Chairman Chou

By Talmadge Walker

A counter-factual alternate history in which Mao Zedong is assassinated by a follower of Lin Biao

• Language: English
• Publisher: Talmadge Walker
• Release date: Mar 11, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215400814

Talmadge Walker

Originally from Alabama, Talmadge Walker is a semi-retired former EC teacher. He lives in Hillsborough, NC with his wife and three kids.

Book preview

Chairman Chou

By

Talmadge Walker

Copyright 2019

For C.K.

Foreword

This is a work of fiction, a description of how things might have unfolded if certain events had happened slightly differently, and their possible effects upon the people and society of China. With the exception of the flight of Lin Biao, which is speculative anyway since there were no surviving witnesses, none of the contemporary actions in this story actually took place, though the setting for much of the action (the later years of the Cultural Revolution) is as I described, at least to the best of my knowledge and ability.

Table of Contents

Flights

Introduction

Deng

Zhou

Lin Liheng

Wang Guangmei

Departure

Notes & Sources

Flights

Actually Sir, his name is Zhou.

Zou?

Zhou.

Zhou?

Yes Sir.

Not Chou?

No Sir, Zhou. Almost like Joe, but with a softer extended ‘J.’ Phonetically it’s a much closer fit. And we suspect there’s a little bit of politics behind it too. They’re rejecting the old Western pronunciations in favor of their own. That sort of thing.

I see. So Zhou it is, Graves repeated. Is there anything else I should know about before we meet him or Deng?

Not much that comes to mind, Sir. I understand you’ve been briefed pretty thoroughly already. Just keep in mind that Zhou in particular speaks English very well, so don’t say anything you wouldn’t want to hear about later.

Okay. I’ll make sure my photographer knows that too. We don’t want to say anything embarrassing.

Yes Sir. Very good.

What about the drinking?

Jenkins, the Tokyo embassy intelligence officer, smiled. So you’ve heard about that. It’s not nearly as big an issue as it used to be. He had to have bladder surgery earlier this year and as far as we can tell he’s been pretty clean ever since. The doctors had been telling him to stop for years but I guess that put the scare into him.

I guess that would do it.

Yes Sir, though not everyone can quit, health or no…

That’s true. How about his political health? How secure is he now?

He’s about as secure as anyone could be given the recent history. After Mao’s assassination he had the surviving suspected conspirators rounded up and tried, but he made sure the trials were open and decently fair. There was no persecution of the family of the assassin. There was an investigation, but they were cleared. On the other side of the equation, he gave the hardliners – mostly followers of Jiang Qing – free play to say all they want. But he also kept tabs on them and was prepared when they tried to take over. That could have gone really badly – with the regular army on one side and the indoctrinated youth on the other – but apparently, they singled out the right people for arrest. The Red Guard types were left rudderless, and that gave him some breathing room to work with Deng on economic and social reforms. So far, he’s managed to keep the bulk of the country happy, and most of those who aren’t happy at least think of him as fair-minded.

And that’s a big change, right?

Oh yes. Before, everything was so arbitrary. If you said the wrong thing or even worked the wrong job, you always had to worry that the Red Guards might turn against you. Now everyone feels more secure. Not many people want to give that up, not even the youth… Well, are you ready?

Graves nodded. They stepped out of the conference room and made their way to the lobby, where the photographer Munsford was waiting.

Are we ready? Graves asked.

Yep, Munsford replied. Ready as we’ll ever be.

The journalist and the photographer headed out the door and down the steps to a waiting limousine. Once seated inside, they were driven to the airport, reaching it in about twenty-five minutes. The driver helped them remove their luggage, and soon they were on a passenger plane flying to Beijing.

As they flew northwest over the Sea of Japan, Graves was mostly quiet, wondering what they would see and how they would be treated.

Do you think things have changed much? Munsford asked.

In Beijing?

Yes.

I’ve been told everything has settled down a bit, but we don’t really know what to expect.

Any idea who we’ll be meeting with?

There’s a good chance that we’ll be able to meet with Chou… Zhou Enlai, as well as the Premier. Beyond that I don’t know. We’ll just have to wait and see what they allow us within our time frame.

Graves had tried to reply quietly, but one of the men seated in front of them, a middle aged, crew cut man with a heavy tan and glasses, turned around and looked at him curiously. Without saying another word, Graves looked at the man and smiled blandly. The man turned away. Hopefully he thinks he heard wrong.

I think I’ll try and take a nap, Graves said. Try and cut back on the jet lag.

Don’t you want to see Korea as we fly over? Munsford asked.

