American Strategic Deception Bureau

　They also firmly believed that the Soviet Union's technology and economy were in shambles, with factories still using old machinery from the previous century. The Soviet Union had made no progress compared to Tsarist Russia. The cultural landscape was barren, and ordinary Soviet citizens lacked even the basic right to an education. More than half of Soviet citizens had been arrested and imprisoned, suffering constantly and yearning for our salvation.

　After hearing this, Firi immediately burst out laughing, while Professor Brzezinski looked quite embarrassed.

　As a Pole and an extremely anti-Soviet and anti-Russian person, I understand that many of the mindless rumors disseminating about the Soviet Union in the American media are the work of Professor Brzezinski: How can America strengthen its anti-Soviet resolve without portraying the Soviet Union as a worthless garbage dump?

　Even though he himself did not believe the Soviet jokes he made up, it did not stop him from using them to fool all kinds of brainless people.

　Then, his rumors, which were originally half true and half false, were repeatedly exaggerated and turned into completely stupid talk that only fools would believe.

　Specifically, it's the kind of bizarre writing that talks a lot, but it's hard to pick out a single correct sentence from it...

　In any case, Brzezinski still has some arrogance and self-esteem of a scholar, and has not yet fallen to the level of a screenwriter of anti-Japanese dramas. He dares to write and say all kinds of stupid things that go against common sense and insult IQ, and he is not ashamed of it, but proud of it.

　Therefore, when Professor Brzezinski heard that these rumors, which were originally fabricated by him, had been tampered with to the point that they sounded like the ravings of a madman in a mental hospital, and that many seemingly mentally retarded bigwigs actually believed them - or pretended to believe them, he suddenly became uneasy.

　Fortunately, Firi did not discuss this issue in depth with Kissinger, but quickly interrupted Kissinger.

　"This kind of thinking is indeed stupid, but as American citizens, they have the freedom to be stupid, and of course the freedom to act stupid!"

　"Yes, citizens have the freedom to be stupid, members of parliament have the freedom to be stupid, and the president has the freedom to be stupid. So who will be the smart one?"

　Kissinger sighed again. "I've had enough! This world is so divided! The farther away from the battlefield, the more warlike people become. Those congressmen on Capitol Hill have rusty brains. They don't care how many people die on the front lines. They only know that the United States is invincible. If the war is not going well, it must be because the military is slacking off and needs a good kick in the ass before they will fight seriously!"

　So no matter what happens, they will only ask to continue to intensify the attack. No matter what, they must beat the enemy to their knees and beg for mercy..."

　"Increase the intensity of the attack? The hydrogen bombs have been dropped and over a million troops have been deployed. How can we increase the intensity of the attack?

　Moreover, at this point, whether Congress and the White House approve the withdrawal is meaningless because the soldiers will withdraw on their own."

　Firi replied,

　If they did not withdraw, the commander of the US troops stationed in Vietnam and the commanders of each division would be kidnapped or beaten to death by the rebellious soldiers.

　Then, the Pentagon will have to make a difficult choice between a total retreat and a total surrender..."

　After the Vietnam War devolved into a full-scale nuclear war, war-weariness reached its peak within the US military, both in the frontline combat units and in the reserve forces behind the lines. Even when cornered officers threatened with drawn guns, the resentful soldiers continued to collectively disobey orders.

　Military law became meaningless because soldiers often beat their superiors to death. Since the law did not punish the majority, the generals could only turn a blind eye.

　In addition, the drug abuse rate among frontline troops is said to have soared to 95%, and even pilots have to fly leaves while going into battle.

　The local soldiers openly insulted President Nixon, dug fortifications in the camp, and defended the area, refusing to go to Vietnam and die.

　Two months earlier, before Secretary of Defense McNamara resigned, he had ordered Vietnamese-American terrorist squads to be stationed at various recruit training bases across the country to supervise or escort these American recruits, who were full of anti-war sentiment, to airports and docks in batches to rush to Vietnam to participate in the war.

