Go back in time and be a chaebol

Chapter 2662 A Spark in the Darkness (Third Update, Please Subscribe)

The sounds of people talking could be heard everywhere in the streets and alleys.

Over the past few years, people who have suffered all sorts of hardships have been spreading this news with great enthusiasm, exaggerating the "misery" in the North, as if the North's defeat was a foregone conclusion.

They weren't just talking about the North's defeat; they were also discussing life after the war, about the "good days" to come. They dreamed about the future, but they didn't really need to imagine it, because all they really wanted was to return to their original lives.

Excitement and anticipation shone on everyone's face. In their eyes, this sudden news was undoubtedly a harbinger of victory, a signal that the peace they had long awaited was about to arrive.

The military and police also received the signal—a signal of fear, a signal of impending doom. This signal made them no longer as arrogant as before. In fact, not long after the bombing began, they became much more humble. Of course, they also sped up their extortion. It seemed that everyone had received the signal and was making plans for the future.

Signal!

Sometimes, a seemingly insignificant news story can reveal a great deal of information.

In their desperation and reckless speculation, the Thang Long authorities never imagined that their seemingly casual action would cause such a global reaction.

While surprising countries around the world, it also revealed the seemingly tenacious spirit of Thang Long—they could no longer hold on.

In a high-end Western restaurant in Chang'an, several people dressed in suits were sitting around a table, leisurely drinking coffee and discussing the news.

"This is a very good omen,"

A man put down his coffee cup and said slowly:
"The North's request is essentially a surrender to the SEA, indicating that they have realized their predicament. If we can just hold on a little longer here, then final victory will be ours."

When he spoke of us, his expression and tone were excited. Although these people looked no different from ordinary SEA personnel, they were actually exiled Saigon officials. However, the SEA was not talking to them now, but to soldiers from Dawn Island and other places.

However, this did not stop them from dreaming about the future there.

“That’s right,” another official echoed.

"The fact that the SEA is willing to open a safe passage for their special envoy shows that they also have the desire to end the war. However, this is contingent on the withdrawal of troops from the North."

What we need to do now is cooperate with the authorities to put more pressure on the North and make them recognize reality as soon as possible.

"Then we must further incite the people of Saigon to launch an uprising!"

"An uprising is necessary! Only through an uprising can we reclaim our country!"

Their tone was relaxed and confident, as if they could already see the Yankees going back to the North.

Of course, they talked more about uprisings there.

They believed that a large-scale uprising would fundamentally change everything and allow them to reclaim everything that was rightfully theirs.

Signal!

For some, what they receive is a signal; for others, it's not just a signal, but an opportunity.

On the top floor of an unassuming two-story building in Saigon, the attic was filled with a damp, musty smell and a strong smell of smoke. Several dilapidated wooden windows were covered with thick canvas, cutting off outsiders from seeing into the place.

Several middle-aged men sat around a wooden table with a dim oil lamp on it—Saigon's power plant had also been destroyed, plunging Saigon into darkness every night.

These people are former Confederate soldiers who escaped from re-education camps in the past few months. They still have whip marks, scars, and some even have not yet healed from the festering wounds caused by long-term water dungeon imprisonment.

These are the marks left by the endless abuse in the re-education camp, and this has become their determination to seek revenge.

"You've all noticed, haven't you? Saigon now is completely different from what it was a few years ago!"

The speaker was Lin Wenqiang, a former battalion commander in a special operations unit. His voice sounded somewhat agitated as he spoke.

Several years ago, he was ordered to surrender to the North. At that time, he thought the war was over, the country was unified, and he could go home and reunite with his family. However, a few days later, he was arrested along with other former soldiers and officials who had laid down their weapons. They were imprisoned in re-education camps and subjected to various forms of torture.

Several months ago, SEA drones attacked their camp. The drones first attacked the guard barracks and then blew up the wooden walls, finally giving them a chance to escape.

In fact, attacks on the South focused more on re-education camps, often using drones to destroy guard posts, blow up walls, and attack guards, creating opportunities for them to escape. This was a deliberate act by intelligence agencies, as millions of former soldiers, officials, teachers, and lawyers were imprisoned in the South, forming a natural resistance force.

These people only need to escape, and at the right time, they will become the most deadly blade!

Just like now, some people have gathered together.

