American Strategic Deception Bureau

　Of course, in addition to the regular army, there are also Catholic militias in Da Nang. However, the number of militias is still small.

　After all, Da Nang is currently just a small city with a population of only 50,000, and the nearby villages have a population of only about 200,000 to 300,000 at most.

　——The coastal plain of central Vietnam starting from south of Da Nang is the former site of Champa.

　While the land here is quite fertile and suitable for farming—otherwise, it wouldn't have been famous for its "Champa rice" during the Song Dynasty—the terrain is as narrow and elongated as China's Liaoxi Corridor, averaging only 10 to 20 kilometers in width from the beach to the mountains.

　Moreover, this long and narrow coastal plain is not as continuous as the Liaoxi Corridor. There are often mountains that plunge directly into the sea, cutting the coastal plain into small, unconnected pieces. Looking down from the air, it feels more like a "dam" on the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, except that one side is close to the sea.

　Therefore, the plains around Da Nang are very narrow. If you drive inland from the city, you will be in the deep mountains and forests in just one hour.

　Such a narrow plain could not support a large population in the agricultural era, and once a war broke out, the number of militias that could be recruited would naturally be limited.

　According to the order just made by General Zunshi

　According to estimates, the Catholic militia that Da Nang could muster was only about 5,000 people at most, and they could only defend their homeland. They were unable to fight in a mobile manner, and could not even gather to engage in large-scale positional warfare - they had never received such training!

　Well, President Kennedy, you really do give me some impossible tasks!

　Last time, I was asked to conquer Cuba with 700 people, and this time, I am asked to use 400 people to resist two North Vietnamese divisions!

　Fili sighed, asked carefully again, and then found that even the four hundred people around Zun Shiding could not be withdrawn.

　Because, it is foreseeable that in the next few days, many refugees will inevitably flee south from Hue. A considerable number of them, unable to board large ships and forced to paddle south in small sampans, will probably try to disembark in Da Nang, only 80 kilometers from Hue.

　The few men around General Sonthithin had to cooperate with the police and militia in Da Nang to enforce martial law, suppress and deter refugees, and distribute relief to them. Otherwise, if a North Vietnamese special forces team disguised as refugees and infiltrated from the sea on a fishing boat, wouldn't Da Nang fall instantly?

　After all, the South Vietnamese Navy has now been taken to Phu Quoc Island by Commander Hu Jinquan, and there is no one responsible for maritime patrols!

　Well, this statement does make sense. We must be on guard against the North Vietnamese special forces that may infiltrate from the sea.

　The Viet Cong had carried out similar sabotage operations in Saigon countless times, and even the US Embassy was bombed every few days!

　Even at sea, the Viet Cong had been using carefully disguised fishing boats to transport arms southward, calling it the "Ho Chi Minh Trail at Sea"...

　Even if the North Vietnamese special forces hadn't infiltrated, those Buddhist monks and soldiers, who had taken guns and ammunition from the 1st Military Region's arsenal and had become "much more martial" after fighting for over half a month, would probably not behave themselves if they escaped to Da Nang!

　Therefore, the few troops around Zun Shiding really cannot be withdrawn anymore, and they must stay to suppress the situation in Da Nang.

　But in this case, who should defend Hai Van Ridge north of Da Nang and stop the North Vietnamese army from continuing to move south from Hue?

　At present, the United States only has two platoons of Marines in Da Nang, responsible for guarding the airport, and has no spare capacity to take care of other places.

　So, Fili, who found himself in a position where he was unable to make a meal without the necessary resources, had to find a way to recruit people from elsewhere.

　——Then, he immediately thought of Major Bill Lyle, who was also at the military camp at Da Nang Airport, and the Hmong militia he trained.

　"Letting the Miao barbarians guard Haiyun Ridge? And letting the Miao intercept refugees fleeing from Hue? This doesn't seem appropriate, does it?"

　Zun Shiding couldn't help but frown. Like almost all the Vietnamese Jing people, he also had a sense of rejection towards the "barbarians" in the mountains.

　How should I put it? It was like the Chongzhen Emperor finding himself needing to borrow troops from the Mongol Khan to defend Shanhaiguan.

　Phiri bluntly stated that there was no other solution. The Pentagon couldn't deploy U.S. troops to Vietnam quickly, primarily due to procedural issues. The only option now was to borrow Hmong militia from Dak Lak Province and Laos, or sit back and wait for death in Da Nang.

