces were attacking, so when the leaders of nearby areas saw them, they quickly sent their soldiers to help the emperor.

But when these soldiers got there, they found a big party happening at the emperor's palace on the mountain.

The leaders were really surprised and upset about being tricked.

Bao Si laughed and clapped when she saw how they had been fooled, and this made Emperor You very happy.

In the eleventh year of Emperor You's rule, soldiers from the Xirong state attacked and surrounded Haojing, the capital.

Emperor You tried to call for help again by lighting the beacon fires, but this time, nobody came to his rescue.

He was very disappointed because not a single area came to help.

Soon, the attackers destroyed the city, and Emperor You was killed.