American Strategic Deception Bureau

　Not to mention, after the North Vietnamese army entered Hue, driven by radical sentiment

　They arrested and killed people on a large scale, and at one point lost control, causing many bloody massacres. They even beat to death several UN agency personnel and foreign journalists in Hue, causing the news media to have a strong negative impression of them.

　All these factors led to the Eastern Bloc, led by the Soviet Union, ultimately becoming a one-man show in its international diplomatic support for North Vietnam.

　Most countries expressed their disapproval of North Vietnam's initiative to initiate war and create a humanitarian disaster.

　However, for the Americans already on the battlefield, the support and solidarity of those small, far-flung nations was essentially worthless. The Soviets, always timid and timid, would at most provide North Vietnam with weapons, but sending troops was out of the question.

　The Cuban conflict was a defensive one, and the Soviet Union still had a gamble on the US not daring to attack. But Vietnam was an offensive war. If the Soviets joined the war, they would have to lead the Vietnamese army to attack US positions! And this would be in an overseas battlefield far from the Soviet mainland!

　No matter how crazy Khrushchev was, he would not have the courage to do such a thing.

　What is really worth paying attention to now is the attitude of Red China.

　You know, in the past ten years, China first defeated the United States in a bloody battle, and then easily defeated India. Its prestige was at its peak.

　No matter how much the media smears and slanders China, even the most arrogant white Westerners have to admit that China is now very capable.

　So, the Pentagon is currently watching Beijing, wondering whether the Chinese will form another volunteer army to march south to Indochina, just as they did in Korea, to help Vietnam establish a red "Indochina Federation"?

　A heated debate broke out within the US government over this issue.

　Some self-proclaimed hawks, based on the experience of the Korean War, pessimistically believe that since the US military has already entered the war, it must be prepared for China to follow suit and send troops.

　But Firi and Dr. Kissinger, this "defeatist strategist", were optimistic that as long as the United States did not intend to destroy North Vietnam and had no intention of planting the American flag on the Chinese border, China would never take the initiative to send troops south of the 17th parallel north to help Vietnam expand its territory for nothing.

　In particular, the United States has now abolished the legal system of Ngo Dinh Diem's ​​"Republic of Vietnam" and has not re-established the last Vietnamese monarch, Emperor Bao Dai. Instead, it has revived the former names of several local separatist regimes in accordance with the historical evolution of the Indochina Peninsula.

　This is equivalent to making the several local regimes remaining in the ruins of South Vietnam lose their claim to the entire territory of Vietnam, especially the North Vietnam region.

　As long as Beijing is not blind, it should be able to see from such a clear political signal that the United States is subtly showing weakness: not only does it no longer hope to destroy North Vietnam, but it can even give up a large piece of South Vietnam, as long as it is not swallowed up completely and not even a trace is left.

　So, would Red China be happy to see North Vietnam unify the north and the south, annex Indochina, dominate the Indochina Peninsula, and roar over Southeast Asia?

　Are you kidding me?! How is this possible?!

　As both are red countries, China and the Soviet Union could even cause a breakdown in relations, so how could China and Vietnam always be close?

　You know, Ho Chi Minh had publicly said before that he would rather eat French shit for 50 years than eat Chinese shit for 1,000 years - although he was referring to the Chiang Kai-shek government troops who entered Vietnam to accept the surrender of the Japanese army. But this does not prevent many Vietnamese from interpreting it as all Chinese.

　In addition, after the founding of North Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh immediately abolished Chinese characters and achieved cultural decoupling from China.

　This shows what its true attitude towards China is.

　Similarly, when Premier Zhou signed the Geneva Agreement, allowing Hanoi to open its city without bloodshed and helping Ho Chi Minh to conquer North Vietnam without a fight, he also implicitly forced Ho Chi Minh to change the prefix of the party name from "Indochina" to "Vietnam", excluding Laos and Cambodia from his jurisdiction.

　Although North Vietnam still maintained a strong influence on Laos, at least from a legal perspective, it was clearly divided into two countries.

　This shows that although China claimed to be "comrades and brothers", it had already restricted North Vietnam's expansion from the very beginning.