　Of course, you could also follow your "brother" Nguyen Chinh Thi and defect to North Vietnam overnight. But if you did that, not only would Ho Chi Minh treat you poorly, but what would become of your family in California is also hard to say.

　——That’s right, Zun Shiding’s family members are now going through the paperwork to immigrate to California collectively, and only Zun Shiding himself is serving as a naked official in Vietnam.

　Seeing no other choice, Major General Son Shi Ding simply nodded in agreement and issued the relevant documents. At the same time, he ordered the Catholic militias in the nearby rural villages to strengthen their vigilance and defend their villages to prevent the Viet Cong guerrillas from infiltrating from the mountains to the west.

　Although the fighting capacity of the Catholic militia is actually at the level of weaklings, they can still fight against the weakling Viet Cong guerrillas.

　The Viet Cong's light infantry guerrillas might be able to cross mountains and ridges, climb rocks and jump cliffs, and infiltrate the area around Da Nang through small roads and fields. But if the North Vietnamese tanks and heavy artillery wanted to move south to Da Nang, the only route they could take was Highway 1 across the Hai Van Ridge!

　Of course, they could also organize thousands of human transport teams, as they did during the Dien Bien Phu campaign, and recruit countless "livestock transport soldiers" to carry the heavy artillery up the mountain bit by bit. But this would also take at least two months...

　By that time, the U.S. Army's 1st Red Division could be deployed to Vietnam!

　Next, after finding Major Bill Lyle and discussing the matter of borrowing troops with him, Ferry soon learned another good news.

　——Because it was learned that the air route from Da Nang to Laos seemed to be at risk of being cut off, and the American aid delivered to the Miao people in Laos by sea might also be cut off with the fall of Da Nang, General Wang Bao decided to personally lead his troops and fly to Da Nang to help!

　Upon hearing the good news, Firi finally breathed a sigh of relief. He then took Dr. Kissinger, Major Bill Lyle and a group of other ragtag troops assembled in Da Nang and headed north to Haiyunling, 20 kilometers away, to arrange defense.

　It can attract more grassroots people.

　Among them, the Kodai sect, which worships large eyeballs, is indeed a true heresy. Ho Hao sect is not actually an independent religion, but a militant sect within Buddhism, comparable to the Ikko sect of the Japanese Warring States period. While it does incite rebellion, it's hard to call it a cult.

　Therefore, the Hoa Hao sect was able to quickly absorb Buddhists, incorporate Buddhist temples and monastic communities, and once occupied most of the Mekong Delta before the rise of the Viet Minh. Later, the leader of the sect was assassinated by the Viet Cong, causing chaos within the sect and a period of decline.

　Uh, why does it feel like the South Vietnam can hold up better than the official history? This is how the style of painting becomes very weird.

　Chapter 229, Haiyun Ridge

　Vietnam's territory is long and narrow from north to south, like a carrying pole.

　In the narrowest central region, a mountain range runs across the east and west, stretching all the way to the sea, cutting off the coastal plain.

　This is Haiyunling, which got its name because it is shrouded in clouds and mist all year round, blending seamlessly with the sea and sky.

　Located between the ancient Vietnamese capital of Hue and the renowned deep-water port of Da Nang, its strategic location has long been a battleground for military strategists. It also serves as a crucial climatic and environmental dividing line for the entire Indochina Peninsula. Politically, the 17th parallel divides present-day South Vietnam from North Vietnam. However, in terms of climate, environment, and culture, the traditional dividing line between the two countries should actually be Hai Van Ridge.

　To the north of Haiyunling, there is still a subtropical monsoon climate with distinct four seasons; while to the south of Haiyunling, there are only two seasons: the dry season and the rainy season.

　The scenery is very different between the two mountains, just like the north and south of Yanshan Mountain in China.

　Therefore, Haiyunling is also the southern border of Chinese civilization in history.

　During the Han Dynasty, Haiyunling was the southernmost tip of Jiaozhou and also the southernmost tip of Chinese territory. It was the boundary between the Central Plains Dynasty and Champa.

　When General Ma Yuan, the Fubo General, led an expedition to Jiaozhou in the south, he erected a bronze pillar to mark the national border. This pillar was located at the foot of Haiyun Ridge.

