el.the miko-第37部分

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


u　said。　What's　with　this　cross…referencing　between　Japanese　and　Chinese？　I　thought　the　two　cultures　were　separate　and　distinct。　I　thought　only　igno…ramous　Westerners　say　they　can't　tell　one　from　the　other。〃
　The　phone　rang　in　the　ensuing　silence　and　Ishii　launched　himself　away　from　the　bar　to　pick　it　up。　They　waited　while　he　spoke　softly　into　the　receiver。　He　had　left　instructions　that　they　not　be　disturbed。
　He　punched　a　button；　hung　up。　〃It's　a　call　for　you；　Nangi…san；〃　he　said。　What　dark　emotion　swam　within　his　eyes？　Nicholas　wondered。　〃Apparently　it　cannot　wait。〃
　Nangi　nodded。　〃I'll　take　it　in　the　other　room。〃　He　went　back　across　the　office；　through　the　open　passageway　to　the　tokonoma　where　Nicholas　had　first　caught　sight　of　him。
　The　tension　in　the　room　was　thick　and　now　Nicholas　used　his　training　to　seek　a　way　of　dissipating　that　high　level　of　energy；　as　well　as　diverting　interest　away　from　areas　he　was　still　reluctant　to　discuss　here。　〃Why　an　ancient　form　of　Chinese　punishment　should　be　taught　in　an　essentially　Japanese　discipline　is　simple；〃　he　began。　〃It　is　said…and　not　I　think　without　a　great　deal　of　merit…that　ninjutsu　had　its　origins　on　the　Asian　continent　somewhere；　more　specifically　in　northeastern　China。　Certainly　it　had　existed　long　before　Japan　became　civilized。
　〃But　then　so　have　many　of　the　more　ancient　customs　and　traditions　in　Japan。〃　He　got　up　and　went　across　the　room；　his　movements　pantherlike。　He　moved　like　some　dancers　Tomkin　had　seen；　with　a　very　low　center　of　gravity；　as　if　the　floor　itself　were　springy　as　a　mat　of　dried　grass。
　Resettling　himself　on　the　sofa　across　from　Tomkin；　with　Sato　and　Ishii　on　his　left　side；　he　continued。　〃In　fact；　China　and　Japan　are　more　closely　bound　than　either　country　likes　to　admit；　since　the　enmity　between　them　is　longstanding　and　quite　bitter。
　〃Nevertheless；　you　only　have　to　take　such　a　basic　of　life　as　language　to　see　what　I　mean。　Chinese　and　Japanese　are　virtually　interchangeable。〃
　He　paused　a　moment　to　see　if　the　Japanese　were　going　to　protest。　〃Until　the　fifth　century　there　was　no　written　Japanese　language　at　all。　Rather；　they　relied　on　kataribe；　people　trained　from　birth　to　be　professional　memorizers；　building　up　a　finely　detailed　oral　history　of　early　Japan。　But　that；　as　we　know　today；　is　a　mark　of　a　primitive　civilization。　Chinese　characters　were　introduced　into　Japan　in　the　fifth　century；　but　the　practice　of　using　kataribe　was　so　firmly　entrenched　in　a　culture　always　reluctant　to　change　that　it　persisted　for　at　least　another　three　hundred　years。〃
　〃But　there　are　differences　in　the　two　languages；〃　Sato　offered。　He　seemed　grayed　and　defeated。　Ishii　appeared　to　be　doing　nothing　at　all　but　breathing。
　〃Oh；　yes；〃　Nicholas　said。　〃Of　course　there　would　have　to　be。　Even　so　far　in　the　past　the　Japanese　were　true　to　their　own　nature。　Never　very　good　at　innovation；　they　nevertheless　excel　at　improving　on　someone　else's　basic　design。
　〃The　problem　with　Chinese　is　its　awesome　cumbersomeness。　It　contains　many　thousands　of　characters；　and　since　it　was　used　largely　for　the　recordings　at　the　Imperial　court　and　official　proceedings；　the　language　was　not　well　suited　for　everyday　use。
