The beijing conspiracy, p.27
The Beijing Conspiracy, page 27
‘They didn’t ask about us?’ Jack Ford was still pointing the gun at Guo Feng, only now it was hidden by his folded arms.
‘They know me around here.’
Knowing, from watching the television along with the rest of the world as the Chinese coup played out in real time, that General Zhang was likely to call, the team at the West Wing gathered in the Oval Office. The Vice President and Corke joined them, although no invitation had been issued to them. Rodriguez nodded a welcome and Griffin decided he didn’t mind that these two whom he despised would be watching his moment of triumph.
The phone rang. The President let it ring a few times, took a deep breath and picked up.
‘General Zhang, I was expecting your call. I am putting you on speakerphone so that my team can hear you too.’ He pressed a button and put down the receiver.
The general’s words came through, clear, loud and confident.
‘Mr President, I call on a matter of national emergency.’
‘Yes, what is it that you want?’
‘I want you to withdraw your ships heading towards our blockade.’
‘The United States does not back down,’ said POTUS.
‘Neither does China,’ retorted General Zhang.
‘This is Defence Secretary Rodriguez. Are you the one with authority to deal with us?’ Rodriguez asked. ‘Where is the Secretary General-elect?’
‘Both former and future Secretary Generals are under house arrest for betraying China,’ said General Zhang.
‘You’re the man in charge?’ asked POTUS.
‘I am,’ replied Zhang.
‘I am sure you understand that a sudden withdrawal will make us look weak,’ said the President. ‘And that is not acceptable to my great country. The United States does not turn tail and run.’
‘That is why I have a sweetener to offer you,’ said Zhang.
All eyes turned to Griffin, who shrugged and held out his hands palm upwards in an I-told-you-so gesture.
‘What is your offer in exchange for our withdrawal?’ asked POTUS, grinning broadly.
‘How do we do this?’ asked Jack.
‘You will have to appear to be my prisoner.’
‘No way.’
‘Security is not going to let you march into the building otherwise,’ said Guo Feng.
They stopped at a second checkpoint.
In Mandarin, Guo Feng asked, ‘What has happened so far at the Congress? Anything interesting or just the usual windbags?’
The answer was in such a flood of language and body language, Jack couldn’t follow.
‘We live in interesting times,’ said Guo Feng as they were allowed on their way.
‘What’s happened?’ demanded Jack.
‘General Zhang has deposed Juntao. He has seized power at the General Assembly.’
‘So we are too late? We must turn around?’
‘No,’ said Fei Yen from the back seat of the car. ‘This is my country. I will not allow General Zhang to do this and take China backwards again. We go on until we are dead or imprisoned or we win the day.’
Jack’s heart swelled with pride and fear. It seemed the courage and conviction that he had once believed were in her mother’s character had found expression in Fei Yen. Unfortunately, these attributes were now likely to get them all killed.
TWENTY-SIX
‘Pursuant to the hostile act by the United States, China has agreed to supply North Korea with long range intercontinental ballistic missile technology,’ said General Zhang. ‘We intend to give Kim ICBMs.’
‘What?’ The reaction of Rodriguez matched the expressions in the Oval Office. ‘That will allow North Korea to reach the US mainland with nukes!’
‘Perhaps you should have thought about that before trying to plant nuclear weapons on the Chinese territory of Taiwan.’
‘But …’ Griffin started to speak and then trailed off. He looked as if he had been punched in the gut.
‘If, however, the United States withdraws her ships before reaching the blockade,’ continued Zhang, ‘we will put the technology transfer to North Korea on hold. You have approximately forty-five minutes to turn the ships around. Otherwise, the Chinese military will board and seize the ships and we will promptly supply North Korea with the advanced military technology they need. You do not have to call me with your agreement. We will know that you are compliant if the naval vessels turn back.’
He hung up. The President and the others listened to the beeping of the disconnected line without saying anything. Their expressions ranged from shock to anger, from disbelief to fear.
‘That isn’t what we agreed,’ said Griffin.
