Battlefield Korea

Preparations for a New World Power

It was a cool autumn morning as Chairman Zhang walked out the sliding door to the observation deck. He was on the top of the Jiangnan Shipyard Headquarters building at the edge of the shipyard. It provided him with an exceptional view of the second Kuznetsov class aircraft carrier that China was finalizing construction on. Like its sister ship, the Liaoning, it leveraged a ski jump takeoff system. While this limited the number and type of aircraft they could launch, it provided China with the ability to project power beyond its national borders as it developed its first blue water strike group. It also improved tremendously on the Liaoning, with a stronger propulsion system, more modern electronics, and a tougher air-defense capability.

Zhang was there to meet with Wen Jiabao, the director of China’s shipyards. Once the two men had exchanged the necessary polite conversation, Zhang jumped right in. “When will the Moa be operational?” he asked, somewhat gruffly. He was feeling impatient.

The Moa Zedong was going to be China’s first supercarrier to displace more than 110,000 tons. It would be similar in size to the American Nimitz class supercarrier, but not as large as the new Ford class.

Wen smiled, knowing he had good news to share. “Mr. Chairman, the Moa was officially launched as of two days ago by the Dalian shipyard. Per the committee’s instructions, we have restricted all access to the ship and kept it hidden under a construction dome. Since we have also placed all Panamax freighters under construction domes, no one has suspected a thing.” Wen was proud that his idea to hide the construction of such a large ship in plain sight was working.

Zhang nodded in approval. “It was a brilliant idea to move the construction of all of the Panamax freighters under construction domes three years ago,” he thought to himself. “It allowed us to start building the Moa without anyone knowing about it.” He smiled wistfully. “Soon, we will unveil China’s very own supercarrier to the world.”

Zhang offered some rare praise. “The President and the Ruling Committee are most pleased with your clever idea of the construction dome, Wen. How soon until the Moa will be able to join her two sister ships?” Zhang asked, hoping things were still on track.

“The delivery is still on schedule,” insisted Wen. “I have four construction shifts working on the Moa around the clock, seven days a week. We have even incentivized the workers by rewarding them with extra pay for completing various tasks ahead of time.”

Wen held up a hand before Zhang could respond to his last statement. “I know that is against party doctrine, but please, hear me out. I conducted an experiment doing this. The crews that had this incentive worked twice as hard, and the quality of the work was better than the ones without the incentive. I know this goes against the teachings of the Communist Party, but the timeline must be met. The Moa is too important to our future. I hope you will forgive me this transgression,” Wen said as he lowered his head, completely unsure how Zhang would respond.

Zhang thought for a minute, then nodded in agreement. “Wen has broken party doctrine, but it was only in service to the party,” he thought. “This sin can be overlooked, but I will need to make sure it does not spread to other areas of the country.” While China had become more of a capitalist version of communism, it still relied heavily on the ideology of collectivism. “People should be motivated to serve the party and China because it is the right thing to do, not because of money,” grumbled Zhang to himself.

“Wen, the Moa is important. Please keep this idea to yourself, but I will allow it to continue. When will the Moa be ready for its sea trials?”

Sighing out of relief, Wen responded, “We will be ready to unveil the Moa to the world on May 1^st, during the May Day celebration. It will be ready to begin sea trials that same week. It will then be up to the People’s Liberation Army Navy as to when it will be combat ready,” he announced proudly.

“Excellent, and the submarines? How are they coming?” asked Zhang.

China had deployed the Type 093 nuclear-powered fast attack submarine in the mid-2000s. NATO called these ships the Shang-class. The improved version, the Type 093G, had been introduced in the mid-2010s, and provided China with a fast attack submarine that was on par with the American Los Angeles class of submarines in terms of its quietness and ability to stalk its prey. The Type 093G subs were of great concern to the Americans, who had gone to great lengths to try and infiltrate the program to learn more about them, albeit rather unsuccessfully.

“We have quietly completed construction of five new Shang class subs. By May of next year, we will have eight more delivered to the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) for deployment.” Pausing for a second, Wen dared to ask, “Will these thirteen submarines be enough?”

The wind at the shipyard picked up in speed, as if it somehow recognized Zhang’s change in demeanor. “Wen-you are but one piece to the great puzzle we are assembling. I need you to focus on your piece and allow others to focus on theirs. Do not concern yourself with ‘if’ your piece will be enough. Your piece, combined with others will be more than enough,” he replied, giving him a tempered but firm rebuke for asking for more information than he needed to know.

Wen bowed his head slightly, realizing he had overstepped his bounds. “My apologies. Is there anything else you would like to see at the shipyard before you depart?”

Zhang turned to his deputy, Liang Zhang Wei, who nodded slightly, then back to Wen. “No, I have seen enough. You are on track, which is what I needed to know. Please continue with your work. Do not disappoint us, Wen,” he replied and then left with his deputy in tow.

As Chairman Zhang and his deputy Liang settled into the vehicle that would take them to their next meeting. Zhang saw the questioning look on his protégé’s face. Liang would never outwardly challenge him, but he decided to turn this last meeting into a teaching point. “Zhang Wei, as I groom you for higher office, there are certain things you must know and recognize in people,” Zhang began. “First, do not let any of your subordinates know too much. Second, do not immediately dismiss an idea just because it goes against party doctrine. Examine it first, then determine if the indiscretion would further or hurt the party. If it furthers it, then find a way to bend the rules without breaking them.”

He paused for a second as Liang looked at him attentively, “Information is power. Information in the wrong hands can also mean disaster. If Wen knows too much about our plans and accidentally slips, saying something at the wrong time or place, it could be pieced together by an intelligence organization. A piece here, a piece there, and soon, the enemy can see a picture.”

Liang nodded diligently. His boss was an astute man. He had to be to rise to the position of Chairman and essentially the Head of State Security. Balancing the military, economy and political realities was a daunting task; Zhang was juggling many balls in many different courts. Liang felt honored that he had been chosen to be Zhang’s replacement, pending of course that Zhang continued to stay in power long enough to retire or one day become President himself.