American Strategic Deception Bureau

　In comparison, although Hoi An in Vietnam is not well-known, it is a genuine thousand-year-old ancient city with unique connotations and charm.

　——As an important transit point on the ancient Maritime Silk Road, Chinese maritime merchants from the Wei, Jin, Sui and Tang dynasties often came here to do business, even before Vietnam became independent, and built houses on the shore to live in, gradually forming an ancient port city.

　By the Ming Dynasty, there were hundreds of Chinese merchant ships anchored in Hoi An all year round, and tens of thousands of Chinese immigrants settled there.

　Thus, a prosperous commercial port full of Chinese style was created in this foreign land.

　(Even before Vietnam separated, Hoi An, south of Hai Van Ling, belonged to Champa for a long time, and China's rule here was very short.)

　Hoi An harbor, with more than half of it being a bona fide Chinatown, is divided into five districts based on the origins of Chinese immigrants: Fujian, Guangdong, Chaozhou, Hainan, and Hakka. The Fujian Guild Hall, the Guangdong and Chaozhou Guild Hall, the Chaozhou Guild Hall, the Hainan Guild Hall, and the Chinese Guild Hall were established.

　As a result, large, Chinese-style mansions can be found throughout the city. Though very old, they remain remarkably well-preserved. They typically feature jagged gables, colorful tiled roofs, and hardwood pillars, rafters, and doors. Most have front doors that open onto the street, while the back doors lead to small riverside docks. Shaded by bamboo groves and lush trees, listening to the Cantonese and Minnan dialects spoken by the residents, one truly evokes the charm of southern China's water towns.

　In addition to the deep

　Beyond the mansions, the various temples with their carved beams and painted rafters are another major attraction for visitors to Hoi An Ancient Town. Phi Li saw the A-Ma Temple, the Guan Gong Temple, the Guanyin Temple, the Phu Bi General Temple, and of course the Trieu Sisters Temple, which is ubiquitous in Vietnam.

　It's quite interesting to note that although the two Zheng sisters who rebelled in Jiaozhou in the early Eastern Han Dynasty were suppressed by General Ma Yuan during his southern expedition, the Vietnamese built temples to commemorate both the Zheng sisters and General Fubo. When fighting against the northern Central Plains dynasties, they commemorated the Zheng sisters and called themselves the Yue people; when attacking the southern barbarians and expanding their territory, they dedicated themselves to General Fubo and called themselves the Han army.

　(For a long time, the Kinh people in Vietnam called themselves "Han people," while referring to genuine Han people as Song people, Ming people, Qing people, etc.)

　Of course, as an ancient Asian international commercial port, Hoi An is primarily populated by Chinese immigrants, but immigrants of other nationalities also have their own settlements. For example, the Japanese have a Japanese Street and a Japanese-style covered stone bridge.

　Later European merchants and French colonists left behind a wealth of stunning French-style classical architecture and courtyard complexes in Hoi An, reminiscent of a classic, low-key version of Shanghai's Bund. This fusion of Eastern and Western cultures exudes a unique charm and allure that is truly captivating.

　Of course, the rainy season is not a suitable season for travel after all.

　Strolling through the alleys of an ancient town amidst a gentle drizzle, soaking in the cultural charm accumulated over a thousand years of history, can be considered a unique experience. However, when a violent storm arrives and the icy rain pours down your collar into your clothes, going out can be a real ordeal.

　However, even when it was raining heavily and Ferry had to stay in the house, he still had ways to have fun and didn't feel bored.

　——At this moment, on the rosewood bed in this room, there was a naked Vietnamese girl lying on her back with her legs spread out. She had straight black hair, a graceful figure, a delicate and exquisite face, and fair and smooth skin. She was really a great beauty in bed.

　This was a gift from a local businessman to Phi Li, a naturally beautiful Chinese orphan named "Qiu Niang". It was said that she was separated from her family during the escape and was taken in by a brothel madam in Hoi An. She was being prepared for training and then sent to the beds of those wealthy men.

　As a result, he met a favorite of the US President, the commander of the US forces in Vietnam who had just retired and came to Hoi An for vacation.

