by Jeff Stone
“How long before we get there?”
“The soldiers say about a week.”
“How many men does he have again?”
“Some died in the attack against the bandits, but he still has about eighty elite soldiers, plus their horses.”
“There are three thousand highly skilled imperial soldiers within the Forbidden City. Tonglong does not stand a chance.”
“They keep calling this a ‘diplomatic mission,’” ShaoShu said. “Tonglong’s men say there will be no bloodshed because of who Tonglong bribed.”
“Did they mention any names?”
“Just one, but they say this person is really important—Wuya, or Crow.”
“Wuya?” the Emperor asked. “Are you certain?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Then we are indeed doomed. Wuya is the head of security for the entire Forbidden City. All three thousand soldiers report to him.”
“Uh-oh,” ShaoShu said.
“Uh-oh, indeed. To think, I fully trusted Wuya. Apparently another of my many mistakes. When are Tonglong’s main forces supposed to arrive?”
“I heard the soldiers say that local squadrons are already arriving at the stronghold, but the troops from the south and east are not supposed to be here for at least another few weeks.”
“That is good news. Is there anything else you can tell me?”
“Well, there is the key that I stole from Tonglong and gave to Ying.”
“A key?”
“Yes, sir,” ShaoShu said. “Tonglong had a key that he claimed opened a back gate or door to the Forbidden City, he wasn’t sure which. Just before I ran off, I stole the key and gave it to Ying.”
“Do you know where Tonglong got the key?”
“His father, sir.”
“What does it look like? A normal key?”
“No, it is entwined with dragons.”
“This is great news,” the Emperor said. “I knew Tonglong’s father. If the key is what I think it is, we just might have a chance. That is to say, Ying will get another chance at Tonglong. Now, listen carefully… .”
Seh sat at the meeting table inside the secret room above the kitchen at the Jade Phoenix. He and the bandits had only been in Kaifeng a few hours, but the proprietor, Yuen, had told them that rumors were flying thanks to propaganda from Tonglong. She said that locals were saying Tonglong’s elite force had killed the bandits, crushing their so-called Resistance.
Seh hated to admit it, but the propaganda was more or less accurate.
Around the table with Seh sat Mong, Hung, Bing, Sanfu, and the Governor; plus Fu, Malao, and Hok. The mood was somber. They were deep in conversation, determining their next course of action.
The Governor cleared his throat and looked at Mong. “I don’t know how to say this, but our best next step may be surrender.”
“Never!” Fu growled, slamming his fist on the table.
“We have to be realistic,” the Governor said. “No one has worked harder for the autonomy of this region than I have, and no one knows better than I what is at stake. If we had the means to fight, that would be a different story. However, what we have just seen all too clearly is that a volunteer army of well-intentioned men cannot compete against those armed with pistols and muskets.”
“We killed some of them,” Fu said.
“We killed about twenty horsemen, compared with more than a hundred bandits lost,” the Governor said. “That ratio is unacceptable. It will not change significantly unless we have firearms—”
“Did someone say firearms?” a voice called out from the opposite side of the meeting room’s trapdoor.
Seh did not recognize the voice right away, but Fu, Hok, and Malao did.
“Charles!” Malao squealed. He jumped out of his chair and pulled the trapdoor open, dropping a rope ladder down into the kitchen. A moment later, Charles’ head popped up through the trapdoor.
“I came to ask Yuen where to find you, and here you are!” Charles said. “This must be a sign. I have news.”
“Please tell us that your pirate friends are on the way,” Malao said. “We could really use the help. Besides, I love boat rides.” He giggled.
Charles shook his head. “My news is not that good. In my quest to find my countrymen, I sailed all the way to the sea before I learned that Tonglong has positioned warships up and down the seacoast. I could not attempt to travel by that route. The Grand Canal turned out to be out of the question, too. There are soldiers everywhere.”
“So, what is your good news, then?” Hok asked.
“I sailed back up the Yellow River to Jinan and went to see HukJee, the black market dealer. He has realized that Tonglong as Emperor would be bad for his business, so he offered to help. He will give us firearms.”
“Yes!” Fu said.
Mong shook his head. “Not so fast, Fu. Charles, what quantities are we talking about, and what is the timing?”
“HukJee said that he could get two hundred pistols and one hundred muskets to Jinan in five days. He might be able to secure a few cannons, too, plus black powder and shot. I could make a run to Jinan and pick up whatever my sloop can carry, then proceed to the Forbidden City. There is a long canal that links the Forbidden City and the Yellow River. We could meet somewhere along there.”
“That is a great idea, Charles,” Mong said. “You are going to need help, though. Fu, Malao, Hok, and Seh—how do you feel about traveling with Charles? I think the lot of you could adequately protect a shipment as precious as this.”
“All right!” Malao squealed. “A boat ride!”
Charles’ face grew grave, and he turned to Malao. “Firearms are dangerous business, my little friend. They need to be taken seriously.”
Malao lowered his eyes. “Sorry.”
Seh watched Fu and Hok nod solemnly. He nodded, too.
