American Strategic Deception Bureau

　"Well, that does seem to be the case. Those who advocate war should be responsible for it. Although, as far as I know, in reality, the farther away from the war, the more bellicose people are. And the more those who advocate war, the less willing they are to go to the battlefield..."

　Dr. Kissinger curled his lips. "But it's useless to just convince me. You also have to convince the White House and Congress..."

　"Convincing the White House and Congress? That's your job, Doctor. I just made a suggestion. You are the consul of Phu Quoc Island, and I am just a passerby who came to help. What's more, I even paved the way for you at the beginning!"

　Phiri said, “During the few days you were in Phnom Penh, the CIA’s immigrant (slave) ship had already arrived at Phu Quoc Island…”

　In the human body, the law of the jungle is a common phenomenon.

　Don't assume that all Buddhist refugees are kind or gentle people. Christians are certainly adept at committing sins and then repenting. But Buddhists, too, believe that "alcohol and meat pass through the intestines, but the Buddha remains in the heart," and that "lay down the butcher knife and attain Buddhahood instantly." This demonstrates the commonalities among universal religions.

　Especially those young women who have lost the protection of their husbands and fathers and brothers, in this environment, are the lambs coveted by all other refugees - there is no need for any incitement, as long as the original order is broken, it is enough to release the evil in the hearts of many people.

　It was common for people to be raped to death, robbed, or even boiled into a pot and turned into two-legged sheep.

　Even in the refugee camps on Phu Quoc Island, where relatively sufficient food is distributed daily, single women among the refugees are still the main targets of exclusion and predation. They often go without food or are deliberately bullied by strong men, living in tension and fear every day.

　So, when Fili's old subordinate, the one-legged proprietress Armas, was ordered to come to Phu Quoc Island and raised a flag to recruit female workers, hundreds of Vietnamese women immediately came to inquire about their treatment. When they learned that once they were selected, they would be able to take a ship to the United States, where they would have food and accommodation provided, with American soldiers standing guard, and would receive a resettlement allowance of fifty US dollars and two boxes of canned food each, they immediately flocked to get a number and line up.

　As for what they would be recruited for, they were already mentally prepared – having become refugees, how could they still hope to remain innocent?

　Furthermore, the Vietnamese, especially the South Vietnamese, placed far less importance on chastity and honor than their Chinese contemporaries. On the brink of life and death, these women, just to make a living, would consciously engage in coquettish behavior, performing "a woman's oldest occupation."

　Of course, just in case, to prevent some Vietnamese women applying for jobs from getting confused, there was a short Vietnamese man next to the recruitment office, holding a loudspeaker and loudly announcing in a cocky manner: "You must understand that this is the job you chose to do! I don't care who you were before or what your future was like. Now that you're here, it means you have no choice!

　I'm going to be frank here! You're going to be serving American masters! Don't even think you can act like a lady! When you get to America, you'll either be working as a bar hostess, working as a nanny for a wealthy family, or washing dishes and doing odd jobs!

　Although these jobs are not dignified, they can provide you with food! If you wait a few years and become American citizens, everyone will become an American. Then you will be able to escape from the sea of ​​suffering and live a good life!

　Well, the above are just nice ways of saying things to cover up the truth. In reality, thanks to the CIA's ruthless behavior, the lucky few who were eventually able to become American citizens are probably very few: even the few naked female slaves kept in the Fieri family are mostly still illegal immigrants!

　But what can I say? No matter how bad the future is, it's better than enduring the precarious rain in a refugee camp, right?

　-

　"How's the recruitment going? Are you having any trouble?"

　Fili, who came to inspect, stood beside the one-legged proprietress Armas and asked casually while watching the Vietnamese women who had successfully applied for the job, who were led by the female bodyguards with fat faces to take a shower and disinfect with a mixed feeling of joy and worry, and nervousness.

　In Fili's eyes, the women in the refugee camp were all gaunt, unkempt, and filthy. It was hard to tell what they looked like, only a dazzling sight. It was like looking at a pile of dirty potatoes. When he got closer, the stench of sweat was unbearable.

