In 1850, the Michigan Constitution required the government to establish an "agricultural school." It wasn't until February 1855 that Michigan Governor Ken Sley signed off on the establishment of the first agricultural school in the United States.

When classes began in May 1857, there were three buildings, five faculty members and 63 students.

In the decades that followed, the curriculum expanded to include fields other than agriculture, but the size of the school was not comparable to that of prestigious schools such as the University of Michigan. It wasn't until the previous principal, John Hannah, embarked on the largest expansion in the school's history with the 1944 Military Reengineering Act, passed to assist World War II veterans in returning to school.

The strategy was to build new dormitories to accommodate more students, and to use the increased income to recruit more faculty and staff and build more dormitories.

Li Weimin's previous grades were not particularly good, and he was not very good in other aspects, and being able to be admitted to this university ranked after 70 in the United States can be said to be stained with "expanded enrollment".

Looking for a job with a Michigan Agricultural School diploma is obviously not able to compete with the elite of the Ivy League schools. But in the specific context of the Vietnam War, having a Michigan Agricultural School diploma is much more popular in Vietnam than the elite of the Ivy League schools.

In a two-story building in the northwest corner of the campus, the Governmental Research Agency (GR) is home to a two-story building where people involved in government research projects move from office to office, and phones ring one after another.

Professor Fisher's office was on the easternmost side of the second floor, all kinds of documents and materials were piled up like a hill, and there were a few charts hanging on the wall.

Knowing Li Weimin's intention, and knowing that the young man in front of him turned out to be a graduate of the school, the professor was very enthusiastic, picked up a stack of papers on the chair, threw them into the corner like garbage, and beckoned him to sit with Professor Henry, while saying in an incredulous tone: "Gentlemen, I have found the right place." Because no one in this building knows about Vietnam except me, and no one cares about Indochina. In fact, not only here, but perhaps even in Washington, few people know what the hell Vietnam is. ”

"But Professor, isn't the Research Agency here to help the government manage Allied aid programs?"

"But Vietnam was not an Allied power, just a colony of France."

Professor Fisher sighed lightly and added with disappointment: "I had a Vietnamese friend who had also tried to gain support here, but it turned out to be all in vain, despite the widespread sympathy of Officer Douglas**, Senator Norman, Senator Mansfield, Senator John F. Kennedy, and the Catholic Church with my help. ”

"It's a shame."

Li Weimin looked back at his mentor and asked knowingly, "Professor, what is the name of your Vietnamese friend, and where is he now?" ”

"Ngo Dinh Diem, a devout Catholic, held important positions in the French Vietnamese government. Young man, you are from Vietnam, have you ever heard of it? ”

"It turned out to be Mr. Yan, but as far as I know, he has not much influence in Vietnam, and he has been out of politics for more than 20 years. In Saigon, many young people like me have never heard of his name. ”

"Maybe that's why Washington isn't interested in him, but he's a thoughtful, responsible, and very resilient person."

Professor Fisher has a high opinion of Diem, so it's no wonder he has given him so much help.

Li Weimin was thoughtful, and Professor Fischer continued: "I didn't get what he wanted here, and I went to Paris some time ago. He and his family had always served the royal family, and one of his elder brothers held important positions in the Bao Dai government, and perhaps the Bao Dai Emperor wanted to hear his opinion on the future of Vietnam. ”

"I've heard of him and know that he's very incorruptible, but I didn't expect him to be running for the country all the time. It's a shame that I could have seen it sooner. ”

"There's a chance."

Fisher smiled and asked with interest: "Young man, you just came back from Vietnam, how is it over there?" ”

"It's terrible, like a swarm of live crabs in a basket."

"Very interesting analogy, can you be specific."

"Of course."

The person in front of him is Ngo Dinh Diem's biggest backer in the United States at this stage, except for Catholics, and his influence on the future president of the Republic of Vietnam is not a little bit great. And in the near future, he will personally lead a team to Saigon to train Vietnamese police and local officials.

Li Weimin sorted out his thoughts and said eloquently: "The French army has been losing and retreating on the battlefield, and the northern region has shrunk to a place called Dien Bien Phu, and it is besieged by the Viet Minh army. More than 70% of the area has lost control and now only occupies big cities such as Hanoi, Saigon, Hue, Da Nang, so people are against them, not just Viet Minh. ”

Professor Henry gloated: "It is obvious that their colonial rule in Indochina is unpopular." ”

"There's no doubt about it."

