July 24, 1941.
Office of the Saigon Southern National Liberation Front Committee.
"Something terrible has happened—!"
"The National League for Democracy is going to attack us!!"
Intelligence Committee member Hu Mingjie rushed into the room, shouting in a panic, "News has just come in that the National League Army has formulated a southward operation plan, and its forces are pointing towards our south!"
"What?!"
Liang Minghua sat up abruptly, staring at Hu Mingjie in shock.
Ruan Wenfeng and the others were terrified.
If the National League Army attacks, doesn't that mean they will be annihilated?
"What should we do?" Hu Mingjie asked anxiously.
"What's the panic?!"
Liang Minghua calmed down and ordered, "Convene an emergency meeting immediately!"
"yes!"
Hu Mingjie left quickly, and in a short while, a group of committee members gathered in the conference room.
"Gentlemen, we have just received the latest news that the National League Army is preparing to launch a large-scale invasion of our south."
Liang Minghua handed everyone a telegram, saying, "We must prepare in advance!"
"What?!"
The committee members were taken aback and began to discuss the matter.
"No, we can't fight the National League army, otherwise we'll have to hand over the South that we've worked so hard to occupy."
"Yes, we don't have enough food or manpower right now, and we don't have any decent heavy weapons. Even if we set up the first line of defense, we may not be able to withstand the National League army."
"I agree with everyone's point of view; now is not the time to act rashly."
"But what should we do? Are we just going to stand by and watch the National League army march south and annex the cities we've worked so hard to seize?"
"What should we do then?!"
The committee members were arguing amongst themselves.
"Enough!"
Liang Minghua suddenly roared, interrupting everyone's conversation.
Everyone immediately fell silent, all eyes fixed on Liang Minghua's face, awaiting his decision.
“Last time, when Wu Yuanjia was here, I asked you what to do, and you said fight! You said you didn’t care if you died in battle!”
Liang Minghua swept his gaze across the crowd and said, "Today, the National League Army is preparing to attack us, but you all chickened out. You've disappointed me greatly!"
"I know what you're worried about. It's nothing more than the disparity in troop strength. They have heavy weapons, artillery, tanks, and airplanes. What do we have?"
Liang Minghua angrily retorted, "We have none! We don't even have an industrial base, and we haven't even figured out agrarian civilization yet. Tell me, what do we have to fight them with?! I only ask you, are you confident that you can hold the South?"
No one spoke; they all lowered their heads.
Of course, they didn't want to lose the South, because the South was the foundation of Vietnam and the soil on which they depended for survival. Once the South was lost, the National Liberation Front of the South would cease to exist.
"us……"
"There's no need to argue."
Liang Minghua waved his hand and said decisively, "Since everyone is determined to fight the National League Army to the death, then let's fight them."
"Let's give it our all!"
Political Commissar Nguyen Van Phong stood up and said passionately, "We must not only fight desperately, but fight fiercely. We must not only fight desperately, but also beat them until they are hurt and afraid. Only in this way will they not dare to make any rash moves!"
These words struck the other committee members as rather harsh; Ruan Wenfeng was implying that they shouldn't be so principled.
However, upon closer reflection, Nguyen Van Phong's words were indeed correct. If they wanted to hold onto the South, they couldn't be too weak. Otherwise, if the National League for Democracy were to break through and occupy the South, they would be doomed.
"Let's give it our all!!"
"Yes!! Let's fight them!!!"
All the committee members stood up and shouted loudly.
"good!"
Seeing that everyone was filled with fighting spirit, Liang Minghua nodded with satisfaction and said, "Since everyone is determined to fight to the death, I will not emphasize anything else. I will only emphasize one thing: our goal is to defend the South and hold out until the very last moment!"
"Um!"
"We swear to defend the South to the death!!"
The committee members clenched their fists and shouted, their fighting spirit high.
"Meeting adjourned."
Liang Minghua slammed his hand on the table, leaving only Armed Forces Committee Member Li Shuiwen and Propaganda Committee Member Liang Baoming behind.
Li Shuiwen and Liang Baoming exchanged a glance, nodded in tacit agreement, and stood aside, waiting for Liang Minghua to speak.
"Li Shuiwen, there is a National League for Democracy's Southern Recruiting Office in Saigon. Take your men and take control of it immediately. Do not let them escape."
"yes!"
Li Shuiwen nodded to indicate that he understood, then turned and walked out of the conference room.
"Liang Baoming, you've been in contact with the US. See if you can communicate with them and send someone to the front lines to help us hold off the main force of the National League Army and buy as much time as possible."
"no problem!"
"Alright, that's all for now. Meeting adjourned!"
...
Saigon, Southern Recruiting Office.
As dusk approached, wisps of smoke could be faintly seen rising from chimneys in the distance.
In the center of a row of simple bungalows stands a three-story building, made entirely of red bricks with blackened exterior walls, giving it a solemn and dignified appearance.
This is the Southern Recruiting Office of the Democratic League Army, responsible for recruiting soldiers, maintaining order, and training new recruits.
Suddenly, a large number of armed soldiers from the Southern National Liberation Front rushed into the courtyard and surrounded the entire office building.
"Committee Member Li, there's something going on!"
Two heads peeked out of a second-floor window of the office building.
Li Shuiwen's expression turned serious. After a moment of contemplation, he asked, "What's wrong?"
An officer from the National Liberation Front upstairs said, "We searched the entire building and didn't find a single member of the National Liberation Front! They must have run away!"
"What!???"
"Why didn't you say so earlier! You were just peeking in there!"
"You bastard!!!"
Li Shuiwen cursed and drew his sidearm from his waist, "Chase them! Even if you have to chase them to the ends of the earth, find them!!"
At Li Shuiwen's command, hundreds of soldiers rushed in all directions to search for traces of the National League Army.
However, they searched all night but still found nothing.
The National League Army seemed to have vanished without a trace, as if it had evaporated into thin air.
Li Shuiwen pounded his chest in anger, cursing through gritted teeth, "Bastard! Bastard!!"
This Wu Yuanjia is even more slippery than an eel, extremely cunning. They were clearly hiding in Saigon, right under his nose, so why couldn't he find them?!
...
It was late at night.
The sky was full of stars.
In Quang Ngai, north of Binh Dinh province, two trucks are speeding north.
The man sitting in the passenger seat of the truck was dressed in an ordinary cotton-padded jacket and trousers, with cloth shoes on his feet. He looked honest and simple, but his dark eyes revealed a sharp glint.
This person was none other than Wu Yuanjia.
Upon receiving orders from headquarters, he immediately left Saigon and arrived in Quang Ngai, heading to his next destination, which was also his own people's territory.
Sanqi, Quangnam Province – Southern Corps Command.
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