American Strategic Deception Bureau

　Like President Syngman Rhee, who shouted empty words about loving America while doing all kinds of stupid tricks, and tried his best to fleece the American people to enrich his own coffers, and finally asked American soldiers to protect his country for free... Please, do you think the American boss is blind?

　——The so-called "slave bullies the master" refers to the situation in South Korea.

　The master-slave relationship as understood by Western colonizers is that slaves have to work hard every day to be exploited by their masters and provide surplus value.

　However, Syngman Rhee understood the master-slave relationship as one in which the master should unconditionally love and provide for the slave, but the slave would just lie down and treat the master as a bootlicker.

　So, in 1960, when the South Korean people took to the streets to overthrow Syngman Rhee, the US government was also fanning the flames behind the scenes.

　——If the Pentagon had not strictly ordered the US troops stationed in South Korea to condone the riots in Seoul, and the CIA had not warned South Korean military generals not to suppress "spontaneous public protests", how could a mere group of civilians taking to the streets have caused the instant collapse of the Syngman Rhee regime?

　Therefore, seeing that this old thief still seemed unwilling to give up, Fili felt both amused and helpless.

　Standing next to Marilyn Monroe, she sang "Anchors Weighed" with her in a pretentious manner with her broken, tone-deaf voice.

　The out-of-tune singing made Marilyn Monroe frown frequently, but she could do nothing about it and could only reluctantly sing along with her with a bitter face.

　DiMaggio, the "ex-husband," looked bewildered. However, considering the woman was a woman, he maintained a degree of gentlemanliness and refrained from attacking immediately. Instead, he nudged Dr. Kissinger, whose face was now filled with misery, and quipped, "Who is that yellow-skinned woman with the hoarse throat on the stage? Why did you put her up there again?"

　Also, why does her English sound so French? Did she hire a French teacher?

　"Ahem, there's nothing we can do. This is the First Lady of South Vietnam, Chen Lichun, uh, the current one. So we have to give her some face."

　Dr. Kissinger, already sweating profusely, explained helplessly, "Since the First Lady is willing to lower herself and sing a song on the same stage with Miss Marilyn Monroe, we can only warmly welcome her. Anyway, the song is not long and will be over soon... All right! Let's applaud!"

　At this moment, Chen Lichun had finished singing and began to exchange commercial praises with Marilyn Monroe in English with a strange accent: "You are the national image spokesperson for the United States, and I am the national image spokesperson for Vietnam. We are both outstanding female representatives of the free world..."

　Well, as the daughter of a former French colonial official, Chen Lichun majored in French at school and her English was really not that good.

　After all, for ordinary people with average language talent, it is good enough to learn one foreign language well, and it is really difficult to learn two foreign languages ​​well at the same time.

　"Thank goodness, this woman had some self-awareness and didn't let our ears continue to be poisoned. By the way, where did Major Jin go?"

　Out of consideration for face and politeness, DiMaggio finally clapped twice symbolically, then looked around while complaining.

　Soon, he noticed that the seat next to Dr. Kissinger was empty, so he asked curiously.

　"He was called away! The man was the husband of the First Lady on the stage. He said there was a confidential matter that needed to be discussed."

　"The First Lady's husband?" DiMaggio blinked. "The President of South Vietnam is in Hawaii too? Hawaii is so lively today!"

　"The President of South Vietnam? No, her husband is the president's brother." Dr. Kissinger shook his head.

　"What? The First Lady's husband isn't the president? Could it be that that country actually practices polyandry, where brothers share one wife?"

　"No, no, no, it's just that the President of South Vietnam has never been married in his life. So he used his sister-in-law to play the role of the First Lady..."

　"Ah! I recognize her! I saw her on the news a few months ago!"

　Marita, who was sitting nearby, suddenly jumped. Pointing at Chen Lichun, who was still exchanging commercial praises on the stage, she interrupted and said, "She's the 'Mrs. Lu' who barbecued people in the street! The newspapers are calling her the 'Human Meat BBQ Lady!'"

　Well, I have to say, there are really a lot of scumbags in Hawaii today.

　-

　At the same time, in an open-air cafe not far away, Fili was looking at an old Vietnamese man with a little confusion as he was helped away by his servant.

