Brown, Dale - Patrick McLanahan 06

by Fatal Terrain (v1. 1)

  “With nuclear weapons?” Chin retorted. “You ordered Yi to launch a thermonuclear attack against the Nationalists?”

  “I ordered Admiral Yi to do everything in his power to defend his battle group and carry out his attack orders,” Sun replied. “I did not order him to launch a nuclear attack—but I support his decision to do so. His battle group is intact with only minor losses, the rebels have been severely wounded, and the world is paralyzed with fear. The mission was successful.”

  “You are absolutely insane, Sun! ” Chin said, unable to believe what his subordinate was saying. “You actually think this action was proper? Do you think nuclear weapons are just another bullet to take from your belt and load into your pistol? Did you stop to think for one second about the consequences?”

  “I have thought of little else, sir! ” Sun responded. “Sun-tzu says that if an incendiary attack can be launched from outside without relying on inside assistance, it should be initiated.”

  “So now I suppose you think we should invade?”

  “No, sir,” Sun said. “We should desist.”

  “What? You approved a nuclear attack on Quemoy—don’t try to deny it, Sun, you gave the order without specifically mentioning nuclear devices—then say we should not continue the invasion?” Chin shook his head in stunned disbelief. “I do not understand you, Sun! You orchestrated a nuclear attack against the Nationalists, an attack that may well isolate China for decades in the eyes of the world, and now you advise us to abandon the mission? Why? Explain yourself! ”

  “Because we initiated an incendiary attack against the Nationalist army on Quemoy, and they are quiet,” Sun replied. “Sun-tzu teaches us that if the enemy is quiet after such an attack, wait and do not attack, for it means that the fires did not substantially weaken them.”

  “Explain in words other than this ancient drivel, Admiral! ”

  “The blast was not directly over Quemoy, and it appears it was not a full yield,” Sun replied. “I think the rebel forces on Quemoy are mostly still intact, protected in underground command centers, garrisons, and marshaling areas. Besides, our fleet was substantially damaged, morale among the naval forces is low because of the ferocity of the stealth bomber attacks, our ground forces are not ready, and the Americans are on the alert. No, we cannot press the attack now. We have no choice but to withdraw.”

  Chin shook his head, totally confused. Minister Chi asked, “So what happens now, Admiral? We do not fight, we do not attack. The Paramount Leader’s directive is no more. What are we left with, comrade?”

  “Sir, we have proven that the United States committed an act of war upon the People’s Republic of China by firing anti-ship missiles at our ships—this may be our most potent weapon against the influence of the Americans in our region,” Sun said. “We have shown that the Americans are terrorists, that they will stop at nothing, break any law, to advance their agenda. This undeclared war, this illegal attack against our battle group, combined with their illegal overflight of our airspace without permission by an armed combat aircraft during the Iranian conflict, deserves immediate world condemnation! China has long been criticized, even ostracized, in the eyes of the world for our perceived human rights record—tell me, sir, how do you think the United States will be regarded in the eyes of the world when they are proven to be the greatest terrorist nation ever to exist in the history of the planet?”

  To General Chin’s surprise, Minister Chi was quiet—which was in effect an endorsement of Sun’s actions. The tide was turning here, Chin thought—it might be best not to complain too loudly. But Sun Ji Guoming had clearly overstepped his authority and usurped the rank and office of the Chief of Staff of the Liberation Army, and he had to be removed from office as soon as possible. “You claim that a B-52 bomber shot down three Su-33 fighters, the best combat aircraft in our air army?” Chin asked derisively. “Impossible.”

  “That is the pilot’s report, sir,” Sun said excitedly. “The third pilot radioed details of the attacks just before he began his counterattack. The Sukhoi pilots are the best pilots in the air army; I believe their statement. It is too implausible to be anything but the truth.”

  “That is your criterion for judging the validity of this report—that it is too unbelievable to be a false or inaccurate report?” Chin exploded. “Have you gone insane, Sun?”

