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From her vantage point in the woods Xui-Li looked down on the stockade where the prisoners were being held. Using a pair of field glasses she made a slow and careful scan of the entire area. There were two conjoined compounds, one for the men and one for the women, each surrounded by a barbed wire fence which had guard towers at regular intervals. It was mid afternoon and, within the stockade, the prisoners sat around listlessly. As far as she could tell, they mostly seemed to be fit and well, even if they were rather thin. Apart from those whom she recognised as having been caught in the raid on the compound there was also a number of young men in uniform. She guessed that these were the one's captured as a result of Vera's report.
At one end of the stockade was an ugly brick building which housed the British troops. She spent some hours watching them come and go. It seemed that her intelligence had been good; it was only a token force, barely twenty troops in all with a Major Creighton in command. The stockade security relied on the strength of the barbed wire and the guards in the towers. After all, a collection of low grade soldiers and the serving staff from the rebel headquarters hardly made them high risk prisoners. Her intelligence sources had implied that Major Creighton was considered to be a bit of a fool, Indeed, the very reason for this posting was that, tactically, he was a disaster in the field. Xui-Li could only hope that this intelligence was also good. She was all too aware of the limited forces at her disposal.
To one side of the stockade there was an area of rough ground. With it's scattered trees and dips and hollows it would provide perfect cover for her troops to get quite close and remain unseen. The fact that this area had not been cleared spoke volumes about the priority the British afforded to their prisoners. They simply were not expecting any sort of attack; the fence and guard towers were to keep the prisoners in, not to keep potential attackers out.
Once again she scanned the prisoners. Looked at from a purely tactical point of view the British assessment that they were 'low risk' was about right but this raid was not about tactics, not in that sense. What the movement needed was a morale boost, something to show that the decimation of their high command did not mean the end of the struggle, some gesture to show that they were not beaten. It would also show that the movement cared about the rank and file, not just the leaders. On a more personal level she owed a debt to many of the prisoners taken in the raid, all of the cooks for a start and, yes, she could also make out the sturdy form of Chu-hua in the woman's compound. Chang's guards must have held her during the mock trial and then, when the British had come, even her skills would have been overwhelmed.
“When do they arrive?” she turned to Yin who was lying beside her.
“They're maybe five hours away,” Yin replied.
“Remind me again, what exactly are we getting?”
“Thirty troops with one commanding officer.”
“And how experienced are these troops?”
“They've never seen action before. Please, Xui-Li, we've been through all this. It's the best we could do. There’s nothing else available in this area.”
“I know, I know,” Xui-Li said tetchily, “and it's Madam Hong when we're on duty, if you don't mind.”
“Of course, Ma'am!” Yin replied as she snapped of an ironic salute.
“Yin, people are going to die.”
“As long as they're British why should I care?”
“And you think thirty raw recruits are going to take an established position, even one as unguarded as this, without taking casualties?”
“No, Madam Hong, I'm sorry, Madam Hong.”
“As I said, people are going to die.”
**********
It was the middle of the night as Vera, and the rest of the platoon, made themselves as comfortable as they could in another wood on the other side of the valley. A messenger approached and, after a brief exchange of code words, there was a brief discussion with the sergeant.
“All right, lads,” he said once they had finished. “We rest up here. You might as well get some shut eye. We'll be attacking at dawn. Hong, Chung, you two are on guard duty.”
The sergeant showed Vera and the other recruit where they were to stand, half hidden in the wood but overlooking the stockade. Vera stared into the night watching the guard towers and the shadows of the soldiers who manned them. At dawn she, along with the other twenty nine other raw recruits, was going to storm the stockade. She wondered how many would make it out alive. Behind her she could hear the quite susurration of the others as they chatted. The closer they got to the action the quieter the recruits had become. She wasn't the only one who was uneasy. Sleep would be hard to come by tonight.
The first glimmers of dawn were just starting and there was just enough light to see by when the troops were roused. Quietly, the order was given to move out of the woods and down a gully towards the stockade. Vera felt sick to her stomach and, judging by the looks of the other recruits, she wasn’t the only one. There was no bravado now; the reality of what they were doing had fully come home to them. They lined themselves up behind a low bank and then…
“Come on, lads, On my mark! Attack! Attack!”