　Although Phi was no longer the Commander-in-Chief of U.S. Forces in Vietnam, his recent global fame made him a highly sought-after figure. The Fujian Association, hosting Phi, naturally treated him with the utmost care and graciousness.

　So, after carefully inquiring about Fili's preferences, they learned that Fili was more particular about "cleanliness" and did not eat both meat and vegetables like many rough Americans. Also, after knowing that Fili could speak Chinese, the Chinese businessmen from the Fujian Gang in Hoi An discussed it and pooled their money to buy "Qiu Niang", a petite and cute "chicken", and gave it to Fili to entertain and sleep with him.

　Apparently, Fili, who had been holding back for a long time since leaving the United States, was very pleased with this delicate little virgin. The proof was the white silk ao dai skirt she had been wearing when she came over. It had been neatly folded and placed on the dressing table and she had never taken it off since. It was now covered in dust...

　Of course, even though Vietnamese girls taste good, as a civil servant, Fili still has some aspirations for advancement.

　So, after a blissful daytime orgy, Fili got up from the bed, donning his military uniform and holding a cup of tea, and once again began studying the Vietnam map tucked away in his notebook, which was already covered in all sorts of lines and annotations...

　-

　Unlike the gradual escalation and escalation tactics of another historical timeline, the US military in this timeline officially entered the Vietnam War. Because of the "Saigon Iron Fist" twelve years in advance, the situation started with a devastating explosion, much like the early days of the Korean War, when Syngman Rhee abandoned Seoul and fled to Busan.

　However, what was worse than when General MacArthur sent troops to participate in the Korean War was that, on the one hand, the US military suffered heavy losses at the beginning of the war, with more than 10,000 people being sent to prisoner-of-war camps; on the other hand, the South Vietnamese regime not only lost its capital Saigon, but even its government was defeated and collapsed.

　Moreover, although the Kennedy administration was forced to send a large number of troops to Vietnam under pressure from all sides to restore the prestige of the US military.

　But deep down, President Kennedy was very reluctant to expand the Vietnam War indefinitely and cause the country to squander too much financial resources.

　Therefore, while the US military was sending troops to Vietnam with great fanfare to "save its free allies", its actual combat operations were very conservative.

　Since the 25th Infantry Division landed in Da Nang and the 1st Marine Division landed in Nha Trang, the US troops entering Vietnam have not continued to expand significantly. Instead, they have only deployed along the 520-kilometer coastline between Nha Trang and Da Nang, controlling the major port cities in the five coastal provinces.

　Then, the US military would allocate one division to each province for garrison. According to the White House's initial plan, this narrow coastal area would be the territory of the future "Guangnan Kingdom" and the main combat area of ​​the US military stationed in Vietnam at this stage.

　As for the inland provinces that are not close to the sea, they were all given to the Miao and Jialai ethnic minorities in the Central Highlands, allowing them to establish their own "Dega Autonomous State".

　Apart from sending aircraft, they generally did not send troops directly to protect these mountain people, but instead used this unformed country as a "buffer zone" between the Viet Cong's sphere of influence and Quang Nam.

　Generally speaking, the "Dega Autonomous State" in the Central Highlands enjoys similar treatment to that enjoyed by General Vang Bao of the Hmong ethnic group in Laos.

　——The territory has been marked for you on the map, but how much you can take depends on how well you fight the Viet Cong: Of course, there are plenty of bullets.

　In this way, the battlefield scope of the US troops stationed in Vietnam was greatly reduced and their combat objectives were greatly reduced.

　Although both countries supported the survival of their allies, the size of Guangnan was completely different from that of South Vietnam in the past!

　During Diem's ​​reign, South Vietnam encompassed approximately 160,000 square kilometers and had a population of 14 million, making it a relatively large territory. However, 30% to 50% of the rural areas were long controlled by the Vietcong and other anti-government forces, leaving the actual area under the control of the South Vietnamese regime much smaller.

　The newly born Quang Nam Kingdom, or the mini-South Vietnam that underwent a "slimming operation", after deducting the Cam Ranh Bay leased by the United States, was left with only a narrow strip of land extending from Da Nang in the north to Nha Trang in the south, including most of the five coastal provinces of Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Binh Dinh, Phu Yen and Khanh Hoa. Part of the land in these five provinces that was not near the sea was also allocated to the "Dega Autonomous State" of the indigenous mountain people in the Central Highlands according to the terrain.