　Although armies from the Central Plains dynasties repeatedly broke through the Haiyun Mountains and continued their southern campaigns, even reaching Cam Ranh Bay during the reign of Emperor Yang of Sui, geographical barriers prevented ancient China from maintaining stable rule south of the Haiyun Mountains, with the border constantly fluctuating around them.

　In the late Tang Dynasty, the Jinghai Army Jiedushi who ruled Jiaozhi even lost the Hue Plain, and its jurisdiction retreated to the north of the 18th parallel north.

　When the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period began, Wu Quan, the governor of Jinghai Army who ruled the Red River Delta Plain in the late Tang Dynasty, established his own country. The prototype of Vietnam was born and separated from China. Haiyun Ridge continued to be a natural barrier between Jiaozhi and Champa.

　Although the Champa Kingdom experienced a brief period of prosperity, including conquering the Khmer and conquering Angkor Wat, it gradually declined and gradually lost territory north of the Hai Van Mountains. However, the Champa people still firmly defended the Hai Van Mountains. The Vietnamese attacked them many times, but were defeated and unable to cross the mountain.

　It was not until the reign of Emperor Tran Anh Tong of the Tran Dynasty of Vietnam that Vietnam gained control of Hai Van Ridge in 1306, and continued its southern expedition to Champa, eventually destroying the country.

　However, Chen Yingzong did not conquer Haiyunling by relying on a strong army. Instead, he married his sister Princess Xuanzhen to the Champa King Zhimin, who gave two states including Haiyunling as a betrothal gift. Only then was Chen Yingzong able to successfully break through the natural barrier and continue to expand his territory southward.

　(For the Champa people, who would later lose their country and become extinct, this princess was a true beauty who brought disaster!)

　According to records, Princess Xuanzhen was one of the four famous beauties of ancient Vietnam. Vietnamese scholars compared Xuanzhen's marriage to Concubine Zhaojun's journey to the frontier.

　Unfortunately, just one year after their marriage, King Che Min of Champa died—perhaps from overwork in bed. To prevent his sister from being burned alive as a burial companion according to Indian custom followed by Champa, Emperor Tran Yingzong quickly dispatched his minister, Chen Kezhong, to offer condolences and take the opportunity to bring Princess Xuanzhen back.

　Chen Ke finally fulfilled his mission and rescued Princess Xuanzhen, but he fell in love with her on the way back to the country and did not return to the capital Thang Long (now Hanoi) until the following year.

　Unfortunately, the lovers were unable to get married in the end. After Princess Xuanzhen returned to her country, she became a nun according to the order of Emperor Yingzong of Chen and lived there until her death.

　To commemorate her, later generations built the Xuan Zhen Shrine in Hue for people to worship her. Many Vietnamese cities still have streets named after Xuan Zhen.

　In the 19th century, Emperor Minh Mang of the Nguyen Dynasty of Vietnam ordered the construction of a majestic pass on Hai Van Ridge, which is Hai Van Pass.

　The Vietnamese claimed that this was their Shanhaiguan, and erected a monument with the words "The Most Powerful Pass in the World" to boast about it.

　Although Hai Van Pass was strategically located, it was outdated. It could neither stop the French colonists from the sea nor prolong the Nguyen Dynasty's prosperity.

　Today, Hai Van Pass, built by the Nguyen Dynasty emperor, has lost its former grandeur and magnificence due to lack of maintenance and weathering. Only a pile of broken walls, overgrown with grass and moss remain. The only remaining gate is blackened and dilapidated, with no trace of its former grandeur.

　Only the six Chinese characters "The First Great Pass in the World" stand on the stone tablet, still vigorous and powerful.

　Standing on the ruins of Haiyun Pass, overlooking the Highway 1 winding beneath his feet, Fili couldn't help but feel a lot of emotion.

　Hai Van Ling is truly stunning, shrouded in mist and lush vegetation, with picturesque scenery and the golden sands of Ling Co Bay and the vast expanse of blue sea in the distance. Standing between the mountains and the sea, feeling the sea and mountain breezes, is truly refreshing.

　Haiyunling is indeed worthy of being one of the "50 must-see tourist destinations" selected by the National Geographic Magazine of the United States.

　Of course, from another

　From this perspective, "picturesque mountains and clear waters" often also means "poor mountains and bad waters."

　For tourists who appreciate the scenery, Haiyunling is indeed a place of natural beauty. But when it comes to transportation, it is simply a purgatory.

