Yanan, 2:00, March 7, 1936
Comrade Brian was busy recharging the lemon he had used to plug his computer in. More specifically, he got Ziao Jungguang to do it for him, considering the fact that the CCP was still landlocked and Ziao still had nothing better to do. While Ziao was rubbing an iron bar with a piece of wool in an attempt to generate enough static electricity to recharge the lemon, someone let out a loud scream.
"That sounded like--" Comrade Brian began to say but was cut off.
"Comrade Brian! Comrade Brian! I have important news!" shouted Wang, er, Dick as he tripped over the doorframe on his way in.
"When did you get a doorframe?" asked Wang. "Are you planning to put a door on your tent."
"Well, Xie Juezai thought that I would be safer if we had a door on the tent. He's working on the door now. It'll be two inches of solid oak, with a metal plate on both sides and three deadbolts and a chain. Practically impregnable. Of course, if anyone wanted to get in, they could just pull out a tent peg on the side, but he's the minister of security, so I figured I would humour him. Gives him something to do."
"I see."
"Well, what's the news, Wang?"
"Oh, Germany just re-occupied the Rhineland and in response France and England are gearing up for war! AND DON'T CALL ME WANG, CALL ME DICK!!!"
"Ok, Dick, Are they going to fight?" asked Comrade Brian.
"No, Neville Chamberlain is a pussy."
"Okay, so how does this affect us?"
"Ummmmmm... uhhhhhhhhh... errrrrrrrr..."
"Not at all. Excellent. Now, can you go make yourself useful and head over to Shanxi and see if you can trade some extra supplies for cash?"
"Why?"
"We need it to pay our research teams. We don't want them to be exploited workers, do we?"
"Awwwww, but me and Yan Xishan hate each other. I don't want to go!"
"Why?"
"Well... I slept with his daughter."
Comrade Brian stared at Wang. How a diplomat could do that was mind-boggling. I guess that's why they called him Wang or Dick. "Hmmmmm, that explains why we're at -197 relations. But we need the cash, just do it."
"All right," muttered Wang as he headed for the door.
"Oh, Dick, how was she?"
Wang did his best Jackie Chiles (that lawyer from Seinfeld) impression and said "They're real and they're fantastic" as he tripped on the doorframe again on the way out.