American Strategic Deception Bureau

　The Independence Palace, which was destroyed by a defecting South Vietnamese Air Force pilot, has not yet been repaired. Now even Gia Long Palace is gone...

　Of course, compared to the destruction of a house, the fact that several of his younger brothers died in the catastrophe made him, who valued his family very much, even more heartbroken.

　——It can be imagined that in Wu’s hometown in Hue, most of his relatives are probably dead.

　Alas, what can be done? Born into a powerful and aristocratic family, holding great power and enjoying wealth and splendor, one is destined to become a target of public criticism.

　It is no wonder that the last young emperor of the Southern Song Dynasty uttered a tragic cry when his doomsday was approaching, "I wish I would never be born into an imperial family in my lifetime."

　Thinking of this, Ngo Dinh Diem couldn't help but gather his thoughts and tried hard to hold back the tears. He first ordered the soldiers to collect the bodies from the ruins of Gia Long Palace, then turned back and issued another order: "We can't stay in Gia Long Palace anymore! Let's go to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building and work there for the time being!"

　Under the cover of night, the motorcade left the ruined Presidential Palace and slowly made its way to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building. This was the headquarters of the Saigon regime's civilian rebels, and it was here that Vice President Nguyen Ngoc Thu proclaimed himself interim president last week. Therefore, it had not seen much combat and was largely intact.

　When President Ngo Dinh Diem led his troops into Saigon, the building was already deserted. However, loyal guards still searched it carefully to make sure there were no enemy assassins hiding inside or time bombs planted, and then respectfully welcomed Ngo Dinh Diem inside.

　At nine o'clock in the evening, President Ngo Dinh Diem walked into the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building and sat directly behind the desk of Foreign Minister Vu Van Mu. He first looked at the messy documents left on the desk, then tried to pick up the phone and found that it was still working. He then said to

　Secretary Nguyen Van Thuan, who was carrying his bag beside him, said, "Ambassador Lodge must still be awake. I'll call the US Embassy right now and let him know I'm safe!"

　Next, Diem called Lodge and boasted to Ambassador Lodge: "I am Diem, and I have returned victorious."

　After hearing this, Ambassador Rocky on the other end of the phone felt as if he had been hit by a blow and collapsed weakly in his chair.

　But after a moment's silence, he grabbed the microphone and shouted to Diem, "You haven't won yet! This is not over yet!"

　"Yes, the battle isn't over yet. Yang Ming-wen and Chen Wen-don haven't been captured yet. Nguyen Khanh of the Second Military District is still rebelling. The Vietcong's influence is rapidly expanding. This country is still struggling in war and turmoil... But what happens next has nothing to do with you."

　Diem nodded and said calmly over the phone, "You can start packing your bags and prepare to return to Washington."

　——Since the action to overthrow Ngo Dinh Diem failed, the United States would inevitably replace an ambassador to show friendship in order to repair its relations with South Vietnam.

　Diem knew this, and Lodge was also aware of the rules. So, the two men fell silent, unable to speak again. Ambassador Lodge regretted not being able to strike at President Diem, and President Diem regretted not being able to kill Ambassador Lodge and avenge his family.

　There's no way around it. The relationship between American imperialism and the foreign rulers it supports has always been awkward. Ever since World War II, when the US wanted to flex its muscles and assert its presence in a certain region of the world, it would resort to "drafting"—selecting a compliant, pro-American figure and then employing various tactics to help him or her ascend to power. The US, in turn, would reap various benefits.

　However, if these pro-American agents can gain a foothold on the political stage, they are usually capable and have some skills.

　Therefore, when they gradually gain a firm foothold on the presidential throne, they will be unable to tolerate the "paternalistic policies and attitudes" of the US government, and then, either out of public interest or selfish desires, they will develop a rebellious mentality and behavior towards the United States, eventually making the US government unhappy and replacing them.

