American Strategic Deception Bureau

　You're a spy! You speak with a Saigon accent. What are you doing in Da Nang? And you say you're not a Vietcong?

　The best part is, at that time, the Vietcong didn't seem to be wearing suicide vests, and they didn't strap explosive packs to their bodies when they came to break through...

　By the afternoon, seeing that it was becoming difficult to successfully break through by disguise, the Viet Cong on the opposite side finally launched a violent attack.

　Lacking armored vehicles or tanks, they fixed metal plates to trucks, hung empty fuel drums on the outside, and then stepped on the accelerator to rush towards the American positions. However, the US also had mortars and rocket launchers, and they had also scattered triangular spikes and caltrops on the road to set up roadblocks.

　The result was a series of flaming wrecks on the road, with vehicles on both sides unable to move.

　Just like that, the forced breakthrough failed, the disguised breakthrough also didn't work, and the Viet Cong had no way to drive their motley crowd to implement human wave tactics and launch a massive death charge against the enemy's machine guns... In the end, they could only fire cold guns and cold cannons at a distance, relying on making a noise to make their presence felt.

　Because the US military couldn't distinguish between enemy soldiers and civilians, they couldn't fully utilize their overwhelming firepower advantage. The guards and militias General Sonthithin had brought with him were few in number and too weak to fight. Consequently, they were pitted against the vastly superior Viet Cong guerrillas, resulting in a lopsided battle.

　The two sides were deadlocked until two o'clock in the afternoon. After suffering several rounds of bombing and strafing by enemy planes, the demoralized Viet Cong began to flee and desert one after another - most of them had joined the Communist Party less than ten days ago and had no awareness of sacrificing their lives for the red flag.

　It would be good enough if they could fight a favorable battle. It is pure dreaming to expect them to fight a tough battle.

　Major General Li Zhongxun had not had time to reorganize his troops, and he did not have many political commissars with strong political skills around him, so he was unable to keep a close eye on these people and fight to the death.

　But since he had gathered a lot of soldiers along the way, even if more than half of them ran away, the remaining number still looked quite impressive.

　Firi, who did not want the US military to suffer too many casualties, did not take the initiative to attack, and the two sides continued to maintain a standoff from a distance.

　The stalemate lasted until 2:30 in the afternoon, when this awkward situation was broken with the arrival of a new force.

　——The troops that General Sonmuro Tadashi withdrew from the Xiyuan battlefield, which is the future Nanpan Kingdom or the "Dejia Autonomous Kingdom", have finally arrived!

　Because the Viet Cong guerrillas had temporarily abandoned the Central Highlands battlefield and focused all their forces on infiltrating Da Nang, Zun Shi Ding was able to withdraw the 20th Ranger Battalion and some South Vietnamese Marine Corps stragglers from the long-besieged key towns of Pleiku and Kontum in the Central Highlands.

　The Rangers were the most powerful and elite unit of the former South Vietnamese Army. However, the remaining Rangers had been decimated in the South Vietnamese Civil War in April, leaving only the 20th Battalion in the Central Highlands. Pleiku, a key highland military town, had survived, having been besieged by the Viet Cong.

　Of course, they were the Nanyue National Army that originally belonged to the Second Military Region, not the Guangnan National Army, and they had no obligation to obey the orders of General Zun Shiding.

　Therefore, when the South Vietnamese regime collapsed and the Quang Nam government was re-established in Da Nang, the remnants of the Second Military Region were initially reluctant to recognize the authority of Tun Thi Dinh as the Quang Nam president. This was especially true when Quang Nam announced it would abandon the entire Central Highlands, returning this untamed mountainous land to the Hmong, Cham, and Jarai peoples, whom Vietnamese nationalists considered "barbarians." This infuriated the defenders of Kon Tum and Pleiku.

　However, the arm cannot twist the thigh, and empty nationalism cannot defeat the cruel reality.

　The newly established Quang Nam Kingdom in Da Nang clearly had strong support from the United States. Trapped in the mountains, without access to the sea, surrounded by hostile ethnic minorities and constantly under attack from Viet Cong guerrillas, they were isolated and helpless, and were on the verge of running out of ammunition and food.

　The purge and "economic reforms" carried out by the Viet Cong in Saigon made them realize that even if they surrendered to the Communist Party and embroidered the red flag now, they would still be doomed.

　In other words, as the remnants of the South Vietnamese regime, these "reactionary soldiers" actually had no choice!

　So, after a few days of hesitation, the remnants of the Second Military Region on the Central Highlands battlefield finally accepted Zun Shiding as their leader and prepared to pack up their belongings and withdraw from the inland cities of Kontum, Pleiku, and Pleimei, where they had been trapped for many years, to head to the coast, change their flags, and join the Quang Nam National Army...

