American Strategic Deception Bureau

　But unfortunately, history has fully proved that human beings never learn lessons from history.

　Leveraging his fervent nationalism, his unwavering commitment to resisting the US and saving the nation, and the desperate efforts of his southern comrades, Le Duan gradually overcame the more internationally minded northern faction leaders like Vo Nguyen Giap and Truong Chinh in recent years. He is now recognized throughout the Party as Ho Chi Minh's successor.

　To this day, no one in the party can shake Le Duan's position as the successor, unless there is interference from a major power...

　Just as Vo Nguyen Giap was thinking about this, the language of the northern neighbor suddenly came from the radio.

　"Central People's Broadcasting Station, Central People's Broadcasting Station, now we have an important news."

　In order to prevent war, safeguard peace, break the imperialist blackmail by force, and more strongly support the Vietnamese people's struggle to resist the United States and save the nation, our country will rebuild the Chinese People's Volunteer Army Headquarters in Nanning on December 27, and prepare to go south into Vietnam to help the revolutionary cause of the Vietnamese people!

　In addition, our country also plans to conduct nuclear evacuation drills in major cities across the country starting in January of next year! History has taught us that peace does not fall from the sky. To safeguard peace, we must be prepared for all kinds of wars..."

　What? China is rebuilding the Volunteer Army? Is it preparing to send a second Chinese People's Volunteer Army south to fight in the Indochina Peninsula?

　Great! Now we have a surefire way to recapture Hanoi!

　Upon hearing this, Giap and many of North Vietnam's top military and political officials were instantly delighted. If they weren't in the hospital and needed to remain quiet, some might have burst out laughing. Le Duan's face darkened, but he couldn't say anything due to the overwhelming public sentiment, so he just sulked.

　Then, Chang Zheng, whose original name was Deng Chunqu, rushed over with a telegram and whispered to everyone, "Good news! Good news! The Americans are withdrawing! We will be able to return to Hanoi soon!"

　Chang Zheng excitedly waved the telegram in his hand. "Admiral Westmoreland just announced in Haiphong that this Operation Avenger is solely for punishment, not for the long-term occupation of Hanoi. The US military will now begin its own withdrawal. He's going home to celebrate the New Year!"

　Well, General Westmoreland's exact words were, "Although today is Christmas Eve, I am afraid I can only let these brave boys spend Christmas on the battlefield. But at least they can return to a safe place and enjoy a happy New Year."

　——It is somewhat of a tribute to General MacArthur’s “Thanksgiving Offensive” and “Christmas Offensive”.

　On the other hand, if MacArthur had not marched north after capturing Pyongyang in Korea, but had decisively withdrawn his troops to Seoul...

　Then, he should also be able to enjoy a happy Christmas in 1950 as a triumphant general, right?

　In short, upon hearing the news of the US military's impending withdrawal, the North and Vietnamese high-ranking officials present felt a mixture of emotions. There was a sense of relief, a sense of shame for not having been able to avenge their humiliation on the battlefield, and something else entirely, something inexplicable...

　For example, someone couldn't help but mutter: "Are we really going to move back to Hanoi? Even if the Americans leave, what should we do with the nuclear waste they dumped in Hoan Kiem Lake?" As soon as these words were spoken, Le Duan and Vo Nguyen Giap, who heard this complaint, suddenly became even more gloomy.

　"Since the US military is about to withdraw, perhaps there is no need for our Chinese comrades to send troops?"

　Pham Van Dong, who was in charge of foreign affairs, looked at Le Duan's face and said tentatively, "After all, it's all over..."

　“The Chinese Volunteer Army really does not need to come to Vietnam again.

　Comrade Guo only needs to send us anti-aircraft guns and artillery shells. But do you think this is the end? Are we going to let the imperialist invaders come and go as they please in the capital of our great motherland?

　Le Duan shouted with a ferocious face, "The American imperialists, the white bandits, destroyed my homeland and killed my compatriots. This hatred is irreconcilable!

　We must issue a nationwide mobilization order, mobilizing all local forces around the capital to attack the retreating American troops! No matter how great the sacrifice, we must shed the enemy's blood! We absolutely cannot tolerate the US military showing off their power in Hanoi and then leaving calmly!

