The Empty Seat of a Hero (2)
Every time a hoof struck the earth, a crisp clatter of iron rang out, scattering dirt and dust in its wake.
"Major! So where exactly are we headed?"
"Pingfang Station."
"You mean the station south of Harbin, sir?"
I gave a nod to Du Lisan, who was riding alongside me.
The South Manchuria Railway's Harbin line ran from Liaodong through Changchun, crossed another line at Caigou, then pushed on through Shuangchengbao and Pingfang before finally reaching Harbin.
The train Ito had boarded was a special service, halting only once at Caigou — it would not be stopping at Shuangchengbao or Pingfang.
If An Jung-geun's comrades are lying in wait, they'll be at Caigou.
But by now, word of Ito's death would surely have spread like wildfire, and security checks would already have begun at Caigou, the one place Ito's train had briefly stopped.
We had to hurry.
Caigou was eighty kilometers away.
There was no way to cover that distance on horseback.
Something I only learned after arriving in this era — in Manchuria, of all places — was that horses, surprisingly, don't have much endurance. Run them hard for twenty kilometers or so and they're spent.
Which meant the only way to reach Caigou in short order was by train.
Harbin itself was under total lockdown. Every line out of the city had been shut down.
However, at other stations, thanks to the various considerations of certain venerable gentlemen, a few lines were still moving — after inspections, of course.
Freight lines, for instance. Coal was a daily necessity, and the economy being what it was, those trains had no choice but to run.
"So we board a freight train at Pingfang, pass through Shuangchengbao, and ride all the way to Caigou."
"Can we actually ride a freight train, sir?"
"Do I need to remind you what we're wearing?"
"Ah. Right."
Granted, he'd only washed his hands of the bandit life a short while ago. But how was anyone going to stop senior officers in uniform moving through a crisis like this?
If I walked up to the freight train's engineer and said, Now, now — hands off everything. Don't touch a thing from this moment on, and don't even think about hiding anything either — I'd get a nod of understanding right away.
What about a warrant, you ask?
It's in the holster at my waist. And I happen to be carrying two, if you count the one I gave Du Lisan.
We rode hard until Harbin had shrunk to the size of a fingernail on the horizon, and then we arrived at Pingfang Station.
"Whoa, whoa, easy now."
After stroking the mane of my mount as it snorted and puffed out hot breath, we tied the reins firmly to a hitching post near the station. At that moment, a middle-aged man who appeared to be the stationmaster came hurrying out of the station house, lantern in hand.
"Ah — officers! To what do we owe the honor...?"
"Are you the man in charge here?"
"Yes, yes! That's right! Stationmaster of Pingfang Station, at your service. But may I ask who you officers might be — oh! Oh! Not that I have any complaint about officers, heaven forbid, none at all!!"
He was trembling so visibly that I could guess what was on his mind — he was terrified that the assassination business might somehow land on his doorstep.
"Lee Tae-oh, Major of the Fengtian Local Brigade."
"A major? Then you'd be... a Dusi, sir! A fourth-rank official at such a young age! Even a worthless wretch like me can see you must be exceptionally capable!"
Determined not to get entangled in the affair by even a hair's breadth, the stationmaster rubbed his hands together again and again.
Hm.
I'd been prepared to pull out my warrant — ow — and make a scene if he proved uncooperative, but with him groveling like this, we'd get through this easily enough.
I spoke with studied gravity.
"Do you understand why I've come?"
"Yes, of course, of course. That Japanese minister got himself killed, so you're out on patrol, aren't you? Quite apart from how satisfying the news is, being dragged into such a troublesome affair — well, it's a real pickle, isn't it? And to see a man of your precious standing suffering like this, it honestly grieves me, sir."
No need to correct his misunderstanding.
"Very well. Let's have a look around."
"Right this way, sir!"
The stationmaster gestured toward the trains standing in the station and began explaining them one by one.
"That one there was supposed to carry goods through Harbin into northern Manchuria, but with everything that's happened, it's been held here until tomorrow."
