American Strategic Deception Bureau

　On November 29, on the southern front of Quang Nam Province, the US military and the Quang Nam National Army, which were confronting "Red South Vietnam", voluntarily abandoned the defensive fortifications built along Highway 11 in order to avoid being attacked from both sides, and fled to the port city of Chu Lai in a hurry, attempting to rely on the seaport and continue to resist stubbornly.

　On November 30th, the 6000 American troops stationed on the Hai Van Ridge defense line 20 kilometers from Da Nang, faced with the dilemma of being attacked from both sides, finally abandoned the solid defense line they had spent huge sums of money to build over the past few years and began to move to the beaches of Lang Co Bay, attempting to repeat the Dunkirk evacuation...

　Abandoned military uniforms, helmets, bulletproof vests, backpacks, and even guns and ammunition.

　Looking down from the hill, one could see the beach littered with soldiers, their faces utterly distraught and their hands empty. They had all run in disarray, officers unable to find their men, soldiers unable to find their officers, and discipline almost completely broken down. Whenever a landing craft approached, they eagerly rushed aboard, shouting, cursing, and kicking each other, vying for the chance to evacuate the battlefield as quickly as possible. In the afterglow of the setting sun, the scene was incredibly glaring.

　Fortunately, although their retreat was chaotic, they were not disturbed or hunted by the enemy.

　To the north of Hai Van Ridge, the North Vietnamese army entrenched in the Hue Plain was trapped by the barbed wire fences, dead-end roads and endless minefields built by the US defenders in recent years, and could not cross Hai Van Ridge in a short time.

　South of Hai Van Ridge, the Viet Cong guerrillas and a small number of North Vietnamese regular troops who had invaded Da Nang were still busy mopping up the remaining Quang Nam Nationalist troops on the coastal plains, as well as engaging in lively battles with the stubbornly resisting Catholic fortresses and villages—or "modern forts"—in the countryside surrounding Da Nang. Therefore, until they had gained a firm foothold, they had no plans to attack Hai Van Ridge from above.

　Furthermore, the US military always controlled the sea and air. Therefore, those American troops attempting to retreat from the beaches of Ling Co Bay at least did not have to face the "farewell" of bombing and strafing by aircraft, or the tragic situation of being intercepted by enemy ships.

　Willie Bryan, a black Marine soldier, was also among the American soldiers withdrawing from the Haiyunling defense line, stumbling forward in a daze.

　As a black Marine soldier staying in Da Nang, Willie Bryan's original fate was probably to be taken to a Viet Cong prisoner-of-war camp in confusion along with those "McNamara's idiots" with an IQ of less than 70.

　Fortunately, on the day the North Vietnamese army entered Da Nang, he happened to receive a mission to drive a war correspondent to Hai Van Ling for an interview. Thus, he narrowly avoided the catastrophic disaster and was able to listen to the tragic news on the radio in shock on the mountain, sighing deeply.

　However, when Da Nang fell, the 6000 American troops on the Hai Van Ridge defense line were instantly trapped in a desperate situation.

　——The sudden loss of the logistics base and the lack of any targeted preparations beforehand resulted in the US troops on the Haiyunling front having only enough rations to last for seven days, and ammunition reserves of only three bases... More importantly, the Haiyunling defense line, known as the Iron Wall, was designed with all its defensive fortifications to resist the Vietnamese army coming from the north, and did not consider the possibility of the enemy coming from the south!

　How to fight this battle?

　Finally, with only three days of food left, the Pentagon finally approved the Haiyunling defenders to abandon their heavy equipment and retreat by sea and air.

　However, there was no seaport at the eastern end of the Haiyunling defense line, and no existing roads between the hills. The number of helicopters was only enough to evacuate officers and a small number of wounded soldiers. Those American soldiers who usually had to take a car for distances longer than five kilometers could only escape on foot, cursing and swearing.

　Black soldier Willie Bryan was among the crowd, panting as he walked toward the beach, his rucksack and Garand rifle having been left on the road, his trouser legs and sleeves ripped by the sharp thorns of the thorn bushes, but he didn't dare to stop for a moment.

