American Strategic Deception Bureau

　For example, the U.S. Postal Service was in such bad shape that almost every family in the country had experienced the horror of lost letters and missing packages. Phone calls were always switched, bills were always sent to the wrong address, and people often found themselves inexplicably declared dead or their bank balances disappeared.

　The working conditions in the U.S. construction industry are also very bad. If a project is "only" delayed by six months, you are lucky - this was the situation in the 1960s, and it will get worse in the future. There are often projects that are delayed by 20 to 30 years, and the cost increases tenfold.

　Just as trains in the Soviet Union and India are always late, American flights are becoming increasingly difficult to take off on time, let alone arrive at their destination on time. You have to wait and watch the plane circle over your destination, and once you land, you find that your luggage has been sent to another airport.

　Bus and train schedules are completely unreliable, and frequent travelers are required to bring pillows and blankets to sleep on their seats.

　Everything was going off the rails. From water pipes to telephones to F-111 jets, all plans were thrown into disarray.

　Because prices soared but wages did not increase, starting in 1967, sanitation workers, police, truck drivers, postmen and firefighters in the United States went on strike. The U.S. economy was in chaos, and then inflation became even more fierce!

　The most profound impression people have of Johnson’s presidency is that he kept making plans, but none of them were realized!

　To sum up, in such a chaotic era with all kinds of bad things happening, the "Garden of Eden" in the San Fernando Valley was still completed with such high quality and quantity, which is really something that almost moves people to tears.

　"Have you dealt with the 'Manson Family' next to Disneyland?" Kissinger suddenly said after looking at the construction site for a while.

　"It's solved. He's just a homeless guy who knows a little hypnosis. As long as you stay calm and clear your mind, it won't be difficult to deal with him."

　Phiri said lightly, "The key is to reveal your CIA identity and scare him with a gun, and then things will be easy.

　As a veteran criminal who has spent half his life in prison, Manson certainly knows what legal killing feels like."

　Of course, the reality wasn't so simple or easy. Manson had already constructed his makeshift temple within the ruins. As a Level 0 Priest of Cyric, the Prince of Lies, his attempt to deceive ordinary people on his home turf was, if not a sure thing, at least a near certainty. Even those with a cold or mild hostility towards him were vulnerable; only those with strong hostility had a higher chance of immunity.

　It was only because of the suppression of Firi, the one favored by God, that he was unable to use his strength and his spirit was affected, making him unable to resist at all.

　In this way, the Manson family would be forced to "reason" with Fieri: otherwise they really didn't want to reason at all.

　“So, you drove him and his gang away from Disneyland?” Kissinger said.

　"Kick out the Manson Family? No, no, why would they? Disney just wants them to tone it down a little bit."

　Ferry gave him a strange look.

　After my persuasion and education, Manson agreed to move their open-air group sex venue from the ruins of the open-air plaza near the highway to a central courtyard surrounded by trees and houses, so that it would not be directly seen by tourists coming to the park by car.

　As a precaution, Disney employees dragged a number of abandoned vehicle wreckage from the entrance of the abandoned Holiday Inn and placed it between the highway and the open-air plaza, thus forming a barrier wall that shielded the Manson Family's stronghold from prying eyes.

　"You just asked those hippies to move out? And then what?" Dr. Kissinger frowned.

　"

　Then? Manson promised to let the girls who followed him wear a black cape when dancing naked, playing the role of a wanton black witch. Disney also gave him some Black Mass-style decorations, such as goat skulls and skeletons. They also gave him a mobile transparent greenhouse with a dome, which was actually a

　A circular tent with a glass roof was built, allowing Manson to grow hemp and other hallucinogenic herbs in it.

　Next, the "Apocalyptic Wasteland Cult Sacrifice Site next to the park" could be used as a hidden attraction, recommended to those tourists with a curiosity and a love of thrills through word of mouth among waiters and vendors.

　Fili smiled wickedly and made a cross-circle gesture, "You know, although Disneyland is a paradise for children, parents who bring their children to Disneyland occasionally need to carry their children on their backs and find some adult fun in private.

　Then, compared to the ubiquitous nude beaches and strip clubs, a cult sacrificial site that sells all kinds of anesthetics and where beautiful naked women dance in circles around a fire is obviously more novel - the erotic and seductive black magic show makes people's heart beat fast just by listening to it, doesn't it?

　Children have their beautiful fairy tales, and adults also need their dark fairy tales!"

　"This is really... I don't know what to say. Children and adults each have their own fun."

