The Dragon's Breath

by James Boschert

  Wu looked over at Buwei with barely disguised disgust. The man lived like a pig, and his operations were crude and heavy-handed.

  “I’ll take care of this little problem myself,” he assured them. “First I think it is time to look into the loyalties of the other administrators in the palace and the Examination house. I know several of the administrators would like to see a man like Hsü running the province.”

  “With the kind of experience you can offer that would be absurd.” Rong flattered him.

  Wu glanced over at Rong. He knew full well that Rong was dangerous but would support him if he turned a blind eye to the nefarious goings on with the incoming trade goods. He was quite sure that Rong had made himself rich by bullying the Arab merchants. He would tolerate that, as long as he was given a share. “I agree I have the experience, but I also know the Governor sent a letter of commendation to the most senior Prefect at the Emperor’s Palace. It is not good news for our cause.”

  “Why is that?” Buwei mumbled through a mouthful. He sucked on a prawn.

  “He recommended Hsü for the position after he dies,” Wu said bluntly.

  “Did you intercept it?” Rong asked nervously.

  Wu flicked a piece of dirt off his immaculately clean robe. “Of course I did,” he murmured. “The letter will never arrive.” He suddenly noticed the waiter hovering nearby.

  “Bring me a warm cup of wine, and hurry up about it. Then leave us,” he told the nervous looking boy. He looked up at the other two. “Should he be allowed to stay in the room when we are talking about these things?” he demanded.

  Rong looked guilty. “I hadn’t thought of that,” he said with a slight slur to his voice. ‘He is always here when we come to eat.”

  “Then you need to be more careful,” Wu admonished him.

  *****

  Shou-cheh sent word to Hsü that he needed to see him as soon as possible. The same meeting place would do.

  Hsü left that evening on foot, accompanied by Fang. Talon and Reza observed the departure, and on impulse both decided to follow them.

  “Its not that I don’t trust him but well... I don’t trust him.” Reza said.

  Talon went along for entirely different reasons. He did trust Hsü, but didn’t think that Fang on his own might be enough with the number of enemies that their host appeared to have accumulated.

  The two men had to be very careful, as they knew that Fang had eyes in the back of his head and would not hesitate to turn on them and attack should he become aware of their presence. In the dark he might not realize that they were his friends: his overriding rule was the protection of his master.

  Hsü and Fang arrived at the inn without incident and went into the smoke-laden room alert to any danger. They located Shou-cheh in a dark corner with a hood covering his face and a small jar of wine in front of him.

  As before, Hsü left Fang at the doorway and crossed the room to seat himself opposite Shou-cheh, who glanced up at him warily. It was clear that he had had a couple of cups while waiting. His normally pale features were flushed.

  “Ah, there you are, Lord Meng.”

  “What is it that required me to be abroad in the dark of the night? You know it is dangerous for me to be out at this late hour,” Hsü remarked.

  “My spies tell me that there is a little group of men who want to get rid of you, Lord Meng,” Shou-cheh said without preamble. Gone was the usual impassive administrator’s face which he wore habitually in the palace.

  “You seem worried my friend,” Hsü said, peering at him.

  “I am, Lord Meng. You should be very careful.” He named Rong and Buwei, and then Wu po-ku as being suspect.

  Hsü sat back and stared at Shou-cheh. “Well, I had guessed that. What else is new?’

  “I don’t know the where and the when they will attempt to do this, Lord Meng, but you must be very careful. Also...” he hesitated.

  “What is it?” Hsü demanded.

  “Wu po ku has stirred a witch hunt in the palace. The word is, he is so sure of himself that he is looking for your supporters within the ranks of the administrators, and he will dismiss them from their position in the palace.”

  “Ah.”

  “It will not take him long to find me if I am not very careful from now on,” Shou-cheh said. He sounded frightened.

  “Do you need protection?”

