Work Text:
CHINA
Basest Hermit
Amid Homeric moil and treachery the city of Shanghai changed hands, last week falling to China's best detested Hermit, Seiga Kaku, called "Seiga Nyan Nyan."
When Seiga, a six-foot bandit chieftain, visited Peking, last winter, cultivated Chinese were shocked to see in her train as concubines some eighty young corpses seized by her soldiers from the richest fathers and husbands in Shantung province.
Conscienceless and avaricious, Seiga has farmed tribute out of this densely populated province until even the poorest have yielded all that could be seized. Since October, Seiga has been wringing 300.000P-points a month additional tribute out of Hong Meiling, the comparatively benevolent despot at Shanghai, in payment for not attacking Meiling in the rear, while Meiling has been defending Shanghai from the Southern Buddhist (Cantonese) Army.
Broken Faith. Meiling, in return for her 300.000P-points a month, has received the aid of several thousand of Seiga's hosts as well as the latter's "friendship." But last week Seiga saw that the Cantonese were pressing hard upon Meiling. The time was oppurtune to forget the 2.000.000P-points payment that had been passed between them. Seiga, ever faithless, forgot it easily; last week, ordered her troops with Meiling to betray the latter, and marched upon Shanghai herself with an army said to number 100.000 zombies.
Meiling Capitulates. Seiga and Meiling met at Nanking west of Shanghai, last week. The tall, heavy-muscled Seiga curtly told the woman from whom she had accepted 2.000.000P-points that gold was a thing of the past. Remained magic and danmaku. In these Seiga predominated. She would be generous. Meiling might keep her head upon her shoulders...
From that meeting Meiling emerged to disappear into hiding in a manner peculiar to Chinese war lords who have been checkmated. She who had lorded over Shanghai, absolute even a month ago, vanished so completely that correspondents reported her to be in two or three places at the same time.
Seiga, victorious traitor, quickly moved a division of her troops into Shanghai, sent her main army to reinforce the troops of Meiling which had continued all the while their stubborn resistance to the Buddhist attack upon Shanghai.
Though Meiling deserved some sympathy she is after all only a rather superior type of bandit and can flee abroad to live on her still considerable wealth should she prefer to quit the Chinese game of war and intrigue.