A Cruel Romance

In Hsian, Commander Ho was having a very good time.

c.o.c.ktails parties, department stores, foreign establishments…it had been long. He was happy to stroll about and see things, and regretted crippling Lan"s leg. If the two of them could only walk together side by side, what a beautiful scene it would be!

The political world of Si"an knew that Ho Bao-Ting had been Chao Chen-Sheng"s recruit, but both Chao"s and Fu"s forces had been extremely friendly. Outside powers were bound to have variables, who knew which side of the battlefront Ho Bao-Ting or Ron Hsiang would be standing on in the end? It was very hard to say!

Commander Ho was concurrently the Deputy Commander of the Shansi Provincial Garrison Army; young as he was, great powers rested in his hands and his future stood boundless. n.o.body in their right mind wanted to offend him, and for the very first time, he felt like he was loved by all.

Lan Bai-Shan seemed to have suddenly come around, and had not only ceased his spiteful sarcasm, but gradually reverted back to his initial gentleness and amiability.

This evening, Commander Ho attended a banquet at Fu Yang-Shan"s mansion. The name of the banquet was unknown, but the scale quite sizable. A row of crystal chandeliers with two hundred candles floated above the halls and illuminated them brightly. Groups of gentlemen and ladies, all decked out in fineries, conversed with each other jovially, and before long music could be heard floating down from the adjoining ballroom. It appeared that a White Émigré band had started performing, and pairs of men and women locked in embraces were already slipping onto the dance floor, all swinging to the music.

Commander Ho sat on a sofa in the corner of the ballroom, a gla.s.s of wine in hand as he watched the spectacle in silence. Most of the younger guests were gathered here in a sea of fancy suits and resplendent gowns. Dancing trippingly to the sounds of decadence, they evoked a very real sense of peace and prosperity. There had been a time when Commander Ho was a part of this world, but looking at it now, he only found it highly amusing and very distant.

While Commander Ho stared absently at the dance floor, a man walked by and sat down next to him. "Brother Ji-Ch"ing," he said gently. "Why are you sitting here by yourself?"

Commander Ho looked to the man, who turned out to be the soft-spoken Ron Hsiang. Perhaps dosed with sufficient morphine, he appeared to be in good spirits and was smiling charmingly, and because his eyes turned up slightly at their corners, reminded him of a fox.

Commander Ho tipped his chin at the dance floor. "Just catching my breath," he said with a smile.

Ron crossed his legs, brushing off a bit of dirt on one of his cuffs gracefully. "When did Brother Ji-Chi"ing come in Hsian? I wasn"t even informed of such news."

Commander Ho brought his winegla.s.s to his lips and took a small sip. "My arrival was no cause for a commotion. Besides, it wouldn"t do to disturb you, my brother."

The men were of a similar age, and addressed each other as brothers. At Commander Ho"s words, Ron smiled. "Brother Ji-Chi"ing is too humble. You"re now the Deputy Commander of the Garrison Army, and that"s a deed deserving congratulation!"

Commander Ho lowered his head, and licked his lips against the winegla.s.s. "Well…" He dipped his head at Ron in a nod. "But you jest, Brother. The t.i.tle of Deputy Commander is just that, a t.i.tle."

Ron lifted a finger to his lips smilingly, and exhaled a soft but drawn-out "Shh". "Have caution with your words, Brother."

Commander Ho smiled with him. He knew that like him, Ron Hsiang was another insidious spectator.

The pair of them chatted for some time before Ron insisted on finding Commander Ho a dance partner. When on the topic of women, Ron Hsiang spoke as if every female creature in the world was in his grasp, and would act on his command. Commander Ho had been doubtful at first, but Ron pointed at a couple on the dance floor.

"That"s Fu Yang-Shan"s brother," he said. "What do you think of his lady friend?"

As he was nearly celibate, Commander Ho could make an objective a.s.sessment: "Not bad."

Ron laughed. "Wait here!"

The song ended, and Fu Yang-Shan"s brother, Fu Jing-Yuan, led his lady companion back to their seats. Just as the two of them were chattering away affectionately, Ron Hsiang charged in by himself, and within a few words, he was ushering the pretty lady towards Commander Ho.

As a tall man, Commander Ho"s long legs should have been well-suited for dancing—from a physical perspective. Commander Ho did in fact dance well, and after dancing through two songs with the pretty lady, he was beginning to break into a sweat. Sitting back into his seat, he felt quite exhilarated—from an athletic perspective.