　Although China would not prevent or interfere with the unification of North Vietnam, it is not certain that China would be willing to pay a huge price for the unification of North and South Vietnam. Previously, on the Korean Peninsula, when the Chinese People's Volunteer Army could not hold Seoul, they immediately retreated.

　From this, Kissinger concluded that China's support for North Vietnam was comparable to that of the United States for South Vietnam, limited to ensuring the survival of the North Vietnamese regime, rather than unconditionally supporting Ho Chi Minh's arbitrary expansion in Indochina. Phiri also agreed with this view.

　But the problem is that, because the United States has long been exaggerating the aggressiveness and organization of the "evil red camp," many people stubbornly regard Red China as another warmongering old Japanese Empire—especially many brainless congressmen.

　These gentlemen regarded North Vietnam as a protectorate under the strict control of China, and believed that the North Vietnamese People's Army was the Chinese People's Liberation Army in a new dress. North Vietnam's expansion was equal to China's expansion. They never considered that beneath China's seemingly enthusiastic rhetoric, there were hidden restrictions and games.

　In short, they overestimated the unity of the red camp, thinking that those red countries were really brainwashed and there was no internal intrigue.

　Of course, this is not the case, but it is difficult to convince a group of granite heads and those who are trying to establish themselves that

　A guy who pretends to be stupid.

　In short, on the question of whether China would send troops to participate in the Vietnam War, everyone in the United States had their own opinions, and no one could convince anyone else.

　However, since it was the rainy season in Vietnam, which meant that neither side could move, no one was in a hurry and thought they could wait and see.

　——In Vietnam, it’s not that no one has tried to fight during the rainy season amidst heavy rain and floods, but the results have always been seriously disadvantageous to the attacking side.

　For example, in early September 1945, a British force that had accepted the surrender of Japanese troops in Indochina attempted to force a sweep of the Mekong Delta during the rainy season. They were then paralyzed by torrential rain and mud and nearly defeated by Hoa Hao monks and Viet Cong guerrillas.

　Some time later, General Leclerc arrived in Vietnam with the French Expeditionary Force, taking over from the British. By then, the rainy season had ended and the dry season had begun. The French army's repeated victories around Saigon made the French feel they were quite capable, at least far superior to the British.

　If it were today, it would be basically suicidal for the North Vietnamese army to storm the US military strongholds during the rainy season, and the US military would not want to take the initiative to attack under the negative BUFF - in such a heavy rain, there might be more people dying from falling on the road, getting sick from being caught in the rain, or dying in car accidents than those dying in battle!

　Sure enough, less than half a month after the US military landed in Vietnam, Red China made a subtle response.

　——Beijing issued an enthusiastic open letter, congratulating the people of South Vietnam on their great victory in the anti-colonial cause and socialist revolution, and gave diplomatic recognition to the "Republic of South Vietnam" government established by the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam in Saigon!

　At the same time, China would send an ambassador to Saigon with credentials to formally establish diplomatic relations, select land for the embassy, ​​and even provide aid...

　Well, it seems that he is very enthusiastic, righteous, and great!

　If this is how we treat a little brother who has just joined the socialist camp, there is absolutely nothing wrong with it!

　But the problem is that the top leaders of the North Vietnamese Workers' Party in Hanoi have never thought of establishing a red "brother country" in South Vietnam!

　Their idea from the very beginning was to unify the North and the South!

　The so-called "National Liberation Front of South Vietnam" was not an ally of the North Vietnamese Workers' Party, but a subordinate one!

　The reason for establishing a "Republic of South Vietnam" in Saigon was simply to appease the people and fool international public opinion. Due to Vietnam's long history of division between the North and the South, many southerners lacked a sense of identity with their fellow ethnic groups in the North and had doubts about accepting North Vietnamese rule.

　For this reason, it was necessary to temporarily establish a "Southern Republic", which was nominally on an equal footing with North Vietnam, to show that Hanoi had no discrimination against its compatriots in the South.

　But in the eyes of the Hanoi authorities, this "Southern Republic" is merely a transitional tool that cannot exist for long. Just like the "New Economic Policy" in the early days of the Soviet Union, it is a temporary retreat out of desperation and must be abolished as soon as the situation improves.