　Nowadays, the Haiyun Tunnel running from north to south has not yet been completed. The only highway that can cross the Haiyun Ridge, Highway 1, has a mountain road that is as rugged and dangerous as China's Sichuan-Tibet Highway and Yunnan-Burma Highway. There are many winding mountain roads, and accidents of cars rolling over and falling off cliffs occur every few days.

　It's safe to say there's no more terrifying section of Highway 1, from south to north, than this one. To the point where farmers are everywhere at the foot of Haiyun Ridge selling large logs, drivers buy a few logs before crossing the ridge. If the brakes fail, they can use them to lock the tires and prevent a landslide or rollover.

　The whole way for Ferry to drive up Hai Van Ridge from Da Nang was full of dangers. There was even one time when the engine stalled and he had to get out of the car to push it.

　However, for defensive battles, this terrain is quite suitable. It is really a place where one man can block the passage of ten thousand men, which is quite similar to the Thermopylae in ancient Greece.

　Beside the winding mountain road, a French-built guardhouse still stood, though only a few South Vietnamese police were stationed there, apparently checking and collecting taxes. The surrounding area was overgrown with weeds, and even the road signs and boundary markers had collapsed.

　Seeing this, Major Bill Lyle immediately made a few gestures, and the Hmong soldiers who followed him rushed over to take over the guardhouse, using the butts of their rifles to drive out the still confused South Vietnamese police. Then they began to clear the firing range and dig trenches in an orderly manner.

　Firi walked around the guardhouse and commented, "Although this French guardhouse looks strong, it can only withstand small arms fire at best. If the Viet Cong drive T-34 tanks along the road or drag artillery up the mountain, we won't be able to hold it."

　Therefore, we must destroy the roads in advance to reduce the firepower of the North Vietnamese army to the same level as ours."

　He pointed at the winding mountain road ahead. "As long as we organize engineers to blast the roadbed, we should be able to create an artificial landslide, causing the section of road next to the cliff to collapse, or be buried by the collapsed earth and rocks above. Of course, we can't forget to plant mines..."

　"Wait, if we destroy this road, what will happen to the war refugees in Hue? Are we just going to leave those citizens who are fleeing persecution by the Vietcong and seeking refuge in the free world?"

　Kissinger looked at Highway 1, which snaked through the mountains like a long snake, and said to Firi: Even though it was less than 12 hours before the North Vietnamese army launched its southward advance, refugees were already arriving in groups of two or three, in cars piled high with luggage, crossing the Hai Van Ridge and fleeing to Da Nang.

　Well, these days, anyone who can afford a car in South Vietnam should at least be considered middle class.

　Therefore, once the North Vietnamese army arrives, they will definitely be the targets of liquidation...

　"It is precisely because we do not want to accept refugees from Hue that I demand that the road be destroyed immediately to prevent vehicles from passing through!"

　Firi spread his hands. "Dr. Kissinger, it's not that I don't know about humanitarianism. The problem is, this isn't America! Right now, behind us, there's only a small, isolated city, not a complete country. We simply don't have the conditions to accommodate a large number of refugees!"

　If 100,000 refugees poured into Da Nang, then even if the North Vietnamese army did not come to attack, the refugees alone would be enough to destroy Da Nang!

　Moreover, Hue, across from Hai Van Ridge, was the stronghold of Buddhist monks and remnants of the Nguyen Dynasty. Previously, due to religious conflict, Buddhists and Catholics had fought fiercely. So, when they fled to Da Nang, the Catholic territory, with their guns in hand, would they behave themselves?

　The old monk Thich Quang Duc, who doused himself in gasoline and set himself on fire in Saigon, triggering a global wave of public opinion, is the elder of a temple in Hue!

　Given the fanatics' usual short-sightedness, I'm afraid the Hue refugees will already be fighting the Danang militia before the North Vietnamese army arrives!"

　He sighed, “So, Doctor, in this situation, we’d better put aside our desire to help others and respect their fate!

　Since these Vietnamese Buddhists have been crying miserably around the world, clamoring that the Saigon authorities are suppressing Buddhists and wanting to destroy Buddhism, then very well, this time we will give in to their wishes and let Uncle Ho Chi Minh teach them a lesson and show them what socialist dictatorship is!

