“Yes,” McGraw said.
“Bah!” General Alan said. He turned to the President. “He’s a wild man, sir. I recommend that you—”
“Hold it, General Alan,” Sims said in a soft voice. The President glanced at McGraw, and he seemed to measure the huge man.
This is pure theater, Anna realized. David and General McGraw have set this up.
“I see you brought your map with you,” Sims said.
“Yes, Mr. President,” McGraw said.
“Go on then,” Sims said. “Tell us what you’re thinking. I haven’t had anyone tell me we can defeat the Chinese for several months now. Why do you all of a sudden think it can be done?”
General Tom McGraw began outlining his grand plan. He spoke about the Russians luring Napoleon deep into their country, about burning Moscow and sniping at French stragglers with partisans and Cossacks. He said now was the time to bring about a Battle of Borodino, using the Militia and extra troops on strongly built defenses. At the same time, with this influx of soldiers, it was time to create an offensive army. It was time to trap and annihilate Chinese formations and show them the U.S. still had plenty of fight left.
“Sir,” McGraw said, toward the end of this talk. “A critical aspect of my plan is surprise. The Chinese still have numbers and they have a better air force. We have to surprise and trick them, just as a smaller judo fighter tricks and trips his bigger opponent.”
“What if we lose the Canadian Army?” Sims asked. “What if the Canadian Government deserts us and we’re out of our last ally?”
“No,” McGraw said. “We can’t afford that, sir. “To pull this off, we need the Canadians and we need those East Coast soldiers. We can’t just rely on the Militiamen to hold. General Alan is right about the Chinese and South Americans having mass; almost too much mass for us. We’re going to need everything. If you would allow me sir to add a point concerning political maneuvering?”
“Yes?” Sims asked.
“I would explain to the Canadians the dire situation concerning our country. If we fall, they will fall. I would point out that we both need time and we both need to face our enemies one at a time. Give the Germans Quebec for now so we can face the Chinese and South Americans. Once we defeat the enemy coalition, then and only then, would we turn against the Germans and drive them out of Quebec. Then the Canadians have their lost province back.”
“We practice deceit, General?” Sims asked.
“The old saying holds true, sir. All is fair in love and war. We’re fighting for our existence. You don’t worry what you have to do to defeat a tiger in your living room. You do whatever it takes, even if it means feeding it a poisoned steak. That’s how I feel about these three power blocs ganging up on my beloved country. Screw them each and to the wall, sir.”
A wild light had appeared in the President’s eyes, and there was a grim smile in place.
“And if this grand scheme fails?” General Alan asked. “If we try to bite off more than we can chew and if we lose our carefully built Tank Army Group?”
“Sir,” McGraw said, “we’re losing this war. We’re selling the future to defeat the enemy hard enough so we can turn around later and beat the Germans, if that’s what we have to do. Sometimes, the smaller risk is taking the bigger risk when you still have the numbers to change the outcome. If we wait too long, we won’t have those numbers.”
“So you would take the German offer?” Sims asked. “Even knowing it could be a trick?”
McGraw grew thoughtful. “Send observers to Cuba and to the GD military. If the Chancellor refuses to let us observe his army moving out of Cuba, refuse his offer. Then we’ll know he’s a liar. But I think Ms. Chen has it right. Kleist is clever and he doesn’t like the idea of the Chinese grabbing all our choice land. I can see that. The thing is, Mr. President, I doubt Kleist thinks we can send the Chinese running. Nobody does, not even our own generals.”
“If the truth be told, General,” President Sims said, “I don’t think we can send the Chinese running.”
“Maybe running is the wrong word,” McGraw said. “We’ll trap their best troops and starve them of food and munitions. They’ll try to fight their way free. There’s no doubt of that. But we’ll be waiting in powerful defensive positions, stretched across their escape routes. That’s one of the beauties of the plan, sir. Strategically, we move aggressively, tactically, we’ll fight defensively. Remember, Mr. President, defense is the stronger form of warfare.”
“Are you still against it, Alan?” the President asked.
The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs stared at the map like a zombie. “I don’t know, sir. In theory, it sounds brilliant. In actuality and in play, too many things could go wrong.”
“Harold?” Sims asked.
“We’re hoping for a miracle, sir,” Director Harold said. “Is McGraw a General Lee? I have no idea. He’s a fighting general. That’s for sure. I would risk it. We have to do something different and this plan sounds like the best thing going.”
“Anna?” Sims said.
It surprised her he asked. She thought for a moment.
“I’ve heard you speak about force multipliers before,” she said. “Maybe this force multiplies the Chancellor’s offer. He thinks we’ll use the freed troops to hold off the Chinese until the German Dominion is in a position to make a better land grab later. Instead, we hand the Chinese and Brazilians a stunning loss, strengthening our position. Undoubtedly, this is a massive risk. General McGraw said it will be a race against time. Mr. President, I would prefer a chance to win than to simply wait and slowly die.”
President Sims stood up and marched to the window overlooking the Rose Garden. He put his hands behind his back and began shaking his head. “I feel cold inside,” Sims said. “This decision—it gnaws at me. At first, the possibilities tremendously interest me. Then the dangers Alan speaks about makes me tremble. I’m not sure what to do.”
The President turned to regard the others. His eyes kept moving as he gazed at each of them in turn. “Gentlemen, Ms. Chen, I appreciate your advice. I’m going to sleep on this. I want all of you to sleep on this, too. Then… tomorrow… we will decide what we’re going to do.”
-5-
Reports
Guardian Inspector Shun Li stood at attention before Xiao Yang of the Ruling Committee.
The Police Minister was lean and wore a black uniform. He had extra-thick lenses in his glasses and had strangely protruding eyes. Those orbs measured her as he sat behind his desk. He didn’t smile or blink, but watched, perhaps weighing her worth and trustworthiness, with her life in the balance.
Shun Li tried to appear confident and ooze sincerity. It was difficult to do. She had her elbows locked, arms straight and in parallel alignment with her legs. She also had her chin up and stared at a distant, unseen point.
The Police Minister’s inner chamber was vast. It contained expensive furniture and had huge pictures of Xiao with the Chairman or a smiling Xiao as he held a polar bear cub, no doubt given him by the Leader of Greater China. In another enlarged photo, Xiao watched a parade of East Lightning personnel marching through Tiananmen Square.
The Police Minister could break her with a word, sentencing her to death. He was the Chairman’s closest ally and hated by many. The people and most in the military blamed him for the wrongful death of Foreign Minister Deng and Marshal Kao of the Ruling Committee. Since the passing of those two Ruling Committee members, Xiao Yang’s power and influence had increased tremendously. He had become the single most potent force behind the throne. The gigantic police apparatus obeyed Xian Yang’s will, and they backed Chairman Hong with greater enthusiasm than ever.