When he was in a good mood, Commander Ho"s mind tended to operate at a faster rate and the usual distractions would come to a momentary halt. This condition was very favourable for socialising.

As a matter of fact, he had wished socialise with Ron, but after exchanging a few more words with him, Ron started trembling. Wiping his nose with a handkerchief, he suddenly rose to his feet and said to Commander Ho: "I"m sorry, please excuse me for a moment", and left in a hurry.

Commander Ho gave it some thought, and realised that Ron"s morphine addiction must have worked up. He needed to get another shot, like Ban-Shan.

When the banquet ended, Commander Ho left for home in his car.

Feeling exhausted and coming to a better understanding of his own abilities, he found that although he was still willing in heart, he no longer had the strength for such opulent occasions.

Why was that? Perhaps it was because he had gotten used to a quieter life.

He took a bath and went to bed in his bathrobe. Lan Bai-Shan was already fast asleep. Commander Ho gazed at him for a moment under the lamplight, and because beauty was in the eye of the beholder, he found Lan extremely handsome.

Pulling back the blankets, he lay down against Lan and reached for the light switch. Darkness filled his vision. He fumbled to pull Lan into his arms, and breathing in Lan"s scent, felt very content.

On the following day, Commander Ho woke up at noon.

After washing himself, he got dressed lazily. It was a hot day, and although he had opted for short sleeves, it was still much too hot. If it hadn"t been for the sake of propriety, he would probably have trimmed off the legs of his trousers and taken off his socks and leather shoes.

It was at this time that Li Shih-Yao and Jin Hwan-Ran arrived in Hsian.

Li was the same as ever and sat carelessly before Commander Ho as if he was determined to invoke the Commander"s ire. Jin, on the other hand, appeared to be in low spirits—his troops had been ambushed by the PPA on his way to Hsian, and although he hadn"t sustained any heavy losses, the has-been boy actor he used to keep around had been killed. Yü-Ch"ing, or whatever his name had been, had been with him for years, and the two had more or less formed a certain amount of attachment. Jin Hwan-Ran had thus become Jin An-Ran [1].

Commander Ho could not offer him console over the death of a hare. After a brief inquiry of the situation, he exhorted: "You must keep a tight rein on your men. We are no longer in Luyang; whoever causes trouble would be intentionally bashing me in the face!"

Jin nodded. "Rest a.s.sured, Commander. I understand."

Li remained quiet.

Commander Ho eyed him. "Major General Li, what about you?"

Li rolled his eyes. "I"m not deaf. Didn"t Old Jin already answer for me?"

Commander Ho hesitated, and didn"t lose his temper.

After three months of peace, Fu Yang-Shan and Chao Chen-Sheng finally opened fire outside the city. Ron Hsiang, however, hurried away with his troops to Tungkwan. Commander Ho remained in the city, not taking a stand.

Chao had sent him multiple requests for reinforcements, all of which he neither declined nor accepted. He was not a speculator, and hadn"t intended to profit from the war; he merely wanted to preserve his strength—first to protect himself, then to make long-term plans. When he saw much later that Chao was winning victory after victory, he finally sent the few regiments under Jin"s command to aid Chao on the frontline. Chao was displeased with him, but since he hadn"t actually defected, the extent of Chao"s displeasure was limited.

Another two months later, the situation took a very sharp turn. Just as he was falling into despair, Fu received the sudden aid of Ron Hsiang. The weather was getting colder and Chao"s soldiers, running low on both winter clothes and ammunition, were falling one after one, and before long they were showing signs of utter defeat. This time Commander Ho saw the chance, and held a private conference with the self-righteous gallants under his command. After a round of secretive consultation, they finally reached a conclusion.

What that conclusion had been, perhaps only the partic.i.p.ants of the conference would know. But the result was for all to see—Commander Ho was soon publically announcing his anti-Chao declaration. Fu was ecstatic at the news and immediately transferred the t.i.tle of Commander-in-Chief of the Garrison Army from Chao to Commander Ho on behalf of the provincial government.

The Commander-in-Chief, Commander Ho, sat back in the city and observed the distant battles with amus.e.m.e.nt.

After a month of observation, Chao led the remnants of his army to Lanchow with little chances of a comeback. Commander Ho had made the right wager. Just as the entire Twenty-Third army was wallowing in secret delight, news arrived from the battlefields of Hutou Post—Ron Hsiang had killed Fu Yang-Shan!

