The fastest runners were less than fifty yards up the slope from their position.Fifty yards beyond that, the first rank of horsewarriors was cutting down stragglers. The riders in the rear ranks were advancing more slowly, pouring a rain of arrows into the fleeing armies.
Batu took a step down the hill. "It"s time for us-"
A Tuigan arrow hissed past the general"s head, lodging itself in Pe"s left shoulder. The adjutant screamed and grasped at the shaft, then his knees buckled. Batu threw out his arms and caught the boy before he hit the ground.
"No, General," Pe gasped, looking up the hill. "There isn"t time."
"Be quiet!" Batu ordered. He broke off the shaft, then roughly heaved the youth over his shoulder. "You don"t have permission to die. I still have need of an adjutant!"
The steady patter of Tuigan arrows now sounding all around him, Batu rushed down the last ten yards of hill and entered the marsh. He dropped Pe onto a reed bundle at the edge of the river, then hazarded a glance over his shoulder.
The first of the panicked soldiers from Ching Tung and Shengti were almost at the bottom of the hill, less than fif teen yards away. The horsewarriors were only another dozen yards behind them, steadily hacking and slashing their way closer to the front of the fleeing ma.s.s.
If he wanted to meet the Tuigan another day, Batu realized, there was no time to fasten Pe to the makeshift raft. He grasped Pe"s wrists and guided the boy"s hands to the rope securing the reeds together. "Hold on," he ordered.
The general pushed Pe and the bundle into the river, then waded out behind the awkward raft. When his feet began to lose contact with the bottom, he locked his wrists into the rope and kicked with all his might. The swift current grabbed the raft and quickly pulled it farther away from sh.o.r.e.
Behind Batu, a chorus of guttural yells sounded. The general stopped kicking long enough to glance over his shoulder. The barbarians had caught the Shou refugees in the marsh that he and Pe had just escaped. Batu glimpsed one thousand flashing blades and heard one thousand agonized cries. A moment later, the current spun the raft around so that Batu could not see the burning sorghum field, and the river dragon carried him toward safety.
3
Supreme Harmony
"State your business in the Hall of Supreme Harmony," the chamberlain commanded.
The bureaucrat stood before a set of gilded doors that opened into the Hall of Supreme Harmony. The majestic hall stood in the emperor"s summer palace, which was located in the city of Tai Tung, over thirteen hundred miles southeast of the Dragonwall. The palace had been converted into a temporary command center for the war against the barbarians.
Batu Min Ho bowed, scrutinizing the chamberlain with a single glance. The man had thin lips, narrow eyes, and a disdainful expression. He wore an orange maitung-a floor-length tunic with a high, b.u.t.toned collar. On his chest, blue and white embroidered sparrows soared across the silk sky, slowly descending around his body in a lazy spiral.
In contrast, Batu wore the same chia he had worn during the battle. It was now cracked and shriveled, with dozens of st.i.tches popped at the seams. The general himself looked as worn and as haggard as his armor.
It was no wonder. The two weeks since the battle in the sorghum field had been the most trying of his life. After escaping the Tuigan ma.s.sacre on their reed rafts, Batu, Pe, and less than two thousand Shou soldiers had regrouped fifty miles downstream. Batu had sent Pe and the rest of the wounded south with a small escort. The other survivors he had organized into the semblance of an army.
The general"s next move had been to start an orderly retreat. As he moved south, Batu had fanned out his forces, conscripting all able-bodied males from every hamlet his men encountered. The other villagers he had forced to flee, and the makeshift army had burned everything it pa.s.sed-villages, food stores, grain fields, and even wild gra.s.slands. By seven days after the battle, the wall of smoke had stretched over a front of two hundred miles. Nothing but scorched earth had remained behind.
Batu"s strategy had been simple. He had intended to slow the barbarian advance not through combat, but through hunger. Without an ample supply of food, such a large cavalry force would be forced to spend much of its energy foraging. As long as the Tuigan were scavenging, they would not be fighting.
The plan had worked well, and Batu had sent several messengers to Tai Tung reporting his successes. He had been able to slow the enemy"s advance to a crawl. At the same time, he had avoided fighting the Tuigan, save for a few minor skirmishes with advance scouts.
So, when he had received an order recalling him to Tai Tung, the general had been surprised. He had also been disappointed. Contrary to what Batu had hoped, Kwan Chan Sen had escaped the slaughter at the sorghum field, probably with his wu jen"s help. The recall to Tai Tung had come from the minister. It was in response to that summons that Batu now stood in front of the Hall of Supreme Harmony.