　However, the military pay of Guangnan Kingdom is not so easy to get either. Zun Shiding will also determine their future treatment based on their performance.

　Therefore, after deciding to change allegiance, the remnants of the Second Military Region also knew that they had to perform hard on the battlefield.

　After learning that the Viet Cong had already attacked Quang Nam Province from the south, the remnants of the Second Military Region, who had been hesitant to respond to Zun Shiding's call for help, suddenly became like a whip on their buttocks. They didn't bother to care about any pots and pans and rushed to the scene.

　They hurried to Guangnan Province as fast as they could.

　Just like that, an elite rescue force from the Second Military Region, composed of Rangers and Marines, charged fiercely into the battlefield. Before their guns, the thousands of Viet Cong forces that had come from a long distance melted away like ice and snow, quickly disintegrating.

　At the same time, General Wang Bao on Hai Van Ridge also sent a victory report, saying that the North Vietnamese army, without any artillery cover, had attacked the "iron wall" Hai Van Ridge defense line for a whole day under the bombing of US attack aircraft. As a result, they were beaten to a pulp and countless corpses were left. Now they have retreated to the foot of the mountain. The coalition forces estimated that they had killed more than 2,000 enemies.

　Just like that, at dusk, seeing that both fronts had turned dangerous, Firi finally breathed a sigh of relief and ordered the intelligence personnel to interrogate the prisoners. He was then surprised to learn that the commander of this Viet Cong force that rushed thousands of miles north was actually the deputy commander of the Viet Cong, Le Zhongxun, a famous Vietnamese general who performed outstandingly during the Cambodia-Vietnam War and the Sino-Vietnamese War, and who deployed the Battle of Cao Bang.

　——This deputy commander of the Viet Cong is so tough. As a deputy commander, he did the work of a suicide squad?

　Then, he learned with great regret from the captives that long before the reinforcements from the Central Highlands arrived at the Hoi An battlefield, Li Zhongxun had quietly abandoned the main force and fled with his trusted subordinates... This made Ferry feel deeply regretful - he had let a big fish escape.

　But now that things have come to this, there is no point in regretting it, so I'll just let it go with a little regret.

　Next, Firi, as the commander of the US forces in Vietnam, met with the commander of the Second Military Region reinforcements who came from Pleiku and Kontum. As a result, he met a celebrity in his memory - a famous general of the late South Vietnamese in another timeline, who went against the tide when South Vietnam collapsed and won the Battle of Xuan Loc, achieving the last victory of South Vietnam before its demise, Major General Li Mingdao, the commander of the 18th Division!

　Of course, at this time on Dawn Island, he was still only a Ranger Major. But judging by his performance today, he certainly had the potential to be a famous general. As long as he didn't die young, he would definitely stand out in the future.

　Therefore, Fili immediately praised Dawn Island enthusiastically, and finally gave him his own pistol as a gift, which could be regarded as a good relationship.

　A few hours later, in a landlord's compound that was requisitioned as a headquarters, Firi once again met the dusty Major General Zun Shiding.

　Although his head was wrapped in a blood-stained bandage, the good news from both fronts made Zun Shiding look full of energy.

　"It was a tough and arduous battle, but we managed to make it through in the end, didn't we?"

　He pointed excitedly at the map covered with arrows on the table. "How should we fight the next battle? Can you share your opinion?"

　"You're right. We did hold on. But my battle is over, Mr. President."

　Ferry replied, then explained to the bewildered Tsuneshi Ding, "I just received a telegram saying that the amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima, carrying General Westmoreland, has entered Vietnamese territorial waters and is expected to arrive in Da Nang tomorrow morning. It's time to replace the commander of the US forces in Vietnam."

　After saying this, he raised his hand and saluted Zun Shiding. "I'm here to say goodbye to you in advance. I wish you a pleasant cooperation with General Westmoreland."

　The Thanh Hoa Bridge and other obstacles made it difficult to transport ammunition and medicine.

　North Vietnamese military doctors could only use liquor for disinfection and perform surgery on the wounded without anesthesia, making the field hospital look like a slaughterhouse.

　Therefore, no matter how many passionate slogans were published on the radio and in newspapers in the rear, the fighting spirit of the soldiers on the front line could not be restored.

　Last night, a political officer from Hanoi came to the front lines to encourage the retreating soldiers, urging them to keep fighting. Then one soldier angrily raised his empty magazine, saying they were out of bullets. Were they supposed to gnaw at the enemy's barbed wire with their teeth?

