I Will Stage A Coup D’état - Chapter 185



Only Noblemtl

EP.185 Indochina War (2)

Ngo Dinh Diem was born in 1901 in Quang Binh Province, Vietnam, to a devout Catholic family.

“My loyalty is to Vietnam, not to the Governor-General of Indochina.”

Diem was influenced by his father, Ngo Dinh Ca, who was so strong-willed that he gave up his official position to fight against the French.

Although he once walked the path of a loyal French colonial official, at one point, in rebellion against French colonial rule, he abandoned the path of a secure official and walked the path of a resister.

Then, something happened that would change GM’s life.

“The Korean army is occupying Indochina!”

During World War II, there was an incident where the Korean army defeated the French army.

Diem quickly approached the Korean military and asked them to help him reestablish the Vietnamese Empire with Bao Dai as Emperor.

“If you help us, Vietnam will remain a friendly country and support Pyongyang.”

“We don’t intend to stay here long. You can talk about that with France.”

Disappointingly, Korea had no interest in governing Vietnam.

No, it was worse than that.

The Koreans handed over the weapons they had taken from the French to the Communists and then left Indochina.

GM learned one thing from this experience.

Even if you want to receive foreign support, you must have a minimum level of ability.

Like the communists in Ho Chi Minh.

GM began to quietly grow its power under French colonial rule.

‘If you want to do it, you have to do it like Lee Seong-jun.’

He had to write books and promote his cause on the radio to make it known that he could be an alternative.

“Teacher, can Vietnam really become a sovereign nation?”

“It is possible. Every nation has the right to have its own country.”

GM is becoming more and more famous.

Diem was one of the most influential figures among Vietnam’s independence activists.

As its reputation grew, GM had an idea.

‘Is it really necessary to establish an empire with Bao Dai as its leader?’

I acknowledge the determination shown by the imperial family in the Great Buddha Rebellion, but apart from that, they were very incompetent.

Have you ever had a decent performance against France?

GM had negative views of Bao Dai’s empire.

But they didn’t talk about this openly.

‘There are still many who support the regime.’

GM’s actions have drawn favorable attention from conservatives.

Finally, when the French were forced to retreat south, giving up half of Vietnam in their fight against anti-French groups, Diem also headed to South Vietnam.

Ho Chi Minh offered to join the coalition government, but was flatly rejected.

‘I don’t know about anything else, but I can’t live under the communists.’

Because Ngo Dinh Diem was such a highly respected figure, Emperor Bao Dai, the monarch of South Vietnam, offered him the position of prime minister in order to stabilize his regime.

GM gladly accepted the position offered by Bao Dai.

However, GM did not intend to work under Bao Dai.

‘An anachronistic system will do nothing to help us in the coming battle against the communists.’

Anyway, the emperor wasn’t that popular with the public.

GM served faithfully as prime minister for some time, but as soon as the French troops withdrew, he staged a coup.

“No, GM, how could you do this? I’m the one who put you in that position!”

“Your Majesty, the Vietnamese nation and people no longer want you as their emperor. So, before you see any trouble, please step down.”

After deposing Emperor Bao Dai, he abolished the empire.

But, does a successful coup mean that everything is over?

That wasn’t the case at all.

The military, which held real power in South Vietnam, was fundamentally unfriendly to Ngo Dinh Diem.

However, the military’s involvement in the coup was due to a sense of crisis that if the incompetent Emperor Bao Dai were left alone, he would be eaten up by North Vietnam.

The military still had no intention of submitting to GM.

The problem wasn’t just the military.

Some areas along the border were controlled by militarized anti-French religious forces, and the back alleys of the capital, Saigon, were occupied by criminal organizations.

South Vietnam was a country without a single unorganized corner.

“To rebuild this pseudo-state into a proper state, we need the leadership of Lee Seong-jun. I will become the Lee Seong-jun of Vietnam.”

It was not unreasonable for Ngo Dinh Diem to call for Korean-style democracy.

Of course, the Korean-style democracy that Ngo Dinh Diem called for was the ‘original Korean-style democracy’ before the Yushin era.

It was advantageous for that side to persuade the military, which held vested interests.

“You want to allow the military to legally exercise power? I understand that Lee Seong-jun abolished this system?”

“Well, doesn’t Vietnam have its own unique characteristics?”

Ngo Dinh Diem sought the military’s support by offering the military a quasi-revolutionary council that would allocate a quarter of the seats in parliament.

“GM, that guy knows how to read our faces, he’s amazing.”

The military has shifted its position to be friendly to GM, which has shown a willingness to share power.

GM also reached out to anti-Buddhist religious groups.

“I know we have differences of opinion, but don’t we agree on one thing?”

