043 : gunfire

six days later,

“Finally, if you go a little bit, it will be Kwyonyeon.”

In the distance, the land began to be visible.

“Yes, you worked hard.”

I had a conversation with Major Yoon Jin-ho of the Fierce Tiger Unit while being blown by the wind at the Unbong fleet.

Being a major in the advance team of the Fierce Tiger Unit, we naturally got into conversation.

Since he had known Major Sohn Tae-yang of the Unbong ship in the past, it was like he knew two majors using this ship as an excuse.

“Please take good care of me when I arrive in Quy Nhon.”

“I really appreciate you. You will need heavy equipment to build your fortifications.”

“Sure.”

If it was through Mark, it wouldn’t be a problem to borrow some heavy equipment. If you do well, you can get a formal order from the Corps of Engineers.

“You are cool. It wasn’t a rumor that he was strong enough to deal with His Excellency.”

“I did it out of necessity, not out of a strong heart.”

half sincere.

“Since you’ve already been through Quy Nhon, can I ask you a favor before landing?”

“… Can I help? I just came here to make money in Quy Nhon.”

“It is the same for our military.”

It was amazing.

No matter how much I talked about money first, it’s not easy for a soldier to say such a thing.

“No need to be surprised. The Vietnam War is not a war to defend our country. There is no goal to be taken at the cost of one’s life. Instead of a goal, there is only the purpose of serving the national interest.”

Hey, he’s a soldier like a soldier.

It clearly distinguishes goals and objectives.

“Well, Vietnam is a country that will protect… No, at least there is no reason to help. It is not a proper country to have more votes than voters in a presidential election.”

“That’s right.”

South Vietnam does hold a presidential election, saying that it is not communist. It is because it is a fraudulent election in which more votes are obtained than registered voters.

Unlike South Korea, Vietnam was not a country where democracy would succeed.

Democracy is a cultural system itself that is only possible when the people themselves come forward and put their blood and sweat into it, not by external forces.

Even though the most basic vote ended in a fraudulent vote, a country without a national uprising is not a country.

It means that it has completely rotted from top to bottom, so even if God, not the United States, comes, the fate of Vietnam cannot be changed.

“Anyway, let me tell you. I will help if I can.”

“We need to find well-drained land on high ground near Quy Nhon Camp, close to the village. With your help, I think it will go faster.”

“It seems that you are doing it because of encampment. Okay. I will help.”

What is the need to find such land?

I can make the land like that.

We should establish a military base near our lodgings.

Brilliant. Brilliant.

<All crew members, please prepare for landing.>

It seems that I have reached the end of the year.

Like the LST, the arrival at the port was expressed as landing.

Well, there were no proper port facilities, so the landing was right.

“Take good care of me. If there is something to help the Fierce Tiger Unit, I will actively help.”

“It is strong. Major Yoon.”

“Ready to land!”

“Prepare for shock!”

At the command of the captain, both I and Major Yoon returned to their seats.

“Prepare for shock!”

Soldiers came and went busily from all sides.

Since the LST was advancing as if it were crashing into a sandbar on the beach, everyone had to return to their original position.

‘uh? The dredge is coming. BR company has arrived.’

A dredge was floating on the shore.

We are finally entering a new round.

thud! With a sound, the LST landed on the sandbank of Quy Nhon.

****

“Ugh! president!!!!”

“Boss, you are here. The boss is here.”

The staff ran towards me with an urgent expression.

“what happened?”

“Boss, that’s…”

“CS, go to your duty. It’s a big deal.”

When the employees who had rushed to the front were speechless and hesitant, an American soldier who had been sending a hand signal to the LST approached and told me to go to the medical unit.

“Are you on duty? What is it?”

“Employees are injured. Kim is hurt too…”

“what?”

KIM? Father?

When I heard that my father was hurt, I ran away in a panic.

“Father… No, Jin Dal-rae, the CEO. What happened to this!”

“Ugh… boss. No big deal.”

“It’s not a big deal, I’m wearing bandages like this.”

“I got a bullet in my left side, but I’m fine. Don’t worry.”

“Have you been shot?”

“Luckily, bullet fragments bounced. The bullets even went through the truck doors.”

I wondered if this was a lucky thing, but it was fortunate among the misfortunes.

It’s a shrapnel, and there’s no particular organ in the left side.

The treatment seemed to have gone well, as there was only a slight fever.

“I am more worried about the other employees than I am. Mr. Kim hurt his shoulder, Mr. Chung hurt his leg… Shit.”

“We are fine. It brushed off.”

“Don’t worry. No big deal.”

“It’s okay, what’s okay? damn.”

The staff tapped on the bandages and donations and said it was nothing. what’s ok what’s okRead at readwn

Just look at it, it’s a gunshot wound.

I was angry and couldn’t stand it.

