It was Korea, Kai felt sure. This was not just wishful thinking. President Green would be crazy to attack China with only thirty missiles. The damage would be survivable, and the Chinese would retaliate with everything they had, destroying much of the American military before it could be deployed. Anyway, it was not China but General Pak who had nuked Seoul and Busan.
Foreign Minister Wu Bai said: ‘I have received a formal communication from the White House saying that they are attacking nuclear bases in North Korea and nothing else.’
Huang said: ‘Could be a lie.’
The aide said: ‘Ten minutes. Multiple targets, all in North Korea.’
Assuming it was not a lie, how would the men in the room deal with this? The Americans had now sunk an aircraft carrier, killing two thousand five hundred Chinese sailors, and they were about to turn half of North Korea, China’s only military ally, into a radioactive wasteland. Kai knew that his father and the old Communists could not live with that much humiliation at the hands of their old enemy. Their pride in their country and themselves would not stand it. They would demand a nuclear attack on the US. They knew the consequences but they would want it anyway.
‘Five minutes. The targets are all in the north and east of Korea, avoiding Pyongyang and the rest of the territory occupied by the South Korean military.’
After this, Kai and Kong Zhao would find it difficult to restrain General Huang and his allies, including Chang Jianjun. But President Chen would have the last word, and Kai felt he would, in the end, lean to moderation. Probably.
‘One minute.’
Kai stared at a satellite picture of North Korea. He was overwhelmed by a sense of tragedy, knowing he had failed to prevent this.
The radar graphic showed the missiles landing within a space of a few seconds all over the north-east quarter of Korea. By Kai’s calculation there were eleven military bases within that area, and it looked as if President Green had hit every one.
The same picture was even more vivid in the image from the infra-red satellite.
Chang Jianjun stood up. ‘If I may, Mr President, as Chairman of the National Security Commission?’
‘Go ahead.’
‘Our response must be tough, and must do real harm to the US, but it should nevertheless be proportional to the offence. I propose three nuclear attacks on American military bases outside the American heartland: in Alaska, Hawaii and Guam.’
Chen shook his head. ‘One would be enough. One target, one bomb – if we do this at all.’
Kong Zhao said: ‘We have always said we would never be the first to use nuclear weapons.’
Jianjun said: ‘And we will not be the first. If we do as I suggest, we will be the third. The North Korean ultras were the first and the US was second.’
‘Thank you, Chang Jianjun.’ President Chen looked at Kai, clearly wanting to hear arguments against.
Kai found himself in direct public conflict with his father. ‘First, note that American aggression against us, sinking the Fujian, did not employ nuclear weapons.’
‘An important point,’ said Chen.
Kai was encouraged. The president was clearly favouring restraint. Perhaps moderation would prevail. He went on: ‘Second, the Americans have used nuclear weapons not against us, or even against our friends in North Korea, but against a rogue group of rebels who are not owed loyalty by the People’s Republic of China. We might even consider that President Green has done a favour to us and the world by getting rid of a dangerous maverick group of usurpers who have almost started a nuclear war.’
An aide whispered in the ear of Foreign Minister Wu Bai. Wu looked angry. ‘The Chief Executive of Hong Kong has turned on us,’ he said gravely. ‘He formally requests the Chinese military to evacuate its garrison in Hong Kong immediately, all twelve thousand personnel, to ensure that Hong Kong does not become a nuclear target.’ Wu paused. ‘He has made this request publicly.’
Huang was red-faced. ‘The traitor!’
President Chen said furiously: ‘I thought we had that under control! We appointed that Chief Executive because he was loyal to the Party.’
You installed a puppet government, Kai thought privately, and you never expected the puppet to bite you.
‘You see?’ said Huang. ‘First Taiwan becomes defiant, then Hong Kong. I keep telling you, it’s fatal to appear weak!’
Kai’s boss, Fu Chuyu, spoke. ‘I’m sorry to follow bad news with worse,’ he said. ‘But I have a message from the Vice-Minister for Homeland Intelligence that you ought to hear. It seems there is trouble in Xinjiang.’ This vast desert province in the west of China had a majority Muslim population and a small independence movement. ‘Separatists have seized control of Diwopu Airport and Communist Party headquarters in Urumqi, the capital. They have declared that Xinjiang is now the independent country of East Turkestan and will remain neutral in the present nuclear conflict.’