My Splendid Concubine (92 page)

“
I understand you were in Peking in sixty.”

Gordon
’s face clouded. “That was another unfortunate incident. I’m an engineer. I regret that I was ordered to destroy the Summer Palace. It isn’t something I am proud of. Before we started blowing the buildings up, I spent time walking through the spacious gardens. It was a true wonder.”

“
Your victories since Chansu show you are making up for what happened at the Summer Palace. The loss of a few buildings outside Peking can never compare to what would happen to China if the Taipings won. Every time you deliver a victory for the Dynasty, it pushes the Taipings a step closer to the edge of a cliff. For that, the Dynasty has already awarded you the rank of Mandarin and a yellow jacket.”

“
I don’t fight for the Dynasty.” Gordon’s eyes filled with a fury. “I fight for the Chinese people so they will not have to suffer.”

Robert was silent for a moment. He admired Gordon for that se
ntiment. After all, helping the Chinese people was his goal too. “The day will come when you or another general will push these rebels into the abyss where they belong. There is a lot to admire in China. I would hate to see it fall under the control of fanatics and the false prophet that leads them.”

“
I agree. The Summer Palace was a sight-to-behold, and China still fascinates me. The architecture is different. It’s as if the Chinese design buildings with nature in mind unlike Europe where buildings are more like rectangular blocks of wood or stone that demand dominance over nature. I find most buildings in China easy on the eye instead of an insult.”

“
I have thought that,” Robert replied.

As the conversation went on, they discovered many common fee
lings and opinions about China. Gordon also didn’t feel it was right to convert the Chinese to Christianity.

“
They have morality and values older than Christianity,” Gordon said. “It isn’t like they are a bunch of savages feasting off their neighbors’ flesh. Why should we foist our form of morality on them?”

“
Do you always speak so openly? Not that I disagree.”

Gordon looked startled.
“Of course not. I don’t share these thoughts with everyone. There are prudes in the military like everywhere in British society.” He stuck the cigar in his mouth and puffed furiously several times before pulling it out. “Li told me everything he knows about you. I admire the reputation you have built in China. You have developed a trust with the Dynasty that did not exist before. What year were you born?”

“
Thirty-five.”

“
I was born in thirty-three. We are close in age.”

“
What are your views of the world outside China?” Robert asked, feeling that getting Gordon into a conversation that didn’t focus on the problems at hand would soften him later when Robert felt the time was right to bring him and Li together.

“
The world is an unstable place and people like us are here to bring peace and prosperity,” Gordon replied. “Of course, we can’t solve the problems that are out there, but we can do our part to alleviate suffering.”

“
I understand you were in the Crimea. How realistic was Lord Tennyson’s poem
The Charge of the Light Brigade
?”

The cigar went into his mouth and he puffed sending a cloud around his head.
“That poem
says it all,” Gordon replied, and recited from memory, as he waved the cigar around. “
Half a league, half a league, half a league onward, All in the valley of Death rode the six hundred. Forward, the Light Bridge! Charge the Guns
— If I die a similar death, I shall go happy to the next life.”

“
I admire your success on the battlefield,” Robert said. “Li shares my views. Both Li and I see you as a great hero. If you choose to keep Li as an enemy, you’ll lose a sincere admirer.”

He watched
a shadow fill the general’s gray eyes. Giving Gordon no time to reflect, he made his voice sound lighthearted. “Is it true that you chased Li to Soochow and tried to kill him when Li came begging for your forgiveness? You know how rumors are.”

“
Li didn’t come to me seeking forgiveness,” Gordon said. There was a bitter tone in his voice. He stuck the cigar in his mouth and looked like a furious, fire-breathing beast. Out came the cigar. “He told me that he had every reason to behead King Nah.”

“
It is possible something was lost in the translation. I have found in Chinese many times the true meaning often is the opposite of the words that are spoken.” He went on to help Gordon understand that Li wouldn’t risk losing face among the Chinese to satisfy Gordon’s pride.

“
That makes sense,” Gordon said. “After all, the Chinese do not think like us. What is your advice?”

“
You must give Li Hung-chang a chance to ‘step off the stage’ as the Chinese idiom goes.”

“
You may be right. Li did show modesty by his recent actions. However, I’m not sure it is time to let this dispute dissolve. I’m still angry.” He stuck the cigar in his mouth and chewed on the end while he sent up a cloud of smoke. “Did you know that I turned in my resignation to Britain’s ambassador to China, and he turned me down?” Gordon hit the tabletop with the side of a fist. The teacups rattled in their saucers. “If I’m to cooperate with Li, what can be done to put pressure on the imperial court to restrict his arrogance?” He put down the cigar, picked up a metal teapot, and drank from the spout.

“
Do you understand why the British ambassador turned you down? Everyone in the Western community is afraid that without you, this army will fall apart. I’m sure that was what the ambassador was thinking.”

The teapot came down with a crash
and the cigar went back into Gordon’s mouth. “What about Li’s arrogance?” He puffed on the cigar while he talked. “My pride is just as important as his is.” There was still an edge to his voice, but Robert thought it wasn’t as harsh. Maybe Gordon was softening.

This was going to take longer than he had thought. In fact, it took the rest of the night. Robert educated Gordon on the way a highborn, powerful Chinese man like Li would think. He explained that the behavior Gordon thought was arrogance was just Li
’s way of saving face, which was normal.