　If we also consider the US presidential elections every four years and the dramatic changes in foreign policy that each change of ruling party brings, those pro-US agents are even more confused about what to do: Do ​​you want me to do a bunny dance every four years?

　One by one, pro-American countries were turned into anti-American countries, and the United States, after gaining a temporary advantage, was dragged into the quagmire of trouble.

　Of course, the same is true on the Soviet side. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the former Eastern European bloc was filled with anti-Russian fanatics.

　Even before the collapse of the Soviet Union, many countries that had received large amounts of Soviet aid could no longer tolerate the Soviet Union's brutal style and defected.

　So this is an unsolvable problem at the moment: capable agents are disobedient, and obedient agents are incompetent.

　However, no matter how many bumps and bruises there are, no matter how much love and hate there are, now that the camps have been decided, everyone can only make do with their lives: let's tolerate each other for the sake of the country!

　Just like that, Ngo Dinh Diem hung up the phone and turned his attention to the map of South Vietnam pinned on the wall.

　Although his current victory was not perfect, the blood revenge for the murder of many family members had not been avenged, and a large number of rebellious rebels were still on the run. Nguyen Khanh, commander of the Second Military Region who also joined the rebels, was still waiting for an opportunity in the northeastern city of Dadao and could attack Saigon from the east at any time.

　Although he had withdrawn all the field forces of the Fourth Military Region in order to counterattack Saigon, the Viet Cong guerrillas took the opportunity to expand rapidly in the Mekong Delta guarded by the Fourth Military Region. Even Ca Mau Province, located in the southernmost part of Vietnam, was completely controlled by the Viet Cong, and even the provincial capital was lost.

　But no matter what, he has finally recaptured the capital Saigon, right?

　Thinking of this, Wu Tingyan couldn't help but feel a wave of fatigue rising in his heart. He couldn't help but close his eyes and fell into a deep sleep behind his desk.

　-

　President Ngo Dinh Diem's ​​counterattack on the capital Saigon from My Tho, also known as the Second Battle of Saigon, lasted from April 5 to April 9.

　At the beginning, the regular military forces deployed by both sides on the Saigon battlefield were almost the same, both around 30,000.

　President Ngo Dinh Diem had two divisions from the Fourth Military Region and several units from the First Military Region, plus some airborne troops, marines, and rangers.

　General Yang Wenming dispatched the remnants of the 7th Division of the 4th Military Region, as well as the 5th Division and 25th Division of the 3rd Military Region and other marines.

　As for Xuanlu's 18th Division, internal strife broke out since it fled back after suffering defeat in Vung Tau. Its morale and combat effectiveness were very questionable. Yang Ming-Ning ordered this defeated army to stay in Xuanlu and keep an eye on Saigon's Dongdaemun to prevent Nguyen Khanh, the "ally" of the Second War Zone, from sending troops to attack and stab them in the ass.

　Next, from the perspective of public opinion, due to Diem's ​​previous actions that were highly inappropriate and impersonal, the coup forces led by General Dung Van Minh were actually far more popular than President Diem. As the coup officers and soldiers walked the streets of Saigon, people constantly offered them flowers and food.

　But the problem is that this kind of public support, which seems so powerful and visually impactful in photos, is completely useless on the battlefield.

　Because the support of Saigon citizens for Yang Ming-Ning is basically empty talk. At most, they can only wave flags and cheer from the back.

　On the contrary,

　The Catholic militias supporting President Ngo Dinh Diem were truly committed to the cause, marching whole villages and towns to join the war, armed with rifles. Their martial spirit far surpassed that of the slumming middle class. The days of privilege enjoyed by these Catholics in South Vietnam were all thanks to President Diem. If President Diem fell, what would become of their privileged status? Perhaps they would be instantly reduced to slavery!

　The downfall of President Ngo Dinh Diem was a minor matter; the most important thing was that their land and property must not be taken away by the infidels.

