Red Sorghum

flying down the road from the eastern tip of the village. Wheels glistened, spokes flashed. Commander Jiang barked out an order and the soldiers hit the ground, as the riders pedalled unsteadily up to Granddad.
    It was Detachment Leader Leng’s mobile platoon, a crack group of riders armed with pistols. Dressed in neat greyuniforms, with leggings and cloth shoes, they were quite a sight. Pocky Leng was known as a first-rate cyclist who could ride on a single railway track for a mile and a half. Commander Jiang shouted another order, and the Jiao-Gao troops emerged from their hiding places among the trees, quickly forming up ranks behind Granddad.
    Detachment Leader Leng’s soldiers dismounted and walked their bicycles the rest of the way along the top of the wall. Leng emerged from the crowd, surrounded by bodyguards.
    The mere sight of Pocky Leng was enough to make Granddad reach for his pistol.
    ‘Take it easy, Commander Yu,’ Jiang cautioned him, ‘take it easy.’
    The gloved Detachment Leader Leng, smiling broadly, came up and shook hands with Jiang without taking off his glove. Jiang smiled as he reached inside his pants and brought out a fat, light-brown louse, which he flipped into the ditch.
    ‘Your esteemed unit is still in the thick of things, I see,’ Detachment Leader Leng said to him.
    ‘We’ve been fighting since yesterday afternoon,’ Jiang said.
    ‘Ending in a brilliant victory, I assume?’
    ‘In cooperation with Commander Yu, we killed twenty-six Japanese and thirty-six puppet soldiers, plus four warhorses. Where were the crack guerrilla troops and fierce leaders of your esteemed unit yesterday?’
    ‘We were harassing the town of Pingdu and forcing the Japs to retreat in panic. You could call that the classic “Encircle the Wei to rescue the Zhao” ploy, wouldn’t you say, Commander Jiang?’
    ‘Fuck your old lady, Pocky Leng!’ Granddad growled. ‘Feast your eyes on the Zhaos you rescued! All the villagers are right here.’
    He pointed to the blind and crippled men on the wall.
    The pale marks on Pocky Leng’s face reddened. ‘Yesterday afternoon my troops fought at Pingdu till they were bathed in blood, suffering enormous losses. My conscience is clear.’
    ‘Since you and your esteemed troops knew the enemy had surrounded the village, why didn’t you come to the rescue?’Jiang asked. ‘Why pass up a fight in your own backyard, and travel a hundred li just to harass the town of Pingdu? These aren’t motorcycles your esteemed troops are riding, you know. And even if you were so anxious for some action you had to go off to harass Pingdu, the enemy troops you routed should still be in retreat. But you, Commander, look fit and relaxed, not a speck of dirt on you. I wonder how you set about commanding this great battle.’
    Leng turned red all the way to the roots of his ears. ‘I’m not going to argue with you, Jiang! I know why you’re here, and you know why I’m here.’
    ‘Detachment Leader Leng,’ Jiang said, ‘as I see it, you went about yesterday’s battle at Pingdu all wrong. Now, if I’d been in command of your esteemed unit, instead of coming to break the encirclement of the village I’d have spread the men out in an ambush in the cemetery, using the gravestones as cover. Then I’d have set up the eight machine guns you captured after the ambush at the Black Water River and fired on the Japs when they came down the road. Since they and their horses would be exhausted after fighting all day, and low on ammo in unfamiliar surroundings in the dark, they’d be sitting ducks. They couldn’t possibly get away. That way you’d have performed a great service for the people and made heroes of your soldiers. Your glory would have been added to that of the ambush at the Black Water River, and you’d have a brilliant reputation! What a shame, Detachment Leader Leng, that you missed your chance. Instead of making heroes of your soldiers and serving the people, here you are, trying to gain some little advantage from orphans and widows. Although I’m normally immune to shame, what you have done shames me!’
    All the red-faced Leng could do was stammer: ‘Jiang . . . look down on me. . . . Wait till I fight a major battle, then you’ll see. . . .’
    ‘When that day comes, we’ll stand shoulder to shoulder with you!’
    ‘I don’t need your help! I can fight my own battles!’
    ‘You have my undying admiration!’ Jiang said.
    Detachment Leader