The Bear and the Dragon - Tom Clancy [205]
Hitch bristled at that. "Cliff, it would be a serious mistake to try to play this one that way. Better to let them think it through for themselves. The death of an ambassador is a big deal," the American ambassador told the people in the room, in case they didn't know. "All the more so if the guy was killed by an agent of their government. But, Cliff, if you try to shove this down their throats, they're going to choke, and I don't think we want that to happen either. I think our best play is to ask for a break of a day or two in the talks, to let them get their act together."
"That's a sign of weakness for our side, Carl," Rutledge replied, with a shake of the head. "I think you're wrong on that. I think we press forward and let them know that the civilized world has rules, and we expect them to abide by them."
"What lunacy is this?" Fang Gan asked the ceiling. "We're not sure," Zhang Han San replied. "Some troublesome churchman, it sounds like."
"And some foolish policeman with more gun than brains. He'll be punished, of course," Fang suggested.
"Punished? For what? For enforcing our population-control laws, for protecting a doctor against an attack by some gwai?" Zhang shook his head. "Do we allow foreigners to spit upon our laws in this way? No, Fang, we do not. I will not see us lose face in such a way."
"Zhang, what is the life of one insignificant police officer next to our country's place in the world?" Fang demanded. "The man he killed was an ambassador, Zhang, a foreigner accredited to our country by another—"
"Country?" Zhang spat. "A city, my friend, no, not even that—a district in Rome, smaller than Qiong Dao!" He referred to Jade Island, home of one of the many temples built by the emperors, and not much larger than the building itself. Then he remembered a quote from Iosef Stalin. "How big an army does that Pope have, anyway? Ahh!" A dismissive wave of the hand.
"He does have a country, whose ambassador we accredited, in the hope of improving our position in the diplomatic world," Fang reminded his friend. "His death is to be regretted, at the least. Perhaps he was merely one more troublesome foreign devil, Zhang, but for the purposes of diplomacy we must appear to regret his passing." And if that meant executing some nameless policeman, they had plenty of policemen, Fang didn't add.
"For what? For interfering with our laws? An ambassador may not do such a thing. That violates diplomatic protocol, does it not? Fang, you have become overly solicitous to the foreign devils," Zhang concluded, using the term from history to identify the lesser people from those lesser lands.
"If we want their goods in trade, and we want them to pay for our goods so that we might have their hard currency, then we must treat them like guests in our home."
"A guest in your home does not spit on the floor, Fang."
"And if the Americans do not react kindly to this incident?"
"Then Shen will tell them to mind their own affairs," Zhang replied, with the finality of one who had long since made up his mind.
"When does the Politburo meet?"
"To discuss this?" Zhang asked in surprise. "Why? The death of some foreign troublemaker and a Chinese … churchman? Fang, you are too cautious. I have already discussed the incident with Shen. There will be no full meeting of the Politburo for this trivial incident. We will meet the day after tomorrow, as usual."
"As you say," Fang responded, with a nod of submission. Zhang had him ranked on the Politburo. He had much influence with the foreign and defense ministries, and the ear of Xu Kun Piao. Fang had his own political capital—mainly for internal matters—but less such capital than Zhang, and so he had to spend it carefully, when it could profit himself. This was not such a case, he thought. With that, he went back to his office and called Ming to transcribe his notes. Then, later, he thought, he'd have Chai come in. She was so useful in easing the tension of his day.
He felt better on waking this morning than was usually the case, probably because he'd gotten to