  “Sir, Comrade Minister, we have seen intelligence reports on this aircraft from Russian sources,” Sun said. “It was supposedly used in the conflict between Lithuania and Belarus. Our own analysts claim that these modified planes may have been used against us in our conflict in the Philippines—the planes we assumed to be standard B-52G or -H bombers could have been these planes—”

  “Enough,” Chin shouted. “You are too incompetent to wear those stars, Sun. You are a disgrace to the uniform and to your entire lineage.”

  “Wait, Comrade General,” Minister of Defense Chi interjected in a low, gravelly voice. “I wish to hear more.” Then, to Chin himself, he added, “And I wish to hear more from you about what you intend to offer as a response to the Central Military Commission.”

  “Very well, sir,” Chin said. “Sun, you are dismissed—”

  “I said, Sun shall stay!” Chi shouted.

  Chin stood at attention and lowered his eyes as a sign of respect and obedience, but he was obviously seething over the fact that Chi Haotian was not giving him free rein in disciplining his subordinates. “Comrade Minister, there should be no discussion here over the fate of this insolent pup,” General Chin said, keeping his voice respectful although he was fighting mad. “Sir, we could very well be facing nuclear war with the West because of this one unauthorized, ill-conceived, suicidal mission. It is only proper that Admiral Sun should not just be stripped of his position and rank and removed from the People’s Liberation Army, but possibly imprisoned for life, for what he has done—”

  “You seem to prefer doing battle with your subordinates rather than doing battle with the enemy, Comrade General,” a voice said behind Chin. The chief of staff turned—and saw President Jiang Zemin himself enter the minister of defense’s office, flanked by his bodyguards. General Chin shot to his feet in surprise; Chi and Sun snapped to attention and bowed respectfully. Chin Po Zihong was staring dumbfounded into the Paramount Leader’s eyes. “So. Do you now wish to do battle with me, Comrade General?”

  Chin quickly snapped out of his shock, realized what he was doing, and bowed deeply, keeping his eyes averted. “Forgive me, Comrade President,” the general said. “I... I was not informed that you would be attending this meeting.”

  “No one appears to be informing you of anything these days, Comrade General,” Jiang said with uncharacteristic sarcasm. He took a seat at Chi’s desk and sat stiffly, regarding General Chin for several long moments. “The People’s Liberation Army has suffered one of its most embarrassing, one of its most humiliating moments in its history today, General Chin Po Zihong. Wire services around the world are already reporting it; the presidents of most of the world’s industrial nations have called me, demanding an explanation. Speak.”

  “Comrade President,” Chin began, “my staff has just now informed me that there is evidence that an American stealth warplane was assisting the rebel craft, and that it was the Americans who attacked one of our destroyers and then shot down three of our fighter jets sent to monitor the—”

  “Admiral Sun has already given me the details,” Jiang said. Chin could not help but shoot a deadly glare at Sun for going over his head and reporting directly to the minister of defense and the president. “And do not think,” Jiang added, “that Comrade Sun violated the chain of command—because I ordered him to take the initiative in case the Americans should try to interfere with our plans to occupy Quemoy Dao.”

  “You ... you ordered him to act on his own, without my permission and without an approved plan from the General Staff?” Chin stammered.

  “General, as Admiral Sun has so accurately pointed out, it has b
ecome apparent that the Americans are waging a war of terrorism against us,” President Jiang said by way of response. “The Americans are choosing to use their stealth aircraft and guided standoff missiles to destroy our forces and keep our government off balance. They could have destroyed our ships and killed thousands of People’s Liberation Army Navy soldiers and sailors, just as they did in their skirmish with the Islamic Republic of Iran.

  “It is now obvious that the Americans hold the Mao Zedong carrier battle group at risk with their stealth bombers,” Jiang went on. “This situation has become intolerable, and drastic action must be taken immediately. In keeping with my wishes and those of the people to rid our waters and our legacy of illegal and harmful foreign influences, Admiral Sun has developed a plan to do just that—first isolate, then cripple, then destroy the American air and naval forces operating off our shores.”