  “Not yet, but it might come to that. If I am dismissed then it will be very dangerous for me. I saw Wu come into the palace, and as he walked past me he looked my way. It was not a friendly look. I think I will be on his list of people to be dismissed, or worse, should he become governor.”

  “I understand,” Hsü sighed. It was going to be a rough road from here on. Shou-cheh was committed to him but could not be asked to sacrifice his own life, nor the well being of his family.

  “You need to lie low. I can manage for the time being. Just send a messenger when it becomes necessary to inform me of any developments, but take care.”

  Shou-cheh nodded then ducked his head lower as Hsü got up and headed towards the door.

  Hsü and Fang made their way warily down the darkened and nearly deserted streets, then walked through the two gates of the inner city without mishap. They reached the quayside where the boats were waiting. Most of the oarsmen were asleep on their sampans, but a few were awake.

  Fang had just waved one over and they were watching him sculling towards them when they both heard the patter of several pairs of running feet behind them. Both men whirled and saw dark figures that had detached themselves from the darkness of one of the narrow streets and were racing towards them. The attackers brandished spears and long swords, which gleamed in the starlight. Without a word both Hsü and Fang whipped out their swords and went on guard. They were badly outnumbered and the river behind them offered no retreat. The silence of the attackers would have unnerved less experienced men than Hsü and Fang.

  The assassins apparently planned to drive them into the water, where they could be easily picked off by spears or arrows, but Fang gave a ferocious yell and rushed straight at them instead. His sword flashed this way and that, rasping against other swords and parrying stabbing spears. But he also made contact with flesh, because the eerie silence kept by the assailants was now broken by yelps of pain. The attackers drew back, surprised at the vigor of their would-be victims.

  Hsü realized that a counter attack was all they had left; he, too, gave a great shout and rushed into the fray. His sword flashed and struck at the bristling array of weapons, and alongside Fang he parried and struck, stabbing and yelling at the dark figures in front of him. He counted six men, but one was already down, writhing in agony from a stab inflicted by Fang, who whirled and struck like a devil gone mad.

  It could only have been a few seconds before another force appeared from behind the attackers. Two men emerged from the darkened street and threw themselves into the battle with yells of their own, but this time Talon was shouting at Fang and Hsü that he and Reza were there to help and not to mistake them for the enemy.

  It was not long before two more figures lay on the stones of the quayside. The remainder hesitated, whereupon another died from a blow delivered by the thoroughly berserk Fang. The other two scampered off as fast as their legs would carry them.

  In the sudden quiet broken only by a groan from one of the wounded and the distant patter of running feet, the four men peered at one another in the darkness.

  “Talon? What are you doing here?” Hsü gasped.

  “Keeping an eye on your back,” Talon responded. He wiped his blade with a cloth and said, “We should leave, quickly.”

  Hsü agreed; time for questions later. He beckoned to one of the boats and waved it over to them.“We should take that boat. Get aboard.”

  He turned to Fang and said something. Fang kicked over the man who was had been wounded, then shook his head. Hsü muttered what sounded like a curse.

  “That man is dead. We won’t be able to fin
d out who is responsible for this tonight.”

  They crowded hastily onto the boat, and at a sharp command from Hsü the fearful boatman pushed them off and sculled them rapidly out into the darkness of the river. Just in time; soon there were lights showing and shouts from the quayside.

  “That was close,” Hsü said to Talon and Reza. Fang stayed with the boatman at back of the sampan, watching the lights to make sure no one followed them.

  “You looked as though you were able to deal with those offal,” Reza replied with a grin; he appeared to have relaxed his opinion of Hsü somewhat. He wiped his blade carefully with a cloth, then sheathed it with a snap.

  “I think it would have been a very near thing, despite the energetic efforts of Fang. I owe you my thanks for arriving when you did. Incidentally, how did you happen to be there? “

  Talon hesitated. “We saw you leave and were concerned; it was late, and you only had Fang. It has been clear for some time that you are in danger, and at night it is doubly so, as we just found out. Fang is a formidable warrior and a worthy guardian, but we also have a vested interest in your safety, Hsü. Thus we followed you, just to make sure.”