　〃The　Japanese　therefore　began　to　work　on　a　phonetic　syllabary　now　known　as　hiragana　to　make　the　Chinese　kanji　more　adaptable　as　well　as　to　express　those　matters　uniquely　Japanese　for　which　there　were　no　Chinese　characters　at　all。　And　by　the　middle　of　the　ninth　century　this　had　been　done。　It　was；　coincidentally；　just　about　the　time　that　the　Eastern　European　countries　were　developing　the　Cyrillic　alphabet。
　〃Sometime　later；　another　new　syllabary　was　introduced…ka…takana…to　be　used　for　colloquialisms　and　foreign　words　being　introduced　into　Japan　as　an　augmentation　for　the　forty…eight…syllable　hiragana。
　〃But　a　curious　holdover　from　Chinese　custom　was　already　in　effect　in　Japan。　No　Chinese　woman　ever　used　kanji　and　therefore　here　too　it　was。　considered；　well；　ungraceful　for　a　Japanese　woman　to　use　the　language。　So　they　took　to　hiragana　and　katakana　and；　in　the　process；　created　the　country's　first　true　written　literature；　The　Pillow　Book　of　Seishonagon　and　the　classic　Genji　Monogatari；　both　dating　from　the　beginning　of　the　eleventh　century。〃
　Just　a　wall　away；　Nangi　was　sitting　at　a　desk　clear　of　all　papers　and　folders。　The　cedar　gleamed；　its　high　polish　giving　it　an　almost　mirrorlike　surface　within　which　he　could　see　part　of　his　own　face。
　〃Yes？〃　he　said　down　the　open　line。
　〃Nangi…san〃…the　voice　sounded　thin　and　strange；　as　if　the　electronic　medium　had　somehow　inverted　it；　pulling　out　its　soul　in　the　process…〃this　is　Anthony　Chin。〃
　Chin　was　the　director　of　the　All…Asia　Bank　of　Hong　Kong　that　Nangi　had　bought　into　almost　seven　years　ago　when；　through　a　bination　of　fiscal　mismanagement　and　a　series　of　unfortunate　market　fluctuations　within　the　Crown　Colony；　it　had　been　on　the　verge　of　going　under。
　Nangi　had　flown　into　Hong　Kong　and　had　worked　out　a　bailout　scheme　within　ten　days　that　left　his　keiretsu　with　a　maximum　of　cash　flow　after　twenty　months　while　providing　it　with　a　minimum　of　risk　after　the　initial　year　and　three　quarters。　However；　beginning　in　the　spring　of　1977；　a　land　boom　had　menced　within　the　tiny；　teeming　colony　of　unheralded　proportions。
　Anthony　Chin　had　been　at　the　forefront　of　the　boom　and　with　Nangi's　consent　had　invested　much　of　All…Asia's　primary　capital　in　real　estate。　And　both　he　and　the　keiretsu　had　prospered　tremendously　as　property　values　rose　sharply；　until　by　the　end　of　1980　they　had　quadrupled。
　But　for　almost　a　year　before　that　Chin　had　counseled　expansion。　〃It's　got　to　just　keep　going；〃　he　had　told　Nangi　in　late　1979；　〃there's　just　no　alternative。　There's　no　room　at　all　left　on　the　Island　or　across　the　harbor。　There's　plans　afoot　to　make　Sha　Tin　in　the　New　Territories　the　Hong　Kong　for　the　new　middle　class。　I've　seen　plans　for　sixteen　different　high…rise　plexes　all　within　a　mile　or　two　of　the　race　track。　If　we　get　in　now；　we'll　double　our　capital　within　two　years。〃
　But　Nangi　had　opted　for　caution。　After　all；　he　told　himself　rationally；　Britain's　ninety…nine…year　lease　on　the　New　Territories　was　ing　due。　Of　course；　every　citizen　of　the　Colony　discounted　munist　China；　reasoning　that　since　Hong　Kong　and　Macao　were　its　only　real　windows　on　the　west　and　provided　such　a　lucrative　flow　of　money　into　Red　China；　it　would　be　against　their　own　best　interests　to　abrogate　the　lease　or　not　to　renew　it　at　the　very　least。
　But　Nangi　had　had　plenty　of　dealings　with　the　munist　Chinese　and　he　knew　how　their　minds　worked。　And　he　thought；　near　the　beginning　of　1980；　that　there　might　be　something　else　they　would　be　needing　more　than　mere　money。
