jamesclavell.noblehouse-第144节

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t　currency's　valueless。　Our　new　currency's　a　red　ruble；　one　red　ruble's　worth　a　hundred　of　your　capitalist　dollars。　。。。'　〃
　Suslev　laughed；　feeling　very　happy。　〃。。。　and　however　rich　the　banks　are　collectively　they'll　never　be　able　to　write　off　70　billions。　Never。　70　plus　by　that　time　with　all　the　Eastern　Bloc　billions！　And　if　the　sudden　announcement's　timed　to　one　of　their　inevitable　capitalistic　recessions　as　it　will　be　。。。　they'll　be　up　to　their　Hebrew　bankers'　noses　in　their　own　panic　shit；　begging　us　to　save　their　rotten　skins。〃　He　added　contemptuously；　〃The　stupid　bastards　deserve　to　lose！　Why　should　we　fight　them　when　their　own　greed　and　stupidity's　destroying　them。　Eh？〃
　DeVille　nodded　uneasily。　Suslev　frightened　him。　I　must　be　getting　old；　he　thought。　In　the　early　days　it　was　so　easy　to　believe　in　the　cause　of　the　masses。　The　cries　of　the　downtrodden　were　so　loud　and　clear　then。　But　now？　Now　they're　not　so　clear。　I'm　still　mitted；　deeply　mitted。　I　regret　nothing。　France　will　be　better　munist。
　Will　it？
　I　don't　know　anymore；　not　for　certain；　not　as　I　used　to。　It's　a　pity　for　all　people　that　there　must　be　some　〃ism〃　or　other；　he　told　himself；　trying　to　cover　his　anguish。　Better　if　there　were　no　〃isms；〃　just　my　beloved　C？te　d'Azur　basking　in　the　sun。
　〃I　tell　you；　old　friend；　Stalin　and　Beria　were　geniuses；〃　Suslev　was　saying。　〃They're　the　greatest　Russians　that　have　ever　been。〃
　DeVille　just　managed　to　keep　the　shock　off　his　face。　He　was　remembering　the　horror　of　the　German　occupation；　the　humbling　of　France；　all　the　villages　and　hamlets　and　vineyards；　remembering　that　Hitler　would　never　have　dared　attack　Poland　and　start　it　all　without　Stalin's　nonaggression　pact　to　protect　his　back。　Without　Stalin　there　would　have　been　no　war；　no　holocaust　and　we　would　all　be　better　off。　〃Twenty　million　Russians？　Countless　millions　of　others；〃　he　said。
　〃A　modest　cost。〃　Suslev　poured　again；　his　zeal　and　the　vodka　taking　him。　〃Because　of　Stalin　and　Beria　we　have　all　Eastern　Europe　from　the　Baltic　to　the　Balkans　…　Estonia；　Lithuania；　Latvia；　Czechoslovakia；　Hungary；　Rumania；　Bulgaria；　all　Poland；　Prussia；　half　of　Germany；　Outer　Mongolia。〃　Suslev　belched　happily。　〃North　Korea；　and　footholds　everywhere　else。　Their　Operation　Lion　smashed　the　British　Empire。　Because　of　their　support　the　United　Nations　was　birthed　to　give　us　our　greatest　weapon　in　our　arsenal　of　many　weapons。　And　then　there's　Israel。〃　He　began　to　laugh。　〃My　father　was　one　of　the　controllers　of　that　program。〃
　DeVille　felt　the　hackles　of　his　neck　rise。　〃What？〃
　〃Israel　was　a　Stalin…Beria　coup　of　monumental　proportions！　Who　helped　it；　overt　and　covert；　e　into　being？　Who　gave　it　immediate　recognition？　We　did；　and　why？〃　Suslev　belched　again；　〃To　cement　into　the　guts　of　Arabia　a　perpetual　cancer　that　will　suppurate　and　destroy　both　sides　and；　along　with　them；　bring　down　the　industrial　might　of　the　West。　Jew　against　Mohammedan　against　Christian。　Those　fanatics'll　never　live　at　peace　with　one　another　even　though　they　could；　easily。　