Page 244 of Never

‘The decision to attack is momentous,’ Pauline was saying. ‘I have always hoped I would never have to make it. I have not chosen this course emotionally, nor in a heated desire for revenge. I’ve discussed it coolly and calmly with my Cabinet, and we are unanimous in thinking this is the only viable option open to the United States as a free independent people.’

A screen on the wall came to life showing a radar picture superimposed on a map. Kai was puzzled, not sure what he was seeing. The missiles seemed to be beyond South Korea, miles away over the sea.

Yang Yong, who was quick to decipher this kind of visual information, muttered: ‘How the fuck many missiles is that?’

Kai said: ‘I don’t know, but I’m pretty sure the Americans don’t have that many missiles in South Korea, not after the last few days.’

‘No, these aren’t coming from South Korea,’ Yang said confidently. ‘In fact, I think they’re originating in Japan.’ The US had bases in mainland Japan and on the islands of Okinawa, and could launch cruise missiles from its ships and aircraft there. Yang added: ‘So many!’

Kai recalled that the US had giant submarines that could each carry more than one hundred and fifty Tomahawk missiles. He said: ‘This is what happens when you pick a fight with the richest country in the world.’

Jin Chin-hwa, the head of the Korea desk, was looking at his laptop. ‘Listen to this,’ he said. ‘A Chinese freighter discharging a cargo of rice in the North Korean port of Nampo has just sent us a message.’

Every Chinese vessel, including commercial ships, had at least one crew member whose duty it was to report anything important they saw. They sent messages to what they thought was the Maritime Intelligence Center in the port of Shenzhen but was, in fact, the Guoanbu.

Jin went on: ‘They say that an American destroyer, the USSMorgan, sailed to the mouth of the Taedong River and fired a cruise missile that hit and sank a vessel of the North Korean navy right before their eyes.’

Zhou Meiling, the young woman Internet expert, said: ‘Already!’

Kai said: ‘The president wasn’t kidding. She’s going to annihilate North Korea’s military.’

‘That’s not what she said,’ Yang Yong said pedantically. ‘Not exactly.’

Kai turned to him. Yang did not speak out as often as the younger officers, who were always trying to show how bright they were. Kai said: ‘What do you mean?’

‘She never said she was attacking North Korea, always Pyongyang, and once the Supreme Leader.’

Kai had not noticed that detail. ‘Well spotted,’ he said. ‘It may mean she’s leaving the rebel ultras alone.’

‘Or simply keeping that option open for the moment.’

‘I’ll try to find out when I talk to the CIA.’

The president’s broadcast came to an end without further revelations. A few minutes later Kai was summoned to Zhongnanhai for an emergency meeting of the Foreign Affairs Commission. He notified Monk, grabbed his coat, and left the building.

He foresaw that, as the group debated the Chinese response to the American attack, they would split into hawks and doves, as usual. Kai would be searching for a compromise that would enable China to save face without starting World War Three.

While he was on the way there in the usual heavy Beijing traffic – and the American missiles were still in the air on their thousand-mile flight from Japan to North Korea – Neil Davidson called.

The Texan drawl was not as laid-back as usual; in fact, Neil sounded almost tense. ‘Kai, before anyone does anything in a hurry, we want to be real clear with you all: the US has no intention of invading North Korea.’

Kai said: ‘So you think you can deal with the present situation with measures short of an invasion, but you’re not completely ruling out that possibility.’

‘That’s about the size of it.’

Kai was greatly relieved, because that meant there was a chance of containing the crisis even now; but he kept the thought to himself. It was never smart to make things too easy for the other side. He said: ‘But Neil, the USSMorganhas already violated North Korean borders by approaching the mouth of the Taedong River to sink a ship of the North Korean navy with a cruise missile. Are you telling me that’s not an invasion?’

There was a silence, and Kai guessed that Neil had not known about theMorgan. But he recovered from the surprise and said: ‘Naval bombardment is not ruled out. But please take it from me that we do not intend to put American troops on the ground in North Korea.’

‘It’s a hair-splitting distinction,’ Kai said, but, in fact, he was not displeased. If that was where the Americans wanted to draw the line between assault and invasion, the Chinese government might accept it, at least unofficially.

Neil said: ‘As we speak, our Secretary of State is calling your ambassador in Washington to say the same thing. Our quarrel is with the people who dropped those chemical bombs, not with the folks in Beijing.’

Kai put a note of scepticism in his voice. ‘Are you trying to say that your attack is a proportionate response?’

‘That’s exactly what I’m saying, and we think the rest of the world will see it that way.’

‘I don’t think the Chinese government will take such a lenient view.’