　——Due to some coincidences, Willy Brian was the last group of people to receive the evacuation notice, and he was very worried that he would be left behind.

　Finally, he arrived at Lang Co Bay in the evening and was delighted to see the Verbena, a merchant ship weighing approximately 3,000 to 4,000 tons, anchored in the harbor. Because the water was shallow near the beach, the deeper-draft merchant ship had to anchor far out to sea, with a landing craft transporting the fleeing soldiers back and forth. Some soldiers, unable to wait, found rubber boats, or, clinging to lifebuoys or even wooden planks, struggled to swim towards the merchant ship.

　Willy Brian's eyes lit up immediately, and he rushed forward shouting, grabbed the side of the landing craft, and tried to squeeze in.

　However, there were more people than boats on the beach at that time. The only remaining landing craft was already packed to the brim, with people even sitting on the roof of the cab. From a distance, it looked like an Indian train with "external passenger carriers"... Where could there be room to accommodate a big black man?

　So, Willy Brian not only failed to squeeze onto the landing craft, but was hit hard on the head with a stick and immediately fainted on the beach.

　Then, after an unknown amount of time, Willy Brian woke up while spitting sand and rubbing his bleeding forehead, only to find that it was already dark and the landing craft on the beach was gone. Besides himself, there was only garbage and abandoned military equipment all around.

　Was I... abandoned by those damn white pigs?

　Are the yellow monkey Vietcong coming to get me? Are they going to throw me into a torture chamber? Oh! No!!!

　Recalling the horror stories circulating in the Da Nang military camp, those horrifying "Eighteen Asian Tortures", such as "ants climbing trees", skinning with mercury, being cut into pieces, and piercing the anus with bamboo shoots, etc., the black soldier with a low level of education suddenly shuddered.

　The more he thought about it, the sadder and more frightened he became. He couldn't help but burst into tears, cursing his boss, the president, and God while crying.

　"Damn God! Damn Johnson! Damn McNamara! Why did you leave me here?"

　Then, a bright flashlight beam suddenly shone on his face, making it difficult for him to open his eyes.

　"...

　There's another one over here! A nigger! Hey, what a natural camouflage! If he hadn't cried so loudly, I would have almost missed it! "A teasing voice came from not far away. Although the content was full of racial discrimination, it sounded like heavenly music to Willy Brian's ears!

　Next, two sailors dragged him onto a motorboat, took on five other wounded American soldiers who had fallen behind, and then put out to sea.

　A moment later, Willy Bryan, still shaken, finally climbed aboard a destroyer—well, in his eyes, it was a destroyer. From the sailors who greeted him, Willy Bryan learned it was the Yukikaze, a Japanese ship renowned for its luck, now flying the American flag and acting as a CIA service vessel. Although the Yukikaze was old, its interior was luxuriously decorated, reminiscent of a yacht. The dazzling array of drinks in the living room's wine cabinet was particularly captivating, leaving the rescued soldiers dazzled.

　The sailors on the Yukikaze were generous and immediately brought a bottle of whiskey to calm the six rescued soldiers. The tall and strong Willy Bryan rushed to the front and grabbed the bottle first. He drank half of the bottle in one gulp and felt a little calmer.

　Then, a white, bearded colonel with a rather effeminate appearance approached him and asked about the fall of Da Nang and the retreat from Hai Van Ling. Willy Bryan immediately opened up, rambling on about the hardships he'd endured in the past few days, and bitterly cursing the bastard who had attacked him with a stick that evening, causing him to faint on the beach and miss the Verbena. "Luckily, I cried loudly tonight, otherwise, if you hadn't found me, I would have been captured by the Viet Cong soon!"

　If I knew who hit me with a stick when I came aboard in the evening, I would beat him up with my fists!"

　"Ah, thank goodness you didn't get on that ship," said the effeminate colonel who called himself Jin. "The Verbena just ran aground and sank. That idiotic captain rammed the ship directly into another ship loaded with ammunition, causing a massive explosion! Of the more than a thousand people on the Verbena, only less than two hundred were rescued! I saw this with my own eyes four hours ago, so you're really lucky!"

　Willy Brian: ?? !!

