THE BEGINNING Book Two (THE EVENT)

by Marshall Huffman

  “I see. I will need to know your name Lieutenant. I know that the General is busy but I can assure that he wants to talk to me. If you will give me your name I will be able to explain to him later why I was not brought to him,” Tay said softly.

  “Are you threatening me?”

  “You misunderstand. I am not threatening you. I am merely assuring that the General will know who is responsible for the delay,” Tay said.

  The Lieutenant looked quickly at his men. Tay could see that he was unsure as to what to do next so he just stood looking at him, as if studying his features.

  “Ling, get over here,” he snapped suddenly.”

  A young soldier came running up.

  “Take this man to headquarters. Tell the officer in charge that this man says he has business with General Tusan.”

  The soldier bowed and grabbed Tay’s arm. Tay did not budge.

  “Come on old man,” the officer said.

  “You will unhand me. Lieutenant, I suggest you save yourself more embarrassment,” Tay said, only slightly louder than his previous conversations.

  “Let go of him. Escort him to the General but do not lay hands on this man, understand?” the Lieutenant ordered.

  “Yes sir, right away sir,” he said, removing his hand as if it had been burned.

  Tay straightened his shoulders, nodded to the officer and started off toward the city. The soldier walked a respectable distance behind him.

  Tay was taken to the Zhenjiang Gate and delivered to the Great Hall of the People.

  “This is now the General’s Headquarters,” the soldier said when they reached the immense building.

  “I am most grateful for your assistance,” Tay said and turned and started up the numerous steps.

  At the top six guards in full uniform stood at attention. When he reached the top step he was stopped by a Captain with white gloves.

  “What do you think you are doing here?” he snapped.

  “I am going to see General Tusan.”

  “Just like that? You think you can just come in here unannounced?”

  “Captain, do I look like a fool to you? Do you think for even one minute I would come here if I was not supposed to be here? I am surprised that a Captain would even ask such a question. How do you think I even got here? Do I look like a common peasant off the street?” Tay said unflinchingly to the officer.

  “I know nothing about anyone being sent for by the General,” he said, a little less sure of himself.

  Tay said nothing. He just stood there looking at the man as if expecting him to correct the situation.

  “I will check on this situation. What is your name?”

  “Tell him that Tay is here to see him,” he said. The officer left but returned almost immediately.

  “I am to bring you to the General immediately. Please forgive my lack of courtesy,” the Captain said.

  “I will try to keep that in mind,” Tay said, dismissing the subject.

  Tay was led through the enormous hall and up a massive marble stairway to the second floor. With over five hundred and twenty-seven thousand square feet of space it was staggering by any standards. This is the same building that Richard Nixon was brought to for a formal dinner for over five thousand people in 1972.

  Two guards in dress uniform stood on each side of lavish massive doors. The Captain knocked and the door was opened by another guard in dress uniform. The Captain bowed and left. Tay walked into the room that was now the office of the most powerful man in China. At least for the time being.

  The General was sitting behind a desk but stood up when Tay entered. The two men looked at each other across the expanse of the room.

  “You are General Tusan,” Tay said as a statement.

  “And I understand you are General Tay,” he responded.

  “It is an honor to meet you.”

  “Yes. I must say, you are not exactly what I expected,” Tusan said.

  “Do you make all your judgments based on how a person looks?” Tay said.

  The General visibly stiffened.

  “Why have you come here?”

  “To see if we can resolve any conflict without the loss of valuable assets.”

  “What kind of assets?” Tusan said coming from behind the desk.

  “The most valuable of all, human life.”

  Tusan stopped advancing immediately.

  “What does human life have to do with valuable assets? They are not assets. They are necessary for work but nothing more.”

  “Then you are you not a human yourself, General?”

  “What does that mean?”

  “Please General, we are both educated men. I do not have to explain something so simple. I have come to see if we could resolve any differences in a peaceful and amicable way. I am here of my own freewill and have no weapons of any kind. I want to have a dialogue about the future of China.”

  “The future of China? What China? Whoever did this will pay for it at some point. We will rebuild stronger than before and when we do we will make whoever did this pay. Russia, America or anyone responsible will feel the wrath of China,” he said.

  “And how are you going to accomplish that? Where do the people that we depend on to help rebuild the nation come from? How many years do you think it will take to become strong again?” Tay asked.

  “We will continue to gather people to do the work,” he said.

  “From where? How many do you think are left? If you eliminate all the military, how many people are left to do the actual work?”

  “We will get more,” he said stubbornly.

  “You have maybe nine thousand in Beijing. Half of those are military. Do you honestly believe that a few thousand workers can rebuild our country? The reality is that everyone who survived is of vital importance to the future. Each time someone dies we have one less person to carry on the work. What happens if people start to get sick and it spreads? We could lose the precious remaining few without a shot ever being fired,” Tay said.