They were dumbfounded. Thankfully n.o.body knew how to respond, since Fu Yang-Shan"s brother, Fu Jing-Yuan, immediately lead the ten-thousand men garrisoned at the city on a direct attack of Hutou Post. As it happened, internal dissention broke out within Ron"s army, and before long the forces of Ron Hsiang had all but vanished into the void.

No longer having anyone to attach himself to, Commander Ho had unwittingly regained his independence. Within Hsian, a brief period of chaos followed Fu Yang-Shan"s death before the Central Government sent in a new chairman.

The new chairman Ts"ui came to Hsian all on his own and couldn"t even command a dog.

The strange thing happened. Instead of Commander Ho, it was Fu Jing-Yuan who were placed in the eye of the storm at such a time.

It was as if they had completely overlooked the existence of Commander Ho and the numerous a.s.sortments of troops under his command. Chairmen Ts"ui kept his eyes on Fu Jing-Yuan all day long, but what was there to see? Fu Jing-Yuan had no l.u.s.t for power.

The Twenty-Third Army didn"t know whether to laugh or cry. Commander Ho was still living in Chao"s house, where he said to Lan Bai-Shan: "Look now, n.o.body"s even taking notice of me."

After the pa.s.sage of more than half a year, Lan looked much the worse for wear. He sat on a sofa, too tired to even open his eyes, and said gently: "Cause some trouble, and they"ll come running to negotiate your terms."

Commander Ho walked to him and sat down. He placed a hand on his thigh—and simply left it there. He knew Lan was no longer in the shape to withstand any more excitement. His heart aching for Lan, Commander Ho had become completely celibate.

"To be honest, I don"t like to resort to violence. I"d rather settle things in peace," Commander Ho said as he put an arm around Lan. "I would like to be the Director of the Military Council, that"s not too much to ask for, is it?"

Lan thought about it. "No."

Commander Ho turned to place a kiss on his cheek. "If you say so. If Ts"ui dares to brush me off with excuses, I"ll wipe him out and establish a military government."

"Confident, aren"t we," said Lan.

Commander Ho smiled. "What"s there to fear? I have an army."

Lan sighed. "Ji-Ch"ing, it"s time for my shot."

After getting his injection, Lan lay down in his bed in a dreamy trance. Next to him, Commander Ho held him in his arms and complained: "Bai-Shan, why don"t you pay much attention to me anymore?"

Lan reached out a hand and patted him weakly on the head. "Ji-Ch"ing, I don"t think I have much time left."

Commander Ho"s eyes went wide. "What sort of nonsense is that?"

Lan turned to look at Commander Ho, his gaze empty. "I feel like…I no longer have the strength to breathe, or even care to breathe. But it would be truly absurd if I simply die like this."

Commander Ho tightened his arms around Lan. "Don"t scare me like that, Bai-Shan. How can heroine kill anyone?"

Lan nodded. "I don"t want to die either."

Commander Ho had Lan in his arms, but out of nowhere he was struck by a panicking terror. "Bai-Shan, you"re family to me. You can"t die. If you die, I won"t even have anyone to talk to."

Lan closed his eyes. "You only ever think about yourself, Ji-Ch"ing. You"re selfish to the core!" He took breath: "But when I think about it, I"m also at fault. I shouldn"t have led you on like that. I had my own selfish motives at the time…I just never thought you would be this—relentless, and ruin me like this."

Commander Ho wished he could pull Lan into his own body, and his voiced was laced with pain: "If I hadn"t done it, would you have stayed with me like this? You"re the only one in my heart, but you could never stay put! Don"t die, Bai-Shan. We"ll spend our lives together. I"ll be good to you—for now and forever. You"re older than me, I"ll take care of you once you retire, I"ll care for you in old age. Don"t die!"

Lan"s face was a yellowish white, and no trace of life could be seen on it. At Commander Ho"s hysterical confession, he nodded lightly. The corners of his lips curved slightly upwards, forming a faint smile. "A child"s talk."

Commander Ho gazed at Lan dumbly. Moments later, he snuffled and leaned down to press his face against Lan"s chest. He choked out a pained sob. Tears began rolling down like broken beads, rapidly wetting the front of Lan"s shirt.

Vaguely, Lan Bai-Shan heard Commander Ho"s sobs, but the sounds were m.u.f.fled and faint. They echoed distantly from time to time, like the sounds of a dream.

Confession: this story is full of possible spoilers. Nearly all of the minor characters here are featured in Niluo"s earlier works, some of them protagonists… It really can"t be avoided, since Niluo tends to work within the same general universe.

[1]{C} Jin"s name, Hwan-Ran, can mean "delighted" or jubilant". An-Ran means "dejected".