　Kissinger's mouth twitched twice, and after a while he sighed and said, "It seems that if I bring my children to Disneyland in the future, I must keep a close eye on them and never let them go anywhere they shouldn't go."

　"

　Well, it's all in the past, so let's stop talking about that Disney shit!"

　Fili changed the subject and pointed to the Eden Town construction site ahead. "With the great success of the Eden Town construction project and the great victory in the Vietnam War this year, my brother is planning to run for the Democratic Congressman in California again, and it seems his chances of success are very high.

　So, Dr. Kissinger, what are your plans for this year? It’s another election year every four years!

　"Well... before the US military in Vietnam launched this dry season offensive, Washington believed that a change of president this year was a foregone conclusion. New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller had intended to run for president and invited me to serve as an advisor to his campaign committee, but..."

　Dr. Kissinger spread his hands.

　The news of the recapture of Saigon and Phnom Penh instantly reversed the domestic polls, and citizens generally believed that victory was within reach to end the war—even though we all knew it wasn't. This caused President Johnson's approval ratings to soar, and it was unanimously recognized throughout Washington. No one, except God, could prevent him from serving as president for another four years.

　Nelson Rockefeller, on the other hand, didn't even make it to the party nomination, losing to Nixon, who had long since retired from politics. He then complained to me that Americans prefer self-made heroes over aristocrats like him who were born with a silver spoon in their mouths, even though he was ten times more capable than Nixon.

　As for the Democratic Party, President Johnson has already set up his own team and doesn't think highly of me... "

　At this point, this Jewish master of international geopolitics could not help but sigh that his talent was not appreciated.

　"

　Since President Johnson won't give you a chance, haven't you ever thought about trying Nixon's side?" Fieri said tentatively and jokingly.

　Although President Johnson, having recovered from his "sex therapy" and riding the wave of victory in Vietnam, decided to run for re-election in 1968, bringing history to a critical juncture, Nixon ultimately emerged victorious after a fierce battle among Republican candidates.

　So, this year's US election became Johnson vs. Nixon: a lineup that has never appeared in history.

　"Nixon... After losing the party nomination, Mr. Rockefeller did say he could recommend me to Nixon, and Nixon's campaign committee was willing to accept me. But the problem is... the Republicans' chances of winning the election this year are incredibly slim."

　Kissinger lamented, "I have no personal relationship with Mr. Nixon. Helping him wouldn't change the outcome, so why would I humiliate myself?"

　Firi nodded in agreement: Due to historical changes, it is likely that Nixon, the "Watergate candidate", will find it difficult to take office this year.

　After all, the U.S. military's offensive and frequent victories in the Vietnam battlefield over the past six months have been like a series of shots of adrenaline and stimulants, allowing the current Johnson administration to "reflect the youthful enthusiasm of its old age" and once again gain extremely high support from American citizens!

　- After conquering Saigon and Phnom Penh, planting flags at Angkor Wat, drinking from Tonle Sap Lake, and restoring the South Vietnamese regime and the pro-American "Khmer Republic", the new and victorious commander of US forces in Vietnam, General Maxwell Taylor, turned his spearhead and pretended to launch a new offensive to the north.

　Upon seeing this, the Vietnamese army, which had just captured Da Nang at the end of last year, immediately gathered troops in Da Nang and Nha Trang, Qui Nhon, Da Dao and other places south of Da Nang, deployed defense lines, repaired fortifications, stockpiled ammunition, and prepared to set up layers of defense to block the US troops from advancing north.

　Unexpectedly, the US military, which controlled the sea and air, did not foolishly attack the Vietnamese defense positions. Instead, it once again adopted a leapfrog offensive, sending a fleet to bypass Da Nang and directly launched an amphibious landing battle against Hue, the ancient capital of Vietnam north of Da Nang!

　Bingo! A successful strategy of avoiding the real and attacking the fake!

　——Because of the barrier of Haiyunling, the main force of the Vietnamese army was scattered along the long coastline and moved slowly, while the US military could move freely from the air and sea, and could seize the weak points of the Vietnamese army at any time, and then

　Hit hard!

　As a result, a second-line division of the Vietnamese army and several militia units left in Hue, totaling less than 6000 people, relied on the city streets and building wreckage, and barely resisted the fierce attack of 5 US troops for seven days and seven nights. Finally, they ran out of ammunition and support and collapsed and fled.

　The U.S. Marines triumphantly raised the American flag on the towers of the Hue Imperial City. They then continued northward along Highway 1, first retaking Quang Tri and Dong Ha south of the 17th parallel, and then, on March 15th, crossing the Bien Hai River and crossing the 17th parallel.

