American Strategic Deception Bureau

　"Ever since Ngo Dinh Diem ascended to heaven and the red flag was raised in Saigon, Vietnam has gone from a north-south confrontation to being divided into five parts: Quang Nam, Dé Gá, and Ha Tien. Add to that North Vietnam in Hanoi and the red South Vietnam in Saigon, forming a five-nation epic.

　Well, if we include Laos and Cambodia, then the entire Indochina Peninsula is now like the Seven Kingdoms of the Warring States Period."

　Author's words: PS: Normally, the remnant regime that split from South Vietnam could not defeat North Vietnam, which had the support of China and the Soviet Union.

　But what if China's attitude reverses? Once China and the United States join forces, North Vietnam will find it difficult to move forward even with the support of the Soviet Union.

　As long as the remaining regime that split off from South Vietnam can hold out until the Sino-Vietnamese war breaks out, independent survival will not be a problem.

　Even in our time and space, if Wang Bao had been a little more capable of fighting, he might have been able to establish his own country in Laos!

　Believe it or not, China could have assisted North Vietnam in its fight against the US in the 1960s, and assisted South Vietnam in its fight against the Soviet Union in the 1970s!

　Chapter 248: Guangnan’s Yellow Flag with a Red Sun

　"Romance of the Five Kingdoms? Seven Warring States? How come... Vietnam went from being just one country to being a bunch of countries?"

　Looking at the map of Vietnam that had been scribbled all over by Feri with a pencil, Zhao Qiuniang was a little confused. "It feels so weird!"

　"A country? As far as I know, there were already a lot of countries on this land before the French came here!"

　Fili curled his lips. "A hundred years ago, Laos was a country divided between Champasak, Luang Prabang, and Vientiane. Before the unification of the Nguyen Dynasty, Vietnam also had Ha Tien, Nam Pan, and Champa, as well as the Southern Nguyen, Northern Zheng, and Moc regimes.

　In the Central Highlands Mountains, there are countless chieftains who pay homage to Vietnam externally and declare themselves kings internally.

　Well, just like the emperor of the Nguyen Dynasty of Vietnam, who called himself the king of China and the emperor of his own country, and called himself the "Son of Great Southern".

　In addition, a long time ago, before the construction of Angkor Wat, Cambodia once placed its capital on the land that now belongs to Laos.

　If all these territorial changes need to be revisited, then when should we go back to the time when Vietnam was still China's Jiaozhou Province?

　In fact, it was only thanks to the French that they came to this land and managed to put so many messy countries together in a perfunctory manner.

　Now that the French are gone, if Ho Chi Minh wants to inherit the French legacy, he naturally has to wipe out all the heroes and kill everyone in order to win people's respect.

　But in today's world, the US and the Soviet Union are in conflict. We Americans will never allow a Soviet underling to sweep across the land with ease. So, instinctively, we'll try to make things difficult for Ho Chi Minh. Well, this is also a test for Ho Chi Minh.

　If he passes the test, he will be the overlord of Southeast Asia; if he fails, he should just stay where he is and stop making rash moves!

　"A test where the answers are written in human lives? If that's the case, how much longer will the war last? How many more people will die?"

　Zhao Qiuniang sighed and said with a sad face, "Since the Japanese arrived here, Vietnam has been at war for over twenty years! I've been at war since I was born! Family members have been killed, villages have been massacred, and shops have been looted. We're really fed up with this endless war!"

　"There's no way around it. The establishment and destruction of any country is bound to involve mountains of corpses and seas of blood, even when the United States was founded.

　Moreover, when the United States was founded, it relied on a high degree of local autonomy and compromise among its thirteen states, which prevented an immediate civil war and delayed it for eighty years. However, Ho Chi Minh and the North Vietnamese Workers' Party took a centralized approach, and even Ngo Dinh Diem in South Vietnam pursued a centralized approach.

　But the problem is, the central government wants to take back power and implement drastic reforms, so how can the local lords easily agree to it?