Li Weimin nodded his head and then introduced: "There is almost no room for recovery in the situation in North Vietnam, and South Vietnam is like a pot of porridge. There are many types of warlords, mainly including the Pingchuan faction, Gaotaijiao, Hoa Haojiao, Catholic militia and Zheng Shiming's armed forces.

The Binh Chuan faction was originally an armed gang of bandits in the south of Saigon, who first demanded protection money from ships that came to the port area of the embankment, and sometimes went to the Chinese area of the embankment to rob. When the French army and police pursued them, they hid in the Everglades, not far from Saigon. After the Japanese army entered Vietnam, they secretly gave them a lot of support. After the overthrow of the Vichy colonial government in Vietnam, the Japanese took part in the attack on the French.

After the end of World War II, Binh Chuan sent armed forces to join the Vietminh to oppose the reoccupation by the French.

Later, the Vietminh wanted to purge them of the non-Workers' warlords and prepare to kill the leader of the Binh Chuan faction, Le Van Yuan, who escaped and led his men to surrender to the French, and after receiving money and weapons from the French, they also helped the French to drive the Vietminh out of Saigon. ”

I just came back from Vietnam, and I introduced it first-hand.

Professor Fisher picked up a pen and paper and asked as he took notes: "How many people are there, do they have influence in the local area, do they have supporters?" ”

Li Weimin shook his head and said with a bitter smile: "They have sixteen battalions and about 20,000 troops. As for influence, if there is, it is only a very bad one. They were notorious in South Vietnam, and they were hated very much by the people. He has committed countless bad things such as kidnapping, robbery, kidnapping, extortion, murder, etc., and has exclusively operated the main illegal transactions in the Saigon area, including opium trade, casinos, brothels, etc.

Incredibly, the colonial government and Emperor Bao Dai even appointed Le Van Yuan as a major general of the army, and even made his subordinates the chief of the Saigon police, and handed over the Saigon police to them. ”

"My God, it's unbelievable."

Professor Fisher pondered for a moment, then asked, "What about the Gao Tai Sect?" ”

"Cao Dai is an indigenous religion in South Vietnam, and Cao Dai refers to the abode of God Cao Dai and has a short history. They claim that their Pudu is the third Pudu of Gaotai God to mankind, the first time was opened by the Buddhist Burning Lamp Buddha more than 2,500 years ago, the Taoist Taishang Laojun, the Confucian Fuxi, and the Christian Moses came to open, and the second Pudu was Shakyamuni, Lao Tzu, Confucius, and Jesus, and they were the third and last time. ”

What kind of doctrine is this, Professor Fisher and Professor Henry are ridiculed.

Li Weimin shrugged his shoulders and added with a smile: "They obviously intend to unify the various religions and bridge the divide. It is because it transcends all religions that they call it the Great Way. ”

"We respect everyone's religious beliefs, the doctrine is not important, what matters is how many armed forces they have, how many believers they have, and what kind of influence they have in South Vietnam."

A pragmatic professor, Li Weimin patiently introduced: "They have a complex organizational structure, just like the state power system, the central system includes the Bagua Tai, Jiuchongtai, etc., each province and municipality has corresponding institutions, and the holy place is in Tay Ninh Province in the northwest of Saigon, so the Xining sect considers itself the center and headquarters of Gao Dai Sect.

They had more than 2 million followers and an armed force of about 30,000 who had joined the Vietminh in an attempt to overthrow the colonial authorities. Like the Binh Chuan faction, it broke away during the internal purge of the Vietminh and now opposes both French colonial rule and Viet Minh.

It is worth mentioning that they are not only involved in the complex political struggle in Vietnam, but also have factional divisions within themselves. Zheng Mingshi's armed forces were independent from within the Gao Dai Sect, with more than 10,000 troops, and although they were not the most numerous among all the forces, their combat effectiveness should be the strongest. ”

"Tell me about this guy who is on his own."

"Born in rural South Vietnam, Zheng had a secondary education and hated the French. During World War II, in order to cultivate anti-French forces, the Japanese army opened a guerrilla warfare training camp in Cambodia and recruited many Vietnamese, and Zheng was one of them, who participated in the Japanese army's attack on the French.

