[War] JPN/PRC: "The President's Son, and the Prime Minister's Daughter" Part 1

[Chazenesq2b at aol.com]

The President's Son, and the Prime Minister's  Daughter"  Part  One

2nd Lieutenant Chan Wen Hong (PCC-Chris)
People's  Liberation  Airforces (PLAF)
People's Republic of China

Akemi   Sato
Special Assistant to the Prime   Minister
Japan

==========================================================

(PLA   Medical Hospital District- South Pongyang (MHD-SP)

Despite the   strenuous objection of his father, and the only lukewarm 
support based on  principle he received from his mother, Chan had none the less 
earned a   commission in the PLAF.  Standing procedure in the PLAF, as it  had 
been modernized to meet it's increasing technical capability, dictated  that in 
'addition' to a University degree, an Airman had to complete a tour of  at 
least two years in the Air Force before being given the option to apply for  
Flight School, and the associated Master of Science degree in Aeronautics that  one
was expected to earn concurrently during the course of their training.  Given 
the need for security in North Korea, and given that security forces  
training was relatively short, he figured the easiest way to go would be to  spend 2 
years  as a security guard or air field engineer before applying to  flight 
school.  He'd compared the advantages and disadvantages of each job,  and 
although being an air field engineer had more to do with what he eventually  wanted 
to aim for, it was Security Forces that won out because of the  much  coveted
combat experience it would offer.

That being said,  though the President had pulled no strings on behalf of her 
son, the Generals  weren't  about to let the kid run around with regular 
infantry, patrolling  the streets and taking the insurgents on in ambushes.  It 
was his  grandfather, a much respected and retired top tier general that had to 
speak up  for him just so that  he could be assigned 'here'... as the platoon 
leader  for the security element of a Field Hospital unit.  Nobody wanted to 
have  to be the one to report that  President Hong's son was killed in  action
after all.

MHD-SP had  become a 'show case' example of  what an army engaged in 
occupation could do when  it was done  'correctly'.  It had taken months of outreach 
and millions in resources and  man hours, but now the people of South-Central 
Pyongyang came  forward  willingly when they needed help.  In fact they'd 
attracted so many   requests for aid, that the hospital... being run out of one of 
the 17  'known'  palaces formally belonging to Kim Jong Il, had to be  
extended.  The anti-aircraft missile batteries that used to circle the  courtyard had 
been removed, replaced with special wings and temporary office and  
quartering space to allow for PLAF, PLA,  and NGO units and staff to  coordinate.  It 
was a security nightmare at times, particularly when an  insurgent or two would 
feel themselves particularly  lucky and litter the  court yard and building 
effices with mortar and RPG fire every other week or  so.

Still, they never got inside the line...  hell they never got  within 200 
meters of the line.  Chan made sure of  that...

And  on that note, he caught from the side of his eye one of  the most 
beautiful  women he'd probably ever seen.  The kind that made you practically 'have' 
 to stare.

* * *
Akemi Sato walked with a  small group of people  from the Japanese Red Cross 
and a mix of Chinese and North  Korean  guides.

“As you can see the area around Pyongyang at least  is  relatively safe, this 
is why we’ve moved many of our most critical cases   here.”

Akemi supposed one had to have a different idea of ‘safe’   when you lived 
in North Korea, she took a look around at the soldiers   surrounding this 
place, and to her surprise found one of the staring at  her.

She was a little disconcerted at first, until, taking a second   look she 
realized, he was cute, really cute.  She smiled back at him  and  nodded.

“Who’s that?” she asked interrupting her guide  nodding  towards the young… 
lieutenant? She had still not gotten a hang of  the Chinese  rank insignia.

Their guide looked over and then smiled  back at  Akemi. “That is Lieutenant 
Chan Wen Hong, head of the security  detachment  here.”

One of the people from the Japanese delegation  leaned in and  added. “He is 
also the son of President Hong.”

Akemi  blinked.  “Really?” she asked taking another look. Yes now that she 
was  aware of it she  could see his mother in him. She leaned into speak with  
her assigned assistant.  “See if we can invite him to the reception  tonight, 
it would be nice to speak  with him.”

Her assistant nodded.  “Yes ma’am.”

* * *

(The Reception)

How it was a low Lieutenant managed to get an  invitation to  one of the most 
high-class events held in Pyongyang since  the pre-war  days was anyone's 
guess.  Yet amid the high-ranking  officials of the  Chinese Stabilization Force, 
the North Korean Army, the  North Korean Government,  and invited guests which
included the likes of  politicians, ambassadors,  well connected socialites, 
and NGO operation  chiefs and  personnel... yeah he couldn't help but fell a 
'little' out of  place... at least  in so far as it sort of reminded him of 
being back home  in Beijing,  not a couple hundred miles away in a war zone at 
his duty  post.

It was amazing what well trained and dedicated staff could do with  a 
captured palace and some imagination.  The Ballroom was gorgeous,  elaborately 
decorated and laden with food... when it was normally used as   an excess storage 
room for non-perishable medical equipment (temporary   moved to a tent in the 
back
courtyard.