  “What are you proposing? Do you think we will just lie down and die? No, we will do whatever it takes to see that China emerges as a powerful country again.”

  “Are you hearing yourself General Tusan? You are willing to kill the very people that we are dependent upon to help us survive as a nation. You would kill them just because you do not think they deserve to be treated as humans. Please explain the logic to me.”

  “I do not have to explain anything. I am the highest authority in China. What I say is the law,” Tusan ranted.

  Tay just waited.

  “You may consider yourself to be the ruler but that does not make it so. I came in hopes of avoiding an all-out war that will leave many dead on both sides. It will not matter who won or lost. Neither side will win because China as a whole will lose. You sit here in this fancy palace and claim to be the leader of China and yet you do not even understand the most basic concept of the need to embrace humans and the only way to achieve what must be done. You may have had that luxury at one time when we were a billion strong but now that we are down to a few thousand you can no longer afford to lose even one life. Once we start killing each other we will have even less chance for survival as a nation,” Tay said.

  “What makes you think so many are going to die on our side? I have you right here in front of me. I could kill you and then what would your so called army do?”

  “Exactly what they have planned to do. It will change nothing. I do not determine the outcome of a conflict. I am smart enough to know my limits. I simply make sure the right people are in place to handle the actual battle. Killing me will do absolutely nothing to change the outcome.”

  “Are you so sure of that?” Tusan said, resting his hand on his holster.

  “I am here am I not? Do you think I would have come if I thought it would alter the events about to take place? No General, you and I may start the war but others will finish it. The only thing to still be resolved is if we can avoid this bloodshed and
find common ground to work from so we can achieve the rebirth of China,” Tay replied.

  General Tusan took his hand off the holster and went back and sat down. He looked at Tay for several minutes.

  “General Tay, we have no common ground. What you want is not the same as what I want for China. I intend to see that we are the most powerful country in the world. We will no longer be hidden from the rest of countries. When we speak, they will listen. When we move they will tremble. We will take what we want and ask no one’s permission. China has been held back for far too long and now our enemies will quiver at the mention of our name. You spoke of common ground. Unless that is your vision as well, we have no common ground,” General Tusan said.

  Tay did not speak. He looked sadly at the General. He had heard that Tusan was a warmonger but considering the country’s needs, he had hoped to be able to reason with him.

  “General, does it not follow that before we can lead the world, we have to put it back together first? To do that, we must work together as a nation to rebuild. People with a common goal work better and achieve more. Forced labor has never been productive.”

  “You are wrong. If you coddle the workers they become soft and demanding. Look at the Americans. They are like sheep. They cry about everything they do. They are like spoiled children. They no longer have the stomach to be the super power they once were. They have all the latest technology but they do not have the guts to use it. We will show them what a real super power is,” Tusan said, raising his voice slightly. He was becoming agitated and that was never a good thing for those around him.

  “Then I fear we will have to decide the direction of the country in a less civilized way,” Tay said.

  “It is the only way. Warriors do not try to talk each other to death. Diplomacy is for the weak, action is for the strong. I think we have had enough talk. We will meet on the battle field, General Tay,” he said.

  He pushed a button on the intercom and had the guard come in and escort Tay back to the entrance of the city.

  “Report back as soon has he has cleared the barricade. Have the officer in charge of that section report to me as well,” he ordered.

  “Yes General.”

  The guard led Tay back through the streets but would say nothing even when Tay tried to start a conversation. He was a palace guard and they were the elite.

  Once Tay was allowed to leave, the Lieutenant in charge was brought back to the palace and shown into General Tusan’s office.

  “You are?” the General asked.

  “Lieutenant Okoni, General, sir.”

  “Lieutenant Okoni, what are your instructions about those approaching the barricades?”

  “We are to take them immediately to indoctrination for interrogation,” he said, his voice quivering slightly.

  “Yes. And does that include bringing them to the palace and to my office?”

  “General, sir,” he started to say but the General held up his hand.

  “Does it? Yes or No?”

  “No General, sir, it does not.”

  “Then you will understand this perhaps,” the General said and picked his pistol up off the desk and shot the Lieutenant just above his right eye.

  A large portion of his skull and brain splattered on the door behind him as he was knocked back and slid down to the floor in a pool of spreading blood.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  CHINA

  Tusan had always thought that Russia and America were all talk and no guts. The Americans were still moaning about losing 54,000 men over ten years in Vietnam. He would have sacrificed 500,000 a year if that is what it took. Victory, not body count was the only thing worth fighting for. How many died was nothing more than a footnote in history.

  Both Russia and America no longer had the fortitude to fight. Neither had won a battle since World War Two. They had lost the will to win at any cost and would never have the courage to sacrifice lives for their country’s way of life.