　It seems like I was hit by a club and thrown on the beach, but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise?

　Such a drastic contrast in the development of events made this not-so-bright dark-skinned big guy silent all of a sudden.

　After a while, he rolled his eyes and asked tentatively, "Commander, since the positions in Haiyunling have been lost, where should we go now? The Philippines? Hong Kong? Or Bali?" He asked in a flattering manner with an embarrassed face.

　"The Philippines? Hong Kong? Bali? Do you want to go on vacation? And pick up another hot Asian girl?

　But why do you think a unit that lost a battle could be rewarded with leave instead of being punished?"

　Colonel Ferry King, who had been on his routine patrol at the refugee transit station on Kunlun Island when he was suddenly shocked to hear that Da Nang had fallen, had hurriedly brought the refugee transport ship and official ship to rescue people and boost his reputation. He looked at the seemingly honest black soldier with a playful look and scolded him with a forced smile, "I'm sorry, you haven't been allowed to leave the battlefield yet, soldier! We are en route to Champa Island! It's not far, we'll be there in an hour! You can get ready to disembark now, report to your new unit, and explain to the military police why you left your unit!"

　Willy Blaine: ...(His face droops, full of disappointment)

　-

　Champa Island, as its name suggests, is the home of the remnants of the ancient Champa Kingdom. Located 20 kilometers offshore from Hoi An, it can be reached in just half an hour by speedboat. Even sailing from Da Nang or Lang Co Bay takes just over an hour.

　Therefore, in the five-day tour of Da Nang in the 21st century, Champa Island and Ba Na Hills are both must-visit internet celebrity check-in destinations for tour groups.

　In 1967, despite the lack of tourism development due to years of war on the surrounding land, Champa Island was still a beautiful, pristine island with beaches, sunshine, a salty and fishy sea breeze, coral reefs, coconut trees, and crabs crawling on the beach.

　Well, in the jungle on the island, there are venomous snakes, centipedes, wasps, big cockroaches, and poisonous mosquitoes that carry dengue fever, etc. crawling everywhere...

　This caused the American officers and soldiers, American civilians and war refugees who fled from the mainland to all complain bitterly.

　At least 50,000 to 60,000 people have now crammed onto the tiny Champa Island. The supply of fresh water and food is extremely tight. Even American soldiers cannot afford tents for everyone, and the refugees can only camp under trees or on cliffs. Mosquito nets are hard to come by.

　However, no matter how bad the environment is on an island, it is at least better than the Vietcong prisoner-of-war camps or "re-education camps", right?

　——For American military officers and soldiers during the Vietnam War, the charming blue waves of the ocean meant safety, rest and retreat.

　When the Xuefeng approached the simple pier on Champa Island, Fili took a group of people off the ship and walked through a camp of rickety tents and shacks. He handed the few lucky ones he had rescued from Linggu Bay to the military police and chatted with a few officers he knew.

　I went to the hospital and asked about the latest battle situation.

　But then, before he could even reach the dock, a strong wind suddenly blew up in his face. He could hear lightning and thunder in the sky, and bean-sized raindrops fell from the sky, hitting the ground, scattering in all directions and stirring up muddy water.

　There is no way. This island has an oceanic climate. Even in the dry season, the rainfall is terribly heavy. Thunderstorms come at any time. The sky may be clear one second and covered with dark clouds the next. The green waterproof cloth makes a loud banging sound in the rain, and people sleeping outdoors are drenched by the heavy rain.

　Even though Firi tried to run at full speed, by the time he returned to the Yukikaze, he was soaked by the rain.

　"Hurry up and wipe it off, sir, so you don't catch a cold from the rain. By the way, are there any new battle reports from the front?"

　Wolfe Lee, the fat Texas adjutant who stayed on the ship, politely handed over a dry towel and asked curiously.

　"There's bad news and good news. The bad news is that the Koreans slipped away, they escaped by boat out of Qui Nhon Port and handed the city over to the Vietcong.