  It was Hsü’s turn to chuckle. “Well, your instincts were right, and we certainly would have been in trouble had you not been there. This has raised the stakes even more, it would seem.”

  “What have you learned?” Talon asked.

  “That I have many undeclared enemies in the city and in the palace who want me dead, and that they will stop at nothing to see that done.”

  ‘Then we must thwart them at every turn,” Reza said, as their boat arrived at the other side of the river.

  *****

  The next day Hsü sought Talon out and invited him for a walk. This was not the first time they had gone for private walks in Hsü’s gardens. Since he came back from the Palace, Talon’s host had seemingly decided to trust Talon with his innermost thoughts.

  Today, while they listened with half an ear to the sounds from the stables and the chatter of the servants, they discussed the previous night’s events.

  Talon explained, “We are now quite concerned about the safety of everyone in the compound. Even before the foiled intrusion, we had posted our own guards because we don’t fully trust the soldiers at the gates. I hope you understand; we have to protect our own.”

  Hsü nodded. “I agree with your sense of caution, Talon, and neither I nor Fang can find fault with your being where you were when those thugs came at us. I am just glad that they didn’t try inside the City, as we would have been on our own then. It might have turned out very differently.”

  Talon agreed. “We didn’t know where you had gone, but we were sure that you would come back to the passing boats. As it turned out, it was a good idea to wait.”

  “My brother-in-law is so afraid, and so is my wife!” Hsü said. He sounded exasperated.

  Talon’s expression bore a question.

  “He came yesterday and had the gall to beg me to withdraw from the governor’s race.” Hsü explained. He looked up at the sky, which was beginning to cloud over. “It’s much too late for that! To withdraw would be tantamount to cowardice and a death sentence. Besides, it wouldn’t stop these people. I told him so.”

  “What did he have to say to that?” Talon had already grasped the risk to all of them, but now Hsü was clarifying the danger.

  “He looked like a centipede that had just had a pin thrust into his back! He wriggled so hard he nearly fell off his chair. I didn’t give him any room for more excuses and sent him home loaded with wine!” Hsü grinned at the memory

  So there are three ways in which a civil leadership

  causes military trouble; two of which are

  when a civil leadership, unaware of the facts,

  tells its armies to advance when it should not,

  or tells its armies to retreat when they should not.

  This is called tying up the armies.

  —Sun Tzu

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  The Dragon’s Breath

  The next week a courier arrived from the palace of Hangzhou with a letter for Hsü.

  When he read the message he became livid with rage. He turned away from the messenger to hide his expression, thinking furiously. The missive, which was from Ts'ao, was very apologetic. There was, however, nothing Ts'ao could do but to counsel Hsü to make the best of it. He emphasized that been commanded by the Emperor himself to go on a perilous mission was an honor; he would be rewarded appropriately, should he complete it successfully. The papers with the Emperor’s orders would be forthcoming. Hsü decided that he should inform Talon, as the news would affect them all.

  He barely noticed Fuling walk by with his arms full of books and a haggard look on his face from all the nighttime study. The exams were only a few weeks away. He waved encouragement to his son but was too distracted to do more.

  When Talon arrived with Reza, he explained the situation.

  “I am ordered to go north. This is an expedition that happens once a year,” he told them. Both men remarked that the normally imperturbable Hsü was unusually upset.

  “The palace, in its infinite wisdom, has decided that in view of my successful return to China after my ambassadorial duties in India and my great service to the Emperor, I should be honored with the task of escorting the annual tribute to the Mongols!” His voice dripped sarcasm.

  They stared at him, uncomprehending.

