Quanto: Chin will probably not get taken care of for awhile and it appears the 'man' is ready to act in regards to Major Li now. Lets see where this progresses. 
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grayghost said:Quanto: Chin will probably not get taken care of for awhile and it appears the 'man' is ready to act in regards to Major Li now. Lets see where this progresses.
I pray for Major Li!
So now I have finished reading this from start to end. A great story, well thought-out with interesting characters, and very well written. I just hope that you still have enough of a story-line in the characters when the real HoI action starts. Keep the updates coming!
Keep the updates coming!
I have had the very great honor of being "canonized" again. Please join canonized for the adventures of Isabelle and Antonio, in his wonderful AAR, Timelines: What if Spain Failed to Control the World. If you have not read this AAR your in for a treat. Just sent aside ample time to indulge as its a whopper, in size and adventure.
I'd like to congratulate you on another honour. You've been chosen as Best Character Writer of the Week for your in-depth depiction of Pu Yi and his efforts to restore the Qing Empire by fair means or foul. I've just caught up with this impressively written AAR and the award is richly deserved.
When you get a chance, zip over to this thread for the details:
http://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/showthread.php?t=250368
When you get a chance, zip over to this thread for the details:
http://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/showthread.php?t=250368
Cohort: Thank you very much for the honor, but most of all thank you for taking the time to catch up and comment on my story. I always appreciate a new face and commentator, so welcome aboard.
The rest of you: Thanks alot guys. Your support means a great deal to me. Some of you have been with me from the begining, some have come on recently, but you are all appreciated equally...ok, Warlord Club members are just a wee bit more special.
The rest of you: Thanks alot guys. Your support means a great deal to me. Some of you have been with me from the begining, some have come on recently, but you are all appreciated equally...ok, Warlord Club members are just a wee bit more special.
lordvagrant: Thank you very much sir and welcome aboard. Please feel free to make as many comments as you like. They dont even have to be meaningful.
Chapter 6
Convergence
(continued)
May 6th, 1936. Riverside District, Changchun…
It was late and Li knew he should be getting home and to bed, but he was still troubled by the episode with Cutter earlier in the day. What had once been an asset was now becoming a liability. Li let that thought drift off as he walked along the banks of the Yitong He between the Dongrong and Changtong bridges. At 11 pm the river bank was deserted on this cool May evening, and Li was enjoying the solitude and the brisk night, hoping it would clear his head. He took a drag off his cigarette as he stared at the river rolling by to his right, walking with his left hand in his pocket as he tried think about all the things that were happening. He was happy on the one hand because Chen was getting the training program off the ground, yet concerned because Cutter had returned and he was not sure where the man fit in the new scheme of things. Finding Dai had been a great boon to his cause. Not hearing back from Hsing set worry on his brow. So much…so much was happening, and yet so much was not. There were things beyond his control, and that was a feeling he had never been comfortable with.
Li continued his stroll along the riverbank, wrestling with the myriad concerns of the day, as he meandered through the trees that dotted the riverside park. Despite it all, he was doing his best to enjoy the evening. He had dropped his cigarette to the ground and had stopped to grind it under the heel of his shoe when he heard the noise, a soft scuff coming from behind and to his left. He froze momentarily and then tried to continue his motion as if nothing had happened. When he heard the click of a hammer being pulled back, he simply stopped all motion.
A low voice from behind him, “Please remove your hand from your pocket Major Li and very slowly, turn around.”
Major Li complied, removing his hand and slowly pivoting to face the voice. When Li finally faced in the direction the voice was coming from, all he could see was a form standing in the shadows of a tree silhouetted from behind by the distant street lights. He could see the right arm extended holding what could only be a pistol.
“Well Major Li, we finally meet. I have been looking forward to this for some time”, said the voice from the dark form.
“I am afraid you have the advantage sir. You know who I am, but I am afraid that I do not know who you are”, Li said.
The man stepped forward out of the shadows and the lights from the street dimly illuminated the lower part of the face, the upper half hidden in the shadows of the had the man wore. “Really Major, I am surprised. Surely you remember me.” With that the man reached up and removed the hat, pulling the last of the shadows away from his face as he did.
Li’s single eye squinted, taking in the man’s features. There was a flicker of recognition somewhere in the recesses of his mind, but he couldn’t quite grasp the memory.
“Still don’t remember, eh?” said the man. “Then let me refresh your memory. Two years ago on the Dong Huancheng bridge.”
Li’s eye dropped as he groped for the memory, the Dong Huancheng bri…his eye came up to the man’s face. The bridge…that night at the bridge. With the recognition, the memory came flooding back.
The man saw it all wash across Li’s face and drank it in, as if tasting water for the first time after an eternity of thirst. “Yessss”, said the man’s voice, hissing between his teeth. “Now you remember. That night, the screams of my wife…MY WIFE!” the voice exploded into the night.
