and jewels. The pawns alone were three inches high.
Storm, who considered himself a damned good player, pondered. Does one whip an emperor in his own palace? Tobias won two games without drawing a deep breath. He was surprised that one so wily as Wu Ling Chow would play so poorly. Or was he getting into some kind of Chinese maze? Perhaps Wu was testing the Marine’s honesty. On the other hand, had his court and concubines been throwing games for years just to please him?
In the third game, the emperor annihilated Storm’s board in quick, masterly fashion. The message did not go unnoticed.
Storm would never win another chess game against the emperor, but he sensed the tide of trade negotiations running in the Americans’ favor. The American delegation gave him great latitude to deal and held their collective breath.
It did not take long for the lieutenant to sniff out what was ailing Wu Ling Chow, who eased their discussions toward weaponry, Storm’s strong suit. Nandong required modern artillery to replace its ancient blunderbuss cannons, which could not hit an elephant point-blank. With only mild hills and a few deep gorges, the province was a tempting target for foreign incursions. Her sweeping coast was, likewise, open to pirate forays. Wu Ling Chow needed dug-in emplacements and the ability to man them properly, and the guns he needed were simply too large and cumbersome to get in undetected.
Feeling rather secure about a confidence with Lieutenant Storm, Wu Ling Chow popped the question. Could Nandong manufacture its own rifle-bored, breech-loading cannons and the shells to feed them?
“I don’t want you to go into consultations with your people, just give me your opinion.”
Tobias had seen brilliant bronze castings in the city and about the palace, but they were Buddhas and bells and made of the wrong metal.
“Does the province have an operating iron mine?” the Marine asked.
“Yes, and of excellent grade.”
“And the Chinese certainly know what there is to know about gunpowder.”
The emperor nodded.
A day later a secret protocol was drawn up between the emperor and the State Department official with Lieutenant Storm and one palace minister witnessing.
America would provide blueprints and manufacturing methods of the most modern artillery, from 5 to 14 inches and from 75 to 105 millimeters.
America would likewise provide the know-how to make shells and auxiliary equipment.
America would provide a team of civilian experts, under contract to Wu Ling Chow, to set up and operate a clandestine factory.
America would assign Lieutenant Tobias Storm, legally, under international precedent, to train officers with a specialty in artillery.
Lieutenant Storm would retain his Marine Corps rank as well as legally hold the rank of colonel in the Nandong military.
America had no financial obligation except for Lieutenant Storm’s Marine Corps salary and allowances.
There would be no further American military presence. When guns were tested successfully, the American civilian team would turn over manufacturing matters to Nandong personnel.
In return:
Wu Ling Chow would grant exclusive trade concessions as listed on the attached pages.
It was a very quiet deal so as not to send off alarm bells all over China. Few would even know of its existence.
Beyond that, Captain Dinkel, commander of the Kansas, had a heart-to-heart with Tobias. The navy was extremely liberal about pets aboard: dogs, of course, cats, monkeys, an occasional goat, but Stars and Stripes were eating enough fish every day to feed half the crew. Emperor Wu sensed that the gift of the seals was not Lieutenant Storm’s idea, but he most gratefully accepted.
The endgame was that Tobias Storm was promoted to captain in the Marines and commissioned a colonel in the Nandong military as superintendent of the new academy.
After returning to the States to collect his family and receiving a heavy briefing by the State Department and military,
Storm, who considered himself a damned good player, pondered. Does one whip an emperor in his own palace? Tobias won two games without drawing a deep breath. He was surprised that one so wily as Wu Ling Chow would play so poorly. Or was he getting into some kind of Chinese maze? Perhaps Wu was testing the Marine’s honesty. On the other hand, had his court and concubines been throwing games for years just to please him?
In the third game, the emperor annihilated Storm’s board in quick, masterly fashion. The message did not go unnoticed.
Storm would never win another chess game against the emperor, but he sensed the tide of trade negotiations running in the Americans’ favor. The American delegation gave him great latitude to deal and held their collective breath.
It did not take long for the lieutenant to sniff out what was ailing Wu Ling Chow, who eased their discussions toward weaponry, Storm’s strong suit. Nandong required modern artillery to replace its ancient blunderbuss cannons, which could not hit an elephant point-blank. With only mild hills and a few deep gorges, the province was a tempting target for foreign incursions. Her sweeping coast was, likewise, open to pirate forays. Wu Ling Chow needed dug-in emplacements and the ability to man them properly, and the guns he needed were simply too large and cumbersome to get in undetected.
Feeling rather secure about a confidence with Lieutenant Storm, Wu Ling Chow popped the question. Could Nandong manufacture its own rifle-bored, breech-loading cannons and the shells to feed them?
“I don’t want you to go into consultations with your people, just give me your opinion.”
Tobias had seen brilliant bronze castings in the city and about the palace, but they were Buddhas and bells and made of the wrong metal.
“Does the province have an operating iron mine?” the Marine asked.
“Yes, and of excellent grade.”
“And the Chinese certainly know what there is to know about gunpowder.”
The emperor nodded.
A day later a secret protocol was drawn up between the emperor and the State Department official with Lieutenant Storm and one palace minister witnessing.
America would provide blueprints and manufacturing methods of the most modern artillery, from 5 to 14 inches and from 75 to 105 millimeters.
America would likewise provide the know-how to make shells and auxiliary equipment.
America would provide a team of civilian experts, under contract to Wu Ling Chow, to set up and operate a clandestine factory.
America would assign Lieutenant Tobias Storm, legally, under international precedent, to train officers with a specialty in artillery.
Lieutenant Storm would retain his Marine Corps rank as well as legally hold the rank of colonel in the Nandong military.
America had no financial obligation except for Lieutenant Storm’s Marine Corps salary and allowances.
There would be no further American military presence. When guns were tested successfully, the American civilian team would turn over manufacturing matters to Nandong personnel.
In return:
Wu Ling Chow would grant exclusive trade concessions as listed on the attached pages.
It was a very quiet deal so as not to send off alarm bells all over China. Few would even know of its existence.
Beyond that, Captain Dinkel, commander of the Kansas, had a heart-to-heart with Tobias. The navy was extremely liberal about pets aboard: dogs, of course, cats, monkeys, an occasional goat, but Stars and Stripes were eating enough fish every day to feed half the crew. Emperor Wu sensed that the gift of the seals was not Lieutenant Storm’s idea, but he most gratefully accepted.
The endgame was that Tobias Storm was promoted to captain in the Marines and commissioned a colonel in the Nandong military as superintendent of the new academy.
After returning to the States to collect his family and receiving a heavy briefing by the State Department and military,
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