Free Utah Terror : Utah Terror (9781101606971) by Jon Sharpe

and descended the dais. He moved with surprising grace, taking small steps. “Will you walk with me?”
    â€œWhere to?”
    â€œHere is fine.” Han moved past Lo Ping and began to leisurely circle the chamber. His intense eyes never once left Fargo. “Where to begin? You must have questions. Perhaps we should start with those.”
    â€œFair enough.” Fargo didn’t know what to make of him. “What the hell are you up to?”
    â€œYou must be more specific.”
    â€œThis gold camp. Hunan, you call it. You’re making it your own little kingdom.”
    â€œExactly so,” Han said, smiling. “I could not have expressed it better myself.”
    â€œYou admit it?”
    â€œWhy wouldn’t I? There is, as you Americans say, no law against what I am doing, which, after all, is nothing more or less than reshaping this camp to reflect our Chinese heritage.”
    â€œIs that so?”
    â€œPhrased more simply,” Han said, “this camp will become much like Chinatown in San Francisco. Are you familiar with it?”
    â€œBeen there,” Fargo said.
    â€œAh. Excellent. Then you can understand. It was Chinatown that gave me the idea. Walking its streets is like walking the streets of China. When we are done here, Hunan will be the same.”
    â€œI don’t recollect seeing any Tong in San Francisco.”
    â€œChinatown is much bigger than our small camp. There are, in fact, several benevolent societies in Chinatown. They compete for control.”
    â€œBenevolent?” Fargo said, and laughed.
    â€œScoff if you must but we are devoted to the well-being of those under us,” Han said. “Under our guidance this camp will prosper as never before.”
    â€œSo long as everyone does what you want.”
    â€œI can see you are a man who speaks his mind,” Han said. “So I will speak mine.” He stopped. “I did not come to your country willingly. There were certain difficulties, and I was forced to leave China or be thrown into prison or beheaded.”
    â€œNot much of a choice.”
    Han sadly frowned. “No, it was not. I miss China. To be forced to leave against my will filled me with great sorrow. But if I cannot live
in
China, I can do the next best thing. I can bring China here, as it were.”
    â€œWord is,” Fargo said, “you’re driving all the whites out.”
    â€œNot so,” Han said. “Those who left did so of their own accord. They did not like what I am doing. And frankly, I can’t blame them.”
    â€œYou can’t?”
    â€œThis is America, not China. Naturally, by my making this camp more reflective of our country, it made them uncomfortable.”
    Fargo was growing more perplexed by the minute. Based on all he’d heard, he’d taken Han for a tyrant. Instead, he was almost reasonable. “You’re not at all as I reckoned you’d be,” he admitted.
    â€œI will regard that as a compliment.” Han motioned and they walked on. “My dream, Mr. Fargo, is for Hunan to be a sanctuary for Chinese everywhere. Eventually, I hope it will be a city in its own right, with all the benefits that brings.”
    â€œA city in the middle of nowhere?”
    â€œOn purpose,” Han said. “How do I put this delicately?” He clasped his hands behind his back. “You are aware, I should think, of the anti-Chinese sentiment in your country?”
    Fargo nodded.
    â€œNot all Americans feel that way, I know. But far too many do. They look down their noses at anyone with Chinese blood. It’s all too common that Chinese are spat upon, as if they were dogs. And in some places your countrymen come in the night and drag them off and hang them from trees.”
    Fargo didn’t say anything. Every word was true. There were even anti-Chinese leagues devoted to running the Chinese out of the country.
    â€œHunan will serve as a haven from