American Strategic Deception Bureau

　Therefore, now should be the best window for a blitzkrieg on Hanoi. After this year, it will be much more difficult for our army to attack Hanoi again..."

　At this point, Fili bowed slightly to the audience and concluded with the courtesy of a junior. "The above are my personal, somewhat immature views on the Vietnam War. I hope they will be helpful to you, the seniors. If any offense is caused, please forgive me. Thank you."

　Next, as Firi proposed a blitzkrieg against Hanoi, the atmosphere in the meeting hall quickly became more heated.

　More and more US military officers began to put forward various additional suggestions for the attack on Hanoi, such as the inland navigation conditions in the Red River Basin, the road conditions from Haiphong Port to Hanoi, and how to conduct tactical feints to confuse the North Vietnamese army and make them misjudge the US military's attack targets; how to destroy the railway and road traffic between China and Vietnam to delay the possible arrival of Chinese reinforcements in Hanoi; whether to send special forces to airdrop and occupy several airports near Hanoi, etc., and actively launched brainstorming to think about various solutions.

　——The difference between retaking Saigon and conquering Hanoi is probably like the difference between liberating Paris and capturing Berlin in World War II.

　Soldiers have always relied on their military achievements to gain recognition. Who wouldn’t want to lead an army into Hanoi and plunder some spoils from Ho Chi Minh’s house to show off?

　By the time the meeting ended in the evening, someone had even made a timetable for the Hanoi attack, accurate to the hour.

　Secretary of Defense McNamara remained noncommittal, but from his expression, one could tell that he was somewhat tempted by the Hanoi campaign.

　Firi was very happy to see the lively discussion, especially that everyone's focus had shifted to North Vietnam.

　This is the pleasure of taking control of your destiny and rewriting history!

　In the history he remembered, starting with the Vietnam War, the U.S. military almost always fought overseas wars like a tower defense game. Elite U.S. troops were either hunkered down in outposts and passively taking beatings, or patrolling back and forth on the highway while being hit by various roadside bombs.

　Once the enemy escapes across the border, the US military can only stop and watch, for fear of triggering an international conflict.

　The puppet army, which was supported with huge amounts of money, could not even complete the task of sweeping the rear, and was infiltrated by rebels from within.

　The US military's logistics system was even forced to support both its own troops and the enemy on the battlefield, and eventually became a bottomless pit that swallowed up money. In other words, it was a classic example of "nurturing the enemy to protect oneself" in various ways.

　In contrast,

　Even after Vietnam invaded Cambodia in 1978, the Hun Sen regime supported in Cambodia was at least able to deal with Vietnam's plundering, and after Vietnam withdrew its troops, it was able to fight Prince Sihanouk on equal terms, maintaining a draw in which neither side could do anything to the other.

　To be honest, if Ngo Dinh Diem or Nguyen Van Thieu of South Vietnam had the ability of Hun Sen of Cambodia, Americans would be so happy!

　This tower defense game-style combat also gave the North Vietnamese authorities great confidence. They believed that if the world hegemon, the United States, was not as good as them, then the other so-called great powers were even worse! As long as they had enough weapons and ammunition, they could conquer the world without any opponents!

　Obviously, as long as the US military is really tied up by the 17th parallel north, the Vietnamese are bound to become arrogant.

　In order to dispel the arrogant ideas of the Vietnamese children in advance, Firi felt it necessary to break through the 17th parallel north once, even if it was only for a few days.

　Let the US military land in the Gulf of Tonkin, follow the French invasion route, and attack Hanoi like lightning, and then briefly occupy and demonstrate - well, if President Johnson has enough courage, he can also fly to Hanoi in person to show off and increase his reputation and historical achievements.

　Next, the US military should have turned around and retreated quickly before the Chinese army entered Vietnam to join the war, retreating back to the steep and solid Haiyunling defense line, and leaving the choice to the enemy whether to pay the price of bloodshed and corpses, and to climb the mountain under bombing and artillery fire.

　Back then, the Champa people relied on Hai Van Ridge to hold out against the Vietnamese to the north for four hundred years. The Vietnamese army was never able to cross the ridge and advance south, and they finally managed to capture Hai Van Ridge through a honey trap. If the US military were defending the area today, it would take an atomic bomb to break through!

　In short, it is really unfair to let the US military just wait in the wilderness for the guerrillas to come and attack them.

　The Vietnamese should also guard their coastline with trepidation, fearing that the US military will land and march into Hanoi one day. This is what fair competition is all about!