  General Chin’s mind was spinning with confusion. Was he being replaced? Was his career in jeopardy from this young idealistic philosopherquoting upstart? “Comrade President, I agree with everything you say,” Chin said. “It is indeed the time to act. But are you proposing to place the forces of the world’s largest military power in the hands of Admiral Sun Ji Guoming? He does not have the experience or the training. He possesses only rudimentary knowledge on how to deploy and command large naval forces, and very little knowledge or experience in commanding large ground and air forces.”

  “We will not place our military forces in Admiral Sun’s hands, General—you will retain your command,” Jiang said. “Admiral Sun will take command of certain . . . irregular forces.”

  “Irregular forces? What do you mean, sir?”

  “In time, you will be briefed on the deployment of his forces,” Jiang said, rising from his chair and heading for the door. “In the meantime, Admiral Sun has full authority from the Central Military Commission and my office to conduct whatever maneuvers or operations he sees necessary. He is obliged to notify you prior to the start of operations, and he is encouraged to seek your guidance and support, but he has no obligation to do either. Admiral?”

  “Thank you, sir,” Sun Ji Guoming said, bowing deeply to Jiang Zemin. He then bowed to General Chin and said, “General, you will order the Mao carrier battle group to withdraw from its attack on Quemoy and proceed at best speed to Xianggang.”

  “Xianggang? Xianggang?” Chin repeated in disbelief. Xianggang, formerly known as Victoria, was the capital and main port city on the island province of Hong Kong, which was set to return to Chinese control on the first of July. “Why should we sail it all the way to Hong Kong when it may be a critical weapon in the defense and occupation of Quemoy Dao?”

  “The Mao and its escorts will be used to help celebrate our Reunification Day festivities,” Admiral Sun said. “We shall stage fireworks demonstrations from its decks, invite guests and the international media aboard, even give cruises around Hong Kong on it.”

  “Use our aircraft carrier, our most powerful naval vessel... to give rides?”

  “After that,” Sun said calmly, “it will be deployed for an extended shakedown cruise to Lushun.”

  “Lushun? Why sail it to Lushun, sir?” Chin protested again to Jiang. Lushun, once known as Port Arthur, was an important international shipping and naval facility located on the tip of the Liaotung peninsula, between the Bohai, or Gulf of Chihli, and Korea Bay, 250 kilometers west of the North Korean capital of Pyongyang. “Do you plan to involve it in any attack operations in defense of North Korea, in case the Americans or South Koreans invade? If so, I think that is a foolhardy plan. The carrier will be more vulnerable to air attacks from South Korea, Japan, even Alaska. If anything, we should send it back to the Nansha Dao to defend our rights to access to the South China Sea.”

  “Comrade General, it is so ordered,” Minister of Defense Chi Haot- ian interjected. “Withdraw the carrier battle group from Quemoy Dao and have them proceed to Xianggang at best possible speed.”

  Chin looked at Chi, then Jiang, with a stunned expression, but at the moment there was little he could do. He bowed and said, “Yes, Comrade Minister. Immediately. Any other demands?”

  “No, sir,” Sun replied, bowing respectfully. “My thanks to you.” General Chin Po Zihong ignored the gesture. He stood as the president and the defense minister departed, then stopped Admiral Sun as he headed for the door. “So,” Chin said haughtily, “you now have the ear of the president. I see that spouting all that ancient military crap has paid off for you.”

  “Yes, sir,” Sun responded simply.

  “You may speak freely now, Admiral,” Chin said. “We are practically colleagues, contemporaries.” Suns eyes narrowed at that very sarcastic remark. “Please. Tell me about your plan.”

  Sun Ji Guoming hesitated, not knowing whether or not to trust Chin’s sudden friendliness; then he responded, “Sir, my staff has prepared a briefing for you and the general staff, outlining my ideas and suggestions. But this operation is not under my command, sir. I am merely advising the defense minister and Paramount Leader as to—”

  “You are nothing more than a bold, loudmouth upstart,” Chin said, “tossing about ancient maxims that no longer apply, to old men who were spoon-fed that crap since they were young boys and who long for a time when Maoist psycho-mystical garbage could conquer the world.”

  Admiral Sun smiled and actually appeared to relax when he saw the anger rising in Chins words. “You do not believe in applying the teachings of Master Sun-tzu to today’s challenges, General?” Sun asked. “We have spoken on this many times.”