　It's true that "distance makes beauty"—in South Vietnam, intellectuals, the middle class, and even Buddhist monks and nuns, angered by the corruption and religious persecution of the Ngo Dinh Diem government, often viewed North Vietnam through a rosy lens, harboring unrealistic fantasies.

　They even tried to "use the Communist Party to gain respect" by jumping left and right, thereby enhancing their own united front value and negotiating better terms with the Saigon government.

　However, when the iron fist of the North Vietnamese Workers' Party really strikes down, these sophisticated egoists will start to cry for their parents!

　——The land reform and social reform in North Vietnam are not very similar to those in China. Instead, they are quite Soviet-style, using all kinds of simple, crude and indifferent methods to human life. Armed grain-collecting teams are nothing. Allocating execution quotas according to the population ratio of each place is what we call innovation!

　Well, to be specific, every time they occupied an area, they would execute between one thousandth and one percent of the population to establish their authority. If it was a revolutionary red zone, they would execute fewer people. If it was a place liberated later, they would execute more people, sometimes even as many as five percent.

　As a result, many places simply

　There were not so many landlords and rich peasants to be shot, so they just shot the cadres and officers to make up the number.

　As for those who took advantage of the land reform to settle personal grudges, embezzled money, levied heavy taxes, and forced confessions under torture... their number was too numerous to count.

　Later, the Vietnamese blamed the incident on the Chinese advisory group, saying that it was a bad idea from the Chinese advisors and that they forced them to kill.

　However, because Chen Geng had already returned to China when North Vietnam implemented land reform, it was impossible to tell what the subsequent advisers said to the Vietnamese, whether they deceived their superiors or concealed the truth, or whether they secretly came up with some extreme left-wing plans. After the passage of time, it became a mess.

　——Anyway, after the Chinese advisers withdrew, North Vietnam did not restore order, but instead showed a tendency to escalate the situation.

　It is obvious that where there is oppression, there is resistance. Just because you hold up a red flag, no one will oppose you.

　For example, in Nghe An Province, Ho Chi Minh's hometown, local farmers rioted in 1956. The Viet Cong sent a main division there and fought for two months before the rebellion was quelled. Afterwards, the locals were treated like Soviet Chechens and were exiled to remote mountainous areas as punishment. During this period, countless families were separated from their wives.

　You should know that the status of Nghe An Province in Vietnam is roughly equivalent to Ruijin and Yan'an in China. As early as the 1930s, it was already a base area of ​​the Vietnamese Communist Party.

　Can you imagine that after the founding of the People's Republic of China, the entire Yan'an area was in rebellion, so that it had to be designated as a "bandit area" and the people of northern Shaanxi were exiled to the border?

　The Viet Cong pulled off such an astonishing operation that Ho Chi Minh was cursed by everyone in his hometown for a long time.

　Later, people always described Cambodia's Pol Pot as a mentally ill red murderer.

　In reality, the behavior of the Vietnamese Communist Party and the Cambodian Communist Party was not much different; they were originally the same party. It was just that the Cambodian Communist Party, when implementing policies after the founding of the country, felt they were under immense pressure and faced a tight deadline. Therefore, they increased their killing quota.

　Ahem, back to the point. Under Ngo Dinh Diem's ​​rule, South Vietnamese monks and Buddhists self-immolated in protest, which shocked the world and garnered widespread sympathy. But under Ho Chi Minh, they would likely be accused of "wasting gasoline and provoking trouble," and then suffer even more severe punishment.

　After they are crushed by the iron fists of Uncle Ho and Le Duan, they will probably miss the great benevolence of President Ngo Dinh Diem, right?

　Even if it was both mountain clearing and temple demolition, it's true that Ngo Dinh Diem demolished Buddhist temples to build churches. But he still left some temples and land for them. But if the Viet Cong had come to power and cracked down on feudal superstition, they probably wouldn't have left a single temple or an acre of land for the monks!

　In Firi's view, since Catholics and Buddhists in South Vietnam had already been driven to the point of mutual hostility and irreconcilable conflict due to a series of erroneous policies by President Ngo Dinh Diem, it would be better to let the North Vietnamese Workers' Party discipline these vulgar asses.

　The Buddhists in Hue, north of Hai Van Ling, suffered the beatings of the red iron fist; the Catholics in Da Nang, south of Hai Van Ling, received protection from the free camp.

　In this way, both sides can get the future they want and don't have to force themselves to live together.