“
Do you now understand that when he beheaded those Taiping rebel leaders, it was because they had insulted the emperor? It was his duty to keep the emperor from losing face. If Li allowed the emperor to lose face by King Nah’s actions, Li would also lose face. Li is Han Chinese and the Manchu do not trust the Han. Any hint that a Han general or minister might be disloyal is swiftly dealt with.”

“
How can that be?” Gordon said. “I have difficulty believing the emperor of China would have one of his successful generals beheaded because he let another man wear the emperor’s colors and didn’t punish him. How absurd!”

“
How well do you know the Chinese culture?”

“
What does that have to do with fighting a war?”

“
Everything. How can you be effective when you don’t understand the motivations of the people you are fighting for?”

“
Explain these differences, so I will understand.”

Robert saw this as a move in the right direction. He smiled.
“Who are your favorite artists?”

“
Why are you asking me that? What does art have to do with this subject?”

“
It has everything to do with it. Humor me.”

“
I like Rembrandt and Michelangelo,” Gordon said. “And of course there are others.”

“
Why do you admire them?”

“
The realism of their work. When I study a Rembrandt, the characters are so real that they look like they could come alive and step from the painting.”

“
But the Chinese don’t paint like that, do they?”

“
They paint a lot of silly flowers and trees in ink and watercolor.”

“
This shows us that flowers and trees are important to the Chinese. To truly understand China, it is wise to understand their art. There are places inside the Chinese soul that only their art can explain. If you want to get behind the unemotional mask of a Chinese man, you must understand what that difference is. Chinese art shows a taste and finesse and an understanding that distinguishes the best products of the human spirit. Chinese art represents calm and harmony, and that calm and harmony comes from the soul of the Chinese artist.

“
The Chinese art lover is happy to contemplate a dragonfly, a frog, a grasshopper or a piece of jagged rock. The spirit of western art is more sensual, more passionate, and fuller of the artist’s ego, while the spirit of Chinese art is more restrained and in harmony with nature.”

Gordon
’s eyes widened. “Why, that’s what I said about Chinese architecture.” He gently puffed on his cigar with a thoughtful look on his face.

“
The art and the architecture are no different. They are the same.”

“
I think I’m beginning to see what you mean.” Out came the cigar and he waved it about. He spit in the dust, picked up the teapot and drank from the spout again.

“
Then you should understand that the differences in art between the West and China parallel the differences in what is important to the Chinese on a personal and family level.

“
If the emperor were allowed to lose face, or lose respect because one of his Han generals didn’t have enough respect for him to behead someone who insulted the Son of Heaven, the emperor could no longer work with that general or trust him. Hence, the proper action would be to behead the general since by his inaction he also shows disrespect for his ruler.”

“
If we thought that way in England, many would lose their heads,” Gordon said. “It must be dangerous being a general for the emperor. Do they always lose their heads when they don’t help the emperor save face?”

“
No, some of them get demoted in rank and sent to the outer provinces where they might spend decades before they are called back. That is, if they are fortunate enough to be called back. And that is the reason Li beheaded those Taiping generals and their king.

“
Li didn’t want to risk losing his head or finish his life in some godforsaken flea-hole of a fortress somewhere on the other side of the Great Wall. He might have been sent to the northwest and Xinjiang to fight Uygur rebels. If Li lost his head, there is a good chance his entire family would earn the same fate.”

“
All of that to preserve the emperor’s face?” Gordon looked astonished, as he stared at Robert with the smoldering cigar in his hand—forgotten.

“
Yes,” Robert said. “Face is very important in China. Now, will you consider putting England’s needs before yours? China needs a friend, and England should be that friend. You and I can make that happen if we work together to mend this wound that exists between you and Li.”

“
You are right.” Gordon’s voice was soft with some thoughtfulness to it. He took several gentle puffs from the cigar. “After all, I’m not fighting for myself. Even with the differences and disputes that exist between Britain and China, they’ve one common enemy, the Taipings.”

In Li’s name, Robert invited Gordon to Soochow. After Gordon accepted the invitation, Robert went with him.

When they passed through Soochow
’s gates, Gordon saw posters of Li’s statement plastered on the city’s walls. People stood about in clusters reading the proclamation as they had been instructed. The proclamations were written in both English and Chinese so Gordon could see what they said.

“
If you aren’t convinced about Li’s sincerity, read that.” He stopped his horse indicating that Gordon should read the English version of the proclamation glued to a wall.

Puffing on a cigar, the general dismounted. The Chinese crowd parted for him. Robert watched Gordon carefully while he read the poster. Near the end, he noticed a softening in Gordon
’s posture. He was also gentler with his cigar. It was good that Li had staged the show as instructed. Robert had written the original copy of the poster in both languages and urged Li to use that version.

“
You were right about Li. I shouldn’t have been so proud and stubborn.” Obviously, Gordon felt his reputation had been restored.

When they reached Li
’s mansion, he exhibited happiness at seeing Gordon. Before they talked, Li handed Gordon a box of the British officer’s favorite cigars. Then the three men had a long talk. They celebrated the renewed harmony and settled down to organize the campaign against the Taipings.

Li told Robert that a letter had come from Ayaou. He took it out of the wide sleeve of his robe and handed it across the table. Robert let Li and Gordon continue the conversation while he opened the letter to discover that Ayaou was pregnant and expecting the baby near the end of the year or early in 1865. She must have conceived right before he left Peking—maybe on that passionate night before his departure.