They　will　never　bury　their　differences　even　if　it　costs　them　their　stupid　lives。〃　He　laughed　and　stared　at　his　glass　blearily；　swirling　the　liquid　around。　DeVille　watched　him；　hating　him；　wanting　to　give　him　the　lie　back；　afraid　to；　knowing　himself　totally　in　Suslev's　power。　Once；　some　years　ago；　he　had　balked　over　sending　some　routine　Struan　figures　to　a　box　number　in　Berlin。　Within　a　day；　a　stranger　had　phoned　him　at　home。　Such　a　call　had　never　happened　before。　It　was　friendly。　But　he　knew。
　DeVille　suppressed　a　shudder　and　kept　his　face　clear　as　Suslev　glanced　up　at　him。
　〃Don't　you　agree；　tovarich？〃　the　KGB　man　said；　beaming。　〃I　swear　I'll　never　understand　the　capitalists。　They　make　enemies　of　four　hundred　million　Arabs　who　have　all　the　world's　real　oil　reserves　one　day　they　will　need　so　desperately。　And　soon　we'll　have　Iran　and　the　Gulf　and　the　Strait　of　Hormuz。　Then　we'll　have　a　hand　on　the　West's　tap；　then　they're　ours　and　no　need　for　war　…　just　execution。〃　Suslev　drained　his　vodka　and　poured　another。
　DeVille　watched　him；　loathing　him　now；　wondering　frantically　about　his　own　role。　Is　it　for　this　that　I　have　been　almost　a　perfect　mole；　for　sixteen　years　keeping　myself　prepared　and　ready；　with　no　suspicion　against　me？　Even　Susanne　suspects　nothing　and　everyone　believes　I'm　anti…munist；　pro…Struan's　which　is　the　arch…capitalistic　creation　in　all　Asia。　Dirk　Struan's　thoughts　permeate　us。　Profit。　Profit　for　the　tai…pan　and　the　Noble　House　and　then　Hong　Kong　in　that　order　and　the　hell　with　everyone　except　the　Crown；　England　and　China。　And　even　if　I　don't　bee　tai…pan；　I　can　still　make　Sevrin　the　wrecker　of　China　that　Suslev　and　Arthur　want　it　to　be。　But　do　I　want　to　now？　Now　that；　for　the　first　time；　I've　really　seen　into　this　。。。　this　monster　and　all　their　hypocrisy？
　〃Stalin；〃　he　said；　almost　wincing　under　Suslev's　gaze。　〃Did　。。。　you　ever　meet　him？〃
　〃I　was　near　him　once。　Ten　feet　away。　He　was　tiny　but　you　could　feel　his　power。　That　was　in　1953　at　a　party　Beria　gave　for　some　senior　KGB　officers。　My　father　was　invited　and　I　was　allowed　to　go　with　him。〃　Suslev　took　another　vodka；　hardly　seeing　him；　swept　by　the　past　and　by　his　family's　involvement　in　the　movement。　〃Stalin　was　there；　Beria；　Malenkov　。。。　Did　you　know　Stalin's　real　name　was　Iosif　Vissarionovich　Dzhugashvili？　He　was　the　son　of　a　shoemaker；　in　Tiflis；　my　home；　destined　for　the　priesthood　but　expelled　from　the　seminary　there。　Strange　strange　strange！〃
　They　touched　glasses。
　〃No　need　for　you　to　be　so　solemn；　rade；〃　he　said；　misreading　deVille。　〃Whatever　your　personal　loss。　You're　part　of　the　future；　part　of　the　march　to　victory！〃　Suslev　drained　his　glass。　〃Stalin　must　have　died　a　happy　man。　We　should　be　so　lucky；　eh？〃
　〃And　Beria？〃
　〃Beria　tried　to　take　power　too　late。　He　failed。　We　in　the　KGB　are　like　Japanese　in　that　we　too　agree　the　only　sin　is　failure。　But　Stalin　。。。　There's　a　story　my　father　tells　that　when　at　Yalta；　for　no　concession；　Roosevelt　agreed　to　give　Stalin　Manchuria　and　the　Kuriles　which　guaranteed　us　dominance　over　China　and　Japan　and　all　Asian　waters；　Stalin　had　a　hemorrhage　choking　back　his　laughter　and　almost　died！〃