Sadness crept over Li’s face as he looked at the man. In a low voice, almost a whisper, “That was never meant to happen, no one was supposed to die.”
The man took a step forward extending the pistol to arms length, aiming at the center of Li’s forehead. “I’m sorry Major, but I am not sure if I heard you correctly. No one was supposed to die?” another step forward, “No one was supposed to DIE?! Am I to find comfort, consolation in that?” another step forward, “Should I forgive you then?” the man said in a mocking tone.
Li watched the man, thinking about his words. In the end, there was only one thing to say. His eye dropped to the ground as the air hissed out of his lungs to let go a single word. “No.”
The man stopped his stuttered advance.
Li turned his head to look off across the river. In a voice that carried the weariness of the world, “No sir. You should take no comfort in those words. Nor do I deserve any forgiveness. The ten judges of hell have already determined my fate in the afterworld and your forgiveness will not change that. Although it was never my intention to harm you or your family, and know that I did not order it, I am responsible. Cutter was my man, my bongshou, my responsibility.” He turned his head back to the man. “Your revenge is just.” Li sighed and reached for his breast pocket to retrieve his cigarettes.
The man’s arm jerked at the movement, the pistol stiffening, the hammer clicking to the second position.
Li watched the man but did not stop his movement, pulling forth the battered pack. His single eye drooped as a heavy tiredness crawled over him and threatened to pull him to the ground. Now, not even paying attention to the man, he reached into his pocket and pulled forth a box of matches, put a cigarette in his mouth, lit a match, and inhaled slowly, the smoke pulling through his mouth deep into his lungs. He closed his eye, savoring the taste, and slowly exhaled.
There was silence between them. Two men, accepting of their fates, stared across a gulf of years to a night that connected them forever.
Li finally broke the silence. “Please understand, that it is not my intention to convince you not to kill me, but there is something you must allow me to do…for you”, he said in a quiet voice. “I need to give you something. It will not bring back your wife, but it may allow you a semblance of peace. Will you allow this? Afterwards”, he shrugged, “do as you will.”
The man’s gun armed trembled. “Do not waste your breath with lies Major. Your death was written the moment I pulled myself from the icy waters of the Yitong He. What could you possibly offer me to change my mind?”
Li shook his head. “You either misunderstand, or more likely, choose not to hear. I am not asking you to change your mind. I am merely asking you to allow me to do something before you kill me.”
“Fine”, the barked in disgust, “you do not beg for your life. Then what do you offer for this temporary reprieve?”
Major Li looked the man squarely in the eyes. “Your daughter.”
ahh, another window into Li's past. Li will probably survive this incident, but it might have one important consequence--it was hinted that Cutter was not being careful/being insubordinate/failed to do exactly what he was supposed to do, on that bridge. given his recent doubts about Cutter, summoning up a memory of him being rather less than useful from years ago certainly won't help ease these doubts.
Grippin chapter ! So excellent ! So much in just so little , it's like intense poetry ! Well done !
Death to Cutter! Or imprisonment; the more peaceful solution.
At first, I thought the daughter was the teacher girl, visiting the old lady at Li's "armory;" but, that girl (young lady) is probably too old...
The story thickens - keep it up
At first, I thought the daughter was the teacher girl, visiting the old lady at Li's "armory;" but, that girl (young lady) is probably too old...
The story thickens - keep it up
Oh god, I love these updates, and i suspect who the daughter is, but man, could you give bluer balls? >_>
Very nice. I was gone for a week and came back to not one but TWO excellent updates! Keep up the good work!
Myth: Yes to the first. Yes to the second. It is the how and the why that will become important. I am glat to see you remember references to past chapters.
canonized: Thanks buddy. I am taking from your praise that I achieved the mood I was going for.
omegasranger: I think most would like to see something unpleasant happen to cutter. You are correct in your assumption on the teacher, but...there is a connection.
Quanto: Thank you for the enthusiasm. I will try to offer sweet release in the next few updates.
Rodrico Stak:Well, welcome back from wherever you were, hopefully enjoying yourself. Glad you found the updates to your taste and all that.
canonized: Thanks buddy. I am taking from your praise that I achieved the mood I was going for.
omegasranger: I think most would like to see something unpleasant happen to cutter. You are correct in your assumption on the teacher, but...there is a connection.
Quanto: Thank you for the enthusiasm. I will try to offer sweet release in the next few updates.
Rodrico Stak:Well, welcome back from wherever you were, hopefully enjoying yourself. Glad you found the updates to your taste and all that.
Well, I have finally caught up with the full story. And a truly great story it is! I am pleased that I guessed right about the identity of the Emperor's mysterious advisor..... let's now hope that the popular Major Li will survive to meet Pu Yi - I think he will. So don't kill him off just to be ornery......