　-

　After the meeting, Dr. Kissinger visited Fieri's residence with a bottle of wine, and the two discussed what had happened at the meeting while having dinner.

　Kissinger, known as a "defeatist adviser," actually had some reservations about Phiri's Hanoi strategy, thinking it was too risky.

　It’s not that he thinks the US military will not be able to reach Hanoi, but he believes that this may trigger many unpredictable chain reactions.

　"I'm helping you, Dr. Kissinger! Mr. Consul of Phu Quoc Island!"

　Firi immediately complained, "If we don't change this year's target to Hanoi, then whether we adopt a radical or conservative plan, our army will have to attack Saigon and sweep the Mekong Delta! Add to that the impact of the Cambodian civil war, and how many refugees do you think will flood into Phu Quoc Island? I wouldn't be surprised if a million people arrived at once! Wouldn't you be driven crazy by the refugee crisis?"

　"One million refugees? That's too much... How could there be so many Vietnamese and Cambodians wanting to flee their homeland?"

　Dr. Kissinger curled his lips in disbelief. But the cold sweat on his forehead still reflected his nervousness. "Also, even if the Secretary of Defense is willing to make the final decision and launch a punitive blitzkrieg against Hanoi, does that mean we won't attack Saigon next?"

　"After the Hanoi blitz, the US troops stationed in Vietnam must have consumed a lot of ammunition and fuel, and they need to wait patiently for replenishment. The withdrawn troops also need to rest for a period of time to restore morale. At the same time, we must strengthen the Hai Van Ridge defense line to prevent the North Vietnamese army from attacking Hai Van Ridge again to retaliate against us.

　Then, the thousands of Viet Cong guerrillas gathered in the Zhubang Mountains and the Drang River Valley must be quickly eliminated to prevent them from rushing into the coastal plains.

　Firi counted on his fingers and explained to Dr. Kissinger, “By the time all these messy troubles are resolved and the army has almost recovered its field combat capability, the dry season will be almost over. If we want to attack Saigon, we can only postpone it until the end of next year, or even until the year after.

　By then, Dr. Kissinger, your term as consul on Phu Quoc Island will have long ended. The refugee crisis caused by the recapture of Saigon and the sweep of the Mekong Delta during the next dry season will be a problem that the next American consul will need to deal with. We can fully trust the wisdom of future generations…”

　It’s the “wisdom of future generations” again!

　He is obviously a young man with a sunny smile, but why is there no vitality in his work style? He always procrastinates as much as possible and makes do with what he can?

　Kissinger gave Fieri a reproachful look, but made no further rebuttal. He simply changed the subject and talked about other trivial matters.

　Over the next few days, even though Secretary of Defense McNamara flew back to Washington, the military conference in Hoi An continued. They began to discuss the Hanoi strategy in greater depth and conducted numerous war games.

　On the last day of November, after countless telegrams exchanged, the Pentagon finally approved the formal operational plan.

　Phili, whose organization is currently temporarily under the name of the US Forces Vietnam Command, also received his own tasks from General Westmoreland.

　"This operation, codenamed 'Avenger,' aims to capture and temporarily occupy Hanoi... My mission is to... form a temporary 'decoy force' on Phu Quoc Island to fabricate and disguise a Mekong Delta landing operation that won't happen."

　To confuse the Vietcong?

　Haha, this really draws a lot of inspiration from my past experiences. This mission is just like the Dominican War three years ago!"

　Firi held the document in his hand and waved it towards Dr. Kissinger with a smile. "We're going to work together again, Doctor!"

　"We're old friends! I'll definitely try my best to cooperate with you!"

　Dr. Kissinger also laughed and said, "Even if you want me to go marching down the street carrying baguettes with you, that's absolutely no problem!"

　Author's words: PS: Strategic bombing in rural areas is very ineffective, but bombing in cities is very effective.

　But if you want to bomb a city, the prerequisite is to give the city to the Viet Cong first, lure the Viet Cong into the city, and then blow it into ruins one by one.

　Chapter 296: Target is Hanoi!

　Central Vietnam, the ancient capital of Hue

　While the officers and generals of the American army stationed in Vietnam were discussing the strategy of suppressing the communists in the ancient town of Hoi An on the banks of the Thu Bon River, one hundred kilometers to the north of them, in the ancient capital of Hue on the banks of the Perfume River, the frontline generals of the North Vietnamese People's Army were also preparing for the next battle.

