Wingrove, David - Chung Kuo 02

Chung Kuo.
The words mean "Middle Kingdom," and since 221 B.C.,
when the first emperor, Ch'in Shih Huang Ti, unified the seven
Warring States, it is what the "black-haired people," the
Han, or Chinese, have called their great country. The Middle
Kingdom—for them it was the whole world; a world bounded by
great mountain chains to the north and west, by the sea to east and
south. Beyond was only desert and barbarism. So it was for two
thousand years and through sixteen great dynasties. Chung Kuo
was
the Middle Kingdom, the very center of the human world, and its
emperor the "Son of Heaven," the "One Man." But
in the eighteenth century that world was invaded by the young and
aggressive Western powers with their superior weaponry and their
unshakable belief in progress. It was, to the surprise of the Han, an
unequal contest and China's myth of supreme strength and
self-sufficiency was shattered. By the early twentieth century,
China—Chung Kuo—was the sick old man of the East: "a
carefully preserved mummy in a hermetically sealed coffin," as
Karl Marx called it. But from the disastrous ravages of that century
grew a giant of a nation, capable of competing with the West and with
its own Eastern rivals, Japan and Korea, from a position of
incomparable strength. The twenty-first century, "the Pacific
Century," as it was known even before it began, saw China become
once more a world unto itself, but this time its only boundary was
space.

V3.0
– fixed broken paragraphs, garbled text, consistent format with
prequel by paragwinn

Reconstructed
text by best guess contained in brackets [ ]

by
DAVID WINGROVE

THE
BROKEN WHEEL

published
by

delacorte
press

for
rose and ian

"A new
sound from the old keys."

Keep away from
sharp swords

Don't go near a
lovely woman.

A sharp sword
too close will wound your hand,

Woman's beauty
too close will wound your life.

The danger of
the road is not in the distance,

Ten yards is far
enough to break a wheel.

The peril of
love is not in loving too often,

A single evening
can leave its wound in the soul.

—MENG
CHIAO, Impromptu,
eighth
century
A.D.

MAJOR
CHARACTERS

Ascher, Emily—Trained as an economist, she
joined the Ping Tioo revolutionary party at the turn of the century,
becoming one of its policy-formulating Council of Five. A passionate
fighter for social justice, she was also once the lover of the Ping
Tioo's unofficial leader, Bent Gesell.

DeVore, Howard—A one-time Major in the
T'ang's Security forces, he has become the leading figure in the
struggle against the Seven. A highly intelligent and coldly logical
man, he is the puppet master behind the scenes as the great "War
of the Two Directions" takes a new turn.

Ebert, Hans—Son of Klaus Ebert and heir to
the vast GenSyn Corporation, he has been promoted to Major in the
Security forces, and is admired and trusted by his superiors. Ebert
is a complex young man, a brave and intelligent officer; he also has
a selfish, dissolute, and rather cruel streak.

Fei Yen—Daughter of Yin Tsu, one of the
heads of "The Twenty-Nine," the minor aristocratic families
of Chung Kuo. Her marriage to the murdered Prince Li Han Ch'in has
been nullified, and she is set to marry Han's brother, the young
Prince Li Yuan. The classically beautiful "Flying Swallow"
is fragile in appearance, but surprisingly strong-willed and fiery.

Haavikko, Axel—Smeared by the false
accusations of his fellow officers, Lieutenant Haavikko has spent the
best part of a decade in debauchery and self-negation. At core,
however, he is a good, honest man, and circumstances will raise him
from the pit into which he has fallen.

Kao Chen—Once an assassin from the Net, the
lowest levels of the great City, Chen has raised himself from his
humble beginnings and is now a Captain in the T'ang's Security
forces. As friend and helper to Karr, he is one of the foot-soldiers
in the War against DeVore.

Karr, Gregor—Major, later Colonel, in the
Security forces, he was recruited by General Tolonen from the Net. In
his youth he was a "blood"—a to-the-death combat
fighter. A huge, giant of a man, he is the "hawk" Li Shai
Tung plans to fly against his adversary DeVore.

Lehmann, Stefan—Albino son of the former
Dispersionist leader Pietr Lehmann, he has become a lieutenant to
DeVore. A cold, unnaturally dispassionate man, he seems to be the
very archetype of nihilism, his only aim to bring down the Seven and
their great City.

