A while later, at the Quinyan Camp.
"Colonel! Colonel!"
The lieutenant of Quinyan Camp ran into the command post where Colonel Godell was. Typically responsible for supply missions, he burst in holding a tactical map.
"What is it?"
"CS! CS!"
"What? What about CS? Is he injured? Where is he? Where is he now?"
Before the lieutenant could finish his words, Godell raised his voice.
"No, it's not an injury. He has accomplished something tremendous. A significant achievement."
"A significant achievement? Surely you're not saying he completed the dredging already? Didn't you say that would take at least a year?"
Godell had been troubled ever since he sent CS to Saigon.
With CS's help, everything had been smooth sailing, but without him, maintaining the status quo was the best he could hope for.
"It's not the dredging... No, it's as good as the dredging. They say he managed to send two LSTs upstream on the Mekong River."
"What... what did you say?"
He was flabbergasted. Even as a camp commander, Godell knew the strategic significance of the upper Mekong River.
"So... does that mean our forces can now conduct regular naval operations upstream on the Mekong?"
"Yes, sir. Whereas we could only conduct riverbank patrols with small patrol boats, we can now provide gunfire support and carry out landing operations."
"That's not all! This means we can directly strike the Ho Chi Minh route near the Cambodian border if necessary!"
"Indeed."
Compared to air bombardment, naval gunfire is a continuous and permanent attack. While air strikes take time to mobilize, naval gunfire can immediately strike the enemy in emergencies.
Frankly, neither the Viet Cong nor the North Vietnamese Army had the capability to directly oppose the US Navy.
The issue was how to station warships in the area, but he managed to do that?
"Why are you telling me this just now?"
"The local commander seems to have deliberately blocked communications. The Korean Blue Dragon Battalion commander directly relayed the message..."
"The commander blocked communications..."
It was an infuriating situation, but that wasn't the priority right now.
"No, that's not important now. This gives our forces a significant advantage! Capturing the Mekong Delta changes the war's dynamics! Completely changes it!"
Godell was so excited that he felt a tingling sensation throughout his body.
"Colonel, this is not the time for that. You must immediately go to the Mekong Delta and establish a base. All you need to do is dig a trench and plant a flag."
The lieutenant's words were precise.
Establishing a base was practically a formality.
The LST itself was the base. With a warship in the middle of the river, neither the Viet Cong nor the North Vietnamese Army could cross the river.
The Viet Cong inside the delta, cut off from the North Vietnamese Army, couldn't operate independently. Over time, they would naturally become disorganized.
"The Tiger Division! We must go with the Tiger Division!"
Godell immediately thought of the Tiger Division.
He had to present it as a joint operation with the Korean army.
"Didn't you already request operational cooperation from the Tiger Division? They will go by transport ship. You must go by helicopter now. You need to arrive before the Saigon camp commander."
The lieutenant was in a hurry.
Godell was just as anxious.
He needed to get there even ten minutes earlier to turn CS's achievement into a regular operation of Quinyan Camp.
CS's work wasn't merely about constructing a base but about securing control of the Mekong Delta and its surrounding areas in one stroke.
It was an event that would completely change the Vietnam War's landscape.
The Mekong Delta housed nearly 5 million farmers, about 35% of South Vietnam's population, producing 50% of its food. The border with Cambodia there was a major entry route for the North Vietnamese Army.
The identity of the LST didn't matter at all. What mattered was that civilian contractors sent by Quinyan Camp occupied a key strategic point.
The person responsible for this accomplishment had to be Colonel Godell.
"What are you doing! Run! Where's the helicopter?"
"Zone A yard. And, Colonel. Someone from Korea is here to see CS. It might be better if..."
Ignoring the lieutenant's words, Godell ran. He hadn't run this hard since his basic training.
He arrived at the helicopter, panting and wondering why he hadn't taken a jeep.
"Is this all of Quinyan Camp's command staff? Everyone, get in! Now!"
A small contingent of guards, a supply officer, and Sergeant Mark were already on board. The remaining space was filled with flags.
"I will depart with the Tiger Division. Go and achieve victory! General!"
The operations lieutenant saluted from outside the helicopter, already calling Godell a general.
Indeed, if he claimed this achievement, becoming a general was a given.
Completing the Southern Cross operation alone was enough to earn a star, and this was a much more direct accomplishment.
"Take off!"
"Taking off. Buckle up."
The helicopter lifted off immediately.
"Wait, wait! What's the code name for the Mekong Delta occupation operation? The operation name! We should've decided that first!"
Godell shouted to the lieutenant on the ground as the helicopter ascended.
He had to pretend he had issued the operation order, at least knowing the code name.
"Escalation! It's Escalation."
"Escalation!!!!"
Before he could ask what that meant, the helicopter took off.
'Escalation? Did they really pull the LSTs upstream?'
It dawned on Godell that he didn't know exactly what CS had done.
He was so excited about the LSTs going upstream that he didn't ask how it was done.
'Is that even possible?'
How did they get a massive warship up what was practically a waterfall? It's not like they had a Gulliver to lift and move it.
"Ah... Ah... Hello."
"Who are you?"
"Colonel, I'm an envoy from Korea. I have urgent business with CS."
"An envoy? Well, I suppose Korea needs him for many things. Very many things."
"Yes, yes. That's correct."
Sambok blurted out in surprise.
He had never said he was an envoy, just that he had confidential business, but he was being treated as such.
It felt good, even if it was a misunderstanding.
Flying over the Vietnamese jungle in a helicopter was something he could brag about for a lifetime.
'Wow, amazing, endless rice fields!'
Sambok cheered wildly inside.
The surroundings of Quinyan, which were supposed to be a dense jungle, turned out to be vast rice fields stretching to the horizon.