“Thank you,” Charles said to them, and he turned to Mong. “I would be honored if my friends could accompany me as crew, and I will teach them to fire what we carry. We will arrive as more than just a transport vessel. We will be a full-blown man-o-war.”
“Thank you,” Mong replied. “I know this is not your battle to fight, as you come from another land.”
Charles looked at each of them, then he bowed to Mong. “It is my battle, sir. You are my friends. I will not let you down.”
Long spent nearly a week traveling with Xie and the phony imperial caravan atop the Great Wall before they reached the enormous gate at the western edge of the city of Peking. He had learned that the Forbidden City was a walled compound located within these city limits, and soon found his sedan chair being carried down a massive staircase into a gathering crowd.
Word had quickly spread to the city dwellers from the soldiers monitoring the wall’s signal fires that the Emperor’s caravan was headed their way. The news circulated much faster than the caravan could travel, and by the time Long reached the main gates of the Forbidden City several hours later, he had witnessed thousands upon thousands of people pushing and shoving one another, trying to catch a glimpse of their imperial ruler’s sedan chair. Long had never seen anything like either the crowds or the Forbidden City itself.
Outside the largest, most imposing gate he could have imagined, Long heard a gong sound, and the excited crowd fell deathly silent. The Forbidden City’s main gate slowly opened, and a wave of people began to push back from it. Soldiers on horseback soon flooded out, driving the crowds back farther still while forming a river of open space through which Long’s caravan could pass untouched.
Soldiers saluted and more gongs began to ring out, and Xie poked his head into the sedan chair, unable to suppress his smile. “All this is for you, my friend,” he said. “What do you think?”
“I honestly have no idea what to think,” Long replied, filled with awe. “Has this ever happened before?”
Xie laughed. “Every single time he enters or leaves. The current Emperor is unusual in that he enjoys traveling, which is a big part of the
reason he was captured. Most emperors and empresses rarely left the Forbidden City. As you will see, there really is no need. We are about to enter, so slip your hood over your head and remain silent. No one is allowed to look at you, but it is better to be safe.”
Long nodded that he understood, and he sat back to enjoy the tour.
The first thing they came to was a wide moat. They crossed it via a beautiful bridge, then headed through the largest pair of doors Long had ever seen. This “gate” was so tall that he could not even guess at its height, and it was wide enough for several horses to pass through side by side. The gate doors were a marvel of engineering, and nearly as ornate as the bridge had been.
Once they were through, the gate doors closed behind them, and Long noticed a different set of gate doors ahead. On either side of them were sheer walls topped with armed soldiers. Someone sounded a gong, and the second set of doors began to open. They passed through these doors, only to find themselves facing yet another set, with more soldiers along the tops of the side walls. Long whispered out of his window to Xie, “How many of these gates are there?”
“The Forbidden City is cities within cities,” Xie replied. “There are walls within walls, and gates within gates. The gates will soon grow progressively farther apart and you will see more and more buildings within each section, but to answer your question there are seven or so gates between the entrance and your palace, depending upon what you consider a gate. The section in which you will live is the most secure area in all China.”
“It is going to take all day to get there,” Long said with a sigh.
“Hours,” Xie replied. “Protocol requires you to meet with your advisors. There are different advisors for different subjects, and they all occupy different sections of the Forbidden City. Upon arrival, the Emperor must meet with each and every one. The good news is, you do not have to get out of the sedan chair, and they are even forbidden to look directly at you. You will not even need to talk, just listen to what they have to report. The bad news is, we will not be eating supper until midnight.”
By the time Long arrived at “his” personal dining hall and dinner was served, it was indeed midnight and he was almost too tired to eat. His head hurt from listening to all the things the Emperor had to deal with. How could one man be responsible for so many details and decisions? There were advisors for everything from foreign trade to national taxation to daily menus for the Emperor’s four hundred personal servants. It was mind-boggling. He had a new respect for the Emperor.
“Had enough for one day?” Xie asked.
Long pushed his hood back and rubbed his forehead. “Please do not even joke about that. I don’t think I could have taken another meeting or advisor.”
“I am sorry to tell you, then, that we have one more meeting. You still have not met the head of security, my best childhood friend, Wuya.”
“His name is Crow? Was he ever a warrior monk?”
“No. Like me, he just happens to have a name from nature. Our families have a long history of friendship, and naming children in this manner is a unique habit we share.”
There was a knock at the door, and Long quickly flipped up his hood.
A servant stepped into the room and bowed toward Xie. “Security Chief Wuya is here.”
“Show him in,” Xie said, and he turned to Long and whispered, “Let us see how quickly he notices that you are not the Emperor.”
Long nodded and sat very straight, as though he were royalty. He adjusted the hood down well over his face and folded his hands within his long yellow robe sleeves.
Wuya entered the room, and Long saw how well his name suited him. He was tall and thin, with shiny black hair and a large, beaked nose. He stopped several paces from Long and bowed, staring straight at him.
Long grew uncomfortable. Every other advisor had followed tradition and only glanced at him indirectly. This man was scrutinizing him, for some reason.