Ofcourse the surroundings were  no where near as stunning as the  woman he 
was fortunate enough to be  offered a seat next to.  Dead center,  front row, 
was an elaborate,  heavy oblong table designed to seat 14.   The North Korean 
President  sat at the table's head, the Chinese  Ambassador on his right, Akemi 
as  a
particularly important VIP on his left,  and to the left of Akemi...  one 
Second Lieutenant Chan Wen Hong, PLAF.  The  opening address was  given, followed 
by a couple of the usual speeches...  but Chan wasn't  paying too much 
attention.  He didn't know if she  spoke Chinese, but  he was willing to bet like 
most
of the other NGO heads  she spoke  passable english.  "Is it just me, or is 
all the hot air around  here  bad for global warming?"

Akemi laughed. "Yes, but then how else would we  know who was important?"  
She turned to the Lieutenant and smiled offering  him her hand. "Akemi Sato, I 
work for the Prime Minister, but don't let that  fool you, it’s actually a lot 
less important than it sounds."

Akemi's  English was fluent and clear as she absently brushed a couple loose 
strands of  hair behind her ear with her free hand. 

"I don't think that would be  difficult, it sounds pretty important."  Chan 
smiled, having completely  lost any connection to the Japanese Prime Minister.  
The names 'did' sound  very familiar, but his attention to her lips was 
spawned by another intention  than interpreting what she was saying.  "How did you 
end up in North  Korea?"

"The Japanese Red cross, I am a friend of the President of the  board, she 
asked me to go in her place as a good will ambassador to the people  of North 
Korea and to report back on the humanitarian situation here," she said  thinking 
at once it made her sound so boring especially to someone who was going  to 
fly jets for the Chinese airforce. She thought for a moment to mention that  
the President of the board of the Japanese Red Cross was the Empress of Japan.  
No, that would be bragging. "So how about you?" she asked lamely. Oh good, she 
 thought, very smooth.

He was about to reply when there was the sound of a  large explosion, 
followed by the shattering of glass outside.   Instinctively Chan pulled Akemi down 
to hide her under the heavy table.   The more experienced officers did the 
same.  Outside shouting took over,  and various security specialists began picking 
up their charges.

"Head to  the basement.  It's fortified, you'll be safe there."  Chan gave 
Akemi  a small smile.  "Be careful.  I'll see you later, if I'm lucky."   He 
meant it to be a joke, but it probably wasn't as funny as it sounded to  him.

Akemi nodded dumbly her mind only just catching up to what happened,  as it 
did she grabbed Chan's arm. "Be careful," she warned first in Japanese and  
then when she realized her mistake, again in English. By the time she had  
finished the security officer that was assigned to her, had grabbed her up off  the 
floor and said much the same as Chan had, it was time to head to the  basement.

She nodded and got put down to go there under her own power, as  she joined 
the President of North Korea and the Chinese ambassador in being  rushed 
underground.
 
Chan watched her go for a split second before racing out the door.   Already 
the sound of HC-120 med-evac version helicopters were readying for take  off.  
They didn't carry much in weapons, but the main goal was to get them  off the 
ground for their safety.  
 
"Incoming!"  One of the guards screamed, the whistling sound of a  mortar cut 
through the air as it pierced through, striking close enough that  Chan 
dropped to his stomach for protection.  This wasn't some random  terrorist 
attack... terrorist attacks weren't this coordinated or  prolonged.  It had all the 
looks of a North Korean insurgency strike.  
 
"Lieutenant!"  His platoon's NCO, Staff Sergeant Qing, shouted as best  as he 
could above the sound of assorted small arms fire.  Chan pushed  himself up 
and headed over... two wounded Chinese soldiers being placed on  stretchers.  
"Three dead so far, all NKA along the outer perimeter."
 
"Did they make it inside the line?"  
 
Qing nodded.  "There was about ten of them.  We killed six rather  quickly, 
the other four are pinned down.  We're still receiving heavy  mortar and RPG 
fire from outside the line.  They drove that truck..." The  sergeant pointed to 
a smoldering skeleton of a vehicle that in places was  'still' burning, and 
bore very little resemblance to the Mitsubishi commercial  delivery truck that 
it was.  "Right through the wire.  The passenger  and NKA exchanged fire at 
close range.  As far as we can tell they were  trying to drive the truck right up 
to the banquet hall and kill as many  officials as possible, but the 
passanger and driver were killed and the truck  veered off."
 
"Thank God for small favors."  Chan muttered as he peered out over the  wall 
just long enough to make out the puffs from mortar blasts.  They were  too 
close for an air strike, and the hospital had no helo gunships being a  
'freaking' hospital.  They were going to have to do this the old fashioned  way.  
"Leave fourth squad here to man the guard posts.  Mount up  second and third squads 
on the BMPs and have them split up to take out those  mortar teams.  First 
squad will follow me, we're going to use an armored  ambulance for cover and 
capture those four that are pinned down.   Understand?"
 
He nodded and ran off.  Chan went to go find himself a weapon and body  
armor... they couldn't just let those mortars keep shooting, they'd eventually  hit 
'something'.



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