Shan

 

The Third Prince’s troops are being trained about fifteen miles from the capital, on a discreet estate off the beaten track.  The Prince has recruited fifty men, many of them ex-soldiers, some of them peasants or townspeople, and it’s my unenviable task to bring their skills up to a reasonable level.  It’s an exhausting and unrewarding job, but after several weeks, I’m beginning to feel we’re making progress.  My relationship with the Third Prince has so far been distant.  Now that Shao Ru’s gone, the person I see most of is Wan Ning, the military advisor, largely because we share a room.  His stern exterior hides a rather less stern personality.  Like me, he was recommended to the Third Prince by General Chen.  Like me, he’s feeling his way with Yan Jianhong. 

In the days since our encounter with Jinhai, Wan Ning’s been trying to sound me out about our relationship.  He’s also curious and more than a little suspicious about Yuan Song.  “He’s a prostitute.  How do we know we can trust him?  He sells his ass to the highest bidder.”

I too have my doubts about Yuan Song, although Jinhai seems to trust him.  However I’m not about to tell Wan Ning that, so I just grunt.

Wan Ning continues his probing.  “The little Prince seems to have his head screwed on.  Came out with a plan just like that.”

I grunt again.

“You must know him pretty well – he was with your troop for over a year.”

“Yup,” I say, taking off my boots and lying down.

“Bit of a distraction for the men, a face like that.”

“Nope,” I say, closing my eyes.

A knock on the door heralds a servant, who informs me that the Third Prince commands my presence.  Wearily, I put my boots on again and follow him out. 

The Third Prince is staring out of the window.  There’s nothing much to look at, only a few discouraged trees and some bamboo.

“Ah, Commander Liao,” he says, as I rise from my salute.  He moves to the desk and sits down, as awkward with me as I am with him.  “When do you think the men will be ready?”   

“I think they’re ready now.”

“How many will you need for the mission?”

“A dozen to go into the prison and another dozen on standby.  I don’t expect too much trouble, but the unexpected can always crop up so it’s as well to be prepared.  I’ve already picked the people I’m going to use.”

“Good.”  He hesitates.  “I’ve had news.  The Emperor returned secretly to the city last night with his personal guard.  The army’s about ten days behind.  It's been delayed by sickness and fatigue.”

“We should move as soon as it gets back.  But with Your Highness's permission, I need to go into the city.  I have to take a look at the prison and scout out the terrain.  And also we should find out how the Sixth Prince’s plans are going.   May I go in tomorrow?”

"Permission granted."  He coughs, looks embarrassed.  “Er - am I to understand that you and my brother are…” he hesitates, searching for the right word, and comes up with “…intimate?”

His embarrassment gets to me.  I find myself coughing and shuffling too.  “His Highness the Sixth Prince has honoured me,” I say stiffly.

His face is red.  “I see.  All right.  You may go.  Report to me when you get back.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”  I salute again and escape with some relief.

Back in the room, Wan Ning looks up at me. “Problems?”  

“No.  He wanted to know how ready we were.  And I’ve got permission to go into town tomorrow.”

“Lucky bastard,” he says enviously.

I set off before dawn next day, disguised as a common carrier and driving a cart laden with firewood.  I reach the city wall just before noon, exchange comments on the weather with the guards as they investigate my cargo and am waved through with no trouble.  The first thing I do is get hold of a couple of the street-children who hang about the marketplaces hoping to earn a few coins.  I send one to deliver a message to the Lei house, arranging a meeting with Jinhai at the Cherry Blossom Pavilion in the evening.  The other is dispatched to Shao Ru asking him to meet me at a tavern near the prison where Li Wei’s being held.  Then I head there myself.

Shao Ru gets there just after I do.  The prison’s a large square building surrounded by a high wall.  There are other buildings all round but none overlook the prison directly.  A stout double gate’s guarded by two soldiers and we know that there’s usually a force of about a dozen soldiers inside, plus half a dozen jailers who feed and watch the prisoners.  There’s a section for common criminals and another for prisoners of rank, where Li Wei’s being held.  We don’t know what kind of condition he’s in, but he’s no longer young and has been interrogated several times, so we reckon he’ll be in poor shape.   