　Well, why did this South Vietnamese president’s brother come to see me?

　How come he just had a seizure like he was having a seizure and ran away when he was halfway through his words?

　——Just now, an unknown CIA spy found Phiri and claimed to be Ngo Dinh Nhu, the younger brother of South Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem and husband of First Lady Chen Lichun. He was also at the USO performance at the Pacific Fleet base in Pearl Harbor and wanted to discuss something important with him.

　As a result, after taking him to a secluded outdoor cafe nearby, Fili saw an old man with a crooked face and a rather arrogant expression sitting there. He claimed to be Ngo Dinh Nhu, the younger brother of South Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem. He was now ordered to visit the United States and was waiting for a connecting flight to Washington in Hawaii.

　Philip had heard of Ngo Dinh Nhu. He held no official position in the South Vietnamese government, but through the title of "Presidential Advisor" privately granted by his brother, he controlled South Vietnam's secret police and intelligence services. He was incredibly powerful, and his reputation could silence a child's night cries.

　There are rumors that President Ngo Dinh Diem's ​​mental state has become increasingly abnormal in recent years, and his autism has become more and more serious, so much so that Ngo Dinh Nhu had to write his speeches for him.

　In other words, within the current "Ngo" South Vietnamese government, President Ngo Dinh Diem was merely a symbolic figure. Ngo Dinh Nhu, theoretically a commoner and without official title, effectively controlled this turbulent nation through his roles as the president's younger brother and the first lady's husband.

　——To those who don’t know the inside story, they would think he is the President’s wife’s adulterer.

　Unlike Ngo Dinh Diem who had engaged in anti-French activities in the past, Ngo Dinh Nhu was an out-and-out pro-French person. In the past two years, while receiving huge aid of $400 million to $500 million a year from Washington, he was also flirting with French President Charles de Gaulle and even had an affair with French intelligence agencies.

　This "eating in the east and sleeping in the west" approach made American institutions in Vietnam very dissatisfied, but they were helpless because President Ngo Dinh Diem always protected him.

　Wu Tingxiu also liked to see the Americans' frustrated attitude of "obviously hating him but being unable to do anything about him".

　When he was a human, he was always bossy and arrogant, truly living off freeloaders and "wagging the dog's tail".

　At this time, after meeting Phiri, Ngo Dinh Nhu started to curse him before he even said anything serious, saying things like "You Americans are so stupid and stingy", "The CIA abandoned its loyal allies for a little money, and will surely be punished by God", and so on.

　Fili was not angry, but was confused by this guy: We have never met each other, what exactly do you want to say?

　However, just as Ngo Dinh Nhu was cursing, he suddenly sneezed loudly. He then began to speak incoherently, yawning profusely, with snot and tears streaming down his face, as if he were having a seizure. Seeing this, the bodyguard and secretary standing behind him hurriedly helped him to his feet, then carried him out, one on each side, leaving Phiri and the other CIA agent sitting at the empty coffee table, staring at each other.

　"Uh, what happened to this South Vietnamese president's 'younger brother'?"

　Fili pointed at Wu Dinh Nhu, who was trembling and crying as he was dragged away by his entourage, and asked, "What's the point of leaving me here?"

　"Ah, Mr. Lu's drug addiction has kicked in. He needs to find a place to smoke opium or inject morphine."

　The CIA agent, tanned by the tropical sun, said, "He recently lost his daughter and was in a very bad mood. So he took drugs more heavily, his drug addiction became more serious, and his mental state was a little abnormal..."

　"Oh, I heard this in the US too, but didn't he and his wife retaliate a long time ago?"

　Fili suddenly realized, "The human meat BBQ on Catina Street in Saigon was on the headlines of the New York Times!"

　"Well, Mr. Lu was also a little emotionally out of control because of his daughter's tragic death... But he did go a little too far..."

　Ever since Ngo Dinh Diem, with US support, deposed the emperor and established the Republic of South Vietnam and proclaimed himself president, the situation in South Vietnam has been unstable, with mutinies and rebellions occurring one after another, and the capital Saigon repeatedly becoming a battlefield.

