xvii THE NORTH-WEST IN ARMS 265
neighbouring temple to pass the time of day with the
battery commander.
This was a younger man, a friend of Sun Ming-
chiu's—powerful, energetic, trained in Japan and, I
suspected, a good enough gunner. He talked with
explosive violence, as though he were giving orders
to his battery in the midst of a bombardment.
And there was nothing half-hearted about his
opinions. He expressed a point of view that I had
met before, especially among the younger Tungpei
officers. "It's not the leader that counts—leader or
no leader, we go on with our anti-Japanese pro-
gramme." Like so many others—officers and men
alike—he spoke of Chang Hsueh-liang in terms of
almost personal affection, calling him the "wise
commander" (which is an official title, but can be
something more than that). This artilleryman was
no sentimentalist, however; he had clear-cut ideas
of his own.
"Sooner or later we must fight Japan," he declared
roundly. "General Chiang has said that he will lead
us; good, we will follow him. But now he holds our
own commander under arrest. That will not stop us;
if Marshal Chang were to come back to Sian and
tell us not to fight, that would not stop us either. If
we cannot fight Japan directly, we will fight to find a
way."
He thumped the table for emphasis, spat vigorously,
and suggested a walk round the lines.
The misted line of the hills was lost in shadow;
the snow slopes had the glow of evening. But with
the aid of field-glasses, it was still possible to make
out the position of the Government troops. We