Snow Tiger took Han Tzu’s pause as an invitation for him to enter the office first. Han Tzu did not follow him inside until Snow Tiger was seated at his desk.

Then Han Tzu entered.

“Please close the door,” said Snow Tiger.

Han Tzu turned around and pulled the door all the way open.

Snow Tiger took his disobedience without blinking. What could he do or say without making himself seem pathetic?

Snow Tiger pushed a paper toward Han Tzu. It was an order, giving him command over the army that was slowly starving in Sichuan province. “You have proved your great wisdom many times,” said Snow Tiger. “We ask you now to be the salvation of China and lead this great army against our enemy.”

Han Tzu did not even bother to answer. A hungry, ill-equipped, demoralized, surrounded army was not going to accomplish miracles. And Han Tzu had no intention of accepting this or any other assignment from Snow Tiger.

“Sir, these are excellent orders,” said Han Tzu loudly. He glanced at each of the soldiers standing beside the desk. “Do you see how excellent these orders are?”

Unused to being spoken to directly in such a high-level meeting, one of the soldiers nodded; the other merely shifted uncomfortably.

“I see only one error,” said Han Tzu. His voice was loud enough to be heard in the anteroom as well.

Snow Tiger grimaced. “There is no error.”

“Let me take my pen and show you,” said Han Tzu. He took the pen from his shirt pocket and uncapped it. Then he drew a line through his own name at the top of the paper.

Turning around to face the open door, Han Tzu said, “There is no one in this building with the authority to command me.”

It was his announcement that he was taking control of the government, and everyone knew it.

“Shoot him,” said Snow Tiger behind him.

Han Tzu turned around, putting the pen to his mouth as he did.

But before he could fire a dart, the soldier who had refused to nod had blown out Snow Tiger’s head, covering the other soldier with a smear of blood and brains and bone fragments.

The two soldiers bowed deeply to Han Tzu.

Han Tzu turned back around and strode out into the anteroom. Several of the old generals were heading for the door. But Lieutenant White Lotus had her pistol out and they all froze in place. “Emperor Han Tzu has not given the honorable gentlemen his permission to leave,” she said.

Han Tzu spoke to the soldiers behind him. “Please assist the lieutenant in securing this room,” he said. “It is my judgment that the officers in this room need time to contemplate upon the question of how China came into her current difficult situation. I would like them to remain in here until each of them has written a complete explanation of how so many mistakes came to be made, and how they think matters should have been conducted.”