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Hehe Li now have quite good source of equipment and men from his 'subtly blackmailed friend'. But once Manchuria rises to sovereignty, it should rid off corrupted people. Very nice update, humorous subtle dialog, and another interesting thing about Li past - jesuit school ? He gets more and more complexed - which is good 
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Yay, finally I can make a congragulatory post! I started reading this way back in the winter time, after gradguating from college - but got a job and ran low on time.
I've just spent the past few days catching up on everything I've missed; very excellent work indeed!
Eveyone on here swears fealty to Maj. Li; but I must admit my curiousity has been piqued by, Yoshiko I believe her name to be , the espionage lady who referred to Pu Yi as "cousin." Nothing like spying on the "hand that feeds you" .
The scene where Pu Yi earns the respect of the non-commie Russian officer; and orders him to possibly make the ultimate sacrafice => VERY POWERFUL PIECE O' WRITING! (Question, was there a sizeable community of White Russinas that far east, in Manchuko? They sure ran far to avoid the tyranny of the ever paranoid Stalin)
An in regards to Unit 731, there's things that are best if not known (Durn media encourging the free-flow of all kinds of information )
I've just spent the past few days catching up on everything I've missed; very excellent work indeed!
Eveyone on here swears fealty to Maj. Li; but I must admit my curiousity has been piqued by, Yoshiko I believe her name to be
, the espionage lady who referred to Pu Yi as "cousin." Nothing like spying on the "hand that feeds you" .The scene where Pu Yi earns the respect of the non-commie Russian officer; and orders him to possibly make the ultimate sacrafice => VERY POWERFUL PIECE O' WRITING! (Question, was there a sizeable community of White Russinas that far east, in Manchuko? They sure ran far to avoid the tyranny of the ever paranoid Stalin)
An in regards to Unit 731, there's things that are best if not known
(Durn media encourging the free-flow of all kinds of information )
Carbonator: Haven't heard from you in awhile. Nice to know your still alive and kickin'.
thrashing mad: Yes, those corrupt people need to go. But for right now they serve a purpose. I am glad you liked the humor, subtle is what I was going for. Not only Jesuit school, but learning at the foot of a Jewish shop owner as well. It boggles the mind. :wacko:
omegasranger: Welcome aboard, and glad you finally found time to catch up. Real life bites. Yes, there is quite the Major Li fan club, but Yoshiko is an interesting character. Don't fret, she will be back. Thank you for your comments on the russian swap. I wanted that to be a very moving piece, and it seems I hit the mark. And, yes, there was a large white russian population in manchuria, along with russian jews, koreans, mongolians, chinese, and some european christians. You are quite right on 731 and it's little unit cousins. Best not to know.
Update on the way!
thrashing mad: Yes, those corrupt people need to go. But for right now they serve a purpose. I am glad you liked the humor, subtle is what I was going for. Not only Jesuit school, but learning at the foot of a Jewish shop owner as well. It boggles the mind. :wacko:
omegasranger: Welcome aboard, and glad you finally found time to catch up. Real life bites.
Yes, there is quite the Major Li fan club, but Yoshiko is an interesting character. Don't fret, she will be back. Thank you for your comments on the russian swap. I wanted that to be a very moving piece, and it seems I hit the mark. And, yes, there was a large white russian population in manchuria, along with russian jews, koreans, mongolians, chinese, and some european christians. You are quite right on 731 and it's little unit cousins. Best not to know. Update on the way!
Chapter 6
Convergence
(continued)
May 5th, 1936. Imperial Palace, Changchun…
Pu Yi had just returned from Li Shao-keng’s demonstration of the new census tabulating machine. Shao-keng had waxed eloquent on what this new marvel was going to do in speeding up research projects. He had gone on to discuss the next step in the evolution of this machine, something called a computer. It had all left Pu Yi with a tremendous headache. At least they were finally moving on to the agricultural projects that Pu Yi wanted to get started, that he could understand.
When Pu Yi entered his chambers, his personal secretary was waiting with a message from General Hsing. Pu Yi glanced at the message and frowned. General Hsing was claiming some urgency in the matter he wanted to discuss. Pu Yi turned to the secretary.
“Inform the General that I will receive him in two hours.”
The secretary bowed, “Yes, your Majesty. I will have the General informed of your wishes. Will there be anything else?”
