On the issue of the free movement of people living in North and South Vietnam, Diem and Vietminh have completely different attitudes.

He hoped that the Vietminh guerrillas, supporters and sympathizers of South Vietnam would go as far as possible, as quickly as possible, and that it would be better not to leave any of them; The Viet Minh hoped to win the election in two years by virtue of its demographic superiority, but at the same time did not want the people living in North Vietnam to flee on a large scale, giving the Vietnamese people and the international community the impression that their beliefs, institutions and way of life were unpopular, and they would try to prevent the North Vietnamese from fleeing south.

Ngo Dinh Thieu is the Holy See-appointed Archbishop of Vinh Long and has close ties with bishops, priests and monks in several dioceses of North Vietnam. The North Vietnamese brothers and sisters expressed their willingness to retreat south to Ngo Dinh Diem through various channels, and were encouraged by Ngo Dinh Diem, a devout Catholic, to become prime minister.

It is worth mentioning that Lansdale has played a huge role in this issue.

Long before the Geneva Accords, several of his operational teams began spreading rumors and incitement that a division of the Chinese army had invaded northern Vietnam, attacked a village and raped its women. The North Vietnamese were directly reminded of the rotten things that the Chinese Nationalist army had done in Vietnam in 1945, fearing that the Viet Minh would lead to the Chinese reoccupying North Vietnam.

This is just one of them.

In the past month or so, all kinds of bizarre rumors have been created from Saigon, and then they have been used by all means to walk all over North Vietnam. For example, taking advantage of the superstitious psychology of the peasants, people made up an almanac that predicted the good fortune and evil in the north and south, and sold it in various towns and cities in the north. At the same time, rumors were spread that the United States would drop atomic bombs on North Vietnam, claiming that only by fleeing to the South could they avoid their demise with the Vietminh.

In order to build the foundation for Ngo Dinh Diem's rule, Catholics were the focus of agitation. Slogans such as "Jesus has gone south" and "The Virgin Mary has left the north" are known to all.

Of course, the Vietminh was not idle.

He will conduct "psychological warfare," and the Vietminh will have a "propaganda war" to spread rumors in the northern countryside that "the United States wants to pursue a neocolonial policy in Vietnam," "Americans have the virus on them," and "the United States wants to blow up and poison the Vietnamese." Intensify land reform in the rural areas of the south, and use the last bit of time before retreating to the north to distribute land to the peasants, creating problems for the Ngo Dinh Diem government to take over the countryside.

In short, the Viet Minh would not allow the North Vietnamese Catholics to retreat southward.

Li Weimin's proposal to organize the "Vietnam Youth Federation" to volunteer with the students of the "Chinese Youth Association" to go to Haiphong in Hanoi to assist the refugees in evacuating to the south was undoubtedly supported by Ngo Dinh Diem and Ngo Dinh Nguyen. Only by going there are more people that we can fight against the Viet Minh elements who have mixed in with the refugees, only then can we carry out "counter-propaganda", and only then can we ensure that those refugees are not deceived and resolutely withdraw to the south.

Because of the waiting for Pham Van Lun, secretary general of the "Vietnam Youth Association," and Ho Tien Minh, chairman of the "Chinese Youth Association," the departure time was delayed by an hour and a half, and the French Air Force transport planes took off and landed one after another, and the C-47 transport planes transferred by the General Staff of the Vietnamese National Army to the Refugee Committee could only wait on the tarmac.

"Flow control", there is no way to do it, who makes the fists big, and people have the final say.

Li Weimin was not in a hurry at all, and after studying with Professor Anderson what to do after arriving in Hanoi, he talked with the apologetic captain.

The captain was very young, with the rank of lieutenant, a very capable young man with a mustache, and at first glance he looked like the Japanese commander who led the bomber team in the later American movie "The Battle of Midway".

"It's none of your business, don't take it personally."

Li Weimin beckoned him to sit down, and said half-jokingly: "Lieutenant, we will deal with each other often in the next six months, and my life will be handed over to you." ”

At such a young age, he was appointed to the Refugee Committee, which is almost entirely composed of ministers, and what is even more incredible is that he can be trusted by Prime Minister Dim Diem and Chief of General Staff Nguyen Van Thanh at the same time, and he is still a Chinese.

If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes and heard it with his own ears, the lieutenant would not have believed it.

