Daylight on Iron Mountain (51 page)

Jiang Lei

Also known as Nai Liu, ‘Enduring Willow’, Jiang is general of the Eighteenth Banner of Tsao Ch’un’s army. The foremost poet of his age, he is an honest man and a strict Confucian; a good man in bad times.

Reed, Jake

Before the Collapse Jake was a login or ‘webdancer’, one of the best, operating within the virtual landscape of the DatScape. When things fell, he fled to the West Country where he married and had a child, Peter. Twenty years on, his past is about to catch up with him.

Shepherd, Amos

Scion of his clan, Shepherd is the architect of the great City of Ice being steadily built across the globe by the tyrant, Tsao Ch’un. As Chief Advisor to the great man he has great power and influence. His main love, however, is for his art, and for the Domain, his golden valley outside the City he created.

Tsao Ch’un

Former member of the politburo, also known as ‘the Tyrant’, is the single powerful man responsible for conquering the world and unifying it as Chung Kuo, the ‘Middle Kingdom’. The target of assassins, he is fearless and cunning, ruling his newly-created City by means of his council of Seven.

Ch’eng I

Minor family prince and son of Ch’eng So Yuan

Ch’eng So Yuan

Minor family head

Cheng Yu

One of the Seven, advisor to Tsao Ch’un

Fan Chang

One of the Seven, advisor to Tsao Ch’un

Fan Cho

Son of Fan Chang

Fan Lin

Son of Fan Chang

Fan Peng

Eldest wife of Fan Chang

Fan Ti Yu

Son of Fan Chang

Hou Hsin-Fa

One of the Seven, advisor to Tsao Ch’un

Li Chang So

Sixth son of Li Chao Ch’in

Li Chao Ch’in

One of the Seven, advisor to Tsao Ch’un

Li Fu Jen

Third son of Li Chao Ch’in

Li Kuang

Fifth son of Li Chao Ch’in

Li Peng

Eldest son of Li Chao Ch’in

Li Shen

Second son of Li Chao Ch’in

Li Weng

Fourth son of Li Chao Ch’in

Pei Ko

One of the Seven, advisor to Tsao Ch’un

Pei Lin-Yi

Eldest son of Pei Ko

Teng Liang

Minor family princess betrothed to Prince Ch’eng I

Tsao Ch’I Yuan

Youngest son of Tsao Ch’un

Tsao Ch’un

Ruler of Chung Kuo

Tsao Heng

Second son of Tsao Ch’un

Tsao Wang-Po

Eldest son of Tsao Ch’un

Tsu Chen

One of the Seven, advisor to Tsao Ch’un

Tsu Lin

Eldest son of Tsu Chen

Wang Hui So

One of the Seven, advisor to Tsao Ch’un

Wang Lung

Eldest son of Wang Hui So

Wu Hsien

One of the Seven, advisor to Tsao Ch’un

Aaltonen

Marshal and Head of Security for City Europe

Bakke

Marshal in Security

Chang Yu

Tsao Ch’un’s new appointment as First Dragon

Chen Yu

Steward to Tsao Ch’un in Pei Ch’ing

Cho Yi Yi

Master of the Bedchamber at Tongjiang

Ling

Steward at the Black Tower

Ma Shao Tu

Senior Servant to Li Chao Ch’in

Raikkonen

Marshal in Security

Shepherd, Amos

Chief Advisor to Tsao Ch’un and architect of City Earth

Svensson

Marshal in Security

Ts’ao P’i

‘Number Three’; steward at Tsao Ch’un’s court in Pei Ch’ing

Wei Shao

Chancellor to Tsao Ch’un

Wen P’ing

Tsao Ch’un’s man. A bully

Yu Ch’o

Family retainer to Wang Hui So

Anders

A mercenary

Beatrice

Daughter of Cathy Hubbard; granddaughter of Mary Reed

Big Wen

A ‘landowner’

Boss Yang

An exploiter of the people

Buck, John

Head of Development at the Ministry of Contracts

Chang Lai-hsun

Nephew of Chang Yi Wei

Chang Yi Wei

Senior brother of the Chang clan; owners of MicroData

Chao Ni Tsu

Computer genius; friend and advisor to Tsao Ch’un

Chen So I

Head of the Ministry of Contracts

Chi Fei Yu

An usurer

Chi Lin Lin

Legal assistant to Yang Hong Yu

Chiu Fa

Media commentator on the Mids news channel

Chun Hua

Wife of Jiang Lei

Curtis, Tim

Head of Human Resources for GenSyn

Dag

A mercenary

Ebert, Gustav

Joint Head of GenSyn; brother of Wolfgang Ebert

Ebert, Ludovic

Son of Gustav Ebert and GenSyn director

Ebert, Wolfgang

Joint Head of GenSyn; brother of Gustav Ebert

Einar

A mercenary

Feng I

Colonel in charge of Tsao Ch’un’s elite force

Grant, Thomas

Captain in Security

Haavikko, Knut

Major in Security

Henrik

A mercenary

Ho

Steward to Jiang Lei

Hsu Jung

Friend of Jiang Lei

Hubbard, Cathy

Daughter of Tom and Mary Hubbard

Hubbard, Meg

Daughter of Tom and Mary Hubbard

Hui

Receptionist for GenSyn

Hui Chang Ye

Senior Legal Advocate for the Chang family

Hung

Tsao Ch’un’s spy in Jiang Lei’s camp

Jiang Ch’iao-chieh

Eldest daughter of Jiang Lei

Jiang Lei

General of the Eighteenth Banner; Poet

Jiang San-chieh

Youngest daughter of Jiang Lei

Jung

Steward to Tobias Lahm

Karl

A mercenary

Ku

Marshal of the Fourth Banner Army

Kurt

Chief Technician

Lahm, Tobias

Eighth Dragon at the Ministry, ‘the Thousand Eyes’

