Suddenly they were back at their starting point, and Tony realized he was very tired. Arm in arm they trudged back to his car.
As he started it up and pulled out of the parking lot, Tony looked over at Anne. “I’m glad we could see the fortress together. It was a great morning.”
“Thank you for asking me, Tony.” She smiled coquettishly. “Now, where should we go next?”
They spent the drive back deciding.
General Chang stubbed his cigarette out in an ashtray and looked slowly around the crowded room, seeking out the eyes of every officer present. None avoided his gaze. He nodded to himself. They were committed and he could trust them.
The conspirators were meeting in the back room of the Han Chung Kak kisaeng house again. It was a good cover. No one would question an officer who chose to avail himself of the company of Seoul’s most charming women. And if internal security had noticed Chang’s frequent visits here, it might even lead them to write him off as nothing more than a middle-aged womanizer. If so, he thought, that would be an impression they would soon regret.
But General Hahn had assured him that the government knew nothing of his plans. Oh, the bureaucrats were nervous enough, jumping at shadows on every side. But they didn’t have the detailed information needed to break up his coup attempt. And with General Hahn busy laundering Defense Security Command reports before they reached the higher echelons, they never would.
Chang brought his thoughts back to the matter at hand. The final brief for Operation Purify — the code name he’d selected for the coup. Almost everything was in place. The ten other officers in the room represented the merest tip of the cadre he’d organized. They would be responsible for briefing other groups of supporters at each of their duty stations. Chang was proud of his efforts. In a little over a month he’d managed to recruit middle-grade officers in nearly every major command of the South Korean Armed Forces. That had required a lot of hard work and a lot of risk, and now the payoff was at hand. Within the next few weeks the Republic of Korea would wake to find itself with a new group of political and military leaders — leaders who would rescue the nation from its turmoil.
“The time for action is nearly at hand, gentlemen.” That startled them. He could see the surprise on their faces.
Colonel Min spoke first. “General? Are you sure we are ready? After all, we’ve been meeting for just a month. Can we afford to risk failure with a hasty throw of the dice?”
Others around the room nodded. Chang had caught them off guard. They’d anticipated a more leisurely planning process.
Chang snorted, “Gentlemen, the risks are greater the longer we wait.”
He waved a hand at General Hahn. “Friend Hahn here has kept the government’s lapdogs off our trail so far, but every passing day brings another chance for them to pick up the scent.” Hahn nodded at that.
Chang continued, “Besides, gentlemen, our nation is fast approaching the edge. If we wait much longer, we may not have a country left to save.”
That was something of an exaggeration, but only just. Every officer in the room had been appalled by the speed with which South Korea’s economy and its political stability were unraveling. Most of the nation’s industrial conglomerates, the chaebol, had already been brought to their knees by a combination of strikes and foreign trade sanctions. Skilled and unskilled workers of every description had been turned out of their idle factories, ready for exploitation by radical students. Rioting had flared across the peninsula, and the Combat Police seemed unable to contain the growing civil disorder. Hundreds had been killed, thousands injured, and thousands more were in “protective detention.” There were even rumors that many of the conscripts who made up the Combat Police force were deserting, taking their skills and weapons over to the rioters.
And now South Korean coalition government seemed on the brink of collapse. Opposition leaders were demanding more power from the ruling party — power they hadn’t won at the polls and power the ruling party wasn’t willing to surrender. The National Assembly had been deadlocked in petty political maneuvering for weeks while the crisis outside built steadily.
Chang reminded them of all of that and asked, “Is there any man here who can doubt the need for swift action?”
He turned to Min. “Isn’t it better to throw the dice quickly than to be caught with them in hand?”
Min, still uncertain, looked at the others around the room and then down at his locked hands for a moment before replying. “You’re right, Chang. We have no choice.”
The others muttered their agreement.
Chang spoke slowly. “Thank you, gentlemen. I know that this is a tremendous gamble for us all, but you all know my reputation as a gambler.” There were smiles at that. Chang had been known throughout the Academy as a risk-taker, but he’d also been known as a winner.
Chang pulled a map out of his briefcase and unfolded it across the table. The other officers leaned forward to get a better look.
“The key, my friends, is speed. The quicker we act, the less time available for the politicians to react. True?”
They nodded.
“So we must move with lightning speed to decapitate the current regime. That’s the only way to do it. Seize the reins of government here in Seoul and the country will follow.” Chang stabbed a finger at the capital as he outlined his plan.
A column made up of picked units from his own 4th Infantry Division would move from the DMZ to Seoul down the Main Supply Route. General Hahn would provide the necessary papers to take them through the rear-area checkpoints. Once in the capital, special assault troops would seize the President and his cabinet, the National Assembly building, and the Armed Forces HQ complex. Hahn and his fellow conspirators in the DSC would be responsible for making sure that the government’s “black berets,” the Special Forces, didn’t intervene before these objectives were seized.
Once ensconced in the Blue House, Chang would make a nationwide broadcast announcing the change of government and promising a swift restoration of order and prosperity. That would be the signal for the other plotters to arrest their senior officers and assume full command of their respective units. With luck and careful timing, the governing elite would never know what had hit them.
Chang finished his briefing and sat down. The others stood clustered over the map, tracing out the intricate movements needed to bring the coup off. After a moment they, too, sat down.
Hahn spoke for them all. “It can be done.”
Chang smiled. They were ready.
McLaren looked up from his pile of paperwork. “Come in!”
His aide stepped into the room and saluted.
“Take a pew, Doug. And spare me the formalities.”
Captain Hansen smiled and sat down. “What can I do for you, General?”
McLaren glanced out the window before asking, “How are things out there, Doug?”
“Lousy.” His aide frowned. “There are barricades up near the National University and the Combat Police aren’t even trying to go near them. Instead, they’re just trying to keep the city center operating under some semblance of normalcy.”
“Shit.”
“Amen to that, General. If things get much worse, we may have to consider moving the HQ out to the field — at least until things cool off here.”
McLaren grimaced. “I’m not even going to consider that suggestion. The South Koreans would take that as the final sign that we’re on the way out. We’re gonna stay right here in Seoul until the very last stages of this dumbshit troop withdrawal are completed.”