CH58 - Cheongryong Unit.

LST-808, 809, 810.

Three LSTs bearing the number eight surged forward.

All flying the flag of the Cheongryong Unit.

It was surprising to see so many LSTs in our country.

Although the US warships were much larger, the atmosphere turned icy as the three surrounded us.

Step by step.

At first, the troops lined up on deck saluted formally, but when they saw the American soldier pointing a gun at my forehead, their eyes widened in anger.

"Cheongryong! Marine Special Warfare Brigade, Major Kim Yong-gwan."

A Marine officer hopped onto our ship.

I wasn't in a position to return the salute.

Major Kim continued with a stern expression.

"You need to explain this situation."

Major Kim seized the American officer's gun and pulled it down.

"I am Major Smith. I am simply carrying out orders for the Mekong Delta Operation."

"Those orders wouldn't include pressuring a VIP from the Republic of Korea."

"A VIP? Very Important Person?"

"You detained two liaison officers at Saigon Camp and ignored all communication attempts during the journey. This is a court-martial offence."

"Nonsense! The Delta operation is classified. Moreover, this is just a reconnaissance operation to distinguish between friend and foe. The Korean military has no right to interfere."

This was absurd.

We came here at their request to dredge, but now they're talking about a classified operation and ignoring communication protocols.

If it's so secret, the US Army Corps of Engineers should handle the dredging themselves.

I was infuriated.

There was definitely something going on.

It didn't make sense that an idiot like this was commanding such an important operation.

Who is behind this? Who is trying to send me to my death?

Once the dredging is over, I will find out and crush them.

"Here's the order! Ensure there are no setbacks!"

Smith threw the construction order at me and retreated.

The document, supposedly from the OICC (Overseas Construction Contracting of the US military), was shoddy at best.

There were no results from the geological survey of the riverbed or specifications on how deep to dredge.

The only command was to dredge the Mekong River upstream to allow the passage of 2,000-ton warships.

"Cheongryong! Sorry for the delay."

"No problem. Thank you for coming."

As I looked at the order, Major Kim apologized for being late and saluted again.

Why did the Cheongryong Unit (2nd Marine Division) come instead of the Mangho Unit?

"Our Marines can deploy anytime, anywhere. Major Kim Yong-gwan and 705 soldiers of the 2nd Marine Brigade Special Warfare Unit were dispatched by order of the Korean Military Command in Vietnam to secure tactical bases along the Mekong River and protect VIPs."

He seemed to read my mind.

They must have departed before the Mangho Unit.

Godell must have requested cooperation from the Mangho Unit, reported to the Korean Military Command in Vietnam, and activated the Cheongryong Unit... It seems the Blue House wasn't idle in this matter.

"Thank you."

I wasn't a soldier, but I returned the salute.

"Where will the construction take place? We have orders from our home country to support you."

"There, at the Patiat Rapids."

I pointed to the frothy white area upstream.

The Mekong River has numerous waterfalls and rapids.

Though it flows through several Southeast Asian countries, it hasn't been actively used for mutual trade.

Even the French, who built large colonies, couldn't establish trade routes on the Mekong River.

Among the many rapids, Patiat is close to a waterfall.

The river is strewn with rocks, making dredging difficult, and even if dredging is done, the riverbed is quickly filled with sediment from the rapids.

It's like a natural weir where the river flows over a gravel dam.

Once we get past this, large warships can navigate upstream on the Mekong River, and Hyeonsan Construction was originally deployed for this dredging operation in history.

"Do you mean to dredge there?"

Even the Marines seemed to think it was impossible.

It was even more daunting with the large dredger, the Jamaica, sunk by Viet Cong attacks, visible.

"I have a method. By the way, did you see any of my employees while crossing the South China Sea?"

"Don't worry. An LST from our Marine Unit is escorting them."

Ah, indeed, they're better than the Americans.

They quickly assessed the situation and responded accurately.

So, the Cheongryong Unit has four LSTs. Perfect.

"The most important thing is the jungle on the other side. Just block it for two months, no, one month."

"Of course. But I have one question."

"Go ahead."

"Do you plan to complete the dredging in a month?"

"Naturally. The faster we finish, the less risk of casualties."

"I understand."

He said he understood, but his tone still carried doubt.

Of course, under normal circumstances, it would be impossible to complete the dredging in a month.

We'd have to do something insane.

And I was about to ask for that help.

"But you'll need to assist us."

"Tell me what you need."

"Deploy two of your LSTs separately."

"What kind of deployment? I need to report to my superiors."

"We're going to block the river."

