Hanoi is in a state of extreme frenzy, and the whole city is completely out of control.

When the agreement came into force, the Viet Minh underground surfaced overnight and began openly organizing activities for workers, students, and ordinary citizens.

On the way from the airport to the South Gate of the Mountains, I encountered several parades and propaganda teams waving banners and shouting slogans. The French army, non-mercenaries, the national army, the French police, the local police, all kinds of militias formed to suppress the Vietminh, and ruffians who took advantage of the fire to loot were everywhere.

Like the end of the world, refugees are crowded with nowhere to live, prices are skyrocketing, housing and food prices are skyrocketing, people are getting nervous, and the sound of cold guns can be heard in the daytime.

The villagers of Nong District were included in the plan to evacuate south, and Huang Duqing kept his promise and ordered his subordinates to surrender their weapons to the French army. In order to avoid trouble, the French detained all the officers and men of the 3rd Regiment of the Fifth Infantry Division, including Huang Duqing, at the airport like prisoners of war, and planned to airlift them to Saigon within two days.

It was not appropriate to visit them at this time, and Li Weimin took the United States Agency for International Development mission stationed at the airport to borrow three jeeps and a large truck and rushed straight to the Hanoi office of the International Red Cross near Nam Chao Men.

Refugees are pouring into Hanoi from all directions, and with the Geneva Accords, the number of refugees will increase.

John Becky, an Australian Red Cross official, was busy trying to raise relief supplies, and when they did, they had to find ways to transport them to Hanoi, and when they arrived, they had to worry about how to distribute them, and no matter how much he raised, it was always a drop in the bucket and he couldn't meet the actual needs.

I contacted in the morning and knew that the young uninvited guest in front of me had a batch of urgently needed relief materials in his hands, so he did not go to the refugee camp outside the city today, and kept waiting in the office.

After Li Weimin and Professor Anderson introduced themselves, John said with a serious face: "Gentlemen, before the official begin, I must solemnly state that the International Committee of the Red Cross is an independent and neutral organization, whose humanitarian mandate derives from the Geneva Conventions of 1949, and that we aim to provide humanitarian protection and assistance to victims of war and armed violence, and must abide by the basic principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, and voluntarism. ”

Of course, Li Weimin knew what he was worried about, and explained with a smile: "Mr. Becky, you can rest assured of this. Although I have the official status of a member of the Refugee Committee, I am not a government official and do not represent the government at any time or under any circumstances. ”

Professor Anderson wasted no time in pulling out his business card: "I only represent MSU. ”

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is funded mainly by voluntary donations from governments and national Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and it is unrealistic to be completely "neutral" and "independent".

John Becge, who just didn't want to give it to anyone, took the business card and looked at it, and asked, "What about these boys?" ”

Pham Van Lun bowed slightly, spoke fluent English, and stepped forward without humility or arrogance: "Pham Van Lån, secretary general of the Vietnam Youth Federation and a medical student at Indochina University, Mr. Min thinks that the refugee camp needs a large number of volunteers, so I came here first." ”

"Ho Tien Minh, a senior student at Nghe An High School and the chairman of the Vietnam Overseas Chinese Youth Federation, is honored to meet Mr. Becky."

"There's a lot of volunteers in need here, boy, you've obviously come to the right place."

"Thank you."

"Alright, let's get started."

John Becge patted the arms of the two students enthusiastically, and was about to beckon everyone to sit down, when he suddenly had a headache over how to call Li Weimin, and couldn't help but smile and asked: "Dear member of the refugee committee, should I call you Mr. Li or Mr. Min?" ”

"Mr. Min, I'm Vietnamese-Chinese. Of course, you can also call Lee directly like a professor. ”

The old guy was more cunning than he imagined, and even said with a smile: "Not a bad name, the same as the commander-in-chief of the Southern Army, isn't it a professor?" ”

Robert Edward Lee, an American military strategist, was born in Virginia. During the American Civil War, he served as commander-in-chief of the American Confederate Union. Won the Battle of Bull Creek, the Battle of Friedrichsburg, and the Battle of Chancellorsville. In 1865, the Civil War ended by surrendering to General Ulysses Simpson-Grant when the Confederate army ran out of ammunition and food.

Like Hannibal in ancient times and German generals in World War II, Rommel was ultimately defeated, he earned a lasting reputation for his outnumbered and outnumbered victories, and has always maintained the image of a representative of the Allied Powers and an important educator.

John Becky's implication is clear, and although he claims that the purpose of his trip has nothing to do with politics, he is in fact standing in the South like Robert Edward Lee, commander-in-chief of the Confederate Army during the American Civil War.

It was important to get down to business, so Professor Anderson would not be like him, and smiled casually: "It turns out that Mr. Becky has such a good understanding of the history of the United States, and we can discuss it when we have time." ”

"Refugees outside the city are in urgent need of help, so before we do, let's talk about what you can give me?"

"No problem."

Li Weimin took over the conversation and said slowly: "Mr. Becky, as you know, I am now managing a batch of relief supplies such as tents, food, daily necessities, and medicines, which are worth about five million US dollars. The situation is so chaotic that it is not easy to get this batch of supplies to Hanoi. ”

"I have 12 trucks that can bring refugees to Haiphong and then drop them off."