****
Lower Mekong River,
"Scrape it up. Keep going!"
"Yes, sir."
I didn't have time to savor the thrill of breaking through the rapids.
No, my heart was pounding so hard it was hard to stand still.
'It's definitely around here. It has to be.'
I needed to retrieve the engine of the Jamaica before the nearby US forces could gather their wits.
Soon, if the US forces started cleaning up the site, the remains of the Jamaica would be salvaged as scrap metal.
In the midst of a battlefield with bullets flying, even if the engine wasn't found, it could get mixed in with the scrap collected by other salvage teams.
Clunk.
"Hah! Sir!"
"What, did you find something?"
The barge pilot, sweeping the riverbed with a grappling hook, urgently called me.
It was the heaviest thing we had hit so far.
The stern of the barge was sinking into the water.
"Emergency! Emergency! Surround it quickly!"
As I shouted into the radio, two LSTs trailing the barge surrounded it.
Blocking the view as best as they could, they activated the winch.
"It's caught. We've got it."
"Come on! Come on!"
With continuous clunking sounds, a heavy mass began to rise slowly.
"Wow, it's huge. Incredibly huge."
"Hide it! Move it to the LST immediately. Hurry."
A gigantic cylindrical hunk of metal! My heart felt like it would burst.
Even the marines, who didn't fully grasp the engine's value, were awestruck by its size as they frantically operated the LST crane.
"Jackpot! Jackpot! Mega jackpot! It's an 8000 horsepower engine. Not a 5000, but an 8000 horsepower engine."
I jumped up and down with joy.
The serial number reading 'MAN8000-xxx' confirmed it was an 8000 horsepower engine from Germany's MAN.
I didn't know why such a high-quality diesel engine was on a dredger, but the US Army engineers who ordered it must have really wanted to succeed in dredging.
In the 1960s, an engine like that cost at least 5 million dollars... no, it wasn't something you could just buy with money.
The problem was it was waterlogged and needed to be disassembled and cleaned before use, but still, it was free. Free!!!
"You haven't seen anything. This is a national asset. Do you understand?"
"Yes!"
"Repeat after me. I didn't see anything!"
"I didn't see anything!"
"Soldiers, I beg you. This is a treasure worth millions of dollars, no, priceless."
"Blue Dragon!"
The Blue Dragon Battalion immediately hid the engine in the hangar.
The LST is an amphibious assault ship for transporting tanks and combat troops.
Since we couldn't move it on an exposed barge deck, the LST was our only option.
***
Thud-thud
-thud-thud.
"Hmm?"
Just after hiding the MAN engine, a helicopter's sound came from somewhere.
Not the usual dragonfly-type, but a quite impressive twin-rotor helicopter.
After circling briefly, it landed on an iron plate yard on the riverbank.
Soon, a group of US soldiers jumped out of the helicopter.
I watched as they ran frantically to the delta entrance, planting American flags and Quinyan Camp flags everywhere.
"It's the Quinyan Camp flag. Ahaha, Godell! Godell is here!"
I couldn't be happier to see Godell.
Due to unexpected rain during the dry season, we had to start the operation without contact, but Godell seized the opportunity and came running.
He wasn't a fool after all.
"There, let's go to the helicopter. Hurry."
"Yes, sir."
We crossed the river on the barge tug.
"Colonel."
"CS! You're safe!"
As soon as I landed, Godell walked briskly towards me and hugged me tightly.
What's this? Why the musical-like atmosphere from the beginning?
Colonel Godell kept hugging me and looking at me repeatedly, putting on all sorts of pomp.
He was so moved that he pretended to be at a loss for words, waiting for my line.
"CS Woo from Daese Shilup! I report that the LST relocation mission has been completed as per Quinyan Camp's orders."
"Yes! Yes! That's it! That's the Escalation operation, isn't it?"
'Escalation? Haha.'
It seemed hastily made, but it was a decent code name for describing my operation.
"It was possible thanks to your perfect instructions, Colonel."
"Executing such a difficult task so perfectly!"
It seemed he didn't know exactly how I had brought the LSTs upstream.
"I'm sorry I couldn't contact you in advance. It was already raining, so I had to break the cofferdam. We had to move upstream when the water level rose temporarily."
"Yes! Indeed, you quickly grasp the situation. It must have been burdensome to carry out a military operation as a civilian, but you did it splendidly. Well done!"
"Although I'm just a mere construction worker, I only thought of the task, trusting you, Colonel."
"Is that so?"
"I believed you would take care of procedural issues if it was necessary to complete the mission. In defending the freedom of Vietnam, there's no distinction between soldiers and civilians!"
I clenched my fist in front of him.
"That's right! Protecting freedom is the priority!"
Godell, as if waiting for this, shouted "Protecting freedom" while looking around.
Godell's excited voice seemed to signal the photographer, who began snapping photos wildly.
Yes, this is how you sell glory.
If Smith were the commander here, my work would be mere dredging, but with Godell bringing his troops, it became a military operation.
"Establish the Quinyan Camp base! There! Over there!"
"Establish the base!"
Sergeant Mark winked at me and scattered his troops in all directions. They ran, holding several flags each.
Yes, here, planting a flag completed the base establishment.
'Was there ever a joint South Korean-US occupation of the Mekong Delta in history?'
It seemed to be a positive direction.
Godell would station Korean troops here to claim the credit.
With the Blue Dragon Battalion's LST moving up, it had to be presented as a joint operation.
Our military, knowing the importance of rice fields, would perform much better than the US forces here.
"Sir! Saigon Camp, Major Smith reporting. Welcome to the Mekong Delta operation."
Seeing the helicopter, Major Smith hurried over to salute Colonel Godell.
"What nonsense is this? Mekong Delta operation?"
Godell scowled.