The Green God

Five Mex for a Million
Discussion Guide

Five Mex for a Million Story Summary & Overview

Fugitive soldier Captain Royal F. Sterling arrives in Peking with only five Mex and impulsively spends it on a mysterious chest. Inside he discovers Sandra Kolita, kidnapped to lure her wealthy father away from his Mongolian holdings. Sterling rescues her and uncovers General Hseng’s scheme to betray China, seize Kolita’s territory and enrich himself with a million-Mex payoff. Pursued across the Gobi, Sterling and Sandra capture Hseng, rescue Kolita and defeat Hseng’s soldiers. Sterling gains Kolita’s protection and Sandra’s affection—and discovers that his reckless five-Mex purchase has also left him holding the million.

Historical Context: Early Twentieth Century China and Mongolia

Five Mex for a Million takes place against the political instability of northern China and Mongolia during the early twentieth century. The story presents a region where Chinese military commanders, Japanese interests, Russian émigrés, foreign businessmen and local power holders compete for influence. Sterling himself is described as formerly serving in the 20th Route Army, while General Hseng commands forces in northern China and is accused of secretly accepting Japanese money.

The story’s references to Japanese expansion reflect genuine anxieties of the period. Japan had established increasing influence in Manchuria and northern China, while Mongolia occupied a strategically important position between China and the Soviet Union. The fictional plot imagines Hseng accepting money to abandon the frontier and then attempting to establish his own power in Mongolia.

Chapter One

• Sterling enters the Peking club expecting help from men who once treated him as a valuable friend, only to discover that they now avoid him because he is wanted for murder. Discuss what this change reveals about friendships based upon usefulness, influence or social position. How can difficult circumstances reveal the difference between genuine friendship and convenient association?
• Sterling admits that he killed Liang-Tsi-Wu but insists that he fired only because Wu was about to kill him. Discuss the difference between being legally accused of murder and being morally responsible for murder. What information would an impartial observer need before deciding whether Sterling was justified?
• With almost no money and desperately needing clothing for a disguise, Sterling instead spends his last five Mex on a locked chest simply because he is curious about it and attracted by the inscription promising “Good luck! Long life! Happiness!” Discuss why people sometimes make irrational choices when circumstances seem hopeless. Can taking an unreasonable risk ever restore a person’s sense of possibility?

Chapter Two

• Sterling accidentally carries the chest directly to General Hseng’s house—the home of one of the men most dangerous to him—and then decides it may actually be the safest place to hide. Discuss the logic of hiding where an enemy would least expect to find you. When can an apparently foolish decision become strategically sensible?
• When Sterling opens the chest, he discovers Sandra Kolita instead of treasure. He immediately tries to revive her and later tells her she is free to leave, even though helping her could make his own escape more difficult. Discuss what these actions reveal about Sterling’s character beneath his reputation as a dangerous fugitive.
• Sterling reasons that Sandra was kidnapped not primarily because someone wanted her, but because someone wanted her father to leave the security of his Mongolian holdings to search for her. Discuss how Sterling reaches this conclusion from limited evidence. What is the difference between a good deduction and an unsupported assumption?

Chapter Three

• Sterling believes he has been mortally wounded by machine-gun fire, yet continues fighting because Sandra still needs to escape. He later discovers that the blankets he was carrying absorbed the bullets. Discuss how believing that someone else depends upon us can affect our ability to act during extreme danger.
• Sandra takes control of Hseng’s Benz and drives Sterling through the gates of the compound under fire. Compare Sandra with the helpless kidnapping victim Sterling discovered in the chest. How quickly does the story change the reader’s understanding of her character?
• Sterling discovers that Hseng’s automobile has been specially equipped with enormous fuel capacity, maps, binoculars, food, alcohol and other supplies for a long journey. Discuss how seemingly ordinary details can become evidence of a larger plan. Why is noticing something that does not fit the circumstances often important in solving a mystery?

Chapter Four

• Sterling is heavily outnumbered beneath the bridge, yet continues fighting long enough to create an opportunity for escape. Discuss the difference between courage and desperation. Does Sterling make careful tactical decisions during the battle, or is survival largely a matter of luck?
• Sandra prevents Hseng from shooting Sterling at close range, allowing Sterling to overpower him. Throughout the story, Sterling frequently thinks of himself as Sandra’s protector, yet Sandra repeatedly contributes to his survival. Discuss how their relationship challenges the traditional rescuer-and-victim pattern of adventure fiction.
• The valise reveals large amounts of American, British, Chinese and Japanese currency, allowing Sterling to connect Hseng with a larger political betrayal. Discuss why money can provide evidence of political motives. How can following financial interests sometimes reveal motives that patriotic speeches or public reputations conceal?

Chapter Five

• Sterling and Sandra must cross an enormous distance through the Gobi knowing that Kolita may already be traveling directly into Hseng’s trap. Discuss how distance, weather, fuel, communication and uncertainty become part of the conflict. In what ways does geography function almost like another opponent in the story?
• When Sterling discovers that Kolita has already been captured, he cannot defeat Hseng’s soldiers by direct force. Instead, he disguises himself in an officer’s clothing and enters their camp. Discuss why successful improvisation often depends upon recognizing what an opponent expects to see rather than simply hiding from him.
• Sterling offers Hseng’s soldiers one thousand Mex each to put down their weapons, using the very money Hseng obtained through betrayal. Discuss the irony of this strategy. What does the episode suggest about the ability of money to create loyalty—and the weakness of loyalty that has been purchased?

Chapter Six

• Sandra deliberately shoots out the campfire and later turns on the truck’s headlights, changing the battlefield so that Sterling and Kolita can see their opponents without being silhouetted themselves. Discuss how controlling visibility and terrain can be as important as weapons in combat. What does Sandra’s initiative reveal about her development in the story?
• Sterling finally defeats Hseng not simply by gunfire but by revealing to his soldiers that Hseng accepted a million Mex, abandoned them during the fighting and intended to betray his supposed partners as well. Discuss why exposing a leader’s motives can sometimes destroy his authority more effectively than defeating him physically.
• The story begins with Sterling possessing only five Mex and desperately needing thousands of dollars to escape. It ends with Sandra, Kolita’s protection, the prospect of a new life in Mongolia and the forgotten valise containing a million Mex. Discuss how the final reference to the chest’s inscription—“Good luck! Long life! Happiness!”—brings the story full circle. How much of Sterling’s extraordinary change in fortune results from luck and how much results from the choices he makes?