The members of the Military Affairs Commission were the first to arrive. Fu recognized General Li Zhongyang, the Vice Chairman of the MAC, a career military man who had in recent years equipped the PLA with the best hi-tech weapons Russia had to sell or the U.S. had to steal from. He was followed by the Chief of Staff of the Army, General Lu Zhandui, the Chief of Staff of the Navy, Admiral Hai Zhanting, and the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, General Kung Huojian. General Kung was in animated conversation with his fellows, talking about a new smart bomb they had acquired from the United States. “It arrived in excellent condition from our friends in Belgrade last year,” Fu heard General Kung say. “We were reverse engineering it — you know how difficult that is — when a complete computer profile of the same weapon and its controlling avionics fell into our hands from other sources. We will gear up for production by the end of the month!”
Another argument for accepting my plan, Fu thought smugly, as he turned to greet the next arrivaclass="underline" Vice Premier Mo Waijiao, who handled China’s foreign relations. A sometime critic of Fu’s more hard-line suggestions, Vice Premier Mo was nonetheless a courtly, diplomatic individual who responded to his greeting with a nod and a smile. “Have you met Defense Minister Han Fubai?” he asked, gesturing to the portly man in an immaculately tailored business suit by his side.
Fu Zemin bowed slightly.
“Is this the Secretary Fu with all the radical ideas?” Minister Han said to Vice Premier, ignoring Fu’s deferential nod.
“He’s a genius,” Vice Premier Mo chuckled, softening the blow, “but he’s also relatively young and impetuous. For a hundred years the Chinese people have suffered the bitterness of being bullied by the foreign imperialist powers. He wants to settle these old scores overnight.”
“Not overnight, Vice Premier,” Fu countered, “but soon. If we wait…”
“If we act too soon,” the Defense Minister broke in, “we risk losing everything.”
Party General Secretary Han Wudi arrived at that moment, bringing the exchange to an abrupt end. With him were Premier Wang Fuguo, Minister of the Interior Ren Baisha, Vice Premier for Economics and Trade Su Zhongqiang. Everyone found his seats as Chairman Han called the meeting to order.
The Vice Chairman of the Military Affairs Committee opened the first session. General Li Zhongyang was almost gloating as he listed the growing hi-tech capabilities of the People’s Liberation Army. Modified Russian Su-27 Flankers, faster and lighter because of the use of American-made six-way milling machines, were rolling off the assembly lines at a rate of two dozen a month. Cruise missiles were being produced at a rate of one hundred a month. Smart bombs would soon be produced in quantity. Most importantly, a half-a-dozen lightweight nuclear weapons would soon be added to the Chinese arsenal — the fruits of two decades of no-holds-barred spying on the United States.
Fu was listening with only half an ear, concentrating on reading over the draft speech he held in his hand one last time. As if I haven’t rehearsed it a hundred times already, he thought wryly.
It did not help that he was to speak at the outset, before he had a sense of where the others stood, of what consensus would emerge from the meeting. True, Chairman Han had spoken of liberating the offshore islands and Taiwan yesterday when he had arrived, but when he had talked to the members of the Military Affairs Committee later in the evening they had seemed cool to the idea. And Defense Minister Han this morning had seemed positively hostile. What if Chairman Han's remark had been merely a rhetorical flourish? Hadn’t China’s leaders blustered for 50 years about taking back Taiwan, and in the end done nothing?
Fu rubbed his bloodshot eyes wearily. This was the opportunity of a lifetime, he told himself for the thousandth time. If he favorably impressed Chairman Han and the others, there was no telling how high he might rise. Yes, and if they reject your plan, a voice within him ridiculed, then you will sink back into obscurity. Or worse. Yi luo qian jiang, he thought, recalling the ancient cry of the disgraced official, A single misstep causes a fall of a thousand steps. The General’s mention of nuclear weapons brought him back to the present.
“As all of you know,” General Li was saying, “in the mid-nineties we were able to secure exact data on all of America’s most advanced nuclear weapons. We were able to acquire both the so-called ‘legacy code’, as well as the input data for individual weapons. (The legacy code was an enormous computer file — millions of lines of code — containing all the information U.S. scientists had collected from over 40 years of nuclear tests.) From the legacy code, we learned how each and every type of U.S. nuclear weapon will perform. From the input data, we learned the key inputs into each and every type of U.S. nuclear weapon. By putting the two together we were able generate blueprints of all of America’s nuclear weapons, from miniaturized nuclear bombs and neutron bombs, to electromagnetic pulse bombs and X-ray laser bombs.”
Here General Li paused, permitting himself a triumphant smile. “Today I come before you to share some important news. All of the state-of-the-art nuclear weapons we care to have are now in production. China may now be considered a nuclear superpower. The day when the U.S. can bully and humiliate us is over!”
The assembled officials burst into applause. Fu joined in vigorously. The story of China’s incredible theft of America’s entire nuclear arsenal know-how was a story he knew intimately. How could the Americans have been so stupid as to let these weapons plans fall into our hands? It was not the first time the thought had crossed his mind. No matter. He had already known that the first of these weapons was ready, and had incorporated their use into his plan. He was going to defeat the Americans, and their running dogs on Taiwan, with their own weapons. It was a classic adaptation of Sun Tzu’s ancient strategic wisdom.
He heard his name called, and he walked slowly to the front of the room, trying to project a calm he did not feel. There was no applause. Chinese officials only applaud those senior in rank, and he was junior to the lot of them.
The title of his talk was simple, bold, and provocative: “The Liberation of Taiwan.” He took a deep breath and began to speak, abandoning himself to the words he had so carefully crafted.
“The time has come to complete the unification of China,” he began. “This renegade province, home to the remnants of Chiang Kai-Shek’s bandits, has been too long outside of our control. The time has come for the People’s Republic, under the brilliant leadership of Chairman Han, to complete the work that Chairman Mao began.” Fu stole a glance at the Chairman, who seemed to be sitting up a little straighter in his chair.
“This will necessarily have to be accomplished by military force,” Fu went on. “Given the strength of Taiwan’s so-called ‘independence movement’, which is encouraged by the American imperialists, and the stubbornness of Chiang’s Old Guard, Taiwan will never voluntarily rejoin the motherland. With only two percent of our land area, and less than two percent of our population, Taiwan will not be able to withstand a determined assault. I estimate that two-thirds of the PRC Air Force, the entire PLA Navy, and some 500,000 men will be necessary to bring this mission to a successful conclusion…”
A voice cut him off in mid-sentence. “And where will the American imperialist fleet be while you ferry a half million men across the Taiwan Straits?” the defense minister said sarcastically. “Carrying out humanitarian missions in Bangladesh?” There was muffled laughter in the room.