The action, when it came, was fast and furious. As one they leapt from the ditch and charged towards the stockade firing furiously at the guards in the towers. Vera was surprised to find that there was covering fire coming from their left flank. The surprise had caught the guards completely unawares and, almost immediately, the towers were disabled. Several of the guards shot and the others retreated to the barracks. With this defence disabled they were able to make their way towards the stockade with only intermittent rifle fire from the retreating guards to stop them. However, this was not to last; they reached the wire and were cutting their way through when some soldiers appeared on the roof along with a Gatling gun. Using the chimneys and balustrade as cover the soldiers set up the gun and started to shoot back. Now, with bullets raining down on the rebels, it was their turn to retreat and they scurried back to find places to hide; the merest dip in the ground becoming a foxhole. Here in the rough ground they were trapped. Apart from one or two casualties back at the wire, the rebel troops were safely in cover but they were also unable to move. Any attempt at shifting position meant that they became exposed and this resulted in another burst of fire from the Gatling gun.
************
From her vantage point Xui-Li assessed the situation. The initial attack had gone well, the move had been well co-ordinated and they had neutralised the watch towers quite easily. On the other hand the Gatling gun on the roof had come as a surprise and they had lost the initiative along with a number of casualties. She wasn’t too worried; she had had to check twice that it actually was a Gatling gun and wondered what museum they had found it in. It said much about the importance the British afforded the stockade that it had been taken by surprise in the first place and, now that it was fighting back, this obsolete weapon was the best that they could find. She felt sure that her position had gone undetected; all eyes were on the troops pinned down in the field. They were safe enough for now, as long as they stayed where they were, but it was up to her to do something and she couldn’t wait forever. One of the first things they had done was to cut the phone lines but, even so, time was of the essence; it wouldn't be that long before someone from the main barracks came to investigate.
With the full focus of everyone's attention on the rough ground where her troops were pinned down it was clear that there was an open opportunity to be bold, to slip into the barracks through a side door and neutralise the threat from within. She felt she couldn't ask any of the small force she had with her to accept such a mission, she would have to go herself. Equally she needed to get word to the troops in the field to sit tight until the opportunity came. Quickly she outlined her plans to Yin and the others. Yin was to make her way down and join the troops, ensure they kept under cover and to make sure they were ready as and when any opportunity arose. The two others were to sit still and act as snipers whilst she infiltrated the barracks.
She looked again through her field glasses; Major Creighton was as foolish as she had been led to believe. All he had to do was wait but she could see him lining up a dozen or so troops ready to make a charge. Of all the dumb moves! Her troops, however raw and inexperienced, would mow down any charge long before they crossed the hundred yards or so between the barracks and the dead ground where they lay concealed. Sure enough, he heard a whistle blow and, with a roar, the British troops emerged. Now was her chance.
Keeping low and out of sight Xui-Li made her way closer and closer to the barracks. Whereas the back of the barracks opened onto the stockade the front and side were open and the British, foolish as ever, had even planted a formal garden dotted with bushes and trees which would provide excellent cover. This could not be easier.
Keeping low and out of sight she jinked her way closer and closer. As she had guessed discipline was so slack that even the sentries at the front door were looking the wrong way. All eyes were on the abortive charge which, by now, was quickly ending in disaster for the British. She hid under a car, studying the building. Whereas the main door had sentries she could see, over to one side, a servant's entrance which was unguarded and, judging by the incompetence shown elsewhere, almost certainly unlocked as well. Choosing her moment she rolled out from under the car, dashed across the lawn and crouched behind a rhododendron. There was only a few yards left to go. She was so close. It was just a matter of picking the right moment.
And then, before she had time to move, a car roared up the road and, from that direction, she had no cover. The car was open topped and, when the occupant looked straight at her, she knew she had been seen. She thought about running but that would attract the attention of the guard on the front door of the barracks and, at that range, he could hardly miss; she was well and truly cornered. Whoever was driving was obviously more on the ball than Major Creighton. He didn't hesitate but drove straight across the lawn only stopping when he was next to her. He jumped out of the car brandishing his revolver.
“Well, well, well, what have we here? No, don't get up. In fact I'd like you kneel on the ground with your hands over your head.”
Xui-Li had no choice but to obey.
He went around behind her and, with a vicious kick, pushed her to the ground, following though so he was kneeling on her back. With a smooth movement that showed that he was well practised he took her arms and twisted them behind her and there was the click of handcuffs as he locked her wrists together. Quickly he frisked her with a thoroughness that gave no concessions to modesty and, inevitably, he found her revolver and ammunition which he pocketed. With Xui-Li thus disarmed he stood back up and looked about.
“It looks like Creighton has made a fool of himself as ever,” he said looking over at the remnants of the British attack. “It will be a wonder if he has any troops left after that little fiasco. But we’ll come to that in a moment. First let’s see who would be so presumptuous as to attempt to sneak in the back door whilst our troops are so preoccupied?” He stood up, kicked her over so that she was lying on her back and looked at her closely. “Well, this is a surprise. I do believe I've arrested the illusive Madam Hong; we were so disappointed when we missed you back in the spring.”
Xui-Li said nothing.
