Chapter Eighty-Five: The Conference

January 11, 1981. In a meeting room within Zhongnanhai, the seat of the highest leadership in Beijing, a group of elderly men listened to a report delivered by a middle-aged man. This man, Vice President Bai, had rushed from Hong Kong to Beijing. Ordinarily, with Bai Jianjun’s status, it would have been impossible for him to meet these national leaders. The attendees fell into two main groups: one comprised of military personnel—including a few founding heroes and veteran generals, as well as representatives from the General Armament Department and the General Staff Department; the other consisted of leaders from the State Council, all of whom were also Politburo members. In essence, this was a closed-door Politburo meeting.

Bai Jianjun meticulously recounted the details of the situation, placing particular emphasis on Wei Hua’s background and the state of his enterprises. Once he finished, Bai quietly took a seat in an inconspicuous corner.

After hearing Bai Jianjun’s report, the second-generation leader turned to the representatives from the General Armament Department and asked, “How is it? Has your department verified the materials provided by Wei Hua? Are they authentic?”

“Comrade, we have already had our own team of scientists examine them. The data Wei Hua provided is genuine. As long as we follow the prescribed formulations and smelting methods, we can produce large quantities of the most advanced tank armor in the world today. We have also produced samples of firearms based on his materials. Their performance is clearly superior to the current Soviet-style Type 59 semi-automatic rifles our troops use. However, our steel does not yet meet the specifications required by Wei Hua’s data, so we cannot fully realize the weapon’s potential. The dossiers also include formulas and compositions for the necessary steel, but we’ve only had the materials for a short time, and the steel has not yet been successfully produced. Give us another ten days, and we should have results once the specified steel is ready,” the leader from the General Armament Department reported, clearly well-prepared.

After this update, the second-generation leader addressed everyone present, “How should we respond to Wei Hua in Hong Kong? He’s waiting for our reply.”

“Why not? All he’s asking is that we use military vehicles to transport the televisions his company manufactures. I doubt the number of TVs will exceed the supplies of our Sixth Army. It shouldn’t take much of our time. Besides, he’s offering to help fund the purchase of new vehicles for us. Most of our units are still using vehicles from the 1960s, long overdue for replacement. Transporting these TVs won’t interfere with training. More importantly, we need new tanks and firearms. Our conflict in the southern border regions has shown us how far our equipment lags behind our adversaries, and we must take this seriously. Our soldiers are unafraid of sacrifice, but it’s our duty to see that they bleed and die less,” said a senior military official.

“I’m not convinced,” another leader, clearly still influenced by class struggle ideology, interjected. “It’s not that I don’t want better equipment for our troops—I do, because it would reduce casualties. But Wei Hua is a wealthy capitalist from Hong Kong. How will ordinary people perceive our People’s Army if we accept such help? Wouldn’t some say our soldiers are being bought by capitalists?”

“Nonsense,” an elderly general retorted. “There’s no way our People’s Army could be bought by capitalists. Our army belongs to the Party and the nation. If money could sway it, would it still be the People’s Army, or the army led by the Party and the state? If the day comes when the army can be bought, then we would be the criminals of the Party and the nation. On the contrary, I think this collaboration is necessary. It’s a test for our forces, and the transportation funds Wei Hua provides can be distributed among them. I’d like to see how they use the money—are they still truly serving the people?”

“I don’t agree with this approach either,” another leader added. “We could simply buy these advanced technologies from Wei Hua instead of allowing his influence to extend into the country and the military. In peacetime, we must beware of the enemy’s sugar-coated bullets. The allure of money is powerful, and we must guard against corruption and the erosion of combat effectiveness. Can we really trust Wei Hua? After all, he’s not one of us.”

“Buy them? Do we have the money to purchase such advanced military technology? Wei Hua’s condition is cooperation, not a sale. Does he need the money? With a net worth of forty billion dollars, does he need to profit from these technologies? What are our foreign reserves? We all know that if the imperialist nations or even our ‘big brother’ ally finds out that Wei Hua has supplied us with advanced military technology, he’ll be in big trouble. Don’t forget, most of his business is in America, and Japan, as America’s loyal follower, would also cause problems for his enterprises there,” a leader from the General Staff Department observed.

“This meeting must remain absolutely confidential,” the second-generation leader pronounced. “Although we can’t trust Wei Hua as we trust our comrades, he is certainly not an imperialist lackey. Just look at how he spent his own money to supply us with intelligence during the Tangshan earthquake—he’s a patriot. You may not be aware, but our comrades in Hong Kong have learned that Wei Hua established a charitable education fund under the name of a Hong Kong priest—a philanthropist and old friend of Madame Soong Ching-ling. Wei Hua pledged a hundred million US dollars annually, dedicated solely to our country’s education. The foundation is already operational, targeting former revolutionary base areas, helping local governments improve schooling conditions, especially in rural areas. He is doing good for our nation and people; we should support this. ‘It takes ten years to grow trees, but a hundred to nurture people.’ Without education, there is no future. We have not done enough.”

Comrades! This is the chapter owed from the day before yesterday. Another one will come tonight!