Li Shai Tung—T'ang of Europe and one of the
Seven, the ruling Council of Chung Kuo, Li Shai Tung is now in his
seventies. For many years he was the fulcrum of the Council and
unofficial spokesman for the Seven, but the murder of his heir, Han
Ch'in, weakened him, undermining his once-strong determination to
prevent Change at all costs.

Li Yuan—Second son of Li Shai Tung, he has
become heir to City Europe after the murder of his brother. Thought
old before his time, his cold, thoughtful manner conceals a
passionate nature, expressed in his wooing of and marriage to his
dead brothers wife, Fei Yen.

Shepherd, Ben—Son of Hal Shepherd, the
T'ang's chief advisor, and great-great-grandson of City Earth's
architect. Shepherd was bom and brought up in the Domain, an idyllic
valley in the southwest of England where, deciding not to follow in
his father's footsteps and become advisor to Li Yuan, he pursues
instead his calling as an artist, developing a whole new art form,
the Shell, which will eventually have a cataclysmic effect on Chung
Kuo society.

Tolonen, Jelka—Daughter of Marshal Tolonen,
Jelka has been brought up in a very masculine environment, lacking a
mother's influence. However, her genuine interest in martial arts and
in weaponry and strategy mask a very different side to her nature; a
side brought out by violent circumstances.

Tolonen, Knut—Marshal of the Council of
Generals and one-time General to Li Shai Tung, Tolonen is a big,
granite-jawed man and the staunchest supporter of the values and
ideals of the Seven. Possessed of a fiery, fearless nature, he will
stop at nothing to protect his masters, yet after long years of War
even his belief in the necessity of stasis has been shaken.

Tsu Ma—T'ang of West Asia and one of the
Seven, the ruling Council of Chung Kuo, Tsu Ma has thrown off his
former dissolute ways as a result of his father's death and become
one of Li Shai Tung's greatest supporters in Council. A strong,
handsome man, he has still, however, a weakness in his nature; one
which is almost his undoing.

Wang Sau-leyan—Fourth and youngest son of
Wang Hsien, T'ang of Africa, he has been placed closer to the center
of political events by the murder of his two eldest brothers. Thought
of as a wastrel, he is, in fact, a shrewd and highly capable
political being who is destined—through circumstances of his
own devising—to become the harbinger of change inside the
Council of the Seven.

Ward, Kim—Born in the Clay, that
dark wasteland beneath the great City's foundations, Kim has a quick
and unusual bent of mind. His vision of a giant web, formulated in
the darkness, had driven him up into the light of the Above. However,
after a traumatic fight and a long period of personality
reconstruction, he has returned to things not quite the person he
was. Or so it seems, for Kim has lost none of the sharpness that has
made him the most promising young scientist in the whole of Chung
Kuo.

THE
SEVEN AND THE FAMILIES

Chi Hsing—T'ang of the
Australias.

Hou Tung-po—T'ang of South
America.

Li Feng Chiang—brother and
advisor to Li Shai Tung.

Li Shai Tung—T'ang of
Europe.

Li Yuan—second son of Li
Shai Tung and heir to City Europe.

Pei Ro-hen—head of the Pei
Family (one of the "Twenty-Nine" Minor Families).

Tsu Ma—T'ang of West Asia.

Wang Hsien—T'ang of Africa.

Wang Sau-leyan—fourth son
of Wang Hsien.

Wang Ta-hung—third son of
Wang Hsien and heir to City Africa.

Wei Chan Yin—eldest son of
Wei Feng and heir to City East Asia.

Wei Feng—T'ang of East
Asia.

Wu Shih—T'ang of North
America.

Yin Chan—Minor-Family
Prince; son of Yin Tsu.

Yin Fei Yen—"Flying
Swallow," Minor-Family Princess; daughter of Yin Tsu.

Yin Sung—Minor-Family
Prince; son of Yin Tsu.

Yin Tsu—head of Yin Family
(one of the "Twenty-Nine" Minor Families).

Yin Wu Tsai—Minor-Family
Princess and cousin of Fei Yen.

FRIENDS
AND RETAINERS OF THE SEVEN

Auden, William—Captain in
Security.

Chang Li—Chief Surgeon to
Li Shai Tung.