　Even more devastating was the fact that, due to the Diem regime's previous religious policy of "abolishing paganism and upholding God," the officers of Dang Minh's coup army were also primarily Catholics. They were either moderate Catholics who disapproved of Diem's ​​"overly radical" proselytizing methods, or die-hard Frenchmen who resented Diem's ​​clinging to the United States and kicking out his French masters.

　Seeing that the situation on Yang Wenming's side seemed a little bad, the lower-level soldiers and officers of the coup army who also believed in God began to have different ideas - they might not have the courage to turn against their own side in the battle, but most of them still had the courage to find an opportunity to desert and escape Saigon to go home and hide for a few days.

　In the past, Ngo Dinh Diem had also experienced several coups and rebellions. After each rebellion was suppressed, only the leaders were killed, and low-ranking officers and soldiers were not punished.

　I believe that after President Ngo Dinh Diem puts down the rebellion this time, these soldiers, squad leaders, platoon leaders, etc. will not be criticized too harshly, right?

　As the battle continued, the well-known General Yang Wenming's support gradually became weak, and friendly forces from all directions were slow to come to reinforce.

　At the same time, under political pressure from the civilian officials, Yang Ming-Ning was forced to do his utmost to defend the entire Saigon. However, due to the vast area of ​​Saigon, the result of deploying defenses everywhere was that they were weak everywhere. In the end, all his troops were pinned down in their positions, and even their mobility was completely gone.

　The infamous President Ngo Dinh Diem's ​​forces, however, grew in strength as the battles continued, with Catholic militias from all over the country flocking to his side. While not adept at methodical frontal combat, they proved surprisingly effective in the chaotic urban street fighting...

　In this way, the more Yang Wenming tried to defend the entire Saigon, the more leaks there were, and the enemies kept sneaking into the city to cause trouble.

　Finally, on April 8, even the General Staff Headquarters, where Yang Wenming and others were stationed, became a battlefield.

　——Colonel Le Yuankang, commander of the Marine Corps, who had been arrested and placed under house arrest by the coup forces for refusing to betray President Ngo Dinh Diem, successfully escaped from prison on April 7 with the help of his confidants. He then gathered a group of old Marine Corps subordinates to spread rumors and create unrest in Saigon.

　Then, Colonel Li Yuankang encountered a group of Catholic militia who had sneaked into Saigon. After the two sides joined forces, under the deception of Colonel Li Yuankang, in order to grab the first credit, these more than 200 people simply rushed directly to the headquarters of the coup army: the General Staff of the South Vietnamese Army next to the Tan Son Nhat Airport!

　Relying on a group of Marines who had turned against them again, this mob led by Colonel Li Yuankang actually managed to trick the sentry of the General Staff Headquarters into breaking open, rushed into the General Staff Headquarters, started a killing spree, and ran rampant. They fought fiercely for three hours, set a fire, and then left leisurely.

　The command center of the coup army was completely paralyzed. General Yang Ming-Ning and Chief of Staff Chen Wen-don were both injured by stray bullets and lost their fighting spirit. On the night of April 8, they abandoned their troops and fled to Da Dao by helicopter with Nguyen Cao Ky to join the commander of the Second Military Region, Nguyen Khanh.

　Seeing their top brass flee, the rest of the coup army also fled. Commander Chen Shanqian of the 7th Division disguised himself as a refugee and fled to Cambodia. Commander Nguyen Van Thieu of the 5th Division abandoned his troops and sought asylum in the US Embassy with Nguyen Ngoc Thô, Vu Van Mu, and other civilian officials.

　Without a leader, their troops quickly collapsed and raised the white flag of surrender to President Ngo Dinh Diem.

　Because the 25th Division's position was relatively far back, it was able to leave the Saigon battlefield as a whole, and then instinctively turned around and fled to its own military camp in Cu Chi along the highway. However, when they returned, they found that their camp had already been occupied by Viet Cong guerrillas and had raised red flags.