At the end of World War II, France returned to Vietnam, he joined the Cao Dai Sect and became an officer of the Cao Dai army, and even served as the chief of the General Staff, organized and commanded 12 mobile guerrilla detachments, and launched many surprise attacks on the Viet Minh and the French army, driving the Viet Minh and the French army out of the area controlled by the Cao Dai Sect. ”

Li Weimin paused deliberately, and waited for him to finish recording before he continued: "Three years ago, he left the Cao Dai Sect to organize his own armed forces, calling himself the National United Army, many of the Cao Dai militia joined his banner, and his father and four brothers also joined his army. In the battle with the Viet Minh, his father and four brothers were all killed.

Because of his two-front operation, he was under more pressure than other warlord forces, and after a battle with the Viet Minh, the French attacked them, and Zheng was forced to carry out an assassination attempt against the French commander who commanded the attack on him, and it was successful, so the French hated him very much and vowed to kill him to avenge their commander. ”

Pingchuan faction, Gao Dai sect, Zheng Mingshi, Hoa Hao sect, Catholic militia......

After introducing the large and small warlord forces in South Vietnam, it was already past eight o'clock in the evening, and it was already past dinner time, Professor Henry was hungry, and Professor Fisher, who was very concerned about Vietnam, was still unsatisfied.

He weighed it for a moment, and then made a serious suggestion: "Henry, I believe that Lee is the person who knows Vietnam best in the whole country, and if I may, I would like to invite him to join the research agency as my assistant." ”

Professor Henry shook his head and laughed without thinking about it, "Man, let's die of this heart." You just asked the warlord forces in Vietnam, and you don't know who is the richest in Vietnam and who controls the economy of that ghost place. Lee's family has unparalleled influence in the Vietnamese business world, and Lee is the sole heir to the family, a multimillionaire who has been faked as a fool. ”

"Oh my God, you're not kidding, are you?"

Looking at his skeptical look, Li Weimin smiled and confirmed: "Although it is not as exaggerated as Professor Henry said, I do want to inherit the family business, and the Vietnamese Chinese Council to which we belong does have some influence in the economy." ”

"Are you Chinese?"

"I was born and raised in Saigon, and my family has been in Saigon for almost a century. Many of my friends, including some business partners, have a much longer history in Vietnam, dating back more than 1,000 years. ”

Professor Henry added with a smirk: "It has only been a few years since the United States became independent, and due to the chaotic nationality system of the French colonial authorities, Li and his friends are now neither Chinese nor Vietnamese, but third-country nationals living in Vietnam." ”

Thinking of whether Ngo Dinh Diem wanted influence or not in Vietnam, whether he wanted the army or not, and whether he wanted money or not, Professor Fisher's eyes lit up, and he smiled excitedly: "These are not important, the important thing is to have economic strength." Lee, I sincerely invite you to serve as a consultant to the Government Research Agency, I wonder if you are interested? ”

After waiting for these words, Li Weimin stretched out his right hand and said very seriously: "Professor, I am very honored to accept this invitation. Because I, my family, and my business partners share the same goals as your friend Mr. Yan. If I don't have a strong person to lead a strong government, I, my family, and my business partners will not only suffer serious losses, but will also likely become a prisoner of the Viet Minh, or even persecuted to death. ”

Common interests can lead to common causes, Professor Fisher asked excitedly: "Li, so you are willing to support Mr. Yan?" ”

It is used as "support", not "following".

Li Weimin is very satisfied with this positioning, after all, Wu Tingyan is very down-and-out now, and he is not qualified to be followed. What's more, French colonial rule is unpopular, and Ngo Dinh Eem's future rule is no better.

"The situation is so chaotic that I can't imagine anyone better suited to save the situation than Mr. Yan. In addition, whether he can be appointed in the face of danger depends entirely on France, the Emperor Paula, and Washington, and the support of the Chinese Council is not of much help to him at this stage. ”

Where is like a student who has just graduated for a year, where is like a businessman, a whole politician.

Professor Fisher's performance pleased Professor Fisher, who stared at him with a smile in his eyes and asked, "Li, what I want to know is that on this issue, can you represent that council?" ”

In the West Tier, the tiger skin is used as a banner, and there is no reason not to pull the tiger skin as a banner in the United States.

Li Weimin nodded his head and confirmed matter-of-factly: "Professor, in fact, I am here on behalf of the council. It is necessary to explain that our Chinese Council is composed of five groups whose ancestral roots come from different parts of China, and more than 80% of Chinese enterprises and individuals are ex-officio members of these five groups, with a total population of more than one million, accounting for half of the citizens of Saigon. ”

"Great, Mr. Yan needs your support now!"