Chang
Shih
-sen—personal
secretary to Li Yuan.

Ch'in Tao Fan—Chancellor of
East Asia.

Chu Ta Yun—Minister of
Education for City Europe.

Chuang Ming—Minister to Li
Shai Tung.

Chung Hu-yan—Chancellor to
Li Shai Tung.

Ebert, Berta—wife of Klaus
Ebert.

Ebert, Hans—Major in
Security and heir to GenSyn.

Ebert, Klaus Stefan—Head of
GenSyn (Genetic Synthetics) and advisor to Li Shai Tung.

Erkki—guard to Jelka
Tolonen.

Fan Liang-wei—painter to
the court of Li Shai Tung.

Fest, Edgar—Captain in
Security.

Fischer, Otto—Head of
Personal Security at Wang Hsien's palace in Alexandria.

Haavikko, Axel—lieutenant
in Security.

Haavikko, Vesa—sister of
Axel Haavikko.

Heng Yu—Minister of
Transportation for City Europe.

Hoffmann—Major in Security.

Hua—personal surgeon to Li
Shai Tung.

Hung Feng-chan—Chief Groom
at Tongjiang.

Hung Mien-lo—advisor to
Wang Ta-hung and Chancellor of City Africa.

Kao Chen—Captain in
Security.

Karr, Gregor—Major in
Security.

Lautner, Wolfgang—Captain
in Security Personnel at Bremen.

Lung Mei Ho—secretary to
Tsu Ma.

Nan Ho—Li Yuan's Master of
the Inner Chamber.

Nocenzi, Vittorio—General
of Security, City Europe.

Panshin, Anton—Colonel in
Security.

Pearl Heart—maid to Li
Yuan.

Russ—Captain in Security.

Sanders—Captain of Security
at Helmstadt Armory.

Scott—Captain of Security.

Shepherd, Ben—son of Hal
Shepherd.

Shepherd, Beth—wife of Hal
Shepherd.

Shepherd, Hal—advisor to Li
Shai Tung and Head of Shepherd family.

Shepherd, Meg—daughter of
Hal Shepherd.

Sun Li Hua—Wang Hsien's
Master of the Inner Chamber.

Sweet Rain—maid to Wang
Hsien.

Sweet Rose—maid to Li Yuan.

Tender Willow—maid to Wang
Hsien.

Tolonen, Helga—aunt of
Jelka Tolonen.

Tolonen, Jelka—daughter of
Knut Tolonen.

Tolonen, Jon—brother of
Knut Tolonen.

Tolonen, Knut—Marshal of
the Council of Generals and father of Jelka Tplonen.

WangTaChuan—Li Shai Tung's
Master of the Inner Palace.

Wu Ming—servant to Wang
Ta-hung.

Ying Chai—assistant to Sun
Li Hua.

Ying Fu—assistant to Sun Li
Hua.

Yu—surgeon to Li Yuan.

DISPERSIONISTS

Berdichev, Soren—head of
SimFic (Simulated Fictions) and leader of the Dispersionists.

DeVore, Howard—former Major
in Li Shai Tung's Security forces.

Douglas, John—Company Head.

Kubinyi—lieutenant to
DeVore.

Lehmann, Stefan—albino son
of former Dispersionist leader Pietr Lehmann and Lieutenant to
DeVore.

Wiegand, Max—lieutenant to
DeVore.

PING
TIAO

Ascher, Emily—economist and
member of the Council of Five.

Gesell, Bent—unofficial
leader of the
Ping Tiao
and member of the Council of Five.

Mach, Jan—maintenance
official for the Ministry of Waste Recycling and member of the
Council of Five.

Mao Liang—Minor-Family
Princess and member of the Council of Five.

Shen Lu Chua—computer
expert and member of the Council of Five.

Yun Ch'o—lieutenant to Shen
Lu Chua.

OTHER
CHARACTERS

Barycz, Jiri—scientist on
the Wiring Project.

Beattie, Douglas—alias of
DeVore.

Chan Wen-fu—friend of Heng
Chian-ye.

Chuang Lian—wife of
Minister Chuang.

Ebert, Lutz—half brother of
Klaus Ebert.

Ellis, Michael—assistant to
Director Spatz.

Ganz, Joseph—alias of
DeVore.