An LST is a 1500-ton steel wall, 100 meters long, 15 meters wide, and 3 meters deep.

If we position it across the river, it won't completely block the flow, but it will significantly slow the current around it.

Slowing the current alone makes dredging much easier.

"Block the river? That kind of rapid?"

"Yes. Report it that way. That kind of rapid requires a cofferdam for dredging."

This is what we call the Wang Chairman's method.

The only difference is that Wang Chairman sank old ships to slow the current, while I would use caissons on either side of the river as supports and block it with steel plates.

The Jamaica, already slowing the current by being sunk in the middle, made this feasible.

I heard that Chairman Wang got the idea of using ships as cofferdams for the Seosan reclamation project from his experience here, so the rumours seemed true.

Anyway, using the Jamaica, caissons, and warships should yield the desired result.

"Is that so?"

"Let me explain. Everyone gathers around. I'll tell you what we need to do."

"Everyone, gather around! The boss is explaining the method!"

The employees swarmed around.

"We need to understand the purpose of the construction before blindly working on it. What's the goal of dredging here?"

"It's to secure the Mekong River area for our forces."

Major Kim answered correctly, like a true soldier.

"Exactly. So, do we really need ships to travel back and forth on the river to control it? Don't salmon swim upstream, lay eggs, and die? Once the mission is complete, there's no need to come back downstream."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Large warships only need to go upstream once. Supplies can be transported by helicopters or rubber boats, and fuel can be supplied from land through pipelines. The warships just need to sail upstream and fire cannons into the jungle."

"So, you're saying we should control the upstream and downstream separately."

"Precisely. Frankly, if we send two LSTs upstream, the Viet Cong won't be able to approach the Mekong Delta."

An LST is both a warship and a landing ship.

Guerillas like the Viet Cong can never face regular forces head-on.

If a warship is anchored in the river, the Viet Cong won't be able to secure supplies from the Mekong Delta.

"!!!"

"Wow!"

Even before explaining how to send them upstream, cheers erupted.

"Boss, but how do we get such large warships upstream?"

After the cheers died down, someone finally gathered their wits and asked about the method.

"We temporarily build a dam and blow it up all at once. The water level will rise by 4 to 5 meters momentarily. The Marine LSTs can take advantage of that moment to go upstream. Isn't that right?"

The draft of warships like LSTs (the part submerged in water) is less than 3 meters. It's doable.

Moreover, LSTs, designed as landing ships, have flat keel propellers and rudders designed not to hit the ground during landing. They're optimal for navigating rivers.

"Wow!"

"You're amazing, boss!"

The employees cheered as if we had already succeeded.

"You mean... to go upstream when the dam bursts?"

The Marine officer stuttered.

Anyone would react that way if told to ride the current from a burst dam.

"We can't do it twice. The caissons on both sides of the river will hold, but the central support, the sunken ship, will be swept away when the dam bursts."

I pointed to Jamaica in the middle of the river.

"Can't we build another temporary dam?"

"It would be faster to dredge the riverbed than to rebuild a temporary dam."

"So, we have to go upstream when the dam bursts, right?"

"Salmon exert all their strength to swim upstream once, and only those who succeed leave offspring."

Patiat Rapids is only 50 meters long.

A warship travelling at top speed would take only about 10 seconds to traverse it.

In the original history, around a dozen workers lost their lives trying to clear that 50-meter river.

If we store water for about 15 days and then release it, we can create a massive waterway for about 10 seconds.

Regardless of success, it's worth a try.

"What happens if we fail?"

"We'll have to dredge for at least six months. Remove all the rocks, sand, and even the bedrock below to ensure the warship's bottom doesn't get stuck."

Hyeonsan Construction took a year for that project.

They worked under floodlights every night, dredging this narrow area for a year—it must have been an extremely difficult project. Especially since the Patiat area is a rocky region, making it harder.

Moreover, the Mekong River deposits nearly 100 million tons of sediment annually.

By the 21st century, Southeast Asia had built large cities with the Mekong's sand.

No matter how much we dig, the waterway would fill with sand and gravel the next day.

"Six months means..."

"Some of us will die. Even a crude Viet Cong bullet can kill a person."

"!!!!!!"

"If we succeed, we can ask the US for two more LSTs. If the Viet Cong around here is wiped out, we can take our time dredging the Patiat area."

Use two of the four LSTs as temporary barriers and send the remaining two upstream.

If we tie up the two upstream and use the excuse to ask the US for two more LSTs, they should comply.

The US built over 1,000 LSTs during World War II.