　So a strange sight emerged - Vietnamese people served as supervisors for American soldiers on American soil, forcing American soldiers to die in Vietnam? ! !

　This is too outrageous, isn't it?

　Why didn't the Confederate Army during the Civil War form slave squads, ordering slaves to point Gatling guns at the backs of white Confederate soldiers, forcing white Southerners to raise their bayonets and launch a death charge against the enemy?

　Such an absurd scene has become unbearable for even the traditionally "most patriotic" white racists, and they have jumped to the anti-war camp.

　Under such circumstances, no matter how the war hawks in Congress continue to sing the high-sounding tune of patriotism, justice, and freedom, they will no longer be able to convince anyone.

　Everyone will just regard them as hypocrites who sit in a safe place and force young people to die, and sneer at their instigation.

　Once this trend of thought has fully taken shape and swept across the country, even a powerful military-industrial complex will be unable to defy fate.

　Author's words: PS: Israel's defense budget in 2024 is as high as 155 billion US dollars, while Russia's military spending this year is less than 90 billion.

　How could it be that fighting in Gaza, such a tiny piece of land, would cost more money than fighting in Ukraine, which is so huge?

　Not to mention that a lot of the expenses were paid by the United States. A few days ago, when intercepting Iranian missiles, the US Navy shot down an interceptor missile worth $400 million.

　Chapter 445 Abnormal Human Shelter Center

　"According to the information I have inquired about, the current commander of the US forces in Vietnam, General Weyand, has reported directly to President Nixon, declaring that if Washington still opposes the withdrawal of US troops from Saigon before the end of December, he will publicly announce to reporters on New Year's Day next year that he can no longer effectively manage the US troops in the Indochina Peninsula battlefield and can only allow the front-line troops to act freely.

　In other words, the more than 300,000-strong field army, which is said to be the most elite in the world, is about to become the largest bandit group in the world!

　Alas, Admiral Weyand actually said such words to President Nixon. It shows that he must have been pushed to the point of desperation."

　While drinking coffee, Brzezinski broke the news to Dr. Kissinger and Fieri, saying, "Once Admiral Weyand's words get out, regardless of whether the troops are withdrawn or not, his future as the commander-in-chief of the US forces in Vietnam will be almost over. If he's not careful, he'll soon be ruined..."

　"How can a commander still dream of career advancement when his soldiers are being bombarded with atomic bombs every day and suffering from radiation sickness to the point of being half-dead?"

　Dr. Kissinger sighed and shook his head. "Besides, General Weyand is already this old and has been promoted to the rank of General. How can he expect to improve? A five-star general who can't win a battle? Or should he follow MacArthur's example and ask the South Vietnamese government to make him a marshal?

　Wait a minute, Brother Ferry, among those who served as commanders of the US military in Vietnam, it seems that except for you, no one else had a good ending!"

　He suddenly thought of something and looked up at Fieri, "Your predecessor, General Huggins, is still squatting in a North Vietnamese prisoner-of-war camp; your successors, Generals Westmoreland, Abrams, and Taylor, all died in one go last month.

　General Abrams and General Taylor were able to be transported back to the country for burial after their death, but General Westmoreland was directly destroyed by the atomic bomb and his body could not be found!

　General Weyand probably won’t be able to have a peaceful ending now - based on the current situation, it’s hard to say whether he can live to see his end of office.

　If he continues to insist on withdrawing troops, the war faction will discredit him or even assassinate him; if he goes back on his word and insists on continuing the war, the front will rebel! Or it is already rebelling! Compared to them, you, the hero of Haiyunling, who served as the commander of the US forces in Vietnam for only ten days, are so lucky!

　"Hero of Hai Van Ling? Ah, what a distant memory. Besides, the title seems ironic. As far as I know, the Vietcong have now occupied Hai Van Ling, and Da Nang fell last week. Most of the places where I fought back then are now under the red flag."

　Firi shrugged. "Besides, they all became generals after all, but what about me? I'm just a hollow commander of the Space Army. I don't have any troops or units under my command, not even an orderly, and my rank is only colonel. The president just changed, and my promotion process was halted!"