Pu Yi pondered for a moment, “Yes, have some food brought, and send for my physician. That will be all.”
“At once your Majesty”, said the secretary as he bowed himself out of the chamber.
Pu Yi turned, and as he did he caught his reflection in a mirror. He stood starring at himself for a moment. He was wearing his uniform festooned with ribbons and medals. With all that, he still did not look very martial. By the nine judges of hell, he did not feel very martial. Except for the Imperial Guard, he had no army, no navy, and no air force.
With a feeling of disgust, he ripped at the tunic jacket as he called for his majordomo.
The majordomo arrived just as Pu Yi was hurling the jacket across the room. His eyes wide, “Yes your Majesty?”
“Bring me one of my suits. Something comfortable but suitable for meeting with General Hsing”, said Pu Yi as he went to work on the trousers.
The majordomo scurried to comply. At that moment there was a knock on the chamber door. A number of servants entered bearing trays with various dishes on them, along with one tray bearing some liquid refreshments. They all bowed to Pu Yi, and he waved them towards a sidebar where they proceeded to lay out the food.
“Leave it!” Pu Yi barked. The servants fled the chamber in some haste. The majordomo returned carrying the suit on a hanger along with a box that contained shoes. “Put it on the chair and leave me. When my physician gets here, show him in.”
The majordomo laid the suit over a chair, set down the box of shoes, bowed to Pu Yi and backed out of the room, closing the doors behind him. Pu Yi moved to the sidebar, put some fruit on a plate, poured himself some tea, and then sat down at small table in the corner of the room. He sighed heavily as he put his elbows on the table and lowered his head into his hands so that he might rub his temples. He sat like this for some time.
There was another knock on the doors and the majordomo entered ushering in a distinguished looking gentleman. Pu Yi started to rise.
“Please your Majesty, do not stand on my account. I understand you might not be feeling well today”, said the gentleman.
Pu Yi waved this away. “It is just a headache doctor, and I have other meetings today. I need to be at my best.”
The doctor set his bag down on the chair opposite Pu Yi and stroked his chin. “I believe that I can take care of that”, he said, starting to open his bag.
“No laudanum!” snapped Pu Yi.
“Of course not your Majesty. I know how you feel about opiates. No, I have a powder here that will suit your purposes”, the doctor said as he fished a small jar from his bag. The doctor went to the sidebar, poured some water into a glass and then mixed some powder from the jar into the water. He came back to the table. “Here your Majesty. Drink this”, he said handing the glass to Pu Yi.
Pu Yi eyed the glass for a moment, holding it up to peer at the contents. He looked at the doctor and then drained the glass.
“It will take about twenty minutes for that to start working. In that time, please relax and let the medicine do its work. If you continue to exert yourself the medicine will not work as well. Once the headache is gone, you may continue your day as normal”, the doctor said, placing the jar back in his bag. “Will there be anything else your Majesty?”
Pu Yi looked at the doctor for a moment and then lowered his eyes. In a quiet voice he asked, “Have you checked in on Gobulo lately?”
Gobulo Wan Rong was Pu Yi’s wife and Empress of Manchukuo.
The doctor looked down at Pu Yi. “I saw her just the other day your Majesty. She seems to be doing well. I am afraid though, that if you do not figure out a way to keep her from the opium that I don’t know how much longer I will be able to say that”, the doctor said with genuine concern.
Pu Yi did not look up. “Yes doctor. Thank you for all you have done. You may go.”
The doctor stared at Pu Yi for a moment, bowed, and then left the chamber. When Pu Yi heard the doors close, he sighed again. He picked up his tea and sipped at it while playing with the fruit on his plate. He forced himself to eat some of it, even though he was not feeling hungary.
After forcing some more fruit down, Pu Yi got up and dressed himself. He looked in the mirror at his appearance. He was not entirely happy, but it would have to do. Pu Yi called for his secretary. When the man arrived Pu Yi told him, “When the General arrives please bring him to my private office. Have some tea brought.”
“Of course your Majesty”, said the secretary.
Pu Yi picked up his cup of tea and headed towards his office.
A half an hour later there was a knock on his office door. “Enter”, said Pu Yi.
The secretary came, “General Hsing your Majesty.”
The General walked in followed by a servant carrying a tea service. “That will be all. Leave us”, said Pu Yi. After the servant and secretary left, Pu Yi turned to the General. “Please General, sit. Have some tea.”