　Although the soldier who disobeyed his superior was severely punished on the spot, the morale had sunk to the bottom and could not be lifted up.

　Suddenly, an ominous buzzing sound came from the distant sky, causing these numb and trance-like soldiers to shudder as if by reflex!

　"Air raid! Air raid! Take cover! Take cover quickly!"

　Accompanied by panicked shouts, the North Vietnamese soldiers, who had just fought a hard day and were already exhausted, squeezed out their last bit of physical strength in fear, and fled in all directions, trying to hide in holes or ditches to avoid the bombing.

　But this was only psychological comfort. The napalm bombs dropped by the US A-1 Skyraiders always burned a large area. Unless they had a solid air-raid shelter, relying solely on terrain and obstacles, their survival was entirely due to luck.

　However, this time the enemy planes did not drop deadly steel and fire. Instead, they circled over their heads for several times and dropped leaflets like snowflakes... This made the officers feel relieved, and they were too lazy to scold the soldiers and forbid them to pick up the leaflets.

　——Anyway, at this moment, most of the North Vietnamese soldiers are illiterate, and even if they pick up leaflets, they are blind.

　Of course, the officers and intelligence personnel still picked up the leaflets dropped by the planes, and found that the beginning of the leaflets was shocking: "Notice to the North Vietnamese troops invading the Hue Plain, you have reached the end of your rope..."

　In fact, Firi also knew that the literacy rate in Vietnam was probably not high nowadays, and the effect of dropping leaflets was very limited.

　So, at the same time, on the Hai Van Ling defense line, a group of American engineers also set up a loudspeaker. According to the last order issued by Colonel Ferry King as the commander of the US forces in Vietnam, they asked the locals to read leaflets to the North Vietnamese troops opposite, advising them not to come and die again.

　"Your accomplices in the south have been completely annihilated by us on the banks of the Thu Bon River in Hoi An. The bandit leader, Le Trung Xun, abandoned his troops and fled, their whereabouts unknown. Your hopes of joining them in an attack on Hai Van Ridge, or even linking up with them in Da Nang, are absolutely hopeless!

　Do you want to attack Da Nang on your own? But Da Nang is not Dien Bien Phu, and the United States is not France! One hundred thousand American troops have already landed in Vietnam. The 1st Red Army Division, the 101st Airborne Division, and the 1st Marine Division—all elite troops—are here. There are also aircraft carriers at sea. How can you, with so few men, defeat them?

　In the past few days, you have attacked the Haiyunling defense line countless times. Apart from heavy casualties, what results have you achieved?

　Now, the rainy season has arrived. You know the climate of this country better than we do. Fighting in the rainy season is seeking death!

　Even without our artillery shells and bullets, hunger and disease will take your lives and you will never be able to return home!

　You have won enough this year. You should know when to withdraw from the battlefield during this rainy season and then resolve the issue through political dialogue. This army can guarantee that as long as you do not launch a new offensive against Haiyunling, we will not interfere with your retreat.

　So, since you can't break through the Haiyunling defense line, why not call a truce for now? This is your only chance of survival. Think about it! If you think this is a good idea, then do it. If you still want to fight, then fight again. After all, you won't be able to reach Da Nang this year..."

　In short, after learning about these "disruptions to military morale", North Vietnamese officers at all levels who participated in the battle, although they openly denounced them as "nonsense", were actually feeling sympathetic behind the scenes, and generally felt that the battle of Hai Van Ridge could no longer be fought!

　In any case, at least the rainy season in Vietnam is definitely not suitable weather for combat!

　-

　On the other side, at the Da Nang pier, 20 kilometers away from Haiyunling, there was a noisy scene with drums and music.

　Countless destroyers, merchant ships, escort aircraft carriers, LSTMK2 tank landing ships, etc. almost filled the entire harbor this morning.

　Despite being caught in the brutal midst of war, having fought bravely amidst the hail of gunfire in Hoi An the day before, the President of Quang Nam, His Excellency His Excellency Shi Ding, still managed to organize a welcoming ceremony today. He not only arranged a band but also organized female students from Da Nang to place wreaths on the disembarking American troops.

　Lieutenant General William Childs Westmoreland, the new commander of U.S. forces in Vietnam, beamed as he walked down the gangway of the amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima. He accepted a bouquet of flowers from a young Vietnamese woman wearing a white silk ao dai and enthusiastically shook hands with President Tsunemori, who had come to greet him.

　He is a professional soldier with thick eyebrows and big eyes and a tough personality. He once led airborne troops in the Korean War and later became the president of the West Point Military Academy. Because of his aggressive personality, he is often compared to a B-52 bomber - like an eagle in the sky.