They are people whose bodies are like all property, and there will be no choice but to leave aftereffects.

What the hell did the US soldiers do to hurt our employees?

“Come to CS. KIM, can you come to your senses now?”

“Mark, what happened? You promised to take good care of our staff.”

“Calm down, calm down.”

“How calm! Why are our civilians hurt! There are so many soldiers here!”

“I will formally report to the Korean Army Headquarters in Vietnam. They say that South Korean civilians were attacked by the Viet Cong.”

“Whoa, calm down. Calm!”

When Major Yoon Jin-ho of the Fierce Tiger Unit shouted in unison that he might have been following me, Mark was taken aback.

It looked like it hadn’t even been formally reported yet.

“Whoa, listen to me. There won’t be anything like this in the future. It’s because the goddamn site supervisor sent in an aggregate harvest without an escort.”

“what? Field Supervisor? You mean BR?”

“Yeah, a guy called Silverstein came as the director, but he’s stupid. The escort and the truck set off as a team, and another truck started to follow them.”

“Crazy bastard.”

The Viet Cong shot down a truck without an escort.

When the Viet Cong mixes with civilians, they are indistinguishable.

It is a being that blends in with the civilians and launches a surprise attack whenever and wherever the combat troops disappear.

“I stopped working for a few days as if I knew I had done something wrong. CS is a bit patient with the fact that BR is also discussing compensation.”

Seeing how Mark clicked his tongue, he must have been really stupid.

“It’s not about being compensated. We need to establish measures to prevent a recurrence at the military level.”

Major Yoon raised his voice.

He was right.

It wasn’t something I would pass on as compensation.

It was certain that the Viet Cong had infiltrated this area.

The U.S. military doesn’t seem to care about it, but I don’t.

Now, when the port construction begins in earnest, there are many things to do back and forth outside the camp, and it was a big deal if this happened repeatedly.

It had to be nipped in the bud before further human casualties were inflicted.

The concealment should be pushed away and the area around the construction access road should be made flat.

“Mark, where’s the silver manager?”

“CS, be patient. We will finish the investigation and set up compensation measures.”

“It’s not that kind of problem. Are there any guarantees that this shooting will end with this one? My employees are my family!”

“CS…”

“Where is the silver!”

“It’s at the Corps of Engineers office.”

I ran straight to the Corps of Engineers that way.

Ding Ding Ding Ding Ding.

“Everyone gather!”

“The boss wants to meet. Everyone, come here.”

“Trucks and heavy equipment drivers all follow me. We are going to work outside the camp.”

“Yes, boss.”

“Pick up the rest of the tools and gather at the camp entrance.”

“Yes, boss.”

“let’s go.”

At my words, the staff rushed in droves.

“CS, what is it?”

“Is there a foreman of BR company in the office? The one who says silver or something.”

“Uh… I do.”

“I need to talk to him.”

When I raised my face, the US Army Corps of Engineers sighed slightly and moved away.

That would be the case, since the first person attacked by the Viet Cong at the camp was, of course, my employee.

“Are you Silverstein?”

“Eh… that’s right… why?”

It was a white guy with a shaggy beard.

At first glance, it was a guy who earned an engineer’s license just by studying. Well, veteran supervisors with field experience don’t come out to Vietnam.

BR is a company comparable to GM in the 21st century.

“Give me the key. Bulldozers, excavators, dump trucks all!”

“Give me the key… what do you mean?”

“Why? Aren’t you going to drill the construction driveway? Are you going to keep on the dirt road? Do you want to keep getting shot? uh!”

“Pierce… pierce. Absolutely have to break through We have to drill all the way to the camp and the rocky mountain.”

“Give me!”

I held out my hand and Silver reluctantly handed me the key box.

When I opened the lid, all the keys were hanging.

“Everyone, take one at a time.”

“Yes.”

Employees each put on keys to bulldozers, excavators, and trucks, and rushed to the yard and started the engine.

“Who knows where the Viet Cong shot their guns?”

“I know. It was a sugarcane field.”

“There was also shooting in the woods next door.”

“OK. let’s go.”

It was just a place where the Viet Cong could have nested.

I had to push it all the way.

Kururureung.

He led dozens of heavy equipment and advanced to the front of the camp.

“Waaa!”

Employees were crowded at the entrance to the camp.

No matter who said it first, I got on the dump truck.

“Let the Viet Cong throw their harpoon away.”

“Waaa!”

“If you see sugarcane, you burn it, and you pull out all the trees. If there is a tunnel, we fill it up.”

“Waaa!”

“Cry out. safety! safety! safety!”

“safety! safety! safety!”

Everyone shouted safety and held their chainsaws and burners high into the sky.

Cleaning the road is really boring, but this was an exception.

Whether it’s a sugarcane field or a nabal, if it threatens our lives, we’ll push it away.

