WI: Lin Biao makes it to the Soviet Union?

[Conster]

In the early hours of 13 September 1971, a plane carrying Lin Biao, along with his wife and son, took off from an airport just outside Beijing. The plane headed northwest, seemingly headed for the Soviet Union (sources differ but it seems they were making a beeline for either Irkutsk or Chita), but it ran out of fuel and crashed in Mongolia. The official line is that Lin had botched a coup attempt against Mao Zedong and thus tried to defect to the Soviet bloc.

Regardless of his actual motives, what if Lin Biao had managed to touch down in Irkutsk, or indeed anywhere in the Soviet Union/Mongolia? How would the Soviets react?

 

[Lilitou]

I play with this a little in IVC, though may not be exactly what you're looking for as it's essentially a sideshow/non-issue. Moscow hosts Lin to simply have another card to play in the Sino-Soviet split, while changes in China come instead after the deaths of Lin, Mao and Zhou Enlai.

 

[I Saw A Red Sky]

Lin Biao fleeing the country spells the end of his relevancy in Chinese politics, whether or not the Soviets let him freeload.

 

[Conster]

I play with this a little in IVC, though may not be exactly what you're looking for as it's essentially a sideshow/non-issue. Moscow hosts Lin to simply have another card to play in the Sino-Soviet split, while changes in China come instead after the deaths of Lin, Mao and Zhou Enlai.

I read your TL on the other place! I don't think I spotted that though lol.

So I guess you think Lin would just be assigned a dingy flat in Moscow and paraded around for propaganda purposes, a la Kim Philby?

 

[Lilitou]

Sorry, only just noticed your post Conster.

I read your TL on the other place! I don't think I spotted that though lol.

I'm a little confused, how did you read this on the other place? I've only posted it on SLP.

So I guess you think Lin would just be assigned a dingy flat in Moscow and paraded around for propaganda purposes, a la Kim Philby?

That was essentially the vibe I went with, yes!

 

[Conster]

I'm a little confused, how did you read this on the other place? I've only posted it on SLP.

Oh I must've misremembered then