“Welcome back, Your Eminence,” Wuya said.
Long nodded.
“I trust your trip was satisfactory?”
Long nodded again.
“I understand that your caravan approached Peking from the west. Forgive my saying so, Sire, but that is odd. You were expected from the south. You were also expected to be traveling with our new Southern Warlord, Tonglong. Is everything fine? Do I have reason to be alarmed?”
Long shook his head.
Wuya’s beady black eyes narrowed. “Which is it, Sire? Are you shaking your head in response to my first question, or my second?”
Long did not know what to do. He had not spoken all night, knowing that doing so would give him up as an impostor.
Xie clamped a hand on Wuya’s thin shoulder. “Wuya, old friend, we need to talk.”
Wuya shrugged Xie’s hand away. “I am speaking with the Emperor. You and I will talk soon enough.” He grabbed a small key ring tied to his sash and turned to Long. With an impressively quick flick of his wrist, Wuya flung the keys at Long’s face. Long barely had time to catch them before they struck his mouth.
Wuya squawked and pointed at Long, but spoke to Xie. “I knew it! Those are the hands of a boy, not a man. Remove your hood.”
Long did as he was told.
“Who are you?” Wuya asked.
“It is a long story,” Xie replied, looking suspiciously at Wuya. “Before I answer your question, though, I have one for you. You seem to have known from the moment you walked in here that this was not the Emperor. How?”
“You enter the Forbidden City with a child posing as the Emperor, and you want to question me about my suspicions? I am the head of security. It is my job to be suspicious. If you detected more suspicion than normal in this case, it was obviously warranted. Now tell me, who is he? What are you up to?”
“Have a seat, and I will tell you all about it. There is no need to be rude.”
“I will not have a seat!” Wuya said. “Where is the Emperor?”
“He has been kidnapped,” Xie replied.
“Kidnapped? By whom?”
“Tonglong.”
“The Emperor is traveling under Tonglong’s protection. There has been no kidnapping.”
Xie shook his head. “The Emperor is being held against his will and, last I saw, was being loaded into a pig crate.”
Wuya clenched his teeth. “Why would Tonglong do that?”
“He is power-hungry.”
Wuya’s tiny eyes blazed with fury. “Of course Tonglong is power-hungry. He is now the Southern Warlord. A person does not get to that level of leadership without being power-hungry. One might accuse you of having the same tendencies, Xie, seeing how you are now the Western Warlord.”
“Tonglong is different altogether from me, and you know it. I do not appreciate your implications.”
“What you do or do not appreciate means nothing,” Wuya said. “The security of our country means everything. Let us assume for a moment that Tonglong was up to something. You decided on your own that the solution to the problem was to put an impostor on the throne? How dare you! What you are doing amounts to treason.”
“How dare you speak to me in this manner?!” Xie replied in a menacing tone. “It is only out of respect for our past that I do not tear your head from your bony shoulders this instant. Tonglong is gathering troops. He claims to be doing so with the Emperor’s blessing. Why would the Emperor bless that? Think about it. Listen to me.”
“No, you listen to me. I respect our history, and I respect your position as the Western Warlord. More than anything, I respect the fact that you recently lost your father under circumstances that I myself find dubious. However, we are in the Forbidden City. You have no power here. I am the head of security. You have put me in a compromising position without consulting me first. If anyone finds out about this game of yours, I will be executed.” He turned and glared at Long. “You never told me who you are. You look familiar.”
“My name is Long,” Long replied, “but you may know me as Golden
Dragon.”
“Of course,” Wuya said. “The newest Fight Club Grand Champion. Has anyone else seen your hands tonight?”
“No.”
“If a single person suspects anything,” Wuya said, “the whole nation could be sent into a panic. I would have no choice but to kill you. I should just kill you now and save myself a world of potential trouble. I suggest you leave immediately, Long. Leave your blasphemous yellow robes here, too.”
“He is not going anywhere,” Xie said. “We need everyone to continue to think that the Emperor is now inside the Forbidden City and in control. When Tonglong arrives to try to seize the throne—”
“Enough of this Tonglong nonsense!” Wuya said. “Take Long and leave immediately. I will not be held responsible for his safety, or yours.”
“I will take full responsibility for both of our lives,” Xie said, “but we will not leave on your terms. We will leave when I deem it is time.”
“Before sundown tomorrow, then,” Wuya said. “No later. And do not leave this room.”
“Tomorrow evening is fine, but I was planning on him staying in my quarters tonight.”
“No. Too many people have seen him. He must stay in the Emperor’s suite.”
“Then I will stay with him,” Xie said, “on the floor by the door.”
“You will do no such thing. Never once did you do that with the Emperor. We must do nothing out of the ordinary.”
“I have spent many nights outside the Emperor’s door.”
“Outside the door is acceptable. Inside is not. While you eat dinner, I will secure the room and instruct my men to steer clear of it while you are here. You have broken my confidence, Xie, and I must do what is required of me to protect my interests, as well as the interests of the entire nation.”
Before Xie had a chance to say another word, Wuya stormed off.