The chamberlain allowed Batu to remain in his bow for a condescending length of time before returning the gesture with a perfunctory head tilt.
Too weary to take offense at the slight, Batu looked up and said, "I am Batu Min Ho, commander of the loyal and worthy Army of Chukei. I have been summoned by Minister Kwan Chan Sen."
The chamberlain studied Batu"s ragged chia and sneered.Finally irritated by the man"s arrogance, Batu added, "The summons seemed most important."
The bureaucrat nodded. "Yes, it is a matter of great urgency," he said. "The general is to be complimented upon his appreciation of that fact."
The chamberlain turned and whispered to one of the six sentries standing to either side of the entrance. They held themselves at strict attention, their expressionless eyes focused straight ahead. The guards wore the emperor"s yellow dragon-scale armor and held broad-bladed polearms called chiang- chuns.
After receiving the chamberlain"s instructions, a guard bowed and entered the hall, then the bureaucrat turned back to Batu and held out his hands.
When the general did not place anything in them, the thin-lipped man said, "May I hold your tao and pi shou?"
Batu frowned. He felt naked without his weapons and was reluctant to release them. "I am a soldier," he said. "My sword and dagger are the arms with which I serve the emperor."
The chamberlain did not withdraw his hands. "It is a matter of tradition," he explained. "No man may bear weapons in the presence of the Son of Heaven."
Batu swallowed hard. He was relieved that the emperor considered the barbarian threat serious enough to come to Tai Tung personally. At the same time, the general was embarra.s.sed that he had not exchanged his shabby battle clothes for something more splendid. He had never before been in the emperor"s presence, and had no wish to insult the Divine One with substandard dress.
The general hurriedly removed his scabbards and gave them to the chamberlain, who pa.s.sed them to a sentry. Another guard opened the doors, and the chamberlain led the way into a square foyer. As Batu entered the small room, the doors on the opposite side also opened. Minister Kwan, wearing a vermilion maitung, came into the room and faced the general.
Batu"s stomach felt as though it were filling with hot lead, and he stared at the minister"s gnarled face in open spite. Kwan ran his milky eyes over his subordinate"s tattered chia and barely managed to conceal a grimace. Finally, the old man met the general"s glare with a steady gaze, waiting for the ceremonial bow of respect.
Batu tilted his body forward just enough to avoid an open insult. Although he would observe the formalities of station, the general had no intention of treating Kwan with the deference one normally accorded a mandarin.
To Batu"s surprise, Kwan smiled warmly and returned the gesture with a deep, courteous bow. "General, how pleasing to see you again."
"Perhaps you mean surprising," Batu said. "I doubt you are pleased." The general"s boldness surprised even himself, but he could think of nothing except the old man"s folly at the sorghum field.
Though the minister raised an eyebrow, his diplomatic smile did not fade.
"To the contrary, General. We military men must stand together. Especially now."
Batu still did not return the smile. "I have not forgotten the battle," he said.
"Not any part of it."
The minister"s expression grew impatient. "Come now, General. My plan was a sound one-""But stood no chance of success," Batu retorted, pointing an accusing finger at the minister"s chest, "which you would have realized had you scouted the enemy as I suggested."
The chamberlain gasped, astounded that Batu would dare speak to a mandarin in such a tone. Kwan simply waved the comment aside with a flick of his liver-spotted hand. "There are those who consider your unorthodox retreat less than honorable."
"Saving what remained of my army was not dishonorable," Batu replied evenly.
"We both know what happened at the battle," Kwan said, spreading his palms. "That is no longer of consequence. What is important now is how the emperor perceives the loss. The other mandarins would like nothing better than to use our misfortune to weaken the military. If I am to save your career, we must stand united against their a.s.saults."
Batu could hardly believe Kwan"s first concern was political infighting.
"Perhaps the minister has not received my reports," the general said. "At this moment, my career-or yours-is of little consequence. There are at least a hundred thousand Tuigan, perhaps twice that number, rampaging through the province of Mai Yuan. Shou Lung itself is in danger of falling."
"Then you must save the empire," Kwan replied. "Stand with me and I will supply the power you need to smash the barbarians."
The general from Chukei sneered. "I doubt you have that power to give."
Batu now realized that though his orders had come from his aged commander, it was not the minister who had called him. The last person Kwan would want near the emperor was the general who had urged him to be more cautious. Batu suspected he had been called by the emperor, probably as part of an inquiry into the disastrous battle.
For several moments, Kwan studied Batu. At last, his true feelings still hidden behind an insincere smile, the minister said, "Your meaning eludes me, General Batu. I am a third-degree general, the Minister of War, a mandarin of the Shou empire, and the Second Left Grand Councilor to the emperor. The limits to my authority are as boundless as the sky."