Because this is a land where there is no law or justice.

Be prepared, you damn Viet Cong bastards.

How dare you put a bullet through my father’s side?

“let’s go!”

“Waaa!”

Money was our goal and safety was our goal.

“Stop, stop! CS!”

Mark jumped out of nowhere and blocked my way.

“Mark, get out of the way! We are going to work.”

“no! There may still be remnants of the Viet Cong. The subjugation operation comes first. Follow the procedure!”

subjugation operation? you’re funny

The place where subjugation of that bastard is impossible is here in Vietnam.

If we go out to carry out a subjugation operation, the soldiers will die and our staff will die.

If human casualties accumulate, the US military will spray defoliant all over the area.

Then we all die.

I have to go now when I am foolish after being attacked for the first time.

“Sergeant Mark! The Fierce Tigers will escort you.”

“… you guys?…”

“I will report to Lieutenant Colonel Gothel after the fact. Korean soldiers out of camp! We have a duty to protect the Korean people who are exposed to enemy territory.”

“!!!!”

Major Yoon’s words were perfectly logical outside the US military camp. His logic was neat and his English was really good.

He was a wonderful soldier.

“Fierce Tiger Unit, start the escort operation!”

“Forward the Tigers!”

At Major Yoon’s command, the Fierce Tigers surrounded us.

It was only a jeep with a machine gun and a few military trucks, but the majesty was great.

I thought I knew why the engine noise of military trucks was unnecessarily loud.

With the armed forces escorting it, it was reassuring.

Mark, who had blocked the entrance to the camp, had no choice but to step aside.

<Do you know what the Powell forces did? When the Armed Forces were attacked by the Viet Cong, they punished them thoroughly. There are villages that hide the Viet Cong, right? Then, only the residents were called out, and a 4.2-inch 81-mm prisoner’s house, a warehouse, a barn, and nothing else were made. Houses were burned, rice was burnt, and livestock were all killed, so the residents were crying and rioting. Powell’s soldiers have become that much safer. Of course, the US soldiers paid for the dead livestock and house prices, swearing at them, but the commanders of the ROK military shouted loudly, asking if they wanted Korean soldiers to die instead of water buffaloes. It was amazing! >

Seeing the Fierce Tiger Unit reminded me of something I had heard in my previous life. The neighborhood superman is a veteran of the Vietnam War, so I listened to the same repertoire countless times. The martial arts story I had been listening to was about to unfold before my eyes.

“Fierce Tiger Squad! Go forward!”

“Go ahead!”

Like the advance squad, they were the elite of elites.

They advanced rapidly in each formation.

“Follow the bulldozers, excavators and trucks!”

Fierce tigers led the way, followed by dozens of bulldozers, excavators and trucks.

***

“How are you? Where was the shooting?”

“There is a sugar cane field. The Viet Cong also came out of the forest over there.”

The employee who went out together and luckily avoided the attack pointed out the location.

“Everyone, are you ready?”

“The bulldozer is ready.”

“The excavator is ready.”

“Please cover.”

“Open warning shot!”

“Loyalty”

Tata Tata Tata Tang. Tattang.

There was no hesitation when the Maengho Troop came out.

He fired a gun into the air and shouted over and over again to avoid anyone with a megaphone.

Even if you don’t understand the language, isn’t there an atmosphere?

If you don’t run away at the sound of gunfire, you are definitely a Viet Cong.

“Push everything away!”

“Push it away!”

“Cut down all the trees here. Catch the water!”

“Yes, boss.”

“Catch the water. We’ll sleep.”

“Collect the sugarcane leaves and burn them all. Drain the water this way. I’m going to turn this place into rice fields.”

I grabbed the mechanical phone and gave work instructions.

“Yes? Rice fields?”

“Vietnamese rice also grows in rice fields. Do you know how to make rice fields?”

“Of course I know, boss.”

“You can’t hide anything in the rice fields. There is no one who will criticize you for making rice fields.”

“!!!!”

“Wow! It’s a rice field!”

The staff really liked making rice fields.

In this day and age, who among family members is not a farmer? It was a natural reaction.

“I think we can build a company base here. I’ll turn the land here into a mound to keep an eye on, and I’ll completely turn the surrounding area into rice fields. Please share the rice paddies with the Fierce Tiger Unit and calm this area.”

“Distributing rice fields…”

A veteran said that the area around the rice field was the safest.

Unlike sugar cane, paddy must be knee-high, so it is difficult to conceal it, and when crossing the rice field, it is inevitable to hear the sound of splashing.

He said that the Viet Cong could not even come near the base.

“Even in Vietnam, war has no meaning to ordinary people. If we have rice fields to live on, there is no need to call in the Viet Cong.”

“!! It’s an excellent operation.”

Agent Orange is not sprayed over rice fields.

everyone will be safe

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