"They will, unless he shoots them first."
"You think he'll use those missiles?"
"Not unless he's completely crazy. He might threaten to use them. That would be a big mistake." Carter set his cup down.
"This could be Cuba all over again. That was too close for comfort." Ronnie drained his cup.
"At least Kennedy had a line to Khrushchev. I don't think anyone's got a line to Yang right now. We'd better hope the PRC is up for this."
"I never thought I'd be rooting for the ChiComs."
"Yeah, well, it's a strange world, Ronnie. In this case, the PRC is on the side of the angels. I just hope they move fast enough to stop Yang before he does something stupid."
"Like launch a missile?" Selena brushed a strand of hair from her forehead.
"Like that."
"God, I'm tired," she said. "I can't think about this anymore."
Stephanie stood up. "Come on, Ronnie, I've got a place for you down the hall. Get some sleep before you see the President."
The door closed behind them. Carter lay down and the next thing he knew, Stephanie was knocking on the door and saying coffee was up and they had an hour before heading for the White House.
Chapter Fifty-One
The nine men who ruled China were meeting at Party Chairman and President Zhang Jei's official residence in Beijing. No one ruled in China without the backing of the People's Liberation Army. The committee made decisions, but it was the PLA that enforced them. Several ranking PLA officers had been invited to the meeting.
General Zhou was Chairman of the Military Commission and Commander of the Beijing Military Region. He sat between Minister Deng from State Security and the Commander of the Guangzhou Military region in Southern China, General Liu. General Yang Siyu was at one end of the long oval table, next to Zhang.
Across from him sat General Hong, Commander of the Second Artillery Battalion, China's nuclear and ballistic missile force. Two chairs down Chen Tian, Minister of Railways, toyed with a notepad and pencil on the table before him. The rest of the Politburo Standing Committee filled out the seats at the table.
Problems of ethnic unrest in the Tibet Autonomous Region and China's western Xinjiang region were first on the agenda. The men were discussing strategies for suppressing the native protests when a messenger entered the room and went directly to the President. Zhang listened carefully, then turned to his colleagues.
"There have been several explosions on the West Coast of America, causing extensive damage. Their military has raised the national defense alert level and there are civilian casualties in large numbers. It is being treated as a major terrorist attack by the American government. We must decide on an appropriate response."
"We should raise our defense posture also." It was General Hong. "Russia, Pakistan and India are bound to do the same, and that will bring in Europe and NATO."
"NATO is a toothless tiger."
"Yes, but when the Americans act as if war is threatening, the ripples are always worldwide."
"What is the alert level of their forces?" asked General Zhou.
Zhang said, "They have moved to their Defense Condition Three. That is considered a high level of readiness, but short of anticipation of imminent attack. Their planes will be ready, some bombers sent aloft and all forces alerted, but no active missions will be launched. They have one of their nuclear carrier groups northeast of Korea in easy striking distance. There may be submarines we don't know about."
Zhang instructed an aide to bring in a monitor. In moments they were watching the events taking place on the West Coast of America.
President Zhang turned to Yang. "General, have you any information regarding these attacks on the Golden Mountain?"
He used the old Chinese term for California and the United States.
Yang felt a heady rush of anticipation. The explosions in the US were timed to coordinate with his presence in this room. Once these men were removed, nothing would block his rise to power.
Admiral Zhang Lian had control of the missile submarines at Sanya. Lu Cheng had locked down the base and secured the missiles at Luoyang. Armored divisions loyal to Yang were at this moment rolling through the streets of Beijing and other major cities. Rail traffic moved only to transport his troops. The air force was on the ground, where it would stay unless he released it. Outside, a cadre of Special Forces troops waited for his signal, which he now triggered from a transmitter in his pocket.
"Well, General? You seem preoccupied."
"I launched these attacks, Zhang." He used the rude form of address.
The President of China looked mildly surprised. "Ah. And why would you do such a thing?"
Yang was taken aback. This was not the response he had anticipated. The others in the room were still, watching the two men. For an instant he wondered if he had misread Zhang. No. He dismissed the thought.
"We have played whore to the West long enough!" Yang slammed his hand down on the table. "It is time to claim our proper place. We have everything we need to bring them to their knees. Your policies have diluted the true measure of our greatness."
Chairman Zhang studied his fingernails, looked at Yang. "You seek to change those policies?"
"They are changed. As of right now."
The door burst open. Soldiers of the elite Special Forces took up station along the walls and around the table where the men were sitting. Each was armed with the latest assault rifle, the QB-97. Resistance to such a force was futile. Some of the Standing Committee looked nervously at the soldiers surrounding them. Zhang appeared unconcerned.
Yang spoke again. "The missiles at Luoyang are under my control, as are our submarines at Sanya. All of our long range missiles are mine. In the future, if anyone tries to make things difficult for us, we will not hesitate to show them our strength."
The President of China turned to the others in the room. "General Liu. You command the region including the submarine base on Hainan. What do you say to this?"
"I am afraid General Yang has miscalculated. By now the base at Sanya will be completely surrounded on land. At sea, units have been ordered in force to the area to prevent any unauthorized, ah, adventures, on the part of our submarines. We have also established air surveillance."
"That is a lie," said Yang. "I spoke with Admiral Zhang before I entered this room. He assured me the submarines are under my command."
"Oh, that's right, you couldn't know. I regret to inform you that just after you spoke with him, Admiral Zhang had an unfortunate accident," said General Liu. "So sad. He slipped and fell overboard during an inspection and drowned. A state funeral and public services will be planned in Beijing for our revered naval leader."
"I have Luoyang."
"Ah, I am so sorry, General," said General Hong. "Luoyang is surrounded. General Lu continues to hold the base. However, you may find communication with him difficult. Should he indicate readiness to launch, countermeasures will be taken. If necessary, the missiles will be destroyed."
"You can't do that! That is our main deterrent to the Americans."
"You are a fool, Yang," said the President. "The Americans can annihilate us if they choose. That is why we have taken only a defensive nuclear posture over all these years."
Yang looked at the stone faced men sitting with him at the table and knew he was close to losing control. First Wu had failed him. His dream of a new dawn for China's nuclear missile forces had been buried under the rubble of those ruins. Wu's death was only just reward for his failure. Now his plan for ruling China stood in jeopardy. But General Lu still controlled the missiles. Yang's tanks were rumbling through the streets. And the elite forces were here with him in this room.
"You're the fool, Zhang. My tanks are in position outside. The people will follow me. Major!" He addressed the commander of the soldiers surrounding the table. "Seize these men. Take them outside. If they cause trouble, shoot them."