　Vo Nguyen Giap's lips moved, but he didn't utter a word of rebuttal. A reckless, full-scale attack like this would inevitably result in huge and unnecessary casualties. But since Le Duan stood on the high ground of political correctness, any objection was incorrect.

　Since the whole party had already reached a consensus long ago, "for the liberation of the motherland, we are willing to sacrifice an entire generation."

　Now, then, is the time to sacrifice.

　At this moment, the door of the operating room was pushed open from the inside, and several doctors in white coats walked out with haggard faces.

　Vo Nguyen Giap was about to stand up and ask about Ho Chi Minh's lifespan. But seeing the doctors' bereaved expressions, their eyes as if they were dead, he suddenly understood everything. His legs gave way, and he sat back on the bench, tears welling in his eyes.

　A moment later, cries were heard one after another in the hospital. A few hours later, more cries were heard everywhere in Yuechi City.

　Then, the explosive news that "North Vietnamese leader Ho Chi Minh was killed by a dirty bomb used by the US military" was transmitted to the entire world via radio waves...

　-

　Two days later, Gulf of Thailand, Phu Quoc Island, Yang Dong Town

　At the American Consulate in town, Consul Kissinger had just attentively instructed the Thai maid to serve a variety of cakes and fruits to entertain his old acquaintance, Firi, who had flown back from the front lines. But then, he was shocked by Firi's revelations and immediately spat out a mouthful of coffee.

　"Pfft! What? The nuclear waste that Admiral LeMay and you dumped into that lake in Hanoi was fake?"

　Dr. Kissinger interrupted with a handkerchief and exclaimed, "Oh my God, you have deceived the whole world! Ho Chi Minh was furious with your big lie! Tell me, how did you come up with this trick?" He looked at Firi with shining eyes and an expression of "I'm very curious".

　“Alas, at the beginning, I didn’t expect the matter to become so serious, and I didn’t expect Ho Chi Minh to be so psychologically fragile!

　On the day we flew to Hanoi, the military parade in Ba Dinh Square had already ended, so General Le May asked me to come up with an idea that would stand out. It happened that I had previously discussed a script about ancient Roman history with a director, and I remembered the legend of Scipio the Younger sprinkling salt on the ruins of Carthage.

　Without hesitation, I suggested to General Le May that we try to imitate the Romans' practice of salting the ruins of Carthage and dump nuclear waste in Hanoi to create nuclear pollution as a way to punish the Vietnamese. General Le May thought it was a great idea and told me to do it.

　But the problem is, where can I find nuclear waste in just one night? This is not in the country, but on the front line in Vietnam!

　Do we have to remove the burned fuel rods from the reactor of the Enterprise aircraft carrier?

　Not to mention whether the sailors are capable of doing this work themselves during the voyage, the Navy will not listen to the orders of Admiral LeMay, the Air Force Chief of Staff!"

　Fili spread his hands and said, "In the end, I had no choice but to find dozens of small metal oil drums at the airport, have them painted bright yellow, then painted radiation warning signs on each one, along with skull patterns, and filled the drums with cement, rocks, and scrap metal.

　Then we put on chemical protective suits and used trucks to pull the oil drums to the Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi. In front of General Li Mei and reporters from various countries, we threw them into the lake one by one... Well, when I was painting the iron oil drums, I took pictures the whole time so that I could use them to deal with reporters and inquiries from Congress.

　General Le May had originally planned to announce the truth upon his return to the country the following month, but before he even got home, Ho Chi Minh had already died of rage..."

　"Well, this is a real twist of fate. But, after all, it's just a common wartime intimidation, isn't it? Just like when President Truman threatened the Emperor to bomb Tokyo after bombing Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of World War II.

　In fact, at that time, the United States didn’t even have a single nuclear bomb, and it would take several months to produce the next one…”

　Dr. Kissinger, having regained his composure, immediately followed Ferry's lead and tried to explain away his outrageous lie. "By the way, the North Vietnamese troops on the front lines should still be retreating, right? Why did General Westmoreland send you here? Are you in trouble?"

　"No, there's no trouble on the North Vietnamese front. Retreating in front of the enemy is certainly a difficult task. But General Westmoreland is also an experienced veteran, and we also have air superiority. Sporadic attacks by some North Vietnamese militias are not enough to disrupt our retreat.