"12 trucks, 60 tonnes per trip, two round-trips a day, and that's when everything goes well. Mr. Becky, don't you think this is too inefficient? ”

"Is there a better way for Mr. Min?"

"I spoke to the USAID mission and the Special Economic and Technical Mission before I came and they could provide 30 trucks. We only need to recruit 30 drivers and 30 volunteers to escort the car, and we only need to plant a Red Cross flag on the front of the car. ”

The efficiency of the transportation of relief supplies has improved, as has the efficiency of transporting refugees to Haiphong.

Although John Beach, who did not like his bad behavior of "selling dog meat on the head of a sheep", thought that the refugees who were waiting to be fed had planned to go to South Vietnam, he could only conditionally agree: "Mr. Min, I can authorize you to use the Red Cross flag, but the transportation of refugees must be voluntary." ”

"Everyone has the right to choose their lifestyle, I have no doubt about that."

Li Weimin smiled and continued: "Mr. Becky, in addition to the Red Cross, the church and some international organizations are also engaged in the same humanitarian relief operations. I spoke to Father Harnett, who believes that we should work closely together and that resources should be pooled and put to good use. ”

Dealing with the Church every day in the camp outside the city, John Becky, of course, knew how many resources the Church had, and asked, "How does the priest think it should be integrated and how should it be used rationally?" ”

"Father and I have the same idea, we think that we can set up a temporary 'Joint Conference on Refugee Relief' to jointly elect an executive chairman, integrate the resources of our organizations, coordinate the cooperation between various organizations, coordinate and distribute relief materials, and expand our relief operations from simply providing food and medicine to all aspects of refugee transportation, refugee camp management, and refugee resettlement."

"Isn't this a shadow government?"

"Mr. Becky, know that we are dealing with hundreds of thousands of refugees."

The French don't care, the current Hanoi Haiphong is almost anarchy, if the international public welfare and charity organizations don't care, who else in the world will care about those refugees?

John Becge pondered for a moment, then looked up and said, "Mr. Min, I'm sorry I can't promise you, because I need the committee's authorization. ”

"I'm waiting for your good news."

"Tomorrow, tomorrow morning at the latest, I'll give you a final answer."

"Thank you."

As a member of the Refugee Committee of the Vietnamese Government, since he has already arrived in Hanoi, he cannot but go to the refugee camp outside the city to offer condolences.

Leaving the International Committee of the Red Cross premises, a man in a suit and bespectacles climbs into a jeep. After a long absence, and after a long absence, Lin Jiasheng happily asked: "Staff Officer Han, why are you alone?" ”

"Secretary Han, there is no Han staff officer in this world."

Han Shuo took off his glasses and smiled, and reported sideways: "Mr. Li, the food you want is ready, there are three trucks in total, and it is at the intersection in front." ”

I can't go to the refugee camp, let alone go empty-handed, Li Weimin nodded with satisfaction, and asked quietly: "Is the matter done?" ”

"It's done, but the payment hasn't been spent yet."

Li Weimin didn't want to ask more about how many people he had planted in North Vietnam, and now was not the time to ask, so he said lightly: "Keep it, and open a few more stores after you get to the south." ”

"Yes."

The children of Nong District would not let him take risks alone, let alone Ng Dinh Yao.

The situation now is that the French want to run on their own, and they simply can't count on it; The national army was under the command of the French and Nguyen Van Xin, and could not be mobilized at all; Because of the Geneva Agreement, the United States could not send troops to land, so it could only count on him to preside over the overall situation and organize and coordinate the withdrawal of refugees, especially Catholic refugees, from the south.

Shortly after arriving at the camp, 30 heavily armed Catholic militiamen, led by a priest, joined the team to take charge of his security during his stay in Hanoi.

Compared with the refugee camps outside Haiphong, the Hanoi refugee camps are larger and more refugee, dark and oppressive, with no end in sight, ragged clothes, dragging families, and many people do not even have a place to shelter from the wind and rain.

Seeing a convoy coming, thousands of refugees poured in like a tidal wave, and in the blink of an eye, the convoy was overwhelmed.

The French troops were stationed at the junction, with machine guns and not allowed them to enter the city, and one by one they did not dare to move forward as if they were facing a great enemy. Probably having served here for a long time and having a certain prestige, several foreign volunteers from the International Red Cross climbed into the truck and shouted "back off" at the top of their voices, but they obediently gave way to both sides and let the convoy continue to drive inside.

"Don't squeeze, don't rush, this is just the first batch, the big steamer carrying grain has already set off, and you can get to Haiphong at night, and tomorrow you will use trucks to pull it here, and after unloading the grain, you will take a group of people to Haiphong."

After announcing his identity, Li Weimin picked up a little boy and stood on a high place and said in a low voice: "Fellow villagers, compatriots, you have not been forgotten, the government, all walks of life and the international community are all thinking of ways and taking action. Difficulties are only temporary, and we will be able to overcome them.

In the coming period, volunteers from the Vietnam Youth Federation and the Vietnam Overseas Chinese Youth Federation will work with volunteers from domestic and foreign charities such as the International Red Cross, the Catholic Church and the American International Cooperative to take care of everyone, first solve the urgent problem of eating, and then organize everyone to go to Haiphong ...... in an orderly manner."