Author's note:  I just wanted to say a big warm Thank You to everyone who's followed the story so far and those people who've taken the time and trouble to post comments.  I do very much appreciate it.

This story fell naturally into three parts and we're now at the end of Part 1 (The Little Bundle).  In Part 2 (The Cruel Road), the story takes a different turn, as events bring about change and new characters are introduced.

So here goes.

 

Qiu City - Shan

 

Spring comes late to the mountains.

Here between the mountains and the plain, we’re just starting to see the snow retreat, when word comes from Border Town that a body of troops has arrived and that Qiu City’s their destination. 

“They’ll be here in three days,” I say, looking up from Ma Xiuying’s letter.

Shao Ru sucks in his breath.  “So we’ll be heading home?”

“I guess so.”

“Shan’t be sorry.  All this snow gets me down.”

Liang Zhou frowns, “I’ll have to get someone to take over the clinic.”

“And I’ll have to get the accounts ready to hand over,” Jinhai adds.

Later, I say to him, “You’d better write that letter to the Emperor.”

“Already written.  Will we be leaving immediately?”

“I expect so.  We’ll still have a few more days before we get to Eagle Rock.”

Three days later, a troop’s camped outside the city exactly where we were camped last autumn.  The new Commander rides in with his officers to hand over the official orders.  He's a young man, obviously well-born, with a petulant face and a condescending manner.  The sub-officers don’t look like experienced soldiers to me.  They’re looking around with decided distaste and glancing at one another with raised eyebrows.  The young Commander gets off his horse and we salute one another.

“Commander – Liao, is it?” he says.

 Not a good start.

“It is indeed,” I say drily.  “And you are…?”

“Gu Lim.  You’ll have heard the name.  My father’s the Finance Minister.”

“You have orders for me?”

He snaps his fingers and one of the sub-officers comes forward and hands me a scroll.  It’s as expected.  Our orders are to pack up and return to the capital.

“What a dreadful place,” says Gu Lim, looking round.  “My orders are to take over as soon as possible.  Say tomorrow?  Oh, by the way, I have an Imperial decree for his Highness Prince Jinhai.”

Jinhai’s standing behind me among my officers, all of them gimlet-eyed because of Commander Gu’s discourteous manner.  He steps forward and treats Commander Gu to his Imperial look.  There’s a flutter among the new arrivals.  The sub-officers go down on one knee and Commander Gu, taken by surprise, has no choice but to do the same.  He doesn’t look happy about it.

“You may rise,” says Jinhai.  The sub-officer presents the scroll to him with both hands.  He reads it quickly.  Then he hands it to me and steps back into line.

The Emperor’s ordering him to remain in Qiu City as the Imperial Envoy until further notice.

“If we’re leaving tomorrow, there’s a lot to discuss,” I say.  “I’ll show you round.”

“You can instruct my Deputy,” Gu Lim says.  “Is there a decent inn here?”

“I think you need to hear this in person.  You’ll be responsible for what happens after we leave.”

Gu Lim looks displeased.  “Oh, if you absolutely insist.  But could you send someone to the inn and reserve rooms for us for tonight?”

I look round at Shao Ru, who nods brusquely.  Jinhai’s looking at the ground, his lips tight.  My heart aches, but there’s nothing I can do right now.  I have to take this ill-mannered young donkey round and show him all the arrangements.

It’s a long, dispiriting day.  Gu Lim isn’t really interested, but his Deputy Commander’s an earnest young scholar who conscientiously writes everything down.  Shao Ru and I show them the barracks and stables and explain about the arrangements for obtaining supplies.  We show them Liang Zhou’s clinic and explain about the accounting system.  At that point, Gu Lim starts yawning.  He demands a break at noon and suggests a restaurant, but I have the cooks bring us food so that we can eat as we go.  We take them over the Palace and show them the strong-room where the treasure’s kept, together with the laboriously-compiled inventory of all the items.  The yawns suddenly stop here, but not for long.  By the time we take them out on the plateau and explain the system of defence and the need for vigilance in case of attack from the mountains, he can’t wait to escape.

“I’m sure we can pick it all up as we go along,” he says, waving one hand airily.  “Are there any special arrangements for His Highness?”

