Jinshan’s plan had worked beautifully. Even with the two men escaping, Natesh admitted that there was still a very high probability that their war plans would succeed. However, Natesh was frustrated that Jinshan’s team had lost their most important advantage — the element of surprise. But he also knew that surprise often couldn’t be counted on. Competitive advantage needed to be about much more than just being a first mover. And it would be.
Natesh and Lena sat in silence on thick cushioned chairs, on opposite sides of a large glass coffee table. He looked at his watch. They had another ten minutes before Jinshan was supposed to see them.
He glanced outside. Shadows of skyscrapers rose up through the smog. A part of him wondered if his efforts would do nothing more than expand China’s problems around the globe.
No. Jinshan was not the cause of China’s missteps. He reminded himself of why he had chosen to go down this path.
In his Silicon Valley job, Natesh could create and improve businesses. It was entertaining, but not fulfilling. But in this role, Natesh was truly changing the world. While Natesh had some disagreements with Jinshan on tactics, he firmly supported the man’s big-picture strategic objective. At first, Natesh was seduced by just the size and scope of the challenge, and the promise of power as payment.
Now, though, he saw the same thing that Lena saw in Jinshan. Greatness. Vision. Jinshan was what those in Silicon Valley referred to as a thought leader. He was one of those rare men who envisioned a plan to change the world for the better, and made it happen.
After all, Jinshan was right. Democracy didn’t work. Natesh had seen it with his own eyes. It led to populism. Populism meant that every common person was in control. Regular people. Uneducated people. Commoners who were too stupid for their own good.
Natesh believed that a group of elite experts were needed to carve out the best path forward. Jinshan believed that as well. But what Jinshan also believed, and had convinced Natesh of, was that a strong and forceful enforcer was needed to control it all, lest men fall victim to their own imperfections.
It sounded frighteningly like a dictatorship. It was, Natesh realized. But in his talks with Jinshan, Natesh had come to understand that there was one crucial difference. The goals of this new world order were utilitarian. Jinshan argued that you couldn’t please all the people, and that you shouldn’t try. Decisions shouldn’t fall to the people or to the politicians. There was another choice. Decisions should be made by the experts. But who would decide who the experts were? And who would keep them in control? That was the crux of Jinshan’s plan — there had to be a strong and just enforcer.
The challenge, as Jinshan saw it, would be to make sure that this all-powerful leader was acting in the best interests of the society. Guiding principles needed to be followed, and subsequent leaders would need to be groomed and chosen to follow those guiding principles.
The world had outgrown democracy, Jinshan preached. It was the duty of the great and capable few, like Natesh, to gift the next great form of government to the world. The hard part for Natesh to come to terms with was the cost of this transition. If their guiding philosophy was Act Utilitarianism, then the greater good would be worth the pain and suffering of those lost in the war to come.
Natesh took deep breaths of the clean air inside Jinshan’s building. He closed his eyes and breathed out through his mouth in long, deliberate blows. Stress breathing. He had been doing that a lot lately.
Lena saw him and said, “Are you alright?”
He opened his eyes. “Yes. Just trying to relax.”
Her scarred face stared back at him. He wondered if she had ever felt stress, or if she was immune.
The double doors opened, and in walked Cheng Jinshan and a man in a military uniform. Both Lena and Natesh rose.
Jinshan said, “Good afternoon. I hope that I have not kept you waiting too long.”
“Not at all,” replied Lena.
“This is Admiral Song. He is our closest ally in this endeavor. Please feel free during this discussion to share with him anything that you would share with me.”
Natesh noticed the “during this discussion” qualifier. Jinshan was a very secretive person. He had to be.
The group sat, and a woman came to pour them each tea. When she left, Jinshan said, “The two of you will be leaving the island soon. Tomorrow for you, Mr. Chaudry. Lena, you will remain on the island for a few more days and take care of any remaining details there. Then you will follow.”
Natesh looked at Lena. He tried not to look surprised. He looked back at Jinshan and said, “Where will we be going?”
The admiral said, “Manta, Ecuador. I believe that you are both already aware, but we have begun deploying a small number of our forces in South America. We have many assets there that have been pre-staged over the last few years. Under the guise of foreign arms sales. These groups will partake in consolidating our military assets in the region and preparing for the arrival of Chinese armed forces en masse.”
Natesh was familiar with the location and plans. After all, he had helped to draw them up. Manta, Equador, was supposed to be the first of many bases at which the Chinese would begin massing troops in preparation for an invasion. The bases would be throughout Central and South America, and some would even be in Canada. These locations were still months away from seeing any Chinese forces, however. According to the plans, they weren’t even supposed to head to Manta for another month.
Lena said, “Admiral, if I may be so bold, how does this match up with our timeline of increased military readiness? The plans called for troop transports and increased training beyond current levels.”
Admiral Song looked at Jinshan, and then back at Lena. “Our plans are at different stages in different locations. Chinese leadership is not fully aligned yet.”
Or aware, Natesh thought. Jinshan looked tired. His eyes had a yellowish tint. Natesh thought he looked like he was losing weight. Hmmm. Was he doing alright?
Jinshan said, “I must confess that not all of our political changes have been implemented yet. It is regrettable. However, a good plan is one that must be continuously modified. For now, Admiral Song has provided the capable assets of the PLA Navy’s South Sea Fleet to serve our needs.”
Lena glanced between the two men. “And senior PLA leadership? Are they aware?”
Jinshan didn’t bother looking at the admiral, who shuffled in his seat. Jinshan said, “They are not.”
Lena said, “Mr. Jinshan, you know that I have great respect and admiration for you. But… is this wise? How will we reach the levels of readiness and—”
Natesh said, “Mr. Jinshan, to be frank, we need bodies. We need truck drivers and logisticians. We need planners and button-pushers. That is the stage we’re at right now. If we are to move millions of personnel across the Pacific Ocean, we need to get prepared for their arrival on the other end. And that means stocking warehouses full of food and materials, building barracks. I’ve drawn up the flowcharts — right now, I’m capacity limited. I need bodies, sir.”
Jinshan took a sip of his tea and nodded. “Yes. I am aware, Mr. Chaudry. That is one of the things I would like to discuss here today. I believe the minimum number of personnel you said you would need for this part of the plan was twenty thousand workers, is that right?”
“That’s correct.”
Jinshan said, “Admiral, would you be able to provide that many people?”