Battlefield Taiwan

Expansion & Government in Exile

President Xi looked proudly at the sailors and marines before him. They had fought gallantly in Vietnam and now they had been a part of the successful reacquisition of Formosa. Today, however, was a special day. After this ceremony, these men would return to their ships and head out on the next adventure to expand China’s control of Asia.

As the sailors took their seats, Xi began to speak, “My fellow countrymen, I applaud the success you have achieved thus far in helping our nation to achieve its rightful place as the new leader of the world. Our grandfathers were part of the great revolution that saw the rise and unification of China. Today, you are taking their place as you help to unify Asia under Chinese control and assert our dominance as the new leader of the world — a title of which the Americans are no longer worthy.”

He paused for a moment as people stood and applauded at his opening statement. Slowly, the fanfare died down, and he resumed his fiery speech. “During the first hours of the war, the Navy showed it could defeat the American Seventh Fleet. You even killed their commander in the opening hours of the war,” he said, openly giving praise to the men before him. They stood and clapped once more.

Xi raised his hands to get the men to resume their seats. “What we ask of you now is to demonstrate to the world once again that it is China, not the US, that controls Asia. You will lead a campaign to expand Chinese control to the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia. We need you to do your best in hunting down the remaining American submarines that can threaten us and ensure our armies stay supplied and able to hold our new territories. With the acquisition of these three countries, China will not only have secured our future petroleum needs, we will also have protected passage for our African mining operations. The work you sailors are going to partake in will help shape and define the future of the 21^st century. China, our great nation, is depending on you men to accomplish your mission. We wish you the best of luck and a safe return,” he concluded, then stepped back from the mic.

The sailors jumped to their feet, clapping excitedly once again. They loved hearing their leader not only praise them but give them a reason for why they were fighting and dying. While the victories against America had been great, they had come at a heavy price to the navy, and the American Pacific Fleet had not yet been destroyed. A final battle would still have to be fought, and in the meantime, they had to take down those American submarines who were tearing apart the entire Northern Fleet.

Xi turned and walked off the stage. While he enjoyed the applause, he had a meeting to get to.

A few minutes later, President Xi and Admiral Shen were alone in a small private room without any maps, computers or other electronic devices. Xi signaled they should sit in the two chairs waiting for them. The Chinese president was feeling a bit paranoid and had taken great pains to make sure that what was said in this room would not be discovered by anyone, including Chairman Zhang, the architect of Operation Red Storm.

“I wanted to meet privately with you so you could give me your honest opinion without fearing losing face if you admit failure,” Xi began. “I have ensured that no one is listening to our conversation. I need a frank assessment of how the naval war is going against the Americans, and I need to know if Chairman Zhang is accurate in his assessments.”

Nodding, Admiral Shen sat back in the chair. “We are in a precarious position right now. The Northern Fleet is shattered. The American submarine and cruise missile attacks are devastating our forces and our ability to continue to operate in the northern parts of the country. Nearly every aircraft we had assigned there was destroyed, along with some of our best submarines and destroyers. It is fortunate that we kept our carrier group south of Taiwan; we could have lost it if the Americans had attacked it.” Admiral Shen felt relief from the confession but immediately started to sweat, worried that he should not have been so open in his response.

Xi nodded solemnly and leaned in. “Can we still win?”

Shen took a deep breath, relieved that Xi was genuine in seeking a real assessment. He paused for a second as he calculated his answer. “It depends. If we can produce more of our anti-ship cruise missiles and anti-ship ballistic missiles, I believe we can win the surface warfare part of the fight. What we are not going to win, at least not right now, is the underwater fight. While we won a great battle in the East China Sea, it cost us dearly; we lost over half of our naval aircraft and a large number of our submarine force. The American submarines are incredibly effective weapons. We are working with the Russians to try and help solve this problem, but right now we do not have a good answer as to how we are going to defeat them. If we cannot defeat the American submarine force, then it will be nearly impossible for us to keep our carriers safe and not lose our southern fleet,” Shen answered.

For a moment, the President’s countenance appeared sad and defeated. Then, he lifted his head, and a fire burned in his eyes.

“Are you in need of more destroyers to defeat the American submarines?” asked Xi.

“We have five new Luyang III-class destroyers and nine additional Jiangkai II frigates. These ships are going to be a part of a new antisubmarine warfare task force I have assembled. This specific group of ships and aircraft will focus solely on hunting and then sinking the American submarines operating in the South China Sea. Until I can fully secure the South China Sea, I need to have them stay local to this area,” Admiral Shen explained.

The President nodded, then leaned in and looked Shen directly in the eye for a brief moment. “We need to win this fight, Admiral. What more do you need to win it?”