“His safety’s paramount.  He’ll require a security detail at all times.”  Jinhai’ll kill me for this, but I’m taking no chances. 

Gu Lim looks at me and sniggers.  “Well,” he says, “I can’t guarantee quite the personal level of security that you provide him, from what I hear.” 

For a moment, I’m blind with rage.  I stare at this conceited boy and my expression causes him to blench and take a step back.  Shao Ru seizes my arm.  “Ah-Shan,” he says warningly.

Gu Lim recovers himself.  “I say, don’t you think it’s a bit inappropriate to let your subordinates call you by your name?”

Shao Ru’s hand clenches on my arm.

“Ah-Ru,” I say deliberately, “he’s not worth it.”  I turn to Gu Lim.  “If you need any more information, I’m at your disposal till tomorrow.”

We walk away, Shao Ru muttering every filthy word he knows under his breath.   As we come out into the Palace courtyard, I put my hand on his shoulder and say, “Go and check on the preparations for leaving.  Everyone needs to be ready.”

Now I have to go and face Jinhai.

He’s waiting in our quarters.  He looks up as I come in and says, “It’s all right.  It was a shock, but I’ve got used to the idea.  It just means waiting a little longer, that’s all.”

There’s really nothing to be said.  The few days we thought we’d have together have been reduced to one night.  There’s no way to make it any easier.  I pack my few belongings.  We bathe, have dinner and go to bed.  But neither of us feels much like making love.  Instead we just lie closely together for most of the night.  Towards dawn I can’t bear it anymore and speak his name.  As if he’s waiting for me to do just that, he turns and offers his lips, fitting his body to mine.  So we do manage to take a proper leave of one another after all.

We both know the parting will be painful and there’s no way round it.  As we come into the Black Snake common-room in the morning, all my officers are waiting for us.  Everyone looks miserable.  Wu Shun’s sniffing openly.  But Jinhai surprises us all.  “Come on,“ he says, “It’s not as if I’m going to die.  I’ll be seeing you all again and when I do, I’ll pay for the drinks.”  And turning to Mo Jiang, who’s nearest, he gives him a hug.  Everyone in turn gets a hug, even Shao Ru and Liang Zhou.  Mo Jiang and Qin Feng also have red eyes.

“Now,“ Jinhai says, “Let’s go.”

Leading our horses, we walk all together down the now-familiar road to the main square.  The troop’s drawn up in marching order.  Their horses are still down in Border Town so they’re going to have to walk down the mountain.  Gu Lim hasn’t bothered to show up, but his Deputy Commander and sub-officers have had the decency to turn out.  Jinhai watches as we take our places.  On my signal, the entire troop goes down on one knee in the Imperial salute.  Jinhai bows in return.  We officers mount up.  Then with a last look, I turn my horse and lead the troop out through the main gate.

In their camp, the incoming garrison watches us as we pace down the mountain road. 

Shao Ru says, “Look who’s with them.”

The Ding brothers are there, with sneers on their faces.

“They didn’t waste much time.” I say.

Shao Ru shrugs.  “Not our problem any more.”

We reach Border Town by the end of the second day.  Bai Ping’s there to greet us, full of envy that we’re heading back to the capital which he so longs for, and miserable at the thought of losing our company.  We spend an evening drinking with him and again have to escort him home, maudlin and melancholy.  As we deposit him on his bed, Liang Zhou says, “I hope his transfer comes through before he drinks himself to death.”

“There are no guarantees,” I say, looking down at the snoring body on the bed.

The men are reunited with their horses, and in another two days we’re at Jiayuguan Pass.  The troop’s spirits rise as we go further east.  They’re looking forward to going home. 

“Thank the Gods we don’t have to worry about those sodding wagons any more,” Shao Ru says, as we eat our evening meal round the campfire.  “That was really hard work.  And Gu Lim’s got the Tibetans all to himself now.”

“And the Dings,” says Liang Zhou, “Still pushing their claim to a non-existent throne.”

They laugh.  Even I feel relieved that the weight of Qiu City isn’t on my shoulders any more.  We’ve snapped back into our true identity as cavalry soldiers and everyone feels better for it.

Two days east from the Pass, we’re overtaken by a panicked Imperial courier with news that flies round the troop like a flash of lightning.

The Sixth Imperial Prince is dead!