"Be that as it may," Batu replied coldly, "my duty to the emperor is greater than any loyalty you can buy with empty promises."
The minister"s face froze into a mask of anger. "What are you saying, General?" he demanded.
His wide-set eyes fixed evenly on the old man"s face, Batu replied, "I must speak the truth before the emperor, if that is why he had me called."
Kwan"s thousand wrinkles drooped into a threatening frown. "You are in this with me, you know," he said. "If I fall, so do you."
The minister spoke the truth about that much, at least. If the emperor decided to reorganize the military, Batu did not doubt the changes would be widespread. As the only surviving field general involved in the defeat at the sorghum field, he could very well be relieved of command.
Nevertheless, he said, "My duty is clear, and I will execute it faithfully."
The minister contorted his lips into a knotted snarl. "You will regret your decision, I promise you." That said, the old man turned and left the same way he had entered.
A few moments later, the chamberlain followed Kwan through the doors, motioning for Batu to come behind him. When the general obeyed, he felt asthough he had stepped into a deep, cool well. At ground level, shafts of yellow light spilled into the circular room from nine small windows. The walls, richly painted in vermilion and inlaid with golden dragons, rose seventy feet overhead and disappeared into darkness. Several balconies ringed the cham- ber, hanging one below another every fifteen feet. Batu could see a pair of imperial guards on the lowest one, though he a.s.sumed soldiers patrolled all the walkways.
On the opposite side of the room, forty feet away, a throne of sculpted jade sat upon the marble floor. The chair"s crafters had carved it in the semblance of a great dragon, with the beast"s head serving as a canopy and its ma.s.sive legs as armrests. The man sitting in the throne wore a plain yellow hai-waitao.
Resembling a long robe with billowing sleeves, the garment consisted of a single silk layer.
The man occupying the jade throne could only be Emperor Kai Tsao Shou Chin, Son of Heaven, and Divine Gate to the Celestial Sphere. Like Batu, the emperor had a powerful build, though the Divine One looked much taller. The Son of Heaven"s clean-shaven face had strong bones, with the long nose and drooping jaw of the mountain people of Tabot.
Two dozen advisers, all mandarins, sat around the emperor in a large semicircle of heavy wooden chairs. Each mandarin wore a vermilion hai- waitao embroidered with gold or silver thread. The sole woman in the court, a lithe beauty with dark eyes and silky hair, wore a cheosong. The tight, floor- length dress was embroidered with a golden dragon, which entwined her body from chest to ankle. Long slits ran from hem to hip, allowing freedom of movemerit and providing an ample view of her slender legs.
Like most educated men of Shou Lung, Batu was familiar with the names, if not the faces, of the emperor"s advisers. Since just one female sat on the Mandarinate, the willowy beauty could only be Ting Mei Wan, Minister of State Security. The general recognized only one other person in the room, Kwan Chan Sen, who, as the Second Left Grand Councilor, sat in the second chair to the emperor"s left.
The chamberlain signaled Batu to stay where he was, then advanced to the center of the room. After bowing to the emperor, he said, "Divine Son of Heaven and Oracle of the Heavens, General Batu Min Ho seeks an audience in answer to your summons."
The emperor nodded, then the chamberlain motioned for Batu to approach.
When he reached the center of the room, the general kneeled and performed the ceremonial kowtow by touching his forehead to the marble floor three times. After he finished, Batu remained motionless, waiting for permission to stand.
The Son of Heaven did not speak for several seconds, and the general noticed that a pool of cold sweat had formed on the floor beneath his brow.
His heart was pounding within his rib cage as if he were in a battle, and a queasy feeling tickled his stomach. After what he had faced during the last week, Batu found it amusing that meeting the emperor should make him so nervous.
Finally, in a resonant voice, the emperor spoke. "General Batu, we are pleased you have come to our summer palace. Please rise."
As Batu returned to his feet, the chamberlain bowed and left the room. The general remained in the center of the room, focusing his attention on the Sonof Heaven. "Your venerable welcome honors me, Divine One." He waved a hand at his shabby chia. "Please excuse the drabness of my appearance. I come directly from the field-"
"That is no excuse for your insult to the emperor," Kwan interrupted, leaning forward in his ma.s.sive chair and spitting out the words.
A wave of anger rolled over Batu, but he forced himself to relax and keep a calm appearance. Kwan was trying to destroy his credibility. Showing anger would only play into the minister"s plan. Instead, the general bowed to his superior and said, "My apologies, Minister. As you must remember, I lost everything but the clothes on my back during our last battle."
