Chapter 22

Hull, Great Britain. June 1068

Two months after Easter, Fàn Zongshi stepped off the merchant ship he had been on and looked out over the Port of Hull. What he saw filled him with wonder, especially the naval ship that happened to be passing. It had no sails or oars but moved faster than any number of men could row. Finally, he reached a kingdom he felt was worthy of trade with the Song Dynasty of China.

Zongshi had been traveling for two years, intending to reach the end of the silk road. As he traveled, he was to send reports back to the emperor about the people and civilizations he encountered. Until he had seen what Britain could produce, Zongshi felt like he was wasting his time. Every civilization he encountered was worse than before, with the worst being the Byzantines. Although Constantinople was talked about throughout the Mediterranean as the most advanced city in the world, Zongshi knew better. Constantinople was a backward, filthy place that Zongshi couldn’t wait to leave. The religion practiced was more than he could stand, and the prices of the goods he had been accustomed to at home were far higher than he could afford. Anyone that could see past trends knew the Byzantines were doomed to collapse. The empire was filled with infighting while being surrounded by enemies: the Muslims to the East and South, the Bulgarians to the North, and the Latins to the West.

The barbarians around him seemed to be celebrating some holiday when some coins produced by a trader caught his attention. It wasn’t what the coins were made of; they appeared silver. It was the shape; they were perfectly round and identical. Zongshi grabbed his interpreter and went to talk with the trader. The trader was a hardy Norseman who towered over Zongshi.

“Excuse me, sir. But where did you get those coins that you just had out?” Zongshi asked through his interpreter.

“Why and who wants to know?”

“I am Fàn Zongshi representing the Song Dynasty of China. I ask about the coins because I have never seen such coins before.”

The Norseman nodded. Telling the tale about the strange coins he carried was normal for him. People stopped to ask about the coins everywhere he went, and it was getting tiring.

“These coins are from an island kingdom to the west called Great Britain, ruled by a powerful woman. Her coins are made like this to keep people from clipping them.”

“May I see them?” asked Zongshi.

The Norseman tossed the three coins at Zongshi and told him to keep them. As Zongshi examines the coins, he sees that, indeed, they are perfectly identical and have a raised ridge that runs around the edge of the coin. In the center of the coin is the portrait of a very beautiful woman, and on the reverse is a strange beast. A lion stood on its rear paws with a sword in one front paw and a shield in the other with Great Britain’s crest in the center. By the time Zongshi had finished, the Norseman had turned his back and began drinking. Zongshi hated to interrupt, but there were too many things he had to know.

“Excuse me again, sir, but can you tell me about the kingdom that made such stunning coins?”

“Sure, why not! Pull up a seat and listen.” The Norseman waited until Zongshi was seated before continuing. “The kingdom that made those coins is a couple of months travel west of here on an island and is called Great Britain. The queen’s name is Marion of York, and she is one woman you do not want to cross under any circumstances. In that kingdom, men and women, nobles and commoners, are viewed equally under the law and can enlist in the military. When I was there last, someone said one in five soldiers is a woman. All the officers are advanced on merit, and it has the only army without nobles running the officer corps.”

“Wait, women can be in the army?”

“Yes, they can even be officers, and many of the more successful commanders are women. When we were sailing there the last time, the British naval ship that stopped us was commanded by a woman. Also, in the kingdom are many strange machines that run on steam. There’s one called steam train that can haul many times the number of goods faster and further than any horse. I even saw a ship that could travel faster than any other ship but has no sails or oars.”

“If I weren’t holding such a coin, I would tell you that you are lying, but with these coins, I cannot.” The Norseman barked a mighty laugh and called for another drink. That wasn’t the first time he had heard that line, but this strange man seemed extremely interested in the tail. “Would it be possible for you to take me with you to visit this kingdom?”

“I don’t see why not as long as you pitch in on duties and help pay for meals.”