　Fili spread his hands. "If you want centralization, you have to fight wars, and if you fight wars, people will die. To win a war, you have to get foreign aid. And then, if you get foreign aid, your opponents will follow suit and get other foreign aid. In the end, the scale of the war will get bigger and bigger until it is out of control.

　Many of the great wars in European history were fought in this way and could not be stopped. The situation in Indochina today is likely to be no exception.

　By the way, Qiu Niang, are you a female student from Saigon? Are your family from Chinese merchants in the Cholon area?

　"Ah, yes, but my home is gone now. It was destroyed by bombs. After I escaped Saigon, I was separated from my family."

　Zhao Qiuniang was stunned for a moment, revealing a sad expression. "I originally wanted to seek refuge with my relatives in Hoi An, but they are very poor and can't support me..."

　"I'm sorry to bring up your sad story, but judging by the current situation, I'm afraid you won't be able to return to Saigon for a long time."

　Fili looked up at her and said calmly, "The Vietcong aren't very friendly to people from families like yours. According to recent intelligence, ever since the Vietcong established their so-called Republic of South Vietnam in Saigon, they've been arresting people, confiscating property, and executing dissidents throughout Saigon. The overseas Chinese merchants in the Cholon area are being targeted, and now they're trying every possible way to get a boat and escape to sea."

　If you still have acquaintances and contacts in Saigon, you might as well advise them to leave quickly, as the days ahead will probably be even more difficult!"

　“Alas, there shouldn’t be many people living at home in Saigon now. If I can’t go back, then I won’t go back!

　"But don't the US military plan to attack Saigon?" Qiu Niang asked with a complicated expression.

　"General Westmoreland may have had this idea, but it is the rainy season in Vietnam and any large-scale military action cannot be launched.

　As for the next dry season in six months...it's hard to say what the Pentagon's attitude will be, but Dr. Kissinger and I will return to the United States to advise the President, urging him not to attempt to retake Saigon, as the cost outweighs the gains. Instead, he should hand over the Third Military Region in Saigon and the Fourth Military Region in the Mekong Delta to the Viet Cong, and acknowledge, or at least acquiesce, in Red South Vietnam's long-term occupation of this territory.

　Ferry pointed at the map and said, "The best we can do is reach the cities of Da Dao and Phan Rang, which are about 200 kilometers from Saigon. We can occupy a geographical barrier that is advantageous for defense. Then there is no need to advance further. Otherwise, we will be stuck in a quagmire.

　President Eisenhower promised to protect Ngo Dinh Diem's ​​Republic of Vietnam. Not to mention how much trouble this promise caused the United States, now that Ngo Dinh Diem is dead and the Republic of Vietnam no longer exists, the agreement to provide protection should automatically expire.

　As for sending troops to Guangnan to support Zunshi Ding, it must be done in accordance with another protection agreement.

　Alas, the Geneva Agreement, signed when France withdrew from Indochina, forcibly divided the territories of South and North Vietnam along the 17th parallel, regardless of topography. This not only made the border flat and difficult to defend, but also caused so much trouble for the monks in Hue.

　If I had been in charge of drawing the border, I certainly wouldn't have sought more territory. Instead, I would have given up a hundred kilometers of territory and placed the dividing line at Hai Van Ridge. I would have left the monks and old nobles of the Hue Plain to Ho Chi Minh. Then, the old monk wouldn't have set himself on fire in Saigon, but in Hanoi!

　Listening to the "illustrious" former commander of US forces in Vietnam claiming that the original territory of South Vietnam was too large and that more land should be lost, Zhao Qiuniang was a little confused for a moment - can such defeatist ideas be spoken casually?

　Moreover, this is completely contrary to the traditional Eastern thinking of "fighting for every inch of land".

　After a long pause, she murmured, "Everyone says you're a hero who defeated the Vietcong. Why don't you look tough?"

　"Too rigid can easily break! In this complex and chaotic world, having an overly strong character isn't a good thing; it can easily turn you into a gambler. So, although I wear a military uniform, I'm not a belligerent. All I do is fulfill my duties and help the President."