　However, China's public recognition of the "Republic of South Vietnam" is tantamount to feeding Hanoi a mouthful of shit, choking North Vietnam and making it roll its eyes.

　Because once China takes the lead in granting diplomatic recognition, and a bunch of countries follow suit to establish diplomatic relations, then Saigon’s "Republic of South Vietnam" may become a reality and truly become a national entity... It will be much more troublesome to cancel it at that time!

　No matter how loyal the comrades in the South are to the Party, their thinking will probably change once they actually take the position of national leader.

　Once the Southern Republic really develops a strong sense of independence, even if Vietnam can still achieve national unification through a referendum, the political differences between the North and the South will greatly increase, and the risk of division will soar - just like the "United Arab Republic" established by the merger of Egypt and Syria in 1958, which only lasted until 1961 and then disbanded because it could not be maintained.

　Therefore, Beijing’s diplomatic recognition of “Red South Vietnam” was really just feeding a mouthful of shit to the Vietnamese children with a smile!

　But although this diplomatic recognition is a thorn in the side of the Hanoi authorities, it is difficult to find any fault with it from a legal point of view.

　Because pretending to be an "independent country" in the South and fooling the international community was originally a strategy devised by the Hanoi authorities themselves.

　So, since you've already publicly declared your independence, and others are simply giving you recognition, can you still lash back, accusing those who want to establish diplomatic ties with you of harboring "evil intentions"? Or even declare that "Red South Vietnam" will close its doors to the outside world and refuse any diplomatic recognition from the international community?

　Or should Hanoi speak out and accuse China of trying to divide Vietnam? But Vietnam is already divided. When will it be unified?

　"If China sends its ambassador to Saigon with letters of credence, or even directly delivers aid materials and funds to Saigon, will the southern Viet Cong leadership in Saigon accept China's letters of credence and aid or not?

　If he accepted it, he would inevitably anger Hanoi and might be regarded as a traitor, and then be dismissed or even purged by the Workers' Party.

　"But if they return it, it would be a clear statement to the international community: the so-called 'Republic of South Vietnam' is nothing more than a puppet of Hanoi, and all its previous whitewashing as an independent nation has been in vain."

　Dr. Kissinger, holding a teacup in his hand, said enthusiastically, "Although this cannot have a direct impact on the war situation,

　But it was also enough to create chaos for the Vietcong and help us see many things clearly - for example, how strong was the control of the North Vietnamese Workers' Party over the South Vietcong? How broad was Ho Chi Minh's mind? These wonderful questions are really interesting to think about!

　Author's words: PS: During the Vietnam War in our time and space, the reason why China went too far in aiding North Vietnam and ended up nurturing a tiger to harm itself was because it was not sure about the real strategic goal of the United States, whether it was just to preserve South Vietnam or to continue moving north.

　Although the 17th parallel was publicly drawn in Vietnam, just as the 38th parallel was drawn in Korea, until the end of the Vietnam War, China was still unsure whether the United States would cross this line and move north, or support South Vietnam in moving north - because the United States' aid to South Vietnam was too strong.

　After the diplomatic thaw between China and the United States and the mutual clarification of strategic intentions, China's aid to Vietnam suddenly dropped.

　But South Vietnam was already on its last legs at this time, not to mention the massive aid provided by the Soviet Union, which eventually allowed North Vietnam to successfully conquer the South.

　Chapter 250: Kissinger's Failed Job Hunt

　In fact, the reason why the "Republic of South Vietnam" was taken advantage of and became so powerful that it could not be eliminated was ultimately North Vietnam's own fault.

　Who made the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Vietnam add unnecessary details? In order to respect the independence of the southerners, it gave the South Vietnam Liberation Front a "quasi-state" treatment from the very beginning, with a national flag, national anthem, national name, and state system, which was at least the standard of a Soviet republic?

　Now that the quasi-state has become a real state, if the North wants to annex and unify the country in the future, it will have to give up a great deal of power to its comrades in the South.

　But that's hard to say. Ho Chi Minh's successor, Le Duan, was originally from the southern faction. If he could rely on his achievements in South Vietnam to achieve his political aspirations of "subjugating the north with the south," then perhaps even the prosperity of the "Republic of South Vietnam" wouldn't matter.