　The reason is that the 1954 Geneva Agreement has been completely destroyed by North Vietnam. To this day, North Vietnam still occupies a large territory south of the 17th parallel north latitude. Then, as a reciprocal retaliation, the US military also has the right to cross the 17th parallel north latitude and enter the territory of North Vietnam!

　As soon as this incident happened, Hanoi was shocked.

　When South Vietnam and North Vietnam confronted each other across the 17th parallel north, North Vietnam also built many defensive fortifications north of the demarcation line.

　But since the North Vietnamese People's Army successfully attacked southward five years ago, easily captured the Hue Plain, and pushed the front line southward to the northern foot of Hai Van Ridge, the 17th parallel north was left far behind by them, and the fortifications built on this line were naturally abandoned by the North Vietnamese army.

　In order to connect the Hue Plain with North Vietnam, North Vietnam not only abandoned and demolished the fortifications along the 17th parallel north, but also cleared the mines laid by both sides on the demarcation line and repaired the bridges, railways, and roads running through the north and south.

　Now all the hard work of the past few years has paid off - after taking Hue, the US armored forces took a short rest, then followed the road repaired by North Vietnamese engineers, went north across the Bien Hai River, and easily captured the first North Vietnamese city north of the 17th parallel, Vinh Linh in Quang Binh Province!

　Fortunately, after crossing the 17th parallel, the US troops did not advance directly toward Hanoi along Highway 1. Instead, they advanced only a few dozen kilometers before stopping at the Linh River in Quang Binh Province. This area, formerly known as the Zheng River, marked the dividing line between the Trinh and Nguyen clans in the 16th century.

　In order to resist the Zheng feudal group that ruled North Vietnam, the relatively weak Nguyen feudal group in South Vietnam, whose capital was Hue at the time, introduced modern European fortress technology south of the Linh River and built two fortress defense lines, which just divided Vietnam's long and narrow territory into two halves. Compared with the 17th parallel north dividing line that was later roughly drawn by foreigners, this dividing line that has withstood the test of history is obviously more reasonable.

　In the following hundreds of years, these two lines of fortresses became an insurmountable man-made natural barrier for the North Vietnamese army. The Nguyen family of South Vietnam relied on these two lines of defense to resist seven large-scale offensives of the Zheng Dynasty and countless small-scale offensives, and maintained their regime until the end of the 7th century, when it was overthrown by a peasant uprising.

　This time, the US military pushed its defense line northward to Linh Giang, the fortress line built by the Nguyen family in the past, thus taking advantage of the geographical location and improving its defense posture.

　At the same time, the encirclement and annihilation operation against the main force of the Vietnamese army that was cut off in the southern port cities of Da Nang, Qui Nhon and Nha Trang has also been launched.

　——The 1st Air Cavalry Division and the 101st Airborne Division were dispatched first, leapfrogging and landing in various parts of the Truong Son Mountains, blocking the mountain passes where the Vietnamese army was retreating from the coastal plains to the Central Highlands, and encircling more than 100,000 Vietnamese troops and Viet Cong militia in the narrow coastal plain area.

　Then, the suffocatingly powerful U.S. Navy and Air Force launched a massive bombing campaign against the Vietnamese troops stationed in these ports, "softening" them.

　Finally, the U.S. Marines went ashore in large numbers and launched a final, fatal blow to these isolated and exhausted Vietnamese troops!

　It must be said that even in such desperate circumstances, the Vietnamese fought with unwavering tenacity, utilizing every possible terrain—building debris, sewers, caves—to fight to the bitter end. The American forces had to raze any city they wanted to capture. However, despite their overwhelming superiority in manpower and firepower, the Vietnamese's bravery could not avert their inevitable defeat; at best, it only prolonged the battle.

　In front of the American troops who have already seen the hope of victory, the stubborn enemy who is fighting desperately is far less difficult to deal with than the mole that cannot be found.

　In short, when the calendar turned to May 10, another dry season in Vietnam came to an end and it once again entered the muddy rainy season that was not suitable for military operations. At this time, the major South Vietnamese port cities of Da Nang, Nha Trang and Qui Nhon had all been recaptured by the US military, and 70% of South Vietnam's territory had been restored on the map.

　North Vietnam, on the other hand, suffered its heaviest military defeat in nearly a decade, suffering heavy losses in territory, manpower, and prestige.

