The picture Cho had painted was one of unmitigated chaos, with no direction or strategy behind the fighting — attrition of the enemy’s forces appeared to be the only discernable goal. He had also warned his superior that it was getting harder and harder to find the information Moscow wanted. Cho doubted many in North Korea could truly be sure who was ultimately in charge of the various factions.
Anger bubbled within Telitsyn. He had to resign himself to the fact that he had probably lost an extremely valuable asset. And for what? He wanted to lash out at those fools on the security council. They had to know there was virtually no chance of obtaining the information they said they so desperately needed.
And if by some miracle the Foreign Intelligence Service had managed to obtain the information, what could they have done with it? There were very few combat units in the Eastern Military District that could be mobilized and moved quickly. With only one railway line leading up to the Tumannaya River, the Russian army couldn’t hope to transport anything more than a token force to the nineteen-kilometer-long border. Idiots!
The spymaster took a deep breath; there was no point in delaying this any longer. He grabbed his secure phone and dialed his superior’s direct line. The phone was picked up on the second ring.
“Deputy Director Malikov.”
“Sir, it’s Telitsyn. I regret to inform you that our North Korean agent has missed another scheduled communications period. This makes two days with no contact. It is my belief that he has probably been killed in the line of duty.”
“Really? And what makes you so confident that he has given his life for Mother Russia? Couldn’t he have just as well deserted, comrade?” Malikov’s voice was cold, uncaring.
Telitsyn was furious, but he bit his tongue. He wouldn’t get anywhere by screaming at his boss. “Sir, Cho went to Pyongyang as ordered. He made several reports and each time the navigation function on his satellite phone put him within one hundred meters of where he said he was. We sent him into a damn Stalingrad! The odds were very much against him surviving for long in that hellhole!”
Malikov audibly sighed on the other end. “Calm yourself, Pavel Ramonovich. I understand your frustration over losing a valuable asset, but our duty is to follow orders — whether we agree with those orders or not is irrelevant. Regardless, it appears that we no longer have direct human insight into what is happening in the DPRK. I will inform the director. And Pavel, my condolences on the loss of your agent.”
“Thank you, sir,” replied Telitsyn tersely. He knew the deputy director’s sympathies were without sentiment, merely a pro forma response. The click in the receiver announced the end of the phone call.
Hanging up, Telitsyn opened one of the bottom desk drawers and took out a bottle of vodka. Pouring a small shot, the Russian raised the glass, a salute to a fallen comrade, and gulped the fiery liquid down. Returning the bottle to the drawer, Telitsyn went back to work.
“The headquarters for the Kim faction is here, Comrade General. In the remains of the Korean Workers’ Party Central Committee complex banquet hall,” Ro Ji-hun said, pointing to the location on the Pyongyang city map. The special ops captain smiled in the dim light. “This has, of course, incensed the KWP faction greatly and they’ve already attempted two frontal assaults.”
“Both failed, I’m sure,” remarked Tae, shaking his head. The rubble from the bombed building would offer excellent defensive positions. Troops attacking from the front would literally have to crawl over the shattered walls and columns, exposing them to concentrated machine gun fire from multiple locations. Any attempt would undoubtedly end in slaughter. Tae was content with that outcome. The Kim faction would expend valuable ammunition and take some casualties, while the KWP faction was bled white by their foolish charges.
“Yes, sir. It was a poor use of their soldiers and accomplished nothing.” Ro almost sounded sorry for the slain KWP troops. “However, our reconnaissance indicates the KWP is massing additional units for yet another attempt over here, at the Mansudae Assembly Hall.”
Tae smiled. “Do we know when this attack is to begin? It would make for an excellent diversion for our forces.”
“Unfortunately, we do not know exactly when the KWP faction will make their next move. But I have men in position monitoring their troops’ every action. We may get as much as a thirty minute advance warning, but that is probably the best we can do.”
“You’ve done well, Captain,” complimented Tae, pleased with Ro’s report. The Korean general now had all the location data he needed to plan an assault on what was left of the Pyongyang Defense Command, the mainstay of the Kim faction’s forces. Tae would still need some reinforcements from Vice Marshal Koh, but a strong flanking attack would crush the Kim loyalists. The General Staff would then only have to conduct mop-up operations to finish off the remaining isolated pockets of resistance. Once the city was secured, the army could declare itself in charge and consolidate its holdings over the rest of the country. If all went well, the fighting would be over in a week, and the city would be theirs.
“Thank you, Comrade General,” replied a delighted Ro. General Tae Seok-won rarely gave compliments.
“Do you have anything else to report, Captain?”
“Just one thing, sir. It’s an unsubstantiated rumor, from a single prisoner, but I believe it is sufficiently important to bring it to your attention.”
“Very well, continue.”
“The prisoner stated that Vice Marshal Choe Ryong-hae is still alive and was spirited away from the city early this morning. He didn’t know Choe’s destination, only that it was to the north.”
Tae’s jaw hardened. This would be incredibly bad news if the claim was true. Choe Ryong-hae was the second most powerful man in the DPRK, and a close ally to the Kim family. Choe’s second son was married to Kim Yo-jong, Kim Jong-un’s younger sister, and this made Choe the closest thing to an heir apparent. If he had escaped the General Staff’s closing pincer, he could become a rallying point for other Kim loyalists. That was unacceptable.
“Do you believe this man? Is he still alive?” Tae asked quietly.
“It is hard to say, Comrade General. He was attempting to bargain the information for his life. It could be nothing more than complete fiction. However, he is still alive and can be interrogated at your convenience.”
“But if his story is true, then we have a serious problem on our hands.”
“Yes, sir. That is why I thought it best to inform you.”
“A wise decision, Captain Ro. Well, we need to—”
“General Tae! General Tae!” called out the excited voice of Captain Ryeon, the general’s aide.
“In here, Captain,” shouted Tae tersely. The interruption was not welcomed.
Ryeon burst into the command post; the man looked shocked. Tae’s emotions changed from annoyance to concern. Ryeon was not a man to be easily shaken. “What is it, Captain?” asked the general more calmly.
“Comrade General, I have message from Vice Marshal Koh. The imperialist’s puppets have crossed the demilitarized zone. There are reports of incursions all along our border.”