　The entire Guangnan Kingdom finally had an area of ​​30,000 square kilometers, which is about the same size as Taiwan, and a population of about two million, which is less than Taiwan.

　Moreover, the entire territory of Guangnan is currently scattered along the coastline of the South China Sea, just like Chile. It is a long and thin line, more than 500 kilometers long from north to south, and the width of the country is only 30 to 40 kilometers. There is no place in the country that is more than 50 kilometers away from the ocean.

　As a result, the famous Battle of the Drang River Valley and the Battle of Khe Sanh in the Vietnam War in the alternate timeline would never have occurred, as these inland mountainous areas had been completely abandoned by Quang Nam, either occupied by North Vietnam or ceded to the "Dega Autonomous State" established by the Central Highlands indigenous people.

　Then, America's "Green Berets" no longer had to play hide-and-seek with the Viet Cong in the reed marshes of the Mekong Delta. The entire Mekong Delta was now practically the territory of "Red South Vietnam," and the White House had no immediate plans to fight back.

　Faced with such a greatly reduced battlefield in Vietnam, how would General Westmoreland and the hundreds of thousands of American troops he brought with him perform?

　——The US military’s combat range has been reduced to one-fifth of its original size, while the density of its forces has increased fivefold… Is there still room for the Viet Cong to engage in guerrilla warfare?

　Furthermore, the massive annual financial aid the United States provided to the Ngo Dinh Diem regime in South Vietnam, if used on Quang Nam, a country with less than one-fifth the territory and population of South Vietnam, would have seemed to be immune to communism simply by providing welfare benefits.

　Finally, the original Ngo Dinh Diem regime, which based its rule on Catholics who only accounted for 6% of the total population of South Vietnam, was naturally unstable.

　But although the present Guangnan Kingdom still respects Catholicism, because it gave up most of the South Vietnamese population and land, the proportion of Catholics among the remaining citizens has increased significantly, reaching 30% to 40% of the total population, and can be regarded as the majority of the citizens.

　The most crucial thing is that the Buddhist monks, Hoa Hao and Cao Dai organizations that used to frequently confront Catholicism in South Vietnam, the territories they were able to deeply control, have all been abandoned by the shrunken "New South Vietnam" just like Malaysia kicked out Singapore, and are no longer within the territory of Quang Nam.

　In other words, compared with the former vast and useless South Vietnam, although the territory of Guangnan has become smaller, it has also become more pure.

　In this way, the organization level of the entire country has been greatly improved.

　The rebellious military officers that once gave Ngo Dinh Diem headaches, the Buddhist monks entrenched in Hue, the rampant local cults, and the white plantation owners left over from the French colonial era were basically all removed from the new borders and could no longer dictate the political ecology of Guangnan.

　On the contrary, with the help of the Catholic Church in Vietnam, the rulers of Quang Nam could theoretically extend their control to the countryside and grassroots level. This is indeed not easy, but it is possible! Especially with a generous American father who is willing to spend money on social welfare.

　"So, after giving up the Mekong Delta, the Central Highlands, and Saigon, the Vietnam War became easier to fight?

　At least there would no longer be a need to send 500,000 American troops to the Vietnam battlefield, and the number of casualties could be kept to a relatively low level...

　Well, it seems that a little South Vietnam has become even more adorable!"

　Ferry put down the pencil in his hand, touched his chin, and muttered to the map, but he did not notice that on the bed behind him, a pair of cunning and shrewd eyes were staring at him without blinking.

　Chapter 247: The Seven Heroes of the Indochina Warring States Period

　Of course, compared with the former South Vietnam, Guangnan, which now has a territory of only 30,000 square kilometers, also has its own fatal flaws.

　As a country, it is too small to be on par with North Vietnam like South Vietnam in the past, with the North and the South facing each other.

　To describe it with the popular concept of "Tongliao Universe" on the modern Internet, if Ho Chi Minh's North Vietnam and Ngo Dinh Diem's ​​South Vietnam are both approximately equivalent to 2.7

　Tongliao, then the "Guangnan Kingdom" ordered by the Zunshi would only have 0.5 Tongliao left.

