water2 THE WAY OF WATER
By Lian-hua

CHAPTER TWO

For this campaign, the preparations were not made at the Wu Zhong camp. Mulan and Shang began their journey the next morning for the grand city of Louyang, a sort of second capital northeast of Ch'ang-an. The Imperial elite were trained in Louyang, at the famous military complex.

"I grew up here," Shang made a hand gesture towards the approaching city, which looked much like Ch'ang-an from outside its gates. "I like it better than Ch'ang-an." Mulan nodded but sighed. He would tell her anything about the military, history, or the sights as they passed, but during the week they had been in close company he made neither suggestion nor denial of any sort of feelings for her. He was always talkative, but rarely personal. Uncertainty seemed alright with men in her experience of them, but women always had to have clearly defined relationships. They were either only friends, or betrothed, there was no in between. She tried not to cling to any hopes for the two of them, although her new rise to rank put aside the question of social standing. A great general was a great general, no one bothered to think about his background until it came time to write the histories, a great general came next to the Emperor. Still, she wished for a sign, to keep hoping or to abandon her daydreams and get on with it. It was hard not to be irritable, he had no idea what she was thinking, but the early summer heat and his impersonal chatter were not a good combination.

"I'd like it better if Chi fu weren't coming with us," Mulan glanced at the scrawny old man over her shoulder, riding in a carriage some distance behind. They had a hundred men with them, officers and their entourage, Chi fu did not seem to want to be mixed up with any of them. She wondered if Shang felt like the others were staring at the two of them, she could almost feel the snickers behind her back.

He hardly seemed bothered though, but rode his spotted horse Xiang with his usual confidence. "You'll like it better when you get to camp, Yao and Ling are waiting there, and Chien Po. Ling and Chien Po have been appointed my lieutenants, you can have Yao as yours, I've got to keep him away from Yao somehow."

Well that was something to be relieved about, at least she would see some familiar faces. "Is there anything else I should know?" She was tired of getting information at the last minute.

"Well," he looked thoughtful. "We can't discuss plans until we have all the maps, they'll have more information for us at camp. For now I've told you all I know. Have you finished reading your book?"

A pleasant change of subject. "I did. Why did Qin Shi Huang-ti kill all those scholars in Xian Yang? And he buried them alive, five hundred of them! What kind of monster would do a thing like that. I know warriors must be killed on the battlefield, but who would destroy a human thought?" Especially when knowledge had been so prized, girls were looked down upon because they could not read, Mulan was one of the lucky ones.

"A thought is more dangerous than an army," Shang said without having to think about it, clear and confident in his beliefs, except where she was concerned. "You kill an army and the threat is gone, you can't kill a thought. We owe much to the First Emperor, ruthless as he was. In his time there were a hundred men each with a different vision for China, they competed for power and it was their factions which tore the empire apart. When Shi Huang-ti took the throne, he thought if all of China shared the same vision there would be nothing to fight over, so he sought to stamp out every way of thinking but his own. Especially the Taoists, they aren't fond of too many laws, and don't care to involve themselves much in the lives of the people."

All Mulan knew of the Taoists were the priests who wandered around, and the bright temples in Ch'ang-an with the fringed blue flags and the people burning incense and praying to the Jade Emperor. She had read Lao Tzu's books last night, and did not think his teachings had anything in common with the lip service in the capital.

"So the Taoists wouldn't have a law saying a women must be executed for serving in the army?" Mulan said this just a bit smugly, it was hard not to be when the law was enforced because a woman was thought to bring bad luck, when she in fact had brought quite good luck.

Shang seemed displeased with the statement. "Probably not."

"But General Li Shang does not want me in the army," Mulan seized her advantage, determined to draw out some clue of the nature of his feelings toward her.

"Did I say that?" His eyebrow raised in puzzlement. He turned his head and said nothing. Mulan sighed, there was still a boundary between them, and she had pressed him too far.

