The Richard Jackson Saga: Book 12 Escape From Siberia

by Earl Nelson

  Along the Trans-Siberian route, towns and villages with railway stations were surrendering as soon as a train with white flags flying pulled into the station. This despite a ‘die-in place’ order from Moscow. No one ever said the average Russian was stupid.

  If the troops at a station would refuse to surrender about five hundred soldiers would disembark from the following train and using mortars, they would take the station with its fifty defenders in an hour.

  Towns without railway stations seldom had troops there so they were bypassed.

  One thing the Chinese troops were careful about was not to damage any track. If they did so they had been told they would have to march.

  If reports back were to be believed there were very few atrocities. There were some reported robberies and rapes, but they were dealt with harshly.

  It is a shame any happened but if you had this many troops together from any army in the world it would be the same.

  Chapter 50

  The Chinese objective was achieved. They controlled all of Siberia, which is almost two-thirds of Russia. They had the Ural Mountains as a buffer.

  It would take the Russians at least a year to replace the track that had been torn up between Perm and Yekaterinburg. That is if the Chinese didn’t keep tearing it up.

  A rebel government for the area was set up. They approached the UN and were recognized. Russia vetoed the recognition. The rebels formally allied with China.

  China started a build-up at Yekaterinburg ready to invade Russia. The Russian government which had been hardline on the issue was overthrown.

  The Russian people realized two things, they had lost Siberia, and that they couldn’t beat an entrenched Chinese army. So why die for the bosses.

  A three-way peace treaty was signed between the Russians, the Chinese, and the rebels. I never bothered to learn the name the rebels gave their government. It was all a sham.

  For me, I was happy that not only was the Soviet Union gone but that the Russian bear had its fangs and claws pulled for the foreseeable future. They didn’t know it, but they had lost their raw material resources. Their leaders had wanted to fight no matter the odds, but the people didn’t believe Pravda.

  That is what you get when you lie enough, even the truth isn’t believed.

  I was a trigger for the fall of the Soviet Union, but they had set themselves up for failure. They forgot one basic, life can be good until you run out of other people's money. By ruining their productive middle class, they had destroyed their ability to make money. After that, it was all downhill.

  The General staff had decided to tour the former war zone. I was invited, commanded to accompany them. It seemed like a waste of time, but not dangerous.

  It wasn’t dangerous until we reached the outskirts of Yekaterinburg. Here our convoy was ambushed by a large group of Russian partisans. While a peace treaty had been signed it didn’t mean that sporadic fighting wasn’t going on.

  Luckily, they didn’t have any heavy weapons, or it would have been all over. All I had was a sidearm the same as the staff.

  The ambush wasn’t set up correctly as we were able to move our vehicles in a semi-circle. We were crouched down behind our cars when I heard the cries for help.

  Four Chinese soldiers were wounded and lying outside of our protective circle. Without giving any thought I rushed out and grabbed a soldier and pulled him back to safety.

  This so surprised our ambushers that they didn’t fire at me. They did on my second trip. They weren’t good shots as I felt bullets fly around me. One did hit me in the left arm, it was a through and through with a lot of blood flow. It didn’t hurt at once, but it would soon.

  On my third trip, my arm started to hurt like hell as I pulled another soldier to safety. It would be soon matched by the other bullet which glanced off my ribs. That one knocked me down, and in doing so probably saved my life as they now had a machine gun in action.

  It stitched the air above me. I crawled back to safety pulling the wounded trooper with me.

  I was ready to go out a fourth time when I was held back. I fought for a moment and then realized they were saying the fourth guy was dead.

  We heard trucks and tanks in the near distance which meant they were our troops. This was confirmed by the ambushers melting away.

  Medics in the relief column patched me up. While painful nothing vital had been hit. After bandaging me I was given a shot of morphine.

  “That is good stuff. I recommend it to anyone who has been shot.”

  My Doctor agreed. Of course, I was off my head when I said it.

  I was airlifted back to Beijing where I spent the next week in bed in a private room in some hospital. On the second day, I had a visitor, the Empress.

  “Rick, I wish you would stop playing the hero. It is embarrassing to us mortals.”

  I had time to think about what I had done and didn’t regret my actions.

  “No one has told me, how did the guys I pulled in make out.”

  “They lived because they received medical attention in time. Their families are burning joss sticks for you.”

  “That makes it worth it, not the joss, but that they lived.”

  “There are some other people here that would like to see you.”

  It was Mum and Dad. Once they were assured that I was okay they asked me why I had to keep playing the fool. My luck would run out someday.

  “I guess as long as other people are in danger, I will always be a fool.”

  “We know Rick, we just get so scared for you.”

  My Mum showing a weakness?

  Dad spoke up, “I have a question from Mary, she wants to know if while you are recovering you would like to play some gin rummy?”

  That gave us a laugh and broke the tension.

  “You know there will be more awards after this?”

  “I hadn’t given it any thought, what more can they do?”

  “I’m sure the Empress and the Queen will come up with something.”

  “Why would the Queen care?”

