Xiang Chenglei sat behind his desk in the Great Hall of the People, staring at his rival seated across from him. Huan Zhixin, chairman of the Central Military Commission—de facto leader of the People’s Liberation Army and twenty years younger, wore a smug smile befitting his arrogance. He had deliberately withheld information concerning Christine O’Connor’s whereabouts, revealing that fact only seconds earlier.
“You’ve known all along where she is?” Xiang asked.
“Yes and no,” Huan answered. “We know she’s been at a CIA safe house here in Beijing. However, our informant has refused to disclose its location. What we do know is that O’Connor has now left the safe house.”
“Where is she headed?”
“Our informant doesn’t know the final destination, nor the route she’s taking—only that she’s headed to the coast for a rendezvous with American special forces.”
“Why have you not told me earlier she was at a safe house here in Beijing?” Xiang asked.
“I had higher priorities than running down your wayward American.”
“Her escape from the Great Hall is an embarrassment.”
“Yes, it is.” Huan offered another smug smile.
There was a strained silence as Xiang contained his anger, focusing his thoughts on managing the delicate relationship with the head of the People’s Liberation Army. Huan coveted Xiang’s position as general secretary and paramount ruler of China, waiting impatiently for him to retire. In the meantime, it was not beneath Huan to undermine his credibility, even in subtle ways like this.
It was Huan who broke the silence. “You need not worry, Chenglei. O’Connor will be apprehended. Now that she’s headed to the coast, we will find her. There are only so many ways to make the transit.”
Huan pushed himself to his feet. “If you’ll excuse me, I have important matters to attend to. Lead elements of the American Navy will be within strike distance by tomorrow morning.”
* * *
A few minutes later, Huan entered his office on the perimeter of the South Wing of the Great Hall. As chairman of the Central Military Commission, his main office was in the nearby Ministry of National Defense compound, but Huan had arranged for an additional office—with a view—in the Great Hall of the People.
He settled into the black leather chair behind his desk, contemplating the upcoming briefing by the four PLA branch heads. Everything was proceeding as planned. Not only was the PLA offensive progressing smoothly, but Huan’s scheme to use the PLA offensive as a springboard to supreme leader of China was working brilliantly.
The first element of that plan—the elimination of Prime Minister Bai Tao—had been executed flawlessly. Bai Tao’s resistance to using military force was the main obstacle to the PLA offensive, and Huan had arranged for the removal of that obstacle. Bai’s death also opened a coveted spot on the nine-member Politburo Standing Committee.
Huan fumed as he recalled the events of a decade before. His uncle Shen’s vote would decide whether Xiang or his rival would become China’s new ruler, and Shen had proposed a deal. In return for Shen’s support, one of the three positions normally held by China’s paramount ruler would go to Huan, a rising star in the Party. It was not without precedent. Two previous men—Deng Xiaoping and Hua Guofeng—had ruled China while holding only one of the three positions. Xiang had capitulated to Shen’s request.
However, Xiang had outmaneuvered them both. It was a given that the chairman of the Central Military Commission would be a member of the Politburo, but in a stunning move, Xiang had blocked Huan’s election. Without membership in the Politburo, there was no way Huan could be elected general secretary. Xiang had seen through their ultimate plan and had cut Huan off at the knees. But that would soon be rectified.
The PLA offensive was the perfect vehicle for Huan’s ambition. Once the vaunted American Pacific Fleet was defeated, Huan’s prestige would increase tenfold, and not even Xiang could block his election to the Politburo.
Huan smiled. Xiang was a fool, blind to the political implications of defeating the United States. Once Huan was elected to the Politburo, Xiang’s days were numbered.