The Eagle and the Dragon, a Novel of Rome and China

by Lewis F. McIntyre

  Three others rounded out the party: a short, wiry man, a large black-bearded man, and a person of Mongolian features, both of who had the broad shoulders, narrow hips, and sculpted muscles of fighting men. Bodyguards, perhaps? None spoke any Hanaean.

  It seemed unusual that an apparently wealthy man should be staying on a simple boat with three companions, but this seemed less unusual the more Cyrus thought about it. While a few silver coins could buy accommodations at a nice inn for several weeks, the man spoke no Hanaean. Not only would he find it difficult to negotiate quarters, he would be at the mercy of any rapacious landlord who wanted to separate as many silver coins from an ignorant barbarian as he could. Worse, if word got out of a well-heeled foreigner who spoke no Hanaean, he would likely be found in an alley, separated not only from his purse but his life. No, staying in humble accommodations surrounded by friends with whom he could speak, two of whom seemed to be beefy bodyguards, that made perfectly good sense.

  What did not make sense was that he and Ma were attempting to negotiate the purchase of a flock of sheep. The boat was not big enough to take a flock back to Tianjin, and there was precious little grazing land east of Luoyang. If taking them back as meat, there were plenty of butchers who would sell prepared carcasses, no need to buy hundreds of live animals on the hoof. One informant indicated that the tall man was actually inquiring about grazing rights, water rights and pasturage, as though he himself intended to become a shepherd.

  That was laughable. One only became a shepherd if one were born to the life, and no better alternative was available. This might be a cover for some other activity…espionage? No one looked twice at a shepherd and his flock, but what would he be spying on in the mountains? And the Mongolian. Not unheard of in Hanaean lands, but relatively rare except for wealthy and politically powerful clan leaders and their entourages. And they all spoke at least passable Hanaean. An outcast, picked up as bodyguard? Or a tribal contact man, intended to carry messages back and forth?

  Individually, the two threads didn’t convey much. But putting together three Europeans with an unlikely cover story, and a Mongolian agent, on friendly terms with the Imperial Roman envoy… this was no coincidence. Nevertheless, Cyrus Mithridates would need more information before taking this before Wang Ming.

  After several days of further probes, Cyrus had gained no new information on the envoys’ contacts. Nevertheless, he decided to present his information to Ming, in as unfavorable a light as possible, of course, including Si Huar’s flirtation, not only with Antonius, but with Aulus himself. Ming politely received the information and dismissed Cyrus, apparently disinterested.

  Ming himself had spent the past three years surrounded by foreigners, unable to communicate with most. Had he encountered a fellow Hanaean in Rome, he most certainly would have jumped at the chance to communicate with a fellow countryman. So he was not surprised at the idea of westerners gravitating toward their fellows here. It was entirely understandable. And the Parthian envoy had every motivation to present anything involving the Da Qin in an unfavorable light. The information about Si Huar disturbed him though… he had long believed she had adulterous intentions toward the big Da Qin soldier. But Aulus? No, the old man was probably a father figure to her.

  Nevertheless, it was worthwhile to conduct his own investigation. He dispatched his own agents, while he studied his copy of Gan Ying’s report, returned to him by Ban Chao. The report seemed favorable enough:

  “The territory of the Da Qin extends for several thousands of miles, with more than four hundred walled towns. There are several tens of smaller dependent kingdoms. The walls of the towns are made of stone. They have established postal relays at intervals, which are all plastered and whitewashed. There are pines and cypresses, as well as trees and plants of all kinds.”

  Gan Ying had given favorable comments on their politics and honor, corroborating Ming’s report:

  “Their kings are not permanent. They select and appoint the most worthy man. If there are unexpected calamities in the kingdom, such as frequent extraordinary winds or rains, he is unceremoniously rejected and replaced. The one who has been dismissed quietly accepts his demotion, and is not angry. The people of this country are all tall and honest. They resemble the people of the Middle Kingdom and that is why this kingdom is called Da Qin, 'Great China'.

