Shun Li froze now as the Lion Guardsmen had done earlier, as all the aides in the room had. A primordial fear spread outward from her belly. The Leader—Chairman Hong—had become the undeclared Emperor of Greater China. Power flowed into and from his hands. He decided who lived or died on a vast scale.
She had dealt with petty killers until now, but these men…
Shun Li kept silent and motionless. Xiao Yang could have warned her about this. Why hadn’t he? Likely, so he could do what he just had before the Chairman.
I have no idea what hidden motives swirl around me. I must remain alert and practice the greatest caution.
“Your promptness disciplining one of your own does you credit, old friend,” Hong said.
Shun Li heard a note a true admiration in the Chairman’s voice.
“The police are here to serve you, Leader,” Xiao Yang said. “If one of them cannot do that, they are useless to you and useless to China. I will have perfection in the furtherance of service to our noble land or I will retire in disgrace.”
Shun Li almost raised her eyebrows at the speech. She heard an excess of passion there. It is false. He pretends.
“Well spoken,” Hong said. The man moved to his spot at the table.
Quietly, a large Lion Guardsman strode to the Leader’s chair, drawing it out for him.
Chairman Hong sat down, and the guardsman pushed the chair in for him.
“We are all assembled, I see,” Hong said. “Good. Do any of you desire refreshments?”
Several of the ministers raised their hands.
“Ah, excellent,” Hong said. He clapped his hands.
The waiters hurried to each Ruling Committee member. Soon, they wheeled trays near, putting coffee, sandwiches or bowls of steaming rice before the various ministers. Each of the ministers sipped and ate what the waiters placed before them.
The Chairman watched in obvious approval. “Good, good, it is good we can eat together in each other’s company,” Hong said. “It shows we trust each other and know that none shall poison his friend. In this evil and wicked generation, I find such trust refreshing.”
Shun Li noticed that the Leader did not eat or drink. She wondered what this spectacle and speech signified. She was certain the American strategy sessions were not like this.
In a few minutes, the waiters cleared the plates and the majority of the cups. They wheeled their trays out of the chamber and did not reappear.
Only then did the Leader sit forward in anticipation.
“There is much to discuss today,” he said. “My forecasters tell me the miserable American Midwestern rains will soon cease. An Alaskan cold front will descend upon the American plains, turning it into a tundra of ice and snow. With the cold, our armies can lunge forward and complete the task we have set for them.
“First,” Chairman Hong said, “I would like to know when the German military will make its coastal assault. Their delay has cost us dearly, and I find myself wearying of Chancellor Kleist’s excuses. Foreign Minister, what can you report along those lines?”
The Foreign Minister had open features and the roundest face Shun Li had ever seen. He appeared nervous, though, wetting his lips far too much.
“Leader,” the Foreign Minister said, twisting his wedding ring as he spoke. “I have reason to suspect the Chancellor has secretly met with American delegates. I believe he is in the process of making a clandestine treaty with them.”
Chairman Hong turned in wonder to Xiao Yang. “Can this be true? Has the Chancellor practiced treachery against us without our knowing it?”
“There are rumors, Leader,” Xiao Yang said. “The Germans...they are deceitful and clever. Their security operatives consider no devious trick as too low to practice. It isn’t intelligence, as a cultured Han would possess, but a low animal cunning they exhibit. Because of Chancellor’s Kleist security mania, my agents have been unable to discern the truth of these rumors.”
“This is failure, Xiao,” the Leader said. “I demand knowledge, even from these low animals. How are we to proceed with our plans if I’m given faulty or misleading information?”
“As I was about to say, Leader,” Xiao Yang said, “I have discovered that an American team went to Iceland. As amazing as it sounds, the beleaguered Americans are not as security-conscious as Chancellor Kleist’s people are. We believe one of the Chancellor’s representatives might have met with these Americans to hear their begging.”
Chairman Hong’s eyes narrowed, giving him a suspicious squint. “Americans begging, yes; they must be thrashing about, looking for help