~ * ~

Not only was the camp larger than Wu Zhong, but this time she would be getting her own quarters instead of a cramped tent. In fact there were no tents, all of the soldiers were housed in the barracks complete with mess crew and even people to clean up after her thanks to her new standing. This was the closest she had ever had to servants, but she thought she might have preferred they be women. The last thing she needed was some gawking recruit barging in while she was trying to change out of her armor.

That thought reminded her to glance down at herself. Mulan had only seem Shang's father once, just a fleeting glance at a middle aged man leading his calvary away in all his finery. Her armor was just as ornate now, with a crown of tall plumes rising from her helmet which she held tucked under her arm, bright red for good luck. She was a general of the Tang empire, even now she could scarcely believe it.

"General Fa?" A mocking voice called from outside the door, gravely and familiar.

Mulan swallowed, blushing though no one could see her. It was only Yao, but still she felt silly for marveling at her new status so much. She was sure Shang had never paraded about in private like a fool when he received his commission. It was not that she was happy exactly, the responsibility frightened her more than the battlefield, but it was nice to feel important.

Setting two more books down on her writing table, Mulan plunked the helmet atop her head and rushed outside.

It was not only Yao who was waiting for her, but Ling and Chien Po as well. "Well look at you," Ling grinned, turning around and flourishing his own red cape. "Think the girls will like this, Mulan?"

"Sure," Yao jumped in. "The ones that don't have any taste." That earned him a punch in the shoulder from Ling while Chien Po just stood there, as if embarrassed to hold their acquaintance.

Mulan grinned. "It's great to see you guys again."

"Group hug!" Yao demanded, and in the next moment the three had Mulan gathered in their arms.

It was the wrong moment for Shang to stride by, glaring when he saw the four of them. He paused long enough for them to separate, and even longer to shift his stare to each of the three men in turn. Mulan cringed, but luckily he only held eye contact with her for a brief moment.

"You aren't foot soldiers anymore!" He practically growled, much more forcefully than was necessary. "Show a little more decorum!" Her cheeks were flaming, the thought of him being embarrassed of her and her actions, the way she had felt those sneers at her back when the officers had noticed her riding close to Shang. No matter what, people would always connect her with him, if only because he had been her first commander and the one to let her live. He seemed well liked among the other men, the wealthy men, she would have to remember to act in a way that did not harm his good reputation.

"It was just a friendly hug," Ling grumbled in a near pout.

Shang gave him another sharp look for his trouble. "Right." Then he turned to Mulan. "Come to my quarters later, I need to talk to you. Don't forget we're meeting in an hour. I trust you three won't embarrass yourselves?" With another harsh look for her friends, he stalked away.

Yao folded his arms, scowling. "Who put thorns in his bed last night."

"Maybe he's jealous," Chien Po spoke evenly, neither defending nor condemning the general.

"Oh but he's so pretty!" Ling purred sarcastically, flexing imaginary muscles and strutting a few steps. "What's he got to be jealous of?" Yao began to snicker, and all of a sudden Mulan wanted to hide. "ohhh!" Ling giggled. "You think?"

Mulan stepped away from them and folded her arms. She was not going to let on that Shang had hurt her feelings just now. She was in no mood to be teased.

~ * ~

Nervous was an understatement when Mulan took a cushion in the map tent. As usual, she was seated beside Shang but he hardly seemed to glance at her. That was good in a way, it meant that he was not angry, but it did wound to be ignored. He did quite a bit of looking at her three friends though, a bit of glaring rather. The three seemed to have trouble abiding it, but there was little they could do.

There were four other people inside the tent that Mulan did not know, an older man everyone called "Marshal Yu," but whether that was his true rank or a title given to him by the younger soldiers Mulan could not tell, but he was undoubtedly the lord of the camp. He appeared stern yet fatherly, friendly and liked by the men but he said nothing to her. Two more of the men were older than Shang but not yet graying, quiet and sour men by their faces.

Only the man at Shang's left bothered to speak to her. He was sprawled out with his chin in his hands, leaning close at Shang's side. "Look, it's General Fa," he announced with a kind of good natured curiosity. The others in the tent frowned and sighed. They were well aware of her presence, and most unhappy over it.