　Earlier, in 1960, after South Korean President Syngman Rhee was ousted, the South Vietnamese army launched a massive mutiny, briefly seizing the capital, Saigon, and even capturing President Ngo Dinh Diem. Fortunately, the rebel leader showed mercy and didn't immediately kill Diem. Diem's ​​trusted subordinates quickly organized a counterattack on Saigon to rescue the president, preventing Diem and Syngman Rhee from fleeing into exile in the United States that same year.

　In 1962, the South Vietnamese Air Force rebelled again in the capital Saigon and directly bombed the Independence Palace, which served as the presidential palace.

　In the original historical context, this air force mutiny occurred in February. However, in this dimension, February 1962 coincided with the peak of the Cuban nuclear crisis, with World War III seemingly imminent. Far away in South Vietnam, Ngo Dinh Diem ordered the entire army to retreat to prepare for the potential upheaval.

　Therefore, it wasn't until the signing of the April Fool's Day Peace Treaty in April of that year, ending the Cuban Crisis, that the South Vietnamese army resumed normal training, patrols, and bombing operations. And it wasn't until April 19th that the rebellious South Vietnamese Air Force pilots found an opportunity to bomb the presidential palace.

　At that time, two pilots, Nguyen Van Ju and Pham Phu Quoc, were flying a bomber on an anti-communist mission. Shortly after takeoff, they broke away from the formation and attacked the Independence Palace, which served as the presidential residence.

　Caught off guard, the presidential guard stationed at the Independence Palace was completely helpless in the face of the incoming planes except for firing randomly.

　Nguyen Van Ju and Pham Phu Quoc, who were both skilled and courageous, flew their plane at an altitude of about 150 meters above the Independence Palace, circled for a full half hour, dropped tons of bombs, almost razing the entire Independence Palace to the ground, and then strafed the ground with machine guns to eliminate any possible survivors.

　Only after their ammunition ran out did Nguyen Van Ju and Pham Phu Quoc make an emergency landing on the Saigon River and then swim ashore.

　Although President Ngo Dinh Diem, his brother Ngo Dinh Nhu, and First Lady Tran Li Xuan all managed to escape unscathed in the underground shelter of the Independence Palace, Ngo Dinh Nhu and Tran Li Xuan's eldest daughter, Ngo Dinh Li Thuy, was struck on the head by a falling rock while trying to escape, killing her instantly.

　What's worse is that the several escape exits of the underground shelter were either crushed by rubble or the doors were deformed by the vibration and could not be opened for a while.

　The telephone lines to the outside world were also cut by the earthquake, causing President Ngo Dinh Diem in the underground shelter to lose contact with the outside world for a period of time.

　During this period, rumors were everywhere in Saigon saying that "the evil president had been killed by the air force heroes!"

　Nguyen Van Cu and Pham Phu Quoc, who had pulled off the spectacular airstrike on the Independence Palace, stormed the streets of Saigon after their successful forced landing, banging drums and gongs to boast of their "achievements" and rallying the military and civilians to revolt. They even managed to trick many soldiers into electing them as their leaders, leading a furious assault on the Independence Palace. Joining them were members of the Vietcong underground and persecuted Buddhists, they launched a massive rebellion in Saigon.

　Of course, after several hours of struggle, Ngo Dinh Diem and Ngo Dinh Nhu finally emerged from underground and regained control of the situation. They commanded the presidential guards and police who were still loyal to them to clear out the rebels in the city of Saigon.

　After a day and night of fighting, the hastily launched rebellion was finally put down. The government forces killed more than a thousand people in Saigon and captured more than three thousand. The two pilots who were the culprits, Nguyen Van Ju and Pham Phu Quoc, were also

　All became prisoners.

　So, Wu Tingxiu and Chen Lichun, who were mad with grief over their daughter's death, committed a shocking atrocity.

　They ordered the erection of over 3,000 wooden stakes along Catina Street, Saigon's busiest street. To each stake was tied a rebel captive, who was doused in gasoline. Among them were Nguyen Van Cu and Pham Phuc Quoc, the two pilots who had bombed the Independence Palace.

　Chen Lichun gave a speech, declaring that all these people were Viet Cong spies and announced that they would all be burned to commemorate her daughter. Then, she personally raised the torch and set Nguyen Van Ju and Pham Phu Quoc on fire, listening happily to their screams in the flames and applauding.

