The Emperor's Prey

by Jeremy Han

  “Is this One-eyed Dragon whom you speak of with such reverence a member of the House of Zhu?”

  He asked innocently like someone asking for directions. He took another few more steps, completely ignoring the danger posed by the armed men. He was relaxed, as though he was taking a morning stroll and saw a friend. The man sensed that something was amiss with these strangers but said nothing, even though his Adam’s apple bobbed. Ji continued his monologue.

  “If he is not, then I am afraid I would need to proclaim the One-eyed Dragon a rebel who is trying to usurp the land that belonged to the House of Zhu. That is punishable by death - By beheading.” He delivered the death sentence amiably like an invitation to tea.

  The leader of the bandits sensed the danger emitting from Ji and his hand reached for his sword. But Ji Gang was a far more seasoned killer than he. In one smooth leap forward, his hand brought his weapon: the iron fan, out and opened it so quickly that the bandit did not have time to react. Ji’s entire body moved as one. From the eyes that judged the distance of the target to the hands and legs that brought his body forward and slashed, he moved as one. Years of training and killing had perfected his art. He moved like a malevolent dancer who wanted to kill his audience. The closed iron fan opened with a ripping sound that got muted as the iron blade cut deep into the man’s throat, almost severing his head. Blood spurted out from the cut arteries. Ji Gang had moved his hand from left to right in a slashing motion that was so fast that the bandit was still standing where he was when he died. By then Ji landed beautifully on a tip toe and stepped forward, standing behind the dead man so that the forward spraying blood missed him. His actions were smooth and timed perfectly. By the time the blood would spray, he would be standing safely behind the executed man. The man crumpled forward like a broken puppet and laid face down on the ground, his hand still twitching on the handle of the sheathed sword. The soil around him turned red and the remaining bandits fled in various directions without hesitation.

  Li Wei and Lu Ximing drew their weapons and started to pursue but Ji held them back with a restraining hand. They were like ants – whether they lived or died had no impact on the grand scheme of things. The two agents looked at him curiously and saw that Ji was not interested in chasing the rest of them. Instead, he was muttering to himself as he tapped his closed fan on his palms.

  “Hmm...The One-eyed Dragon.” Then he turned to his men and said. “Let us go.”

  Garrison commander Hong He stumbled into his own sparsely decorated office. Just barely minutes ago, a young and very frightened subordinate gate-crashed his midday party with one the ‘gifts’ from the One-eyed Dragon. The naked commander’s face went red when the soldier barged in and turned even redder when the teenage boy announced that the Chief of Internal Security of the Ming imperial court was waiting in his office, asking why the garrison commander was not at his station at the middle of the day. The lanky officer hardly had time to check his uniform when he dashed from his quarters to the room where he conducted his official affairs. In the process, he kicked over one of the few flower pots. When he entered his own office, he saw two men standing behind his desk and one tall, bald headed man seated on his seat. His legs were placed on the table as he rocked the chair. It was a complete disregard to Hong’s rank and office. But then again Ji Gang outranked him like the stars distanced themselves from the dust on the ground.

  “My Lord...pardon my absence I was out on a patrol and....” Hong He said in an attempt to save some of his skin. Ji ignored him and interrupted,

  “Who is the One-eyed Dragon?” Ji asked, completely ignoring whatever he tried to say. He could not care less. He was not the inspector general of garrisons.

  “Lord Ji, he is a bandit who is terrorising the local Miao.” Hong He replied. He tried hard to control his stammering.

  “Do you have the situation under control?”

  Hong He swallowed hard. How was he going to answer this? Was the Eastern Depot here to investigate him?

  “Yes Lord.” The less he said the better. By now his mind had recovered from the shock and he started to process the situation. If this was about his criminal alliance with the slave trader, it would not be the Dong Chang at this office. It would be a commissioner from the provincial military commander. No, this was something else.

  “The One-eyed Dragon’s men did not seem subdued when they gave me a warm reception into your county this morning. In fact, they seemed quite deluded that this county belonged to them.”

  “Lord they must have mistaken you for merchants and tried to rob you.”