　During the dry season fighting from November 1967 to May 1968, the Vietnamese army not only lost the politically significant cities of Hue, Saigon, and Phnom Penh, but also lost a province to the US forces that crossed the 17th parallel. Four hundred thousand Vietnamese soldiers were killed, missing, or disabled. All of North Vietnam's armored forces were wiped out by the US forces, and the newly formed North Vietnamese Air Force was completely destroyed in the fierce fighting during these six months.

　A full eight divisions were forced to cancel their numbers, and 70% of North Vietnam’s regular army was wiped out!

　Such a heavy loss could no longer be described as "serious injuries" to the North Vietnamese People's Army, but rather "amputation of all limbs below the eyebrows"!

　Therefore, after receiving the preliminary casualty statistics, Vo Nguyen Giap immediately fainted from crying, and Le Duan also looked as ugly as if he had lost his parents.

　Next, despite the above-mentioned disastrous defeat, the current Vietcong still has a large presence in South Vietnam.

　It has a large rural base and completely controls the six provinces in the Central Highlands Mountain Area, as well as several larger inland cities such as Kon Tum, Pleiku, and Buon Ma Thuot.

　However, by the next dry season, most of these provinces would still be undefendable, as the Vietcong had already shed enough blood and could not be replenished in the short term.

　After the Viet Cong's manpower was almost completely destroyed, the offensive and defensive situation on the battlefield of the Indochina Peninsula has been reversed!

　What chilled the Hanoi authorities of the North Vietnamese Workers' Party even more was their northern neighbor's attitude toward the US military's crossing of the 17th parallel. In the past, no matter how many secret conflicts Vietnam and China had, North Vietnam always believed that its territory north of the 17th parallel was absolutely safe under Chinese protection—it might be bombed or attacked, but it would never be permanently occupied by the enemy.

　Otherwise, China will immediately send out volunteer troops to drive the enemy back to the other side of this line!

　But now, the US military has openly moved northward and crossed the 17th parallel. And unlike the previous blitzkrieg against Hanoi, it hasn't been a quick in-and-out, repeatedly teetering on the edge of the line. Instead, it has openly announced its intention to stay north of the line, directly challenging China's previous warnings.

　But what is Beijing's attitude? They swallowed back what they had said before and simply cowed down in front of the US military!

　——After confirming that the US troops that crossed the 17th parallel north were really just punishing North Vietnam slightly and "skinning" its territory, but had no intention of attacking Hanoi directly, sweeping the north, and subverting the entire red North Vietnam, China's attitude suddenly became ambiguous.

　Afterwards, although Red China published many harsh articles in newspapers and periodicals, severely condemning the imperialist behavior of the United States in interfering in the Vietnamese revolution, it did not re-organize the "Volunteer Army to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Vietnam" and did not even increase the amount of aid to Vietnam. Beijing's excuse was domestic political chaos, the further deterioration of Sino-Soviet relations, and the emergency in many places on the northern border. It was really unable to provide more assistance to its little brother Vietnam.

　Well, these two are indeed not fabricated excuses. The internal fighting in China has really intensified in the past two years. Chongqing has dispatched tanks and gunboats to engage in bombardment. Many local governments have collapsed and paralyzed in the infighting, making foreigners who learned the news generally believe that China is fighting a civil war.

　Armed frictions on the Sino-Soviet border were also becoming increasingly severe. Although the Kremlin did not want to open another front in the East, the Russian border military and political officials in the Far East were all like Colonel Stalin who later "liberated" Crimea. They were all determined to do something to gain military merit in exchange for promotions so that they could leave these remote and boring border outposts and enjoy life in the prosperous places in Europe.

　On the other hand, regarding the numerous Sino-Soviet border frictions in recent years, Beijing was not sure of the true attitude of the Soviet high-level officials, nor was it sure whether the Kremlin would be dragged along by junior officers like the Japanese Empire in the past, which would eventually evolve into a full-scale Sino-Soviet war. As a victim, China knew best how the September 18th Incident and the July 7th Incident evolved into Japan's full-scale invasion of China.

　Faced with such enormous pressure on its northern border, it is normal that Beijing does not want to confront the US military on the battlefield in Vietnam.

　After all, North Vietnam wasn't in danger of extinction—and Le Duan and his gang had been so overconfident and ambitious before that it had put Beijing in a difficult position. Perhaps a good thing would be for them to sober up and give these hot-headed buddies a good beating.

　Moreover, the 17th parallel north that China drew for Vietnam, like the 38th parallel that China drew for North Korea, is a very flexible bottom line.