The dejection they had felt in the re-education camp was gone from their eyes; in their place was barely suppressed excitement and exhilaration. The news coming from the radio was like a shot in the arm, reigniting the fighting spirit of this group of people who had been dormant for so long.

"When the Northern army entered the city, so many people lined the streets with flowers to welcome them, believing that unification would bring better days. But what awaited them? Utter exploitation, factories and shops were confiscated, and even ordinary people were exploited at every level. The Northerners' exorbitant taxes forced millions to flee. This is what we have suffered..."

Nguyen Van Cuong's words immediately resonated with many, and Le Dung, the tall, thin man sitting opposite him, nodded repeatedly, saying:

"People used to talk about the North with high hopes, saying we were America's puppets, but now? All they say are curses, and everyone hopes to drive these Yankees out!"

The flame of the oil lamp flickered, illuminating the excited expressions on everyone's faces. What they felt was not change, but opportunity.

“In the past, everyone could only endure all of this or flee overseas, with absolutely no hope, because the United States abandoned us. But now ASEAN has not only intervened, but has also issued an ultimatum to Thang Long, demanding that they withdraw to 17 degrees north latitude.”

Now those seemingly unyielding Yankees are actually bowing down and begging for a halt to the bombing. What does this mean? It means the North can't hold on any longer, and our chance to retake the country has arrived!

Reclaim our country!

One sentence made everyone's expressions excited.

In an instant, the atmosphere in the attic became increasingly lively, with several people discussing among themselves, their words filled with anticipation for the future.

But at that moment, Huang Wenwei, who had been silent all along, suddenly frowned and poured cold water on the situation: "Everyone, calm down. I know this is the best opportunity, but we can't ignore reality. Don't forget, the North has more than 10,000 troops stationed in Saigon, well-equipped, while what about us?"

He paused, his gaze sweeping over everyone present:
"We can only contact a few hundred people right now, and they are all escapees from the re-education camps. They have very few weapons, and they all stole the weapons when they escaped from the camps."

With such limited strength, what's the difference between going head-to-head with the regular army of the North and committing suicide? Many will die; it will be utterly ineffective.

Huang Wenwei's words instantly cooled the atmosphere in the attic, and the people who had been excited just moments before fell silent.

Yes, the disparity in strength between them is too great!
Just then, the man who had been sitting silently in the main seat slowly raised his head. His name was Chen Guolong; he had been a lieutenant colonel in the Marine Corps and was the core of this group. He looked at everyone and said:
"Huang Wenwei is right. Our current strength is indeed insufficient, and launching an uprising may come at a great cost."

He paused again, then continued:

"But I want to ask everyone, can we survive by running away?"

Even if we don't resist now and continue to hide in the shadows, will the Yankees let us go? We've all experienced the torture in the re-education camps firsthand; can we forget that pain, that humiliation? More importantly, will our descendants have to continue living like this?

Chen Guolong's voice grew louder and louder, his eyes blazing with intense light:

“We fight for freedom and to be free from slavery. Do you remember what Your Excellency said to the Hungarians during the Hungarian Revolution—freedom is the price of one generation, but slavery is the price of generation after generation, passed down from generation to generation. The price of freedom is high, but the price of slavery is even higher!”

Back then, to show support for Hungary, Li Yi'an delivered a lengthy televised speech, but the world remembered his words, which were widely quoted in both the East and the West. They were even cited by those resisting the SEA.

Now, it is precisely these words that have given Chen Guolong the courage and determination to continue fighting.

"The price of freedom is high, so high that it may require us to pay with our lives, but the price of slavery is even higher, so high that we and our descendants will live in slavery for generations! Therefore, we must fight!"

Chen Guoqiang emphasized his tone, and perhaps because of this emphasis, the flame of the oil lamp flickered violently.
"For our own sake to escape the fate of slavery, and for our descendants to live with dignity, we must persevere, no matter the cost. Now, what we need to do is not rush into an uprising, but prepare ourselves, continue to contact more people, collect more weapons, and wait for the best opportunity."

He looked at everyone present, his tone incredibly firm:

"Moreover, I believe that the SEA will definitely provide us with assistance when we launch the uprising. The fact that the North has asked them for help has already exposed their weakness. The SEA will not let this opportunity pass. We must find a way to contact them, win their support, and obtain more weapons."

When we launch our uprising, the whole world will see how we reclaim our country and our future.

As he finished speaking, the flame of the oil lamp danced in their eyes like a spark ignited in the darkness.

(End of this chapter)