“What is that?”

“Anti-communism.”

GM used anti-communist ideology to appease religious warlords.

While GM was desperately trying to save the country from the shadows, North Vietnam invaded from the north.

“GM was already struggling in the domestic affairs, and now the war is on top of that. The GM regime is doomed.”

The U.S. embassy projected that the GM regime would last no longer than two months.

These mayflies weren’t worth supporting.

The U.S. embassy judged it that way, but Washington’s attitude was unexpectedly strong.

“If you are against communism, it is worth supporting GM with a birch.”

The aid from the U.S. government provided a breathing space for the GM regime, which was gradually being pushed back.

“The tables have turned, you red bastards.”

Without the important backing of the ‘People’s Republic of China’, North Vietnam lost its initial momentum and began to fall back.

North Vietnamese leader Ho Chi Minh took the situation seriously and sought aid from Moscow, but the situation did not improve rapidly.

When the Soviet Union put in 1, the United States sent 10 and 20.

No matter how well North Vietnam fought, there was no answer when there was such a gap in aid.

“We also want you to provide us with some proper support.”

Moscow could no longer just sit back and watch as North Vietnam protested strongly.

“Expand the fleet by ships.”

In response to Moscow’s attitude, the United States also increased aid.

The Soviet Union could no longer stand it and sent a large military advisory group.

“Three, three thousand people?”

The Soviet Union sent a huge number of officers and non-commissioned officers to make up for the shortage with military advisors.

“If they’re going to be so blatant, we have to think about it too.”

The United States openly provided the GM regime with destroyers and aircraft that were supposed to be scrapped.

The amount of support for war has also doubled compared to before.

The Soviet Union also wanted to increase its supplies, but had no means to do so.

If you want to do something on a really large scale, you need help on land.

Athletics.

That path was held only by China.

“Chiang Kai-shek is a figure with strong anti-communist tendencies. Is it possible to persuade him?”

“Chiang Kai-shek would be unable to do so. But wouldn’t a warlord be able to do so?”

The Soviet Union’s foreign military intelligence agency, the GRU, offered support through the warlords.

“Let’s give it a try.”

The war in Vietnam thus spilled over into China.

*

Although Chiang Kai-shek was nominally the ruler of the entire Republic of China, his actual control was far from that.

With one loss, Chiang Kai-shek lost valuable time to consolidate his rule.

The warlords seized the opportunity and solidified their control over the territories they had conquered.

Although Chiang Kai-shek was trying to make up for his mistakes by infiltrating the central government’s control, his power had not yet reached the local areas.

The Soviet Union was targeting this exact area.

The Reds adopted a method of providing funds to the warlords in exchange for receiving weapons produced by the warlords and handing them over to North Vietnam.

It was a simpler strategy than producing and transporting weapons directly.

‘He must have been using his brain to avoid Western eyes.’

Even so, it couldn’t avoid our eyes.

We had friendly relations with the warlords and also operated a vast intelligence network within the Republic of China.

It was not difficult to figure out the Soviet Union’s movements through various routes.

“So, the final port of entry for providing weapons to the communists is Longyun, a pro-communist group in Yunnan?”

“Yes, he is a friend at the end of the warlord belt that runs across central China.”

It’s as if local governments in China are providing weapons to North Vietnam, transcending ideology.

When I heard it, it was so absurd that I couldn’t help but laugh.

In any case, the formalities were a perfect deal.

North Vietnam gives money, Long Win gives weapons.

Even if the West knew about this and tried to impose sanctions, it was not easy.

‘Even if we put pressure on Chiang Kai-shek, Longyun won’t give in easily.’

It would cost quite a bit to do something like that.

“The commies did their best.”

Lee Kyung-ho hesitated for a moment and then gave his opinion.

“Your Majesty, since we have received weapons directly from China, the Reds may do better than expected. If the Reds win as a result, it could be a headache. Before that happens, wouldn’t it be better to inform the West?”

Even the chief of police, who seemed so cruel, was more fearful than he looked.

If the communists were that powerful, the far-reaching communists who even communized China should have ruled the world.

But that didn’t happen.

Because I was convinced of the limitations of communism, I did not see the communists as objects of fear, but rather as tools.

“owner.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Things won’t get that complicated. I guarantee it.”

I was convinced that North Vietnam would never win.

Even if they won, their victory would end there.

I wanted this opportunity to deal a blow that would make the United States and the Soviet Union stagger.

‘I wish we could fight for about 10 years.’

Then, wouldn’t there be a chance for Korea, this Lee Seong-jun’s country, to rise up?

“So, just watch.”

“I will accept it.”

I dropped the cigarette butt that was left on the map of Vietnam.