One carried daily necessities bound for Mongolia. Another hauled timber to Vladivostok. And a third was loaded with coal, headed through Caigou down to Bohai Bay.
"Hold on. Through Caigou, you say?"
"Yes? Ah — yes! It's scheduled to switch lines at Caigou, you see."
I turned my head and shot a look at Du Lisan, who had been following behind me. He stepped forward and addressed the stationmaster.
"We'll conduct a search, if you don't mind."
"A — a search? But sir, this is a freight train, not a soul aboard besides the engineer. There's no one inside at all. And it's due to depart shortly—"
"Haha, stationmaster."
I stepped up to the man and draped an arm around his shoulder. The lantern's flame wavered, and the shadows it cast over us wavered with it.
"Why so jumpy? A Manchurian ought to shrug off a cold like this."
"Well, it's just—"
"Might we take a look inside?"
"Yes. Yes, of course."
The stationmaster had apparently read our true intentions perfectly. Not at all because I had my arm around his shoulder while Du Lisan stood beside us, clicking open and shut his holster — no, not the warrant holster, the other one. Surely not.
We made a perfunctory show of searching the freight cars, then returned to the stationmaster.
"When does this train depart?"
"In fifteen minutes, sir."
"As it happens, we need to get to Caigou Station. Would it be possible to borrow this train?"
"Eh?"
"Our horses are simply too exhausted, you see. And orders are orders from above — I hardly have the luxury of refusing them—"
"From above, sir?"
His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed.
He'd already trembled at a mere major; if I had superiors, they'd have to be generals, wouldn't they? And in the Three Eastern Provinces, there was exactly one man of general rank.
Xu Shichang — Viceroy of the Three Northeast Provinces and General of Shengjing. The sworn younger brother of Prime Minister Yuan Shikai.
"I — I'll see to it somehow, sir!"
"Good. I'm counting on you, stationmaster."
Easy as pie.
South Manchuria. Caigou Station, the passenger waiting hall.
Trains in this era were nowhere near as fast as their twenty-first-century descendants, so most stations came equipped with waiting halls. At a junction like Caigou especially, where multiple lines converged, passengers routinely whiled away hours waiting for their connection.
On any ordinary day, the hall would have been bustling — travelers resting briefly in the warmed rooms whenever a train rolled in, and others hurrying out to catch the departures they'd booked.
But the twenty-sixth and twenty-seventh of October, 1909, were nothing like ordinary days.
"Назад! Никто не может выйти!"
Russian military gendarmes, Mosin-Nagant rifles slung across their shoulders.
"Hey! I've got a business meeting in northern Manchuria this very afternoon! I have to leave, right now!"
"Назад!"
"Oh, for heaven's sake!"
Their rough hands shoved everyone trying to leave straight back into the hall.
"You. Cannot leave."
"What?! Then at least tell us why!"
"Reason. Cannot disclose. Wait."
Such were the early twentieth century. Human rights consciousness still needed a little more time to mature.
One man bickered with the Russian soldiers, rattling off a hundred and one reasons why he absolutely had to get outside. Another simply sighed in resignation and curled up in a corner for a nap.
Japanese, Russian, and Chinese all mingled together — with your eyes closed, you might have mistaken it for an international exposition.
Hiding within that enormous clamor, Jo Do-seon and Woo Deok-sun spoke in low voices.
"What are those Russian soldiers saying?"
"They're telling everyone to fall back. Nobody's allowed out."
"Damn it all."
Woo Deok-sun chewed at his lip. If only they could learn what was happening outside.
Unfortunately, the moment the carriage carrying Ito Hirobumi pulled into Caigou, every inn, lodge, and lodging house in the district had been sealed shut in one fell swoop.
That had been yesterday. The lockdown was still in place even now.
The authorities weren't explaining anything either — just holding everyone there by force, innocent and ignorant alike, and tempers were beginning to fray.