“Lost your tongue, have you? Don't worry, I know plenty of ways to loosen it. Why don't you accompany me to the office. We've so much I want to talk about.”
Grabbing Xui-Li by the elbow he tugged her to her feet, marched her round to the front of the barracks, in through the front door, up the stairs and towards the CO’s office. They were halfway there when another officer, looking young and harassed, appeared.
“Ah, Strickland,” he called out. “Thank god you’re here. We’ve had a bit of a do. Some damn rebels tried to free the prisoners. I sent out a squad to try and mop them up but the blighters are tougher than they seemed. We've lost quite a few men, I'm afraid.”
“Just hang fire for a moment, Creighton,” Major Strickland replied. “Let’s go into your office. I bumped into this one here,” he pushed Xui-Li forward, “on the way in and I do believe she might just have given us the upper hand.”
Together they went into the CO’s office and Xui-Li was sat down on a chair. A further set of handcuffs made sure she would stay there. Major Strickland and Major Creighton went over to the window.
“Let’s have a look, shall we?” Major Strickland asked. “The rebels, I gather they've gone to ground in that rough patch over there?”
“That's right. There's plenty of cover but we’ve got them pinned down with a Gatling gun on the roof so they won't get away.”
As if to confirm this there was some movement out in the field quickly followed by the rattle of machine gun fire from the roof.
“I passed an army motor bike on the way here. He seemed in a bit of a hurry. I assume that was a runner on his way to the main barracks.”
“That would be him. He left ten minutes ago but, well, it's a long way. It could be a couple of hours before relief arrives.”
“Oh, I think we can sort things out long before then. Bit of a bad show if we can't deal with a handful of rebels like this. This one here,” Major Strickland gestured to where Xui-Li was sat, “is their leader. Let’s see how much fight is left in them when they know we've got her in the bag. That gun emplacement on the roof, is it easily accessible?”
“End of the corridor and top of the stairs.”
“Let’s take her up there and show them.” He reached down and unfastened Xui-Li from the chair. “Oh, and send for an interpreter, will you.”
“Will do, old boy, will do.”
With Xui-Li held firmly by the elbow the three of them headed for the roof.
***********
From her foxhole Vera watched as the troops started running towards them. This was it, this was the real thing. She'd had her training, she knew what she was supposed to do. She raised her rifle, taking it slowly, picked her target, sighting along the barrel, waiting until.... And then she couldn't. She simply couldn't. This was no cardboard cut out, this was a human being and, however desperate her straits, she simply couldn't pull the trigger. Then he spotted her. Time seemed to go slow as the figure turned and ran towards her. She was frozen with fear; she knew she should shoot or, at the very least, try to escape, but she was unable to move. As the soldier approached he fired off a few shots but his rifle was waving about madly so the shots went astray and soon his rifle was empty. However, it was fitted with a bayonet so it was still a weapon. Holding it in both hands he raised it up, ready to thrust down into her.
At the last minute her instincts took over and Vera rolled sideways to avoid the plunging blade. As she did so she turned her rifle to fend him off but this just mean that the bayonet on the end was pointing towards the soldier’s unprotected belly. He was unable to stop himself and, as he fell forward, his momentum drove the bayonet deep into his gut and up, under his rib cage. Their eyes met as he hung suspended over her, each as surprised as the other. Then, with blood gurgling from his mouth he collapsed on top of Vera and, after a few moments of struggling, breathed his last.
Horrified Vera watched as the life drained from him. She fought and lost the urge to vomit. She had... she had... she had...
“Did you get one? Good, they’re falling back. Quick, they can't use the machine gun when their own troops are in the field. Keep low and come with me.” Yin, who seemed to Vera to have appeared out of nowhere, grabbed Vera and pulled her back to a better position where several others were also waiting. She started to go for others but the rattle of the Gatling gun meant that they were back at stalemate.
“Well, done, we held them off,” Yin said to the ragtag collection of recruits she had assembled around her. “Now we sit here, keep our heads down and wait. It shouldn't be long now.
Does anyone know where your sergeant is?”
“I think he got shot, miss,” one of the recruits ventured. “He was up by the wire when they started with that gun and I'm not sure he made it back.”
“So, who's in command?”
“It looks like you are, miss,” one of the rebels said hopefully.
“So be it. But if I give an order I expect it to be obeyed, and with no questions. Is that quite understood?”
“Yes, Miss!” they chorused.
Vera looked at Yin and realised, with a start, that she was hardly older than the rest of them. However she seemed determined and she seemed in charge. For the moment that was good enough.