‘Make America great again?’ asked the Vice President. ‘More like make China great again.’
Confucius was waiting for them, hands bound behind his back, two burly men in uniform holding an arm each. The long-haired, long-robed man appeared serene despite his arrest.
‘They got you too, Jack?’ he asked, as Guo Feng walked in with the handcuffed man and girl.
‘I’m sorry, Confucius.’ Jack was devastated to see that his betrayal had consequences.
‘I’m sure you had no choice. And I would imagine this is the reason?’ Confucius smiled at Fei Yen, who was also bound. She tried to smile back but her heart was not in it.
‘You are our famous renegade, the Tank Man?’ said Guo Feng. ‘Our leaders will be delighted to make the acquaintance at last of China’s symbol of rebellion.’
‘Is that what Jack said? That I’m the Tank Man?’ Confucius looked pleased. ‘That was clever, Jack.’
‘Are you denying it?’ demanded Guo Feng. ‘Are you denying that you are the Tank Man?’
‘Of course.’
‘He would say that, wouldn’t he?’ pointed out Jack.
‘There’s only one way to find out,’ said Guo Feng. He reached into his pocket for his phone and made a call. ‘Xia, I have the Tank Man. Meet me at the Great Hall.’
‘What the hell have you done, Griffin?’ demanded General Allen.
‘That’s not … that’s not what he agreed,’ repeated the National Security Adviser. He looked as if he was about to throw up.
‘This is your fault, Griffin! You said he would give us Kim Jong-Un!’ raged the President. ‘Instead, North Korea is going to get weapons technology to reach us right here in Washington, DC. Kim Jong-Un is getting ICBMs!’
‘This may be the moment to consider our first strike capability,’ said General Parkinson.
‘What? Are you completely mad?’ demanded Corke.
‘We have the ability to take out the North Korean nuclear facilities. Maybe we should proceed to eliminate the threat before they obtain ICBMs.’
‘Has something changed since we last considered this?’ asked VP Harris, her voice dripping with sarcasm. ‘You know as well as I do that we cannot be certain of success. They have scattered and buried their facilities. North Korea will retaliate against the South and Japan if we attack. Millions might die.’
‘What choice do we have?’ demanded Griffin.
‘What choice do we have?’ Harris’s voice was like ice. ‘We turn the ships around. That’s what we do.’
‘China and the world will see that as a Chinese win. Everyone will know that the US is weak. The Chinese will expand further into the South China Sea. The Russians will seize Ukraine. We cannot risk it.’ General Parkinson bit off each word.
‘China won this confrontation the minute we put nukes on those ships,’ said Harris.
‘Wait here. When the woman Xia arrives, bring her to me.’
The security at the main entrance saluted smartly in response to Guo Feng’s demand. ‘Yes, sir. Where will you be, sir?’
‘Where are General Zhang and former Secretary General-elect Juntao?’ barked Guo Feng.
‘They are in the conference room adjacent to the Hall, sir. The delegates in the Great Hall await General Zhang’s return after he has delivered his ultimatum to the Americans.’
‘Then that is where we are going with these public enemies,’ said Guo Feng. ‘General Zhang’s cup of happiness is about to spill over.’
‘I’m not turning back the ships,’ said the President.
‘How long before we reach the blockade?’ asked Harris.
‘At present speed, forty-five minutes,’ replied Rodriguez.
‘Slow them down.’
‘What?’
‘Slow the goddam ships down. We need more time to figure this out.’
It was a mini-convoy of people now. Guo Feng pushing Jack and Fei Yen ahead of him into the building. The two men who, still gripping Confucius by each arm, followed the colonel. A couple of extra security men whom the colonel ordered to come along trailed in their wake.
‘Where are we going? Where are you taking us?’ demanded Jack.
Guo Feng gave him a hard shove in the back and the American stumbled forward and almost lost his footing. ‘Prisoners do not ask questions. Especially American traitors.’
‘Everyone get out,’ said POTUS. ‘Except you, Griffin.’
