When he accompanied Ngo Dinh Diem on a visit to the United States a few years ago, Li Weimin visited several major oil majors in the United States.

At that time, no one believed that Vietnam had oil, and no one was interested in investing in cooperation, but now that oil wells are being drilled and oil is extracted, no one can say anything, and no one is embarrassed to share this piece of the pie.

The reason why the US oil giants did not use their influence to intervene has something to do with the low oil prices. With a CIF price of US$1.8 per barrel, compared with the low-cost onshore oil fields, offshore mining in Vietnam, which is politically unstable, not only does not have a high rate of return, but also has certain risks.

It's a different story for the "industrial investment department".

Focusing on the development of the petroleum industry can drive shipbuilding, marine engineering, petrochemical and other related industries, create tens of thousands of jobs, solve the domestic demand for petroleum products, and earn foreign exchange through exports.

Wu Kee Heavy Industries, a joint venture with a petroleum equipment company in the United States, is drilling the 16th oil well in the Kundao Oilfield, filling cement plugs when the oil layer is drilled, and waiting for the oil production platform to pump oil.

More than 80 workers are hard at work on an oil production platform in the nearby sea, where an oil tanker built by Wu Kee Heavy Industries and a natural gas ship are moored next to the platform, loaded with oil and gas and transported to the special terminal of Vung Tau or Jinou, where it is transported to refineries through freshly laid pipelines, or pumped to large oil and gas ships of the Great China Shipping Company for sale to countries and regions such as Japan, South Korea or Taiwan.

On average, a single well produces more than 40,000 barrels per day, and the entire Con Dao oil field can produce $1.1 million worth of oil and gas a day, and as long as international oil prices do not fall, it will only take four and a half years for PetroVietnam to recoup its costs.

Compared to the aid provided by countries such as the United States, Japan, France, West Germany, Australia and New Zealand. and loans from organizations such as the International Monetary Fund, the International Bank, the Asian Development Bank, and others. This is the foundation of the "industrial investment system". It is the "industrial investment department" that dares to swallow the cash cow of the Jinou Peninsula in one bite.

They inspected one platform after another, paid respects to foreign experts and oil workers, held social gatherings, watched movies with them, and had Chinese New Year's Eve dinner in advance; it was not until the afternoon of the 24th of the lunar month that Li Weimin and his entourage secretly arrived at a small pier in the resettlement village of Zhenshanun.

The personnel composition is single, plus more than six years of painstaking operation. In this swampy forest, which has not been truly controlled by the government for thousands of years, the guerrillas of the Southern National Liberation Front within a 30-kilometer radius cannot do as they do in other places, at least in areas controlled by Nong and Catholics.

Village Chief Xu Dazhuang, a retired captain officer of the Fifth Infantry Division, warmly accompanied Li Weimin and his wife on the tour together with Kong Shengzhu, head of the militia self-defense team.

He pointed to a rice field in the distance, and introduced with a smile on his eyebrows: "Mr. Li, this piece is all new fields made by pumping silt, a total of 4,675 acres. All the surrounding waterways were dredged, and four sluices were built to the east to irrigate and drain water. Last year's rainy season was not flooded. If the fourth interest-free loan is approved, the construction of water projects for several other production teams will be able to start now. ”

The training course of the Rural Economy Task Force was not in vain. The old and coarse who only fought and killed before would cheat money.

Wu Lijun felt very funny, and took Sang Pingxiang's newlywed wife to visit the primary school and let the men talk about these financial matters.

Li Weimin looked around, shook his head and said with a wry smile: "Lao Xu, Lao Kong, the Jinou Peninsula Border Garrison Command has just been established, and the next step is to expand the scale of the border division, and to form a highway patrol team and a water patrol team." The pressure in the Parrot Point area is increasing, whether it is the industrial investment company or the Bank of East Asia, the money has to be used on the cutting edge, and you don't have to think about interest-free loans. ”

The God of Wealth finally came to visit, Kong Shengzhu would not miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and said eagerly: "Mr. Li, we are not under much pressure. Last month, they crushed a group of guerrillas who were trying to cause sabotage, and a few days ago they had come from North Vietnam with a gang of bastards, and if we hadn't rescued them in time, they would have captured the Catholic village in front of them. ”

Fortunately, the layout began a few years ago, otherwise this area would have become the world of guerrillas.