  “Please do not repeat this to anyone, but I must tell you that this empire is weak. Every year we pay off the Mongols with a huge tribute of silk and silver ingots. It is a thankless task, and very often costs the Chinese delegation a life or two, because the Mongol barbarians cause trouble. No one volunteers for the task, and so they appoint a different leader each time. He has to endure not only a long journey but the scorn of our enemies when they arrive to take delivery of the goods.”

  “Why you?” Talon asked. “Are there not many others at the palace who could do this work?”

  Hsü shook his head. “While I am convinced that my enemies are behind this, most of the tribute will be coming from Guangzhou this year. It is done by rotation, and, alas, it is our turn to provide the bulk of the tribute. All year long it is accumulated in warehouses in various cities, including Guangzhou, until the command from the palace arrives. Then it is transported to the border and handed over.”

  He shook the piece of paper violently. “They have turned the tables on me, Talon,” he grated. “I cannot refuse a command from the Emperor!”

  “How long will it take to deliver the tribute, as you called it,” Reza asked.

  “A month there and back, perhaps even longer. In the meantime, my enemies will foment much mischief while I am away.” Hsü stamped his foot.

  “Why do your people pay this tribute?” Talon asked him, puzzled.

  “Because our illustrious leaders in the palace, who advise our great Emperor, are weak and afraid,” Hsü said with contempt in his voice.

  “Why not deny the Mongols, whom you say are barbarians, and fight them with your greater armies?” Talon persisted.

  Hsü shook his head with a rueful grimace. “This dynasty, and indeed the Tang dynasty before the Sung, has been afraid of military officers of any talent reaching high positions. They fear they will go from there to threatening the throne. Why, they have even executed generals who were successful in battle, can you imagine that?”

  Talon shook his head in disbelief. “If you do not have a strong military, how can you defend yourselves from outside enemies?” he asked. He had Byzantium in mind as he spoke.

  Hsü nearly spat. “You are, of course, quite right, but they are more afraid of a palace coup than of those barbaric tribesmen in the North! It is utterly astonishing to me, but these highly educated imbeciles in the palace would rather try to pay them off than make a determined effort to destroy them.”

  “I would like to go with you to the North,” Talon said abruptly.

&
nbsp; Hsü stared at him. “What about your family?” he asked.

  Reza now interjected. “I know what Talon wants. He wants to see a dragon. That is fine, but I shall stay. One of us has to, Brother,” he said turning to Talon with a grin.

  Hsü nodded slowly as he considered this offer. “Very well, but I shall also leave Fang with you, Reza. He knows where to get help should you need it. It is me they are after, not my family, so and I do not anticipate trouble here. Besides,” he smiled for the first time, “I will have Talon here, who has already demonstrated his abilities to me. I shall be safe.”

  *****

  That evening the two families sat down to supper together. By now the visitors could hold halting conversations, assisted by Lihua. Lady Meng Lanfen was cordial and enjoyed talking to Rav’an; she asked many questions, but also shared gossip, which Rav’an took as a compliment.

  Rav’an or Jannat would ask her what they were eating, and it would amuse her to tell them of the food.

  “Today we are eating rice and duck meat in lotus leaves. Over there by the boys is a bowl of Sha He noodles with leeks. Here is pork with cashew nuts,” she pointed. “Perhaps you should not eat that?”

  “Delicious!” exclaimed Jannat, who didn’t give a fig for the rules any more. She loved the Chinese food.

  “What is that, Lady Meng?” Rostam piped up in Cantonese, pointing at a bowl.

  “Those are dragon’s eyes.” She smiled at him.

  Rostam was awed. “Are they real dragon’s eyes?” he asked, his own eyes nearly starting from his head.

  “Well... no.” Then she happened to glance at Hsü. She smiled. “Not these ones, but it is possible sometimes to find the real ones in the market, I believe.” Fuling rolled his eyes at his grandmother. The entire family knew about Talon’s great desire to see a dragon.

  “And those are stuffed pears. Lun, you should help Rostam to have some and not only eat pastries. I have been watching you.”

  Lun grinned sheepishly and did as he was told.