“General Moa, this is General Yao of the South Korean Forces. I am sure you are aware of the current situation so I will not bring such things up. If I may, I would propose a cease fire for both our forces beginning one hour from now. At that time, with your permission, I propose the two of us have direct talks so this conflict between us may end. To facilitate those talks, I propose we meet in your camp at your headquarters. I will come with my aircraft and two staff members. Would this be acceptable to you, sir?”
That was different. He would be speaking to a South Korean and not an American? Meet in his camp? Was this a trick? He tested the waters. “General, would any of these staff members be American or from another nation?”
“General, it would be me, my chief of staff, and a Korean stenographer to take notes. Only Koreans should make these decisions.”
“Then it is agreed. You say you will come by aircraft?”
“That is correct, General. It will necessarily be an American aircraft, but there will only be one and they will depart once I get off. I hope you can guarantee my safety.”
“My forces will not fire unless we see treachery, then I make no guarantees.”
“Then I will approach from the Northeast in one hour.”
General Moa was curious. The call was courteous and respectful. There was no mention of an immediate surrender. Perhaps the countries would return to their former positions and maintain a cease fire as they had done before? Too many things were going on here with no help at all from his government. He rose from his seat and walked back to his tent, calling in his staff.
As the staff entered the tent, Moa sat in his camp chair deep in thought. After a few minutes, when all were assembled, he laid out the plan.
“Comrades, I have been contacted by the South Korean Army to begin talks on a cease fire.” There were gasps in the room and several men began to feel uneasy in their seats.
“There will be no such talks!” demanded the political officer. “That is against the will of the people and the will of the party!” he screamed.
Calmly Moa addressed the man. “Comrade political officer, I fully realize you and some others do not wish this to be so; however, there are other factors we must consider. We have been cut off from our government for more than two days. Our supplies are cut off. Our food is starting to run down. Our fuel and munitions are low. I could press forward with one massive attack and achieve some ground, but in the end we would sacrifice every soldier out here and really gain nothing. Does the State wish us to all commit suicide?” he asked
“The State demands loyalty and results! We must achieve those results by any means!”
“And Comrade, I am saying no matter what we do, those results cannot be achieved. You saw the results of the attacks on our forces last week. Over 160,000 troops are gone. They vanished as if they were never there due to the enemy force’s strength. That is a fact despite your politics!” he said raising his voice.
“You do not know the politics! We may just be a small wheel in an ever growing movement that will ultimately achieve victory!” the political officer shouted feeling the political fervor he was raised with. “Everyone here must do their duty to the end!”
“So it is suicide that the Party wants,” Moa said quietly, his point made. “Comrade, I believe you have no idea what the Party wants. I suggest you continue to try and make contact with our headquarters and get instructions. Until then, I will run this army as I see fit,” he said firmly.
“You will not!” the political officer said reaching for his pistol. He had pulled it partially out of its holster when a shot rang out in the tent. The political officer’s eyes rolled upward and blood began to pour from a hole in his forehead. He fell face first to the ground.
Moa stared at the lifeless body and looked up. There was a young officer standing there with a smoking pistol in his hand. He handed it to another officer. “I place myself in custody, Comrade General, for shooting our political officer,” he said nervously.
Moa stood, took the pistol and handed it back to the young man. “Thank you,” he said. He turned to the others. Do you all agree on this course of action?”
The men nodded.
“Good. Relay to our troops there will be some kind of aircraft coming into our area from the northeast. It is not to be disturbed. As a matter of fact, until further notice, we will not shoot down any further aircraft. Pass the word that in forty-five minutes there will be a cease fire. It will remain in effect until I say so. I want a tent set up with lights and refreshments in the center of the camp. Clear out a wide space for this aircraft to land. I assume it will be some sort of helicopter. I am told it will be American. I want this meeting purely professional so that, no matter what, the Army of the Democratic People’s Republic will be respected. Make the arrangements!” he demanded.
The men scattered and things began to happen. A 200 yard wide area was cleared and a tent set up nearby for the meeting. It was wired for electricity and heat. Tables and chairs were rounded up and placed inside. Two officers were assigned to make sure things went well.
They were putting the finishing touches on the area when a strange sound was heard getting closer. From the northeast came one of the strangest aircraft the men had ever seen. It had the wings and body of an airplane, but at the ends of the wings were two huge propellers. The plane flew over and banked around the valley before the rotating propellers began to tilt upward. The Osprey slowed and eased in toward the landing area. Gracefully it moved to the center of the field and sat down. Three men exited the aircraft from the rear and, when clear, the Osprey lifted off again departing the area.
General Yao saluted General Moa along with the others and the men went inside the tent.
“Please be seated, General. Would you like some tea?” Moa asked.
“Thank you, I would welcome some,” Yao said graciously. The tea was poured and the men got down to business.
“General, I thank you for meeting with me. As soldiers, neither of us like losing our men to no purpose. It is my hope and the hope of my government that we can prevent that.”
“I am glad we agree.”
Yao reached into his briefcase and pulled out what looked like a laptop computer and a small antenna. “I wish to show you something.” He placed them on the table and turned it on. The screen came up showing the satellite feed of every unit on the Korean Peninsula. He turned it for Moa to see.
Moa took one look and knew everything was done. He clearly saw the outline of Korea, his forces and all the others. With technology such as this, there was no chance and had been no chance.
Yao began pointing things out. “As you can see, General, here are your forces and here are ours. Off shore, here are four battleships, three aircraft carriers, and a number of smaller ships. Here are our aircraft flying along the borders. I also show you where our forces are in your country. As you can see, we are at Pyongyang. As of tomorrow morning my forces will enter the city. We have reason to believe it has been abandoned and your political leadership has either fled or been killed. Your forces are totally surrounded and we cut off your communications with the outside world two days ago, as you know.” Yao sat back. “I tell you this simply because I wanted you to see the complete situation. You are an honorable man and have led your army with great skill. We do not wish to see the slaughter continue.”
“What do you propose?”
“General, I propose you go home. We will not ask for a surrender and you will not actually give one. You and your men will be allowed to mount your trucks and take enough supplies to return home. You will leave your heavy weapons, but your rifles and side arms you may keep. Our forces will provide escort to Pyongyang. From there, you may go as you wish. We simply want your assurance that the fighting will cease. I anticipate that there will be a new government in Pyongyang when you arrive. I anticipate they will need a security force to help in the transition. In this way, you will not be betraying your people. You will be helping them adjust to a new situation. If you desire, I can meet you in Pyongyang and we can discuss the situation. Would this be acceptable?”