　——Ever since the news of Kennedy's assassination, North Vietnamese military officers have realized that a large-scale invasion by the enemy is probably inevitable.

　At present, on the front line against the US imperialism - the narrow coastal plain around Hue, North Vietnam has deployed a total of five main divisions and eight independent infantry regiments, two anti-aircraft artillery regiments, one armored regiment, one special agent regiment, and several militias, totaling about 60,000 troops, as well as 120 heavy artillery pieces, 40 tanks, armored vehicles and self-propelled artillery, almost all of the assets that Uncle Ho Chi Minh had accumulated.

　Wen Jinyong, deputy secretary of the Central Military Commission, served as commander of the Hue Military Region and established a headquarters in the Nguyen Dynasty Palace in Hue to coordinate and command the battle.

　Given that the Hai Van Ridge, a mountain range known since ancient times as a natural barrier, stretched between Da Nang and Hue, and the road across the Hai Van Ridge had been completely destroyed, the North Vietnamese General Staff believed that if the US mechanized forces wanted to counterattack Hue, they would not be able to cross the mountains northward via Highway 1 and would have to take the sea route and conduct an amphibious landing. Therefore, it was necessary to build an iron wall on the coastal mudflats east of Hue to keep the enemy at bay!

　The citizens of Hue and the farmers in the suburbs must mobilize to do voluntary labor for the country and repair coastal defense fortifications!

　Of course, the naval and air firepower of U.S. imperialism is extremely powerful, and the flesh and blood of the North Vietnamese People's Army may not be able to withstand it.

　At the same time, the US military could deploy more than 100,000 troops on the Hue battlefield, twice as many as the Vietnamese army, and the North Vietnamese side had no troop advantage.

　Therefore, in addition to the beach defense line, the Vietnamese army also needs to refer to the experience of the Japanese army in defending islands during the Pacific War and build barricades and bunkers in inland areas and cities: once they can't withstand the artillery and bombing of the US Navy and Air Force, let the enemy in to fight!

　We would rather turn the ancient capital of Hue into a scorched earth than let the American invaders take it easily!

　Moreover, the US troops stationed in Vietnam, which control the sea, may also imitate General MacArthur's famous "Incheon Landing" and choose to avoid the suburbs of Hue and land in the Dong River or Viet Mon Port behind Hue, thereby cutting off the supply lines and retreat routes of the Vietnamese troops in Hue, and then trying to launch an encirclement and annihilation campaign.

　To achieve this, the Vietnamese army must be resolute in fighting for every inch of territory against the enemy, turning Hue into a meat grinder to drain the enemy's manpower. However, they must also be prepared to decisively abandon all heavy equipment if the situation becomes unfavorable, retreat westward into the Truong Son Mountains, and then take the Ho Chi Minh Trail back to Laos.

　The 304th and 308th Divisions, which suffered heavy losses during the assault on Hai Van Ridge this spring, were deployed in the upper reaches of the Perfume River and the Bien Hai River to defend the North Vietnamese army's retreat route to the Ho Chi Minh Trail, ensuring that in the worst case scenario, the troops could be withdrawn to Laos.

　In addition to the battlefield in Hue, in Saigon to the south, the "Government of the Republic of South Vietnam" was also actively preparing for war. Although Saigon under the rule of Prime Minister Nguyen Huu Tho had no water or electricity and cars had no gas, it had plenty of troops and was not short of food for the time being.

　Therefore, "Red South Vietnam" gathered 13 troops with the 312th Division of the North Vietnamese People's Army coming to the south as the core, built a circular defense line around Saigon, and set traps at Tan Son Nhat Airport, Bien Hoa Airport and other places to lure American paratroopers who might launch an airborne surprise attack.

　As for the Mekong Delta region south of Saigon, guerrillas in various provinces and counties had already been on high alert, ready to fight against the landing of US troops.

　Finally, the Viet Cong guerrillas who infiltrated the Central Highlands and the remnants of the coastal guerrillas who retreated inland from the Phong Son base, totaling 6500 people, completed their assembly in the Delang River Valley area and were organized into the 3rd Division of the "Southern Republic", with Major General Le Zhongxun as the division commander.

　Since this was the first division-level unit of the "Southern Republic" army and a sharp knife stuck in the enemy's heartland, Prime Minister Nguyen Huu Tho specially awarded it the title of "Golden Star Division" after the golden star in the center of the red, blue and golden star flag of the "Southern Republic".