The next morning, the trader and Zongshi rounded the Golden Horn and headed into the Bosphorus before heading north into the Black Sea. They made good time sailing across the Black Sea before heading up the Dnieper River. Slowly they worked their way up the river until they reached the point where they had to leave the river. Traveling overland, the party was attacked by bandits, but they were always driven off without problems. As they traveled, the Norseman taught Zongshi English. Finally reaching the Daugava River, they started sailing again, and since they were traveling with the current, they could go faster until they reached the Baltic Sea.

Every day, Zongshi cursed himself for getting into this adventure. The weather was terrible, and the food was worse. The group was trying to cross the Baltic in mid-spring, and often, the fog was so bad a person couldn’t see the other end of the boat. The Norse stopped in Denmark and spent a week getting drunk and merry. Zongshi did his best to hide until he could continue. Eventually, he was able to buy passage with a British merchant.

On the trip across the North Sea, the merchant was intercepted by one of Marion’s patrol boats. It was patrol boat #10 under the command of a newly commissioned lieutenant. After examining the merchantman, they were sent on their way, leaving Zongshi to wonder what kind of ship that was. It was larger than the merchant ship he was on but much faster, with a strange system of sails.

The merchant laughed when Zongshi asked him

“That was a patrol boat, and she is small compared to the destroyers we will probably see in the harbor.”

“SMALL?!?!”

“Just wait and see.”

Zongshi stood on the dock in Hull, his mouth open as the largest ship he had ever seen steamed past, headed toward the sea. Finally turning his attention back to the port, he found himself feeling very small as large cranes moved heavy loads and steam engines screamed as pressures were kept near the red line. When he was almost run over, he realized it was time to go and gathered his luggage.

Somehow, he found the ticket window for the train to York and bought a ticket. Everything he needed to do had been explained to him by the merchant on the way across. Just before the train pulled into the station, a group of sailors and marines walked onto the platform. From their uniform, Zongshi knew they were in the military but what threw him was a number of the sailors were women.

Zongshi was thankful for the instructions he received when the doors to the train opened. He knew to stand to the side to let the people on the train off first. Once they were off, he was able to board and found his seat. He was pleased to find a young female marine sitting beside him. Although he could speak English, the woman’s dialect left Zongshi scratching his head. He didn’t realize the woman was Scottish and was speaking Gaelic to a nearby sailor. Eventually, Zongshi figured out the lady also spoke English, but by that time, they were in York.

What he had seen on his way to York frightened him, especially the large mill which lit up the sky with the flame coming out of its stacks. From behind him, he heard the question he was thinking about and the answer to the question the mill produced steel.

Stepping off the train, Zongshi felt like he was in a different world. Everything seemed to be powered with steam, and there were soldiers everywhere. Suddenly he heard a female voice cut through the noise.

“ATTENTION!!”

All the soldiers snapped to attention as the largest man Zongshi had ever seen walked onto the platform. From the soldier’s reaction, Zongshi figured this was a commander.

“Excuse me, sir?” Zongshi asked politely. “Can you tell me where I might find the queen of these lands?”

The man looked at him with cold blue eyes, sending a chill down Zongshi’s spine.

“And who wants to know?”

“I am Fàn Zongshi, and I come from China.”

“Why did you come here?”

“I heard about this wonderful kingdom while in Constantinople, and so far, it has been more wonderful than I could have ever dreamed.”

“Ah. So, what is your business with the queen?”

“Trade mostly. Also, my emperor is curious about everything along the Silk Road.”

“Well, I’m unsure if the queen would be interested in trade with China, but you can ask. Nothing against China, but our ports are too far away to make trade economical until larger ships are built.”

“How do you know where China is?”

“That is information that I cannot part with. If you wish to meet with the queen, I can introduce you to her later today.”

“Thank you. I do not believe I got your name, sir.”

“General Luke MacDougall, commanding officer of the British Army”

Zongshi followed the general around as the general talked with the troops. The most interesting thing for Zongshi was the general actually seemed genially concerned for the soldiers’ and sailors’ wellbeing. He knew it didn’t work that way in any other military he had ever seen. Eventually, the general was able to break away and led Zongshi into the castle. Before Zongshi could enter, though, he had to surrender all his weapons which he found offensive. Luke told him that he had to surrender his weapons if he wanted to meet the queen.