　The so-called 38th parallel that divides North Korea and South Korea is actually more than half north of 38 degrees north latitude, giving South Korea an advantage!

　However, the North Vietnamese Workers' Party had no obligation to understand the difficulties of their Chinese comrades and only felt that they were being fooled.

　From the Vietnamese perspective, no matter how many reasons there are, no matter how many difficulties there are, now that the US military has clearly crossed the 17th parallel, China has not sent volunteers to help. This is a breach of contract and an unforgivable betrayal!

　At the same time, the Soviet Union generously provided North Vietnam with a large amount of weapons and ammunition. However, the top leaders of North Vietnam knew that the Soviet Union might send a large amount of weapons and ammunition, but it would not send a single soldier to Vietnam - and experienced North Vietnamese veterans could not be accumulated overnight!

　South Vietnam could count on the US military to intervene directly, while the only reinforcements North Vietnam could count on could come from China.

　However, China had no intention of sending troops to Vietnam to play as a substitute, leaving the North Vietnamese high-level officials, who had exhausted all their cards, helpless and furious, wailing in despair.

　On the other hand, the Viet Cong’s grief and wailing were the ecstasy and laughter of US President Johnson.

　Thanks to the glorious victories in Vietnam over the past six months, President Johnson had shed his previous reputation and once again emerged as a wartime leader capable of bringing victory to his country and his people. His approval rating among the American people soared as news of his victories on the battlefield trickled in.

　As a result, it would be difficult for Nixon to win this year's election and he would become a "Watergate candidate" with mixed reputations in the history of the Cold War.

　Kissinger will not be able to shine in the next government and become a great figure in history as he did in the past.

　Chapter 406: Miss Saigon Again

　"In fact, for the glorious victory in the Vietnam battlefield in the past six months, our army has also paid an extremely heavy price. According to the internal information of the CIA,

　"In the past six months, our army has suffered over 300,000 casualties, with over 50,000 of them killed in battle alone..."

　Seeing Kissinger's dejected expression, Firi couldn't help but offer some comfort, saying, "As for military spending over the past six months, it's said to have exceeded $60 billion! Even with America's strength, such an extravagant war that achieves miracles with all its might is unsustainable."

　President Johnson can’t launch such a gamble every year to restore his public support…”

　"So what if it's unsustainable? President Johnson doesn't need to make such a gamble every year. He just needs to win once this year. Then, he can maintain his victory on the battlefield until the presidential election six months later. Then, this tough Texan can stay in the White House for another four years."

　Kissinger shrugged his shoulders.

　As for what the situation in Vietnam will be like in the next four years, it doesn't matter! After all, no American president has ever been impeached and removed from office. Even President Hoover, who triggered the Great Depression, served out his four-year term.

　——After the end of this year's "Johnson Offensive", the US military seemed to have gained a very promising advantage in the Southeast Asian battlefield: the restoration of free South Vietnam, the reconstruction of the Khmer Republic, the counterattack of free Thailand, the heavy damage to the Viet Cong, and the defeat of the Khmer Rouge and Thai Communist guerrillas.

　All the American public saw was victory after victory. Consequently, they regained some hope in the Johnson administration. For this reason, they were even able to temporarily tolerate the spiraling inflation and the equally soaring death toll: for the glory of victory, these costs were worth it!

　There are even many World War II veterans who, drawing on their own personal experiences, believe that the setbacks the US military suffered in Vietnam in the previous few years were like the early days of the Pacific War, when the US military threw away its armor and weapons and retreated shamefully before the bayonets of the Japanese Empire.

　Although the early stages of the war were indeed very ugly, as long as we can hold on until the turning point of the Battle of Midway, the subsequent situation of the war will become clear!

　And this year's "Johnson Offensive" that caused the Viet Cong to "amputate all their limbs below the eyebrows" is obviously the Midway Island of the Vietnam War!

　In short, the magnificent wreath of consecutive victories adorned the hollowed-out American empire so brilliantly that it deceived too many people.

　The optimistic American people had higher and higher expectations of President Johnson, but they failed to see the price paid for each victory. They also did not know that the victory of the US military in the Indochina Peninsula did not have any solid foundation, but was achieved through the "miracle of great effort" by piling up massive resources.

　However, with the Bretton Woods system having collapsed and the US dollar becoming a mere piece of paper, if the US cannot initiate a total wartime mobilization, how many resources can it still squeeze out to maintain such a large overseas garrison for a long time and continuously launch such high-intensity overseas wars?