Chapter 441: We Hope To Talk With The Professor
After carefully reading the letter to the end, he found there was another piece of paper.
Looking again, “Descendants of the Dragon,” Giant Dragon, Giant Dragon, wipe your eyes, forever and always Descendants of the Dragon.
Seeing this line, the man couldn’t help but let out a long sigh from his heart.
He then quickly composed his mood.
At this time, China and Lion City had not established diplomatic relations, with no formal official-level diplomatic relations.
But for a very long time, both maintained close trade relations.
Since gaining independence from Malaysia in 1965, Lion City has adhered to a non-aligned stance in the diplomatic field.
For China, Lion City holds an extremely special status throughout Southeast Asia; over the long years, it was the only remaining branch location of a China bank in Southeast Asia.
In the original spacetime from 1965 to 1975, only trade with Lion City continued externally, which was extremely difficult.
So in this round of Kissinger’s negotiations with China, the Lion City side provided almost every possible convenience, including allowing China’s representatives to enter under pseudonyms.
“Mister Kissinger, please convey my regards to the professor, wish him physical health, that he can lead humanity to the universe, and show us different scenery.”
The Chinese representative felt mixed feelings inside but had to pretend as if nothing had happened.
Kissinger nodded and said, “Of course, I will.”
Then the Chinese representative said: “The Chairman asked me to convey his greetings. He believes that despite our past differences, the peoples of our two countries are friendly. We can reestablish cooperation, and the improvement of relations between our two countries is crucial to world peace. This time we hope through frank dialogue to find common ground.”
Kissinger said: “Yes, President Nixon similarly asked me to convey his respect for China.
He believes the Chinese people are a great nation and similarly believes improving relations between us is crucial.
Just the professor alone helped America win the space race, and China even more so developed an electronics industry no less than Silicon Valley independently from nothing,
This fully demonstrates the wisdom of the Chinese people. The war in Korea in the 1950s proved the bravery and fearlessness of the Chinese people.
We greatly admire China. We hope to restore good relations, hope through frank dialogue to find common ground.”
The opening pleasantries soon ended, and Kissinger got straight to the point: “Our meeting in Hong Kong last time proved there is room for negotiation between us.
But now the Annam problem is the biggest obstacle standing between us.
China’s existence in Annam, the stalemate on the Vietnam War frontline, the rising American soldier death toll, the heavy price the air defense system inflicts on our pilots—these are all the biggest hindrances to further development of relations between our two countries.
The quagmire of the Vietnam War leaves us no choice; China must make concessions on this point.
We believe China can cause us even greater trouble on the Vietnam War frontline, but similarly, we can also cause China unbearable losses elsewhere.
For example”
Kissinger dipped his finger in some tea water, then drew a circle on the tea table between them; rather than a circle, it was more like the shape of an island.
The Chinese representative’s gaze sharpened: “Mister Kissinger, you are straightforward, which is good.
But we need to clarify the facts.
The fact is, we are not providing aid out of ideology, not opposing America in providing aid; our aid to North Vietnam is out of principles of justice and humanitarianism!
Those air defense systems are helping North Vietnam with self-defense—air defense means defense first and foremost.
America’s invasion of Annam is the root cause.
You bomb villages, drop Agent Orange, causing countless civilian casualties, even irreversible damage to the future of this land.
Last time in Hong Kong, I already said: If America does not completely withdraw troops, why should we stop aid?
Annam is their homeland, not your battlefield!
In the past six months, your side has exerted influence on trade, which has not made us compromise; similarly, this threat will not make us compromise.
We have our own principles. If your side chooses to provoke a larger dispute, we will make corresponding counterattacks. Please believe in our determination and will!”
Kissinger sighed with emotion; China was truly a tough opponent, showing no fear of them at all.
The reason for such a sigh was that, being similarly Chinese people, ROC was much more unprincipled.
As a permanent member of the Security Council, China has one vote veto power.