The plan’s to mount a stealth attack, scaling the wall by night, immobilizing the soldiers and jailers, freeing the prisoner and escaping the way we came.  We’ll need grappling hooks, ropes and ladders.  Li Wei will have to be carried out.  It’ll all have to be done at speed, so there’s no time for anyone to send a message to the Palace.  The last thing we want is the Imperial Guard turning up to the party.  We’ll bring Li Wei to the Third Prince’s mansion and the men will scatter to other safe houses in the city.  It sounds simple, but nobody knows better than I do how unexpected events can knock out the best-laid plan. 

We make a circuit of the prison wall and mark down a likely spot for the team to make its entry.  Then we find a nearby tavern and sit with a jar of wine to watch the comings and goings. 

“Does this remind you of anything?”  Shao Ru asks, grinning.  “It’s good to know our stake-out of the temple came in useful after all.”

“How are your plans going?”

“Everything’s organized.  We need a day or two more.  I assume you’re meeting the little bundle tonight?  He’ll tell you all about it.”  Shao Ru knocks back a cup of wine and helps himself from the plate of snacks on the table.  “How are things at the training camp?   Everyone getting on with the Third Prince?”

“He asked if Jinhai and I were intimate,” I say, wincing at the memory.

Shao Ru’s hand stops halfway to his mouth.  “What did you say?”

“What could I say?”

“Awkward.  I don’t suppose there’s a precedent for a mere commander knocking off an Imperial Prince.  Does Third Brother know about Lord Zhao?”

I shake my head.

“Then the little bundle should tell him.  It’s the only way to make sure the pair of you don’t get messed about once Third Brother becomes Emperor.”

“If he becomes Emperor.”

“He’d better, otherwise all our heads will be hanging on the city wall.”

“Talking of that, we have to have a back-up plan so we can get everybody out if things go wrong.  If the army doesn’t come through, there’ll be a bloodbath.”

“So what are you thinking about?”

“Jinhai and Ah-Lien will have to make a run for it back up the trade road.  We made a lot of friends on the way here.  Lady Han would help them.  Jinhai could go to his father and take my sister with him.”

“What about us?”

“Get the Third Prince out and take anyone who survives down south.  Join up with the lords of the southern provinces.”

“That rather assumes we get out ourselves.”

I nod, rather grimly.

Shao Ru’s silent for a moment or two.  Then he says, “What do you think our chances are?”

“Getting Li Wei out – pretty good.  Toppling the Emperor – it all depends on the army and I don’t have any insight into the generals’ frame of mind.  Yan Jianhong seems to think they’re ready to rebel.  That’s what it all hinges on.”

Shao Ru clicks his teeth.  “Suddenly Qiu City seems rather attractive.  It’s a nice long way away.”

“This is the last time I’m getting involved with anything like this,” I say.  “Once it’s all over, I’m going to retire and lead a quiet life with Jinhai.”

“You’d die of boredom in two months.”

“You may be right.  What about you, Ah-Ru?”

“We-ell,” he says, slowly, “Hao Meng was telling me about his adventures on the road and it did seem like kind of a fun way to make a living.”

“Escorting caravans?”

“Sure.  These merchants are loaded, Hao Meng says.  Money for old rope, after the army.”

“You two get on, then?”

“He’s my kind of guy.  I think we could work together.”

“I think so too.”  I lift my cup and clink it against Shao Ru’s.  “Here’s to afterwards, then.”

“May it come soon,” he adds.

As the afternoon sun declines, he gets up to leave.  On his way out, he stops and says, “Ah, just thought I’d mention it – not to worry, but I reckon that Cherry Blossom fox has his eye on the little bundle.”

I sit on for a while, watching and thinking.  As dusk falls, I make my way through the lantern-lit streets to the Cherry Blossom Pavilion.