As soon as the room was cleared and the door shut, the President turned to his National Security Adviser. ‘What have you done? You said the hardliners would give me Kim Jong-Un! That’s why I backed you up!’ He was shouting, red-faced, with the white rings around his eyes as clear as the rings of Saturn.
‘Sir, you backed me up. You signed an executive order agreeing to this precise strategy.’
‘You and I both know that you misled me about the contents. I did not know about the nukes.’
‘On the contrary, I told you it was the plan to boost the hardliners. You decided to play golf rather than read the detail.’
The two men glared at each other. Both trapped; both eager to blame someone else; both aware that options were running out rapidly; and both stuck with covering for each other if they did not want to be outed as failures and traitors.
‘Zhang played you,’ said the President.
‘General Zhang played us, sir.’
‘Their ships have slowed down, sir,’ said General Wang, on a secure line from the Chinese equivalent of the Situation Room.
‘What is the ETA now?’ asked General Zhang.
‘At this speed, another hour, sir.’
‘They’re buying themselves some time to decide what to do. They will soon realize they have no choice but to turn back.’
‘What are your orders if they do not turn back, sir?’
‘Prepare to fire a warning shot across the bow of the USS Howard. Make sure boarding parties are ready.’
‘Aircraft?’
‘Ready to scramble – armed with torpedoes.’
‘What about the other ship, sir?’
‘That one has nukes on board, and I would prefer not to detonate them accidentally. We will use our ships to form a physical barrier so that they cannot pass without ramming a Chinese naval vessel. Then we will board the US ships if they do not surrender.’
It was quite a tableau. Four members of the Standing Committee of the Politburo, including Liu Qi, all hardliners, sat on sofas under chandeliers in one of the waiting rooms next to the Great Hall.
General Zhang was on the phone, looking as smug as the cat who had ordered a lifetime of cream to be delivered daily and had the family dog arrested.
Former Secretary General-elect Juntao sat in a hard chair, handcuffed and with two men standing to attention next to him. His wife sat close by. She was unshackled, but weeping softly.
A sharp knock on the door caused a few heads to turn.
General Zhang hung up and nodded to one of his men to open the door. He did so, had a brief conversation outside and returned.
‘What is it?’ asked Zhang.
‘It is Colonel Guo Feng, sir. He says he has captured the man you wanted.’
General Zhang cracked a smile that no one in the room had seen for multiple decades. ‘Send them in,’ he said.
Guo Feng walked in with his prisoners.
General Zhang sauntered over. The colonel saluted smartly and indicated Confucius. ‘At your request, we have apprehended the criminal known as the Tank Man.’
‘Guo Feng! What are you doing?’ The outburst was from Juntao. He got to his feet despite his bound hands and took two steps forward; at that point he was restrained by the guards.
‘My apologies, Secretary General-elect. In light of the circumstances, it seems prudent to inform you that I work for General Zhang.’
‘You filthy coward!’
‘Are you the Tank Man?’ asked General Zhang of Confucius.
‘Yes, sir.’
‘He is not!’ shouted Jack. ‘I lied. Of course I lied.’
‘And who is this barbarian?’ asked General Zhang, looking at the American as if he was a single cell amoeba under a microscope.
‘This is the American I told you about – the one who assisted the Tank Man to escape all those years ago. He identified this man under duress.’
‘Duress?’
‘This is his daughter.’ Guo Feng yanked on Fei Yen’s arm so she was forced to take a few quick steps forward to maintain her balance.
‘You have outdone yourself, Colonel Guo Feng. There will be much for you to do in the new China.’
‘I depended on you, Guo Feng.’ Juntao sounded like a broken man.
‘How can we be certain this is the Tank Man?’ asked Zhang, prudent to the last.
‘The only other person who can confirm his identity is on her way here, sir.’
‘We withdraw the ships, but at the same time launch a surgical strike at the North Korean leadership and nuclear facilities.’ General Parkinson was pointing at the various targets on a large map on screen.
‘What happens if we don’t get them all?’ asked General Allen.