  “What is this One-eyed Dragon business all about?”

  “The One-eyed Dragon is an ex-soldier turned bandit. He is terrorising the Miao tribes and kidnapping their folk. He kidnaps and sells the women and children. The men he slaughters. We are doing all we can to exterminate this beast.”

  “More than that, he claimed this county as his. That is treason. Make sure you do all you can to eliminate this threat. Remember this, one day a bandit, the next day a rebel.”

  Ji lectured the man with a finger in the air. In the history of the Ming, that was how the founder Zhu Yuanzhang rose- from bandit to emperor. There was no need to remind everyone of that but to the Ming security apparatus, they had to ensure that history did not repeat itself. Then he continued, losing all interest in the One-eyed Dragon immediately and moving on to things of his concern. He did not care the least bit about the minority groups at all. All he cared about was the security of the throne.

  “You will deal with the threat of the One-eyed Dragon. I am here on another matter. I want you to send men into all villages, both Miao and Han, and find out if there were any strange people who trespassed or stayed over during the winter months.”

  “Who are these men you seek Lord?”

  “It is not your concern. Find out and report to me.”

  “Lord, what should I be looking for?”

  “Look for a monk. He will be surrounded by armed men.”

  With that, the bald headed Ji Gang swung his legs off the table, got up and left abruptly. The two followers trailed him. One of them gave Hong a strange look or rather, a sneer before they left. Obviously, the secret agents knew what he was doing before he came in. Hong felt a shiver down his spine. Were there no secrets from these demons from the capital? They seemed to be able to look into a man’s soul and see all his indiscretions, knowing when they could use it as leverage against him. They were truly frightening.

  That night Hong He calculated his odds. He wondered whether the agents would blow away and leave just as quickly as they came. If it was an ongoing investigation to hunt rebels, it would take time because this area was still largely unmapped and the people uncooperative, that meant that he could not conduct any business with the One-eyed Dragon until the secret agents were gone. However, that might mean the possibility that the agents would uncover the unholy alliance between the bandit and him. He sighed. Being found out by the Eastern Depot was unthinkable. Everyone knew that they executed first and asked questions later. He remembered that his own men had brought back word that the One-eyed Dragon was thinking of breaking the alliance; already there were clashes and attacks on his patrols. He could not fathom why – wasn’t the One-eyed Dragon grateful he was ‘protected’? As long as both received benefits from the arrangement, why did the One-eyed Dragon want to turn against him? He shook his head. Man is greedy and did not know when to be satisfied. Maybe the bald man was right; one day a bandit, the next day a rebel thinking he could become king. Hong did not want to be on the losing side of course. He did not want the One-eyed Dragon to finger him as a accomplice when the Eastern Depot caught up.

  He nodded his head sagely to no one in particular. The problem with most thieves was they did not know when to stop. Hong calculated how much he had benefitted from being in cahoots from the bandit and told himself he must not make the same mistake that others made. He must be contented. If the One-eyed Dragon’s greed was go
ing to lead to his downfall, then so be it. He should not be dragged into the pit with the crazy bastard. Hong considered himself to be a survivor and survivors know when to change sides.

  He decided he must crush the One-eyed Dragon before his own dalliance with the criminals was exposed. He could not risk that with the Dong Chang. If they found out, they would execute him immediately without trial. His face soured as though he sucked a lemon. He did not want to lose his very profitable stream of income from the slave trader. Who did not like an income that came without labour? The only work he did was to look the other way. Officialdom was supposed to be profitable, damn it. Damn the Eastern Depot! But better the bandit face their wrath than he. He started making plans to destroy the One-eyed Dragon and his ragtag army. He may not know a lot of things, but he knew how to scheme. He would set the Dong Chang against the bandit. Since he was stupid enough to claim that this province belonged to him, and unlucky enough to be caught in the act by the Eastern Depot, then let him pay the price for his bad luck and stupidity. The Dong Chang hunted rebels; he would provide them with one. He would of course fan the flames and make it happen. He smiled. He had a plan.