And then all they could do was wait. From time to time one of the rebels would essay a shot at the gunners on the roof but that would only give away their position and each shot would receive a volley of machine gun fire in reply so Yin ordered them to stop. She kept staring at the barracks, convinced that something was about to happen although she couldn’t tell the others what she was waiting for because she didn’t know herself. Anyway, she was under orders and she would follow them to the last. Then four figures appeared on the roof of the barracks. One of the recruits tried a shot but was told firmly not to waste ammunition. There was no way a beginner was going to make a shot like that. Anyway the one in front looked like… Yin’s heart sunk.
“Rebel scum, we have your leader.” Major Strickland's voice rang out, his words echoed by an interpreter. “If you try to attack you will be killed. If you try to escape you will be killed. If you stay where you are we will bring mortars and you will be killed. If you wish to live then your only hope is to surrender now. Put down your arms and walk slowly towards the barracks with your arms in the air. This offer will not be repeated, it is your one and only chance.”
“Nobody move!” Yin ordered in a harsh whisper. “It's a trap. Do not believe him.”
There was a long pause; the silence broken only by the ceaseless chirping of crickets.
“Very well, I shall enjoy watching you die,” Major Strickland called out before taking Xui-Li and leaving the roof.
“Who was that?” a recruit queried. “Who have they captured?”
“That is your commanding officer and the fact that she has been captured should just make you all the more determined to see this through,” Yin replied.
“But... but... they're going to kill us all,” wailed one of the soldiers.
“Be quiet,” Yin ordered. “I know he said we should surrender but don't believe him! If you do as he says you'll be gunned down before you reach the barracks. I know this. You cannot trust the British. If we're going to die then we're going to die fighting.”
“So what are we going to do? What are your orders?” Vera asked. She too wasn't keen to surrender but she had recognised Major Strickland and knew better than the others what dire straights they were in. But there was something about the other figure on the roof, the one Major Strickland had called their leader, she would know that silhouette anywhere, even at this distance. Could that really be...?
“We need to... we need to...” Yin just stared at the barracks, lost, out of her depth.
As her certainties about the identity of the figure on the roof grew so too did Vera's very personal reasons for wanting to rescue her. Sitting idly by was getting to be less and less of an option. She looked around for inspiration and when her eyes fell on the corpse of a British soldier that lay nearby an idea came to her. She reached out, pulled the corpse nearer, and started unbuttoning his tunic.
“What on earth are you doing?” Yin queried.
“Getting the uniform off this soldier.”
“I can see that but why, what are you going to do with it?”
“Wear it.”
“Wear it?” Yin could not have been more surprised. “And then....”
“And then, old chap, I'm going to jolly well march into the barracks and sort things out.” Vera said using English for the first time in months. Around her the others gaped.
“What on earth...?” one gasped.
“Who are you?” Yin asked, suddenly suspicious.
“There's no time to explain but, yes, I'm British but that doesn't mean I'm on their side. If I just put on his uniform I can talk my way into the barracks and then... and then I'm not sure but it's got to be better than staying here, waiting to die.”
Yin stared long and hard at Vera as she weighed up her options. If she hadn't personally seen this raw recruit disembowel a British soldier not five minutes ago then she would never have trusted him but their options were limited and right now, well, maybe it was time to take a gamble.
“You’d do better if you brought in a prisoner,” Yin remarked thoughtfully. “Me for example.”
“What about this lot?”
“You,” Yin called out to the nearest soldier, “you're in charge. Stay here and if the British try anything shoot them.”
“Me, Miss?”
“Yes, you. Your orders are to stay here and hold this position. Is that understood?”
“Yes, Miss.”
Yin helped Vera to get changed and then they slipped off, moving from dip to dip and keeping out of site. They had got maybe fifty yards and were still under cover when Yin pulled Vera down into a convenient hollow. She took out her revolver and pointed it at Vera.
“Right then, who on earth are you? And don't try get round me off with that 'there's no time' stuff.” she started. “There is no way I'm going to march into the barracks as the prisoner of a British girl unless I know a lot more than I do now.”
“There really is no time,” Vera responded. “And how did you spot that I'm a girl.”
“When you were getting changed, there was no bulge in your underpants. Believe me, I was watching closely and, even before you're little surprise back there, I knew there was more to you than meets the eye. Now tell me why I should trust a British girl who masquerades as one of our troops. Either you tell me or this stops right here. Whose side are you on?”
“I'm... I am British and, I'll admit, I was recruited to infiltrate the rebel forces. That's how it started, that's how I got involved in all this,” Vera started, realising that she would have to tell the truth, or something pretty close to it. “I was sent to spy on Madam Hong but... well... let's say I've seen some things which mean I'm not so sure which way my loyalties lie anymore.”
“What things?”
“Xui-Li... err... Madam Hong took me to one of the refugee camps and well, I started to see things differently. Things weren't so black and white any more. When I saw what misery British troops had inflicted, well, I'm not so sure I'm on your side, but I'm definitely not on theirs.”