　If the top leadership of the "Southern Republic" is the next generation of national leaders, then the so-called division issue will disappear.

　However, Le Duan has now gone to Hanoi, and his position has changed, so it is hard to say what he is thinking.

　How much control and influence did Le Duan, who was in Hanoi in the north, have over his southern comrades in Saigon who had become "national leaders"? Ultimately, this is a very interesting thing to ponder - it feels a bit like the cooperation and game between a US governor and a state senator.

　So, it’s no wonder that Dr. Kissinger’s eyes lit up when he talked about this: This is equivalent to throwing the enemy into a track that they are familiar with!

　"However, compared to the two 'Red Vietnams' coexisting in the south and the north, we also have three countries waiting to be established here."

　Fili changed the subject. "Now that there's no war going on, it's time to prepare for the founding of our nation. How are things going?"

　Although the United States managed to trumpet its victory in the Hai Van Ling defensive battle in international media, attempting to disguise its defeat as victory, as if North Vietnam had been defeated by the US military, a glance at the map shows that North Vietnam was still the victorious side in this year's dry season campaign.

　Not only was the red flag raised in Saigon, but at least 50% of the land and 70% of the population in South Vietnam were brought under the rule of the Viet Cong.

　More importantly, North Vietnam also obtained the legal legitimacy and destiny to rule all of Vietnam and even the entire Indochina!

　Originally, North Vietnam only controlled Hanoi (Thang Long), the old capital that had been abandoned for more than a hundred years, while South Vietnam controlled Hue and Saigon, two more recent capitals. The two sides were equal in terms of legal status - equivalent to China, where one regime controlled Chang'an and Luoyang, and the other regime controlled Nanjing and Beijing, and each could claim the right to claim the entire country.

　But after a series of dramatic changes this spring, Hanoi, Vietnam's oldest thousand-year-old capital, Hue, the capital of the Nguyen Dynasty, and Saigon, the capital of the French Indochina Federation, the three sacred artifacts symbolizing "Great Southern Mandate" have all fallen into the hands of the Viet Cong.

　After having all three cities, the Viet Cong can be said to have fully stacked up the legitimacy buff for ruling this land.

　In this case, if the United States wants to make things difficult for Uncle Ho Chi Minh, it can only play the two cards of "religious freedom" and "national self-determination" to create two religious states and one indigenous state, so that it can stand firm politically.

　Moreover, the initial structure of the three new countries must be established before the next dry season arrives and North Vietnam launches another attack.

　Otherwise, the US troops stationed in Vietnam would be at risk of instability in the rear during the war.

　"The Guangnan Kingdom, which was established by Zunshi, has almost completed its government structure."

　Dr. Kissinger replied, "Although he was troubled by the decision to make Da Nang the capital, complaining to me that Seoul, the capital of South Korea, was over 40 kilometers from the 38th parallel, while Da Nang was only 20 kilometers from Hai Van Ridge, making it too unsafe, he was reluctant to move to smaller southern cities like Quang Ngai and Gui Ninh. In the end, Da Nang was the only choice."

　"Isn't this perfectly normal? The emperor guards the country's gates, and the one with the strongest army and horses is the emperor."

　Fili shrugged his shoulders. "As the front line facing the military pressure from North Vietnam, after the establishment of Quang Nam, it is destined to station most of its troops in Da Nang. And the person who commands the troops stationed in Da Nang will be this person.

　The real ruler of the country.

　If Sonmushitsugu handed over most of his troops to others, what would be the difference between that and resigning voluntarily?

　——Of course, since the capital is located on the border, it is inevitable that it will be infiltrated and attacked by armed forces.

　Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang can still send a special forces team to sneak into Seoul and attack the Blue House; Uncle Ho in Hanoi will definitely send people to cause trouble in Da Nang.

　There is no way around it. Once you choose the emperor to guard the country's borders, you have to be prepared to welcome all kinds of hostile guests at any time.

　"Then, the Dega Autonomous State in the Western Plains is still in its infancy, and even its name has been rejected."