ROC’s only exercise of veto power was in 1955, opposing Mongolia’s joining the United Nations.
The reason was that Mongolia was part of China.
But in 1961, under American pressure, ROC was forced to accept Mongolia’s independence.
Ultimately, Mongolia successfully joined the United Nations.
So Kissinger inwardly had such a sigh.
Just applying pressure could make ROC compromise, make ROC abandon its own principles and nominal territory, but even after causing actual losses, it still could not make China compromise.
“Sir, I understand your position, but reality is cruel.
Even with your side’s support, North Vietnam cannot achieve victory.
It only delays the advance of the war, making us pay more price to gain corresponding results.
This cannot change the outcome of America achieving final victory.
Your side’s aid has not only caused us greater losses but also greater losses to the North Vietnamese army and North Vietnamese people, because it makes the war longer and the pain longer.”
Kissinger’s statements and viewpoints were thoroughly robber logic; according to this logic, if invaded by a powerful country, one should just surrender, because that would mean no pain.
“The radars and missile systems provided by China have caused us to lose over a hundred airplanes; public opinion is boiling domestically.
If this continues, Congress will increase support for ROC and continue obstructing China’s efforts to join the UN.
This time we are lowering our demands; we do not seek China to immediately stop aid in the air defense field.
What we need is, when we withdraw troops, your country reduces support to Annam in proportion to our withdrawal scale.
If we fully withdraw troops, then your side’s air defense aid to North Vietnam must also completely stop.”
Kissinger said this was the new condition.
China’s negotiator understood the implication immediately and knew America was going to fully withdraw troops; they no longer wanted to continue pouring soldiers and resources into this bottomless pit.
Kissinger continued: “If China stops aid in the air defense field, we promise that after the Vietnam War ends, to withdraw two-thirds of the troops from ROC.
And we may sever formal relations with Taipei.
This is a win-win for both sides.”
Clearly, this was the real condition.
This condition was extremely attractive to current China.
Whether troop withdrawal or severing formal relations with Taipei.
Because the subtext of the latter was support for China’s return to the United Nations and support for China as the sole representative of China.
The Chinese representative nodded slightly, weighing it in his mind, but quickly regained vigilance: “Your proposal is attractive, but principles cannot be shaken.
China will not abandon friends.
Last time in Hong Kong, we already agreed to explore paths to peace, but aid is the guarantee of Annam’s right to self-determination.
If your side truly withdraws troops and respects the Geneva agreement, we will seriously consider reducing the scale of aid, including those air defense systems you mentioned.
But this must be reciprocal.”
The negotiations were lengthy.
No one expected to reach a result in one go.
In the original timeline, Kissinger stayed in Yanjing for three days, with the longest day being July 10th; the negotiations that day lasted a full 17 hours.
Later in Kissinger’s memoir, he described it thus: The most intense, most important, and most profound conversation of my White House career.
Similarly, this time in Lion City, Kissinger could feel China’s attitude wavering; they showed sincerity, brought the professor’s letter, and released signals of de-escalating the Vietnam War.
All this made the negotiations smoother.
But smooth did not mean it could be wrapped up in a few words.
The entire negotiation process was still long and sensitive.
In the final moments of the last day in Lion City, the Chinese representative said: “We hope to talk with the professor.”
Kissinger immediately became alert inside; this was even more alarming to him than China saying they would step in personally.
Let’s pull the timeline back a bit for now.
When the Soviet Union’s rocket launched, the N1 rocket, Lin Ran watched the rocket launch live at the aerospace center in Huntsville.
At the time, he did not have much feeling.
He just felt he had changed the timeline.
The N-1 rocket technology, which originally failed to achieve moon landing and was abandoned, had been revived in this way.
But when further information was disclosed, especially American newspapers and television stations overwhelmingly reporting China’s merit behind it, Lin Ran suddenly realized: Isn’t this exactly the opportunity?
An opportunity to catch multiple fish with one hook.
What is meant by catching multiple fish with one hook?
