The Old Fort- Shan

 

At the sight of Kong Guanyu, I stop short in the doorway.

“There you are,” he says derisively.  He’s drunk, but not all that drunk.  “The great hero.  The perfect warrior.  Everybody’s fucking favourite.”

It’s been a long, tiring, humiliating day.  My self-control flies out of the window.  I take three strides and lash out.  My fist connects satisfyingly with Guanyu’s jaw and he falls over backwards, sprawling on the floor.  I throw myself on top of him and pin him down with my forearm across his throat.  “Great hero?  Perfect warrior?  You stupid bastard, don’t you fucking get it?  I’m doing everything I can to keep the people I’m responsible for alive.  I didn’t ask to get stuck in this armpit of a place.  I’d rather be anywhere than here, dancing to your father’s tune and performing like a sodding animal.  I haven’t got time to massage your fucking ego as well.  I’ve got a crappy job to do and you’re not helping.”

He blinks. His mouth works a few times and then he says, in a meek voice, “You’re spitting.”

“Oh crap.”  I let go and roll aside, my arm over my face.  For a moment, neither of us moves.  Then he sits up, rubbing his jaw.  “I’ve really lost it,” he says, not looking at me.  “Back then when we were fighting together, things were simple and I knew what I was doing.  But since I came home, I can’t keep it together.”

I sit up too.  “What’s the problem - your parents?”

“Every fucking thing.  The politics.  Sucking up to this guy and watching out for that one, not upsetting people, balancing acts, diplomacy.  I hate it all.  My father’s determined to make me take his place and I don’t want anything to do with it.  Give me a command on the border and I’m happy.  But palace intrigues – no bloody thanks.  And then there’s my mother and her endless nagging about producing an heir.”

“Remind me, are you the only son?”

“No, I’ve got a half-brother but he’s only ten.”

“Ah-Yu, I think you should tell your parents to go to hell.  Your father doesn’t look like he’s going to die any time soon and in another eight or nine years your brother will be old enough to take over from him.  Just lay down your conditions.  What is it you want?”

“Eventually, command of the army.  The current crop of officers all belong to my father’s generation.  I want to take over from them.”

“You’ve got the talent to do that.  The only thing you’re missing is self-control.”

“I know.  It’s just too damn easy to lose my temper.  And nobody dares say anything except you.”

He sounds so doleful that I have to laugh.  “Well, forget this stupid rivalry.  Learn.  Hone your skills.  Earn people’s respect.  It won’t be difficult.  This is your home, these are your people.”

“How did you get so wise, Ah-Shan?”

“Bitter experience.”  I get up, reach a hand down and pull him to his feet.

“We were like brothers back then,” he says wistfully.

“We still are.  You just forgot.”

We’re interrupted by Shao Ru, who stops on the threshold, his face wary.

“It’s all right, Ah-Ru,” Guanyu says, “I’ve apologized.”

“I should bloody well think so.”  Shao Ru comes in, looking relieved.  “We’ve got enough on our plates without you digging wolf-pits.”

“So I’ve been told,” he says with a grimace.  “All right, I’ll leave you to it.  I’m going to soak my head.”

“You thumped him,” Shao Ru says, as soon as Guanyu’s fairly out of the room. 

“Yup.”

“Did it feel good?”

“Very.  I think he’s going to turn over a new leaf.”

“That’ll be the day,” says Shao Ru with a snort.

I can’t wait to see the back of Lord Kong and his retinue, but we still have another day to wait.  In the meanwhile, I receive another summons, disguised as an invitation to take tea with Lady Kong.

“She’s going to try and persuade you to marry a gentle southern lady," Shao Ru says with a crack of laughter.  "How many daughters has Lord Kong got?  Six, is it?”

But this turns out not to be the case.  When I’m sitting in the lady’s apartment, separated modestly by a beaded curtain, it becomes clear that what she wants is to apologize.

“I unwittingly put you in a difficult position at the banquet,” she says, in a worried tone, “My family has explained the situation to me.  Which, of course,” she adds, “They should have done before, but there it is.”

“There’s no need to worry, my Lady,” I say.  A discreet servant serves me tea, bows and withdraws to the side of the room.