  “Forget that Art of War shit, Sun,” Chin interjected angrily. “What will you do against the Americans? I must know! ”

  “I am going to humiliate them, sir,” Sun replied hotly. “I am going to show the Americans that they cannot roam freely over our waters and our region. I am going to make their allies turn against them, isolate them; then I am going to make the American people isolate and hate their own military forces.”

  “How? How will you do all this? What forces will you need? How many ships, planes, divisions?”

  “This is not a mission for conventional military forces, sir,” Sun said. “My forces will be everywhere, but nowhere; they will be as light as ghosts, but as powerful as the largest ships and the most powerful bombs in the world.”

  Chin saw he was going to get no more concrete information than that from Sun, so he shook his head and turned to leave. “It shall be a pleasure for me to see you collapsed and disgraced,” he said over his shoulder at Sun Ji Guoming. “Quoting a bunch of dead philosophers will not help you when the American stealth bombers head over the horizon to decimate our cities and armies.”

  “They will not be able to launch anything against us, because they will have no targets on their radarscopes or sonars to attack,” Sun said. “They will see nothing but empty ocean—and their own allies, out of control.”

  THE WHITE HOUSE OVAL OFFICE

  TUESDAY, 3 JUNE 1997, 2105 HOURS ET

  “My fellow Americans, good evening,” President Kevin Martindale began his televised address to the nation. “I have some important news of a serious disaster that may have potentially serious implications for Americans both at home and overseas.

  “At approximately six forty-five p.m. East Coast time, two large-scale explosions were reported in the vicinity of the southern portion of the Formosa Strait, between mainland China and the island of Formosa, the home of the newly independent, democratic Republic of China. Unconfirmed reports indicate that both explosions were nuclear, with yields measuring somewhere between one and seven kilotons.

  “I want to assure the American people that we are completely safe, and the situation is under control,” the President went on, deliberately slowing his delivery and speaking as sincerely and as firmly as he could. “First, no American military forces, except for some surveillance units, were in the area at the time of the blast, and the last reports I was given stated that there were no American casualties a
s a result of the explosions. Second, these explosions were not a prelude to a nuclear war between China and Taiwan or anyone else. It is not yet certain if the explosions were a result of an accident, a deliberate attack, or an act of terrorism. In fact, it is too early to tell precisely who launched the attack in the first place, although our suspicions rest with the naval forces of the People’s Republic of China’s Liberation Army, which have been threatening the Republic of China with attacks for many years. However, both sides in the conflict in the Formosa Strait suffered many casualties, and so we are still investigating. In any case, no one retaliated with similar weapons; no other attacks, nuclear or conventional, took place; and no nations have declared war upon anyone else. Third, there is no evidence so far of serious nuclear contamination or fallout. There are reports of Taiwanese and Japanese nationals fleeing their homes for fear of radioactive fallout, so as a precaution we are advising against travel into eastern China, Taiwan, or southern Japan until the panic has eased and we can assess the danger.

  “Fourth, and most importantly, the United States is secure. The government is functioning, and we are carrying out the people’s business, right here in Washington, same as ever. As commander in chief of our nation’s military forces, I have not ordered any retaliatory strikes, and we have not mobilized any of our nuclear forces, nor do I intend to do so. I have ordered our overseas military bases around the world into a heightened state of alert, and I have ordered the Pentagon to hold meetings with high-ranking officers to determine the best course of action to take, but at this time none of our forces anywhere on earth are on a wartime footing. We are ready to respond if necessary, but so far all nations of the world are responding to this tragedy with patience and intelligent reasoning, and so I see no reason to elevate the level of tension by mobilizing any of our forces to a higher state.

  “The United States stands ready to assist any countries who request aid, no matter who pushed the button. The nuclear genie has somehow sneaked out of the bottle after being safely sealed away for so many years, and the United States government pledges to do all it can to help see that the genie stays locked away again forever. I assure you, myself and all of my top advisors, civilian and military, are hard at work investigating this horrible tragedy. I will report back to you as soon as possible with more details.