I saw enough of Korea twenty years ago.

So Graves went to sleep while Munsford read, as the plane flew over the Sea of Japan and South Korea before turning northwest over the Yellow Sea. Near the end of the flight Munsford nudged Graves and said: Wake up, Sir. I think we’re approaching Beijing.

Graves stretched and yawned and looked out the window. They did seem to be descending. Ahead and far below lay the airport, and far to the left lay the city of Beijing. From above, the airport seemed busy but small, compared to the other international airports Graves had visited. As the plane drew lower and lower Graves could see more and more detail of the approaching airport. There was only one terminal, smaller than the one they had left in Tokyo and all the major terminals in the States. But small as it was, the airport handled most of the air travel into and out of Beijing. Today it appeared busy and crowded.

I think I see a pair of limos. Maybe several.

They wouldn’t be all just for us, do you think?

I doubt it. I wonder who else is on the plane?

Graves looked around the cabin as discretely as he could but there was no one he could recognize. Most of the people seemed to be Japanese businessmen or minor government officials from China, or Europeans visiting Beijing for one reason or another. Not a single face that Graves recognized from any of the files at the State Department or his own office.

The plane landed with a couple of small bumps and skids, and taxied over close to the terminal. Looking out, Graves could see the ramp being rolled over to the plane, and several dozen people following it to welcome the passengers. The door opened and the passengers began stepping down the ramp. Graves and Munsford were near the end of the line of passengers, and by the time they reached the bottom of the ramp there were only a couple of men left to greet them.

Mr. Graves? one of them asked, reaching a hand out in greeting.

Yes, Graves replied, shaking the man’s hand. And this is our photographer, Jack Munsford.

Greetings to you both. My name is Li Chen. I’m not exactly your guide, but I will drive you to your hotel. The other man did not speak, but he seemed to listen intently.

They collected their baggage from the belly of the plane and loaded it into the trunk of one of the limousines. Li Chen got in behind the steering wheel, while the silent man sat in the front passenger’s seat and Graves and Munsford sat in back. As Li Chen drove the car away from the terminal, Graves noticed that the other limousines were still parked.

Do you have other important visitors coming today? he asked.

Li Chen looked in the mirror back at Graves. Why do you ask that?

I noticed several other limos back at the terminal.

Those are always parked there, just in case. The answer seemed straightforward, but Li seemed just a little nervous. Graves decided to ask about something else.

Do you know what our schedule is going to be like?

I can tell you about today’s itinerary, Sir. I will drop you off at the hotel, where you can rest for a couple of hours. There will be a reception at the Hall of the People for the new Italian ambassador at 7:00, so a car will pick you up at the hotel at about 6:15. That should take several hours.

Several hours for a reception?

Yes Sir. There will be many speeches.

Who all will be there?

Many important people will be there. Zhou will be speaking. Deng will be there. Many others.

Sounds like we’ll have a busy night. Do you think we might be able to talk with anybody privately?

I do not know, Sir. All the really important people will be busy with each other.

Graves nodded. It was their first day in Beijing and he wasn’t expecting any immediate bombshells. After a few minutes of silence, he asked: So China seems to have opened up quite a bit recently. What do you think has brought it about?

Li Chen paused for a moment, and glanced over at his quiet companion. He didn’t seem to want to answer the question. Finally he blurted: I don’t know, Sir.

Graves wanted to pry further, but decided not to. We’ll be here for several days. Somebody will tell me something important. We just have to be patient.

Soon they arrived at the hotel and Li Chen helped them unload their baggage. Graves and Munsford checked in and were escorted to a room on the fifth floor. Once inside and alone, Munsford flopped face down on one of the beds and Graves began idly looking around the room.

There was a vase full of lilies sitting on the bedside table. Graves looked at them closely, examining without touching the stems as far down into the vase as he could see.

What are you doing? Munsford asked.

I am admiring the décor, Graves replied, as he stepped over to the lamp and looked under the shade at the bulb. Just below the bulb, and on the opposite side of the pole from the switch, there was a rounded but flattened piece of metal, apparently hollow and pockmarked with holes. A wire ran from the bottom of the device, down the and along the electric wire to the wall. Up until that point the two wires had been tightly taped together, but at the wall socket the extra wire split off and ran straight to a tiny hole in the corner of the floor.

Anything interesting?

Graves pointed toward the electric lamp, and cupped a hand to his ear. Munsford nodded and raised an eyebrow. Graves resumed looking around the room, but found nothing else suspicious. Resigned but satisfied, he walked over to his own bed, sat, and began taking his shoes off. So the room is bugged. We expected that.