　Phiri replied, "It was former President Eisenhower who enthusiastically supported Diem's ​​rule over Vietnam. Current President Kennedy had no good feelings towards Diem or Vietnam. But under pressure from Congress and public opinion, President Kennedy had no choice but to send troops to Vietnam to fight this war."

　Since it was a war he was unwilling to fight, President Kennedy certainly hoped that the scale of the war would be as small as possible and the number of troops involved would be as small as possible.

　As a loyal subject to the President, I naturally have to share his worries and try to narrow the scope of the battlefield, carving out a small and easily defendable territory for Quang Nam. At the same time, I will abandon all those plains that are not conducive to defense, such as the water network plains of the Mekong River.

　"But those plains in the south are the richest places." Zhao Qiuniang said she was a little confused.

　"Rich? Perhaps, but what can the United States get from these so-called rich places? Rice? Rubber? Coffee? Tea?

　How could the United States, as a world leader, be lacking in these tropical products that can be found in Vietnam?

　We in the United States are not the impoverished imperialists of Japan who have nothing, nor are we the Russian polar bears who are crazy about tropical land.

　Since the beginning of the 20th century, all of Latin America has been the backyard of the United States, with a wide range of tropical specialties such as rubber, coffee and sugar.

　Even when it comes to rice and tea, the tea and rice produced in Vietnam are not that good compared to those of other US allies in Asia.

　As for the market that half of Vietnam can provide for American goods?

　To be honest, the market size is actually very limited, almost better than nothing.

　Did you know that during the years of President Ngo Dinh Diem’s administration, Saigon Customs’ imports exceeded its exports by a full twelve times!

　How did the Diem government fill such a huge trade deficit? It was all thanks to the US sending money to Vietnam!

　For the past decade, the United States, as the world leader, has been losing money by providing financial support to Ngo Dinh Diem's ​​Republic of Vietnam.

　Phiri said with emotion, "The Vietcong always say that the United States colonized Vietnam, but this statement is more likely to be applied to the French. From what I know, the French really exploited the locals in Vietnam, and their ability to plunder and accumulate wealth from the locals was not much worse than that of the British in India.

　But what about the current situation between the United States and Vietnam? In this world, only colonies are exploited by their sovereigns, not colonies that need money from their sovereigns to support them. Rather than saying that the United States colonized and plundered Vietnam, it is better to say that the United States was stupid and found a Vietnamese ancestor to support itself!

　In this war, what could President Kennedy and the US government gain from Vietnam? Only the ability to save face.

　Moreover, this face belongs to the Republicans, not the Democrats. Therefore, this cabinet really has no enthusiasm for expanding the war.

　Of course, Vice President Johnson had a personal relationship with Ngo Dinh Diem, and President Kennedy had to be more considerate of the previous Saigon regime out of his affection. But now that Ngo Dinh Diem was dead, Vice President Johnson no longer had the obligation to protect the old South Vietnamese regime.

　Under these circumstances, if even one province or one city of the old South Vietnamese regime survived in the next few years, President Kennedy would have a way to explain to public opinion and domestic hardliners, and to the international community that he had not failed and that the United States had not lost Vietnam.

　As for what will happen in a few years? By then, President Kennedy will have finished his term, and we can fully trust the wisdom of the next president!

　"Ah, it's unbelievable. President Kennedy, who sent hundreds of thousands of troops across the sea to attack us, was actually just perfunctory and pretending. And our hometown, which we think is quite rich, is a poor and remote place with nothing in the eyes of you, a famous American general?" Zhao Qiuniang teased with a smile.

　"How can you say Vietnam doesn't have good things? Just having a beauty like you makes my trip worthwhile!"

　Fili also smiled and reached out to grab Zhao Qiuniang's delicate breasts, gently flicking the pink tips. Immediately, her whole body trembled as if she had been electrocuted. With a moan, she fell into Fili's not-so-broad chest, then raised her small fists and coquettishly engaged Fili in close combat.