“But that doesn't explain why you're fighting with the rebels.”
“That's where it gets complicated,” Vera paused, wondering how she could explain the next bit, “I know this bit will be hard to believe but General Chang and Mei-Xing used me in a plot to discredit Madam Hong. There was some sort of trial and we were both found guilty. We were both sentenced to be shot but Mei-Xing sold me to a brothel instead. I escaped a month or so back by pretending to be a recruit in the rebel army. I never thought I'd see any action, it was just somewhere to go but, well, then we got called out and here I am. Believe me, I know how crazy this all sounds but it's the truth, honest it is.”
Yin just sat and stared at Vera. However, much as the story sounded beyond belief, she was beginning to sense that it might just be true.
“Everyone thought that the girl who was tried along with Madam Hong was released by the British.”
“If only...,” Vera said vehemently. “That bitch Mei-Xing had me out of there long before any raid. I only found out about it later. What happened to Mei-Xing, by the way?”
“She... she...,” Yin started, “everyone thought she was killed in the raid.”
“I can assure you she wasn't.”
Yin thought things over for a moment or two longer. There was one way this strange British girl could confirm her story, one fact that wasn't widely known. “So you were tried along with Madam Hong, she didn't by any chance have some sort of pet name for you?” she asked slowly.
“She called me Jun-Nui,” Vera replied.
“You’re really her! You're Jun-Nui!” Yin was stunned. “I've heard quite a bit about you but I never thought I’d actually meet you.” She put her revolver down.
“You’ve heard about me? Who from?”
“Madam Hong for a start.” Yin wasn't going to elaborate that she had asked around as much as possible to find out about this mysterious women whose name Xui-Li called in her sleep.
“I thought she was dead, shot by Chang or hung by the Brits. Please, tell me that was her, up on the roof, I mean, tell me that she's still alive.”
“Yes, she’s alive. She's the one who set up this raid. She had some plan to sneak inside but it looks like it's gone wrong.”
“Then we've got to rescue her, and right away. What are we waiting for?”
Yin gave Vera another long hard look. Whatever her political allegiance there was no denying her allegiances when it came to Xui-Li.
“And why exactly is it so important that we rescue her? I mean, I know why I want to but why you, why do you want to?”
“Because I need to know… I need to know…. Because I love her!” Vera's outburst hung in the air between them. She hadn't meant to be so open but confirmation that Xui-Li was alive, and, more than that, that she was just a hundred or so yards away, was almost more than Vera could take. She had so many questions. For months she had mulled this over; she could see from the trial why it must have been expedient for Xui-Li to disown her in public but what were her real feelings? The words 'it could have been any round eye' still burned, still hurt, still confused. She had to find out, for good or for ill, how Xui-Li really felt.
Ironically this was the one answer that would satisfy Yin. After Xui-Li's half confession Yin had made discrete enquiries and this all tied in with what she had heard. Had Vera protested some great change of heart over the rebellion then Yin would have been deeply suspicious but risking all in an earnest desire to find out whether Xui-Li loved her, that she could understand. Far harder for Yin to swallow was the bitter taste of jealousy. She had long understood that she lived in Jun-Nui's shadow but had never expected to actually meet her. Now that they had met she really ought to hate her, she really wanted to hate her, but this wasn't the evil British spy she had imagined, this was a young woman not unlike herself. As she heard the yearning in Vera's voice and her determination to see this through, her heart melted and she couldn't help but start to admire her. As for what would happen when this was all over, that was in the lap of the gods.
“OK, I'm going to trust you, for Xui-Li's sake,” Yin said eventually. “My name is Yin, by the way. I'm Madam Hong's... assistant. Now, how exactly do you want to do this?”
“I need to tie you up, not much, something you can get out of.” Vera looked about for something to use but came up short. Eventually she extemporise by using her neck-tie.
“If I tied your wrists behind your back like this,” Vera demonstrated, “ and you hold the end of the tie like this,” Vera tucked the end of the tie into Yin's waiting hand, “and then it looks like you're secure but as soon as you let go... bingo!”
So it was that, ten minutes later, Vera, dressed in an ill fitting and bloodstained uniform presented herself at the front door of the barracks using the bayonet on the end of her rifle to drive before her Yin, her wrists “bound” behind her back. Ironically the bloodstained shirt and tunic helped to cover their bad fit. To the shocked guards it looked like this private had been right in the thick of things. No wonder his uniform was awry. It must have taken some pluck to take this chink prisoner, even if she was just a girl, and then to get back alive....
“Who are you and where on earth did you spring from?” the guard on the gate asked as he failed to recognise this British soldier.