　The good news is that the Quang Nam Nationalist Army, commanded by Major General Li Mingdao, won a resounding victory at Chu Lai Air Base. With the support of our naval aviation, they repelled the 3rd "Gold Star" Division, the ace unit of "Red South Vietnam." The military propaganda department just dispatched a large group of reporters by helicopter to Chu Lai to interview Major General Li Mingdao, who had saved the day, in order to boost morale.

　"Hey, I remember seeing him four years ago. Back then, he was only a lieutenant? Or maybe a captain? I never thought he'd become a general now. I have to salute him first when I see him!" Fili said with a sigh as he wiped his face with a dry towel.

　"There are still Guangnan Nationalist troops continuing to fight? I thought they all surrendered?" Wolf Lee said in surprise.

　"After the fall of Da Nang, the Quang Nam Nationalist Army has indeed basically collapsed. Aside from the Catholic militias scattered throughout the villages, the only regular army left is the brigade commanded by Li Mingdao. So our naval aviation is desperately trying to protect him right now."

　Firi nodded and said, "If Zhulai is lost again, the coalition forces will really be driven into the sea! Washington does not want to witness such a humiliating scene!"

　In fact, Zhu Lai, where the Dawn Island is now garrisoned, is the last remaining stronghold of the US-Guangnan coalition on the mainland of the Indochina Peninsula. Its nature is comparable to the Taliban armed forces in the Afghan battlefield in the 21st century. After the Taliban armed forces re-entered Kabul and performed aerial acrobatics at Kabul Airport, little Massoud continued to raise the battle flag and hold on to the Panjshir Valley - although he actually only persisted in his hometown in the valley for more than half a month.

　However, young Masood in the Panjshir Valley fought alone from beginning to end; but now Major General Dawn Island has strong backing.

　——Neither the Pentagon nor the White House has admitted defeat yet!

　"Excuse me, has the new commander of the US forces in Vietnam, General Maxwell Taylor, not yet arrived at Cham Island to take up his post? Although this place is rather shabby, almost all the US troops withdrawn from the Vietnam War front are piled up on this island." A war correspondent on the ship came up and asked Firi.

　"General Taylor said he won't come to Cham Island. He's going straight to Saigon! Let's teach those arrogant Vietcong a lesson!"

　Chapter 400: The royal army enters Saigon again!

　In this dimension, the North Vietnamese Workers' Party in December 1967 was like the German Nazi Party's Third Reich in the autumn of 1942, on the eve of the Battle of Stalingrad. Looking at the map, it seemed that it had reached a peak moment of prosperity.

　Relying on one miraculous and glorious victory after another, and the lofty ambition of "marching troops to all directions and exerting power over the whole country", the Vietnamese, a small "semi-civilized" nation that had always been living in the wild frontier, suddenly jumped to the center of the historical stage and was noticed by the world!

　The pleasure of riding on the head of the world overlord and slapping him in the face left and right is like a drug addiction that you can't stop!

　Even the Vietnamese, whose rice fields had been completely depleted by Agent Orange spraying by the US Air Force and whose faces were emaciated from hunger, could not help but puff out their chests with pride when they thought of the US aircraft carrier sunk in Cam Ranh Bay and the 60,000 American prisoners who surrendered in Da Nang.

　Ever since the tragic news of Da Nang spread around the world, the photo of the long line of American prisoners of war has been used countless times by newspapers in various countries to compare with the "Bataan Death March" more than 20 years ago - just like the "Flying Man of Kabul" and "Iron Fist of Saigon" in another timeline.

　Moreover, although both are shameful and bring disgrace to the US military, there is still a big difference in their "gold content" or "American content".

　--In April 1942, on the Bataan Peninsula, among the 80,000 US-Philippine troops who surrendered to the Japanese commander Lieutenant General Masaharu Homma, the vast majority of the prisoners were Filipinos who were just trying to get by. There were only more than 15,000 real American prisoners of war.

　But during the Battle of Da Nang, the 60,000 American prisoners of war captured by the North Vietnamese People's Army and South Vietnamese guerrillas were all genuine, active-duty American soldiers! There were absolutely no Quang Nam or South Korean troops making up the numbers!

　Well, although over 80% of the prisoners were idiots with an IQ of less than 70, and some were deaf and blind, but are these prisoners white, American citizens? At least in the photos and videos, you can't tell the difference!