　"At least it's better than the fate of the other five commanders of the US military in Vietnam. At this point, are you still thinking about promotion?"

　Dr. Kissinger curled his lips and concluded, "By the way, Fieri, didn't you say earlier that you had nothing more to do in Washington and would be returning to Los Angeles soon? Why didn't you go back in the end? I was shocked when I saw you in the White House today!"

　"Actually, I had already returned to Los Angeles last week. But as soon as I got home and put down my luggage, I was called back to Washington."

　Fili curled his lips. "President Nixon probably thought I was naturally good at cleaning up messes. So he added a burden to me, making me, the idle commander of the Space Force, take on another strange job, which can be considered to be putting an end to the nuclear war in Southeast Asia..."

　As he spoke, he took out a document with an eagle emblem from his briefcase and showed it to Dr. Kissinger.

　——Strictly speaking, this is against the rules, but Firi and Kissinger have been friends for a long time, so there is no need to hide such a small matter.

　"Abnormal Human Asylum? Director? You? Isn't this some kind of human experimentation project the Pentagon is planning?"

　Dr. Kissinger, who only read the beginning, said in surprise, "Don't touch this thing. There is no benefit, but a lot of trouble! If it is exposed in the future,

　If you do that, you will definitely be blamed! You are not President Nixon’s confidant, and no one will protect you if something goes wrong!"

　"What human experiments? I've never studied medicine, and the Pentagon wouldn't leave such a classified project to me to sit on the bench."

　Fili sighed and stuffed the appointment letter back into the file bag. "The so-called internment camp for abnormal humans is really just an internment camp—a large number of mentally ill soldiers were recently withdrawn from the Asian front. These guys took too many anesthetics on the battlefield and were frightened by death and nuclear explosions. Some of them are disabled, and some are even suffering from radiation sickness, vomiting blood at the slightest provocation.

　The Pentagon and the White House are very worried that if so many mentally ill veterans are allowed to return home directly, and see their wives and girlfriends run away with others, their brothers and relatives die for various reasons, and their houses and farms confiscated by banks, it is likely to cause greater social problems and add to the trouble of this already chaotic country - honest people know how to be patient, but madmen can do anything!

　Therefore, President Nixon decided to set up a camp to house these mentally ill soldiers and prevent them from becoming a threat to society. If possible, he also wanted to provide them with medical treatment and rehabilitation to help them recover.

　But this is a troublesome thing, with no real rewards, and it's easy to offend people. So the Pentagon asked me to be the director of this abnormal human asylum - because I was previously in charge of the Vietnam War refugee camp, and now cleaning up the refugee camp is just the right time to accommodate returning veterans..."

　"So it really is an internment camp. But isn't it a bit strange to let the commander of the Space Army be in charge of such a mess?"

　Kissinger grumbled, somewhat amusedly, "It feels like... how should I put it? The end of the universe is a madhouse."

　"The end of the universe is a madhouse? Perhaps. Anyway, my current position is Commander of the Federation Space Forces and Director of the Abnormal Human Asylum!" Ferry smiled wryly and shook his head. "What a strange combination."

　"Commander of the Federation Space Forces, and also Director of the Abnormal Human Asylum? This combination of a primary and secondary job is indeed very strange."

　Brzezinski also interjected and joked, "At first glance, it sounds like a title made up by a lunatic in a mental hospital!"

　"So, I also want to know what President Nixon is thinking!"

　Fili smiled wryly and spread his hands. "Without a twenty-year history of mental illness, how could I have come up with such a bizarre official title? Heck, even the interns at the White House laughed at my new part-time job, saying it sounded like something a cat typed on a typewriter!"

　I couldn't help but feel a chill down my spine.

　"He must be suffering from battlefield phobia or hysteria, or he's just taken too many drugs and is completely useless."

　Dr. Kissinger, who had been to the European battlefield during World War II, took a quick look and made a confident conclusion.