　The two of them hugged and laughed for a while, but then they heard a noise outside. Fili leaned over to the window and looked out. He saw that it was the servants of the Fujian Association changing the flag. From the eaves where the flag was hung, they took down the yellow three-line flag of the former South Vietnamese regime and replaced it with the newly made Guangnan Sun Flag.

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　Uh? Rising Sun Flag?

　That’s right, it’s the Rising Sun Flag, but the background color is yellow.

　After General Zunshi Ding rebuilt the Kingdom of Quang Nam and established its capital in Da Nang, he naturally continued to use the flag of his ancestors.

　Before the 20th century, the national flags of Quang Nam and the early Nguyen Dynasty of Vietnam also used the same Rising Sun Flag as the Japanese flag. The only difference was that the Japanese flag had a white background, while the Nguyen Dynasty's flag had a yellow background. One featured a red sun painted on white cloth, while the other had a red sun painted on yellow cloth.

　If you think about it carefully, during the Pacific War, when the Japanese army invaded Indochina, the Nguyen Dynasty of Vietnam still existed in theory.

　I wonder if Emperor Bao Dai would have had some subtle sense of déjà vu when he saw the Japanese Rising Sun Flag rising outside the palace?

　By the way, the Tây Sơn dynasty, which ruled Vietnam even earlier than the Nguyen Dynasty, also used the Sun Flag as its national flag. However, the colors were reversed: a yellow sun on a red background, with the solid circle representing the sun being yellow and the background being red.

　Wait, Japan's Meiji Restoration seemed to have taken place half a century after the unification of Vietnam by the Nguyen Dynasty?

　Before Emperor Meiji ascended the throne, the Japanese national flag during the Edo period should have been the "three-leaf sunflower", the family crest of the Tokugawa shogunate!

　If this is the case, then is it that the Vietnamese flag copied from Japan, or is it that the Japanese flag copied from Vietnam?

　Just as Ferry was thinking about who copied the Nguyen Dynasty flag of Vietnam or the Japanese flag of the previous century, he heard his entourage from the United States, radio operator Wolf Lee, shouting outside the window: "Sir, Dr. Kissinger is here!"

　"Okay, let him have some tea and wait a moment. I'll be out in a few minutes!"

　Fili answered loudly, patted Qiu Niang's butt, told her to go back to bed and stay there, put on his military uniform and boots again, then left the notebooks, folders and maps spread out on the small table beside the bed and walked out.

　Well, as he walked out the door, as expected, he caught a glimpse of a certain cat sneaking up to the table out of the corner of his eye...

　In response, Fili just smiled knowingly, closed the door and locked it.

　Then he walked to the reception room next door and saw Dr. Kissinger wearing a white shirt and suspender shorts.

　Sitting there drinking tea with sweat on his head.

　"Good afternoon, Doctor. Any news from Da Nang today?"

　Fili started to greet him, "Or has the White House already sent the official document appointing you as ambassador?"

　——Ever since he and Phiri experienced a series of earth-shattering changes in Vietnam, witnessed and participated in a war, and saw the fall of a country and the birth of another, Dr. Kissinger has developed an increasingly strong interest in this land.

　Therefore, after Quang Nam was born from the ruins of South Vietnam, he tried every means to use his connections to try to become the US ambassador to Quang Nam.

　After all, with the massive deployment of over 100,000 US troops, Guangnan was bound to become a hotspot, offering numerous opportunities for achievement and fame. For a rising international strategic scholar, it was truly a fascinating and fertile ground.

　Especially since he was currently in Da Nang and had been deeply involved in the founding of the country, which had saved it from the North Vietnamese onslaught, he had the advantage of being close to the water and getting the moon first. If he also had friends in the White House to help him speak up, then he still had a 60-70 chance of getting the ambassadorship.

　——The war-torn frontier countries are indeed dangerous, but it is precisely in such places of intense conflict that diplomats are more likely to show their talents and make a name for themselves... Of course, if they mess up, they will also be ruined: the principle of seeking wealth and honor in danger is the same no matter what industry you are in.