Kwan scowled. "My memory serves me well enough to recall your cowardice-"
"General Batu"s dress does not offend me," the emperor said, silencing Kwan with a wave of his hand. "I do not expect Shou Lung"s soldiers to wear silk armor into combat. However, I do expect to hear their reports without interruption."
Though the emperor"s words carried reproach, Kwan"s face showed no hint of chagrin. He nodded apologetically and inclined his head, but his confident smile suggested that he had made his point. By publicly chastising Batu and calling him a coward, the minister had cast doubt on any criticisms that the general might in turn level at him.
Batu realized he would have to choose his words carefully, even though he intended to speak only the truth.
After silencing Kwan, the emperor calmly placed his hands on the arms of his throne and turned back to Batu. "Hsuang Yu Po claims you know more about the bloodthirsty barbarians than any living Shou."
Batu frowned in puzzlement. Hsuang Yu Po was his wife"s father. As far as the general knew, the lord was in the Hsuang family citadel in southern Chukei, along with Batu"s wife and children.
Observing Batu"s confusion, the emperor said, "Your battlefield dispatches have not gone unheeded, General. I have asked all n.o.bles to gather here with their private armies. Your father-in-law has been kind enough to respond. He suggested you would have some special insight into the nature of the barbarian menace." As he spoke, the emperor remained upright and motionless, neither gesturing nor shifting in his seat.
Determined to seize every opportunity to discredit Batu, Kwan again risked the emperor"s wrath and spoke without permission. "Hsuang is correct. The general is half-barbarian himself."
The Divine One raised an eyebrow. "Is this true, General?"
"Partially," Batu responded, inclining his head apologetically, though he was not quite sure why. "Before he came to Shou Lung, my great-grandfather was apa qaghan-brother to the chief-of the Igidujin tribe. When I was a young boy, he often entertained me with stories of his childhood. I was a good listener, Divine One, but that hardly makes me a Tuigan."
The emperor slid forward to the edge of his throne. "Less than a year ago, my advisers a.s.sured me that the Horse Plains contained nothing but small tribes of savage nomads," the Divine One said. "These nomads, my advisers said, would never be more than an irritation on our northern frontier. But in two weeks, this "irritation" has breached the Dragonwall, captured the garrison city of Lo Tu, utterly destroyed the armies of the Northern Marches, and aredriving like an arrow toward the heart of my empire."
Glancing with obvious irritation at Kwan Chan Sen and another mandarin, the emperor continued. "When I ask my advisers how this can be, the answer is always the same. "The enemy is a nothing more than a disorganized band of barbarians," they say, or, "Our mighty armies will crush them in the next battle." But the only armies that have been crushed are ours. Clearly, my venerable advisers are mistaken."
The Divine One pushed himself back in his throne and locked his gaze on Batu. "Who are they," he demanded. "Who are these savages who have smashed the mightiest armies under the heavens?"
Batu had to fight to keep a grin from creasing his lips. He suspected that the emperor had not summoned him to find a scapegoat, but simply to learn more about the Tuigan. Kwan"s fears had been unfounded, and the minister had needlessly lowered himself to asking aid from a subordinate. However, the general realized, the emperor probably had no immediate plan for removing Kwan from his post as Minister of War. This meant that Batu now had an enemy in a very powerful position.
Shoving thoughts of his political troubles aside, Batu closed his eyes and tried to remember all that his greatgrandfather had told him about the horsewarriors. He recalled tales of endless lands, countless tribes, dangerous horseback contests, merciless punishments, and battles fought without fear.
He also remembered his impression of the Tuigan as they swarmed down on his army in the sorghum field.
Finally, he looked up and said, "Perhaps the barbarians are like locust, Emperor."
The Divine One frowned. "Locust?"
"Yes. Their numbers are countless and their appet.i.te for blood endless.
They move like the wind and appear where least expected, but always with terrible results. They kill everything in their path and leave nothing but devastation in their wake."
"I see," said the emperor, pursing his lips thoughtfully.
"Is that why you are burning our fields and chasing our peasants from their homes?" Kwan asked, pointing a gnarled finger at Batu.
Before the general could respond, the emperor turned to Kwan and said, "The only way to stop a locust swarm is to starve it. Let us waste no more time questioning General Batu"s competence. So far, his strategies are the only ones that have had any effect on our enemies."
As Kwan heard the words, his wrinkled brow rose in shock.
The emperor continued. "What we must concern ourselves with, Minister Kwan, is what has brought these locust upon us."