Hwang Sok-Yong - The Shadow of Arms

“Well, then what choice do we have but to catch them in the act?”

“That means we’ll step on the toes of the supply corps detachment… no good will come of it for either side.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll wait until the moment their wagon shows up for loading to nail them.”

“It’ll be trouble for us.”

“Come on, let’s deploy the men now.”

“The PX is no problem. We’ll post one of our men there and have him notify us when the car leaves. Toi will go to the last checkpoint on Puohung Street. He’ll be able to get some cooperation from his former QC comrades.”

“Good. We’ll also have another man out front of the house used by Lieutenant Colonel Pak and his gang.”

“I’ve got a man on duty at the Marine PX in Dong Dao who I can pull out and send over there.”

“We’ll need two more men: one for the supply corps detachment and one for the pier. The pier is the key spot. .”

“Once I dispatch the boys, I’ll head down to the pier myself for tonight’s ambush.”

“Then there’s nothing for me to worry about.”

“We’ll need a couple of cameras, too. You can lend me yours. . Toi should have it. He needs to snap a picture of them as they pass the checkpoint. The other I’ll use down at the pier.”

“Smaller is better, and you’ll need a flash for the pier. Have you got one?”

“I bought a shaver, but since I came to Da Nang all I’ve bought is cigarettes.”

“Sarge, you should follow Yong Kyu’s example.”

At this, Yong Kyu laughed and said, “No point in following each other’s example, sir. You should also make a living within the bounds of duty, you know. I’m hoping to have a few opportunities of my own by the time I’m ready to ship home.”

“I like your honesty. We’ve got to be responsible for our men who come out to Da Nang after risking their lives in the combat zones. For the two months you have left, Sarge, you should look after that task.”

Utterly deflated, the sergeant just cast quick sidelong glances whenever the captain said something to him. When the burning charcoal and the beef ribs were brought in, Yong Kyu stood up.

“I’ll give you a call, sir. I should dispatch the boys now.”

“Why not eat first, then you can make the rounds by car.”

“In that case, I should let the boys know they should stay put till I come by. Toi has no idea about the timing, so I better have him head for the checkpoint as soon as he can. Is your camera at the office?”

“Yes, tell Miss Hoa to give it to Toi.”

Yong Kyu had the operator connect him with the US forces headquarters and sent orders separately to each of the men on the team. Then he contacted Toi at Thach’s office in Le Loi market. By the time he returned to the room, the ribs were cooked just right.

As he went to work on the ribs, the sergeant asked, “What are you going to do with the Hong Kong Group when you get hold of them?”

“Even after he just spelled it all out for you,” the captain said, “you still don’t get it, do you? We’ll minimize their dealing as much as possible.”

“Lieutenant Colonel Pak, he’s not a nobody, sir.”

“Lieutenant Colonel, my ass. What does somebody from the reserves like him think he’s doing in a war zone? Besides, I haven’t seen his record. The bastard seems to know a few faces of senior staff at brigade, but that’s nothing.”

“We can treat him decently and at the same time give him as much trouble as we want. I want to teach that bastard Oh, the one they call ‘Pig,’ a lesson. I hear he’s a veteran who used to go to Tsushima when he was in Pusan. . that bastard takes us for idiots.”

“But it’ll be a headache, I’m telling you. We can’t drag them into the investigation headquarters in front of the Americans. After all, this is an internal matter among us, you know.”

“That’s precisely what makes it more convenient for us. You see, we’ll haul them down to the Da Nang police station. Sir, you can personally ask for a little favor from Colonel Cao or one of his subordinates.”

“I’ll call Colonel Cao. He’s invited me to his house a few times.”

“Now, let’s stop the shop talk and have a few beers,” the sergeant said.

“You’re lucky, anyhow,” the captain said with a laugh, “you’re the only one getting something for nothing out of this case.”

“I’ll be sure to play by the rules, sir.”

The captain ceased with the stern stares he’d been aiming at the sergeant. Yong Kyu felt full and got up from the table to leave.

“I’ll get the boys in place and come back here. This’ll be a good place for a command post, eh?”

“Right. The Grand Hotel has phone service through an operator, not so good. I’ll go inside and stay there in the main room, maybe play some cards with the owner. If you have some money for stakes, Sarge, the three of us can play.”

“Sure, why not?” the sergeant said.

Yong Kyu took the separately wrapped order of food outside and got into the Jeep. When he reached the main gate of the air force PX, the man on duty bounded out of the checkpoint office to report.

“Here yet?” Yong Kyu asked.

“Came in, sir,” the private replied, pointing in the direction of the parking lot. “But it’s not the station wagon, sir.”

“Army truck, then?”

“A vehicle from brigade, sir.”

Down on the right side of the road Yong Kyu could see the dust-covered truck. He had been in it on a few past runs to see it past checkpoints.

“It’s at a supply pickup dock, isn’t it?”

“That’s what I thought, it’s been standing there a while. The wagon was here but left after dropping off the Hong Kong Pig. He went inside the office with a master sergeant from the headquarters PX. That bastard Pig was dressed up in US jungle fatigues and a combat helmet to boot.”

Yong Kyu reckoned Pig was posing as the soldier in charge of the truck using the sergeant’s CID identification.

“All right. As soon as that trucks moves out of here, call the Dragon Palace Restaurant using the switchboard downtown.”

Yong Kyu drove the Jeep back through the air base and came out at the Dong Dao junction. The man who was supposed to be on duty there was nowhere to be seen. After parking, Yong Kyu walked around for some time before he spotted the private, wearing a green T-shirt, near the back gate of the marine PX. He was drinking a soda and chatting with an American guard. Judging from this loitering out back, where most PX goods were taken out to the units, he must have been looking for a chance to make some money.

By now this private had probably made friends with the guards and the Vietnamese office girls. With their help he was probably able to get his hands on a few cartons of cigarettes and maybe some appliances without a ration card. As Yong Kyu observed from a distance the soldier noticed who was watching, tossed away his coke can and hurried over with a startled expression. Yong Kyu had already decided to chew him out and as he approached he fixed a reproachful look on him.

“You bastard!” he yelled. “You sure as hell got your orders, didn’t you?”

“Yes, sir, but it’s not time yet.”

“Follow me.”

Yong Kyu marched over to the rear of the Quonset huts occupied by the PX staff with the private in tow. He looked around and then turned back.

“At-ten-tion!”

The private snapped to attention. Yong Kyu gave him a kick on the shin with the toe of his boot. “Look, bastard, you think you’re a tourist here?”

Frowning, the private rubbed his shin. “Hey, I know all about it, too. Making a hole is something you can figure out how to do within your duty area.”

As the private stood back up, Yong Kyu kicked him again.