Chapter 778: Beat up 1 Rake
But now, the Viet Minh have concluded that the French want to completely destroy North Vietnam before leaving. Even if Hanoi, the largest city in North Vietnam, can fully receive it, it is uncertain.
From the perspective of the Viet Minh, this is of course unacceptable. No one is willing to accept a piece of ruins. If the French wreaked havoc and then walked away, it would also be a huge blow to the Viet Minh who were about to take power.
The commander headed by Vo Nguyen Giap Vinh Trin Dung suggested to the Viet Minh Central Committee that if necessary, they could consider taking over by force first.
"In fact, if France dares to do this, it must be well prepared militarily, and it has the support of many countries. According to the news from the coastal defense, Britain has appeared offshore, and it seems that it wants to join France."
Now the Viet Minh is in a dilemma. The actions of Britain and France are so coincidental that it makes people not think too much.
A deafening loud noise came from the Hanoi Electric Power Supply Station. With the loud noise, the entire building was kicked up into a cloud of dust, and the blown rubble was flying everywhere. The evacuating French army had already begun to damage the city's power system. This was just a At first, within a few minutes, the water supply mechanism was exploded, and Hanoi's water and electricity system was completely paralyzed.
Finally, after a lapse of several months, the French army and the Viet Minh were at war again. The location was Hanoi, the largest city in North Vietnam. The French army had accumulated a large amount of weapons and ammunition in the center of North Vietnam. This time, there was no The reserved ones were tilted out, with French Air Force bombers in the sky and improvised mines on the ground.
At the port in Hanoi, ships kept leaving, taking evacuees down the river with them.
Outside Hai Phong Port, in the command cabin of the heavy cruiser Devonshire, Major General George Ball looked at the telegram in his hand. Although he could not see the exchange of fire in Hanoi, he already understood the current situation through the telegram from the French headquarters in Hanoi.
"Bombard the Haiphong Port, and the frigates rush into the Red River Estuary!" Major General George Ball issued a combat order. Although the London-class heavy cruiser was built during the treaty era, it made repeated military exploits in World War II.
As Major General George Ball's combat order was issued, the 203mm turret, which had been almost dusty for a long time, once again revealed its ferocious side. In the 19th century, there was an unwritten rule that no matter how powerful a battleship's firepower was, it should not confront a well-defended fortress.
This was the experience accumulated by the British and French forces in the Crimean War. However, with the exaggerated replacement speed of warships in the late 19th century, the former fearless became super fearless in a few years. This unwritten rule has been gradually forgotten. .
The salvo of the London-class heavy cruisers was the first time since World War II that Britain used force to solve a problem. At the same time, the two frigates accelerated and joined the bombardment.
In the urban area of Hanoi, some Viet Minh soldiers who wanted to forcibly take over Hanoi were exchanging fire with the vigilant French soldiers.
Artillery shells hit the position of the Viet Minh soldiers from the French artillery positions. The Viet Minh soldiers who broke into the city also shot in the opposite direction from time to time. The shrapnel flew across the grass and exploded pieces of turf. Under the cover of Hanoi citizens, several soldiers and translators ran towards the building in a familiar way.
Just as they rushed into the door of a building, a mortar shell hit the outer wall of the building, shattering all the window glass on the first floor. Thick smoke billowed, and several soldiers fell into a pool of blood.
"Well done, with one burst of energy, we wiped out these monkeys in one fell swoop!" the French artilleryman was overjoyed and shouted happily.
Another loud bang, a cannonball. Shrapnel and glass flew everywhere, the presidential guard suffered heavy casualties, and calls for help, screams, and wailings were heard endlessly. Several French soldiers, under the cover of the artillery, pulled the bolt of the gun. The gun made a pleasant clicking sound, and a golden cartridge case was thrown out of the gun chamber. The shiny metal product tumbled and fell to the granite. On the pavement made of blocks, it bounced twice and then rolled into the drainage ditch beside the road.
The battle happened suddenly. Neither side expected that the first meeting would be in this way. The Viet Minh soldiers entered the city less than 500 meters.
As soon as the vanguard turned a corner, they met the French who had been prepared for it.
The resolute counterattack was quite obvious. This small Viet Minh force that penetrated in stopped the ineffective penetration.
What they experienced here is just the tip of the iceberg. In fact, the soldiers of the French army came from the European battlefield after all, and they are no strangers to urban combat. The key is that the Vietnamese never gave them a chance. When they walked, they always felt like there were Vietnamese talking in the grass. , now this fighting mode is no stranger to the French.
On another street, a similar battle with a different process was also taking place. This was an encounter. The French security soldiers and the Viet Minh soldiers who came in discovered each other almost at the same time. However, before the evacuation operation, the French military headquarters in Hanoi had already issued an order, and the French were mentally prepared for possible accidents.