“Private Hall, new posting. Got a bit lost down in the field and it took a while to work my way back again. Managed to pick this up though,” Vera replied mimicking a London accent. The name ‘Hall’ had been on papers she’d found in the pockets of the uniform she was wearing.
“More than a bit lost,” The guard laughed. “If that blood’s yours then it's a wonder your still standing. You want to get yourself off to sick bay.”
“Nah, I'm fine. The blood belongs to some chink bastard. Stuck him with my bayonet. Should have heard him squeal. Then I fell over this little darlin’. She struggled so I had to rough her up a bit and then I tied her up good and proper,” Vera turned Yin around to show how she was apparently bound. “She's my prize, so to speak, so I'm going to take her up to the CO. That's got to be worth a medal.”
“There's a new CO, a Major Strickland,” the guard said. “He’s taken over from Creighton. Turned up while you lot were out there. Smails, why don't you accompany Hall and his prisoner up to the CO's office?”
Private Smails led Vera and Yin into the barracks, up the stairs and over to the office. He knocked on the door and, when ordered, they all went inside. Major Creighton and Major Strickland were stood at the window and Xui-Li was sat, handcuffed to a chair. All three looked up.
“Private Hall with a captured chinkie, sir!” Private Smails announced.
“Send them in, send them in.”
“Well, well, what have we here?” Major Strickland asked, coming away from the window and standing three or four feet in front of them. He gave them both a long hard look and, immediately, Vera was concerned that their subterfuge was about to fall apart. She and Yin hadn’t planned this bit much beyond ‘we’ll get inside and then….’
“Private Hall, Sah!” Vera kept to her London accent. “Got separated from the platoon and had to fight my way back. Picked up this,” Vera pushed Yin forward, “along the way.”
“How very fortunate,” Major Strickland said, his suspicion clear, “fortunate that you should be so lucky when most of the platoon weren’t.”
All the while he was reaching for his revolver, loosening his holster. Without any warning he pulled the gun free and shot Yin who collapsed to the floor.
“You shot her! You shot her in cold blood!” Vera gasped in horror. “Why did you have to shoot her?”
“Because that’s what I do to rebel scum, I shoot them. What’s more to the point is why you’re so concerned about such scum, soldier.” Still holding his revolver in his hand Major Strickland went up to Vera and stood in front of her examining her closely. He grasped her chin and turned her head to one side. “You’re… you’re… well, well, well, if it isn’t Vera Talisker. The little girl who thinks she’s a spy. Now here’s a surprise. I wondered what had happened to you when you weren’t found after the raid. Who’d have thought you would turn up here. Did you think you could just waltz in and rescue your lover, the precious Madam Hong? Oh, how priceless. Now be a good girl and put down that rifle. We both know you haven’t got the guts to use it.”
Vera glanced at Yin, still bleeding profusely, at Madam Hong, with her mouth open in surprise and, finally, at Major Strickland coming towards her in the arrogant belief that she wouldn’t shoot.
“Come along, now, hand over the rifle,” Major Strickland repeated. “You’re in enough trouble as it is. Don’t make it any worse.”
The barrel of the rifle seemed to rise of its own accord and, shaking with emotion, Vera felt her finger pull the trigger. The room seemed to fill with the rifle’s roar and Major Strickland screamed as he was thrown back, clutching his leg. His revolver clattered to the floor between them.
“Yes, I was Vera Talisker, but not any more. Nowadays I’m Jun-Nui, truth girl, and I don't take orders from you!”
Vera picked up Major Strickland’s revolver and gave it to Yin although it was a moot point whether she would have the strength to use it. Shocked and angry she turned back to the room. Major Strickland was crawling towards the desk behind which Major Creighton was crouched.
“Move one more inch you're a eunuch!” she snarled, re-cocking the rifle and pointing it at his groin. Major Strickland stopped, not doubting her sincerity. “You, yes, you!” Vera shouted at Major Creighton, “get the keys and unlock Madam Hong, do it now!” She waved her rifle erratically between him and Major Strickland to emphasise that she meant business. “Do it now!” she yelled as Major Creighton failed to move.
Still keeping, as far as possible, below the desk, Major Creighton found the keys, reached for the handcuffs and freed Xui-Li who, in one smooth action, stood up, turned round and took Major Creighton's revolver from his holster. She came over and and crouched down so as to check on Yin while still keeping Major Strickland and Major Creighton in her field of vision.
“What did you plan to do now?” she asked calmly. She stared at Vera looking for confirmation. “It really is you, isn’t it? I thought… How on earth…”
“This is not the time nor the place,” Vera replied. “Yin, I gather, is your 'assistant'. Is she badly hurt?”