　Although Quang Nam's cohesion had greatly improved after the removal of a large number of impurities, if North Vietnam, relying on its size advantage, gathered a large army and attacked head-on, Quang Nam would not be able to withstand it alone for a long time unless it had the protection of the US military presence.

　However, Firi felt that since the US military had already taken over, as long as Quang Nam could stand on its own, the above-mentioned defects would not be defects - at least before the US withdrew its troops from Vietnam, it would be impossible for North Vietnam to destroy Quang Nam on the front battlefield.

　Just like as long as the United States withdraws its troops from the peninsula, North Korea will not be able to cross the 38th parallel and conquer South Korea.

　In addition, if Guangnan's status as an independent country is widely recognized internationally, it may even become a member of the United Nations.

　At that time, North Vietnam would encounter even greater resistance if it wanted to unify the North and the South through war.

　If Guangnan can hold out until China and Vietnam fall out and the People's Liberation Army sends troops to beat up the Vietnamese, it will be even safer.

　But the question is, will the current commander of US forces in Vietnam, General Westmoreland, be satisfied with defending the existing territory of Quang Nam, instead of quickly fighting back to Saigon and Hue, teaching the Viet Cong a lesson on a wider battlefield, and gaining more merit for himself?

　After all, soldiers crave more merits and medals, while the military-industrial complex craves more wars and military spending!

　If this old-school soldier could not resist the temptation to expand the Vietnam War and stepped back into the pit he had avoided...

　Then, the US military is likely to repeat the same mistakes on the Vietnam battlefield and be caught in endless security wars.

　Judging from the situation in the few days after General Westmoreland arrived in Da Nang, there seemed to be signs of such arrogance and vanity.

　For example, the Miao soldiers who were previously brought from Laos by Firi to guard Haiyunling were sent back after the 25th Infantry Division landed in Da Nang.

　Although Dr. Kissinger persuaded General Westmoreland that "General Vang Pao's (Hmong) soldiers are cheap and useful. If they are allowed to leave, American soldiers will have to bleed and sacrifice", and suggested that Vang Pao's Miao soldiers should continue to be retained - anyway, during the rainy season, North Vietnam could not attack the Miao area of ​​Laos.

　Westmoreland, however, dismissed the idea. He argued that these "king-craving" barbarian mercenaries had indeed fought well at Haiyun Ridge, but that was because we hadn't arrived yet. Now that the legitimate American troops had arrived, there was "no need to let a bunch of natives steal our credit."

　Of course, General Westmoreland wasn't the kind of person who would abandon the donkey after it had served its purpose. He treated these Miao soldiers, who had rendered meritorious service to the United States, with a relatively amicable parting. After leaving the Haiyunling defense line, each Miao soldier was given a large sum of US dollars, and those who died received pensions. In addition, they were supplemented with new guns, mortars, rocket launchers, mines, grenades, and a batch of ammunition, as well as some military supplies, canned biscuits, and so on.

　These poor Miao soldiers could carry a lot of "foreign goods" and the wives they snatched from the refugees and happily go home to show off.

　——It is foreseeable that if they are asked to do "odd jobs" next time, these Miao soldiers will probably be happy to come and make quick money.

　Next, the officers and soldiers of the 25th Infantry Division of the US Army from Hawaii took over the Hai Van Ridge defense line. They wielded shovels and drove bulldozers to further repair and reinforce the trench bunkers, while waiting for the North Vietnamese army to rush up and die, so that they could earn a few medals.

　Sadly, whether it was the threatening leaflets Piri had issued before leaving office that took effect, or the rainy season truly made it difficult for the army to advance, after the US and Miao troops exchanged positions, the North Vietnamese army not only did not continue its offensive against Hai Van Ridge, but instead retreated rapidly into Hue to rest and recuperate.

　After waiting for several days without hearing a single gunshot, some of the American soldiers, unable to contain their excitement, even considered descending Haiyun Ridge and taking a stab at enemy territory. However, the problem was that the mountain road north of Haiyun Pass had been completely destroyed, with countless mines laid outside the barbed wire. Furthermore, Firi had initially planned a static defense, leaving no safe avenues for attack.

