Minister Wang leaned in. “Tens of thousands of Allied soldiers will continue to die if this war continues. President Xi is committed to fighting the Allies even after our armies have been defeated. The Allies will never be able to occupy our country, and we will never accept the legitimacy of President Hung Hui-ju. We know your plans are to install her government at the end of the war — we won’t allow that to happen.”
The discussion continued on for several more hours. The parties went back and forth over what each side would be willing to consider acceptable. As they neared lunch, the two sides broke for a couple of hours to discuss their positions amongst themselves before returning for more talks and the planned formal dinner that evening.
Following lunch, General Yang opted to take a short stroll through one of the inner courtyards of the hotel to clear his head. He’d never been involved in any of these types of talks, so he was completely out of his comfort zone. He’d been happy to let Minister Wang do most of the talking, though it was clear he was asking for more than he was likely to get. Wang was trying to write checks Yang knew the PLA couldn’t cash.
Sitting at a chair near one of the fountains in the courtyard, Yang spotted his old friend. He smiled as he made his way over to Major General Larry Breedlove.
Breedlove caught eye contact with him and stood. The two looked at each other for a moment before shaking each other’s hands. Then they exchanged some brief pleasantries, catching each other up on their families and talking about life in very general terms. Yang then took a seat in the chair next to Breedlove.
General Breedlove sighed. “I’m not sure an agreement is going to be reached,” he said, sounding rather defeated. “It seems like we’re going to be doomed to keep fighting this war.”
General Yang nodded in solemn acceptance. “It does seem that way,” he agreed. “However, what Minister Wang doesn’t know is that Xi spoke with me prior to coming here. He said he’d be willing to step down as President, but he wouldn’t surrender or dissolve the PRC. He insisted that the PRC be allowed to hold a new election to replace him as President through our own political process.”
General Yang read his old friend’s expression. It was obvious that Breedlove was doing his best to conceal the surprise he must have felt at Yang’s confession.
Breedlove leaned in. “What about other sticking points, Yin? Do you think he’d agree to return the PRC to its original territory prior to the war? Or denuclearization?”
Yang thought about that for a moment before responding, “I think we’d have a better chance of giving up our nuclear weapons than we would giving up some of our occupied territories. A big part of this was about achieving the dream of Greater China. I believe Xi could accept defeat and allow someone else to lead China if it meant his vision had still been achieved.”
“What about Singapore and Thailand? I know those are going to be sticking points with Castle and Bennet,” added Larry.
General Yang crinkled his eyebrows a bit as he thought about that. “Singapore wouldn’t be a big deal, but getting Xi to give up Thailand might be challenging. I think if he knew the PRC would still retain those other territories, I could convince him to agree to those terms.”
“What about Taiwan? If President Hung is not to become the leader of a unified China, then Xi would have to accept Taiwan as a fully independent nation. No more One China Policy.”
Yang turned to face his friend. “You know, I was in charge of the capture and then defense of Formosa. Your Marines fought like men possessed. I didn’t believe they could liberate the island once my forces had dug in…” He trailed off for a moment, lost in a sea of memories. “As to your question,” he resumed, “I don’t believe Xi would have a choice. He would have to accept Taiwanese independence.”
The two sat there silently for a second, not saying anything. Breedlove looked around the courtyard, as if searching for any potential prying eyes. Then he leaned in. “Yin, if Minister Wang and Xi were no longer a factor, do you believe a unified China under President Hung would be possible? Could it work if the current leaders weren’t able to interfere?”
General Yang looked at his friend. He could tell he’d been hoping to ask that question since the moment they’d locked eyes in the negotiation room, and this was a moment in which he was being tested. Yang grunted. “It’s not that simple, Larry. Even if Xi and certain bureaucrats were eliminated, President Hung would have a terrible time trying to manage a unified China. We are a very large country that has been used to autocratic communist rule for more than seventy years. Yes, we’ve loosened up some communist rules and adopted certain aspects of capitalism, but we’re still a strictly controlled and monitored populace. Open democracy such as what the West would insist upon under President Hung just wouldn’t work — at least not right away. It would take time and patience, something the West, and in particular you Americans, are not known to have in abundance.”
Breedlove allowed a half-smile at that comment. Then his voice got even more serious. “Yin, do you think you could think about it though? Maybe figure out if it would be possible and how you would make it work? Imagine if you were in charge — how would you make it work?”
General Yang smiled at the thought of running China. “I will think about it,” he replied. “We should probably get ready for the rest of the meeting. Let me think about what you said. Perhaps we can try to meet again away from prying eyes and ears tomorrow and I can give you a more practical response.” Then he got up and casually walked away.
When Breedlove walked back to his room, he was intercepted by Bennet and Castle, who quickly followed him into his room. Once the door was locked, they pounced on him. “How did the meeting go? Is he the main powerbroker for the meeting? What did he say to our alternative proposal?”
Breedlove held a hand up to stop the flow. “Yes, he’s the powerbroker for the meeting,” he confirmed. “Wang appears to be the figurehead. He thinks he has all the power, but Yin told me that he spoke with Xi multiple times leading up to this meeting, to include just before he flew here. The terms he gave Yin are dramatically different than the terms Wang is pressing for.”
The two of them smiled and looked hopeful.
General Breedlove continued, “As to our proposal, he was less optimistic about it working. He said that despite the communist government loosening some controls and freedoms for the people, they’re still a tightly controlled autocratic government. People are used to that, and turning that up on its head may not be possible. He did, however, give me the terms Xi would be willing to accept…”
The following morning after breakfast, Major General Larry Breedlove sat at a bench in the garden courtyard, drinking a cup of coffee and just enjoying the peace and tranquility of the garden. This was a major change from the turmoil that awaited him. He knew when this meeting was over he’d be flown back to his command; his division was still in the process of fighting it out with the PLA in Changzhou, northwest of Shanghai. His division had been trying to pacify the area while beating back periodic attacks by the PLA and their militia forces, who had not yet accepted defeat.
Ten minutes into his morning solitude, he noticed a figure walking toward him. It was Yin; he’d managed to find a way to slip away from his bodyguards long enough to talk with him again. The two briefly shook hands, and the Chinese general took a seat opposite his longtime friend.
“We don’t have much time to talk, so I’m going to be brief,” General Yang said. His eyes darted around the garden, looking for any prying eyes that might spot the two of them talking privately.