Li Weimin asked solemnly: "The group of people from North Vietnam came from the sea?" ”

"After catching two live people, they confessed that they came by fishing boat, three small fishing boats, a total of 35 came, equivalent to a platoon, what is the name of the rural work team, ready to come here to assassinate rural cadres and landlords, and mobilize the masses at the same time."

The combat effectiveness of the Navy is really not satisfactory, and the coastline is almost undefended. Had it not been for the North Vietnam's lack of long-distance seafaring capabilities, the Con Dao oil fields would have become a target.

Li Weimin nodded slightly, and asked again, "Do we have big casualties?" ”

"Six lightly wounded, one seriously wounded, three killed. The lightly injured brother was able to handle the hospital, and the seriously injured brother was sent to Vung Tau Industrial Village. The aftermath of the brothers who died in battle has been completed, and the pensions have been fully paid. ”

As long as there is a war, people will die.

The situation in Zhensha is not serious, but the Parrot Point area is a miserable one, and the Chinese resettlement village and the Catholic village are close to the "liberated area" of the Southern National Liberation Front, and there is an exchange of fire almost every day, and even a teenager has to be on guard, because no one knows whether he will take advantage of your inattention to shoot cold.

Wang Jingui sat there and attended a funeral every three days on average, and the "Yuehua Literature and Art Research Association" discussed more than once whether there was any point in continuing to fight this endless war of attrition.

As if knowing that Li Weimin thought of the more tense Parrot Point area, Xu Dazhuang couldn't help but propose: "Mr. Li, offense is the best defense, in my opinion, simply transfer the large troops, cooperate with the Fifth Infantry Division and the Militia Self-Defense Force to carry out a comprehensive clearance, and wipe out the old nest of that front in one go." ”

With the strength of the "industrial investment system," there is no problem in eliminating the guerrillas of the North Vietnamese People's Army and the Southern National Liberation Front entrenched in Tay Ninh Province and Cambodia.

Li Weimin walked forward accompanied by them, and explained: "Tay Ninh Province is the defense zone of the third tactical zone, and we were not necessarily welcomed in the past; The situation in the Cape Narot area is even more complicated, Cambodia is at odds with Hanoi, the North Vietnamese People's Army is operating in its territory and they turn a blind eye, and if we send a large force to clear it, they will cause trouble in the international community. We will be accused of aggression. accuse us of violating its national sovereignty.

What's more. We can't afford to show our strength at this stage.

If a mobilization order is issued, reservists are recruited into the army, and they are sent to Xining to be cleared, not only will Ngo Dinh Diem give an order asking us to continue north after resolving the Xining issue and help him recover the remote villages occupied by the Southern National Liberation Front, but even the Americans will make the same demand. ”

Sang Pingxiang added in a low voice: "We can't be used as guns, and we have a small population base. You can't afford to lose too much, you can't afford to lose at all. ”

Xu Dazhuang wanted to say and stopped: "Li ...... Plum...... Mr. Li, this is not good, that is not good, is it just to continue to fight a war of attrition with them? ”

Li Weimin sighed lightly and said helplessly: "Lao Xu, no matter whether we Chinese are naturalized or not, we are still outsiders in the eyes of most locals. In their minds, economic contribution is not considered a contribution, only a contribution is made if they have shed blood and worked hard for the country. will slowly accept us.

