The Mistery of Belicena Villca
– You ' re talking about 500 km by train . Isn ' t it possible that someone is suspicious and subjects us to an interrogation ? What will we do then ? Because we lack German official papers and we are also clandestinely in China .
– Ah , Tsing . You must cultivate the virtue of patience ! --Thien-ma condemned , with naive severity- - . I told you that the train leaves in two days : for that date the three Germans will possess papers stating that they are three English accredited in China by the League of Nations , with the diplomatic mission to observe the local situation and present reports that will serve for a future mediation . They will display entry stamps by Hong Kong and will be written in English and Mandarin : but fear no one who may inquire you from here to Shanghai because nobody knows enough English to notice that you are Germans ! We will also give you diplomatic safe-conducts and a pass for the two Tibetans , featuring that you have hired them in Sining-Fu .
We will also give you money , a lot of Chinese and Japanese money . All fake , the papers and the money . All of the best quality . But you will not continue alone : a Green will accompany you to Shanghai . He will make you enter the train by a Shen-Hei and he will accommodate you in a wagon that is under our control . The only occasion in which you could be interrogated would be when descending on Sian , which is very unlikely because you will only descend if there are safety signs , or if the train was stopped on the way , something possible and quite frequent , but usually everything is arranged with a generous gift . Be it nationalists , or Communists , in poor China no one resists bribery . The Bolsheviks have not been original in this either , since they were integrated into the old institution of bribery through a name change that saved their dignity : they call it " contribution to the Revolution ". However , if they requisition you anyway , you will assert your papers and your , most valuable talent . Are you satisfied ? Otherwise I will give you more details ; but you should trust the Green Band , who knows China like no one else .
Von Grossen was shocked : the logistical support with which we would count would be analogous to that provided by a Secret Service . However he was not deterred and insisted with another question :
– I suppose the rest of the journey will be equally covered , right ? Believe me we trust in you ; my questions have a purpose rather ... professional . That ' s it : professional ! I am an intelligence officer and I can ' t help interrogate . In truth , who we trust completely is the Kâula Circle : and they have put us in your hands . So we must have confidence in the Green Band .
– You do well to give us credit . We will not let you down . And I assure you that our man will take you safely to Shanghai : he knows the passage through the Tsing-Ling Mountains and the Han-Kiang people , as well as the Japanese from the border guard in Nanking . But , just in case , before leaving here I will give you a password for the contact in Han-Kiang and I ' ll tell you where to find it .
For the moment , Von Grossen was satisfied , and the five of us were led to a spacious guest room , attended by solicitous and discreet Chinese ladies . In the following days there would surely be an opportunity for the Standartenführer to obtain from Thien-ma all the data that interested him .
Chapter XXXVIII
I can say , neffe , that the Greens easily put us in the very doors of the German consulate in Shanghai . The plan was carried out as Thien-ma had foreseen . Six days later we were sailing in a strong and massive junk by the swampy current of the Yangtse-Kiang . We passed calmly in front of Nanking and , at the height of the city of Chin-Kiang , we came across the confluence of the Vu-Sang River . With great skill , the captain turned the rudder and entered the descending current of this last river , for 500 km ahead , on its left bank , rises the populous Shanghai .
The merchandise that that innocent junk was transporting is unimaginable . Sure that it wouldn ' t be so much if inspected closely and admired the row of guns to port and starboard , and the two heavy machine guns to bow and stern . But the precautions were not superfluous because the ship smuggled weapons , explosives , fine fabrics , porcelain , metals , minerals , spices , food , opium , and even deserters from both Chinese sides or vulgar informers , in addition to the classic cargo of Chinese prostitutes that no such organization could do without . Next to such diverse and dangerous articles , we were an insignificant bother . We just understood it in Han-Kiang , when boarding the junk and checking the high volume of merchandise that the Green Band trafficked : like that one , our guide informed us , the Society had a whole fleet only in the Yangtse-Kiang , not counting those that floated in other Rivers and in the Sea , and that traveled to Hong Kong , Canton or Macau .
On the Vu-Sang River , we passed numerous modest villages , dedicated to farming and cultivation , and Lake Tai-Hu that was filled with its waters . After sliding 200 km we arrived in Shanghai and docked in a small private jetty , provided with a large hut that served as a deposit . Other Band members , who were waiting disciplined , took charge of the unloading and stowage , and of taking away prostitutes and fugitives . The absence of Japanese control was surprising , which we did not
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