He subconsciously glanced at Professor Anderson and assured confidently: "Mr. Min, rest assured, although this plane has been flying for several years, its performance is very good, and my flight skills and my navigator are all the best in the squadron." ”

"Thank you," Li Weimin smiled and stretched out his right hand: "Officially met, Li Weimin, have time to have a meal together." ”

People go to high places and water flows to low places, how can the lieutenant miss this opportunity to make friends with the high-level, and hurriedly shook his hand and said: "Air Force Lieutenant Nguyen Gao Qi, it is an honor to know Mr. Min. ”

It turned out to be the future commander of the Air Force and the prime minister of the Republic of Vietnam, and if history does not change significantly, then he will participate in and launch one coup d'état after another in the next ten years.

During this time, he was only busy with the affairs of the industrial investment company and the refugees, only focusing on the present, but he didn't expect that later, Li Weimin realized that he should be familiar with these young Zhuang officers and make friends next, so he asked curiously: "Lieutenant Qi, when did you join the Air Force and how many years have you been the captain?" ”

Ruan Gaoqi touched his beard in embarrassment, and said frankly: "I have been joining the Air Force for a while, and when the French army returned to Hanoi at the end of World War II, volunteers were recruited to form the National Air Force, and I signed up for the exam, and after passing it, I was sent to Malakshu, Morocco, for a year of basic training, and then sent to the Avord Air Base in France for two years of further training, and then went to Algeria for five months of bombing training, and just graduated two months ago and just returned to Saigon. ”

Knowing who he was, how could Li Weimin think that he had no qualifications and no flying experience, and asked with a surprised face: "Have you been to so many places?" ”

"Soldiers take obedience to orders as their duty, and their superiors will go wherever they are told to go."

"Coincidentally, I haven't been back from abroad for a few months."

"Mr. Min went to the United States?"

"Well, spending about the same amount of time in the U.S. as you would if you were training abroad. By the way, you seem to be from the north when you listen to the accent, where is your hometown, and has your family picked it up? ”

His hometown is in a small town called Son Tay, more than 20 kilometers northwest of Hanoi, his father is a teacher, his mother is a farmer, his family has land, his background is not prominent, and he can pass the examination and be sent abroad for training completely depends on his personal efforts.

Li Weimin was sincerely admired, thinking of the past, Ruan Gaoqi was full of emotion, and became friends unconsciously.

"It's ridiculous to say that my father has always supported the Viet Minh, donating money and food, helping them pass on information and providing them with shelter. Under my father's influence, I wanted to join the Vietminh at a very young age. You may not believe it, Mr. Minh, but if it weren't for a Japanese soldier, I would probably have joined the Vietminh by now. ”

Li Weimin asked with interest: "Japanese soldiers? ”

"Yes."

Nguyen Gaoqi nodded heavily and explained with a smile: "At that time, I was 12 years old and wanted to be a little patriot, so I ran away from home with a friend who was about the same age and wanted to join the Viet Minh guerrillas. We took a little money and a little rice and went into the mountains all the way north.

My mother was very anxious when she found out that I was missing, so she went to report to the Japanese commander stationed in the town. The Japanese commander immediately telegraphed the posts and ordered the soldiers at the posts to keep an eye on our whereabouts. Finally, I was found by a Japanese soldier who took me home and said to me on the way, 'You are such a naughty child, make your mother cry for you'. ”

Li Weimin was happy, and laughed: "If you don't be discovered that day, then your life will be completely different." ”

"That's why it's strange to say that life is going on."

"It's not just the strange life circumstances, for example, that the Japanese soldier is not a bad guy, at least when it comes to dealing with you running away from home, he has a good side; Another example is the Viet Minh, who are undoubtedly brave and unafraid of sacrifice, but for various reasons we have to stand on the opposite side. ”

Everyone blamed the Vietminh, and he even thought that the Vietminh was patriotic.

Nguyen Gao Qi found that he was really different from others, and couldn't help asking: "Mr. Min, I know that you are very rich, and you have studied in the United States, and you are not even Vietnamese, there are too many choices, why did you go back to Saigon, why do you support Premier Yan?" ”

"Who said I wasn't Vietnamese?"

Li Weimin took out his passport, flipped it and said with a smile: "Look clearly, Vietnamese Chinese, such as fake Vietnamese nationality." Born here, raised here, this is my hometown, and of course I want to come back. As for why I support Prime Minister Yan, the reason is simpler, because I have not received the same training as you, and I can only serve the country in the way I am good at. ”

Looking at his thoughtful look, Li Weimin added with a smile: "I am also a patriot. ”

Ruan Gaoqi reacted and said with an embarrassed face: "There are really not many Chinese like Mr. Min. ”

Li Weimin looked back at He Tianming and other students of the "Huaqing Association", and said meaningfully: "Lieutenant, I promise that there will be more and more Chinese like me, because this is also our country, our common country. ”