Battlefield Taiwan

Exile

Following the collapse of the Taiwanese military, the democratically elected leaders of the Republic of China had been forced to flee the country and establish a government in exile. Since this outcome had always been a possibility, several possible locations had been identified in advance. Japan had not been one of those preselected locations, but ultimately, there was no other choice. The Phillipines, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand had all rejected them; in desperation, they’d turned to Japan and had been told they could set up their mobile government in Kyoto. They had opted to rent out all 123 guest rooms at the Four Seasons Hotel, which would provide the security services with a safe and controlled location for the government officials to sleep and work.

While the government fled the country, the military continued to fight on for several more weeks before they had to surrender or face certain death. A small cadre of soldiers, mostly Special Forces units, would continue to operate in secret. They would collect information and carry out an insurgency. Minister of Defense Lu, who had been a soldier in his youth, had opted to stay with the military and continue the fight. While their military had been largely destroyed, their ability to collect intelligence and keep tabs on what was happening on the island was very much intact.

Walking along the corridors of the second floor, President Hung Hui-ju couldn’t help but marvel at how her staff had turned the entire hotel property into a functioning government building for them to live and work in. It had taken a week, but they had transformed the entire first and second floors into functioning offices. The third floor had been designated as sleeping quarters for the senior government members; the rest of the staff that had been able to evacuate stayed in a separate hotel nearby.

Foreign Minister Chang was hard at work in one of the suites that had been converted to a work space. When he saw the president enter the room, he smiled warmly. “Madam President, it is good to see you,” he said as he stood and walked around his desk to greet her.

“Please, let’s sit over here.” Chang gestured at a pair of chairs with a small coffee table next to them.

President Hung got right down to business. “Have you spoken with the Americans yet about helping us retake Taiwan?” she inquired. She knew the Americans could not help right away, but Taiwan had now been under the control of the communists for nearly five weeks. Each week, each month, meant it would be that much harder to liberate her country.

Chang had a sparkle in his eyes. “They are developing a plan now to neutralize the Chinese navy. Once the Americans can control the sea, the PLA will not be able to stay in control of the island for long. As you know, the American Secretary of Defense was in Tokyo two days ago. I was able to meet with him for roughly an hour before he left for Seoul. He assured me that when the US Pacific Army is fully formed up, Taiwan will be among the top priorities to retake. Right now, we have to bide our time and wait.” His voice rang with hopeful optimism.

Hui-ju thought about that for a second while trying not to betray any emotion on her face. “While it is reassuring that the Secretary of Defense has prioritized the liberation of Taiwan, I am under no illusions about how long that would take,” she thought. “The Americans and Japanese may control the waters around Japan, but they have not ventured further south to confront the Chinese carrier strike group, and now that the mainlanders control Taiwan, they can turn it into a fortress to defeat any American-led efforts.”

“I am glad you were able to speak with Jim Castle,” she responded. “However, I suspect it will be at least six months until the Americans attempt anything to help us.”

Seeing her sad expression, Chang hoped the President would be pleased with this next concession he was able to get from the Americans. “He did say it will probably be more like seven or eight months until they will have the ground forces necessary to start an operation. However, he said they will direct additional submarines to start operating in the straits. They will also continue to carry out strategic strikes against high-priority targets that our forces identify in Taiwan. He said his hope is to provide some Special Forces troops within the next couple of months to help keep our insurgency operation going for as long as possible.”

This news managed to elicit a glimmer of a smile from President Hung.

“There was something else we discussed during the meeting,” Chang said, the corners of his mouth curling up in such a ridiculously devilish grin that Hung chuckled.

“Oh, and what was that, Chen? Do not keep your president guessing,” she said lightheartedly.

He leaned in closer and said softly, “The prospect of a future united China…” He sat back as the President’s smile began to grow.