The General poured himself some tea and sat down. “So my old friend, what brings you here today. Your message hinted at some urgency in this matter.”
Hsing sipped his tea and then placed the cup on a table beside his chair. “I hardly know where to begin”, said Hsing.
Pu Yi waited patiently for the General to get his bearings.
The General took a deep breath. “A few days ago an acquaintance of mine dropped by to see me at my office. He was there to arrange a meeting between me and his superior. After listening to what the man had to say, I agreed to the meeting. The next day I met with my friend’s superior. He proceeded to lay out some very disturbing news. He had documentation to back up his claims. Now, he wants to meet with you and present his findings. If what he has is true, I think you should agree to meet with him.” Hsing stopped, looking at Pu Yi.
Pu Yi looked at the General. “And this friend?”
“A former officer of mine”, replied Hsing.
“And his superior?”
Hsing clasped his hands together on his lap. “Major Wang Li of Imperial Security.”
Pu Yi’s eyes widened a bit at the name. “Chin’s chief investigator?”
“Yes your Majesty. The same”, replied Hsing.
Pu Yi mulled this over for a moment. “And this disturbing news?”
“I think you should read it for yourself before you hear my opinion”, said Hsing.
Pu Yi thought again. “Have you considered that this may be Chin trying to infiltrate us?”
“Yes your Majesty, I have. But, I don’t think so. For one, I trust the officer that set up the meeting. Second, Major Li seems very interested in keeping Chin out of this, and considering the information and who it implicates, I can understand why. No your Majesty, I do not think this is a ploy by Chin. Besides, that would be far too subtle for Chin, and Chin doesn’t do subtle”, Hsing finished.
Pu Yi was silent as he thought about this. “Who does it implicate?”
Hsing was hesitant. “Your Majesty, I will give you a little more of what I have, but I implore you to read it for yourself. It implicates the Kempetai, therefore, by loose association, Chin. I really do understand why Li is nervous about what he has. I told him that if he had not heard from me, indicating you had not agreed to meet, that he should burn the information he has. Otherwise, there are going to be a lot of dead Imperial Security around”
Pu Yi ran his hand across the top of his desk, letting the feel of the wood grain soothe him as he contemplated his decision. His hand stopped and he looked as Hsing. “I agree in principle to the meeting. I will get back with you as to time and place. Can he get around unnoticed?”
Hsing laughed. “Yes your Majesty. I think if you wanted him to come as a Jesuit nun that he could probably pull it off.”
Pu Yi may have a pretext, and a means, of ousting Chin. Of course the Japanese may not want Chin removed...
Excellent to see the Emperor again ! A very nice chapter , grayghost ! Can't wait to see where this leads !!
so you've completed researching census tabulating machine, excellent!
excellent update as usual, Pu Yi really did seem to be slightly short tempered until his physician came in to soothe his pain...poor Pu Yi, and poor servants who had to endure his ire
excellent update as usual, Pu Yi really did seem to be slightly short tempered until his physician came in to soothe his pain...poor Pu Yi, and poor servants who had to endure his ire
Ahh so we`ll have meeting of Pu Yi and Major Li - two juiciest characters of this story - nice
seconding everything
and gg, I cannot possibly miss such an excellent piece of writing
and gg, I cannot possibly miss such an excellent piece of writing
omegasranger: That was always the problem with Chin, his relationship with the Japanese.
canonized: Thank you sir.
Myth: Yes, finally some technological progress. Poor Pu Yi indeed, weight of the world and all that.
Rodrico Stak Back indeed, and for awhile.
Quanto: You will start seeing more and more of Pu Yi now. I know it seemed like the Major Li and friends show for awhile there, but it was necessary.
thrashing mad: Well, maybe. No time or date yet and Pu Yi may decide to change his mind. One never knows.
The_Carbonater: Stop...I'm blushingo . Thank you very much.
canonized: Thank you sir.
Myth: Yes, finally some technological progress. Poor Pu Yi indeed, weight of the world and all that.
Rodrico Stak Back indeed, and for awhile.
Quanto: You will start seeing more and more of Pu Yi now. I know it seemed like the Major Li and friends show for awhile there, but it was necessary.
thrashing mad: Well, maybe. No time or date yet and Pu Yi may decide to change his mind. One never knows.
The_Carbonater: Stop...I'm blushing
o . Thank you very much.