“Yin’s my…” Xui-Li started as she tore back Yin’s tunic to reveal the mess of blood and guts beneath. “Oh, Yin, my darling.” Xui-Li gathered Yin in and held her tight but, even as Xui-Li held her the life drained from Yin's eyes and her head lolled over to one side. Xui-Li choked back a sob before turning back to the room. There was ice in her eyes and a grim determination on her face.
“If we're going to get out of here alive we're going to have to use these two the way they used me,” Xui-Li said. “I would more than happily kill this one,” she indicated Major Strickland with her revolver, “right here, right now but he's more use to us alive. Do you know if he speaks Chinese?”
“I'm pretty sure he doesn't. He needed me to interpret once.” Vera replied.
“That's good. Now, let's get them tied up.” She turned to Major Creighton and waved her revolver meaningfully. “You, come out from behind that desk, turn round and put your hands behind your back.”
As he did so Vera was only partially surprised to see the large dam patch around his crotch. She took the handcuffs and fastened his wrists securely.
“That's him sorted, now, what about the other one?” Xui-Li went over to where Major Strickland lay on the floor. She kicked his hands away from his thigh to expose the damage.
“This is just a flesh wound, it's nothing, nothing at all. Now, you've been good so far. Are you going to continue to behave or do I have to hurt you? You're more use to me alive at the moment but that doesn't mean I can't...” She pointed her revolver meaningfully between his thighs. “And before you start doubting that I mean every word I say may I point out that I was rather fond of that young soldier you just murdered. It would give me so much pleasure to see you suffer, to see you really suffer. Shooting off your jiba would just be a start so, if you want to avoid any unpleasantness, I suggest you stay useful to me. Is that quite understood?”
“Yes, yes, I understand.”
“I want you to stand up, nice and slowly, and then you and this other piece of excrement, are going to stand back to back. Jun-Nui here will fasten your wrists so that your arms are locked together. Do we all completely understand?”
Major Strickland, Major Creighton and Vera all nodded. Then, with Xui-Li watching closely and using a filing cabinet as a crutch, Major Strickland got to his feet. Vera could see that, although his thigh was bleeding profusely, it was nowhere near as bad as Yin’s stomach had been and he was in no real danger. Still guided by Xui-Li he and Major Creighton manoeuvred until they were back to back and then Vera handcuffed Major Strickland’s wrists so that their arms were intertwined.
“Right then, we’re going out into the hallway. Bare in mind that, if either of you make any false moves, then I will have no compunction in shooting the both of you.”
“One moment,” Vera called out. “I know what this needs.”
She went over to the two men and, quickly and expertly, undid their trousers and pulled them down, along with their underpants, to their ankles. As she stood up again in front of Major Strickland he looked her in the eye.
“Do you know what they do to traitors, those who betray their king and country? Once you join with this scum there's no going back.”
“I’d be careful who you call ‘scum’, Major,” Vera snarled back at him. She reached down, grabbed his genitals and gave them a twist. “Madam Hong isn’t the only one upset about the way you shot Yin; I too would love to see you suffer. Maybe I'll rip these right off. I'm so angry I might just do it,” she gave Major Strickland’s genitals another twist until sweat appeared on his brow, “and, as for no going back, England holds nothing for me now, nothing at all.” Once again she gave his genitals a little twist.
“Men are so much easier to control when you have them by the balls,” Jun-Nui joked to Xui-Li in Chinese.
“So I see,” Xui-Li replied, “although I'm somewhat surprised about how much you seem to know about it. You've come along way since we last met. Now, seeing as how you have his attention, can you find out how many troops we're up against?”
“What's the compliment here,” Jun-Nui asked Major Strickland, once again emphasising her point.
“I don’t know, I really don’t know Arrgh! No, please, enough, I’m not in command here, Major Creighton is. For Pete’s sake, Creighton, tell her.”
Jun-Nui transferred her attentions to Major Creighton's genitals. It was no surprise that she didn't need to squeeze quite so hard to make him wince.
“One sergeant, three corporals and twenty infantry men.” Major Creighton said between clenched teeth. “Well, that’s before the little skirmish earlier. We did suffer a few casualties.”
“How many? How many casualties?”
“Not sure, I’m afraid. I wasn't counting.”
“Who would know?”
“The sergeant, he looks after that sort of thing.”
“Well done,” Jun-Nui said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “Do you see how easy it is when you behave? Now, seeing as how the sergeant is the only one in the know around here, why don't we call him in so we can ask him?”
She glanced across at Xui-Li who nodded.
“Madam Hong is going to open the door and then you'll call out for your sergeant.” Again Jun-Nui glanced across at Xui-Li. “We’ll get him up here and see what he knows. I hope I don’t need to remind you not to play any silly tricks.”
