The War of the Dragon Lady

by John Wilcox

  Gerald knocked on it, pushed it open and called softly inside. He was answered in Chinese and a further door opened to reveal a room lit by several Oriental lamps. It was furnished severely in Chinese style, with tapestries and several vertical banners, decorated with Chinese symbols, covering the walls. At one end there was a kind of shrine, with candles burning at it, and also a highly coloured photograph of the Dowager Empress. Ceremonial Chinese swords, sheathed in ornamental scabbards, hung from the walls. A large wall map of the Chinese Empire caught her eye and, underneath it, what she immediately recognised as a map of the Legation Quarter. Everywhere, there were the red sashes and scarves of the Boxers – flung over chairs, hanging from pegs in the doors and lying loosely on the central table.

  ‘Oh my God,’ thought Alice. This must be the headquarters, the very heart of the Boxer movement.

  Four men immediately rose to their feet as they entered. They were dressed seemingly identically in nondescript, loose-fitting garments – uniforms perhaps? – with black skullcaps, and all seemed middle-aged (Alice still found it difficult to tell the age of Chinamen). They bowed to her and Alice and Gerald bowed in return.

  Then Gerald spoke quickly to them in Chinese and Alice sensed that she was being introduced. Was there an acerbic note in the response of the oldest man, who seemed to be the senior of the group? He wore a single gold epaulette and Alice noted that his hands were beautifully manicured. She caught a glimpse of silver hair swept back under the skullcap. Gerald bowed to him again and then turned to Alice.

  ‘This is General Kuang Li, the chief of staff to General Jung Lu, who commands the Imperial army in Peking, and these gentlemen,’ he waved his arm, ‘are senior members of the army.’ Gerald looked crestfallen. ‘I am afraid that the General has rebuked me for bringing you here.’

  Kuang Li bowed again to Alice and then addressed her in almost accentless English. ‘Yes, Mrs Fonthill, I am afraid that Mr Griffith has compromised us and, indeed, you, by bringing you here. But, nevertheless, let me welcome you.’

  ‘I am sorry, sir,’ replied Alice, ‘but I had no idea where my cousin was bringing me. If you wish, I will leave immediately.’

  ‘Ah.’ The smile on Kuang Li’s lips did not reach his eyes. ‘I am afraid that will not be possible – at least, not yet. Since you are here perhaps you can be of use to us. I should add,’ he inclined his head towards her, ‘that you are in no danger here. Would you care for some tea?’

  Alice’s brain whirled. The threat was clear. Gerald, the vain oaf, had blundered by bringing her here and they clearly had no intention of letting her go until she had helped them in some way. At least they obviously were not Boxers and their manners were those of cultivated Chinese. So what could they want of her?

  She cleared her throat. ‘I should make it clear to you, sir, that I cannot, under any circumstances, reveal details of the defences of the Legation Quarter.’

  ‘No.’ The little half-bow came again and Kuang Li shot a quick glance across at Gerald. ‘I would not expect that of you, madam, nor do we need it. We have very good sources of that nature already, I assure you. No. But perhaps you can be of service to us – and, indeed, yourself, in other ways. But first … ah … do excuse me.’

  He reached towards Alice and she took an involuntary step backwards.

  He put out a placatory hand. ‘No, if I may …’ And, very slowly, he reached towards her cummerbund. He gently pulled down the top of it and inserted two long fingers inside it, pulling out her automatic pistol. Then, he expertly opened the magazine in the butt, shook out the six cartridges, snapped shut the magazine and, with a courteous bow, offered the pistol back to her.

  ‘Forgive my … ah … clumsiness, but we have no weapons here.’ He gestured to the swords on the wall. ‘These are just ceremonial trappings. Better that we speak without the thought of force, in any way. To repeat, madam, you are quite safe here. Now, won’t you please sit down and take tea with us.’

  Alice blushed and slipped back the pistol into her cummerbund. What an astute old rascal! ‘Very well,’ she said. ‘Thank you.’

