It appeared that sign of weakness had come.
The arguing commenced immediately. Little was decided. After a while, the group adjourned and went their separate ways. Each leader meeting with his staff behind closed doors, plotting his next moves.
General Chen once again sat behind his desk. His plan to attack Midway was a very good idea, surely. Jinshan had heard the beginnings of the plan. And he hadn’t verbally disapproved. Chen’s men were silently waiting for him to speak. He licked his lips and cracked his knuckles. Winning this war, and seizing the ultimate leadership position, would require audacity.
Chen was normally more cautious, only moving when he was sure that he would win. But if he didn’t establish himself as Jinshan’s successor, someone else would. He couldn’t have one of those politicians running his war machine into the ground. After all, he was the highest-ranking military officer in all of China. It was his prerogative whether he should move his forces. He didn’t need permission. And his plan was brilliant.
General Chen looked up at his staff officers. “Draw up orders to direct the Shangdong Carrier Battle Group to steam towards Midway at best speed. Summon Admiral Zhang and have him come see me immediately. He will need to be made aware and design an effective strategy.” Chen would need to make promises to Admiral Zhang. He too had seen Jinshan limping away. Perhaps Zhang could fill Chen’s own shoes.
“Sir, what are your intentions?”
“I intend to take Midway before the Liaoning Battle Group arrives at Hawaii. Tell them that they have five days to reach Midway. The Americans will be surprised by the swiftness of this attack. This will ensure our victory in the Pacific.” And my part in it.
“Yes, General.”
“However, for operational security reasons, we must keep this plan to only a few members of the military circle. I don’t even want these orders in our leadership team meetings. We have all heard the rumors about possible intelligence leaks.”
The colonel fidgeted in his seat. “Sir… do you not think it wise to—”
“Do not argue, Colonel. Execute.”
Lena stood over Jinshan’s bed. His personal doctor had just given him another dose of medication. It would help with the nausea and stomach pain.
Jinshan waved away the doctor and his assistant. They left the room, and Lena was alone with her mentor.
“Did you see their faces?”
“Yes.” Jinshan was referring to the lean and hungry looks on the military officers and Politburo members as he hobbled out of the room unexpectedly. She thought about pretending not to notice, but that wouldn’t serve him well. He needed an honest assessment, however cold it might be.
Her expression was stone. “They will be tempted now.”
“I agree with you.” He gestured to the bedside chair, and she took a seat.
“What would you have me do? Remove and replace any that show signs of disloyalty?”
He scoffed. “That will not solve my true problem. Nothing can do that. I am running out of time, Lena.”
She was surprised to feel her eyes moisten. More uncharacteristic behavior. She noted it and moved on. “Then tell me how to help.”
“Whatever you might think of General Chen”—she was grateful that Jinshan didn’t refer to the man as her father—“he raises a good point about the Jiaolong-class technology. Eventually, the Americans will find a way to defeat it. Just like every weapon ever invented. War creates a renaissance of sorts. The greatest minds in the world suddenly become much more interested in weaponry when their survival depends on it. The subsequent technology race is focused on lethal innovations. Poison gas. Jet propulsion. Nuclear arms. Scientists that were busy with lesser things realize that they have the power to shape history, if they put their minds towards the destruction of rival militaries.”
Lena said, “Do you really believe the Americans have a plan to defeat the Jiaolong technology already?”
“I am certain that they are working on it.”
She realized that he was getting intelligence reports that no one else was.
Jinshan said, “We know there are weaknesses to the system. Will they discover them and come up with a counter before we take the Pacific? Or before we win the war? That I do not know.”
“What do our spies say?”
“They say many things. But we cannot trust our overseas human assets as well as we could a few weeks ago. Before the war began, I was much more confident. Now…”
“What can I do?”
He grimaced again, holding his stomach as a spasm of pain wracked his body.
“Would you like me to get the doctor?”
His face was damp with sweat. “No. The pain is subsiding.”
“I should get a medical attendant.”
He took her elbow. “Lena, there is an operative in the United States. Only two people, including myself, know his identity. This operative is able to get us near-real-time military positions and readiness data in the Pacific. This information will be of the highest quality.”
Lena raised one eyebrow.
“This operative just sent us information that shows how the Americans plan to defend Hawaii. We don’t know if the American plans will work. But if we are able to get updated status on these plans prior to our attack… our conquest of the Pacific shall succeed.”
“What must I do?”
“I need someone that I trust to travel to America and verify that the information is really coming from our agent, and that our agent is not under duress. I trust only you with this task, Lena.”
“I am honored by this confidence, Chairman. I will go to America and fulfill my duty, as you request.”
Jinshan nodded, a look of pride on his face. “The operative in question is a member of the US Navy’s Office of Naval Intelligence. Their organization, like many of the US military and intelligence community, has been decentralized as part of a security procedure. We have a team of military special forces soldiers inside the US. The South Sword Team. After the war began, we had to change our procedure for getting his reports. The South Sword Team is able to recover the information, but they cannot make contact themselves. They will assist you in locating the operative and providing you with security. The minister of state security is the other who knows of this agent. He can tell you the procedures for making contact. He can also provide you with travel arrangements.”
“I understand.”
“We will conduct our attack on Hawaii based on the information this operative provides. If his information indicates that taking Hawaii is not possible, we will take an alternate course of action with our fleet. This is an essential mission, Lena. It may determine the course of the war.”
A knock at the door, and then the minister of state security entered. Jinshan explained his orders while Lena stood in wait. When Jinshan was finished, he dismissed them both, saying, “I must rest now. Good luck, Lena.”
The head of the MSS left the meeting with Jinshan and was escorted out of the bunker to an awaiting helicopter. From there, he was ferried back to Beijing, where he was driven to the MSS headquarters.
As he usually did after high-level meetings, he met with his secretary to document everything. She took handwritten notes as he recounted each and every discussion. The notes were then locked up in his personal safe, where he could refer to them later if needed. The senior intelligence officer was, at this level, a politician. He needed to cover himself if the knives ever came out. In such a case, he could have his secretary turn his notes into memos that documented the past interactions.
What the head of the MSS was not aware of was that his secretary’s eyeglasses contained an audio and video recording device. Every word of the conversation — both written and spoken — was stored within the temples of the glasses. Later that night, she uploaded the data into her communications device and sent a burst transmission towards a receiver on the roof of a nearby apartment building.