In the long run, we need the three battlefields of the Parrot Point area, the Zhensha area and the Da Nang Industrial Village. As the military and political commander of these three battlefields. You must be mentally prepared to fight a tough battle, a protracted battle, and a bloody sacrifice. ”

As the highest official leading more than 30,000 compatriots in the Zhensha area, and as a core member of the Yuehua Literature and Art Research Association, how could Xu Dazhuang not understand this truth, but after thinking about it, he still said: "Mr. Li, we are not afraid of war, the key is when this battle will be fought." ”

"North Vietnam was aggressive, and the United States was seriously unhappy with the administration's slow progress in appeasement. Ngo Dinh Diem will not sit idly by and must do something. At the suggestion of a group of American advisers, a 'strategic village' plan was set up, which began to be implemented after the Chinese New Year. Whether this plan succeeds or not, it will take some of the pressure off us. As long as we can hold out for two or three years, the situation will certainly improve, and we will make further plans when the time comes. ”

"Strategic Village?"

"It is to build all rural areas into resettlement villages like ours, where people can live in a centralized manner, manage them in a centralized manner, concentrate their efforts on defense, and compress the living space of the National Liberation Front in the south. However, I am not optimistic, after all, this requires a lot of human and financial support, and the United States will not provide so much assistance, and the government will not be able to come up with so much money. ”

After walking around the horses, going to the cemetery to pay respects to the fallen militia Self-Defense Force brothers, and after greeting the villagers and officers and soldiers of several production teams, Li Weimin set off again, planning to rush to Hoi An before the Chinese New Year's Eve and celebrate the New Year with local Chinese leaders in the ancient city of Hoi An.

As soon as the yacht sailed out of the sea, the operator received an urgent telegram from Phu Quoc.

Sang Pingxiang took out the code book and finished translating it, and reported in a low voice: "Chairman, General Huang Yasheng is back, and he arrived at Phu Quoc Island at half past three in the afternoon, and Mr. Jean, who came back with him, brought bad news, the French government has decided to terminate cooperation with us, and all the personnel trained in the French Air Force and Navy will be repatriated at the end of this month. ”

After de Gaulle came out again, France changed dramatically.

The successful development of nuclear weapons has suddenly emboldened Britain to make full use of France's veto power and exclude Britain from the European Economic Community in order to use the European Economic Community as a tool of his foreign policy and develop into an independent political force.

Moreover, he opposes the control of France by the United States and demands that decision-making power be shared with the United States and Britain within the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. When this request was rejected by the United States, he revoked NATO's command of the French air force and fleet, and then withdrew from NATO, forcing the United States to withdraw its troops and bases in France.

He even advocated "détente and cooperation" between the East and the West, visited the Soviet Union and Eastern European countries, and began to conduct trade and cultural exchanges with the Soviet Union and Eastern European countries.

I don't want to be a junior brother, I want to be the boss of Europe, and it seems that I plan to change my policy toward Vietnam.

Li Weimin pondered for a moment, and said expressionlessly: "If you are not mistaken, France will establish diplomatic relations with North Vietnam next, and even provide assistance to North Vietnam." ”

"That's what Mr. Jean said."

"The gods are fighting, the little ghosts are suffering, if you want to say that you are in a hurry, Wu Tingyan is even more anxious. When people withdraw, they will withdraw, and tell Ruan Zhiren and Runwei to let them settle down. ”

Sang Pingxiang flipped out another telegram and said in a low voice: "Chairman, Runwei suggested that the personnel trained in France should not come back for the time being, he said that we do not have advanced jet fighters, and we do not have a decent warship. Instead of coming back and throwing away what they had learned so hard, find a way to send them to another place to continue their training. ”

"Taiwan has a squadron of jet interceptors, and the instructors are all American advisers, and they can't take care of it themselves, and our people may not even be able to touch the planes in the past. The warships were eliminated by the US Navy, and they did not learn much in the past. ”

The Americans are not a little stingy, and the weapons and equipment they aid to South Vietnam and Taiwan are all outdated second-hand goods. The South Vietnamese Air Force was full of propeller aircraft, not a single jet, not to mention the "industrial investment system".

Li Weimin weighed it up, and then said: "In this way, after the Spring Festival, I will go to Israel and South Africa, and find a way to ask Israel and South Africa to help us train." (To be continued.) )