  She sat at the table, which was rapidly cleared of the Boxer sashes. Tea was brought quickly. Fine, delicately scented tea, served without milk or sugar, the like of which Alice had not tasted since first they had landed at Tientsin. She sipped it gratefully and looked across at Gerald. No place was made at the table for him and he remained standing, drinking his tea.

  Alice decided to take the initiative. ‘My cousin,’ she explained, ‘gave me to understand that you might be able to give me news of my husband and his two companions, who recently left the Quarter for Tientsin. I would be grateful to know anything you can tell me about them.’

  The General turned and spoke to his colleagues. A conversation ensued and Alice waited, her heart in her mouth. What would they say – and, whatever it was, would it be the truth? She stole a quick glance at Gerald, who was following the conversation with wide eyes.

  He caught her glance and had the grace to look uncomfortable.

  At last Kuang Li turned back to her. ‘I shall tell you what we know,’ he said, and she had the sudden and firm conviction that what he would tell her would be the truth.

  ‘We know of your husband, of course, madam. He led the attack on our cannon on the Chien Men and he is clearly a …’ He hesitated, obviously searching in his English vocabulary for the right phrase. ‘I think you would call him a “doughty” warrior.’ He smiled, happy that he had found the correct expression. ‘Because of information given to us – but a fraction too late – we nearly cut him off on his return, but he broke through our men and was able to make his way back to the Legation Quarter.’

  Alice frowned in impatience. She did not want flowery compliments – this was so Chinese, she thought – but only the truth about Simon. For God’s sake, was he still alive?

  The General continued. ‘We also knew about his mission to Tientsin – again a little too late. So we were unable to prevent him leaving the city but we did send three horsemen after him to apprehend him and bring him back here. But, alas,’ he held out his hands, almost in supplication, ‘these men seem to have disappeared.

  ‘The next we heard of this remarkable man, Mr Fonthill, is that he and his companions were fished out of the river above the Tientsin settlements by Kansu soldiers – very much alive, I hasten to add – and they were all brought before our distinguished colleague, General Tung Fu-hsiang and interrogated.’

  Alice winced at the word, but Kuang Li went on. ‘Then, a most remarkable thing happened. The general, who, what shall I say, has a reputation for the most intense questioning of prisoners he takes, let them go! We do not know why – he is not the sort of man one questions about these things. But he did so and, madam, your husband and his two companions seem to have, ah, disappeared. That is all I can tell you.’

  Then he bowed to her across the table.

  Alice felt a flush of exhilaration flow through her and she had to look down at her teacup for a moment to hide her feelings. Then she inclined her head in return. ‘Thank you, sir. I am grateful for the information and for your courtesy.’

  ‘Now,’ said Kuang Li, ‘may we ask something of you in return, now that,’ he paused and looked across at Gerald, ‘you have strayed into our house?’

  ‘I will help you all I can, short of betraying the defenders of the legations,’ said Alice firmly.

  ‘We will not ask that of you. Now.’ He leant back and put the tips of his fingers together. ‘I am told that there is some puzzlement in the Quarter about why we do not unleash on you the full force of the artillery we have at our disposal.’ He gave a wan smile. ‘We were annoyed that your husband put our two Krupp guns out of commission but not seriously inconvenienced by his action. We have much more artillery, you see, and it is quite within our power to reduce all the legations to rubble if we so wish.’

  Alice remembered Simon telling her that the Chinese had other large guns and plenty of ammunitio
n that they did not bring into play.

  ‘Why, then, do you not do so?’ she asked.

  ‘Ah yes. Why indeed? To give you the answer, I fear that I must now take you into the labyrinth that is Chinese politics.’ The fingertips came together again and Alice formed the impression that the old man was rather enjoying himself. ‘You see, despite what you see here,’ and he gestured towards the Boxer scarves bestrewn around the room, ‘we are not all supporters of these peasant militants. There are people within the Manchu court who have attempted to persuade the Dowager Empress that it was foolhardy and even dangerous to back these uprisings.’

  He opened a small, lacquered box and, with the utmost delicacy, took a pinch of snuff, which he placed into each nostril before he continued.