  “Aren’t you attached as an observer for the British army?”

  “Yes.”

  “So, what you did was while on duty in a war zone.”

  I immediately saw where this was going and had a hard time accepting it. The Victoria Cross should only go to heroes. Those who show exceptional gallantry in the face of the enemy.

  Oh my god.

  “Hong Kong will be presenting their highest award, the Grand Bauhinia Medal for this, and the all-around help given to the colony.”

  “Great Britain is creating a National Independence Medal for Northern Mongolia.”

  “Who?”

  “You don’t even know who you helped gain their independence?”

  ‘I guess not. It is all a sham anyway.”

  “What do you mean Rick?”

  “They are going to ask to become part of China. I came up with it to keep the UN out of it.”

  “You did, did you?”

  “Yes, it was part of the invasion plan I presented to the Empress.”

  “Being as it may you were the only Briton involved so you will be the only person ever to be allowed to wear the medal or ribbon.”

  “At this rate, it is going to ruin the hang of my uniform.”

  “Harold has already expressed concern. He is having tunics made with internal support.”

  “Now there is my hero.”

  “Now to the important award. The Empress is creating a new order of chivalry, The Order of the Golden Dragon, you are to be its first Knight Commander. It will be a medal on a chain around your neck or can be worn on a sash.”

  “China will also be awarding you a Hero of China star, its highest military award.

  Dad said, “The strange part is none of the countries have an equivalent to the US Purple Heart.

  My parents stayed with me throughout my ordeals. Not the recovery from my wounds, the awarding of medals in China and Hong Kong.

  The Em
press told us in a private audience that as arranged, Northern Mongolia was asking to become a part of China.

  I asked her what she thought the immediate ramifications would be.

  “Rick, the raw material will be a godsend. The important thing is that it will take population pressure off of China. We are awarding land to every soldier in the campaign. We don’t even have to take any away from existing Russian settlers.

  Young men will be starting families and our population will grow again but now we can handle it. I think it will be a hundred years before we face this problem again.

  This makes you a true savior of China. We can never do enough for you. Those in the know are aware of this.

  “You know I only did all this because the Soviets were stupid enough to kidnap me.”

  “I’m well aware and trust me when I say China will never try to kidnap you.”

  This gave us a good laugh.

  In Hong Kong, I was given my award and had to attend a state dinner in my honor. It was boring until I spotted the young lady across the room. She was the beauty that I had seen at my last reception here.

  I asked who she was. I had to point her out.

  “Oh, that is the granddaughter of Empress Ping. She has been attending university here. She started before the Empress came to power and now wants to finish here.

  I looked up again and she was gone.

  In the morning we flew off to England. It took over twenty-two hours. I gave up my bed to Mum and Dad and slept in one of the small extra cabins in the hold.

  As I thought would happen, I was awarded the Victoria Cross. Rather than make a fool of myself I kept my mouth shut.

  Later in a private conversation with the Queen, she let my parents and me know that the Russians were thinking they needed a Tsar again or a Tsarina.

  She had been approached and had to make up her mind. This was beyond the scope of the British Government and would change a lot of relationships if she accepted.

  The Russians were doing it because they were in big trouble and needed an autocratic leader to pull them through.

  “Rick, do you have any plans?”

  She started laughing, “You should have seen the look of sheer terror on your face!”

  I stuttered and stammered.

  “Me the Tsar of Russia. No way, Jose.”

  Chapter 51

  Elizabeth told my parents and me that she was torn about becoming the Russian Tsarina. It would help the Russian people and she felt her family owed them that. At the same time, any aid would have to be from her fortune as they had no claim on the British treasury.

  Mum told her good luck with all that. The Jackson family wouldn’t be involved. Russia had caused enough mischief in our lives that we were well rid of them.

  We flew home for Christmas. As the parents flew home, they dropped me off in New York City. I had some serious Christmas shopping to do.

  Mum and Dad were easy. I bought Mum a Steinway Concert Grand Piano, their Model D.

  Steinway was reluctant to guarantee delivery by Christmas Day. I made it simple by scheduling my jet to fly to New York to pick up the piano and the installation crew, then return the crew to New York.

  I was fortunate that they had one new Model D in stock that wasn’t spoken for. At the same time, I was able to buy a Steinway upright for Denny’s suite.

  Dad's present was a coin I bought at an auction at Sotheby's. It was an 1894 S Barber Dime.

  I would take care of Eddy’s present when I got home. I was going to buy him a complete ham radio setup for Jackson House.

  He had shown great interest in learning Morse Code in Scouts and had talked about getting a ham license. I was going to have a full setup installed.

  This served two purposes. Eddy would be able to be an amateur radio operator and at the same time, we could send and receive messages all over the world.

  I would go to a local radio club and hire an Elmer to help Eddy learn how to operate the equipment and pass his exams.

  Mary was the problem, what do you buy a seven-year-old millionaire? Not that she was allowed to get at her money; it all went into a trust.