　The officers and soldiers of the 25th Division were tired and hungry, and they no longer had the morale to counterattack their own military camp. Their organization level dropped to zero on the spot, the camp was blown up and collapsed, and they were doomed.

　At this point, the South Vietnamese General Staff, which had launched the March 30th coup, completely collapsed after ten days of fighting and vanished into thin air. However, the leaders of the Military Revolutionary Committee, the upper echelons of the organization, had largely fled, some leaving the country and others taking refuge in embassies.

　Next, on April 12, Yang Ming-Ning held a press conference in Dadao and announced his resignation. Nguyen Khanh, commander of the Second Military Region, succeeded him as chairman of the "Military Revolutionary Committee" to lead the various coup forces and continue to persevere in the "revolutionary cause" of overthrowing Ngo Dinh Diem.

　At this point, the coup army formed a new leadership core, and various traitors who were unwilling to surrender to Ngo Dinh Diem gathered towards Da Dao.

　The start of the Third Battle of Saigon seemed imminent.

　Is it a mistake?

　Of course, if you analyze it carefully, you will find that South Vietnam and the Philippines are still very different. But at first glance, it is really hard to see immediately.

　Chapter 220: No matter who the president is, I want to be the first lady!

　Meanwhile, after leading his troops into Saigon, President Ngo Dinh Diem was furious at the US's blatant harboring of the masterminds of the March 30th Coup. But he was helpless. He couldn't just attack the US embassy, ​​could he? His government still depended on continued funding from the US.

　He could only set up checkpoints around the American Embassy to prevent any more traitors from escaping in, while protesting to Washington.

　Washington's response was silence: "Mr. Diem, this coup isn't over yet! Please don't open the champagne at halftime!"

　Ngo Dinh Diem naturally understood this. After returning to Saigon, he began a large-scale search, organized a purge, and massacred the unreliable Saigon bureaucracy. He also began to rebuild the intelligence system. Due to the defection and betrayal of Security Director Du Mao, Ngo Dinh Diem's ​​intelligence department had been destroyed.

　At the same time, since a large number of senior civil servants, including the Foreign Minister and the Vice President, have conspired with the coup troops, it is clear that the government is full of traitors.

　Although the South Vietnamese Army General Staff Headquarters, which served as the rebels' nest, was captured, the coup group was not destroyed, but instead regrouped under Nguyen Khanh's command.

　When Nguyen Khanh's rebels marched towards Saigon, it was hard to say whether a large number of fifth columns would emerge from the city of Saigon and join forces with the enemy outside the city.

　Therefore, before the decisive battle, we must purge the remaining rebels in the city! Even if it means going too far, we will not hesitate! But the right path cannot correct the wrong!

　Therefore, under the circumstances of "tight time and heavy tasks", President Ngo Dinh Diem could only carry out a brutal bloodbath in Saigon's government agencies. All civil servants who were slightly involved in the coup were quickly arrested and then severely punished as soon as possible.

　Because Saigon's judicial system had collapsed, the actual perpetrators of the purge were fanatical Catholic militias, which turned into a murderous witch hunt. Initially, only suspicious "rebels" were arrested. Later, large numbers of street vagrants and even ordinary citizens were inexplicably sacked and taken away, their belongings looted.

　Next, the Catholic militia, having tasted success, simply broke into the homes of Saigon citizens in the name of "hunting down" rebels, arresting and robbing them.

　Because there were too many people arrested to be tried and there were not enough prisons to accommodate them, the militia leaders decided to kill without mercy - on the first day of the arrests, more than 3,000 "political prisoners" were taken to the Saigon River and shot, and their bodies were thrown into the river to feed the fish.

　The hellish scene of corpses floating in the river made people mistakenly think they were seeing the Ganges River in India. The residents downstream were so scared that they dared not eat fish.

　Overseas Chinese businessmen in the embankment area were very saddened by this, believing that this was simply a replica of the "Heyin Disaster".