　Therefore, in the eyes of Le Duan, the second generation leader of North Vietnam, he

　The military achievements he made in the past few years have not only surpassed any monarch in ancient Vietnamese history, but have even far surpassed the old Japanese Imperial Army that swept across the Pacific more than 20 years ago!

　The arrogant Japanese, with their vast fleet of aircraft and warships, fought the Americans for three and a half years in the Pacific War, inflicting only over 700,000 casualties on the US military. Meanwhile, the impoverished Vietnamese, struggling barefoot, have inflicted over 600,000 casualties on the US military even now! In the prisoner-of-war camps along the Sino-Vietnamese border alone, the number of American prisoners already held or slated for detention exceeds 100,000!

　Under his wise leadership, the Vietnamese, braving the relentless bombing of American aircraft, advanced triumphantly, planting their flag at Tonle Sap Lake, at Angkor Wat, and even in Bangkok on the Chao Phraya River—fighting against the world's hegemon and winning time and again! What a heroic spirit!

　Now, the Quang Nam puppet regime, which was stuck in the waist of Vietnamese territory, has collapsed, and South Vietnam and North Vietnam have been reunited. Only a reactionary general named Li Mingdao and a small group of remaining puppet troops are left. They are still relying on the port in Zhu Lai and resisting stubbornly, repelling many attacks from their southern comrades.

　But in the eyes of the far-sighted leader Le Duan, this little trouble was nothing.

　More than 100,000 American troops were defeated, and the overall outcome of the motherland's reunification was decided. How could a mere small town and a brigade of remnants still think of turning the tables?

　His sights had long gone beyond the former national borders, and he began to fantasize about dominating Southeast Asia and annexing the world - expelling the American empire, merging all French colonies, and rebuilding the Indochina Federation were only the first steps. Next, he would continue to conquer Thailand and interfere in Burma and Malaysia!

　The Soviet Union can integrate one-fifth of the world's land through the form of member republics and military treaties. Vietnam can also do the same and set up a small "Warsaw Pact" in Southeast Asia to compete with China in the north, India in the west and the United States across the ocean!

　At this moment, Le Duan was in power, had great prestige, superb martial arts skills, a far-reaching reputation, and great ambitions. It seemed that he had everything.

　It was like everything had reached its peak, with everything flourishing and bustling.

　At this time, very few people could keep a cool head. Most people were so inflated that they didn't know who they were. Le Duan was no exception.

　This intracranial orgasm is really one wave higher than the other!

　However, in an era when the world is shrinking into a "global village," the outcome of any war of hegemony or expansion does not depend solely on the forces on the battlefield, but is closely related to other major powers far away.

　Today, all the glory and victory achieved by the Vietnamese Red Party are built on the humiliation and defeat of the United States. And no matter how clumsy the United States may be on the battlefield, it is still the world hegemon, with great strength and terrible revenge.

　Now, this bald eagle has been completely enraged by the "talking tree" in the Vietnamese jungle and is ready to defeat it at all costs!

　——The new commander of the US forces in Vietnam, General Maxwell Taylor, who had been beaten to the point of having no place to stand by the Viet Cong before he even took office, launched the "Imperialist Punishment" against the arrogant Viet Cong with a heart full of anger and a mighty million-strong army!

　-

　On December 5, when the North Vietnamese high-level officials in Hanoi were still immersed in the joy of the collapse of the "Guangnam pseudo-regime" and the unification of the north and the south with the red flag with a gold star, a rumbling explosion suddenly sounded in Vung Tau Port, near the mouth of the Mekong River (called the Nine Dragon River by the Vietnamese).

　After 24 hours of continuous fire coverage by the U.S. Navy Air Force, three divisions of the U.S. Marine Corps landed successively around Vung Tau Port, and quickly destroyed the weak resistance of the small number of local Viet Cong armed forces, occupying a landing area about 3 kilometers long with good port facilities.

　Next, the U.S. military, determined for revenge, brought out the same momentum as when they launched the Normandy and Inchon landings, and began to unload troops and supplies onto the shore desperately, transporting 3000 tons of supplies in one day. For the U.S. military, which emphasizes heavy firepower, it cannot fight without sufficient logistics.