  Finally, he reported favorably on their trade and industry:

  “This country produces plenty of gold and silver, rare and precious things like luminous jade, bright moon pearls, Haiji rhinoceroses, coral, yellow amber, opaque glass, whitish chalcedony, red cinnabar, green gemstones, goldthread embroideries, rugs woven with gold thread, delicate polychrome silks painted with gold, and asbestos cloth. They also have a fine cloth which some people say is made from the down of 'water sheep,' but which is made, in fact, from the cocoons of wild silkworms. They blend all sorts of fragrances, and by boiling the juice, make a compound called perfume. They have all the precious and rare things that come from the various foreign kingdoms. They make gold and silver coins. Ten silver coins are worth one gold coin. They trade with Anxi and northwest India by sea. The profit margin is ten to one.”

  Finally, the report took issue with Parthians, confirming Ming’s suspicions of the motive behind the Anxi ambassador Kore-Si’s dire reports of Roman underhandedness.

  “The king of this country always wanted to send envoys to Han, but the Anxi, wishing to control the trade in multi-colored Hanaean silks, blocked the route to prevent the Romans from getting through to Hanaean lands.”

  The report went on for several more pages, all generally as favorable as the first page. Ming set aside Gan Ying’s report, and pondered his own impression of Rome and the other Da Qin cities: attractive, well-built, well-run. Obviously wealthy with massive public baths and libraries open to all citizens. He pondered his recommendation while sipping his tea, and decided to await the report of his own agents.

  Ming’s agents returned in a few days and quickly confirmed much of what Mithridates had disclosed, and went one better than the Parthian’s agents: they had engaged the Hanaean-speaking Ma in idle conversation, eventually gaining his confidence enough to ask him directly about his companions.

  Ma revealed, without any apparent concern, that his companions had been on the Da Qin ships now in Tianjin with the envoys. They were not only acquainted, but close friends.

  As for his becoming a shepherd, Ma was amused at his tall companion seeking this line of work, but insisted he was indeed serious, since he had been born a shepherd many years ago in a faraway desert land. Ma had laughed, sharing with Ming’s agent his doubts that his friend’s enthusiasm would outlast his first Hanaean winter.

  The Mongolian-appearing individual was as big a mystery to the Westerners as to the Hanaeans. He was not Mongolian, and one of the agents, fluent in several Mongolian languages, spoke several short common phrases, evincing nothing but a blank stare. Ma, translating for the group, happily informed Ming’s agent that the individual had been on the ship its entire journey, and before that had served on many ships from the far western end of the world. It seemed highly unlikely that this man was a Mongolian, and on close inspection, they said his eyes were not right, though his hair and skin color were similar.

  The agents’ continued their polite conversation with Ma, shared several cups of tea with him and his companions, and then departed.

  Ming took their extremely bland report, dismissed them, pondering what they had told him. The tall man intrigued him. He had been on the other ship, the one they called Europa. Ming vaguely remembered him from the few times he had been aboard that ship, but didn’t recall him being aboard any of the ships at the beginning of the trip. There had been the strange incident in mid-ocean, when the ships broke formation and separated. His Latin was nowhere near the task of finding out what had happened, and he was confined to his cabin along with his translators for about a week. Eventually, they were boarded by a Da Qin warship and the shipping master
taken off in chains. Aulus had talked rather vehemently of piracy, but Ming thought it was their own ships that had been hijacked. Had the other ship been hijacked as well?

  That night, after lovemaking, he asked Si Huar to relate to him the hijacking as seen from Europa’s deck. While the tall man, whose name she said was Ibrahim, had indeed been a pirate, a bond of trust had formed between him and the two Da Qin by the time Asia had caught up with them. They had forged some sort of deal to get them to Ch’in.

  Wang Ming considered these facts overnight, and concluded that the relationship with Ibrahim and the Romans seemed unlikely, but personal. He decided to keep them under general surveillance, but it was time to prepare his recommendation to convey to to the Son of Heaven, based on Gan Ying’s report and his own impression of the Da Qin.