“I expect my son’s told you that I have a reputation for saying the wrong thing.  My Lord and I were married before he reached the position he’s in now and sometimes I wish things were as simple as they were back then.”

This is not a coincidence.  The lady wants to sound me out about her son.

“I think Guanyu feels the same way,” I remark, sipping my tea.  “He was telling me yesterday how he misses the simpler times when we were fighting together.”

“He takes after my father.  As I do.  None of us are good at intrigue.”

“He has many talents,” I say carefully, “Though I have to admit that diplomacy isn’t one of them.  However he has the makings of an excellent leader, once he learns to control his temper.  But I can’t see him in a political setting.”

“No.  But his father’s determined to make him the successor.”

“I understand that Guanyu has a younger brother?”

“Yes.  A good child.  His mother died giving birth, so I brought him up.  But he’s very young.”

“Lord Kong seems to be in excellent health.”

“Yes, he is, but with this war, you never know what might happen.”

“My Lady, you should speak to Guanyu.  He doesn’t want to abandon his family.  He just wants to serve it in a different way.  It should be possible to reach an agreement.”

“Yes, I think so too,” she says in a brighter tone. ”I’m glad we had this chat.”  She puts her cup down and leans forward eagerly.   “Now, tell me all about the Sixth Prince.”

Needless to say, I don’t tell her all about the Sixth Prince, but I give her enough information to satisfy her curiosity.  She has an endearing personality and we part on excellent terms. 

The next day, mercifully, the dignitaries leave and the fort breathes a collective sigh of relief.

As time passes, we settle into a routine much like last winter in Qiu City.  The weather’s less forbidding than in the mountains and there are no snow sports, but as Kong Guanyu’s told us, the hunting’s excellent.  We train, we hunt, we make the occasional trip into the nearest town for rest and recreation.  Though Kong Guanyu hasn’t said anything, he’s obviously come to some sort of accommodation with his father, for his spirits rise and he seems much more like the carefree young man we used to know. 

The Third Prince has also changed.  Since his marriage, he has more confidence, he smiles more, he no longer looks lost and bewildered by events.  We’ve all become attached to the Princess, who’s unfailingly courteous and cooperative.  She and Li Wei have hit it off.  She spends a good deal of her time with him learning about the politics of the Empire.  And she rides and hunts with the best of us. 

News comes regularly from the capital, though at longish intervals.  The success of the poster campaign to ridicule the Emperor heartens us.  However the news of Yuan Song’s plot to entrap the Emperor makes my hair stand on end.

“And the little bundle went along with it?” Shao Ru says, leaning over my shoulder.

“Bloody hell,” I exclaim, “He could have been recognized!”

“But he wasn’t.  It worked.  That Yuan Song’s a cold-blooded bastard, but I’m betting he wouldn’t put Jinhai in danger.”

“Maybe.  It was still a crazy risk.  They think Xu Yating will use it as an excuse to grab the regency.  I’d better show this to Li Wei.”

I put Jinhai’s note away to decode when I’m alone and go off to find Li Wei.  “Sir, there’s news.”

Li Wei reads the letter quickly and nods.  “I agree with Yuan Song’s assessment.  And I suspect that if Xu Yating takes power, she’ll very quickly upset a lot of people.”

“It’ll take a lot to upset the army,” I say grimly.  “We’re trained to defend the Empire, not attack it.”

“That’s the big problem.  But there’s nothing we can do except wait and hope.”

On my way out, I meet Kong Guanyu, who’s also received news:  a long letter from his mother.

“My new wife’s pregnant,” he says, waving the letter at me.  “My mother’s delighted.  Pressure’s off for the next six months.  How about Ah-Nuan?”

“No idea.  She’s your sister.  Ask her.  Or better still, don’t.  She won’t appreciate the pressure any more than you do.”

“Hmmm,” he says, “You’ve got a point.  I’m off out.  Want to come?”

“Got things to do.  Have fun.”

Alone, I sit down with Jinhai’s letter, which is short, funny and loving.  I can almost hear his voice.  I read it over and over again, then fold it up and put it with the others, next to my heart.