　Firi fully supported this and even sent a telegram to his brother, a congressman, asking him to help Dr. Kissinger smooth out relations in Washington.

　"Alas, the ambassadorial position isn't going to be finalized so quickly. I heard there are contenders in Washington as well."

　Dr. Kissinger sighed and replied, "I'm here to tell you about the latest intelligence. The Beijing authorities have just diplomatically recognized Saigon's 'Republic of South Vietnam' and announced that they will send an ambassador to Saigon at a later date!"

　"Diplomatically recognize 'Red South Vietnam'? Haha, as expected, China doesn't really like seeing Vietnam unified! This mean-spirited Big Brother, while he has no reason to spank Ho Chi Minh now, has certainly fed the Vietnamese children a mouthful of shit!"

　Fili laughed. "That way, General Westmoreland won't have to worry about repeating the mistakes of General MacArthur. There won't be another Chinese volunteer army running south of the 17th parallel to fight him..."

　Author's words: PS: The reversal of the China-US-Soviet triangle diplomacy and the China-US alliance began long before the end of the Vietnam War.

　China's aid to Vietnam dropped sharply in 1974 and basically stopped in 1975, while South Vietnam still existed.

　In addition, judging from the map of this dimension, although the United States suffered almost no casualties in the Vietnam War, it was defeated miserably, and even Red South Vietnam emerged!

　In the end, Saigon was lost, and the former South Vietnamese elite were wiped out. Quang Nam is now effectively ruled by the Catholic Church, the Central Highlands by a coalition of indigenous chiefs, and Ha Tien by Hoa Hao monks, who are the kind of people who are hard to escape even if they are greedy.

　Can you imagine that the Native American chief accepted military aid but did not resist the white people, abandoned his tribe and land and fled overseas to become a sojourner?

　Chapter 249: Feeding Vietnamese Children with Shit

　Since the change of ownership of Hue and the fall of Saigon, the United States has not only sent troops directly to Vietnam and launched an expedition, but has also been making loud attacks on the diplomatic battlefield.

　Compared with the past, the United States has the upper hand in the international public opinion this time and won the support of most countries in the world.

　Because no matter how the North Vietnamese side and the red camp countries that supported North Vietnam argued, they were the first to blatantly violate the 1954 Geneva Agreement, sending troops to break through the demilitarized zone of the 17th parallel north latitude and occupying a large piece of South Vietnamese territory by force.

　- Although Ho Chi Minh tried to disguise the battle to liberate the South as an "internal revolution of the South Vietnamese regime" rather than an invasion of one country by another by allowing southern party members to establish the "Republic of South Vietnam" in Saigon, he did so in the international community.

　But the problem is that what is happening in Saigon can perhaps be disguised by creating a "Republic of South Vietnam".

　But the five North Vietnamese regular army divisions that appeared on the Hue Plain and fought a fierce battle with the US military at Hai Van Ridge were an invasion no matter what, right?

　Not to mention, after the North Vietnamese army entered Hue, they soon cut down mountains and destroyed temples everywhere, causing a series of "humanitarian disasters" - before that, the monk group in Hue simply ran to Saigon to hold a self-immolation protest, which shocked the world and caused a global sensation.

　Then, the brutal suppression of Buddhists by the Ngo Dinh Diem regime nailed him to the pillar of shame as the "Nero of the modern age."

　While international public opinion condemns Vietnam, it also generally has the illusion that no matter who comes to power in Vietnam, they will not be worse than Ngo Dinh Diem, right?

　As a result, now, when the North Vietnamese arrived in Hue, they no longer brutally suppressed the people. Instead, they completely destroyed all the Buddhist temples and churches, dragged out monks, nuns, priests and sisters who were said to have "reactionary ideas" and shot them, or at least threw them into labor camps, and confiscated all their land and property...

　Isn’t this equivalent to escalating religious persecution into religious massacre?

　You, Ho Chi Minh, look kind-hearted, but how come you are even more brutal than Ngo Dinh Diem when you fight?