In the 2020 spacetime, he could reverse-sell Apollo moon landing technology to Americans?
Then why not package the N-1 rocket technology, including the detailed technology of this Soviet moon landing, and sell it to the Russians?
Compared to America, clearly Russia needs the moon landing more to boost confidence and restore ancestral glory.
Russians don’t mind having a Tsar; what they mind is the Tsar being too incompetent.
And completing the moon landing with the N1 rocket, achieving the great feat that the entire Soviet Union couldn’t, what could prove the Tsar’s great achievements better than this?
Russia’s RT television station could make full propaganda play.
You America still needs to rely on China to restore ancestral glory, to launch Saturn V for moon landing.
Ours is “purely” our own technological archaeology.
Though also from China, as long as your offer is high enough, we can negotiate; we can say it’s your “self-developed.”
General Aerospace buys it, everyone knows it’s self-developed—that’s far more prestigious.
They can propagandize it as: After China’s Apollo Technology successfully developed Saturn V, Russia restarted the N1 rocket project from historical materials, and after five years of dedicated effort, with full secrecy throughout, finally completed the launch in 2026.
First expanding territory and restoring glory, then N1 moon landing, fulfilling the predecessors’ legacy.
The N1 has very limited value to other countries, but to Russia, this thing cannot be measured by money.
You have to bring out something real to exchange for it.
While watching the live broadcast, Lin Ran only had a vague idea, but when he learned of China’s deep involvement, even that Chinese experts were the chief engineers, Lin Ran realized this technology could be obtained.
He could just openly ask this spacetime’s China for it.
As for the Russians keeping it secret—how could such a project be kept secret?
Just like Lin Ran fully transferring the technology to General Aerospace but holding back the engine, naturally gripping their handle.
The Soviet Union’s engines and processes are in their own hands; the rest, Chinese people can look however they want.
Moreover, calculations for many parameters must rely on China’s computer cluster.
From the Soviet perspective, China clearly has computer equipment far superior to the Crimson computers sold outside, not released for export.
Therefore, Lin Ran immediately decided to get all the N1 and this Soviet moon landing related technology from China’s hands.
This could also be considered technological reciprocation.
At the same time, it was the quality of a Cold War veteran: How could the 2020 space race lack the Russians?
In the 2020 space race public opinion arena, how could there be no spittle between Russia and America?
So Lin Ran first sent a letter to Chen Jingrun.
The letter’s general content was to have China invite him for negotiations, and secondly, for the China side to place N-1 rocket related technical data on the top floor of the office building in Hong Kong Central, and after placing it, tell him; he would send someone to retrieve it.
When time entered 1970, there was already a solid foundation of mutual trust between Yanjing and Lin Ran.
Though they didn’t know why Lin Ran wanted the N-1 rocket technology, they still agreed.
“We hope that the China-America mathematician conference to be held in Yanjing this year can have the professor’s participation. As the most famous Chinese descent mathematician in all of America or even globally, yet absent from the China-America mathematician conference held in China—this is truly a case of overlooking a gem in the vast sea, such a pity.
We hope he can participate this year; in this process, we can also discuss more specific cooperation details between our two countries.”
Back at the negotiation scene, when China’s negotiator voiced their request, the room fell silent instantly, with even lower pressure than when Kissinger demanded China stop aid.
Even though the Chinese representative didn’t mention Descendants of the Dragon, Kissinger immediately thought of: “Wildfire cannot be burned out, lingering in the heart, every night and day missing home.”
What if he goes and never returns?
This is not sixty years later; America’s means to control China are extremely limited.
Kissinger truly dared not imagine Lin Ran returning to China and then leading China’s technological development—what kind of scene that would be.
Moreover, he was certain the Soviet side would absolutely not mind Lin Ran taking charge of the Soviet Academy of Sciences, taking charge of the Soviet Union’s technological development.
Just thinking about it made Kissinger afraid.
“Sorry, the professor is in New York every year at year-end; he probably doesn’t have time.”