As long as we complete the dredging before the war ends and retrieve the upstream LSTs, we'll have two more LSTs for our military.

It's a bold plan, but Major Kim seemed to understand my intentions, his expression firm.

"We can... No, we will do it. It seems easier than catching ghosts."

Major Kim made a resolution, looking at my face.

If he were a friend, we would have fist-bumped.

Just then, I saw a barge carrying caissons approaching in the distance.

The caissons, as well as the crane attached like a giant spider's arm, were a welcome sight.

"Let's get ready. Set the caissons, fill the gaps, cut the steel plates, block the river, and start dredging the rapids in steps. Understood!!"

"Yes!"

Our employees can handle cutting and attaching things blindfolded now.

"Ah, one more thing."

"Yes?"

"Fire the flares too."

"Cheongryong!"

Expecting something more intense, Major Kim smiled slightly and saluted when I mentioned flares.

"Fire the flares!"

Boom! Whooosh~

Even though the sun hadn't set, the flares lit up the area as bright as day.

"Wow, amazing!"

"Watching fireworks in a war zone."

"Those are flares."

"Who doesn't know that?"

The employees joked to ease the tension.

"Let's start with the geological survey. Safety! Safety! Safety!!"

"Safety! Safety! Safety!"

Just a few months ago, the teacher who used to hold chalk now had arms as thick as a weightlifter's.

His veins bulged as he raised his arms to the sky.

Only those who work can know this exhilarating feeling. My proud colleagues.

"Cheongryong Unit, to your positions!"

"Positions!"

The Cheongryong Unit took their positions flawlessly.

It couldn't have been more reassuring.

****

Seongsu-dong, Daese Shilup. (Daese Textile)

"Manager Kim, are all the samples ready?"

"The samples for Mr. Knight are ready. We will deliver them at the airport tomorrow."

"Miss Kim, are the expenses for the US dispatchers handled?"

"Yes, Director. We've opened accounts and deposited $3,000 as settlement fees. For the person studying, we included tuition and deposited $8,000."

"Ugh, why is tuition so expensive?"

"It's the US."

Sambok was overwhelmed with work today.

Every morning he woke up, he wished he was sick enough to be hospitalized.

'It's better than Chansu, though...'

He really missed Chansu in a different way.

"By the way, Director, please push Mr. Hwang a bit. We're running low on Polytech yarn inventory. I can't nag him, you know."

Manager Lee made a strange comment.

"What are you talking about? Mr. Hwang has never delayed a delivery."

Could he be sick?

Come to think of it, I haven't seen him much lately.

Since we're so busy, Mr. Hwang might also be exhausted from overwork.

"How would I know? He doesn't let anyone into the factory, and Mrs. Hwang says he's smoking again. Something seems to be going wrong."

"What could be wrong? Hyesung Nylon must be earning over a thousand a month."

"That's not what I mean, Director."

"Director! Emergency telex from the President!"

Miss Kim ran over with a telex paper.

"Another emergency?"

"Send an LST to the Mekong Delta from Jinhae. There are items to transport to Korea. Super-sized dredger engine."

Sambok trembled as he read the telex.

What? The Mekong Delta?

Transport a super-sized dredger engine?

"This is crazy! Is a navy warship a merchant vessel?"

Sambok crumpled the telex paper in frustration.

What's he doing in the Mekong Delta?

Boom! Swoosh!

Amidst this, there was an explosion outside the factory.

"Hooray! Hooray! Hooray!"

"Ah, why is Mr. Hwang doing that again..."

"Hooray! Hooray!"

Looking outside, I saw smoke, no, steam rising from the direction of Hyesung Nylon.

Mr. Hwang was dancing in the steam, drenched from head to toe.

It's almost winter, he'll catch a cold like that.

To Sambok, it felt like the world was going crazy.

He could barely keep his sanity.

Sambok wished he could let go like Mr. Hwang.

TL/n :-

rapids - a fast-flowing and turbulent part of the course of a river

A cofferdam is an enclosure built within a body of water to allow the enclosed area to be pumped out or drained. This pumping creates a dry working environment so that the work can be carried out safely. Cofferdams are commonly used for the construction or repair of permanent dams, oil platforms, bridge piers, etc., built within water.

These cofferdams are usually welded steel structures, with components consisting of sheet piles, wales, and cross braces. Such structures are usually dismantled after the construction work is completed.

The origin of the word comes from coffer (originally from Latin cophinus meaning 'basket')and dam from Proto-Germanic *dammaz meaning 'barrier across a stream of water to obstruct its flow and raise its level').