　At present, our troops have all withdrawn from Hanoi and are moving to Haiphong Port. It is expected that all troops will board ships and leave the shore around December 31st."

　Fili shook his head and replied, "There was nothing for me to do in the north, so General Westmoreland sent me to Phu Quoc Island to finish things off. Dr. Kissinger, we still have a simulated landing battle here.

　I have to clean up the mess!"

　Kissinger was stunned when he heard this, then he looked back at the endless tents outside the window and understood it instantly.

　Chapter 301, Phnom Penh falls!

　Previously, in order to cover up the US military's blitzkrieg on Hanoi, the US military stationed in Vietnam made a lot of false moves in other directions to confuse the Viet Cong.

　Among them, Firi and Kissinger were also assigned their own feint attack mission, which was to pretend to launch a sea crossing landing battle on Phu Quoc Island.

　The virtual target set in the mission book was Ha Tien Port, which was previously separated from Phu Quoc Island by 40 kilometers of sea.

　When it comes to disguised landings, the United States is not without experience.

　The most recent fake landing battle was the "Kudi Landing Battle" during the Korean War, which took place at the same time as the Battle of Shangganling.

　At that time, in order to confuse the Volunteer Army, delay the enemy's mobile forces, and prevent the Volunteer Army from sending large-scale reinforcements to the bloody Battle of Shangganling, Admiral Clark dispatched warships including the battleship "Iowa" to approach Kudi Village on the east coast of North Korea: planes were bombing indiscriminately in the sky, and naval guns were roaring on the sea... Except for the landing craft full of soldiers turning around and retreating at the last moment and not rushing ashore, everything else was no different from actual combat.

　——This is the largest feint attack in the history of the US military!

　But the problem is that the fake "Kudi Landing" was so massive and involved more troops than the real Incheon Landing.

　However, Phi Li, who was ordered to bluff on Phu Quoc Island, did not have so many resources.

　Not to mention more than a hundred warships including battleships, the navy couldn't even allocate a single ship: all of them had to be used to transport troops for a blitzkrieg on Hanoi!

　So, how can we convince the Viet Cong that an army will soon set out from Phu Quoc Island to launch a landing operation in the Mekong Delta?

　In desperation, Firi and Kissinger had to find another way. They applied for a batch of tents and barbed wire from the Pentagon, and borrowed a group of South Korean engineers to start large-scale construction on Phu Quoc Island. They announced to the outside world that it was for the upcoming Marine Corps and to prepare a barracks that could accommodate a division.

　Subsequently, labor was conscripted from the refugees on the island to build new docks and piers on the coast facing the Mekong Delta.

　(The original villages and towns on Phu Quoc Island were mostly on the side facing the Gulf of Thailand, while the side facing the mainland was full of forests and swamps.)

　Then, with a serious airing, Fili announced a temporary recruitment drive for a large number of guides and translators for the US Marine Corps. He sought English-speaking individuals from the Vietnamese refugees on the island. However, the Vietnamese refugees on Phu Quoc Island were mostly farmers and fishermen at the bottom of society. Even if they weren't so stupid as to drop out of school, they were at least illiterate. Consequently, he established a local crash course in English, selecting a group of bright individuals to learn English.

　In addition, Dr. Kissinger deliberately went to Thailand to advertise and recruit Chinese people who knew English to go to the Phu Quoc Island refugee camp to serve as English teachers for Vietnamese Chinese refugees. He also promised that as long as they came to be teachers, they would be given green cards (in fact, they were mixed in with the Vietnamese refugees and released into the United States together).

　Finally, Phi also mobilized the CIA intelligence station on Phu Quoc Island and sent them to Ha Tien Port on the other side of the river, which was controlled by the Viet Cong, to spy on the enemy situation.

　Of course, genuine American spies would not take the initiative to go into dangerous situations. Those cannon fodders who actually went to the Viet Cong territory to spy and scout were all hired Vietnamese, Cambodian and Thai informants - although these people were unreliable, and the intelligence they collected was even more unreliable, full of rumors and fabrications, and maybe some of the information was spread by the Viet Cong... But anyway, no US troops would land, so as long as their tracks were exposed, it would be considered a success!