　The remaining 3,000-plus captives were also quickly set on fire, filling Katina Street with black smoke. The stench of burning flesh and shrill screams emanated from the flames, causing the European and American journalists present to vomit repeatedly. Some even went insane and fell down the stairs.

　There were also reporters who couldn't stand it anymore and threw their leather shoes at Chen Lichun in indignation. They were then immediately captured and beaten by the soldiers.

　The atrocity was then spread around the world by journalists, causing global shock.

　The New York Times commented on this: "This was just like Rome under Nero. But this time it's the Christians who are burning people!"

　The first lady of South Vietnam, Chen Lixuan, who set fires and roasted people in the streets with her own hands, became famous all over the world for her cold and cruel behavior. She was hailed as the world's number one femme fatale - the East called her "the reincarnation of Daji" and the West called her "the human BBQ lady."

　Even across the ocean, Fili had heard about the Saigon barbecue and talked about it with relish. But he couldn't understand why this despicable couple, known as "Nero Reborn," had come to the United States and why they had come to him.

　"The apparent reason was that the international impact of the "Katina Street Human Barbecue" was too bad. Ngo Dinh Nhu and his wife came to the United States to do public relations, contact their supporters in the United States, and lobby President Kennedy to continue to support the Saigon regime in South Vietnam.

　The reason behind this is that your previous actions disrupted Mr. Wu Dinh Nhu's financial resources and also destroyed my fundraising plan, Major Jin.

　Therefore, Mr. Ngo Dinh Nhu wanted to ask the CIA for an explanation and a compensation plan."

　The CIA spy said, "Let me introduce myself. I'm Major Bill Lyle, the chief of covert operations in Laos.

　Major Kim, just as you and Senior Esteline were responsible for supporting Cuban exiles and building an army to counterattack Cuba, I have been doing much the same thing in Laos in recent years. I found Vang Pao, a Hmong warlord who is close to the free world, and helped him build a 5,000-man army to fight against the ever-expanding Vietcong and its vassal, the Pathet Lao.

　But unfortunately, the bureau's support for the Laotian battlefield is far from comparable to that for the Cuban battlefield, and the amount of funding is pitifully small.

　The Hmong people in Laos were also very poor and had no financial resources to sustain a modern war. In order to prevent General Vang Pao's Hmong troops from being dragged down by military expenses, I had to try to connect General Vang Pao and Mr. Ngo Dinh Nhu to do some special business that could make a lot of money.

　But our business has just started, and you have created a huge competitor for us in Cuba..."

　Major Bill Lyle spread his hands and said, "That's why Mr. Wu Dinh Nhu was so rude just now..."

　"What special business could possibly make a lot of money in war-torn Southeast Asia?"

　Fili curled his lips, then seemed to think of something, his eyes suddenly lit up, "Uh, could it be... poppy? Opium?"

　"Yes. Since the CIA is unwilling to cover all of the Hmong army's war expenses, the only way for the Hmong mountain tribes ruled by General Vang Pao to afford a full-time professional army and raise the financial resources to fight the Viet Cong and the Pathet Lao is to rely on drug cultivation and trafficking."

　Major Lyle nodded in agreement. "It's a necessary evil against the Reds, Major King."

　Looking at this despicable man who spoke so confidently about drug manufacturing and trafficking, Fili didn't know what to say for a moment.

　Although he himself had no reason to condemn the other party.

　——Speaking of this, Firi finally understood why this guy came to complain: it turned out to be because of the "April Fool's Treaty" he had tinkered with this year, which turned Cuba into a drug production base for the US market, squeezing out the market share of Laotian opium!

　Laos was a fragmented and aristocratic country with a loose feudal system that lacked a unified tradition and could only survive by paying homage to both Siam and Vietnam. The reactionary regime in Laos was much weaker than the South Vietnamese authorities.

　As early as 1954, the Viet Cong and its vassal "Pathet Lao" established in Laos had swept across 80% of Laos' territory. Around the time of the Battle of Dien Bien Phu, they fought all the way from the northernmost tip to the southernmost tip of Laos, just like autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves.

　(Why is the Pathet Lao considered a vassal of the Viet Cong? Because the leader of this Laotian revolutionary organization is a Vietnamese.)