‘If we have killed Kim Jong-Un, that will buy us time to come to terms with any new leadership in North Korea,’ said Griffin.
‘We had years to come to terms with this leadership and you blew it with your stupid stunt,’ said Corke.
‘What if we don’t get Kim?’ asked Allen. ‘We know he has prepared for this eventuality with underground facilities.’
‘It is unlikely he will become aware of the strike in time,’ said Parkinson.
‘Unless the Chinese warn him,’ said Harris, her words cleaving the heavy silence like an axe.
‘What do you propose?’ demanded POTUS.
‘Withdraw the ships.’
‘And get nothing in return?’ shouted Griffin.
‘If Zhang keeps his word, at least the North Koreans will not get ICBM technology,’ said the Vice President.
‘Do you trust General Zhang’s word?’ demanded Griffin.
‘No more than I trust yours,’ snapped the Vice President.
‘Sir?’ said General Allen in a tentative tone, looking directly at his Commander in Chief.
‘Yes?’
‘We have twenty minutes at most before we are in range of their blockade. From satellite images, it would seem their ships are preparing to fire on us and have boarding parties organized. In addition, fighter jets have been scrambled at the southern Chinese bases.’
‘Why do you want the Tank Man?’ asked Liu Qi.
‘I don’t,’ explained General Zhang. ‘It was the former Secretary General-elect who requested that he be tracked down.’
‘Why did you want him?’ asked Liu Qi, turning to address Juntao, who was back in a chair but slightly closer to the action. ‘Surely not to settle old scores?’
‘Of course not. He was to be the symbol of our reform movement.’
‘Unfortunately for our naive former would-be leader, he trusted the colonel here, who was working for me the whole time.’ General Zhang looked like a man without a care in the world – which, all things considered, he probably was, thought Jack.
‘How long do the Americans have to turn back before we engage?’ asked Liu Qi.
‘Twenty minutes.’
‘If they don’t?’
‘We fire. Then we board.’
‘People will die,’ said Liu Qi. ‘Young men and women. Patriots.’
‘It is their duty to die for China.’ General Zhang’s words cut like a whip.
‘For China, not for you.’
‘Are you getting cold feet, Liu Qi? You have not been the same since we lost the memo. Do not worry. As you see, it has not become an issue.’
Jack looked at his daughter and then at Guo Feng. He had no idea what to do. He was only bound loosely, he could break free, that had been the deal with the colonel. But there were several armed guards and Fei Yen might be caught in the crossfire. He wasn’t sure he could overcome them all without Guo Feng’s support. And the colonel seemed to have changed sides yet again. Jack certainly didn’t trust him an inch.
‘What memo?’ asked Guo Feng.
‘It is no longer important,’ said General Zhang.
Liu Qi’s phone rang and he picked it up. He listened to the person on the other end and then rang off. All at once he was shaking from head to toe, as if he had sudden onset Parkinson’s disease.
‘What’s the matter?’ asked Zhang.
‘The Americans plan to launch a multi-pronged nuclear strike against North Korea.’
‘You can’t be serious.’ Harris was irate, her tone harsh and grating. ‘We cannot become the only country in the world to use nuclear weapons against an enemy for a third time! Surely Hiroshima and Nagasaki were enough?’
‘We cannot let this gangster, General Zhang, trample all over us.’ This was General Parkinson.
‘I agree – and we will have to find a way to get the upper hand again, but not by starting a nuclear war!’
‘It’s a surgical strike,’ insisted Griffin.
‘There is no such thing!’ yelled Harris.
‘How much time do we have?’ asked Rodriguez.
‘Decision to strike has to be made in the next seven minutes.’
‘They will not be so reckless,’ said General Zhang. ‘I do not know who your sources are, Liu Qi, but they are unreliable.’
‘I just spoke to the Vice President of the United States and Dominic Corke, CIA director,’ said Liu Qi. ‘They intend to launch in approximately six minutes.’
‘What? Someone is pulling your leg, old fool,’ growled Zhang.