　Dive down and drop bombs without mercy.

　Well, at first glance, it sounds like it's very similar to General LeMay, the "Tokyo BBQ Master".

　When Lieutenant General Westmoreland was ordered to leave West Point and go to the front line in Vietnam, everyone had great confidence in him.

　After all, in order to push back the fallen dominoes and to restore the face lost in the Saigon defeat, the Pentagon was ruthless this time and spent a huge amount of money to mobilize ace troops from all over the world and hand them over to Lieutenant General Westmoreland, asking him to teach the Viet Cong a lesson.

　Even General MacArthur did not have so many elite soldiers and generals at his disposal when the Korean War broke out!

　Therefore, at the welcoming ceremony at the Da Nang dock, the president of Quang Nam, who had just been president for less than two weeks, immediately grabbed General Westmoreland's hand and said with tears in his eyes, "General, you have come to Da Nang. Da Nang is safe, Quang Nam is safe too! We are all saved!"

　Lieutenant General Westmoreland, who had been the president of the West Point Military Academy, was also full of confidence and spoke in high-sounding terms in front of numerous reporters: "The great camp of freedom will never yield to totalitarian forces. This tragic defeat will only make us more united!"

　Next, Colonel Ferry King, who had been acting commander of US forces in Vietnam for two weeks in Da Nang after the previous commander, General Huggins, was defeated in Saigon and taken prisoner, stepped forward and handed over command to General Westmoreland.

　General Westmoreland was also very polite to the little guy, Fieri, and repeatedly praised his contribution to "turning the tide" during his two-week tenure as commander of the US forces in Vietnam. He also expressed his intention to ask the Pentagon for credit and apply for a medal for him. This was not just polite talk on the surface, nor was it just because of Colonel King's personal relationship with President Kennedy, but it was General Westmoreland's true thoughts.

　In fact, the Pentagon and the White House now have rave reviews for Fieri, and even President Kennedy was glad that he had hired the right person.

　According to the Pentagon's evaluation, Fili, a mere civilian soldier working as a salesman, was able to, despite the total collapse of the Vietnam battlefield, rely on collecting remnants of the defeated army and then shaking over a group of indigenous barbarians (General Wang Bao's Miao soldiers). He was able to withstand the repeated fierce attacks of five North Vietnamese divisions on the front line of defense, and withstand the encirclement of the Viet Cong Expeditionary Force on the rear battlefield. He persisted until the reinforcements sent by the Pentagon arrived in Vietnam, and defended the key bridgehead for the main force of the US military to land in the Vietnam battlefield... Such performance can be regarded as an extremely good firefighter.

　Although this was largely due to the hard work of the US Air Force and Naval Aviation, and the fact that the rainy season in Vietnam had arrived, with frequent floods and muddy roads, and the North Vietnamese Army's logistical difficulties that prevented them from using sea transport, and the reinforcements arrived quickly, a victory is a victory anyway.

　In recent days, in order to cover up the shame of the disastrous defeat in the Battle of Saigon and the defeat and capture of at least tens of thousands of Americans in Vietnam, the Pentagon and the White House have mobilized their official mouthpieces to boast about Phi's "fighting hard" and "turning the tide" in the Da Nang battlefield.

　His handsome face, which was a bit feminine, was also published in many American newspapers and magazines. For a time, he became the most popular official star idol and even the dream lover of many young girls. If he were not a CIA officer with a confidential address and phone number, he would have been sent countless love letters by now.

　But even so, many love letters with photos inside were still sent to the Kim family's old house in Hollywood, leaving Fieri's parents speechless.

　For this kind of praise and flattery that is obviously a bit excessive, Fili, who has always been introverted and self-reflective, will certainly not lose himself or be too reckless.

　Therefore, he said very modestly that he had only fulfilled his duty on the battlefield in Vietnam, and at best it was due to the help of others.

　If it weren't for the naturally difficult-to-attack and easy-to-defend terrain of Hai Van Ridge, if it weren't for General Wang Bao and the Laotian Miao soldiers raised by Major Bill Lyle to fly to the rescue, if it weren't for the strong support of the Pacific Fleet and the US Air Force, if it weren't for General Zun Shiding's firm will and fighting to the death at the critical moment, if it weren't for the timely arrival of General Westmoreland and 100,000 local reinforcements... then, with his own abilities, Firi would not have been able to defend Da Nang.

　——Fili believed that these were all very frank and honest words. He, a war hero with a lot of water, was able to defend Haiyun Ridge mainly because of the fighting spirit of the old warlord Wang Bao, and the choice of an extremely advantageous position, and the fact that the southern Viet Cong forces that attacked from behind were already at the end of their strength.