But by this point, Jo Do-seon and Woo Deok-sun had managed to piece together a few hypotheses of their own.
"...So did Eui-chil pull it off?"
"No way to know."
The attempt would have been made. Otherwise, there'd be no reason for the Russian army to still be guarding Caigou like an iron drum.
So — success, or failure? If it succeeded, they would have to flee back to the Maritime Province. If it failed, they'd target the downbound line and try again.
Both options rested on the assumption that they could somehow punch through this airtight surveillance and escape.
Just then, the door opened.
In came a single Russian officer and a young Japanese officer. The Russian barked his orders in a thoroughly perfunctory tone, while the Japanese officer shouted in a state of near fever.
"An inspection begins now! Anyone carrying proof of identity, produce it! Those who have none will be subject to further questioning, so do not resist!"
The travelers rose one by one, as if what had been coming had finally arrived, as if they might at last be allowed to leave, and approached the officers.
Personal particulars — name and place of residence. What business had brought them to Caigou. Where they were headed. Whether they had a witness who could vouch for their identity...
The two men scanned their surroundings as they gripped, ever so tightly, the grips of the Belgian automatic pistols concealed inside their coats.
They had cover identities. Best case, that would carry them through — but if it didn't, they'd have to break out by force if it came to that.
The line dwindled, and at last Jo Do-seon and Woo Deok-sun stood before the Japanese officer.
"Hey. Where are you two from?"
"Manchuria."
"Hmph. That's what you'd say, isn't it? How am I to know whether you're Chinese or Korean? The nerve. And where do you live?"
"Jilin, and hereabouts. I come and go."
"Ah, Jilin! That crawling nest of lawless Koreans who fled the peninsula, is it?"
The Japanese officer spat a glob of phlegm onto the floor and spoke again.
"You'll undergo further questioning. Follow me."
"······."
Jo Do-seon and Woo Deok-sun exchanged a silent look.
"You dogs, can't you hear me?! Move!"
Whack! Whack!
"Ugh!"
Boots slamming into their shins, the two men grimaced in pain. The Japanese officer drew himself up in arrogant triumph and bellowed toward the hall.
"If you defy my orders one more time, you will be treated as hostiles and—"
"Treated as hostiles and what?"
"What son of a bitch dares interrupt the Imperial Army?"
At the voice from behind him, the Japanese officer twisted his face and turned around.
A powerful frame approaching one hundred eighty centimeters. But the face was young — younger than young, even.
The blue-new-model uniform of the Beiyang New Army. On the red-faced epaulettes traced with gold braid, a yellow dragon lay coiled.
"...A Chinaman? Why would you people be—"
Smack!
The Japanese officer's head snapped around, and the momentum sent him sprawling to the floor.
"It seems the Imperial Japanese Army Academy neglects to teach the difference in rank. Since when is a second lieutenant entitled to speak that way to a major of another nation's army?"
"You! You just — you just struck an officer of the Imperial Army!"
Smack!
He landed another blow, dusted off his hands, and crouched down in front of the Japanese second lieutenant, who lay groaning on the ground.
"That's right, I did. What are you going to do about it?"
"I'll — I'll report this to my superiors at once! You assaulted an Imperial Army officer without any justification!"
"No justification? That's your opinion."
"What is that supposed to—"
The Chinese officer's eyes were ferocious enough to tear a man in two as he opened his mouth.
"Didn't you just assault two of our Fengtian Army officers?"
"When — when did I ever—?!"
He raised a hand and pointed at the two men whose shins the Japanese officer had just kicked raw.
"N — no, those men are—"
"Plainclothes officers our Fengtian Army dispatched to every station along the line."
The Japanese officer's eyes shook violently.
"Th — then if you'd told me beforehand, th — this would never have happened! Why didn't you inform our Imperial Army in advance?!"
"And did your people ever notify us of anything before moving? Why on earth should I report my every move to you? All that arrogance — and even with a former prime minister shot dead, you still don't understand."
""!!!"