  Tusan was convinced that China could conquer the world because he was willing to do whatever it took to gain world dominance. It had been his goal for many years and he felt that it was within his grasp until this attack had taken place and decimated the population. It was only a minor setback in his mind. Unless this was caused by another country, and he could not imagine that it was because they did not have the stomach for such an attack, his plan to dominate the world was still valid. He would get the country back on its feet using whatever means available. He was confident that the Chinese people would do as they always have; they would bend to the rule of the Army.

  Tusan was sure that no matter how many people had been killed worldwide, China would still have the largest population. They had more mines, tunnels, and workplaces under the mountains and earth than any country. It made sense to him that they would also have the best survival rate.

  He had always been a warrior. Aggressive as a child, he was feared by others even in school as a youth. His teachers tried to control him but they knew even then that he was destined to be an aggressive bully. In the army he had a reputation as being ruthless. In training he was the most physically punishing even to the men in his own company. Others would look at him and could almost feel the animosity and hostility entrapped in his body.

  He quickly advanced through the ranks by his determination and resolve. He would let nothing get in his way of advancement. Now by fate he was the person who would lead China to its rightful place. No old men would get in his way. Only one thing was keeping him from totally dominating the country and eventually the world. General Tay and his army. He would persevere, of that he was convinced.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  CHINA

  Tay sat with the other leaders, rocking back and forth slightly. The night was warm but the moon was new so not much light was given. They sat listening to the total stillness of the night.

  “You met the General?” Ky finally asked.

  “Yes. He is as you said, arrogant and full of himself.”

  “I am glad you are back. I did not think we would ever see you again.”

  “Yes. He made a slight threat but for some reason thought better of it in the end.”

  “You were lucky,” Ky said.

  “And what came out of this meeting?” Sima asked impatiently.

  “Little of value. He is determined to see the Army rule the country. I am afraid you were right. He will not stop until he has all of China under his control. I fear that is only the beginning. He is talking about world domination,” Tay told them.

  “World domination? We aren’t even a country yet, why is he talking about that at a time like this?” We said.

  “Delusional is the only way I can describe it,” Tay replied.

  “Then it seems to be settled. We must stop him and set the others free. It is our only hope of survival. If we try to hide he will hunt us down. Someone that obsessed cannot be reasoned with,” Ky said.

  “I do not like to admit it but Ky is right about General Tusan. Only one thing will stop him. Removal,” Tay said.

  “Then we must do more than just free the people. General Tusan will have to be eliminated as well,” Sima said.

  “So be it,” Ky added.

  ~~

  It was just after 1:00 A.M. when Sima led his group against the border guards on the southwest side. At the same time, We and Tay attacked the western sector. Ky’s group attacked the northwest sector. Zhen’s people were to go where needed. They were the reserve unit that could help where the lines became the weakest.

  The battle at the barricades was quickly won and they immediately began their attack on the city but Tusan had been right. He had ordered his troops from the east to the west section and they were more than ready. By noon the following day, almost all of the army that Ky and the others had banded together were decimated. We and Zhen were killed and Sima was critically wounded. He would die within hours. Tay was captured and Ky, though alive, was injured as well. He had been stabbed w
ith a bayonet in the leg and had his nose and jaw broken from a rifle butt. Both Ky and Tay were taken to General Tusan’s office.

  “General Tay, It would seem that you miscalculated our resolve,” Tusan said smiling.

  “No, we did not misjudge. We knew what we were up against but your vision of the future and ours is not the same. We did not want this fight but we do not want to live in fear of the Army any longer. You made it clear that we would never be free from that fear. This is what we had to do,” Tay said.

  “It would seem that all you did was get your people killed,” Tusan said, still smiling.

  “It is better to die fighting for a cause than to run like scared children from the darkness. You as much said so yourself. You alluded to that when you were talking about the Americans. No stomach for war or something like that.”

  Tusan nodded his head in agreement and raised his eyebrows.

  “You are right General Tay…”

  “I am not a General. I am just a man trying to do what I think is right,” Tay said.

  “It does not matter what you call yourself. You have lost. Your people quit fighting and gave up. That is why you lost. You did not inspire them to win at all costs. You cannot be kind in war and win. Every war that has ever been won has been done so by courageous and ruthless leaders. That is why China will become the dominant force in the world,” Tay said.

  “I think you underestimate the Americans,” Tay laughed.

  “The last courageous leaders in America were President Truman and General Patton. Look at what they have had since. Not one American President has the intestinal fortitude to fight to the death since Truman and not one General would willingly make the sacrifices Patton did to win. America is no longer a threat. They rely on long range gadgets but those will not win a war. It still takes someone to pull the trigger and that they do not have.”

  “And you are willing to bet the future of China on that?” Ky said, grimacing.

  “Of course,” Tusan said, “Take them to the square and have them both shot,” he ordered. Now General Tusan could finally determine the future of China.