　After all this trouble, Firi finally created the momentum for a landing battle at a very low cost.

　Even though the "Red South Vietnam" in Saigon was still skeptical, they had to be on guard against an enemy landing from behind.

　Invisibly, this also involved part of the enemy's forces in General Westmoreland's landing on Haiphong and the "blitzkrieg on Hanoi" operation.

　However, now that the blitzkrieg against Hanoi is almost over, Phu Quoc Island's bluffing should naturally come to an end.

　Firi discussed the matter with Kissinger and decided that since the barracks were already mostly built, there was no need to tear them down and they could simply be converted into a refugee camp. However, the defenses would need to be slightly modified, shifting from a primary focus on guarding against external intrusion to one focused on monitoring and suppressing unrest within the camp.

　English training classes on Phu Quoc Island can also be retained. Vietnamese refugees who want to live in the United States also need to learn to speak English.

　We can't be like the early Chinese immigrants to the United States, who have lived in the United States for two generations but have never left Chinatown and don't know English, right?

　Moreover, with hundreds of thousands of American troops entering the Vietnam battlefield, the demand for local Vietnamese translators and guides was always very great.

　To be a guide, you have to know English, right? Otherwise, do you want American soldiers to learn Vietnamese?

　Then, those informants and spies who were ordered to risk their lives to scout the enemy situation in Hexian Port. Although their work was useless from beginning to end, they had worked hard even if they didn't receive any credit, so they should be given some sweet rewards as a consolation - those who wanted money would receive money, and those who wanted green cards would receive green cards.

　As for the newly built pier, trestle and ancillary roads in the wilderness... there is nothing we can do about it, they can only be abandoned.

　However, before Kissinger and Firi could clean up the aftermath of this "fake landing", an explosive piece of news came from not far away, which shocked the two paperhangers.

　I was so shocked that I almost fainted.

　"The Vietcong invaded Phnom Penh?! The Khmer Republic was established just last month... and it's gone in an instant?!

　The speed at which this country is being destroyed is almost catching up with the Netherlands and Denmark during World War II! It is far worse than the French!

　Are all the Khmer people today so weak and useless? Alas, it’s no wonder that the former Khmer Empire has become a pile of ruins now…”

　Looking at the sweat-stained telegram in his hand, then at the empty new military camp on Phu Quoc Island, Firi sighed and said to the stunned Dr. Kissinger, "It seems that there is no urgent need to renovate the military camp on this island - perhaps it will be needed soon!"

　Dr. Kissinger was stunned for a long time before his mind finally came to its senses. He couldn't help but curse, "Damn it! Our army just withdrew from Hanoi in the north today, and now we've lost Phnom Penh in the south! The Viet Cong leader can even boast that they captured two capitals in one day!

　Good God! The Reds’ arrogance, which had just been suppressed, is about to rise again!

　"What can I do? Fate is such a twist and turn. Perhaps this is life, Doctor."

　Fili sighed and said, "You might as well be more open-minded. After all, we are definitely not the ones who are most angry about this change..."

　-

　Around the same time that General Westmoreland led 100,000 American troops to land in Haiphong and launch a blitzkrieg against Hanoi, the "Republic of South Vietnam," or "Red South Vietnam," with its capital in Saigon, finally determined that the US military was not targeting them. So, it turned and launched a punitive attack on Cambodia.

　——Since Prince Sihanouk was assassinated, General Lon Nol, Prince Sirik Mada, Prince Chandarangxay and the leader of the "Free Khmer Rouge (Blue Khmer Rouge)" Son Ngoc Thanh jointly launched a palace coup, ending the Cambodian monarchy and changing the country's name to the Khmer Republic.

　The Khmer Republic, formed by a right-wing pro-American faction, had just come into being when it immediately issued an expulsion order to the Viet Cong guerrillas and North Vietnamese regular army that had previously obtained the tacit approval of Prince Sihanouk and were entrenched in the eastern provinces of Cambodia and guarding the southernmost section of the Ho Chi Minh Trail.

　However, due to the Kingdom of Cambodia's weak military, even with a rebrand, it couldn't rapidly expand its forces. Therefore, General Lon Nol didn't yet have the courage to engage in battle against the battle-hardened Viet Cong. Instead, he launched a brutal massacre of Vietnamese immigrants in Cambodia under the slogan "Resist Vietnamese Aggression."

　Hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese immigrants in the area controlled by the Khmer Republic were slaughtered by General Lon Nol, with heads rolling and blood flowing like rivers. They fled across the border howling and crying, telling the Viet Cong troops in the south about their tragedy and begging the Viet Cong to avenge them.

　At the same time, the Khmer Republic also closed Sihanoukville to Vietnam, cutting off the "Ho Chi Minh Maritime Trail" through which socialist countries transported arms and supplies from Sihanoukville to South Vietnam, causing the logistical supply of "Red South Vietnam", which was being blockaded by the United States, to become increasingly difficult.

　Faced with the sudden rebellion of the Khmer Republic, the "South Vietnam Republic" in Saigon initially tried to hold back. Unsure whether the US military would soon launch a massive attack from land and sea, the Vietcong had to concentrate their forces to prepare for the Battle of Saigon.

　But when news of the US landing in Haiphong came, the Prime Minister of "Red South Vietnam" Nguyen Huu Tho immediately made a decision:

　I can’t bear it anymore, I’m going to beat up the Khmer people first and vent my anger!

　Anyway, his troops were in the south, and it was impossible for them to go back along the Ho Chi Minh Trail and travel thousands of miles north to reinforce Hanoi.

　It would be better to seize this tactical window when the US military is dragged into other battlefields and teach the enemy behind them a lesson first!

　In other words, the mentality of the Southern Viet Cong was: "Even if I can't beat the Americans, can I still beat you Khmer people?"

　——For the weak Cambodians who have been repeatedly ravaged by the Vietnamese for nearly three hundred years, the Vietnamese have had an absolute psychological advantage since ancient times!

　Just like that, at the command of Nguyen Huu Tho, Prime Minister of the Republic of South Vietnam, the Viet Cong, led by Tran Van Quang, dispatched three divisions and six regiments of troops and confidently pushed forward towards the Khmer people. And then, amidst laughter and joy... they accidentally broke into Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia!!!

　Well, there's no way around it. Cambodia and Vietnam are connected by mountains and rivers to the south. Phnom Penh and Saigon are only 200 kilometers apart, and it's all flat. From Saigon, drive northwest along Highway 22 for a little over 50 kilometers to reach the Mupai Port, the border crossing between the two countries.

　Furthermore, since the Vietcong already controlled much of Cambodia's eastern border, if the South Vietnamese commander-in-chief, Major General Tran Van Quang, wanted to attack Phnom Penh, he could do so directly from Cambodia. The Vietcong would only have to advance a hundred kilometers to reach Phnom Penh!

　It’s roughly the same distance as from Haiphong to Hanoi, or from Shanghai to Suzhou.

　On the other hand, the Khmer Republic was clearly unprepared for the Viet Cong's attack and was caught off guard.

　In other words, even if the Khmer Republic wanted to prepare, it was too late.

　Because, in 1963, the total strength of Cambodia's regular army was only 30,000. After deducting the "ghost soldiers" who were paid without working, as well as the navy, air force and civilian staff, the actual army strength under General Lon Nol was less than 10,000.

　Moreover, this rather small army had never fought any decent battles, lacked practical combat experience, and its combat effectiveness was far inferior to that of the Viet Cong.

　even

　Even the weapons and equipment were very poor because the arms aided by the United States to General Lon Nol had not yet arrived.

　General Lon Nol did not even assemble this weak army of less than 10,000 to prepare for battle. Instead, he dispersed most of his troops to the countryside to hunt down left-wing elements and Vietnamese immigrants, leaving only two or three thousand of his own troops in the capital, Phnom Penh, to suppress possible civil unrest.

　But in this way, no one would go to the border to stop the Vietcong! From the border to the capital Phnom Penh, the Vietcong had almost no obstacles!

　What's even worse is that just one day before the Viet Cong launched the attack, General Lon Nol suddenly suffered a stroke and was hospitalized, causing chaos in the Cambodian government army command. When Major General Chen Wenguang, commander-in-chief of "Red South Vietnam", issued the general attack order on December 23, the Cambodian army was actually still paralyzed.