　Although Kissinger had nothing to do with this "abnormal human asylum," as a long-time "mess-cleaning duo," Kissinger still insisted on accompanying Fieri to inspect the situation at the "abnormal human asylum." After all, with nuclear bombs still being used in Southeast Asia, the US's diplomatic efforts to ease the situation had completely hit a wall, and as the National Security Advisor, he had nothing else to do.

　It's a good opportunity to come over and take a look at the actual situation of the US military on the front line, so that when I brag to others in the White House and universities in the future, I will have something to say.

　"This is just the first group to come back by plane. There are at least 200,000 mentally broken and abnormal humans behind them!"

　Looking at the hundreds of zombies in the camp, Fili said with emotion, "For those with milder symptoms, the military chaplains will help them. If their families have some money, they can also see a psychologist on their own. But many soldiers have no money and their symptoms are severe..."

　He spread his hands to Dr. Kissinger and said, "So, the Pentagon just dumped them into this desert!"

　There is no way around it. Psychologists’ fees are not cheap, and the Pentagon is absolutely unwilling to reimburse retired soldiers for such “unreasonable expenses.”

　——Due to the huge expenses of the Vietnam War, the already tight welfare benefits for retired US military veterans have recently become even worse.

　In fact, not to mention psychological problems, the military is unwilling to bear the treatment costs for these soldiers' radiation sickness and other injuries.

　After all, medical costs in the United States did not become so expensive in the 21st century, but have always been extremely expensive.

　What? Free healthcare? That's something only found in European welfare states, not in typical capitalist societies like the United States.

　What's more, even in Europe's so-called "high-welfare" countries, respectable people tend to go to expensive private hospitals. As for free public hospitals? If you're willing to wait three years for a CT scan and a year for an X-ray, you might as well give it a try.

　——Free medical care means endless long queues, which is an indisputable truth all over the world.

　Many poor people who "enjoy" free medical care either recover on their own while waiting in line, which is at least calculated on a monthly basis, or go directly to heaven while waiting in line.

　For example, there was an incident in Hong Kong where a public hospital called a patient and said that the patient had finally been scheduled to see a cancer specialist who had made an appointment last year, and asked the family to remember the time for a follow-up visit. The family replied that the patient had been dead for more than half a year - this incident was even reported in the news at the time, but there was no improvement afterwards.

　Perhaps, letting people waste their energy and hope on endless waiting is itself a hidden stability-maintaining function of this kind of welfare system.

　Just like in ancient China, there was theoretically a national pension system, but the retirement age was set at 100.

　(After the Han Dynasty, centenarians were considered centenarians and local governments provided them with generous welfare benefits regardless of their background or gender.)

　Is this considered a universal welfare?

　In any case, when faced with the grumbling common people, officials of the feudal court could certainly righteously rebuke them: "You say life is hard, isn't it because you don't work hard enough? You may not know other things, but you can at least live hard, right? As long as you work hard and live to be a hundred years old, you can enjoy the official salary!"

　——But this pension that can only be received at the age of 100 is too fantastical, and even the dumbest person cannot be fooled, so the effect of maintaining stability is basically zero.

　"Ah, that's understandable. If they had a choice, the Pentagon staff would probably want these useless soldiers with mental and physical problems to all wave the white flag and go to a Vietnamese prisoner-of-war camp, relying on China and the Soviet Union for food reimbursement and the International Red Cross for medical care.

　We should wait until all those with mental and physical problems have died, and then release the healthy ones to avoid causing trouble for the gentlemen back home."

　Dr. Kissinger nodded in agreement—as a pessimist, he was well aware of the level of immorality and anthropomorphism in the federal government.

　That is why he said the famous saying in history: When America’s enemies are dangerous, when America’s friends are deadly!

　Even more tragically, the decades of his active political life in the mid-to-late 20th century were the most anthropomorphic period for the federal government! In the eras before and after, Washington's approach to government would have been even more inhumane... though even now, there's not much humanity left.

