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I sit back in the chair and say, "No. That's it."
"Very well. It was a pleasure talking with you." Joe and Shmoe move forward and stand on either side of me, ready to escort me out.
"That's it?" I ask. "You have nothing to say?"
"The conversation is over, Mr. Fisher. Let us say that I shall take your words under advisement. You are still an enemy of the Lucky Dragons. I ca
Fine. I've tried my best. I stand and leave the way I came. Little Miss Hostess is still cleaning the tabletops when I go by. This time she smiles at me--if I was important enough to gain an audience with Jon Ming then I must be a VIP of some kind. I ignore her and head for the door. Before I get there, Joe puts his hand on my shoulder as if to give me a word of advice. With the speed of a snake I grab his wrist and twist it, sending him to his knees. Shmoe moves in to defend him but I hold my hand out in front of him, warning him not to get any closer.
"It was a pleasure meeting you guys," I say with a smile, then I let go of Joe's hand. If looks could kill . . . but I pay them no mind as I turn and walk out the door.
33
THEtrip to the coastal region of Fujian was uneventful. I made my way to Guangzhou by train on a falsified work visa and passport that indicated I'd be consulting with high schools on creating a "foreign government policies" curriculum. The U.S. consul received my equipment via the diplomatic bag and provided me with an imported Cadillac to drive to Fuzhou. My passport and visa were changed and the consul sent through the paperwork indicating that my first identity had left the country. Now I'm a U.S. environmentalist studying global temperatures. I just hope I don't have to actually talk about my "work" because I'd fall flat on my face.
Most Taiwanese people consider the Fujian province to be their ancestral home, which is ironic seeing that the country is about to be attacked from there. The language spoken in the region is essentially the same as Taiwanese, although officially it's supposed to be Mandarin, like everywhere else in China. Prior to the fifteenth century, the region was a major port for travelers moving from China to Taiwan, Singapore, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, and back. Today it's still a heavily used shipping harbor. The capital, Fuzhou, is a city dating back to around the third century and was reportedly one of Marco Polo's favorite stops when he was ru
China's situation with Taiwan is akin to that of a strict parent and an estranged child. After being ruled by the Japanese for something like sixty years, the Taiwanese rebelled when Chinese Kuomintang officials occupied the island and imposed their rule on the people. This led to unrest and rioting and the KMT ended up massacring tens of thousands of Taiwanese civilians. This event is still commemorated in Taiwan. Chiang Kai-shek's son and successor eventually executed the KMT military governor responsible for the atrocity. By the time the Korean War erupted in 1950, the United States sided with the KMT and Taiwan against the Communist Chinese forces supporting North Korea. It was a case in which Taiwan became a democracy almost by default.
China's government is under the mistaken belief that Taiwan still belongs to her. The island has governed itself since the Chinese Nationalist forces fled to Taiwan in 1949. Most inhabitants of the island view Taiwan as already sovereign even without a formal declaration. The Chinese government has offered the island autonomy if it will come under China's direct rule. Thus, Taiwan is a major thorn in China's side because the small island country has shown itself to be economically successful on the world stage. The end of military rule and the begi
Tun's army encampment is set up along the coast just north of Fuzhou. After nightfall I do a reco
Just before I arrived in Fujian province, several Chinese landing craft were mobilized at the shore. Two Luda-class destroyers, one Luhu-class destroyer, and two Chengdu frigates are busy doing maneuvers in the strait. Chinese air support will come from a base in neighboring Quanzhou. If these guys aren't preparing for an invasion then someone's playing a very unfu
"We have you by satellite, Sam," Lambert says in my ear. "Just watch the patrolling guards. Otherwise you're good to go."
Temporary wire fences surround the base. Two gates allow entrance, one on the north side and the larger main access on the south. It appears that only two guards stand duty at the main gate at all times, but only one mans the north one. I elect not to use either. Instead I crawl through what foliage there is on the north side of the encampment, about sixty feet east of the gate, and use my wire cutters. There's no moon tonight and it's cloudy so the darkness provides me with a fair amount of cover. I'll still have to be careful, though. There are no trees or other thick vegetation to hide behind if I need to. The base itself is illuminated by a number of floodlights set up at strategic locations.
One of the barracks is right in front of me. I quietly move behind it and can hear snoring through the walls. Everyone's asleep, or at least they should be. From observing the site before I crawled in, I determined that four single-man patrols cover quadrants, moving back and forth within each man's specific section. I imagine they'll be spelled after three or four hours.
I make my way around the barracks, darting from shadow to shadow. I'd like to shoot out the damned floodlights but that certainly would be an attention grabber. When I crouch behind what appears to be the mess hall I see a lengthy stretch of brightly lit turf to the submarine pens. Unfortunately that's where I need to go to learn what I can about Operation Barracuda. How the hell am I going to get from here to there?