　(The Heyin Incident occurred at the end of the Northern Wei Dynasty. The warlord Erzhu Rong took control of Luoyang and, finding it too troublesome to play politics, killed all the court officials and threw them into the Yellow River.)

　But when the Catholic militia stormed into the Chinese quarter of Cholon and pointed their guns at the overseas Chinese, they no longer had the energy to lament for others...

　Over the next few days, the number of bodies thrown into the Saigon River gradually decreased. This did not mean that the killings had stopped, but rather that the killers were too lazy to dispose of the bodies.

　In short, ever since President Ngo Dinh Diem's ​​"triumphant return" to Saigon, the entire city has been shrouded in white terror.

　The streets, alleys, riverbanks and suburbs were filled with gunshots and screams, and the air was filled with the smell of blood and stench, as well as countless mosquitoes and flies that followed the stench.

　There were countless cases of indiscriminate hunting and killing, and thousands of people lost their lives inexplicably. For a time, people were in panic, as if they were in the Shura hell.

　According to Ambassador Lodge's later report to the White House, during those few days in early April, he could walk in any direction from the U.S. Embassy without seeing any of the men who looked like Catholic militiamen holding down and shooting people in the streets. Corpses could be seen on every street surrounding the embassy, ​​some hanging from trees and streetlights, some piled on the roadside, and even dumped directly under the wall outside the embassy.

　The staff of the American Embassy complained that their trouser legs were easily stained with brains and blood when they walked outside, and flies were swarming around the bodies all over the street. Lodge protested repeatedly, and finally Ngo Dinh Diem issued an order prohibiting the random executions near the American Embassy.

　In addition, because a large number of civil servants were killed for no reason and countless government documents were burned during the war, Saigon's government system had actually collapsed completely, which was equivalent to entering a state of anarchy. It was only because of the wartime martial law order issued by President Ngo Dinh Diem that it was not yet visible.

　While raising the butcher knife and killing indiscriminately in Saigon to deter the rebels and stabilize the rear, Ngo Dinh Diem also did not forget to continue adjusting his troop deployment, raising more supplies and ammunition, and preparing to start a new round of fateful showdown with Nguyen Khanh, the commander of the Second Military Region who had been conserving his strength.

　Then, he noticed that the troops in Da Nang were of little use in the campaign against Yang Minh. However, when dealing with the rebels in Nguyen Khanh's Second Military District, perhaps the remaining troops in Da Nang could be used to divert some of Nguyen Khanh's forces from the north of the Second Military District.

　So, Diem summoned Major General Zun Shiding, Commander of the Third Military Region and Governor of Saigon, and first reprimanded him for his "incompetence in commanding troops" for not noticing that all three divisions under his command had rebelled.

　His loyalty and bravery are commendable - even after being driven out of Saigon, he still insisted on fighting in Vung Tau.

　Finally, President Ngo Dinh Diem gave Major General Thon Th Dinh a new task: immediately take a warship north to Da Nang and take office as the Governor of Da Nang, then organize the local garrison troops and recruit some new soldiers to form a mobile force to harass Nguyen Khanh's rear from the north of the Second War Zone.

　After seeing off Zun Shiding, Wu Dinh Diem, who had been busy with affairs and overworking his brain recently, was squinting his eyes, wanting to take a break, but he saw his secretary Nguyen Van Shung walking in and informing him of the latest situation: First Lady Chen Lichun had boarded the plane and was about to return to Saigon!

　"Huh? Why is she coming back from Da Nang at this time? Isn't this just causing trouble?" Wu Tingyan was confused.

　-

　April 13, 1963, Da Nang Airport

　Standing in the airport terminal, looking at the American military transport plane that "Evil Dragon Lady" Chen Lichun had borrowed at great expense and through connections, taxiing off from the runway and slowly disappearing into the sky, Phili and his companions couldn't help but feel a sense of melancholy.

