Chapter 16
GENERAL Hu Feng, put down the poems of Li Po, which he had been reading, and picked up once again the message that he had received from Colonel Chu-Teh. He had been thinking about this message and the more he thought about it the less he liked it. He felt sure that this information was linked up somehow with the other bit of information that he had received from his man in America. It was a pity that the butterfly device had been detected in the middle of the conference, otherwise he might have ended up with the intelligence scoop of the century. Still, he knew that the US government was planning, for some reason as yet unknown to him, to send a spy into Tibet. Now he had this message from Colonel Chu-Teh in Gartok, about the Indians training a Tibetan lama and an unidentified Tibetan woman in hang-gliding. Why hang-gliding? What was the point of it, unless they wanted to send in these two persons into Tibet by way of a glider. An ingenious method of infiltration certainly, provided one chose the terrain well and could avoid detection by ground troops.
Assuming that his surmise was right and these two individuals were indeed the spies planning to enter Tibet on the sly, why should they be training in areas adjoining the far west of Tibet? lf one wanted to enter Tibet, ones target presumably would be Lhasa and the best way to enter Lhasa would be to cross the Indian border at some point from Sikkim or just to the east of Bhutan from the Indian state of Assam. It would be absurd for a spy to enter Tibet from the far west and then cross the length of the Tsang Po valley to get to Lbasa. The spy would have to cross a whole gamut of military and intelligence outposts, all on the lookout for him. The odds against his succeeding would be astronomical. No sensible intelligence operative would incur such a risk. Even the Indians, stupid though they were, would beewaru kf such an undertaking.
And then what was he to make of the latest message from Chu-Teh which said that the spy, or spies had already crossed into Tibet through the Chumbi valley south of Gyantse. From a purely logistical point of view this made sense. But if this were true then the hang-glider training of the Lama on the western borders of Tibet was only a decoy. It was all, he thought, a little confusing. It was good that he had summoned Chu-Teh for a discussion, and he should be arriving any minute now.
Among the exalted circle of PLA top brass and senior communist party members, the general was thought to be something of an enigma. No one of course had any doubt about his credentials as a staunch communist and a brilliant soldier. His father had been one of the original twenty two delegates who had attended the first congress of. the Communist Party Of China held in the city of Shanghai in July 1921. Not that this mattered very much. If you were a communist lineage didn't count. Mao's son, after all, spent his life as an accountant in a commune. But the general didn't need any parental help to make his mark in the army. He had won his spurs in the Korean war as a young lieutenant, when he had led his troops in a brilliant assault on the American forces across the Yalu river. He had again distinguished himself fighting against the Indians in the foothills of Assam in the Tawang sector, spearheading the assault on the supposedly impregnable Indian position across the pass of Se La. Thereafter he had risen rapidly in the PLA His brilliance as a tactician was acknowledged by both friend and foe. His mastery of the latest techniques in the art of war was a byword. Yet if he had not risen to be the head of the PLA, a position which was his by right of seniority as well as native ability, he had only himself to blame.
This was because the general was more fond of the poetry of Li Po than the sayings of Chairman Mao. He spent his spare time collecting erotic paintings from the Sung period. Not a very edifying pastime according to the public morality of the regime that he served. It didn't help that he was also fond of single-malt scotch whisky which he imported by the case from Hong Kong. The fact is the General was a connoisseur. He loved beautiful things. Others might frown upon his aristocratic tastes, but then he didn't have to be a peasant to prove his good faith. Still, though some people might disapprove of his epicurean habits, no one could deny his brilliance or his patriotism. He was therefore still a full general of the PLA and a force to reckon with.
"Welcome Colonel to the city of Peking, now that the 'cherry trees are in blossom and the river Kiang flows swiftly", he said, quoting Li. Po. "Are there any cherry trees in Gartok, Colonel?"
"None sir."
"A pity, but then there are other compensations, are there not? The wild beauty of the Chang Thang, where you can hunt argali and musk deer to your heart's content. And I am told the monastery of Tholing has some of the rarest manuscripts in Tibet as well as some of the most beautiful tankhas. Have you ever visited the monastery Colonel."
"No sir, l haven't." He made his denial sound as if, he was too busy with military matters for such frivolous pursuits.
"You should, Colonel, you should. There is no better way to gain an insight into the minds of the Tibetans. A strange people, these Tibetans, they are quite unlike us, you know. We Han are a practical people Colonel, but the Tibetans are rather like the Indians, inept at practical matters but obsessed with religion. However, now about this spy business, have you anything new to tell me."
"Yes, general I have, we are now sure that the two spies landed inside Tibet, at a place a few miles to the south west of Gartok. They entered the country using hang-gliders."
"By heaven, so my hunch was right, but how are you so sure, Colonel?"
"Some nomads have found the fibreglass tubing used in the frame of the hang-gliders. This had been dismantled and concealed behind some boulders near the place of landing. By chance these nomads discovered it and brought it to a nearby army outpost, from where word was brought to me. I have had my experts look at the tubes, there is no doubt about it, they are part of the frame of a hang-glider."
"Good, so the spy has been feeding us false information. May be the Indians are on to him and are using him to mislead us."
"This is not all sir. I have just received word from Gerse which confirms my suspicions. A man and woman answering to the description given to us by the spy were seen in the town a few days ago. A Tibetan stoolie called Pasang suspected that they were not what they claimed to be. These criminals, seeing that their game was up, assaulted Pasang, bound and gagged him and fled the town in the dead of night, taking Pasang with them as a hostage. They released-him after a week, leaving him to die of cold and starvation on the Chang Tang. Pasang however, was lucky to run into some nomads who sheltered him and provided him with the means of getting back. His story was passed onto me and I have launched a search for these spies in the area, a thousand men are looking for them, even as we talk."
"Good, good, Colonel, where do you think these spies are heading?"
"Lhasa, without a doubt sir."
"Ah, but then to reach Lhasa from where they are, they would have to cross the Nyenchen Thagla. Can it be done?"
"As to that I don't know. But the weather is still good, winter being far off yet. These people have shown themselves to be daring and resourceful. I wouldn't put it beyond them to find some way through the mountains to sneak into Lhasa!'
"Humm, I am inclined to agree with you Colonel. Tell me what is the best way of entering Lhasa directly from the north?"
"Through the pass of Karo La, elevation 18679 feet."
"And this pass is well guarded?"
"It is sir. It would be impossible for the intruders to get into Lhasa through this pass. But I speak from hearsay. The area is outside my command. In fact far outside."
"No longer. I intend to put you in charge of the security of the pass and the surrounding area. You realise I am sure, the delicate nature of this operation. The Americans would not risk sending in one of their operatives unless they were after something really big. So I want you to saturate this area with your men. Take what you like. Troops, equipment, search helicopters, night vision devices, whatever you need. I want these two found at all cost.''
"They would be found soon sir. It would be impossible to hide in that bleak and desolate place for very long."
"And Colonel?"
"Sir."
"I want these two to be captured alive. We can only learn about their mission if they are taken alive. Their dead bodies would only be an embarrassment to us."