Shock flashed across the faces of both Jo Do-seon and Woo Deok-sun.
The Chinese officer turned his head toward the two of them and spoke quietly.
"Lieutenant Jo. Lieutenant Woo. A shame, truly. For all your efforts, Prime Minister Ito is dead. There's no reason for you to remain on stakeout any longer, so return to the garrison."
"······."
"······."
A second lieutenant who had been standing behind the Chinese major the whole time took a single step forward and barked.
"Are you deaf? Answer the Major when he speaks to you!"
""Y — yes, sir!"
"We return at once. Get your things and move out!"
As Jo Do-seon and Woo Deok-sun turned back into the hall to collect their belongings, the major clapped the Chinese second lieutenant on the shoulder.
"Well, well. Our Second Lieutenant Du Lisan. You're finally starting to look the part."
"Heh-heh."
"W — wait!"
The Japanese second lieutenant staggered up and blocked their path.
"You... d — do you, Major, have any proof that what you're saying is true?!"
"Proof? Haha."
The major walked toward him, smiling, and wrapped his own arm around the Japanese officer's shoulder.
"Hey."
"Y — yes?"
In the blink of an eye, that gently smiling face turned dry and utterly without feeling.
"Shut it. Before I kill you. Did you really think it would be so hard to make one lousy Japanese soldier disappear without a whisper, out here in the wide-open Manchurian wastes?"
"······."
The major withdrew his arm and gave the shoulder of the gaping Japanese second lieutenant a couple of paternal pats.
"Oh dear. All that rolling around on the floor — you've gotten dirt on yourself.
If you're ever curious who those two really are, come to the provisional garrison in Harbin. I'll show you the files with their particulars written out in full."
With those parting words, the major left, and the handful of men following him soon vanished after him.
"······."
"······."
Save for the rattle of the swaying train, a heavy silence hung between the four of us — me and Du Lisan, and Jo Do-seon and Woo Deok-sun.
I rested my chin on my hand, gazing out the freight car window, then turned my head toward Du Lisan.
"You're not curious?"
"About what, sir?"
"Who those men are."
"I don't know, of course. But I've found that sometimes, there are things better left unknown even when the curiosity itches."
Just as I thought.
Our Lisan isn't a fool for all that he never studied.
"...Lieutenant."
In place of an answer to Jo Do-seon, I stretched out a finger, laid it flat against my lips, and spoke loudly — loud enough for anyone to hear.
It was a freight train, after all, empty of passengers — but the engineer's ears were very much open.
"Don't worry. Ito is dead, yes, but none of it is your doing. The man was shot in Harbin — why on earth would anyone blame the men who were on duty at Caigou?"
""······."
"We'll go over the details once we reach Fengtian. For now, get some proper rest."
The two men nodded silently.
Before long, the train came to a halt.
I leaned forward and called out loudly to the engineer up ahead.
"Engineer! Where are we?"
"Shuangchengbao! Next is Pingfang, and after that, Harbin. I heard Harbin's under lockdown, so you gentlemen will ride on horseback from Pingfang Station onward — is that right?"
"That's right."
"Understood! We'll take on coal and depart immediately!"
I nodded and leaned back against my seat again.
Somewhere on the hazy border between waking and sleep—
Clang. Clang. Clang.
Boots on iron plating. Then—
"Eh? Well, well. What can I do for you fellows?"
"First Lieutenant Tanaka of the Imperial Japanese Army. Move."
The engineer's muttered oh dear reached my ears.
I leaned forward once more and looked toward the front of the train.
"Huh."
"Found them. The Chinamen."
Isn't that the same lunatic who threw his tantrum at the review board? He's due to open his belly the moment he gets back to Tokyo — you'd think he'd spend what's left of his life enjoying himself instead of running all over the countryside.
My eyes alone flicked sideways — to Du Lisan first, then to Jo Do-seon and Woo Deok-sun behind him.
""""······.""""
A strange silence.
Click.
And in perfect unison, every holster at every waist opened its mouth.