　Although she didn't have much affection for Chen Lichun, the strong-willed, arrogant, and foolish First Lady of South Vietnam, she was at least her temporary mistress for a few months. She watched her anxiously flee the temporary safety of Da Nang and plunge headfirst into the devastating fire pit of Saigon...

　How should I put it? It felt like I was witnessing history firsthand, like a moth darting into a flame.

　"God, why is this 'Dragon Lady' so anxious to go to Saigon? She can't help on the battlefield, and her life is in danger."

　Watching the plane disappear into the sky, Dr. Kissinger couldn't help but mutter in confusion, "She doesn't have much money to give to Ngo Dinh Diem to reward the soldiers. Does she think she can boost the army's morale with her own terrible reputation?"

　"Yeah, even Hitler's mistress Eva didn't spend all her time in the Wolf's Lair!"

　Placide, the black intern he was supervising, also nodded in agreement.

　Well, he was a White House intern and Dr. Kissinger's assistant, after all. So this guy has some serious brains. He's got a pretty good grasp of modern Western history, and you can't lump him in with those clueless rappers.

　As a time traveler, Fili could vaguely deduce something interesting. Looking at Dr. Kissinger, who was beside him, deep in thought, he suddenly felt a sense of intellectual superiority. He tilted his head slightly and said with a smile, "No! No! No! Gentlemen, you are all wrong! Chen Lichun flew to Saigon in such a hurry not to help President Ngo Dinh Diem, but to engage in a family feud for her own benefit, fighting to retain her position as First Lady of South Vietnam!"

　"To keep the position of First Lady?" Dr. Kissinger was a little confused. "Sorry, I don't quite understand..."

　"Doctor, we all know that Tran Li Xuan was the First Lady of South Vietnam. However, she was neither the wife of President Ngo Dinh Diem nor his sister, nor even his child, nephew, or niece. She was only the wife of Ngo Dinh Diem's ​​brother-in-law and the wife of Ngo Dinh Nhu.

　The reason why President Ngo Dinh Diem promoted his sister-in-law was simply because Ngo Dinh Diem and Ngo Dinh Nhu had a very good relationship and President Ngo Dinh Diem had no wife.

　Unfortunately, now that her husband, Ngo Dinh Nhu, and all their children were dead, the last vestiges of her family connection with Diem had been severed. Technically, Chen Lichun, now a widow and childless, was still considered a member of the Diem family.

　In this way, Chen Lichun became "Schrödinger's First Lady", and whether she could continue to hold the position depended entirely on Wu Tingyan's decision.

　What's even worse is that at this time she and Ngo Dinh Diem were separated, one in Da Nang and the other in Saigon.

　So, what would happen if President Ngo Dinh Diem, who was in Saigon, encountered some occasion that required the First Lady's presence?

　Fili spread his hands and said, "Although Ngo Dinh Diem's ​​relatives suffered heavy casualties in this catastrophe, it is hard to say whether there are a few cousins, nieces, nieces' wives and other female relatives in Saigon who have successfully escaped the disaster and survived, and came to Ngo Dinh Diem's ​​side after the war.

　So, when Chen Lichun was not around, Wu Tingyan would probably choose other female relatives around him to play the role of First Lady.

　After all, Ngo Dinh Diem and Chen Lichun were not married and had no blood relationship. He could let Chen Lichun be the first lady, or he could let other female relatives perform the duties of the first lady - after doing this a few times, the first lady of South Vietnam could be replaced!

　Moreover, the remaining Wu clan members are probably more in favor of replacing the first lady: according to the traditional concepts of East Asian peoples, Chen Lichun, who has lost both her husband and son, is already a jinx who brings bad luck to her husband and son, or an "unlucky person", so how can she be the mother of a country?

　Furthermore, given her current situation as a young widow with no children, it's hard to say whether Chen Lichun will remarry in the future. If she did, how would she still be qualified to stand by President Ngo Dinh Diem's ​​side and continue to be the "mother of the country"?