　In the end, the 25th Infantry Division did not dare to go down the mountain and attack at the risk of stepping on landmines, but continued to squat on the mountain and watch the wind and rain.

　Although the northern border of Quang Nam was blocked by the natural barrier of Hai Van Ridge, preventing the North Vietnamese Army from invading by land and the US Army from attacking from there, this problem did not exist at Quang Nam's designated southern border, where the 1st Marine Division landed in Nha Trang.

　Therefore, after landing in Nha Trang, Khanh Hoa Province, the 1st Marine Division of the US Army continued south along Highway 1. Before the first heavy rain of this rainy season, they captured the capital of Ninh Thuan Province, which the Viet Cong had just taken control of in early May and was the last capital of Champa (Phan Lang).

　Because Cam Ranh Bay, the famous deepwater port the US Navy wanted to lease in Vietnam, was located on the border of Khanh Hoa and Ninh Thuan provinces, the 1st Marine Division had to capture two provinces to ensure the American flag was planted all around Cam Ranh Bay.

　However, the 1st Marine Division's progress also stopped there, because it was already the rainy season, and Vietnam's muddy rainy season made it impossible to fight.

　No matter how ambitious General Westmoreland and his professional officers were, they could not defy the power of nature.

　Therefore, at least before the end of this year, the 150,000 people stationed in Vietnam who are arriving in succession will

　It is impossible for the US military to launch large-scale military operations.

　This six months is just enough time for the newly arrived American troops to adapt to Vietnam’s hot and humid climate and prepare for the more difficult battles in the future.

　In addition to military operations within the "Quang Nam Kingdom," the US military did not directly deploy troops to the "Dega Autonomous State" carved out inland. Instead, it airlifted large quantities of weapons and ammunition to the Hmong militia in Dak Lak Province and the autonomous organization of the Jarai people. At the same time, it evacuated the remaining South Vietnamese troops and their families from the inland mountains to the coastal plains for resettlement.

　It must be said that this migration was a massive undertaking, as 300,000 people needed to be relocated, especially during the rainy season when the roads were muddy.

　Most South Vietnamese troops brought their families with them to the battles, with officers and soldiers living with their families in their bases. This made them very resilient when they were hunkered down, as they had their families right behind them. However, once they had to maneuver or conduct raids in the countryside, they would suddenly become very weak.

　A long-distance relocation like this is when an army is at its most vulnerable. Once it is caught and pursued by the enemy, it is at risk of collapse.

　Fortunately, after the rapid advance in April and May this year, the Viet Cong guerrillas in the entire south have basically exhausted all their kinetic energy after taking over half of South Vietnam's territory and 70% of its population. They have no extra troops to continue the expedition to the Central Highlands.

　Moreover, with the arrival of the rainy season, the logistics of the Ho Chi Minh Trail were also closed. Even if the "Red South Vietnam" established by the Viet Cong wanted to fight again, most of the arms stockpiled during the dry season had been consumed by the Viet Cong in the past two months, and there was not much ammunition left.

　——Unlike the Chinese Eighth Route Army twenty years ago that "had no guns or cannons, and the enemy made them for us", the Viet Cong guerrillas in the Vietnam War were much more affluent in terms of logistics. They never relied on captured weapons and ammunition, but had a complete logistics and transportation system.

　In other words, without the transportation and supply of the Ho Chi Minh Trail, the Viet Cong guerrillas would not have been able to win the victory independently relying only on captured goods.

　Therefore, according to information received from Da Nang, the evacuation of troops from Pleiku and Kon Tum during the rainy season went relatively smoothly, with the exception of the roads being made difficult by heavy rain. There was no serious harassment from armed forces, let alone the nightmare scenario of "fighting while moving."

　After this group of people retreated to the coastal ports, Zun Shiding would be able to obtain a group of well-trained and experienced veterans, and then he could select and evaluate a number of elite soldiers from them to form his own direct troops. According to the training plan formulated for him by Dr. Kissinger and Firi, with the future Guangnan Kingdom being approximately "half the size of Tongliao", it would only require the formation of a basic division, with the president serving as the division commander, and then some mobile forces such as paratrooper regiments, marine regiments, and armed police, totaling about 20,000 regular troops, plus about 80,000 militiamen, which would be enough.