The next letter tells us that Yuan Song’s prediction was right.  The Dowager Empress has taken power and is clamping down on dissent.  The Third Prince and Li Wei are summoned to Main City for talks with Lord Kong.  The Princess doesn’t come with us.  It’s a two-day ride, in filthy weather, through wet farmlands awaiting the spring sowing.  The city itself is prosperous, Lord Kong’s palace richly decorated and imposing.  We’re greeted by his steward, Fu Hong, an obsequious man with large yellow teeth.  The Prince and Li Wei are escorted to their luxurious quarters, while we four guards find ourselves in rather less luxurious, though adequate accommodation.  A family banquet’s planned for the evening and Shao Ru and I will be on guard duty.

Shao Ru and I are sharing an apartment.  There’s a bathing room with a very large tub, and servants are already bringing in buckets of hot water.  We start to strip off our sodden uniforms.

“Another fucking banquet,” Shao Ru says, easing into the water with a sigh.  “Let’s hope they don’t ask us to dance.”

“No, we just have to stand there and watch people eat and drink.”  I join him in the tub, which could take four people with ease.

“Could do with a drink right now,” he says, leaning his head back on the rim of the tub and closing his eyes.  “Nice little set-up his Lordship’s got here.”

I put a warning finger to my lips and he nods, understanding.  This is the heart of enemy territory.  Anyone could be listening.

After two days’ ride in the wet and cold, the hot water’s sleep-inducing.  We’re both dozing when there’s a commotion outside and Kong Guanyu strides in without ceremony.  He has bathed and changed, and he’s carrying a wine jar and a stack of cups.

“Thought you’d need this,” he says, waving the jar in the air.  “And I’ve told them to bring food and dry clothes.”

“Is this the Kong Guanyu we know and love?” Shao Ru asks, opening one eye. “Put something in the wine, have you?”

“Would I?” he asks, pouring and handing us the cups.

“Yes,” says Shao Ru shortly.

“Well, I’ll drink one myself – will that convince you?” He knocks the wine back and refills his cup.

“Who’ll be at the banquet?” I ask.

“Everybody.  Father, mother, sisters, wives, concubines, the lot.  All gasping to meet the new brother-in-law.  And Lords Teng and Zu.”

“And when the Prince meets with your father tomorrow?”

“The other two lords and the generals and advisers.  A bunch of tough old crows.”

“Pass me the drying cloth,” I say, hauling myself out of the tub.  Guanyu tosses the cloth at me and knocks back another cup of wine as I dry myself and pad into the outer room to find the clothes the servants have brought.  They are, mercifully, in a sober colour, unlike his own robe which is scarlet with gold dragons.  Guanyu comes after me and sits down, plonking the wine jar onto the table.  Shao Ru appears, drying himself.  The food in its bamboo baskets smells enticing.

Shao Ru and I eat.  Guanyu drinks.

“Anything we need to watch out for this evening?” I ask.

“Only my sisters,” he says with a leer.  “All looking for husbands.”

“Seriously.”

“Nothing.  It’s really what it seems:  a family gathering.  Thoroughly boring.”  He claps his hands and when a servant appears, orders more wine to be brought.  Shao Ru glances at me and raises an eyebrow.

When we gather for our entrance to the banquet, Guanyu’s already three parts drunk.  The Third Prince is looking uncomfortable in a green robe with gold dragons which we haven’t seen before.  Li Wei, resplendent in unfamiliar black and silver, looks at me with a slight smile.  “We’re being reminded who’s holding the purse strings,” he says. 

I grin.  “Think about the treasure from Qiu City.  Our purse is bigger than his.”

We make a grand entrance:  the Prince and Li Wei leading, Shao Ru and I marching behind side by side.  The banqueting hall’s immense and full of chattering women, who all fall silent and turn beady eyes on us.  The ceremonial greetings over, everyone sits, while Shao Ru and I take up our positions behind the Third Prince.  I look round the hall.  The other two lords have their respective guards standing behind their seats.  Lord and Lady Kong have two men behind them.  We guards are all armed.  So much for a family gathering.  I wonder briefly about the relationship between the lords of the south.  It all looks amicable on the surface, but who knows what’s going on underneath?

