Hwang Sok-Yong - The Shadow of Arms

“It’s been several days since I arrived here. I’ve investigated the points raised in the complaint letters and also checked the validity of the enemy propaganda concerning the operations in An Hoa. As for the deployment of materials for the phoenix hamlets project and the cinnamon operations. . they can be settled within the council, but we have determined that the massacre of the Katu tribe must be handled publicly. Of course, you, sir, will not bear responsibility for anything. Your successor will have to deal with all the aftermath.”

The general seemed somewhat relieved, and he lit his pipe and sat down on a chair again.

“What do you mean successor… are you telling me I should resign from the provincial governorship?”

“You’ve been requested to join the Cabinet, sir. Except, just until the situation is quietly settled down, take a six-month trip abroad, please.”

“When am I to leave?”

“Leave for Saigon today, sir. Until the successor arrives, I’ll stay at the provincial office and try to take care of things there. And. .”

He signaled with his eyes to the uniform sitting next to him. “A man named Pham Quyen is your chief adjutant, isn’t he, sir? It’s inevitable that he be punished.”

As he spoke he took out several documents. “This is an indictment filed by Lieutenant Colonel Quia, a battalion commander who previously was in charge of Second Division operations in Ha Thanh. He sent this to the military council and to Independence Palace. And this other document is a report on the phoenix hamlets project submitted by the late Colonel Cao, the former police superintendent in Da Nang. Based on these documents we’ll be able to sort out the persons to be punished. We were hoping that you’d give us a little of your time and cooperate with the colonel, sir.”

The general agreed wholeheartedly. “I understand. Shall we to go to my study together?”

“On this visit, I’ve become deeply interested in cinnamon, sir,” said the civilian.

“Central Vietnam has been famous for its cinnamon crop from the old days,” said the general quite nonchalantly as he headed up the stairs. “That’s something His Excellency, the President himself, is very much aware of.”

When the Governor entered into the office of the chief adjutant a little later than his usual office hours, Major Pham and a private were the only ones on duty in the office. Lieutenant Kiem’s desk was vacant. As the two men stood to attention and saluted, the general walked quietly into the governor’s office. Of the two men who’d followed him in, the one in civilian dress spoke bluntly to Pham Quyen in a low form of speech. “You, are you Major Pham Quyen?”

“That’s right, but. .”

Abruptly, the uniformed man standing next to the civilian slapped Pham Quyen in the face. “Speak like a soldier.”

Pham Quyen knew very well who the man without any rank insignia was. In spite of himself, Pham Quyen stretched up into an erect posture.

“Take this bastard in at once,” said the civilian.

“Where’s Kiem?” asked the uniform as he snapped handcuffs on Major Pham’s wrists.

“He’s not in yet, sir,” answered the private on duty.

“Arrest everyone involved and search their houses thoroughly,” said the civilian.

As soon as he was pushed out into the corridor, Pham Quyen saw the officers from the security department of Da Nang district standing there. They thrust Pham Quyen into a covered Jeep. He still knew nothing of Pham Minh’s death, neither was there any way for him to know that Lieutenant Kiem had set out for Atwat and was long gone.

The forklifts were lifting up boxes and piling them neatly on the crane cradle. When the limited space was filled, the naval crane lifted the loads of cargo up high and then lowered them down into the open hold beneath the ship’s deck. One load of cargo that had been lifted up to the level of the vessel’s deck suddenly tilted to one side, dropping a few crates onto the ground. There was the deafening sound of a whistle. The stevedores stopped their work. The boxes of coarse plywood had broken apart when they fell, and the contents were strewn all over on the concrete.

Several owners of the boxes rushed forward in a fluster. Without uttering a complaint, they ran here and there after their scattered articles and gathered them up. Left over C-ration tins, saved-up paper sacks of powdered milk, cartons of cigarettes, American military uniforms and jungle boots, and occasional electrical appliances with labels like Sony, Akai, National, Sanyo, Sharp, or Hitachi.

Meanwhile, on the square out in front of the pier, the soldiers about to depart for home were receiving an inspection of their equipment in preparation for the departure ceremony. There were prominent officials from the city administration of Da Nang, military officers. A big contingent of middle school girls wearing white ahozai and broad-brimmed hats, waving bouquets of flowers and the national flags of the two countries was sure to appear on the scene. The military band would strike up the national anthems of both countries as well as of the other allies, and innumerable photos would be snapped from every conceivable angle.

With the boarding and the freight loading yet to be finished, the ship would not be ready to sail until dawn the next morning. Ahn Yong Kyu left the square and walked down toward the open cafe near the customs house. Having ordered a drink, he sat on a chair watching this unfamiliar city with a detached mind.

Out of the sea of camouflage uniforms worn by the departing soldiers, a white dress fluttering in the wind was gradually approaching. The woman was wearing sunglasses, but one still could tell she was a beauty. Yong Kyu almost waved his hand and called out to her, but turned around instead. The woman stepped in between the sidewalk tables and walked about peeking in here and there along the line of sunshade umbrellas. Yong Kyu heard her voice from behind.

“So you’ve been sitting here?”

“How have you been?”

Hae Jong removed her sunglasses. “You know, I’ve been looking for you for quite a while.”

“Looking for me?” Yong Kyu replied absentmindedly.

“You’re too much. I tried to contact you several times, but you didn’t call me back.”

“Your house is. .”

“I’m at the Thanh Thanh. It’s not the same room as before, though. I came out here to send some baggage back home, and as long as I’m here I thought I would ask a favor of you.”

“Baggage? But you don’t have a transit allowance, do you?”

“Ah, I got an allowance from the captain,” Hae Jong said lightheartedly. Then she took out a small gift-wrapped box from her handbag and placed it on the table.

“Here’s a souvenir.”

“What is it?”

“A watch. A cheap one.”

Yong Kyu took it quietly. Then, in an indifferent tone, he said, “Aren’t you going home?”

Hae Jong shook her head. “No, not me. But I am planning to leave here in a few days.”

“Where to?”

“I’ll go to Hong Kong. Sister Lin asked me to.”

“You made a lot of money, didn’t you?”

“A wee bit, only enough to open a small pub.”

“How’s Major Pham?”

She hung her head. Then without looking up, she said, “I was a little shocked. I’m all right now, though. The investigation is still underway, but since they’re all in the same boat, I suppose there’ll be a demotion and transfer, something along those lines.”

Hae Jong dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief and then held up her hand again.

“His younger brother. . was a very gentle young man. .”

Yong Kyu looked back in the direction of the pier, where the military band had struck up another tune. The flags in the hands of the schoolgirls were fluttering in the breeze. Hae Jong spoke.