　"Fortunately, the new Secretary of Defense had the decency to prevent the crippled US military in Vietnam from surrendering directly to the Vietcong."

　Firi shrugged his shoulders and complained without a trace of military honor, "Of course, another more realistic possibility is not that the Pentagon still has its legendary conscience, but that the side effects of shifting the blame like this are even greater—to a degree that the entire Department of Defense cannot bear!"

　- Let 300,000 or 400,000 American troops go to the Communists' prisoner-of-war camps to devour the enemy so as not to cause trouble for the gentlemen on Capitol Hill?

　Such an outrageously wicked and crazy idea sounds very exciting, and it will only be more explosive in practice.

　Because it will definitely send a bad signal to the world.

　The United States is no longer viable, has weakened, and is no longer qualified to lead the world! And the socialist camp across the Iron Curtain will do its utmost to mobilize its propaganda machine to amplify and deepen this impression to the world.

　For example, they organized several grand parades of American prisoners of war in major cities in Eastern Europe, or allowed reporters from all over the world to enter the prisoner-of-war camps for interviews. In fact, the prisoner-of-war camps located on the China-Vietnam border have long become a "check-in hotspot" for reporters from all over the world in recent years!

　What will happen next? Europe's established empires will attempt to "restore their glory," America's minions will rebel and cause trouble, US military bases scattered across the world will be expelled, US overseas assets will be frozen and confiscated, and the already rapidly depreciating dollar will become even more worthless.

　As for whether the United States is really failing, this is not important.

　Although the world is material, human society is spiritual to a certain extent.

　As long as people all over the world think that the United States is no longer viable, then the United States is truly no longer viable, even if it is viable.

　If it really comes to that, the United States will have no choice but to quickly launch another war to prove that it is still as powerful as ever and can still dominate the world.

　For example, killing the "Old Ones" of Britain and putting the Queen on the gallows would be a good choice to make a strong impact.

　Hmm? If you can't bring yourself to take down your fellow Anglo-Saxons, how about destroying Japan and hanging Emperor Showa?

　Of course not. Now the whole world knows that Japan has become a semi-colony of the United States. What's the point of messing with its own colonies?

　When Belgium killed millions of black people in its Congo colony in Africa, it did not win the favor of Emperor Wilhelm of Germany. After the outbreak of World War I, German soldiers swallowed up the whole of Belgium without any hesitation, and did not think this stumbling block was so difficult to deal with.

　In addition to the external impact, sending hundreds of thousands of American soldiers to prisoner-of-war camps at once will only have a greater impact on American society.

　The current US military hasn't completely abolished conscription, and the vast majority of its troops are still "good family men," citizen soldiers with a patriotic and honorable spirit. If they are wounded or ill on the battlefield—including mental health issues—they are simply abandoned by the Pentagon without any reason...

　So, when the next war breaks out, who will dare to be the first to join the battle?

　During the 9/11 incident in the early 21st century, everyone saw that the New York firefighters who rushed towards the collapsed twin towers without hesitation, inhaled toxic substances at the fire scene, contracted pneumoconiosis and lung cancer, but were ruthlessly abandoned by the authorities and did not receive any medical compensation until they died of illness.

　Only twenty years later, the brave American firefighters who once sacrificed themselves for others disappeared, leaving only a group of lazy professionals who were keen on "show-style disaster relief". When faced with a disaster, they would try to avoid it. If they really couldn't avoid it, they would just get a cat or dog from the ruins to pretend.

　Honestly, given how callous the US government is, it's probably hard to blame the firefighters for slacking off and protecting themselves - they didn't secretly set fire to houses and then extort merchants who refused to pay protection fees, or took advantage of the fire to rob everywhere, which can be considered very professional!

　(In fact, California firefighters have long been setting fires in the mountains, and more than once, Americans have begun to assume that firefighters are part-time firefighters.)

　So, facing public accusations, the government can only flaunt "social Darwinism," righteously claiming, "Disaster relief is something socialist countries do. In America, only the strong can survive. You dying civilians shouldn't be a burden to the country!"