Chapter 6
Convergence
(continued)
May 6th, 1936. Imperial Palace, Changchun…
Pu Yi waited in his office for his visitor. The news that General Hsing had brought to him yesterday was disturbing. It was disturbing in the sense that he did not know what game this Major Li was playing. It was time to find out.
The knock came at the expected time. Pu Yi rose and opened the side door. The man entered and looked at the Emperor. “You wanted to see me your Majesty?”
Pu Yi gave a curt nod of his head. “Yes. Please sit”, he said indicating a chair.
The man sat, folded his hands in his lap and waited for the Emperor to tell him what this was about. Pu Yi sat back down behind his desk and looked down at his desk as he composed his thoughts.
“A few weeks ago you told me that Major Li was running some investigation into the Kempetai, did you find out what he was looking for?”
The man thought about this, wondering why the Emperor had brought this up again.
“Your Majesty, I told you then that I had limited resources to put on that. My informant could not come up with anything solid on what the investigation was about. I do know that it is over, but not what information was attained. Why do you ask?”
Pu Yi thought about how much to tell this man considering the subject matter, but he needed answers. “Yesterday, General Hsing came to me on behalf of Major Li. Apparently the Major has unearthed some information that is threatening to us. The General would not give me specifics, saying that I should meet with the Major and get the information first hand. I have tentatively agreed to a meeting, but have yet to set the time and place. I would like you to put more resources on this and try to discern the importance of the Major’s information, or find out if this is some clever plot by Chin to earn our trust.”
“Do you give credence to Li’s claims? The man is a blackguard and cannot be trusted”, the man said vehemently.
“Credence to Li? No. But I must give some to General Hsing. He is not a man to bring something like this to me casually. If he believes that it is important that I receive this information then I believe him. But, I cannot be sure if he has not been deceived by Major Li. Hsing is a shrewd man, but I can’t take chances. I need some corroboration”, Pu Yi said with emphasis.
The man thought about this. “I see your point. But, let me make myself clear. Regardless of the veracity of the information Li is supposed to posses, it does not change our agreement in regards to him and Minister Chin. Even should the information prove a tremendous boon to our cause, Li will not be spared. Are we in agreement?”
“We are in agreement. Nothing has changed about our arrangement. Now, get me the information I need as soon as you can. Let us move onto another subject, how does the training go? Are we increasing our manpower within the unit?”
“Training goes well your Majesty, the growth of the unit goes slowly though. Any possible recruit must go through a screening process and be thoroughly checked out before we even approach them. It takes time”, said the man.
“I am sure you are doing the best that you can under the circumstances. When do expect to reach the target number?” Pu Yi asked.
“July, hopefully, September at the latest.”
“Fine. Please get back to me as quickly as possible with regards to Major Li.”
“I will your Majesty”, said the man. But in his mind his thoughts were churning in a different direction. He was not going to give Li any chance to get close to the Emperor. He would have to move earlier that he would have liked, but he wasn’t going to take the chance that Pu Yi would change his mind. Besides, the main dish was Chin, and that one he would savor. Major Li would just be an early appetizer.
_________________________________________________________________
Downtown at the HQ of Imperial Security, Major Li sat in his office going over the newly approved requisitions with Lieutenant Chen. Things were moving quickly now that Dai was on board. They just needed to choose a training site and start to muster the new men there.
Li and Chen were discussing the training site options when they heard a commotion from the squad room. The men in the outer office had crowded around someone and were greeting them jovially. The men moved apart so that Li could see who they were talking to and he was greeted with the smiling face of Cutter. Cutter’s arm was in a sling, but otherwise looked none the worse for his lengthy stay in the hospital.
Chen caught sight of Cutter as well and a frown spread across his face. Li noticed this and understood. Cutter had not been kind to Chen since the man had joined his unit. In fact, Cutter seemed to go out of his way to antagonize the man.
Cutter traded a few more quips with the men and then made his way towards Li’s office. When he entered his eyes dropped to Chen sitting in a chair to the left of Li’s desk and a scowl spread across his face. “Beat it drunk. I want to talk to the boss.”
“Damn it Cutter…” Li began, but Chen cut him off with a wave of his hand.
“It’s all right sir. I have some other work I need to finish up.” With that Chen rose, gathered the papers on the desk, and brushing past Cutter, left the office.