The usual entertainers appear in the centre of the hall as servants start to bring food and wine.  Feminine chatter soon rises above the few male voices.  There seem to be dozens of women present.  Some must be the daughters of Lord Kong, others his secondary wives and concubines, and yet others the wives of Kong Guanyu.  There’s ample time to study all the faces.  I deduce that the young girls nearest the main table are the daughters.  They’re all disastrously plain, though richly-dressed.  There’s a lot of giggling and elbow-nudging going on.  A group of mostly older women, behaving with more decorum, are presumably Lord Kong’s own female household.  Three pretty younger women sitting together are likely to be Kong Guanyu’s wives.  And there’s also a boy of nine or ten, looking round with bright-eyed interest at the company.  This must be Guanyu’s younger half-brother.

“It’s worse than standing sentry duty,” Shao Ru says quietly out of the corner of his mouth.  “You can’t even take a piss.”

I suppress a smile.  “Think of the Empire.”

“I do nothing else.”

It’s a long evening.  The Prince and Li Wei make polite conversation with their hosts.  Kong Guanyu gets drunker.  The girls get sillier.  My feet start to ache.  Finally it’s over.  The hosts rise and leave, the other guests are free to indulge themselves.  Our party gets up to leave too, but Lord Zu comes over, holding a wine-jug in one hand, smiling.  His two guards follow.

“Your Highness, a toast,” he says, holding out the jug.

It would be impolite to refuse.  The Prince holds out his cup, as does Li Wei.

“And how are you finding marriage?” Lord Zu asks, the smile becoming more of a smirk. 

According to reports, Lord Zu is the cunning one.  He looks it.

“Very agreeable,” says the Prince, “Thank you, Lord Zu.”

“I’m glad to hear it.  After all, you did get the pick of the bunch, as no doubt you’ve noticed.”

The crudeness of this remark takes us all by surprise.  The Prince goes red.  He opens his mouth to reply, but Guanyu’s voice cuts in, laden with menace.  “Insulting my sisters, Lord Zu?  In my father’s hall?”

Lord Zu’s smirk freezes a little.  “No insult intended, Young Lord Kong.  Please don’t misunderstand my words.”

“I didn’t misunderstand them,” Guanyu says. 

I recognize the tone and the look.  He’s itching to pick a fight.  But the Prince is equal to the occasion.  “I’m sure Lord Zu can have intended no insult,” he says, his tone icy, “It’s must merely be the wine talking, so let’s just forget it.  Good evening, Lord Zu, Young Lord Kong.  I’ll see you at the meeting tomorrow.”

And bowing, he leads the way out.  Shao Ru glances at me, his lips pursed around a silent whistle.

Back in our quarters, we fall groaning onto our beds.

“Bloody hell, I’m dying,” Shao Ru complains, pulling off his boots and propping his feet up on the pillow.  I do the same.  The pain gradually recedes.

“Interesting,” says Shao Ru.  “Our lad put Lord Zu right back in his box.  Nasty little man, from all accounts.”

I glance at him.  “What have you heard?”

“According to popular gossip, he’s got the largest harem and the second largest army.  But his army’s mostly conscripts, not professionals like Lord Kong’s.  His province is mountainous and it exports minerals.  He’s generally reckoned to be a slippery fish.  And an ambitious one.”

“So why’s he provoking Yan Jianhong?”

Shao Ru sits up and stares at me.

“What about the other lord, Teng Mu?” I ask.

“Young, inexperienced, relies on his father’s old officers.”

“And if Lords Zu and Teng were to combine forces?”

Shao Ru swings his feet down to the ground.  “They’d outnumber Lord Kong but he’d probably still have the edge in terms of efficiency.  What are you thinking?  That they could get together and displace him?  To do what?”

“I don’t know.  It’s just speculation.  I got to thinking about it this evening to take my mind off my feet.  I might get some clues at the meeting tomorrow.  In the meanwhile, keep your ear to the ground.  See what else you can find out.”

“Will do.  Let’s have a drink, now we don’t have to stand up any more.”