　But the boss lady of Armas, who was responsible for this screening work, and the people sent by the CIA to help her, were able to pick out the beauties who met the American aesthetic standards from these haggard refugees one by one!

　According to the boss lady of Armas, those professional human traffickers who are really capable and have good eyesight do not choose people by looking at their faces directly. Instead, they look at beauties from the perspective of human anatomy, such as the height of the brow bones and nose bones, the distance between the eyes, the position of the hip bones, etc.

　Combined with the physical health status, as well as the bonuses in culture and talent, it is divided into several levels such as ABCDE, so that effective "quantitative management" can be implemented - otherwise, everyone has different aesthetic preferences when looking at beautiful women, and this standard that varies from person to person cannot be standardized.

　Even if high-ranking women seemed unremarkable at first glance, if they were given a few days of adequate food and a good rest, they would most likely quickly regain their former glory and charm, restoring their beauty and femininity—allowing human traffickers to profit greatly from this.

　"No trouble, everything went smoothly. The CIA brand works well here."

　The Armas owner replied, "Local sources are also very well-behaved, with little noise or disturbance."

　Fili glanced around at the Marines who had been improvised to stand guard. He felt that with their intimidating power, no Vietnamese refugee would dare to set off a pyrotechnic bomb, let alone commit fraud. These days, soldiers killing civilians in war zones is a common occurrence everywhere. As long as it didn't escalate to the level of massacre, public opinion rarely complained: "It's war, so how could there not be some innocent deaths?"

　As for what happens to the women after they get on board, there is no need to worry about it - because the CIA is thousands of miles away from the other side of the ocean.

　The "special passenger ship" sent all the way to Phu Quoc Island is basically a modern prison ship. The cabins are all cells, and the hatches with iron bars can only be opened and locked from the outside. The ventilation ducts and portholes have also been specially designed and reinforced. Ordinary women with fragile bodies cannot escape at all.

　In the end, they were transported to various CIA black jails and then resold to underground bars and nightclubs, or some special clubs. From then on, they contributed to the United States' "smokeless industry" and "special tourism industry" and became the lowest-level consumables in various entertainment venues.

　However, at this time, the refugee women who were unaware of the truth were still holding on to the dream of behaving well and getting a green card to become Americans.

　So, having walked through the door of the job application process, they certainly wouldn't cause any trouble or make a scene. Even if they were asked to undergo some embarrassing physical examinations, even if every orifice of their bodies was touched, they would still submit obediently, bearing the shame and humiliation.

　Some Vietnamese women who passed the inspection and were about to be transported on board, after receiving their "settlement fee" of fifty US dollars and two boxes of canned food, immediately ran to the barbed wire fence surrounding the camp and handed the money and canned food they had just received to their families through the barbed wire fence.

　Other women who were kicked out due to failing the physical examination left silently with a bag of cookies as a consolation prize, looking depressed.

　"How many people have you recruited now? How many Vietnamese women are you going to take back?" Fili continued to ask the boss lady of Armas.

　"The ship can accommodate 400 people. We have already recruited over 300 people today. We should be able to recruit all of them by evening at the latest."

　The Armas boss's wife replied, "The bureau will send another immigrant ship in September, but I won't be in charge then..."

　"That's right. It's a good thing you can host such a lucrative job. But, are there really many buyers willing to buy these small Vietnamese women with no breasts or buttocks? I don't think they really conform to the general aesthetic of most Americans!"

　"It's better to have no breasts and no butt! Recently, the Vietnam issue has become the number one focus and hot topic in domestic news. Those rich and idle guys, besides talking nonsense about Vietnam in the bar, are also curious about what real Vietnamese people look like.

　The bureau believes that there will definitely be many people willing to spend a little money to follow the trend and have a taste of Vietnamese women."

　The proprietress of Armas explained, "Besides, Vietnamese girls are small, with delicate faces, and look like children, which is also a big selling point. Although most men still like women with big breasts and big buttocks, there are always some with unique tastes..."

　"Yeah, I understand the concept of childish aesthetics. I've also read Lolita."

　Fili nodded. "After you gathered 400 women, did you immediately set sail back to the United States?"

　"For health and quarantine reasons, they should stay on the island for another week to confirm that they are not suffering from any infectious diseases before boarding the ship."