　Dr. Kissinger sighed and said, "Leaders of the Setang people in Kontum Province and the Miao people in the Dak Le Plateau said that the 'Dega Autonomous State' was originally created by the Ede and Jarai peoples, and even the Jarai people themselves could not reach a consensus, let alone people of other ethnic groups who would not recognize it.

　The Cham people of Phan Rang also reject the name "Dega Autonomous State," considering it an insult. They also demand that Ninh Thuan Province's name be changed back to Champa Province, as Ninh Thuan was a name imposed on them by the Kinh people.

　Well, that makes sense. After all, the various mountain barbarians in the Western Plains were originally vassals and slaves of the Champa Kingdom.

　During its heyday, Champa was once a powerful force in the southeast. It led its troops to capture Angkor and defeat the Khmer Empire.

　Although Champa had long been decimated by Vietnam, and the remaining 200,000 Cham people were in dire straits, even worse off than the people of the Central Highlands, the Cham people still felt a little uncomfortable psychologically about the situation of "slaves bullying their masters."

　--Also, let me explain here that the Sanskrit name of Champa is pronounced "Champa-pula," meaning the city built by the Cham people. Therefore, ancient Chinese historical texts sometimes omit the latter half of the name and transliterate it as "Champa-Kingdom," while others fully translate it as "Champa-Kingdom." These are essentially the same concept.

　But now that an autonomous province of the Cham people is to be established in Phan Rang City, it should naturally be called Champa Province, rather than Champa Province.

　"In addition, the White House is dissatisfied with the vague concept of 'self-governing country' because it does not show the determination for independence."

　Well, those radical Central Highlands people who opposed the Diem regime secretly hatched the "United Front for the Struggle of the Oppressed Nationalities." They chose the incongruous name "Dega Autonomous State" because they hadn't yet decided on the form of government they would adopt after independence: a republic? A federation? A confederation? A single king? Or perhaps a "United Emirates" like the UAE?

　At that time, they did not even make a clear decision on whether to completely gain independence from South Vietnam.

　According to some conservative tribal elders, as long as they could preserve their ancestral lands and allow the Kinh people to migrate out, they could maintain the feudal-era "suzerain-vassal relationship," paying tribute to President Ngo Dinh Diem and existing as an autonomous entity in South Vietnam.

　——It is roughly equivalent to the "autonomous republics" under the various Soviet republics, such as Chechnya and Tatarstan.

　In this situation where a hundred people have a thousand different opinions and no one can convince anyone else, only the concept of "autonomy" has gained widespread recognition among all Jarai and Ede tribes. Therefore, in order to unite the broadest social forces, the rebels raised the banner of the "Dega Autonomous State."

　However, times have changed. By now, Saigon has hoisted the red flag, and the United States, which has changed its flag to support the independence of the Central Highlands mountain people, is most worried that these barbarians in the mountains will continue to have ties with the Viet Cong. What if "Red South Vietnam" agrees to the mountain people's demand for a high degree of autonomy and agrees to allow an "autonomous republic" within its territory like the Soviet Union... Then, wouldn't the Vietnam War situation faced by the US military be even more devastating?

　Therefore, the US believes that if these mountain people want independence now, they must be completely independent and cannot leave any ambiguous space of "seemingly independent but not independent".

　Therefore, the name "Dega Autonomous State", which was neither representative nor widely recognized, nor completely independent, was also rejected.

　"Well, I looked up ancient texts and suggested they name it 'Nanpan Kingdom,' but they said that was a name given to them by ancient Vietnamese monarchs, and they didn't want to use a name bestowed upon them by their enemies. Then, they came up with the name 'Dega Autonomous State,' which is even more problematic and inappropriate..."

　Fili curled his lips. "So what should we name our country? Should we use the ancient name of the Jarai people, 'The House of Water and Fire'?"

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　Vietnam's Central Highlands region has been home to a diverse mix of ethnic groups since ancient times, with distinct language systems, including the Austronesian-speaking Jarai and Ede, and the Khmer-speaking Bana and Hya. Consequently, it was once subject to the Champa Empire's rule for a thousand years.

　Since the ancient unified Champa Kingdom was defeated by the Vietnamese Le Dynasty in 1471, these tribal chiefs have regained their independence.