“Then why are you still armed?”

Hearing Zongshi’s comment, the soldiers started laughing, making him turn red. Luke just shook his head:

“I’m a special case.”

Zongshi waited for Luke to explain, but he wouldn’t. After Zongshi was searched, he was allowed to continue. It seemed like there was something new to look at every time he turned a corner, and the general was waiting on him. Finally, they reached Marion’s office, and Luke knocked on the door.

“Come in.”

Luke opened the door and gestured for Zongshi to follow him in. When Zongshi saw the queen standing behind a desk, he stopped breathing as his eyes traveled up and down her body. Everything about her was strange, from her long blonde hair to her pants.

“Hello, I’m Marion of York.”

“Fàn Zongshi of the Song Dynasty.”

Marion glanced at Luke before continuing: “I see you have met General Luke MacDougall.” Marion then looked behind her, and Gabriella stepped up beside her, “this is Colonel Gabriella Smiten, commander of the Household Guard.”

Zongshi didn’t know what to think. While having heard of female warriors, he had never heard of a female commander, but one look at the woman introduced as Gabriella told him this was a very dangerous person. When her coat brushed open, he saw the handles of two of the strange weapons called handguns. He had to admit that, as far as he knew, nobody back in China had thought to use black powder in such a fashion. Then Zongshi began to wonder how the British came up with black powder. During his travels, no other kingdom had black powder, even those close to China, so who did Britain get it when the general told him they don’t trade with China? Zongshi knew about black powder because it had existed in China for many years.

“May I ask about your guard’s weapons? I recognize them as using black powder, but this is the first time I have encountered it outside of China. Your general said you don’t trade with China, so how could you develop such a fearsome weapon?”

The three Brits in the room recognized noble arrogance when they heard it, and Marion had to gesture to Gabriella to calm her down. Luke, meanwhile, had an amused look on his face. He would love to toy with the arrogant Chinese man in their mist while Gabriella wanted to string him up by his balls. As usual, it was Marion who had to play peacekeeper.

“So, you do not believe us Brits could develop black powder?” Marion asked with a raised eyebrow. “If you arrived on the train from Hull, you had to see the steel mill, so you should know we are an industrious people.”

“Of course, your majesty,” Zongshi recognized his mistake. “I hope you didn’t think I was suggesting otherwise. I just find it strange no other kingdom I have seen has this technology.” He saw the guard relax. “I came here because I heard about your kingdom in Constantinople and was curious. The emperor has tasked me to investigate the Silk Road, but the appeal of visiting your kingdom was too great, and here I am.”

“So, tell me, why is my kingdom so appealing?”

“In Constantinople, I saw some of your coinage. I have never seen coins like yours before, and once I saw them, I had to visit.”

“So now that you have visited, what do you think?”

“I have never seen or dreamed of such a kingdom as you have built. Until I set foot on your soil at Hull, the most impressive sights I had seen were at home. Now, those at home pale compared to what I have seen so far.”

“And we are just getting started,” Gabriella spoke for the first time since Zongshi walked in. “When we are done, all people will be judged equally in front of the law, and anyone can be wealthy. It won’t matter if you are born a noble or a commoner, just how ambitious and smart you are. Take me, for instance. I was born the daughter of serfs, but through hard work and Marion’s reforms, I now head her bodyguard unit and share a bed with her every night.” Zongshi’s mouth dropped to the floor. “That’s right. I prefer women and am Marion’s lover, although I have a child courtesy of her husband.”

Zongshi turned to Marion with his mouth moving, but no words coming out. He had never heard of two female lovers, but what was more, Marion didn’t show any reaction to her guard’s statement that her husband was the father of the guard’s child. If he had looked at Luke, he would have seen him mimicking cunnilingus to Gabriella, who blushed slightly.

“Your majesty ... your husband is the father to your guard’s child?”

“Yep. He also has twins with his lover, while he and I have two of our own. All four of us share a bed almost every night. Sometimes one of us is away on business, or my husband suffers from insomnia from when he was a soldier.”