　The Armas proprietress replied, "Why? Is there a problem?"

　"It's a bit troublesome. I suggest you leave by the end of the week. Vice President Johnson will be visiting Phu Quoc next week. Prince Sihanouk will also be visiting the island to assert Cambodia's sovereignty and to meet with Vice President Johnson."

　When President Eisenhower was in power, he first instigated the warlord Dachun in northwestern Cambodia to launch a rebellion, and then had the CIA send a parcel bomb directly to Prince Sihanouk, almost killing him, causing the diplomatic relations between the United States and Cambodia to almost drop to a freezing point.

　Now that the government has changed, President Kennedy is unwilling to inherit the negative assets of his predecessor and wants to try to repair relations with Cambodia..."

　Fili rambled on with a long explanation before getting to the point. "By then, there will undoubtedly be many reporters with keen senses accompanying the Vice President. To avoid a public opinion crisis, it's best not to let them see anything they shouldn't..."

　The experienced Armas proprietress immediately understood this and said she would shorten the quarantine period to three days. She would set sail on Saturday with a boat full of Vietnamese women and leave Phu Quoc Island. She would definitely not run into Vice President Johnson and the local reporters.

　After instructing his old subordinates, Fili returned to the temporary American consulate that Kissinger had just opened in Yangdong Town. He was about to discuss with Dr. Kissinger how to welcome Vice President Johnson, but he saw a scene of panic and busyness in the consulate.

　All the staff were distributing iodine tablets and anxiously flipping through three-defense manuals and doomsday survival books that they had obtained from nowhere. Even Dr. Kissinger himself was clumsily learning how to use a Geiger counter to measure radiation by referring to the instructions.

　Seeing Firi walk in, Dr. Kissinger immediately cried out in horror: "Something terrible has happened! Colonel Kim! The Viet Cong may already have nuclear weapons! Oh my God, I just found out today that our people have built a nuclear reactor in Vietnam! What's even more terrible is that now this reactor and the city where it is located have fallen into the hands of the Viet Cong!"

　Firi:? ? ! !

　I didn’t originally intend to write about a nuclear war, but now the Viet Cong has become a nuclear-armed country, so at least they have no problem making dirty bombs.

　Chapter 262: South Vietnam Nuclear Crisis and the Battle to Recapture Dadao

　As few people know, the Philippines already had a Bataan nuclear power plant in 1984.

　What is less known is that South Vietnam, a frontline battlefield during the Cold War and plagued by years of war, also once had a nuclear reactor.

　--In early 1963, just a few weeks before Ferry and Dr. Kissinger sailed across the Pacific Ocean on the famous Xiangrui ship and arrived in Vietnam, a group of American experts helped build a light water reactor in Dadao, a famous summer resort in South Vietnam, at an altitude of 1,500 meters.

　It is still unclear who was so smart as to agree to build a reactor in South Vietnam, where Vietcong guerrillas were rampant.

　Why the South Vietnamese regime, which was engaged in a fierce security war, needed a nuclear reactor representing cutting-edge technology is also an unsolved mystery.

　——There may be some truth to the claim that the US troops stationed in Vietnam wanted to deploy nuclear bombs in South Vietnam to threaten North Vietnam and China nearby.

　But what about building a nuclear reactor right there in South Vietnam? What kind of nuclear physics research should be carried out on the battlefield?

　Or did the United States actually want to promote nuclear power in South Vietnam to solve the energy supply problem? Isn't this too crazy?

　Even developing the shallow-water oil resources in the South China Sea would be more reliable than this, right?

　In short, the only thing that can be confirmed now is that the South Vietnamese Civil War broke out just as the reactor was completed. When the South Vietnamese regime collapsed, the American experts, engineers, and construction teams that were still in Dadao immediately fled before the Viet Cong arrived and Dadao changed its flag.

　But they were all just trying to escape, and before leaving, they neither destroyed the reactor nor took away the nuclear fuel and destruction technology data.

　What’s more important is that they didn’t even think of informing their superiors before returning to the United States!

　To make matters worse, even after finally receiving such bad news, the superiors of these guys still wanted to cover up the matter as their first reaction.