  ‘Unfortunately, these people at present do not have the ear of Her Divine Majesty. For instance, although my master, General Jung Lu, is formally in command of the Imperial army, General Tung Fu-hsiang, from the north, he who commands the Kansus, has great influence. And he bitterly hates all foreigners and wishes to destroy them. It is he who is commanding the troops that are fighting the Foreign Powers around Tientsin.’

  Alice adopted a puzzled frown. ‘If General Tung Fu-hsiang has the power, then why does he not shell the legations?’

  ‘Because he does not have all the power. So far, General Jung Lu has been able to persuade the Empress that to order a comprehensive bombardment of the legations would be going too far, given that it would almost certainly kill all of the ministers, their families and their staffs. That kind of blind use of force would, it is feared, put the whole of the Western world against us and could even bring about the end of the Manchu Dynasty.’

  Alice forbore to mention that things had ‘gone too far’ already and that, whatever happened to the defenders of the legations, revenge on the Chinese royal house would be severe and inevitable. Instead, she said, ‘But it seems as though you are fighting only half a war, doesn’t it?’

  He gave a smile that was completely Chinese in its impassivity. ‘If you were in Tientsin at the moment, I don’t think you could say that. The fighting there is severe. But you must not misunderstand me. The Imperial forces in Peking – and you will perhaps have noticed that there are very few Boxers attacking your barricades at the moment—’

  ‘Oh, are they in the country again, butchering defenceless missionaries?’

  Kuang Li bowed his head at the shaft, but continued: ‘Our forces here are determined to occupy the Legations Quarter. But it is all a question now of how that is done.’

  ‘I am sorry but I don’t quite understand.’

  ‘The Empress is at this moment considering offering, once again, a ceasefire to the fighting here on condition that the ministers, their families and soldiers agree to leave the legations and proceed to the coast, under the protection of the Imperial army.’

  ‘But you offered this before and it was rejected.’

  The General shook his head. ‘Not quite. The offer was allowed to lapse.’

  ‘But we are at war now. The Chinese nation declared war on the Foreign Powers.’

  ‘Quite so. Because you took our Taku Forts at the mouth of the river. But the amnesty would include the offer of an armistice.’

  Alice frowned, these waters were becoming deep. ‘You say the Empress is only considering this?’

  ‘Yes. You see, she is torn between the conflicting advice she is receiving in the palace, from princes of the royal blood on the one hand who would give General Tung Fu-hsiang his head, and people like my master, General Jung Lu, on the other, who would wish this stupid war to end. Now – if you could take this message back from my general to your Sir Claude … er … MacDougal …?’

  ‘MacDonald.’

  ‘Ah yes. So sorry. I always had difficulty with Scottish names.’

  Alice stifled a grin. The complexity of Chinese names had always bewildered her. It was good to hear that there was a quid pro quo. ‘But what precisely is that message?’

  ‘We would wish to know if that offer would receive serious consideration and would be likely to be accepted. You see, it would be a great loss of face to our Empress if her generosity was thrown back in her face, so to speak. If, however, we could have Sir Claude’s assurance that the offer might well be accepted – why then our people at the palace could, we feel sure, persuade the Empress to make it and so end the fighting and the war, both here and in the south.’

  He sat back and a heavy silence descended on the room. It was clear that the General’s colleagues present had not followed the conversation but that everyone was now looking at Alice in considerable anticipation.

  ‘Of course I will take what you have said to Sir Claude,’ said Alice, eventually. ‘Naturally, I cannot say to you what his response will be. How should he relay that, by the way?’

  ‘Oh,’ that subtle smile returned, ‘through the usual channels. They have always remained open throughout this conflict. But we here tonight were meeting to think of a way of putting our message to Sir Claude informally. Your arrival has seemed to meet our purpose very well. Would you care for some more tea?’

  ‘You are kind, but no thank you. May I ask you one more question?’

  ‘Please do.’

  ‘What if Sir Claude rejects your invitation?’