　According to the plan of the North Vietnamese General Staff, the Venus Division, which has penetrated deep into the enemy's hinterland, will wreak havoc in the enemy's rear at an appropriate time.

　To sum up, although there are still some imperfections, the Vietnamese army has done its best to deal with the impending American storm!

　But...why do I always feel like there's something missing?

　Le Duc Anh, Chief of Operations of the North Vietnamese General Staff, stood on the gatehouse of the Hue Imperial Palace, smoking and frowning as he thought so.

　Along the edge in front of him

　On the river road, several trucks were slowly driving out of the city of Hue, loaded with rough concrete triangles, ready to be transported to the port of Tan My in the east and dumped into the sea to create artificial reefs to interfere with landing craft from docking.

　In the opposite direction, another group of laborers who had been rotated out were dragging their tired feet back to the city from a beach construction site more than ten kilometers away. Most of them were citizens of Hue, and they looked silent, tired, with dull expressions and ragged clothes, like the walking dead.

　Ever since North Vietnam occupied Hue, the 140,000 citizens of the former Nguyen Dynasty capital had been in dire straits. Besides the tens of thousands arrested and executed during the purges, the remaining citizens were subjected to repeated investigations. Even if no offenses were uncovered, the ensuing social reforms wiped out their lifelong wealth overnight: savings, houses, land, shops, even furniture were confiscated!

　In the end, even they themselves became "human resources" or "human mines" and had to obey the unified control of the country!

　According to the revolutionary ideology of the "ultra-left," these Hue citizens, even if they weren't feudal landlords or the bourgeoisie, were at least lackeys of the petty bourgeoisie or feudal landlords, or at least relatives of reactionaries! They deserved to be suppressed! Not killing them all was already a great mercy!

　In order to thank the People's Army for not killing them, it is their duty to work like oxen or horses and do hard labor every day until they die from overwork!

　Moreover, even if they were not forced to do hard labor to build fortifications, where else could they find work in Hue today?

　Although the Imperial Palace in Hue appears relatively intact today, a glance from the palace walls reveals that much of the city is in ruins, with broken walls and rubble everywhere. Since May, American B-52 bombers and A-1 Skyraider attack aircraft have been making frequent aerial visits to the area. Barring typhoons or torrential rain, these visits are a near-daily occurrence, showering Hue's Vietnamese troops and civilians with napalm.

　After half a year of such heavy bombing, except for a few historical sites such as the Hue Imperial Palace and the Nguyen Dynasty Tombs that were deliberately prohibited from bombing by the US military, Hue's new and old city areas were burned beyond recognition, and the streetscape looked like Tokyo at the time of its surrender in 1945!

　For the remaining citizens of Hue, what other way was there to make a living except to work as coolies for the North Vietnamese army in exchange for a meal?

　Therefore, the North Vietnamese People's Army's conscription of them for labor in fortifications was actually a benevolent policy of "work-for-relief"! They should be grateful for this blessing!

　In this way, as time passed, thanks to the hard work of hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians in Hue, the defensive fortifications in the coastal areas were completed one after another, including densely packed bunkers and hidden firing points, criss-crossing communication trenches, and various underwater explosives and beach obstacles.

　Infantry guns, recoilless rifles, anti-aircraft guns, and heavy machine guns were all installed in carefully camouflaged bunkers. Waterways were meticulously surveyed, mines laid, tides recorded, and artillery ranges measured. Although the likelihood of a land attack by the US and Quang Nam forces was considered remote, the North Vietnamese army also made certain defensive arrangements and preparations along the land boundary between the two armies in the direction of Hai Van Ridge, just in case.

　Even the North Vietnamese tanks were hidden in underground fortifications, ready to drive out of the bunkers at a critical moment and launch a counterattack against the invading enemy.

　The entire coastal defense project was supervised by Soviet instructors and constructed strictly according to the design drawings. Finally, Wen Jinyong ordered the erection of two-meter-square letters on several beaches: "Welcome the U.S. Marine Corps!"

　At the same time, news of the massive massing of over 100,000 American troops in Da Nang continued to trickle in through public newspapers, radio stations, and the underground party's secret intelligence channels, making everyone feel that the day of the decisive battle was approaching. Consequently, the various troops repeatedly conducted exercises and evaluations, and then adjusted their combat plans, attempting to make this decisive battle against the US military as perfect as possible: at least to avoid the disgraceful situation of the North Korean army during the Inchon landing...

