Near Chongqing, September 8th, 1944, 00:23
It was already after midnight. Generalissimo Chiang was standing on a cleared field near Chongqing, the capital city of the Republic of China. He was standing there with only a handful of men, people he could trust with his life. The coming meeting was top secret. He couldn't trust anyone important in Chongqing, be it Chinese, British or American, at this moment. Several fires were lit to show the landing space.
Soon he heard a faint and strange sound, akin to a constant thumping drone, which grew increasingly loud. What came into his view shortly was something he had never seen before, an unusual aircraft with a very large propeller facing upwards and a smaller one at the tail facing sideways. To his astonishment, it came to a standstill midair and descended vertically to land.
Two soldiers, who were manning MGs onboard made way for the passengers. He knew all three of them. The first had been the ambassador of Germany before the war, Oskar Trautmann. The other was another German, John Rabe. An employee of Siemens, who had rescued many Chinese at Nanjing. The third he knew best, Jiang Wei-Kuo. His son. It had been a cold shock to hear of his son's capture. He felt relief, the stress coiled inside of him unravelled. It was through a handwritten letter from his son that this meeting was arranged.
"Your excellency," Chiang greeted the ambassador, "I hope your flight was well."
"Yes, it was," Trautmann said. "It's a marvellous thing, this Hubschrauber (helicopter). The Focke-Achgelis is quite a nice one, but our transport here is the result of decades of research. You can land or take off almost anywhere as long as there is enough space" He looked back and saw the crew ready to refuel.
"Ah, Mr Rabe. It's an honour to meet you." Chiang bowed.
"I am here just as the translator. But thank you." Rabe wanted to reduce his role. Indeed he was sent as he had leeway and was considered as the "German living Buddha" by the Chinese, a role he didn't like really.
Turning to his son he embraced him firmly. Trautmann saw him almost come to tears but soon Chiang schooled his expression to one fitting that of the leader of China.
"Gentlemen, I think, we should talk further in this barn." Jiang gesturing at an old barn next to them. "I apologise, but the circumstances require a more secret place to meet than the city. Luckily Stilwell is in India for a strategy conference, but there are still too many Yanquis left."
"I agree," Trautmann said and the group went into the barn. There were a table and four chairs, a soldier each of both Armed Forces stood at the back as guards.
"Before we start, we need to show you some more information, of what had happened in our time, could have, erm..., well..." Oskar Trautmann started again. "What would have happened, if the flow of time was not disturbed by the Event. Some scientists call it Zeitsprung or Zeitensturz for the press. Undoubtedly they have another, far more boring name for it amongst each other."
That brought a few chuckles from the men in the barn.
Then Oskar showed Chiang the history of China in the time that would now never be. Too much had already happened to change it. And the history of his own Kuomintang. Chiang kept his face stoic, but one could see still, that he was furious.
"So if we continue to fight we will win the war against the Japanese but lose against the communists? Mao? Forced to flee to Formosa? With next to no help from the US and Britain?" Chiang wanted to know.
"Exactly," Trautmann said. "It proved to bite them in the ass later, pardon my French, but that won't help you and your men."
"What do you offer?" Jiang wanted to know.
"Reunification of China, help against the communists and later on assistance in the development," Trautmann said.
"These are reparations in all but the name, your excellency." Rabe made clear.
Generalissimo Chiang looked at tablet which showed a map of China with markings showing territories held by the powers in the region. Chiang concentrated on the red coloured areas occupied by the communists and the part of China under Japanese control.
Sighing he spoke, "I suppose, I have to sign something?"
Oskar Trautmann laughed. "No, there is no formal peace treaty ready. We don't want to make it a diktat. We need to discuss the finer points between all the parties; us, you and Japan. It would be a significant step towards peace if you send a negotiator as soon as possible
However, we could agree for a cease-fire with the Kuomintang forces. We are close to controlling territory from the Amur to Indochina. If your forces leave this area," Trautmann showed him an area on the map, "We, the German and Japanese Armed Forces, will not carry out further incursions into any part of China. All of continental China would be handed over once there is peace in all theatres worldwide.
The fate of Manchukuo is one of the finer points to be discussed. Considering what could happen, the Reds will use it as a rich staging area once the IJA leaves, there are still quite a few voices in Berlin and Tokyo who argue to keep the region under our control even after the war. Some of my colleagues and I argue for a special statute which would satisfy all sides which is something that would be far easier to talk about, should you and your forces agree to a cease-fire and peace negotiations.
I am sure you heard the term "Continental China". That is right, Formosa will stay Japanese for several reasons and then there is Tsingtao. Following the peace negotiations, Germany will take back control of the Kiautschou territory. Our governments are open to talks about special stipulations for these two territories. I am sure we can come to a positive conclusion.
By the way, to put it crudely, we will not give a fuck about the status of special territories of our enemies, like Hong Kong. So if you take control of those after our forces leave, neither Berlin nor Tokyo will have much to say about it.
Oh, before I forget! Even if we come to close to signing a treaty, we need transit and basing rights for our forces in these areas in your territory. The Reds do not fight our forces much and most of their territory is not at the frontlines. They were not heavily involved in the fighting yet. That we can change and this will only be in your favour"
"This is a better deal than what the Allies can give" Rabe added. "You can reunify China and we end the war for you. With our help, the communists will be beaten. Not to mention saving millions of lives and avoiding atrocities like the "Great Leap" or "Cultural Revolution".
Chiang looked again at the map. Then to Wei-Kuo, who just nodded slightly.
The talks were extensive, but eventually, the Germans flew home.
"So what do you think, Wei-Kuo?" Chiang asked his son.
"Father, I think we should accept. The Allies won't provide us with meaningful assistance, even if we win. Before you ask me about the German situation or if this is an elaborate scheme, Father, they showed me things. I believe they come from the future and want peace. The Allies lie to us, not only about the fact that the Germans come from the future but about the war situation too.
The Germans seem to be turning the tide in Europe and they have started to increase assistance to the Japanese. True, the Allies might be able to win, but they have suffered extreme losses on all fronts with the British practically out of the war. I doubt they can force Germany and Japan to an unconditional surrender any time soon.
If we refuse peace the Allies will continue to use us against the Axis in a futile effort, again and again, that will bleed Chinese lives, resources and time. This will weaken us and make us an easier target for Mao. I don't want what happened to China in the other time. Germany's offer is the best opportunity for us to strike and crush Mao and his band of communists."
"Many of your thoughts mirror mine on the topic, my son. So you do think we can trust them? Even when they openly support the Japanese and some of their claims?"
"Yes, father." Wei-Kuo nodded. "They tried to hide it from me, but many things point to the conclusion that the Germans and Japanese are frantically looking for a way out of the war. Anything that does not end in a defeat."
"I fear, you're right, the Allies won't help us as we need. Again. Only when our interests align, we are good enough to help them. Indeed Mao is our foremost enemy, more so considering the current situation. If we carry on as before events might play out in the same manner as before, maybe worse.
With sufficient help and reparations, we could become as powerful as the other China. But we need to be careful. Yes, I think the best course of action would be to accept Germany's deal. We need to get rid of the communists and that's only possible with German and Japanese help. How that goes down with some of our factions and the general population is the big question."
"Wei-Kuo," Chiang continued after making a small pause, "I need you again, not as a soldier, but as a diplomat. You need to talk to them. You need to be my ambassador. You need to make a deal with Berlin and Tokyo and I will prepare everything to fight the communists."
His son just nodded. For Chiang night was short. He needed to act very carefully. He needed time to prepare for the final fight against the commies. Even more, he needed the time to prepare his men for the change in direction.