  ‘Ah yes. Then that would be a great pity. It would mean, you see, that the – what shall I call it? – the pro-Legation factor amongst the Empress’s advisors will have lost the day, so to speak. As a result, the people at court who wish to see this war intensified will have their way and the attacks on the Quarter will be intensified. In fact, my general may be forced to initiate the terrible cannonade of which we have spoken.’

  ‘I see. Very well, I shall take that message. And now I feel that I should leave you, unless there is anything further you wish to say?’

  He held up one long, elegant finger. ‘Only this – and I do hope that you will not think this rude of me. Please do not allow Sir Claude to think that he can attack this house here. After our meeting, you see, we will not be able to use it any more and it will become deserted. So any effort towards it will not be justified. Oh, and that little passage in the wall that has proved so useful to Mr Griffith will now be holed up at this end and will be of no further use to anyone.’

  With that Kuang Li bowed ceremonially, followed by his companions.

  Alice inclined her head. ‘Thank you. Good night, gentlemen.’

  She departed without a glance towards Gerald, who scurried behind her, and she crossed the street in long strides, thinking hard. She pulled at the little door but it refused to budge, so Gerald leant over her shoulder to exert pressure and pull it open. She whirled on him. ‘Gerald—’

  ‘No,’ he interrupted. ‘It is dangerous here, come inside.’ He pushed her gently into the little opening, closing the door behind them, so that they were in virtual darkness, only relieved by the shards of moonlight that slipped through the gaps in the stone at the far end.

  Gerald seized her arms, so that she could hardly move. ‘Now listen,’ he hissed. ‘Don’t believe what you heard back there about Simon. He is almost certainly dead. They softened it for you – I understood what they said – because they wanted your help. Listen, Alice.’ His tone became softer. ‘You must know that I love you and I have since the first moment you arrived at our house.’

  She struggled to get free, but he held her tighter.

  ‘Your life with Fonthill, from what I hear, has been one of hardship; you must have felt that you were some … some blasted trooper in the army, following this madman around the Empire. Even if he is still alive – and I don’t think that he is for one moment – it will be easy to divorce him and marry me. Join me in a tremendous adventure in this wonderful country. You saw how highly placed my contacts are here. You would live here in Peking in great style, when I am part of the foreign office here.’ He leant his head forward to kiss her.

  Alice, her arms still pinioned, moved forward
into his embrace and then sharply brought up her knee into his groin. Then she pulled back her head and crashed it into his nose. He howled, released her and doubled over, holding his nose.

  ‘Now, you listen to me, cousin.’ Alice’s tone was even but bitingly cold. ‘You touch me again and I will cripple you, I promise. This has happened before to other men. I know how to do it.’

  She pushed him hard so that he sat down with a thud, painfully, on the pipe that ran through the tunnel.

  ‘My husband is a man, not some grovelling little spy, who slithers here and there, sometimes with the enemy, sometimes with us, but always betraying those who trusted him. As for whether Simon is still alive, I would rather – much rather – take the word of that Chinaman than yours. No, don’t get up. I haven’t finished with you yet.

  ‘Now, listen carefully to what I tell you because it is important. It is quite clear to me that you have betrayed the defenders here. You informed the Chinese that Simon was going to make his attempt on the guns. Thank God you were – what was the phrase? – ah yes, “a little too late”. You told them also about his mission to Tientsin – a little too late again, it seems. But my dear Simon could have been taken and killed out of hand.

  ‘You hunt with the besiegers. I know this because I saw you with the Kansus in the Wu, on the wrong side of the barricade, cousin. You must really get rid of that distinctive white suit, you know. I now believe that you fired off your fowling piece that day in the cart on the way here deliberately to put your father – your own father, cousin – in danger. In fact, my dear, you killed him.’

  Suddenly, Gerald was on his feet albeit stooped over in the low tunnel. His voice was high-pitched and it echoed in the confined space, bouncing back off the low walls. ‘The man was an idiot,’ he shrieked. ‘Always was. His religion is stupid, stupid, I tell you, compared to the elegance and deep truth of Shintoism. He and his kind – the missionaries,’ he spat out the word with contempt, ‘were ruining this wonderful country, with its fine past and magnificent future. The Boxers were right – right, I tell you – to rise up against them.