The distance between the two sides was so close that there was no need to take any aim at all. The battle was short and bloody. Within a few seconds, several soldiers from both sides were shot. It was more like an execution than a battle. After all, the French firepower was ferocious. infiltrated by these Viet Minh soldiers.
The infantrymen hiding in the building and waiting immediately rushed out from their hiding places. Lining up in horizontal rows to shoot at the fleeing enemy troops with their backs turned, as if playing a shooting game in a playground, the French soldiers happily knocked down these defenseless targets to the ground one by one.
Alan Wilson didn't know the situation in Hanoi. He knew that France was indeed at war with the Viet Minh again, but he didn't expect that the French army's combat effectiveness was back. To be honest, was this any different from the Battle of Dien Bien Phu? Perhaps the difference is that in the Battle of Dien Bien Phu, no city like Hanoi was destroyed by the French.
He is British, not French. In the final analysis, the fighting in Hanoi has nothing to do with him. It is more related to the shelling of Haiphong Port.
As a matter of conscience, Alan Wilson never imagined this scene. How long ago did gunboat diplomacy happen? It has been so long ago that Alan Wilson has forgotten that Britain is also nicknamed the Empire on which the sun never sets.
Alan Wilson, who came to the British advisory group to inquire about the situation, heard the news that the Royal Navy had launched gunboat diplomacy. He frowned and thought hard about his words, "This is what he wrote in the telegram to the Far East Combined Command. The Viet Minh violated the treaty and forcibly took over Hanoi. The families of the evacuated French soldiers were intercepted, and the Hai Phong Port was put on a state of war readiness. For this reason, the French Command in Hanoi expressed its desire for help to the cruise fleet, but the Viet Minh soldiers in the Hai Phong Port opened fire first and provoked, and the Royal Navy had no choice but to fight back."
"That's right!" Lieutenant Colonel Klein immediately recognized this fact and said, "What about Major General George?"
"Of course we have to have a unified voice. The responsibility does not lie with the UK." Alan Wilson said decisively. Major General George Ball was a subordinate of his father-in-law, even if he was in the past, but this time the other party helped, and there was no reason to abandon the other party by leaving.
As for the so-called Far East Joint Operations Command, it is actually the British Army Command in Malaysia. It was the name changed after Mountbatten recommended the reform. It is regarded as the superior unit of the British Army in the Far East.
After months of calm, the two sides are at war again, and there will definitely be a war of words over who violated the treaty. Alan Wilson's statement is basically consistent with the facts. The withdrawal of the French army has not yet been completed, and it was the Viet Minh who wanted to forcefully take over Hanoi that caused the conflict.
As for the French army destroying the controlled area before withdrawing, that is not a problem. The French army has the right to do so. It is only the Viet Minh who violates the treaty. This is a big issue of right and wrong.
Alan Wilson took a moment to send a telegram to Whitehall, then rushed to the U.S. Embassy to seek U.S. support. He met with Ambassador MacLean and informed him of the current situation.
In fact, the United States got the news no later than him. McClane was also considering it and asked, "Mr. Wilson, was the conflict caused by the treaty that the Viet Minh violated first?"
"Of course! At this critical moment, we have to believe what the French say." Alan Wilson said without even thinking about it. "Now that France is about to evacuate, we should let the French leave calmly. If there are some twists and turns, it may Letting the Soviets find excuses is very detrimental to us."
What is the truth of the matter is not important in the final analysis. The most important thing is that the other party must be in the wrong. This is very important.
If the world were a reasonable place, so many wars would not break out. Defending oneself and slandering others is the responsibility of Alan Wilson and MacLean at this time.
"Okay!" McClain thought for a moment. He came to South Vietnam with an important mission, to work for the United States to intervene in South Vietnam and expand its influence. Now that the French are about to leave, the United States should really wait and see what happens. For the sake of safeguarding the interests of both Britain and France, Considering the friendship between countries, we should also believe the other side's words.
But MacLean still made it clear that the reason he did this was to maintain the unity of the free world.
The subtext was to unite under the leadership of the United States. Of course Alan Wilson understood it, but his answer was vague, "This is obvious. We can see the leadership shown by the United States after the war."
The two men unified their voices and made internal propaganda with the same wording, shifting the responsibility for this conflict to the Viet Minh's breach of contract, and soon arrived in London and Washington respectively.
The Vietnamese civilians who died in vain in Hai Phong port may not agree with this, but what does it matter? Who cares about their lives?
Almost immediately, a war of words broke out. The entire free world expressed indignation at the Soviet bloc's treachery and told the Soviet Union to immediately find ways to stop North Vietnam's breach of contract or make North Vietnam pay the price.
The seamless connection throughout the process reflects the overwhelming advantage of the free world in public opinion. Although it is a slap in the face, Alan Wilson has a clear conscience. This is all for the unity of the free world. Sometimes he must make decisions based on correctness and conscience. The choice is not difficult.
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