　After all, it is just a small country with a total population of more than 2 million and an area of ​​30,000 square kilometers. It is already exaggerated to be able to mobilize an army of 100,000!

　After the withdrawal of the South Vietnamese army, the militia of the "United Front for the Struggle of the Oppressed Nationalities" composed of nearby mountain peoples such as the Gia Lai, Se Dang, Ede and Hmong took over mountain cities such as Kon Tum, Pleiku and Plei Mey, and on paper controlled an area larger than the Kingdom of Quang Nam.

　Although the combat skills of these mountain indigenous militias are worrying and their discipline is just average, they at least have more subjective initiative in combat.

　After all, compared with the Kinh soldiers of the South Vietnamese Army who had a working mentality, were overstaffed, drew salaries without doing anything, stole and sold arms, and regarded being assigned to the mountainous areas as a chore, the various ethnic groups native to the Central Highlands clearly had reasons to fight to protect the land where their ancestors had lived for generations.

　Among them, the Hmong militia in Dak Lak Province had previously defeated numerous Viet Cong attacks in Buon Me Thuot, a region known for its high-quality coffee production, firmly keeping the Viet Cong out of Dak Lak Province. More recently, they assisted the neighboring Gia Lai people in wiping out the remaining Viet Cong forces in Gia Lai Province, forcing the few remaining Viet Cong guerrillas throughout the Central Highlands to flee from place to place. Once the enemy became "American-armed natives," the Viet Cong's offensive and defensive positions in this area shifted.

　Although these indigenous peoples wanted to truly establish a "Dega Autonomous State," even a very loose confederation, they still had to face many difficult challenges. Just coordinating the relationships between the various ethnic groups and clarifying the distribution of interests among them was enough to make them feel overwhelmed.

　But under the powerful threat of the Viet Cong, I believe that no matter how much these "barbarians" quarrel, they will probably be able to "tolerate each other for the sake of the country" in the end, right?

　The North Vietnamese Workers' Party, aiming to unify Indochina, had always had ambitious goals, even aiming to annex Laos and Cambodia, and even wanting to entrench itself in Thailand and Malaysia. There was no way the ethnic minorities in the Central Highlands would be allowed to establish independent states and retain their ancestral lands.

　In addition to the Central Highlands provinces, according to the plan previously discussed by Firi with Kissinger, considering that this is an era of maritime civilization, a landlocked country has no future. Therefore, plans are also being made to provide the "Dega Autonomous State" with an outlet to the sea further south of Quang Nam.

　Specifically, Ninh Thuan Province on the south bank of Cam Ranh Bay was also assigned to the Derga Autonomous State. The capital of this province, Phan Lang, formerly known as Binh Tong Long, was the last capital of the Champa Kingdom. The last 20 Champa people who survived in the world basically lived here - believed to be related to the Vietnamese who persecuted them for thousands of years.

　Compared with the Nanjing people, under the coordination of the United States, these Cham people should be more willing to huddle together with the mountain barbarians for warmth.

　In this way, the future Guangnan country will have the natural barrier of Hai Van Mountains in the north, the vast ocean in the east, and a buffer country between the west and south and the Viet Cong sphere of influence. If the Viet Cong guerrillas want to infiltrate again, they will have to "go beyond the country's reach". Naturally, the pressure on the United States to engage in security warfare will become lower.

　Well, watching a brand new map that has never existed in history gradually appear in my hands, I really feel the pleasure of being a Paradox player!

　"Master, what's wrong with this map? Why is it scratched all over? And why are there so many countries written on it?"

　Seeing Fili writing and drawing on the map with a pencil, the naked "Qiuniang" couldn't help but wrap herself in a sheet and get out of bed. She came over curiously to take a look, and then asked Fili in Chinese with a strong Cantonese accent, "Uh, if it's confidential, just pretend I didn't say anything..."

　"You understand? Oh, by the way, remember you said your last name was Zhao? Did you study in Saigon? Well, then it's not surprising.

　There's nothing secret about this; it's the latest map of the Indochina situation that emerged after this year's dry season war."

　Fili answered Qiu Niang casually - according to the Vietnamese naming tradition, she should be called Zhao Shi Qiu, or Zhao Qiu Niang, or simply Zhao Qiu.