The downfall of the Western Zhou came, according to legend, when King You began lighting the country's warning beacons simply to amuse his concubine. After issuing such false alarms a number of times, when the steppe nomads known as the Quan Rong actually attacked in 771 BCE, You's nobles and armies failed to heed the warning beacons. The nomads sacked the capital city and killed King You, leading to the beginning of the Eastern Zhou, a period of considerable disunity and chaos. | The downfall of the Western Zhou came, according to legend, when King You began lighting the country's warning beacons simply to amuse his concubine. After issuing such false alarms a number of times, when the steppe nomads known as the Quan Rong actually attacked in 771 BCE, You's nobles and armies failed to heed the warning beacons. The nomads sacked the capital city and killed King You, leading to the beginning of the Eastern Zhou, a period of considerable disunity and chaos. |