  SIXTY TWO

  A few days later, Hong came to Ji with an urgent report. Ji and his men did not idle; they went out with patrols to see what they could find about a monk who could be hiding in this vast area. One never knew what one could uncover when you put your ears to the ground, when you rattle the bushes. He was dressed sharply; much more so than ever before. He did not want Lord Ji to ever suspect that he was not doing his damnedest looking for his ‘monk’. The agents were seldom in camp, but today they were back strategising their next move. It was the perfect time for Hong He to start his play acting.

  Ji sat with Li and Lu at Hong’s office and reviewed what they had uncovered so far. Hong entered and bowed. Every time he entered his own office, he had to bow to Ji Gang. This riled the lower official. Imagine being a servant in your own home! Ji looked up at him and raised his eyebrows. Hong took it as a sign to speak.

  “Lord Ji, we have discovered the source of the One-eyed Dragon’s wealth.”

  “So? That’s nothing new.”

  “The One-eyed Dragon trafficks people. We suspect he might have been involved in moving fugitives out of this province. If there is anyone who could do it, it would be him.”

  “Then he would definitely be a person of interest. How do you propose that we deal with him?” Ji looked at him straight.

  “As matter of fact,” Hong took out a letter and held it up, “The One-eyed Dragon asked for a secret meeting. He wants to call for a truce after all the pressure we have been putting on him.”

  It was true that the One-eyed Dragon had written to Hong to discuss a ceasefire. The bandit was a businessman after all. He knew that going head to head against the government was pointless; they always won. When the government wanted to take a slice of the economic pie from its people, it could do anything. The problem of greed applied to both men and governments. That was why the Han word for ‘official’ guan has two kous ‘mouths’ to signify that the government is the greediest of them all. The One-eyed Dragon thought at most, all Hong wanted was a bigger slice of the pie, so he decided not to sacrifice the forest for the tree and swallowed his pride. But what he did not know was the presence of the Dong Chang. That changed the game. He had provided Hong the perfect chance to set a trap. His own letter would doom him.

  “And why would the One-eyed Dragon want to call a truce?”

  “Bandits think they could bribe us officials who are far away from the city. They believe that because we are far away, we are susceptible to corruption. It is not the first time, Lord, for us to receive such offers to look away. Of course we never did.”

  “When is this meeting?”

  “Tomorrow morning.”

  “Li Wei and Lu Ximing, go with him and find out what you can from the One-eyed Dragon. Then execute the man for claiming that Guizhou is his.” Ji returned to his maps.

  The next morning, the man known as the One-eyed Dragon rode on a horse. The animal loped at its own pace through the forest of bamboo groves. The early morning mist still floated like bits and pieces of a waking dream. The white gossamer draped over the towering bamboo and hid the top of the plant, concealing their true height. The soil was softened by the moisture of the night, so the horse’s steps did not produce any sound. Orange light peeked at him as the sun tried to squeeze its way through the narrow space between stalks of bamboo. He heard a bird sing; spring was really near, and then the fluttering of wings as the bird flew off on some urgent task. It was truly peaceful. It hid the menace awaiting him.

  The stillness allowed the One-eyed Dragon to reflect. He recalled the first meeting with Hong He at the same place. He grunted at the memory even as a cool breeze caressed him. After that meeting, he got richer and richer because Hong He had held his end of the bargain. Then the killings began. His men were killed. He had thought that the official had gone back on his word and wanted to seize the business for himself. He had given some minor retaliation too. But as he pondered over his losses, he realised that even Hong He’s greed should have a limit, at least temporarily. He grunted again as he resigned himself to the fact that all government officials were like that. They all start with asking for little, then as they realised how easy it was to use their power to enrich themselves instead of doing any real work, they start to ask for more. All these of course fed into their egos and created the illusion that they really deserve it. Soon they even thought that their work in the government service was a sacrifice and burden they heroically bear for the min. When that happened, they truly believed that all manner of self-enrichment is their rightful due and compensation for their self-proclaimed greatness. This kind of people thought of themselves as talents that must be compensated for their sacrifice on their behalf of the people.

