Shadow of the giant

political enemy
who had shamed them, then they were in grave danger.
    That's why Han Tzu's i.d. was accepted at the gate. That's
why he was allowed to walk unescorted among the buildings of the defense
department complex.
    Not completely unescorted. For he saw through his peripheral
vision that a growing number of soldiers and functionaries were shadowing him,
moving among the buildings in paths parallel to his own. For of course the gate
guards would have spread the word at once: He's here.
    So when he walked up to the entrance of the highest
headquarters, he paused at the top step and turned around. Several thousand men
and women were already in the space between buildings, and more were coming all
the time. Many of them were soldiers under arms.
    Han Tzu looked them over, watching as their numbers grew. No
one spoke.
    He bowed to them.
    They bowed back.
    Han Tzu turned and entered the building. The guards inside
the doors also bowed to him. He bowed to each of them and then proceeded to the
stairs leading to the second floor office suites where the highest officers of
the military were certainly waiting for him.
    Sure enough, he was met on the second floor by a young woman
in uniform who bowed and said, "Most respectfully, sir, will you come to
the office of the one called Snow Tiger?"
    Her voice was devoid of sarcasm, but the name "Snow
Tiger" carried its own irony these days. Han Tzu looked at her gravely.
"What is your name, soldier?"
    "Lieutenant White Lotus," she said.
    "Lieutenant," said Han Tzu, "If heaven should
bestow its mandate upon the true emperor today, would you serve him?"
    "My life will be his," she said.
    "And your pistol?"
    She bowed deeply.
    He bowed to her, then followed her to Snow Tiger's office.
    They were all gathered there in the large anteroom—the men
who had been present weeks ago when Han Tzu had scorned them for having lost
the mandate of heaven. Their eyes were cold now, but he had no friends among
these high officers.
    Snow Tiger stood in the doorway of his inner office. It was
unheard of for him to come out to meet anyone except members of the Politburo,
none of whom were present.
    "Han Tzu," he said.
    Han Tzu bowed slightly. Snow Tiger bowed almost invisibly in
return.
    "I am happy to see you return to duty after your
well-earned vacation," said Snow Tiger.
    Han Tzu only stood in the middle of the room, regarding him
steadily.
    "Please come into my office."
    Han Tzu walked slowly toward the open door. He knew that
Lieutenant White Lotus stood at the door, watching to make sure that no one
raised a hand to harm him.
    Through the open door, Han Tzu could see two armed soldiers
flanking Snow Tiger's desk. Han Tzu stopped, regarding each of the soldiers in
turn. Their faces showed nothing; they did not even look back at him. But he
knew that they understood who he was. They had been chosen by Snow Tiger
because he trusted them. But he should not have.
    Snow Tiger took Han Tzu's pause as an invitation for him to
enter the office first. Han Tzu did not follow him inside until Snow Tiger was
seated at his desk.
    Then Han Tzu entered.
    "Please close the door," said Snow Tiger.
    Han Tzu turned around and pulled the door all the way open.
    Snow Tiger took his disobedience without blinking. What
could he do or say without making himself seem pathetic?
    Snow Tiger pushed a paper toward Han Tzu. It was an order,
giving him command over the army that was slowly starving in Sichuan province.
"You have proved your great wisdom many times," said Snow Tiger.
"We ask you now to be the salvation of China and lead this great army
against our enemy."
    Han Tzu did not even bother to answer. A hungry,
ill-equipped, demoralized, surrounded army was not going to accomplish
miracles. And Han Tzu had no intention of accepting this or any other
assignment from Snow Tiger.
    "Sir, these are excellent orders," said Han Tzu
loudly. He glanced at each of the soldiers standing beside the desk. "Do
you see how excellent these orders are?"
    Unused to being spoken to directly in such a high-level
meeting, one of the soldiers nodded; the other merely shifted uncomfortably.
    "I see only one error," said Han Tzu. His voice
was loud enough to be heard in the anteroom as well.
    Snow Tiger grimaced. "There is no error."
    "Let me take my pen and show you," said Han Tzu.
He took the pen from his shirt pocket and uncapped it. Then he drew a line
through his own name at the top of the paper.
    Turning around to face the open