　After　a　pause；　deVille　said；　〃And　Solzhenitsyn　and　the　gulags？〃
　〃We're　at　war；　my　friend；　there　are　traitors　within。　Without　terror　how　can　the　few　rule　the　many？　Stalin　knew　that。　He　was　a　truly　great　man。　Even　his　death　served　us。　It　was　brilliant　of　Khrushchev　to　use　him　to　'humanize'　the　USSR。〃
　〃That　was　just　another　ploy？〃　deVille　asked；　shaken。
　〃That　would　be　a　state　secret。〃　Suslev　swallowed　a　belch。　〃It　doesn't　matter；　Stalin　will　be　returned　to　his　glory　soon。　Now；　what　about　Ottawa？〃
　〃Oh。　I've　been　in　contact　with　Jean…Charles　an…　〃　The　phone　rang　abruptly。　A　single　ring。　Their　eyes　went　to　it；　their　breathing　almost　stopped。　After　twenty…odd　seconds　there　was　a　second　single　ring。　Both　men　relaxed　slightly。　Another　twenty…odd　seconds　and　the　third　ring　became　continuous。　One　ring　meant　〃Danger　leave　immediately〃；　two；　that　the　meeting　was　canceled；　three　that　whoever　was　calling　would　be　there　shortly；　three　being　continuous；　that　it　was　safe　to　talk。　Suslev　picked　up　the　phone。　He　heard　breathing；　then　Arthur　asked　in　his　curious　accent；　〃Is　Mr。　Lop…sing　there？〃
　〃There's　no　Lop…ting　here；　you　have　a　wrong　number；〃　Suslev　said　in　a　different　voice；　concentrating　with　an　effort。
　They　went　through　the　code　carefully；　Suslev　further　reassured　by　Arthur's　slight；　dry　cough。　Then　Arthur　said；　〃I　cannot　meet　tonight。　Would　Friday　at　three　be　convenient？〃　Friday　meant　Thursday　…　tomorrow　…　Wednesday　meant　Tuesday；　and　so　on。　The　three　was　a　code　for　a　meeting　place：　the　Happy　Valley　Racecourse　at　the　dawn　workout。
　Tomorrow　at　dawn！
　〃Yes。〃
　The　phone　clicked　off。　Only　the　dial　tone　remained。
　
　
　THURSDAY
　
　
　39
　
　4：50　A。M。：
　About　an　hour　before　dawn　in　the　pouring　rain　Goodweather　Poon　looked　down　at　the　half…naked　body　of　John　Chen　and　cursed。　He　had　been　through　his　clothes　carefully　and　sifted　through　endless　pounds　of　mud　from　the　grave　that　the　two　youths；　Kin　Pak　and　Dog…eared　Chen；　had　dug。　But　he　had　found　nothing　…　no　coins　or　parts　of　coins　or　jewelry；　nothing。　And　Four　Finger　Wu　had　said　earlier；　〃You　find　that　half…coin；　Goodweather　Poon！〃　Then　the　old　man　had　given　him　further　instructions　and　Goodweather　Poon　was　very　pleased　because　that　relieved　him　of　any　responsibility　and　he　could　then　make　no　mistake。
　He　had　ordered　Dog…eared　Chen　and　Kin　Pak　to　carry　the　body　downstairs　and　had　threatened　Smallpox　Kin；　who　nursed　his　mutilated　hand；　that　if　the　youth　moaned　once　more　he　would　slice　out　his　tongue。　They　had　left　Father　Kin's　body　in　an　alley。　Then　Goodweather　Poon　had　sought　out　the　King　of　the　Beggars　of　Kowloon　City　who　was　a　distant　cousin　of　Four　Finger　Wu。　All　beggars　were　members　of　the　Beggars'　Guild　and　there　was　one　king　in　Hong　Kong；　one　in　Kowloon　and　one　in　Kowloon　City。　In　olden　days　begging　was　a　lucrative　profession；　but　now；　due　to　stiff　prison　sentences　and　fines　and　plenty　of　well…paying　jobs；　it　was　not。
　〃You　see；　Honored　Beggar　King；　this　acquaintance　of　ours　has　just　died；〃　Goodweather　Poon　explained　patiently　to　the　distinguished　old　man