‘Chang Kai – I knew you as a child, and now every time I see you I want to say how much you’ve grown.’
Kai laughed, though Chen had made the same joke the last time they met. The president took care to be affable. It was his policy to be everyone’s friend. Kai wondered whether he had read Machiavelli, who said it was better to be feared than loved.
‘Sit down, please. Lei will bring you tea.’ Kai had not noticed the silent middle-aged woman in the background who now poured tea into small cups. ‘So,’ Chen went on, ‘tell me what this is all about.’
As agreed, Wu gave him the headlines and then invited Kai to fill in the details. Chen listened in silence, twice making a note with a gold Travers fountain pen. The woman called Lei brought each person a delicate little cup of fragrant jasmine tea. When Kai had finished, Chen said: ‘And this comes from a source you can trust.’
‘He’s a general in the Korean People’s Army and he has been giving us reliable information for many years, sir.’
Chen nodded. ‘By its nature a plot such as this is secret, so we’re unlikely to get confirmation. But it might be right, and that dictates our response. Your source doesn’t know the strength of the rebels outside of Yeongjeo-dong.’
‘No. Perhaps we may assume that the ringleaders at least believe they have strong support. They wouldn’t move otherwise.’
‘Agreed.’ Chen thought for a moment. ‘As I recollect, there are eighteen military bases in North Korea – is that right?’
Kai glanced at Wu, who clearly did not have that information at his fingertips. Kai said: ‘Yes, Mr President, that’s exact.’
‘Twelve of them are missile bases and two of those have nuclear weapons.’
‘Yes.’
‘It’s the missile bases that really count, and the nuclear ones that are paramount.’
Chen had got to the heart of the matter in no time, Kai reflected.
Chen looked at Wu, who nodded agreement.
Chen said: ‘And your recommendation?’
Wu said: ‘At all costs we have to prevent the destabilization of the North Korean government. I think we should warn Pyongyang immediately. If they act now, they could crush the rebellion before it gets started.’
Chen nodded. ‘Much as we’d all like to see the back of Supreme Leader Kang, he’s better than chaos. As the proverb says, if you’re offered two bad apples you pick the least rotten one. And that’s Kang.’
‘That would be my advice,’ said Wu.
Chen picked up the phone. ‘Call Pyongyang,’ he said. ‘I need to speak to Kang before the end of the day. Tell them it’s most urgent.’ He put the phone down then stood up. ‘Thank you, comrades. You’ve done a good day’s work.’
Kai and Wu shook hands and left the room.
‘Well done,’ Wu said as they walked down the stairs.
‘Let’s hope we’re in time,’ said Kai.
*
Kai’s phone rang next morning while he was shaving. The caller ID was in Korean. Kai could not read or speak Korean but he guessed who it was, and he tensed. ‘So soon?’ he said aloud, then he picked up the call.
‘It’s started,’ said a voice that he recognized as belonging to General Ham.
‘What’s happened?’ Kai put down his electric shaver and picked up a pencil.
Ham spoke quietly, obviously concerned about being overheard. ‘Just before dawn Yeongjeo-dong was raided by the Special Operation Force,’ he said.
He was talking about the elite division of the Korean People’s Army.
Ham went on: ‘I assume this was the Supreme Leader’s response to information from Beijing.’
‘Good,’ said Kai. Kang had acted fast. ‘And . . .?’
‘They attempted to take over the base and arrest the senior officers.’
Kai did not like the sound of that. ‘Attempted, you say?’
‘There was a shoot-out.’ Ham reported concisely but calmly, as he had been trained. ‘The rebels were on home ground, with easy access to all the resources of the base. The attackers arrived in vulnerable helicopters and were not familiar with the territory. Also, I think they were surprised by the number and strength of the rebels. Anyway, the Special Operation Force was repelled and the rebels are now in complete control of the base.’
‘Hell,’ said Kai. ‘We were too late.’
Ham went on: ‘Most of the attackers are dead or locked up – a few got away. I took this phone from a dead one. Officers who are not supporters of the conspiracy have been imprisoned also.’