　According to general tactical principles, this is the last chance for the defenders on the shore to launch a counterattack and push the US troops into the sea.

　Otherwise, once the US troops land and gain a foothold, coupled with their absolute control of the sea and air, the defenders will not be able to push them forward even with armored troops.

　But unfortunately, the Viet Cong in the Vung Tau battlefield has no soldiers available at the moment - in order to eliminate Quang Nam and connect the north and south of the country, the "Red South Vietnam" has long been eager to fight. The recruits are directly sent to the distant Quang Nam front after a little training. The areas around the "capital" Saigon in the rear are not empty, and at least the coastal defense forces are stretched to the limit.

　In addition, the U.S. Strategic Air Force and Naval Aviation carried out high-intensity carpet bombing on Saigon, which greatly interfered with the actions of the Viet Cong.

　Many Vietnamese soldiers were blown to pieces by gasoline bombs and incendiary bombs from American planes while they were still on the way to mobilization and assembly.

　It was not until December 8, three days after the US troops landed in Vung Tau, that Saigon assembled 30,000 troops, including a large number of militia units equipped with homemade guns and spears and with poor combat effectiveness, and tentatively launched a counterattack against the US troops in Vung Tau.

　But before the two sides exchanged fire, the US military used its air force to bombard the Viet Cong armed forces. On December 9, it sent the famous 101st Airborne Division, which used this ace force to airborne and occupy Bien Hoa Airport, which was only 30 kilometers away from Saigon.

　Although the Vietnamese army used the Soviet-aided "Sam-

　2" anti-aircraft missiles shot down seven US transport planes and bombers in one day, and used anti-aircraft guns to shoot down 15 other US aircraft. But even after the missiles were exhausted, they still could not prevent the fall of Bien Hoa Airport.

　Next, a large number of American transport planes landed at Bien Hoa Airport one after another, bringing in more troops, ammunition, supplies and heavy equipment, as if they were going to turn Bien Hoa Airport into a second Dien Bien Phu - but this time, the Viet Cong did not have several months to calmly deploy a siege.

　Seeing this, the Chief of Staff of the "Republic of South Vietnam", General Le Zhongxun, known as the Red God of War, had to abandon all plans of field counterattacks and concentrate his forces to retreat to Saigon. He repaired barricades, trenches and bunkers in the city, hoping to consume as much of the US military as possible in street fighting.

　At the same time, Prime Minister Nguyen Huu Tho of the "Republic of South Vietnam" and the leadership team of "Red South Vietnam" left Saigon first and retreated to the old Viet Cong headquarters in Cu Chi. As in the past, they continued to hide in layers of cleverly disguised tunnels.

　On December 12, the U.S. Marines, who had landed a week ago, began to launch an offensive in all directions like an octopus.

　On December 15, the U.S. Marines attacked Xuan Loc, a transportation hub east of Saigon, and deployed defensive positions in Xuan Loc, defeating three Vietnamese divisions returning from Nha Trang and Da Dao, preventing this relatively elite enemy force from returning to Saigon in time.

　On December 16, the U.S. Army's 12st Air Cavalry Division landed in Thu Dau Mot by helicopter, cutting off road traffic between Saigon and Cambodia.

　Over the next two weeks, General Maxwell Taylor, commander of the US forces in Vietnam, did not rush headlong into Saigon. Instead, he made full use of his own manpower and firepower advantages to launch a massive landing operation along the long coastline of South Vietnam and the various waterways of the Mekong Delta. The more than one million US troops recruited by the Pentagon from all over the world swept through the cities in the territory of "Red South Vietnam" like mercury, dividing the Viet Cong's armed forces into pieces and making it impossible for them to support each other.

　The total strength of Red South Vietnam was just over 300,000 troops, a significant number of whom were still on expeditions abroad or stranded on the distant battlefield of Da Nang, unable to be mobilized in a hurry. Faced with such a ferocious, all-out assault, they were utterly routed. Unable to hold any city, they fled to the countryside, reverting to their guerrilla roots and continuing their "talking trees."