in as chairs scraped back. Everyone stood, honoring him. He no longer seemed embarrassed by it, although he waved them down, but only after he sat and had made himself comfortable.
Anna nodded to herself. The German offer of neutrality and the Canadian acceptance of losing Quebec to gain that neutrality had renewed his confidence. Yet there seemed something more to it. Despite her time with him, she wasn’t sure what it was.
David cleared his throat. “I’m sure you’re aware by now that the Chinese have attempted a massive air assault against I-70 in Colorado. I received word that the enemy broke off the assault before committing their bombers. That’s very curious, especially from Marshal Liang’s people. We know he’s a careful organizer and tactician. Can anyone tell me why Liang did that or allowed it to happen?”
“I have a theory, Mr. President,” General Alan said.
“Good. Let’s hear it.”
“You and I watched it in real-time, sir. Likely, Marshal Liang did as well. The Behemoth tanks shattered a portion of the assault. Goshawk drones appeared to have spearheaded that particular attack. They’re a hardy Chinese drone, almost comparable to our fighter-bombers in weight. That makes them big and we know they’re armored. I think the brutality and completeness of the destruction surprised the Chinese, particularly because the quick-firing rail-guns destroyed the Goshawks in a matter of minutes. Maybe Liang thought we had more surprises like that for him elsewhere.”
The President nodded thoughtfully. “The Chinese called off the attack then? That’s what you’re saying? You don’t believe it was a preplanned maneuver to cause us to draw the wrong conclusions?”
“Yes to the first Mr. President,” Alan said, “and no to the second.”
“You’re suggesting Liang realizes the Behemoths caused the destruction.”
“I would think so, sir.”
David studied the computer table. So did Anna. It showed a map of the Midwestern United States, highlighting Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa and Missouri.
“Zoom in on Greater Denver and the beginning mountain pass of I-70,” the President said.
A technician made adjustments so the computer map showed just that.
“Interesting,” the President said, although he didn’t elaborate. “Go back to how it was. Then show me the enemy front.”
From Denver, to Kansas City to the outlying regions of St. Louis—between the Rockies and the Mississippi River—a red line appeared.
“Show me the enemy gains in the past five days.”
A long but very narrow shaded, pinkish area appeared. The enemy had attacked along the width of the Great Plains, pushing northward. Anna checked the scale. In the past five days, the deepest penetrations showed a twenty-mile thrust. Elsewhere, it was only five.
“Their gains are deceptive, Mr. President,” Alan said. “In many areas, they passed through lightly defended Zones of Occupation. We built deceptive trenches and used inflatable artillery guns behind them, parks of dummy guns to fool their reconnaissance flights.”
Anna had only learned about that yesterday. It was a trick on a massive scale. The Zones of Occupation had been meant to absorb the initial enemy strikes: vast artillery barrages and intense air bombardments.
“In most areas, the Chinese are only now hitting our Main Line of Defense,” Alan added.
Anna continued to study the map, as did everyone else in the room. That included her former boss, the Director of the CIA. Beginning reinforcements from the East Coast had begun to arrive at the Great Plains Defensive Lines. In another few days, the first Canadian units would arrive and help stiffen the masses of Militiamen.
David stood as he told the technician to zoom back to the strip of Eastern Colorado. He had an electronic pointer in his hands. He clicked it on with his thumb and aimed it at the table. A green arrow appeared on the map.
“I consider this decisive,” the President said. A green arrow touched Denver. “General Larson and McGraw believe that two Chinese armies are involved in storming the city. They estimate that to be anywhere from three hundred to four hundred thousand soldiers. That means these forces won’t be headed north right away. The Chinese are helping us by hitting the wrong target. My question is this. Why are the Chinese trying to capture Denver instead of pouring everything north?”
Anna noticed several people glance at her surreptitiously before letting their gaze slide elsewhere. After all this time, some still didn’t trust her because of her Chinese ancestry. She blocked the thought and their darting glances, trying to put it in a drawer in her mind. That drawer, she shut.
“This two-Army assault is meant to capture the city,” the President said.