  Mum and Dad gave her an allowance of twenty dollars a week. This was a fortune for a child, and not bad for a teenager. She would get larger amounts for special events but on the whole, they didn’t let money disrupt her life.

  I had various thoughts, how about a Monopoly set with real money? A role in the movie based on my escape from Siberia. How about a three-quarter size playhouse? A lion?

  Then it dawned on me. She had mentioned that her pony Misty was getting older and that she thought she was ready for a horse.

  I called Mum from New York and asked her about buying Mary a horse. I was too late; that was their present to her.

  However, the horse was a jumper and Mary would need a trainer and all the equipment that would go with it.

  The plane was to fly back for me and the two pianos, in the meantime I would stay at the Waldorf in the suite that I had bought there.

  It was getting hard to keep track of my places to live. Hotel suites in London and New York. A beach house in LA. My parent's houses in England and California. Then there was my house in Spain plus my newest house, Jackson House Asia in Hong Kong.

  While at the Waldorf I had dinner with President Hoover. He had left word with the front desk if I showed up, he would like to speak with me.

  After we exchanged pleasantries, he wanted to know about my Siberian adventures, his words not mine.

  Then he requested an update on the Chinese involvement in Siberia. While I was shopping the news came out that Northern Mongolia was requesting to be made part of China. China had brought this to the UN. The diplomats of the world were in an uproar. They were presented with a fait accompli.

  They hated things like that, nothing to debate for weeks on end.

  Mr. Hoover asked me what I had to do with all of this. Without telling a direct lie, I tried to say nothing. He didn’t buy it.

  “A change of subject, then, why are the Kennedys so upset with your family.”

  “Because old Joe Kennedy tried to rape my Mum and she let him have it. They can’t let it go, as though their father's actions are my Mum's fault. She scares the heck out of them, so they pick on me.”

  “That sounds like the old bootlegger. Please don’t hurt America because of them.”

  “I would never hurt America.”

  Mr. Hoover replied, “Just the Soviet Union.”

  “Those guys, any day of the week. They started it with them trying to nuke the US.”

  Me and my big mouth, maybe he didn’t know about the aborted attack by the Soviets a few years ago.

  “I had heard rumors; you just confirmed them.”

  “Right or wrong I can understand why they were unhappy with you.”

  In for a penny in for a pound.

  “Then they went and kidnapped my little sister Mary.”

  “The heads in the bowling ball bags?”

  “Yes.”

  “You Jacksons play hardball. As I asked earlier, please don’t hurt the US.”

  “I have no intentions, and if they do come after me some more, I will go back at them and not the country.”

  As I was falling asleep, I wondered what I had become.

  The pianos and I flew back home. I was able to find an Elmer for Eddy, and hire a Mum-approved trainer for Mary, who agreed to select all the equipment that she would need to learn to jump in shows.

  Jackson House was decorated for Christmas. Professional decorators had put up trees in almost every room in the house, except our private suites.

  Mum was holding a Christmas dinner and dance for charity. Us kids were all drafted to help. Mary was going to be allowed to stay up beyond her normal bedtime to attend the dance.

  I escorted a young lady to dinner and danced with a dozen others. None of them interested me. They all seemed immature and vapid to say the least.

  One at least got my attent
ion.

  “Please dance us over in front of the photographers. I need a picture dancing with you to win a bet.”

  As I twirled her in the right direction I asked, “What was the best?”

  “I bet twenty dollars that you are so dumb you would dance with anyone, including me.”

  What do you say to that?

  “I hope you collect your money. Why am I dumb for dancing with you?”

  “You could dance with the richest, most beautiful women in the world, and here you are with me.”

  “You and many others will never understand. I don’t need beauty and wealth. I need a friend and a life-mate. Read the headlines about all those high-profile marriages and then the divorce. That is not what I’m looking for.”

  “Oh.”

  After that, I faded from the scene and went to my room and changed into comfortable clothes. That was the day before Christmas Eve.

  On Christmas Eve we gathered as a family in the library and put up our Christmas Tree. The others were done by professionals. On this one, we used the ornaments that had been in the family for years and held memories for us.

  Mary and I made paper chains earlier in the afternoon, while Denny and Eddy popped corn and made strands. I was tall enough to place the angel on top.

  Later we gathered around and exchanged presents.

  Rather than drag a horse into the house or an Elmer we had made cards describing the presents.

  My present from the whole family was a Napoleonic French Marshal’s baton. It was a blue cylinder with eagles dating to the First French Empire.

  It is inscribed, “Terror belli, decus pacis, which means "terror in war, ornament in peace".

  I’m not sure what they are trying to tell me.

  We sang some Christmas carols. Thankfully only Dad and I had the ‘Nelson’ singing voice, we kept it soft. The rest were rather good. Mary especially. Her pitch must be perfect.

  We retired for the night. Christmas morning there would be tons of presents to open. But we had already had our real Christmas.

  Mum loved the piano, we had managed to sneak it in, set it up, and tune it without her knowledge.

  Mary had on her riding costume and was ready to jump six-foot-high fences this afternoon.