Lo Wen

Granddaughter of Jiang Lei

Ming Hsin-fa

Senior Advocate for GenSyn

Nai Liu

‘Enduring Willow’, pen name of Jiang Lei

Pan Tsung-yen

Friend of Jiang Lei

P’eng Chuan

Sixth Dragon at the Ministry, the ‘Thousand Eyes’

P’eng K’ai-chi

Nephew of P’eng Chuan

Ragnar

A mercenary

Reed, Jake

Ex-webdancer; father of Peter; husband of Mary

Reed, Mary

Wife of Jake Reed

Reed, Tom

Son of Jake and Mary Reed

Reed, Peter

Son of Jake Reed; executive employee of GenSyn

Rheinhardt

Media Liaison Manager for GenSyn

Schwartz

Aid to Marshal Aaltonen

Shao Shu

First Steward at Chun Hua’s mansion

Shao Yen

Major in Security. Friend of Meng Hsin-fa

Shen Fu

The First Dragon; Head of the Ministry

Shepherd Alexandra

Wife of Amos Shepherd and daughter of Charles Melfi

Shepherd, Augustus

Son of Amos Shepherd

Shepherd, Beth

Daughter of Amos Shepherd

Shu Liang

Senior Legal Advocate

Tai Yu

‘Moonflower’, maid to Gustav Ebert. A GenSyn clone

Tsu Shi

Steward to Gustav Ebert. A GenSyn clone

Tu Mu

Assistant to Alison Winter at GenSyn

Wei

A Judge

Winter, Alison

Ex-girlfriend of Jake Reed; Head of Evaluation at GenSyn

Winter, Jake

Only son of Alison Winter

Wu Chi

AI (Artificial Intelligence) to Tobias Lahm

Yang Hong Yu

Legal Advocate

Yo Jou Hsi

A Judge

Chang Li Chen

Junior Dragon in charge of drafting the Edict of Technological Control

Ching Su

Friend of Jiang Lei

Judd, Drew

Actor; star of Ubik

Melfi, Charles

Father of Alexandra Shepherd

Reed, May

Sister of Jake Reed

Shen Chen

Son of Shen Fu

Su Tung-p’o

Han official and poet of the Eleventh Century

Tsao Hsiao

Tsao Ch’un’s eldest brother

Wang An-Shih

Han official and poet of the Eleventh Century

Ch’un Tzu

An ancient Chinese term from the Warring States period, describing a certain class of noblemen, controlled by a code of chivalry and morality known as the
li
, or rites. Here the term is roughly, and sometimes ironically, translated as ‘gentlemen’. The
ch’un tzu
is as much an ideal state of behaviour – as specified by Confucius in the
Analects
– as an actual class in Chung Kuo, though a degree of financial independence and a high standard of education are assumed prerequisites.

Hung Mao

Literally ‘redheads’, the name the Chinese gave to the Dutch (and later English) seafarers who attempted to trade with China in the seventeenth century. Because of the piratical nature of their endeavours (which often meant plundering Chinese shipping and ports) the name has connotations of piracy.

Ko Ming ‘revolutionary’

The
T’ien Ming
is the Mandate of Heaven, supposedly handed down from Shang Ti, the Supreme Ancestor, to his earthly counterpart, the Emperor (
HuangTi
). This Mandate could be enjoyed only so long as the Emperor was worthy of it, and rebellion against a tyrant – who broke the Mandate through his lack of justice, benevolence, and sincerity – was deemed not criminal but a rightful expression of Heaven’s anger.

pi p’a

A four-stringed lute used in traditional Chinese music.

San Kuo Chih Yen I

The Romance of The Three Kingdoms
is a long book of 120 chapters, covering a hundred years, from the downfall of the Han dynasty to China’s reunification under the Tsin in ad 265. Based partly on fact, part on myth, it is still regularly read in public and is China’s most engrossing heroic saga. Its opening words say much of the Han’s attitudes towards history – ‘The empire when united tends to disruption, and when partitioned, strives once more for unity.’ Anyone studying Chinese history would see the truth in those words.

Wen ch’a te

‘Elegance’ – this is much more the expression of a concept, that of a certain sense of perfection embodied within that elegance, than a simple descriptive term.

Yin yueh ‘music’

Again, the word is used conceptually, almost poetically here.

Ying Kuo

England, or, more often these days, the United Kingdom.