　As a result, due to bureaucracy and layers of concealment, when Firi was the commander of the US forces in Vietnam, he was completely unaware of this matter. And General Westmoreland did not get this crucial intelligence when he arrived in Vietnam and led his troops to counterattack.

　As a result, after the 1st Marine Division landed, it stopped near Phan Lang, more than 30 kilometers away from Dadao, and failed to recapture the city immediately.

　In this way, even though the US military had officially entered the war, the red, blue and gold star flag of the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam was still flying on the top of Dadao City.

　It was not until the calendar turned to June that the news could no longer be concealed and was leaked, causing chaos in the White House and the Pentagon.

　"According to an emergency report from home, 96 highly enriched fuel rods containing approximately 10 kilograms of uranium-235 have been lost from the light-water reactor that fell to the enemy... Oh, damn it! It's been over a month, and we just found out..."

　Dr. Kissinger grumbled, "Just thinking about what the Vietcong would do with all that uranium makes my head explode!"

　"Uranium? Not plutonium? That's not so bad. With this little bit of uranium, the Vietcong can't even build an atomic bomb."

　After hearing these detailed information, Fili felt a little relieved and put his suddenly lifted heart back into his stomach.

　——With the technology of the 20th century, what is the minimum amount of nuclear material needed to produce an atomic bomb that can explode?

　Well, without a reflective layer, the critical mass of uranium-235 is 15 kilograms. With a reflective layer, it can be reduced to 11 kilograms. This is the minimum amount required to produce a combat-ready uranium bomb. If the amount is smaller, it will not be able to trigger a chain reaction.

　Obviously, 10 kilograms of uranium-235 alone was not enough, not to mention how the Viet Cong could refine it to weapons-grade concentration.

　If plutonium-239 is used to make an atomic bomb, the critical mass only needs about 5 kilograms.

　However, the light water reactor lost in Dadao contained only uranium but no plutonium, so the Viet Cong was ultimately unable to make an atomic bomb.

　"However, with this uranium, it would be easy for the Viet Cong to make dirty bombs that could create nuclear contamination and spread radiation sickness."

　Phiri then added, “Next week, Vice President Johnson and Prince Sihanouk will come to Phu Quoc Island for a meeting!

　So, Doctor! We must strengthen our defenses against terrorist attacks, such as blocking Phu Quoc Island's maritime traffic, conducting more detailed inspections and longer quarantines of recently arrived refugees... Oh, hell, maybe Vietcong spies have already infiltrated the island!"

　"Although assassinating a vice president might be meaningless and even be seen as a joke, we do have to be on guard.

　Besides, now that the nuclear crisis has been exposed, the military should be quick to act! God willing, Dadao is not far from the 1st Marine Division's base. As long as General Westmoreland makes a decision, our army will be able to capture Dadao quickly.

　Maybe the Vietcong didn't even notice there was a nuclear reactor there, and our army could recapture the reactor intact?"

　Dr. Kissinger muttered this, hoping for a lucky break. But Firi felt that such a "good thing" seemed a slim chance.

　How to say it?

　Even in the rainy season which is not suitable for fighting, it is not difficult to defeat Dadao as long as you are determined.

　But the problem is that up to now, more than a month has passed since Dadao fell into the hands of the Viet Cong!

　Dr. Kissinger, do you think the Viet Cong are a group of barbarians who can only grind integrated circuit boards into arrowheads by hand?

　Please, the Eighth Route Army soldiers in China back then, even if they were still living in the mountains, knew to publish military pictorials to teach soldiers what an aircraft carrier is.

　Even if the current Vietcong have a poor learning ability, they should still know what a reactor is and what a nuclear weapon is, right?

　You have to know that this is the Cold War era, and the whole world is shrouded in the shadow of nuclear war and nuclear destruction. Anyone with a little culture will be allergic to anything related to "nuclear", not to mention that the United States uses atomic bombs to threaten others for no reason.

　The superpowers are desperately making atomic bombs like cutting sausages, while small and medium-sized countries are dreaming of obtaining their own nuclear weapons and turning their fortunes around overnight.