　But others praised him, admiring that even though Ferry was so successful, he did not take credit for himself, and that he truly possessed the virtue of humility.

　In short, the two former and current commanders of US forces in Vietnam, who had huge differences in military ranks and powers, completed the transfer of power in a very harmonious scene.

　During the following press interview session, David Halberstam, a war correspondent for The New York Times and a familiar face, raised the microphone and asked Fieri a slightly pointed question: As a temporary transitional commander of US forces in Vietnam, what were his thoughts on leaving office?

　In response, Fieri rolled his eyes and then asked gracefully, "To borrow a famous saying from an ancient, I would like to ask a question here: Have I played my role appropriately? If so, please applaud as I leave the stage."

　moment

　After a moment's silence, General Westmoreland took the lead in clapping, and the President followed suit.

　Immediately afterwards, the rest of the people present clapped in response, and for a moment the whole place was filled with applause.

　Amidst the deafening applause and frequent camera flashes, Firi, who became the center of attention, couldn't help feeling shocked and dazed.

　Ah, is this what it feels like to be a hero?

　Haha, it seems pretty good!

　A happy smile appeared on the corner of his mouth as he thought so.

　Author's words: PS: The American TV series "Shogun" is very popular recently, and the male protagonist, Miura Anjin, the first British man to be appointed as a Japanese samurai by the Tokugawa family, has also gained a wave of popularity - although he has already appeared in many games and comics before.

　I've researched and can confirm that Miura Anjin's descendants in Japan had been extinct for many years by the end of the Tokugawa shogunate, when isolationism ended. The 250 koku of land that once belonged to him was also passed on to others. However, before that, the family seems to have survived for seven or eight generations. At least as early as 1700, a great-grandson of Miura Anjin appears in historical records and even held a position in the shogunate.

　So, it seems that Japan during the Edo period was not particularly conservative. Otherwise, how could a descendant of a white mixed-race person still be able to work in the shogunate?

　Chapter 246: Little Nanyue is also cute

　May 20, 1963, Hoi An, Vietnam

　At the Fujian Guild Hall in Hoi An Ancient Town, Fili stood by a moldy wall, holding a cup of tea in his hand, watching the rain pouring down from the eaves.

　——After resigning from his post as commander of US forces in Vietnam, Phi, free from all responsibilities, left Da Nang, which had become extremely noisy and chaotic due to the sudden influx of tens of thousands of US troops, and temporarily moved to Hoi An, 30 kilometers away, to relax and enjoy a few days of vacation.

　The Chinese businessmen who had lived in Hoi An for generations naturally received Phi Li, the "former emperor" of Vietnam, very warmly. They prepared the best house in the Fujian Association for Phi Li and his entourage to stay.

　Next, a continuous downpour suddenly fell over the ancient town of Hoi An, announcing the official arrival of this year's rainy season.

　I remember the famous movie "Forrest Gump," which described Vietnam's weather as "all kinds of rain." Once the rainy season begins, the rain continues for four months straight: sometimes it's a drizzle, sometimes it's a downpour, and sometimes it's a violent storm...

　When Fili first arrived in Vietnam, it was still the dry season, so he hadn't felt it much. But now it was the rainy season, and the downpour was like a giant waterfall, sweeping from the Truong Son Mountains in the west all the way to the South China Sea in the northeast, and dark clouds covered the sky.

　Thunder roared in the low clouds, making people's ears buzz. Occasionally, lightning used its dazzling blue light to cut through the dark sky, illuminating the trees swaying wildly in the storm, and golden raindrops whipped the earth violently.

　The river, which used to be just a shallow beach, is now a rushing torrent, causing the pier to shake.

　Even if the rain occasionally eases and the sky gradually brightens, the sky is still covered with dark clouds and the sun is never visible.

　However, Ferry found the cool, moist weather quite pleasant. Especially when it drizzled, he loved strolling through the alleys of Hoi An Ancient Town, umbrella in hand, admiring the quaint, carved-beam, and painted-roof buildings, as well as the moss-covered stone tablets and statues. Suddenly, he felt as if he had traveled back in time, strolling through one of the internet-famous tourist towns in Jiangnan or Lingnan.

　——Dreaming of returning to my hometown, walking in the hometown I can never return to... This wonderful feeling is really addictive.

　Well, of course, Philip can now travel to Hong Kong and see the "Chinese scenery" in the minds of many Europeans and Americans.

　But how can one put it? Hong Kong, with only a century of history, has always had a sense of impetuousness and materialism, giving people the impression that it lacks cultural heritage.