Madam Hong opened the door and, on a prompt from Jun-Nui, Major Creighton called out for the sergeant before Madam Hong closed it again. Moments later there was a knocking. Again with Vera’s prompting Major Creighton called out ‘enter’ and, as soon as the sergeant marched in Xui-Li, who was waiting behind the door, hit him over the head with the butt of her rifle. As he lay dazed on the floor she quickly and smoothly removed his side arm and then stood over him pointing the rifle meaningfully.
“Ah, sergeant,” Vera said calmly. “As you can see there’s been a change in command around here. Please do not be under any illusions as to what we will or won’t do to make sure it stays that way. as you can see from Major Strickland’s leg we can be quite… persuasive. Do I make myself clear?”
The sergeant, somewhat concussed on the floor, looked about him. “Yes…” he said eventually as he struggled to make sense of the scene.
“'Very well then. First things first, how many troops have you still got fit for duty.”
“I don’t rightly know, ma’am.”
“Aaargh!” Major Creighton called out as, once again, Vera twisted his genitals. “Just tell her, man. Aaargh! That’s an order.”
“But, sir....”
“Just do it!”
“We lost four men from the towers in the original assault and another six in the skirmish, and six more wounded, err… ma’am. That leaves four fit for duty, plus the three corporals.”
“Does that include the two on the roof with the machine gun?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“So, two on the roof, two on the door and three more somewhere,” Xui-Li mused. “OK, let's get moving. One thing, though, we can't leave this lot here.”
She raised her revolver and pointed it at Major Strickland.
“No!” shouted Vera. “We'll find some cells or something.”
“It's easier if they're just dead,” Xui-Li said simply. “Anyway, he'd kill us both in a trice if it was the other way around. Look how he shot Yin.”
“But we're the good ones, aren't we?”
“This is war, Jun-Nui, sometimes people die.”
“Not in cold blood. Xui-Li, I know you're not a monster, please don't behave like one.”
For a long moment the two women stared at each other and, although their prisoners hadn't understood a word of the Chinese they had spoken, their meaning had been clear. The room seemed to hold its breath, and then Xui-Li put down her revolver.
“OK, lets see if we can find some cells to lock them in.,” Xui-Li said with a sigh, “You had best tie up the sergeant's wrists. Use that neck tie, the one you used on Yin but tie it tightly this time. And then that trick you do with their trousers, that works. I'll keep them covered.”
“I want to shoot the lot of you,” Xui-Li said in English, “but Jun-Nui has persuaded me to let you live. However, I can still change my mind. Now, sergeant, lie on your stomach and put your hands behind your back.”
Once the sergeant's hands were restrained and, like the others, his trousers were pulled to around his ankles, Jun-Nui and Xui-Li herded them out and down the stairs. With their trousers around their ankles it was hard for their prisoners to negotiate the stairs but this simply highlighted their helplessness. They were about half way down when a British soldier appeared but he was so taken aback by seeing his commanding officers discommoded like this that it didn’t take much to persuade him to to drop his rifle and follow on with his hands suitably raised. In the main lobby they picked up another solder and, herding all before them like sheep, they made their way towards the kitchens.
The staff here were locally employed Chinese and too scared to do anything but help point Xui-Li and Jun-Nui towards a suitable storeroom with a stout door. They herded their captives inside and were just about to close the door when Major Strickland stopped them.
“Miss Tallisker, Miss Tallisker,” He called out. “You're British, Dammit, come to your senses. Stop betraying your country?”
“You would never understand,” Jun-Nui replied.
“Try me, I might, I might just.”
“I might have been born British but I grew up in China and I learnt to love the people. Now that I've seen what we're doing to this country, the suffering and hardships we impose, I felt I had to choose and, when I chose,” Vera looked between Major Strickland and Xui-Li who was waiting impatiently, “I chose here. This is now my country. Vera Tallisker is dead, Major, and you helped kill her. I’m Jun-Nui now.”
“If we catch you you'll be shot...” Major Strickland called out but Jun-Nui was no longer listening. She closed the door and turned the key.
After that they headed for the roof where, catching the two machine gunners by surprise, they quickly gained control and, at gunpoint, added them to their collection. A burst of gunfire from the roof attracted the attention of the last three British soldiers and they too surrendered without putting up any resistance.
And then it was all about organisation. Freeing the prisoners and spiriting them away was far from straightforward and Xui-Li badly missed Yin’s help but the Ming-Xing was moored in a nearby creek and, long before anyone from the main British barracks arrived, the freed prisoners were either on board or melting into the countryside. By mid afternoon they had dropped off a significant proportion at harbours along the coast where local cadres were waiting to help them return to whatever lives they could find.
As the sun set Xui-Li and Jun-Nui leant over the railings at the rear of the Ming-Xing watching the reflections dancing in the wake.
“We need to talk,” Xui-Li began.
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