“The administrative agent’s criticism was warranted, perhaps? Seems very risky.”
“No, not necessarily,” Thach said, shaking his finger. “Urban guerrillas conducting small-scale operations at the cell level can’t carry out effective missions if they limit themselves to only following orders handed down by the higher command. The daring and imaginative steps taken by cell A deserve high praise. First of all, the group they brilliantly singled out was the best available to target in Somdomeh. Tell me, as you learned in Atwat, what are our targets?”
“The imperialist forces and their facilities.”
“You see? That cell A selected Vietnamese laborers working on the American base as their target for leafleting was a very well calculated decision. We know only too well that those workers, in order to survive, go to the US military barracks every day and do all sorts of menial work from cleaning garbage to washing clothes and so on. It may be that some of these men reduced to servitude are given petty gifts by the American soldiers like a bit of cash or a lump of meat, and so they might momentarily forget who’s the enemy and who’s responsible for the miserable state of their motherland.
“On the other hand, there may be others who, though they are reduced to such lowly work for the sake of their families, carry a deep-seeded hatred of the US Imprinting on their minds the existence of the NLF is one of our key goals. Even if we don’t succeed in recruiting them, if we can just convince them to believe in our cause, it is as much a victory as if we had overrun and occupied an enemy base. And, after getting the young boys around the base gate to hand out the leaflets, they dissolved into the crowd and monitored their performance, which was even more remarkable.
“Mass provocation is most successful when it involves spontaneity of the masses themselves. Those young boys were not in any danger, of course, even if they had gotten arrested by the police or by ARVN forces. It has happened before, in fact. The boys have no idea about the contents of the leaflets — they just say that a grown-up had given them some money to distribute them. The police have no choice but to let them go. In this case, the crowd stood behind a boy who was apprehended just as he was finishing handing out leaflets. According to cell A, it took about thirty minutes for the police to appear on the scene. You see, most local people would not think of reporting such things to the police.
“Ultimately, the purpose of the training exercise lies in nurturing one’s ability to cope with unexpected contingencies. Urban guerrillas always have to make snap decisions.”
After listening to Nguyen Thach’s quiet but impassioned voice, Minh felt a burning sensation surging up in his throat. He let out a long deep breath. Thach frowned slightly. “Do you, Comrade Pham Minh, disagree with what I’ve said?”
“Oh, no, sir. I just feel so frustrated.”
“Frustrated?”
“Because I’m playing no useful role in operations, just acting as a warehouse keeper.”
Thach’s face grew stern as he peered straight into Minh’s eyes.
“This mission is important. Today we have two assignments to carry out. We have to receive the firearms for the reinforcement contingent in the Third Special District and see that they’re delivered without the slightest hitch. And then you need to make contact with Kiem.”
“But I don’t know him, sir.”
“Kiem works in the same office as your brother, right? I’m sure you can find a way to be introduced to him.”
“I’ll try.”
Thach stood up. “You had lunch?”
“Yes, I ate in the office.”
“Then let’s call the foreman in here. I’ll go ahead and wait for you at the Chrysanthemum Pub.”
As the siesta period ended, activity was resuming at the intercity bus terminal. Passengers were loading their luggage and boxes onto the roof racks of the thirty-seat buses. Three-wheeler motorized carts were zipping through the crowd in the old market and ferrying all sorts of goods here and there. The big freight trucks bound for distant destinations had long since pulled out in the coolness of dawn. Afternoon was the time for the trucks headed for Hue, Hoi An, and Tam Ky to depart. Inbound vehicles from the highlands wouldn’t be arriving at the terminal until evening.
Nguyen Thach entered the pub through the back door, strode through the kitchen and, as always, took a seat in the very back of the place. Lunchtime was over and there were no customers. Only tea was served until dinner. After he sat down in the compartment and pulled the bead curtains, a young waiter brought him a pot of green tea.
“Welcome, Uncle.”
Thach casually nodded to the youth and asked, “Has he come?”
“Yes, sir. He’s outside, over there.”
“Show him in.”
Thach poured out a little tea into a cup and stirred it a few times to warm the cup before filling it. As he carefully poured out the tea, he heard a low voice.
“Comrade Nguyen, it’s been a long time.”
A youth in ARVN uniform with a sergeant’s insignia on his shoulder greeted him, awkwardly touching the brim of his hat with his right hand.
“Have a seat. Everything’s in order across the river, I hope?”
“We’re in a hell of a fix, sir.”
“That same old story still? How’s Comrade Banh Hao?”
The young man removed his hat and waved it like a fan in front of his chest to generate a little breeze.
“Same as ever. Buying goods is getting more and more difficult, sir.”
“I understand tax collection is going fairly well.”
“Money’s not the problem. Lately, even the government army is steering clear of dangerous dealings. Firearms are coming in steadily, but the problem is the ammunition and bombs. There are some bombs still coming down the Ho Chi Minh Trail, but the quantities are still not enough. With the shortage, we must supply without fail the bombs to be used in Quang Nam Province.”
Nguyen Thach was well aware that the operations conducted in Da Nang were crucial. The.61 caliber mortar rounds of the US forces could readily be used in larger bore mortars, and 3.5 inch rockets could also be used as is in Chinese launchers. Anyway, most of the weapons used by the local guerrillas were American-made, and the NLF’s fundamental principle was to make use of enemy hardware and ammunition as much as possible.
“There’s one thing I don’t understand, though. Supplies of C-rations and small arms ammo keep falling off.”
“There’s a reason for that. A strong wind is now whirling in the Da Nang black market. Prospects aren’t at all gloomy for us, either.”
“What is it?”
“The phoenix hamlets project. Rice, seed, fertilizer, cattle and all sorts of construction materials have begun to pour out. They’re already flowing into cities all over Quang Nam and I’m sure they’re heading to other provinces, too. It’s only natural that business in the market tends to focus upon those transactions.”