  The following morning, Ming called on Bai Wei to set up an appointment. After the obligatory exchange of pleasantries and a cup of tea, Ming got down to business.

  “Excellency, I would like to conclude our business with the Da Qin. I have prepared a report for the Son of Heaven on the matter.”

  “Master Ming, that is most unfortunate. The Emperor is departing early for his yearly tour of the southern lands the day after tomorrow, and he will not return until March at the earliest. We will schedule the Da Qin’s appointment on his return.”

  CHAPTER 47: THE HUNTING TRIP

  It was large buck, four feet at the shoulder with nice set of antlers, rooting through the mountain snows in search of food. Fifty yards away, two men signaled one to the other, and one, concealed by a bush, drew his bow and took careful aim. The arrow flew true and struck its target just above the left shoulder. The deer leaped, turning into the deadly pain in its side, and attempted to bound off.

  It didn’t get far. A few dozen yards, and it collapsed onto its crippled left foreleg. When the two hunters reached it, it was gasping its last few breaths. One of the men dispatched it, slicing its throat with a knife to let the last few beats of its heart pour its life blood onto the snow. Its eyes glazed over in death and then it was still.

  The two hunters set to cleaning the deer, and then tied it to a bamboo pole, hoisting it on their shoulders to bring it back to their makeshift camp.

  Emperor He enjoyed these hunting expeditions in the Dabie Mountains overlooking the Yangtze River during his winter tour of the south. The tree-covered mountains rolled lazily over the countryside, their pine and bamboo forests home to a wide variety of game. For He, it was an opportunity to drop the burden of empire for a few days, escape sycophantic courtiers, and live like an ordinary human being, alone or with a handful of trusted friends. Even if only for a painfully short time.

  Ban Chao, recently returned from the western provinces, was one of those trusted friends. Although the emperor had not had the opportunity to know him well during Ban Chao’s duties as Protectorate General of the Western Provinces, he had found his reports and occasional meetings insightful, and noted that he wasted little time on court protocols and self-promotion. And his reputation was enormous; for the last twenty years he had single-handedly led the pacification of the fractious West, defeating the Xiongnu and opening secure routes to the Anxi and Da Yuan. Now semi-retired with the largely ceremonial title of the Commander of Bowmen Shooters in Luoyang, he was one of the Emperor’s closest associates. A frequent hacking cough betrayed his age and failing health.

  Emperor He had chosen Ban Chao as one of his companions for his tour of the southern regions and as his hunting companion, both to assess his character in a close personal way, and to seek his advice on the pressing matter of the Da Qin.

  The emperor and Ban Chao dumped the deer carcass by the fire in their makeshift camp.

  “Good shooting, Excellency. That was a long shot and a good one,” said Chao. “Right at the shoulder, that cripples them, and prevents a long search for a wounded animal.”

  “Thanks, but what does it take to have you call me just Zhou?” responded He.

  “I appreciate your indulgence, but I very much prefer calling you Excellency. If we were overheard, you would have to execute me.”

  “Or pardon you.”

  “We would both lose standing among those who witnessed the indiscretion, Excellency. I can afford to lose standing, or even my life, at my age. You can’t. Let’s get this deer butchered before it gets dark.”

  So the most powerful man in Ch’in, and his most powerful general, slung the deer up on a tree branch and set to skinning and butchering the animal.

  “I can’t tell you how much I look forward to this each year. In court, I can’t so much as get a cup of tea without ten servants hustling around me, competing for the honor of serving me. Only here do I feel like a human being, doing the things that other human beings get to do.”

  “I understand. Generals have sycophants, too. And so do governors and inspectors.”

  “You can chase yours off. Mine set on me like flies. ‘Son of Heaven, may I put on your robe?’ ‘Son of Heaven, may I serve your tea?’ ‘Son of Heaven, may I help you piss?’ You have no idea!” He laughed.

  “The pissing part is a bit intrusive, Excellency!”

  “I am surprised that when I am lying with Lady Deng, that some courtier doesn’t pop out from under the bed and offer to help me put it in!” The two laughed hilariously at the image, and returned to butchering the deer.