　Although the Pathet Lao subsequently retreated to its northern base under pressure from the United States and France, the Royal Laotian Army remained a hopeless force, consistently defeated by the Viet Cong, and a decadent, fatalistic mentality permeated the ranks.

　In other words, as long as the Viet Cong launches another large-scale attack, the national change of flag in Laos is just around the corner.

　What’s even worse is that the Laotian royal family itself doesn’t want to make any more trouble and is just hoping that the American soldiers will come to the rescue. If they don’t, they will just disband.

　No matter how much aid is provided to Laos, it is useless. They simply sold their weapons, divided the money, and exchanged it for various assets and financial products, and kept them in Switzerland, France or Thailand, just waiting for the arrival of the Viet Cong army. The entire ruling class will immediately disband and go to live overseas to enjoy a good life!

　This is really unbelievable. The Viet Cong hasn't even attacked us yet, but your reactionary regime in Laos has collapsed. What should the United States do?

　Seeing that its Laotian allies were unable to hold on, the CIA had no choice but to provide them with free Didi ride-hailing services and sent three working groups to Laos to recruit soldiers and form mercenaries to defend its Laotian allies. Being a nanny to this extent is really amazing.

　Two of the working groups only recruited soldiers from the Laotian main ethnic group, the Lao people, and basically did not achieve anything. Once the Pathet Lao attacked, these mercenaries defected in droves - because both sides were of the same ethnic group, it was normal for them to change flags and defect when the situation was unfavorable.

　Soldiers are all poor guys. They only get a small amount of military pay every month which is deducted at every level. Why should they fight for their superiors?

　However, Major Bill Lyle, a former Thai intelligence spy who led the third team, created a legendary career in Laos.

　Because he took a different approach in Laos and decided to support the Hmong people in Laos as a bridgehead for the Cold War against the Viet Cong.

　Bill Lyle believes that most of Laos' main ethnic group, the Lao, have now defected to the Viet Cong and the Pathet Lao, and the remaining people are unreliable. The second largest ethnic minority, the Tai, are actually Thais who live on the border between Laos and Thailand.

　If the Vietcong had reached the Tai areas, Laos would have been practically wiped out. Even if the Tai areas in Laos had been preserved, it would have only slightly expanded Thailand. The impact on the overall situation of the Vietnam War would still be minimal.

　In contrast, the Hmong settlements in Laos are located in the deep mountains of the north, close to the core hinterland of North Vietnam, and next to the famous Dien Bien Phu.

　At the same time, these Miao people had their homes on the plains destroyed by the Kinh people of Vietnam and were driven into the barren mountainous areas to suffer. They had already formed a blood feud with each other for hundreds of years. It would be easy to instigate them to oppose the Viet Cong without any mobilization.

　——The "free camp" wants to fight against the class struggle launched by the socialists, and ethnic and religious conflicts are the best leverage.

　So, Bill Lyle used the connections he had built up over the years in Southeast Asia to find a Hmong officer named Wang Bao, and funded him to return to northern Laos, where he formed an alliance with the local Hmong tribes, recruited poor Hmong people into the army, and quickly formed an "Automatic Defense Corps (ADC)" of 5,000 people.

　——It must be said that the scale of this private army is much larger than the "Cuban Brigade" that Estelline formed in Florida.

　However, the funds available to Lyle were far less than those of Estelline, who received full support from the bureau during the same period. He did not even have a fraction of the latter's. According to Lyle, he had only received about $50,000 in funding from the bureau from 1960 to the present.

　The Cuban strategy, which was led and then ruined by Estelline and Firi, cost more than $500 million!

　Oh, what a difference!

　Fortunately, the Miao soldiers were also very cheap, with a daily wage of only 10 cents being enough.

　"Ten cents a day for one person? Only three dollars a month for military pay? Where did these cheap people come from? This is really ruining the market!"

　After hearing Lyle's description, Fili couldn't help but gasp. "The Cuban mercenaries of the 2596th Brigade, which I once commanded, each soldier earned $175 a month! The value of one Cuban mercenary could hire sixty of your Hmong soldiers!"

　Of course, even if the cheap Miao soldiers were recruited, they still had to be trained before they could fight.