“Second, the ROK government, along with international support, begins immediate relief efforts to provide food and medical assistance to our citizens.
“Third, the ROK government preserves the Korean People’s Army’s organization and command structure. I am to be granted temporary authority as commander in chief; however, I will place myself under the authority of the ROK chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the chief of staff of the army.
“Fourth, the ROK government provides the KPA with ammunition, food, and fuel so that we can defend our land.”
Glancing at the paper as Tae ran down the list, Rhee saw they were exactly as Tae had said. The first two were givens, but the last two would be a major problem for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, not to mention the Blue House.
“Your first two conditions will happen as a matter of course, General,” responded Rhee carefully. “However, I do not understand the purpose of the last two.”
“I have very good reasons for those conditions, Colonel,” Tae answered calmly, but his tone was forceful. “If the Republic of Korea wishes to reunify the peninsula, then the population and the military of what was the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea must join with those in the South. Uniting against a common enemy will do that faster than anything else. We love our country just as much as you do yours.
“Furthermore, my men would rather die fighting a hopeless cause than become prisoners, scorned and shamed for doing their duty. I trust our actions as of late have made that very clear.”
As Rhee listened to the general’s passionate rebuttal, he suddenly grasped the purpose of their fierce defense earlier. “General Tae, are you telling me that yesterday’s fighting was a message? A demonstration of your resolve to be treated as equals?”
Tae smiled. “Precisely, Colonel Rhee. We had to show we are willing to fight to the bitter end. If your government wishes to reunify the peninsula, we must have a say in how that will be done.”
Rhee nodded his understanding; a military force was the first and most obvious form of a state’s existence. Tae’s argument was reasonable. But the heavy casualties both sides had suffered, just to get his message across, angered Rhee. It was typical North Korean behavior. Forcing himself to remain calm, he took a deep breath and asked, “And the second reason?”
“You’ll need my men to help fight the Chinese,” Tae replied.
Rhee reacted to Tae’s claim with suspicion. “Once your forces surrender, there will be no need to fight them. The Chinese have officially said they were only concerned about the lack of control of the DPRK’s weapons of mass destruction. This ceases to be an issue once you transfer control to us.”
“Don’t be naïve, Colonel,” scolded Tae. “China will not quietly tolerate a unified Korea on their border. The only way they’ll leave is if we push them out. And for that, you’ll need the forces at my command.”
The last part caused a chill to run up Rhee’s spine. While General Tae’s assertion was unsettling, Rhee knew he was right. He’d heard Kwon and other senior officers discussing their prospects of fighting both the Chinese and the remaining KPA forces. They were not optimistic.
After a pause, Rhee announced, “I understand your conditions, General. However, I must discuss them with my superiors. I’ll return shortly.”
“By all means, Colonel. We’ll wait. We have nothing better to do.”
Rhee turned to leave, but caught himself in mid-stride and looked back at the North Korean general. “I’m curious, General Tae. We know chemical weapons have been used during the fighting here earlier. We were fully expecting you to use them against our assault. I’m sure you still have some in your possession, don’t you?”
“Of course,” Tae grinned. “I have an ample supply of special rockets and shells.”
“Why didn’t you use them, then?”
“Would you have been willing to listen to me if I had? I wanted to make a point, Colonel, not create a blood enemy.”
“I see. Please excuse me.” Rhee saluted, then motioned to Little as he started walking away. The American was close behind him. As they passed by the corporal, he held out a tablet for Rhee. The colonel took it, looked at the display, and passed it to Kevin. Little raised the tablet and looked at a stock NIS photo of General Tae Seok-won.
“Same guy,” remarked Kevin as he handed the tablet back.
“I concur. He is who he says he is. That is an encouraging beginning.”
They stopped a short distance away, but well out of earshot of the North Koreans. Rhee radioed headquarters and urgently requested that he speak to General Kwon. It didn’t take long before the general was on the net.
Rhee explained the situation and confirmed the North Korean general’s identity. He then listed Tae’s conditions, and his justifications for them. Kwon listened quietly as Rhee concluded his report. “Finally, Tae claims that he has an ample supply of chemical weapons that he deliberately chose not to use against us.”
“Do you believe him?” Kwon asked.
“We both know how many empty depots my men found; I’d have to say I do.”
Rhee heard his general curse loudly. “This makes no damn sense, Colonel! No sense at all! Why fight so hard, and then offer to surrender? Is he trying to put us off guard so they can counterattack?”
“That would be hard to do without bridges, General,” argued Rhee. “As a barrier, the Taedong River works both ways. Honestly, sir, I think Tae is being truthful, as hard as that may be to imagine.”
“You mean to tell me that you actually believe this criminal? This filthy communist?”
Rhee had been expecting this. General Kwon was old school. He was famous for his fierce determination, and equally infamous for his hatred of the Kim regime.
“There wasn’t the usual communist bluster, sir. He never mentioned reestablishing party rule even once. In truth, General, I agree with his reasoning.”
“Colonel Rhee, the man has used chemical weapons on his own people!” objected Kwon.
“All three factions have used chemical weapons, sir,” Rhee countered. “If we’re going to reject the surrender of every senior North Korean officer that used WMDs during the civil war, then we should prepare for a long, costly fight, one we could very well lose.”
A soft laugh suddenly echoed in the earpiece. Once it stopped, there was a sharp sigh, followed by, “All right, Colonel, what do you recommend?”
“I recommend we accept his terms, sir,” Rhee stated frankly.
“You understand that this is a political hand grenade,” remarked Kwon. “How do you expect me to sell this up the chain of command?”
Rhee smiled. Kwon was at least listening. “Simply point out that we will achieve our goals. Pyongyang is taken ahead of schedule, and with far fewer casualties than we estimated. The Blue House will love that. And if the rest of the KPA units obey Tae, then the fighting between our armed forces will be over throughout the rest of the country. We get our hands on more WMDs — a lot more, since Tae almost certainly knows about caches that we didn’t even have a clue existed. Maybe that will be enough to get the Chinese to back off.
“But most importantly, sir, accepting Tae’s terms give us the best chance at achieving reunification in a reasonably peaceful fashion. Sir, we can’t throw this opportunity away because of decades-old hostility. The healing has to begin some time… why not now?”
Kwon was quiet at first; Rhee knew his boss was thinking over his subordinate’s words carefully. Finally, after another sigh, Kwon lamented, “You realize we could both be court-martialed for treason. Committing our government to an alliance with the enemy.”
“I see nothing treasonous about allying ourselves with other Koreans, sir. However, if we’re convicted, I’ll gladly take the upper bunk.”