Mulan exchanged a look over Shang's head with the man which drew a few smirks. He was perhaps a little younger than Shang, slender, and with a face that could stop a girl's heart. He was not Chinese, that was for sure, not with those large eyes and chiseled features. But he was beautiful in a masculine way, and his smile said he knew it too.

"This is my friend, and brother-in-law," Shang introduced the man calmly. "Captain Meng Tai-shan." The way he said the name made Mulan instantly jealous.

Brother in law? Her eyebrows raised. "I wasn't aware you had a sister."

Captain Meng smiled softly, he seemed rather willing to talk to her, eyeing her critically. "There are men in the capital who would kill for Li Tie-lin's hand, Fa Mulan, but well.. " He gave an arrogant tilt of his head. "They can't compete with me." Mulan stared from him to Shang in shock. They were clearly closer than brothers and complete opposites.

"I haven't seen my sister in some time," Shang explained. "Nor my mother. I've been in Ch'ang-an and they live here in Louyang. I miss them." he added with a sigh. Mulan smiled a little, wondering what this girl was like, no doubt refined as her brother was, and a dream candidate for a Matchmaker.

"Gentleman," Chi fu barked in high pitched disapproval. "And General Fa," he added reluctantly, at which the others chuckled. "There are things to discuss."

Once everyone was silent, Marshal Yu began. "As you know, Shan-Yu is still alive. He and his five companions have escaped the Palace, we don't know how, but we can... speculate," his mouth twisted over the word. Treason, Mulan remembered Shang's words. "There are mysterious circumstances surrounding the invasion, and Shan-yu's tactics, he seemed to have a lot of knowledge of where our troops were, especially at the Tung Shao Pass. Spies are out of the question, Shan-yu is not wont to trust the Chinese, and no evidence suggests it. General Li Shengli's body was never found or identified in the ruins, though bits of his armor and weapons suggest the Turks had searched him for information, or perhaps questioned him before he died. He may have carried a map which gave them knowledge of the Imperial City. Though we join you in mourning your father, Li Shang, let us hope that is the rightful explanation. It still does not answer the question of how they knew we would be at the Pass."

Mulan watched Shang's expression as the Marshal spoke, he was calm as the others and gave no outward sign of outrage or sadness, but still she worried. The Marshal's tone suggested he himself did not accept this theory, but a good leader told his underlings only what they needed to know to accomplish their mission.

"How do we even know it is this Shan-yu himself?" Tai-shan asked, Mulan did not think he was even paying attention. "Who can really tell one copy-cat warlord from another. They all slaughter and plunder the same."

The Marshal sighed. "Another general was killed at the Great Wall, Shan, very clandestine action, so we were surprised when four of his officers reported it was Shan-yu. They saw him. The only four that survived."

"And our mission?" Mulan decided to try her hand at contributing. Apparently Shang planned on saying nothing, observing the map quietly.

"Young lady," at least he was polite, if not mildly condescending. "For someone with so much to learn, I am surprised at your commission. But I do not question His Majesty's orders. You and Shang will take your troops to the Wall. It is the most dangerous position, but I will charge General Li with your safety. Although if you were my daughter... " Shang and Tai-shan laughed. Mulan did not know what was worse, Chi fu's belittling or this insistence she could not protect herself?

Chi fu sniffed, scratching notes on his clipboard. "You'll be leaving tomorrow, and I'll be coming with you."

Mulan and Shang glanced at each other and sighed.

"I'm retiring soon," the old soldier explained. "The Emperor is looking for a new Marshal and thinks General Li is perfect for the job."

"If that is all then," Chi fu interrupted. "We'd best start preparing."

Nodding at the clear dismissal, the others began to take their leave. Mulan walked out calmly behind Shang and Tai-shan, they had no idea how uncomfortable it was being in a tent full of such important people. Her only other worry today was what Shang had to say to her after they led their troops in a martial arts drill. Mulan sighed, she would just have to take her new life one day at a time.