  When it was all properly partitioned, they stacked it on the snow.

  “This will keep until the bodyguards show up tomorrow morning. They will bring some rice paper to wrap the pieces,” commented Chao. He introduced a flask of Western red wine. “Compliments of my western tour. The Da Yuan make wine in the Western tradition, from grapes. Have a sample while I pile some more wood on the fire, it’s going to be a cold night.”

  “I can match you with one better. Master Ming gave me a bottle of Da Qin wine, from the other side of the world. Between those two exotic bottles, and a few more bottles of rice wine, it should be an entertaining evening.” The Emperor introduced his bottle, colored glass with a wax seal, embossed in the foreign Da Qin tongue. “Falernian, he called it,” getting his tongue around the foreign syllables with surprising agility. “Quite old, about thirty years or so.”

  The fire was soon blazing, Chao’s first bottle empty, and some of the deer meat gone to fill their empty stomachs. Emperor He opened the Falernian, and the conversation turned serious, as the two men sat on a fallen log staring into the flames.

  “Wine led to my interest in the west,” began Ban Chao, taking a swig from the flask and passing it to the Emperor. “The people in the land of the Da Yuan said this was the way wine was made in the great civilizations to the west. And judging by the Da Qin wine, it seems to get better the further west one travels. This is powerful!”

  Emperor He laughed. “Master Ming warned me not to get it too close to flames. It’s quite flammable!”

  “It is setting my brain aflame already!”

  “Well, you need to help me make a decision, before we finish off this bottle.” He set it aside and continued. “You have read Gan Ying’s report?”

  “I have, Excellency. It is a very complete and intriguing report.”

  “What do you think happened to his party? They should have been back perhaps a year ago. You are very familiar with the area they would have traversed.”

  “Of course. And I reviewed his itinerary which he had thoughtfully provided to Wang Ming, along with a copy of his report. Almost as though he expected that something might happen to him. We have put down many of the Yue Zhi raiders that plagued the caravans there, but like insects, you can never kill them all. It is still a dangerous route. And besides raiders, there is weather, fierce sandstorms, off-season snowstorms. And not all caravan operators are honest or competent. On the other hand, many people have become lost, or been taken captive and detained. Remember one of our first envoys to that land of the Heavenly Horses took ten years to return, acquiring a wife in the process. So… he may be dea
d, or just delayed. I hope the latter.”

  “Do the Da Yuan know of the Da Qin?”

  “They do, Excellency, and it is from their accounts that I decided to dispatch Gan Ying westward a few years ago. The Da Yuan speak a language of the far west related to that of the Da Qin, and they claim descent from a western king who colonized the area with their language and religion. Their name comes from their western homeland, in their own tongue, Great Ionia.” Ban Chao stumbled over the unfamiliar words. “They have exchanged envoys and traders with the Da Qin. However, the Anxi control the western approaches to the Da Yuan lands and they are hostile and often at war with the Da Qin, so the contact is often intermittent. The translators we provided to your Court for the mission are descended from Da Qin survivors of a battle with the Anxi a century or so back.”

  “Amazing that they would keep their culture and language alive for so long, so far from home for so many generations. Do the Da Yuan regard the Da Qin as civilized and honorable?”

  “They do. They say the Da Qin are fierce and formidable warriors. They are also great builders, with beautiful well-run cities. Fantastic roads… some say they build the roads their enemies retreat over! Very literate, but unfortunately I found western languages too hard, and their writing system impossible to comprehend. They write sounds, not images as we do.”

  Emperor He nodded, and broke out the Roman wine. “One more sip, and then the key point.” He took a swig of the powerful amber wine, and passed it to Ban Chao, who followed suit.

  “Chao, the Anxi reside on the land route between us and the Da Qin. We have had good relations with them for centuries, but they are hostile to the Da Qin and they are essential to maintaining the security of the western end of our trade routes, which are highly profitable to our Middle Kingdom. Do I risk unsettling our long-established friendship with the Anxi with an overture to the Da Qin?”