　However, despite the repeated anti-landing exercises in Hue, the US landing fleet has never appeared on the horizon... And on Phu Quoc Island, which is across the sea from the Mekong Delta, intelligence has come in, indicating that the locals are rushing to repair large-scale temporary military camps, as well as docks and piers, and that cargo ships are bringing in large quantities of supplies. It seems that they are preparing to build a forward base on the island?

　So much so that some North Vietnamese staff officers couldn't help but mutter: Could it be that the US military had no intention of attacking Hue at all, but was concentrating its forces to attack Saigon directly?

　In short, the concentration of heavy US forces and supplies in Da Nang is clear, and it's also certain that the US imperial division will launch a massive attack. The only uncertainty is where exactly these American fists will strike: Hue? Saigon? Or both simultaneously?

　Commander Wen Jinyong was also very annoyed about this, but there was nothing he could do except to strengthen surveillance of various coasts.

　Thus, the main force of the North Vietnamese regular army in the Hue Plain and the "Red South Vietnam" in Saigon stared at the sea, waiting day after day. Although they heard the news that the American fleet had left Da Nang, they still did not see the enemy appear on the nearby coast.

　Finally, on December 17, when Haiphong Port fell and the news that the US military openly announced its intention to enter Hanoi and punish Ho Chi Minh reached Hue, the North Vietnamese officers who had been imprisoned by ideological seals finally woke up from their dreams - who stipulated that the battlefield could only be fought above the 12th parallel north?

　Southern?

　If the Americans can cross the 38th parallel in Korea, they can naturally cross the 17th parallel in Vietnam!

　To offset the negative impact of Kennedy's assassination, the Johnson administration needed to present a great propaganda victory to the nation and its allies.

　However, even if Saigon was recaptured, the victory was still not significant enough, or not enough to satisfy the arrogant American citizens.

　Only by taking Hanoi and forcing Ho Chi Minh to flee in embarrassment can the Americans calm down a little!

　"Damn it! Why didn't we think of that?! The enemy's target is Hanoi!!!"

　Commander Wen Jinyong angrily took off his military cap and slammed it on the map. "What kind of guarantee is this from the Chinese? Didn't they say that the US military had suffered enough in Korea and would never repeat the same mistake in Vietnam and move north of the 17th parallel?"

　What is going on now? Our great capital, Hanoi, is in danger! Our Chinese comrades have really screwed us over!"

　After hearing the leader's incompetent rage, Li Deying's lips moved, but in the end he said nothing.

　After all, he himself was also bound by the inertia of thinking and did not expect that the international situation had changed so much after Kennedy's assassination.

　Faced with the US military launching a punitive war against North Vietnam under the banner of "revenge for President Kennedy", China's previous endorsement of the 17th parallel north latitude is probably unlikely to be effective - at least before the US military occupied North Vietnam, the righteousness was on the side of the US military!

　But the North Vietnamese authorities did not seem to have thought of this and were seriously unprepared both mentally and practically for the attack on Hanoi.

　Of course, even if Hanoi had anticipated this, it would likely still be like North Korea on the eve of the Inchon landing, unable to defend itself. To prepare for the massive southward liberation campaign launched this year, North Vietnam's current situation is that all its forces are concentrated in the south, leaving the Red River Delta in the rear as an empty city. Aside from a few auxiliary and militia divisions, the main force closest to Hanoi is the 316th Division, currently engaged in a battle against the Hmong bandit Wang Bao in northern Laos.

　However, this mountain force was poorly mechanized. Even if they immediately evacuated Laos and returned to Hanoi, it would probably be too late!

　What's more, even if the 316th Division rushed back to Hanoi, could they face off against two divisions of US Marines?

　The entire 316th Division only has 7,000 people!

　"There's no other way! To prevent the capital from falling, we must ask for help from our Chinese comrades!"

　A staff officer in the headquarters shouted this, and Wen Jinyong immediately looked unhappy, but he did not dare to directly reject or refute it.

　But Li Duc Anh shook his head quietly: It's too late. Even if China sends troops to rescue, it cannot prevent the fall of Hanoi!

　When the Chinese People's Volunteer Army sent troops to North Korea, they were unable to stop the US military from flying the American flag in Pyongyang to show off their power...

　The author's words:

　Later, I watched a documentary about the Yemeni town of Shibam and discovered that this town, founded in the third century AD, is filled with seven- and eight-story adobe buildings! It's been called the "Manhattan of the Desert"—though to me, it looks more like the "Arabian Walled City of Kowloon."