“Just make sure that work keeps you away from the bar”, Cutter said to Chen’s retreating back. He then plopped himself down into the chair that Chen had vacated and turned a beaming smile on Li. “So boss, how’s it goin. Haven’t you got rid of him yet?”
Li stared daggers at Cutter. The man could be infuriating, useful, but infuriating. Cutter was oblivious to the wrath in Li’s eye, his impish grin still spread across his face. Li finally sighed and shook his head. “So they let you out, huh? How’s the arm?”
Cutter gingerly pulled the arm from the sling and moved it around slowly. “Still hurts, and it’s stiff as hell, but the doctor said if I kept working it I would get the full use back. And believe me, I’ll get it back. I got some payback to dish out to the bastards that did this to me”, Cutter said evilly as darkness seemed to engulf his eyes. “Do we have any idea who was responsible yet?”
“We are still working on that. Right now we are going to start training the men in combat tactics. We need to be able to meet this threat on even footing. Right now we are outclassed. That was what Chen and I were working on when you came in.”
Cutter snorted derisively. “Combat tactics”, Cutter said disdainfully. “What we need to do is get them on our turf and fight this our way. We have always done fine. We hunt them down and take them one at a time”, he said, pulling a finger across his throat.
“This isn’t a turf war Cutter, and the old ways won’t work on this one. We need to learn some new skills for this; otherwise it might be us that get taken down. Do you understand?” Li asked.
Cutter just looked at him for a few moments and then said, “Where’s Pinch. I haven’t had a drink in some time and I need to get drunk”, he said, now looking bored and wishing he were someplace else.
Li’s face seemed set in stone at this casual dismissal. “I don’t know. Why don’t you go find him”, he said through grit teeth.
Cutter stood. “Think I’ll do just that”, Cutter said, and strode out of the office. He traded a few passing remarks with some of the men, who laughed at whatever he had said, and walked out of the room.
Wow , someone's going after Li , the tension is rising !! And bloody Cutter , that bastard I never liked him to begin with . Let's hope the next shot he gets is a headshot ! Hooray for updates XD
Chen needs to cowboy up and pop Cutter - that might be the only way to shut him up.
Or death...
Or death...
heh, I was suspicious that this'd be the reason that it was Cutter who was specifically targetted. he's already not fit that well with the outfit because he can't really let go of past relationships and methods, and now he's been out of action for a while and, coming back, isn't aware of the changes that have been made and doesn't like them. dissension brews and there might be a power struggle within Li's own unit
Oh great! Everyone gets to be a warlord except the dude that conquered the world as ComChi!!! Chairman Mao doesn't count as a warlord, I guess...
http://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/showthread.php?t=254019
http://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/showthread.php?t=254019
canonized: Yes, certain things are coming to a head. What is going to happen? Who is going to live and who is going to die? All these questions and no one to answer them! WHAT WILL WE DO!
We will calmly wait for the next installment of "the Candidate", of course.
omegasranger: Yes, Chen should do something about Cutter, but, Cutter is the class bully and Chen is still new kid on the block. Don't worry, something will happen...but what? Ooooooooh, the suspense is killing me.
Myth: You were suspicious....really....the famous Myth radar going off. Well, we will see. Some of what you say is true. Some is not. But which is which...hmmmmm.
King Nothing: And now we get to the guy who does not make any comments on my AAR, but wants to be a "Warlord". Actually, I do not get to make my way around the forums the way I use to. I just made a trip recently but must have missed yours. I have read it, interesting the way it started out, as not really an AAR but sharing something interesting and then morphing into an AAR. Oh, wait, I'll make these comments in your AAR.
We will calmly wait for the next installment of "the Candidate", of course.
omegasranger: Yes, Chen should do something about Cutter, but, Cutter is the class bully and Chen is still new kid on the block. Don't worry, something will happen...but what? Ooooooooh, the suspense is killing me.
Myth: You were suspicious....really....the famous Myth radar going off. Well, we will see. Some of what you say is true. Some is not. But which is which...hmmmmm.
King Nothing: And now we get to the guy who does not make any comments on my AAR, but wants to be a "Warlord". Actually, I do not get to make my way around the forums the way I use to. I just made a trip recently but must have missed yours. I have read it, interesting the way it started out, as not really an AAR but sharing something interesting and then morphing into an AAR. Oh, wait, I'll make these comments in your AAR.