  Hypocrites. “Phui!” He spat. Nothing but thieves.

  It was not so much from any physical need to clear his throat but to clear his disgust at officialdom. He thought that all these who claimed a Confucian sense of honour and responsibility were the biggest liars. At least he, the One-eyed Dragon was openly criminal. He thought he had Hong He figured out. After all, ninety percent of the officials were corrupt isn’t it? Just because they denied it does not make it so. Just because they create laws to legalise their corruption did not make them any less so. So he decided to play the game with Hong He. He would agree to give him more, but he would also ask for more. Surely, the commander understood that he and his men must eat right? As long as Hong benefitted as ‘befitting’ his status, he was sure the tall, lanky, had-been officer would see the light. He smiled. Officials were like children actually. So greedy, and yet so easy to please: money, women and ego. The more they think they were so important, the least they actually were. The truly good officials were rare, and heaven help you, if you were a criminal, if you met one. Thankfully, the One-eyed Dragon thought, he was not meeting any today.

  He reached the pavilion and dismounted. Then he went over and sat down on the stone chair. He did not have to wait long. The figure of a man grew clearer as he approached the pavilion, appearing through the mist like a ghost. He was not dressed in military uniform, which was not surprising since Hong seldom met him in uniform; something within his conscience must have reminded him of the pride he once had serving as an officer. But the man was not Hong. He was not as tall, and not as skinny. Then he was joined by another. This other man had a moustache, which Hong He did not have. Passer-bys, the One-eyed Dragon thought, nothing to worry about. Then he remembered that the officer usually posted sentries to stop people from taking this road when he met the bandit so that people did not associate him with the criminal. Hypocrites. Something was wrong. His instinct told him this was not right. The way the men walked; slowly, purposefully, like predators. Their weight was equally distributed and balanced like tigers. Their eyes betrayed their intent: they looked at him with both interest a
nd then confirmation. They turned toward him. They had found their prey.

  The One-eyed Dragon leapt out of his chair and tried to run, at the same time, he drew his sabre. If only I could get to where my men are! But the man on the left was fast. He appeared in front of the One-eyed Dragon with a drawn sword and aimed the weapon at his throat. The bandit parried the blow with a loud clang as the broadsword clashed against the fine blade of the Imperial agent. Lu Ximing attacked again, his blade like a snake, forcing the One-eyed Dragon backward. Just went the fuming brigand decided to attack, he was forced to confront another threat. Li Wei’s chained sickle flew forward at him at an angle he could not dodge and the blade cut his arm deeply. He screamed in pain. At this opening, Li Wei came in and punched the One-eyed Dragon in the gut while at the same time tried to slash him again at close range with the dagger on the other end of the chained sickle. But the One-eyed Dragon was far from being defeated. He blocked the blow with a raised forearm and slashed out with his dao that forced Li Wei to use his tightened chain to block. The One-eyed Dragon roared in anger as he dove forward, slashing and hacking, hoping to get lucky. He had always won on the basis of strength and brutality, but against a highly skilled opponent like Li, he was only wasting his strength. His crude assault was rudely interrupted by Lu Ximing as Lu’s blade singed passed his ear, slicing off a bit of it. The sting caused the One-eyed Dragon to look backward, but his instincts, which was correct this time, shouted at him to drive forward and create distance from Lu because that was the unexpected thing to do. He drove on and Lu’s blade thrust missed. Temporarily having driven Li away and avoided Lu, the One-eyed Dragon turned and looked at his adversaries carefully for the first time. Who were they? They were well-dressed and certainly did not look like they hailed from this backward province. They were highly skilled - much more than what one could expect from soldiers sent to this backside of the world. Were they Miao out to avenge their people? No, their skills and weapons were clearly Han. He guessed it; they must be assassins sent by Hong He. The bastard did not want to kill him himself so he sent some paid killers. He fumed at the thought that the official must be using the money the One-eyed Dragon sent him to hire these two mercenaries. The thought infuriated him further. Well, if they want to kill him and take his business, then he’ll teach them a lesson.