“Correct,” said Zhang, “and I appreciate your forthright assessment, as difficult as it may be. We must face facts now, not wishes. The General Staff does not believe that those twenty ships can prevail, any more than the twenty we gave to Wu Jinlong were able to succeed. So yes, the order to withdraw will be given. Sun Wei is to move south at once and attempt to reach Colombo as his next support base.”
“But the Americans spent all last week attacking Sri Lanka.”
“Indeed, but we will repair that damage, as we will also repair the damage to Beiying and Davao. They truth is this, the Army will now move to support Iran and Iraq, as I have said, and that cannot operate in an environment where they have no air cover. Therefore the Air Force assets presently covering the Indian Ocean Fleet will be transferred further west to bases in Iran. That fleet has been deemed a liability where it presently sits, and we believe a window of opportunity has opened to allow it to withdraw. The American carriers are replenishing, one at Salaha in southwest Oman, the other deep in the Indian Ocean in an underway replenishment operation.”
“Yes, I am aware of this. I’ve seen the intelligence,” said Shen.
“Of course. Then in this situation, Admiral Sun Wei must move south as quickly as possible.”
“General… it is 1500 nautical miles from Karachi to Colombo, and we have no friendly bases or supply ships anywhere along that route… Unless you will now tell me that India is joining our side in this war.”
“Not likely,” said Zhang Wendan. “In fact, the inverse may soon be true. All the more reason to get Sun Wei out of there while we may still have that chance. Can this be done?”
Shen Jinlong rubbed his forehead. “It will be very dangerous. He will have little air cover, and then no air cover as he gets further south, but if this is ordered, then it must be done quickly, while the Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group is replenishing at Salaha. That port is 1300 nautical miles from the coast of India, and Sun Wei must stay as far east as possible. It will mean he may have to face at least one US carrier, but not both—assuming he moves quickly. There is also a small American Task Force coming up from the south, and the British forces that abandoned Singapore.”
“So be it,” said Zhang. “You must give the order at once.”
Admiral Shen nodded gravely, but it was clear he was not happy. This was now going to cede control of the entire Indian Ocean to the enemy, and it was a matter of time before they controlled the Gulf of Oman, and the Persian Gulf. Zhang Wendan saw the look of distress and disappointment on his face, and spoke again.
“Admiral,” he said quietly. “You have fought well, and without adequate support. That was our fault. Take no shame in this. It is a strategic decision taken by the Party itself. The matter comes down to this: if the Army cannot prevail in Iraq, then our fleet in the Indian Ocean is only a target, and it will surely be lost. Yes, it could hold stubbornly in the Gulf of Oman, holding sea lanes that will never be traveled by tankers from Iraq if we lose that fight, and it could only hold a short time. So we want it home. Our losses have been heavy, and those ships will now be needed for operations in the Pacific Theater. The mission is therefore to reinforce our Pacific Fleets, and assure that we do not relinquish any of our gains in that theater.”
“I understand,” said Shen.
“Good,” said Zhang. “Give the order, and with urgency. The route you choose home will be up to you, but it will be imperative that you at least reach Colombo safely.”
“Of course,” said Shen. “If the fleet cannot refuel there, then it could not proceed further east. Can you assure me Sun Wei will not arrive to ruin and fire at Colombo? What if those American bombers you mention strike there?”
“We are seizing Trincomalee as well, the fifth largest natural harbor in the world.”
“Seizing it?”
“Again… A matter for the Army. Airborne troops have been relieved in the Ryukyus and they will do what is necessary.”
“Yes? Well, it will need to be a matter for the Air Force as well.”
“Certainly. They will move fighters to Sri Lanka from our bases in Burma. And the new commander you appoint to replace Wu Jinlong will operate in the South China Sea so as to provide air cover over the Strait of Malacca. Do you believe Sun Wei should attempt that route?”
“It will be difficult in such constricted waters, but if he attempts the Sunda Strait instead he will get little air cover there, if any—unless it comes off the deck of Taifeng.”
“Exactly,” said Zhang Wendan. “Now, as we lose them one by one, we see just how valuable our aircraft carriers were.”
“Indeed. I must order Laoning to move from the Yellow Sea into the East China Sea to relieve Guandong, then that ship can move to the South China Sea to further support Admiral….” He hesitated, realizing Wu Jinlong was to be relieved of command.
“A good question, eh?” said Zhang. “Who will be the new Commander for South Seas Operations?”
At that point, they both turned to the third man in the room, Zheng Bao. He had been listening quietly, with great concern, and now he saw Admiral Shen give him a wink. It was obvious to him that he would not have been summoned here unless the General Staff already had their eye on him.
“Zheng Bao,” he said. “It seems you would be available for this post, and I cannot think of a better man.”
When his adjutant handed him the communication from Naval General Headquarters, Admiral Wu Jinlong took it stoically. “I will be in my ready room,” he said. “but I do not wish to be disturbed.”
“Understood, sir.”
The message was on paper, but with it the Adjutant handed him a memory key, because a video transmission was also sent, and directly from Navy Chief Shen Jinlong. He watched it, eyes heavy. The Navy Chief had tried to say he was needed at home, and that he was to be promoted to operational Commandant of all naval facilities on Hainan, now responsible for organizing and planning the defense of the South China Sea.
“I need a thinker there,” said Shen Jinlong. “I need a planner. As you cannot do this while still managing tactical affairs, that duty will pass to another….”
That duty will pass to another….
Any fighting Admiral who has ever come to realize he was now leaving the flag bridge and heading for a desk ashore would have reacted badly to the news, no matter how much it was dressed up as a promotion. For a long time after, Wu Jinlong sat in silence, head in hands, with the red burn of shame on his neck and back. If he had been a Japanese Admiral in WWII, he might have contemplated something more, but ritual suicide was not in the Chinese character. So he would bear up, do what he could to salvage his face and honor, and go on.
An hour later he emerged from his ready room, not even looking at the bridge crew as he left the bridge and headed down to the officer’s dining room. When he entered, he was shocked to see all his senior officers in dress whites. They snapped to attention, and at the back of the room, the ship’s band played an anthem. Each man saluted him in turn, and then they all bowed, a sign of great honor and respect.
“So,” he said, trying to smile. “I was going to make an announcement this evening, but the rice is already cooked! It seems an Admiral’s private messages have become common knowledge, but I will not ask why. Very well, let me say that it has been an honor to serve with each and every one of you. I have been ordered to assume a post at Hainan, thinking and planning things you all will be doing in the coming weeks, and I will remember you all when I do so. But that is not all….”