CHAPTER 24
The Chinese general met Robbins and Edrich at his headquarters in the new part of the town wearing a bright blue uniform with enormous epaulettes. He was much taller than Edrich expected being well over six feet in height with a stomach that stretched his dress coat to bursting point. His teeth were bucked and he had a caste in his eye that made it difficult to see which way he was looking. Wong looked to Edrich like a character straight out of a Gilbert and Sullivan comic opera and half expected him to burst into song. The general led the initial discussion of everyone’s health; the weather; and Kashgar social life with the emphasis clearly on him personally as well as his role as military governor. After what seemed an interminable time the general slid into business matters.
‘You are a British Officer, Colonel Edrich, who I understand from Sir Walter, has been wounded fighting both the Turks and the Germans.’ Edrich opened his mouth to reply but Wong beat him to it. ‘I have been wounded several times but I have the strength of a bear and have always recovered. However, the people who gave me the wounds are all dead, Colonel Edrich. And I killed them literally with my own hands.’ ‘Wong held his hands out and made a strangling motion with them. He looked at Edrich with a malicious grin, ‘did you kill the people who wounded you, colonel?’
‘No, Excellency, I was wounded by shrapnel fired by a cannon situated far beyond where I could see those who had fired the shot.’
‘A very de-personalised way of fighting - if I may say so.’
‘When there are millions of men involved Excellency I think that is bound to happen.’
The Tao-toi nodded before replying, ‘so you are a military man taking over as consul from Sir Walter, a non military man.’ He turned to look at Sir Walter, ‘why is that?’
Sir Walter cleared his throat, ‘in the India we give the opportunity to our most gifted military officers, like Colonel Edrich, the opportunity to change direction and concentrate on political matters. Such men serve as consuls to those parts within India not directly under our control and in other countries who like to have British consuls present.’
‘Why?’ the Tao-toi interrupted.
‘We are seen as being impartial in matters on which we can help a country’s government whether local or central to make balanced decisions,’ replied Robbins.
‘These balanced decisions obviously favour what Great Britain wants, wouldn’t you say? And,’ the Tao-toi added quickly, ‘do countries really like a British presence or is it foisted upon them?’
‘Excellency, if we make decisions biased towards Great Britain then the governments involved would quickly get rid of us. As to the other point, as we have discussed many times before, we like to represent His Majesty’s subjects’ interests to the local government by speaking with one voice.’
The Tao-toi switched his gaze to Edrich and stared at him for a few moments. ‘Being a military man would you say that Sinkiang is vulnerable to invasion, Colonel Edrich?’
‘Not from the south. Neither India nor the British Home Government, as I understand it, would attempt to invade China because of the friendly relations between the nations and, of course, the formidable qualities of Chinese soldiers and their leaders. Now from Russia I cannot say. Perhaps when and if our mission goes ahead I would be able to comment on that possibility.’
Edrich glanced over at Robbins who took this as a cue to add, ‘our Government is aware of the delicacy of the situation in Turkestan and how it affects the adjoining countries, if one of those countries’ governments did not give its approval then the mission would be unable to go ahead. If that had happened then I would have to return to England via India with the two military officers who are on the way to join us in Kashgar. Colonel Edrich replaces me here.’
‘The Russians are your allies are they not? Could you be helping them, Colonel Edrich, to plan an invasion of Sinkiang?’
‘Certainly not, Excellency, our intention is merely to find out the state of affairs in Tashkent because we believe there are many Germans there and they are our enemies.’
‘You believe these Germans perhaps will try to come to or through Sinkiang?’
‘We do not know that but I am sure his Excellency would stop them.’
The Tao-toi said nothing more about the mission but instead invited the whole British Mission to dinner as soon as the rest of the party arrived in Kashgar. As they left the governor’s residence Robbins said that he would bet five pounds that the Tao-toi would ask exactly the same questions of Washbrook and Hutton as he had asked today; Edrich decided not to take the bet.