　As the most intense enemy of the United States today, how could the Viet Cong not be concerned about the United States' huge nuclear arsenal?

　Perhaps, as early as when American experts were building the Daitao light-water reactor, the Viet Cong had already received the news through underground spies!

　"Regardless of the situation, Vice President Johnson's itinerary on Phu Quoc Island must be rescheduled. The Vietnamese refugee children who presented him with flowers, as well as the refugee representatives he visited, must undergo thorough body searches and be quarantined before the Vice President arrives."

　Firi sighed, "As for the Vice President's meeting with Prince Sihanouk, for safety reasons, it's best to arrange it on a warship..."

　Wait, Prince Sihanouk is here to stake his claim to sovereignty. He'll have to tour Phu Quoc Island. He might even bury the Cambodian sovereignty tablet here, and maybe even hold a press conference... Oh well, forget it, let's just give him a convertible and drive him around the island!

　"If we make it so public, what if the Vietcong take advantage of the opportunity to assassinate us?"

　Dr. Kissinger said suspiciously, "Just like those Serbs who assassinated Crown Prince Ferdinand in Sarajevo fifty years ago..."

　"If the Viet Cong dared to assassinate Prince Sihanouk on Phu Quoc Island, wouldn't that be a good thing for the United States?"

　Fili spread his hands and said, "By then, Cambodia will no longer be able to maintain its current neutral position and will have no choice but to side with the United States..."

　-

　On the other hand, upon learning that there was a nuclear reactor in Dadao, which was occupied by the Viet Cong, General Westmoreland, the commander of the US forces in Vietnam, was immediately horrified. Regardless of the rainy season, he immediately dispatched troops to Dadao in an attempt to recapture the lost reactor.

　But the problem is, among all the American troops currently stationed in Vietnam, the one closest to Dadao happens to be the 1st Marine Division stationed in Phan Lang...

　Well, although it was an ace unit that fought a desperate battle with the Japanese on Guadalcanal, the 1st Marine Division was hit by a Soviet nuclear mine in Cuba last year, and the entire division was destroyed. The remnants were simply sent to a Cuban prisoner-of-war camp, and the unit was only just rebuilt this year.

　Therefore, the entire 1st Marine Division has developed PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) due to things like nuclear war.

　When the division received the order from headquarters, everyone cried out in despair: "We were bombed by nuclear weapons in Cuba last year, and now we're going to be bombed by nuclear weapons in Vietnam again this year?"

　Although CIA intelligence officers repeatedly explained to them that the amount of uranium-235 in the reactor was small and not enough for the Viet Cong to build an atomic bomb, the Marines refused to believe them. Hadn't their 1st Marine Division been betrayed enough by the CIA?

　Last year, when the 1st Marine Division was tricked by the CIA into attacking Cuba, no one told them that there were Soviet nuclear bombs on the island of Cuba!

　Who knows whether what the relevant departments lost in Dadao was a reactor or a nuclear bomb that could be detonated at any time?

　But this mission couldn't be shirked. Dadao, home to the light-water reactor, and Phan Lang, the last capital of Champa and home to the 1st Marine Division, were located at opposite ends of the same valley. Dadao was at the deepest end of the valley, while Phan Lang was on the coastline at the valley's exit. The two locations were connected by a well-paved road and a railway. Even during the rainy season, when the roads were muddy and torrential, transportation remained convenient.

　In short, sending the 1st Marine Division to attack Dadao was the most convenient route. If other US troops were to take the route, they would have to take a long detour, or cross mountains and ridges in heavy rain, walking on muddy and bumpy mountain roads - and they would probably have suffered a lot of non-combat casualties before even reaching Dadao.

　Unable to disobey military orders, despite already experiencing PTSD triggered by the nuclear reactor as a combat target, the 1st Marine Division gritted its teeth and began preparations. To protect against possible nuclear radiation, requests for protective clothing, Geiger counters, potassium iodide tablets, and requests for armored vehicles flooded the US Forces Vietnam headquarters in Da Nang. After 48 hours of wrangling, the 1st Marine Division reluctantly set out.

　But even if they were deployed, the marching formation of the 1st Marine Division was very funny.