　He　had　successfully　predicted　the　downfall　of　Mao　and；　thence；　the　Gang　of　Four。　This　was　easy　for　him　since　he　recognized　in　modern　China　precisely　the　same　circumstances　that　created　the　overthrow　of　the　three…hundred…year　Tokugawa　Shogunate　in　his　own　country　and　had　established　the　Meiji　Restoration：　in　order　to　survive　in　modern　times；　the　Chinese　leadership　had　e　at　last　to　the　painful　conclusion　that　they　must　open　themselves　up　to　the　West。　They　had　to　pull　themselves　out　of　the　self…imposed　isolationism　that　Mao　had　thrust　them　into；　a　veritable　dark　ages　since　industry　atrophied　along　with　culture；　merce；　and　artistic　expression；　all　for　the　sake　of　the　Five…Year　Plans　and　intense　repression。
　Increasingly；　Nangi　had　seen　that　more　than　profits；　China　would　need　two　elements　to　set　her　on　her　lumbering　feet；　and　both　inspired　within　him　awe　and　terror：　heavy　industry　and　nuclear　capability。　China　was　in　need　of　wholesale　transplants　and　there　just　was　not　enough　money　to　pay　for　them。　There　was　only　one　other　path　for　them　to　take：　barter。　And　the　only　modity　they　possessed　with　which　to　play　for　such　astronomical　stakes　was　Hong　Kong。　If　they　could　threaten　England　with　expulsion；　a　plete　breakdown　of　all　that　Great　Britain　had　labored　so　hard　and　so　long　for　on　the　tip　of　the　Asian　shore…and　if　they　could　make　it　pletely　believable…then　they　could　extort　almost　anything　they　wished　from　that　country。　Certainly　England　possessed　all　the　modern　technology　China　could　hope　for。
　Toward　this　end；　Nangi　felt；　China　would　soon　be　making　her　first　move。　That　would；　no　doubt；　involve　some　kind　of　public　statement　indicating　that　the　original　lease　was　a　document　which；　for　them；　had　no　validity。　Then　would　e　their　inevitable　announcement　that　at　some　time　in　the　future…date　unspecified；　of　course…they　would　begin　a　reinstitution　of　Chinese　control　over　the　Colony。
　Revelations　like　that；　Nangi　knew　full　well；　would　burst　the　current　real　estate　boom　in　a　flash。　What　foreign　investor　would　want　to　sink　his　money　into　that　kind　of　political　quicksand？　The　inevitable　result　would　be　that　both　the　Hong　Kong　real　estate　and　stock　markets　would　take　a　nose　dive。　Nangi　did　not　want　to　be　caught　in　that。　So　he　vetoed　all　of　Anthony　Chin's　requests　for　expansion。　〃Let　the　others　do　that；〃　he　had　said。　〃We'll　sit　on　our　profits。〃
　And　events　had　borne　out　his　worst　fears。　The　Chinese　announcements　had　e　late　in　1982；　bringing　Her　Majesty　Queen　Elizabeth　running　at　full　tilt。　Her　people　had　set　up　an　extensive　round　of　talks　with　the　munists；　hoping　to　get　the　main　issues　resolved　immediately　and　thus　head　off　the　expected　downturn　in　the　Colony's　economy。
　Nangi　had　had　to　smile　at　that；　just　as　he　had　had　to　smile　at　his　own　perspicacity　and　caution。　The　Chinese；　now　that　they　had　the　upper　hand；　were　going　to　string　this　out　as　long　as　possible；　enjoying　their　dominant　position。　It　was　essential　to　make　Britain　suffer　as　long　as　possible　in　order　to　bring　home　to　the　dense　Westerners　the　dire　straits　in　which　they　found　themselves。
　The　talks　had　broken　off　inconclusively。　And　the　crash　had　e　to　Hong　Kong。　From　a　high　of　1730　in　June　of　1981；　the　Hang　Seng…the　Colony's　stock　market…index　plummeted　to　the　740s　in　December　of　1982。　In　early　1983　some　of　the　smaller　property　panies　began　to　fail；　followed　in　the　third　quarter　of　the　year　by　two　or　three　of　the　larger　ones。
　〃But；〃　John　Bremidge；　Hong　Kong's　Financial　Secretary；　said；　〃the　real　thing　to　worry　about　is　the　financial　and　banking　sector。　They're