American Strategic Deception Bureau

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　Just as Marita was flipping through "48 Hours That Shook the World" while recalling her and Fieri's exciting adventure in New York, she saw Fieri walking towards her with a depressed look on his face and his head lowered. She dropped the booklet, jumped up, and asked with concern, "How's it going? Did the president get mad at you guys?"

　"It's barely an issue, I guess! After all, it was the president who asked us to mess up New York and cause trouble for the rebels.

　Now, no matter how exciting the process was, the mission was successfully completed. Although the collateral damage was a bit high, what could he say? Would he accuse me of working too hard? Or would he think that I should not follow orders to fight the rebels, but help the rebels suppress the Reds?

　Fili sighed and plopped down on the sofa. "So, even though President Nixon was in a bad mood and grumbled a lot, he still acknowledged my contribution after his rant and said that the situation in New York was beyond my control. Ultimately, it was those Wall Street vampires who were both greedy and had a strong desire for human weakness that turned New York into a nuclear wasteland.

　Later, the President wanted to have a confidential discussion with Dr. Kissinger, and it seemed he had something new to tell me, so he let me out first."

　"Well, I'm glad President Nixon didn't turn his back on me. I was afraid he would push you out to take the blame!"

　But if you think about it carefully, it's impossible. If he wants you to take the blame, then you have to admit that he asked you to contact the New York underground forces. Otherwise, with your empty title of commander of the space army, without the president's authorization and secret order, who will listen to you?

　Marita patted her surging chest and let out a long breath. "So, what about the reward we agreed on?"

　"That has already been fulfilled. The president said he will hold a promotion ceremony for me tomorrow, making me a formal Major General in the Space Force, rather than the temporary Major General I am now. Moreover, I will become the first Major General in the United States Space Force—even though I am the only one in the entire Federation Space Force at the moment."

　Firi shrugged. "However, the concurrent position I was originally assigned to hold as commander of US forces in Vietnam has been revoked from now on."

　"You're no longer serving as Commander of the US Forces in Vietnam? What a shame! I was hoping to stay in Hong Kong for a few more months."

　Marita said with some regret that she still had a fondness for that bustling and exotic Eastern city. But since her husband had been transferred, she had no choice but to accept the reality. "Did the president say who would take over? Do you want me to fly to Hong Kong again for the handover?"

　"There will be no one to take over from me. I will be the last commander of U.S. forces in Vietnam."

　Fili shook his head. "Given that the U.S. military has been completely driven out of Vietnamese territory and has no plans for a counterattack in the foreseeable future, President Nixon has decided to disband the U.S. Forces Vietnam Command, unilaterally withdraw from the Vietnam War, and end the state of war with Red Vietnam."

　"Is that so? That's right, they've all been driven to Hong Kong. This misnamed US military presence in Vietnam should indeed be disbanded."

　Marita nodded, "Then

　What should be done with our officers and soldiers remaining in Hong Kong? Should they be sent to the Malay Peninsula as before?

　"Malay Peninsula? No, no, they were arranged to return home directly! Because the US military headquarters in Malaysia will soon be disbanded!

　President Nixon was very determined to end the war and was ready to completely withdraw from the Asian battlefield. The United States could no longer afford to fight a war."

　Firi replied, "He told us that if the dominoes in Asia are going to fall, let them fall! Even if all of Southeast Asia is under the red flag, we can only accept defeat now. Because if we continue like this, the United States itself will be dragged into communism!"

　——Given the recent emergence of the New York Commune and the chaotic economy and finances, President Nixon's view was actually not unreasonable.

　But the problem is that such a drastic strategic contraction would be like cutting off one's own arm and would inevitably seriously damage the interests of many people.

　As a weak president, was President Nixon capable of eliminating the interference of vested interests and pushing forward the ceasefire and troop withdrawal?

　What? The old Congress was wiped out, and the new Congress members all came to power on the anti-war wave. They shouldn't oppose the withdrawal of troops?

　That's not necessarily true! American congressmen have always been greedy, arrogant, and want-it-alls.

　Even if the new members of Congress came to power shouting anti-war slogans, once they actually sat in the seats of Congress, their attitude would likely change to being both anti-war and demanding that President Nixon protect America's overseas interests and not let the United States lose its dignity as the world hegemon.

　In short, since President Nixon is determined to withdraw troops, there will definitely be many congressmen who will boycott it, even if it is just to sing a different tune.

　"Regarding the possibility that Congress might obstruct the President's withdrawal from Southeast Asia, Dr. Kissinger and I have just offered President Nixon an idea. President Nixon thinks it is very good and plans to adopt it with some minor modifications."

　Fili boasted with a smug smile, "We all know that the gentlemen on Capitol Hill always like to shout all kinds of high-sounding slogans and force others to die on the battlefield. But they themselves are absolutely unwilling to shed a drop of blood, let alone pay any price.

　To prevent Congress from obstructing a ceasefire, the president could organize a congressional vote on the matter, broadcast live nationwide. He could then announce before the vote: "If senators from any state vote to maintain our Asian allies and keep the US in the Vietnam War, then send the National Guard from that state to fight in the rainforests of Southeast Asia! It's the voters of that state who will die! Citizens of other states don't have to be complicit!"

　Uh, which state's senators vote against withdrawal, and which state's National Guard will be sent to the rainforest as cannon fodder?

　The US military directly under the federal government will not accompany them and just sit back and watch them die in their place?

　Oh my god, what a cruel move!

　Given the current surge in anti-war sentiment in the United States, it would be difficult for a vote on troop withdrawal like this not to pass unanimously!

　If any senator dared to vote to send the National Guard from his district to fight in Asia on behalf of the United States, right in front of a national television audience, his entire family would likely be murdered by a psychopathic gunman before he could even finish his term.

　Even if he is not punished by heaven, after doing such a thing that turns the knife inward and specifically harms his own voters, he will definitely not be able to get votes in the future.

　Chapter 513: Will the red flag be raised in the Strait of Malacca?

　After a while, Dr. Kissinger also came out of the Oval Office. Seeing that Fili and Marita were sitting in the lounge, he went in and sat down. They chatted naturally and talked about the task that President Nixon had just assigned them.

　——Basically speaking, it is about how to continue to keep Singapore and control the Strait of Malacca even if you have to give up Malaysia.

　"Although the United States is much smaller than the United Kingdom, it is still essentially an extraterritorial country far away from the core of the 'world island' stage.

　To maintain its global hegemony, the United States must rely on sea power to suppress land powers, just like the British Empire did. To fully control global sea power, there are four strategic hubs that must be mastered: the Strait of Gibraltar, the Suez Canal, the Strait of Malacca, and the Panama Canal.

　Currently, the Panama Canal remains under the absolute control of the United States. While Panamanians have consistently called for the canal's reclaiming, the vast disparity in power between the United States and Panama, along with Panama's proximity, has ensured that the United States maintains control over the canal.

　The Strait of Gibraltar is in the hands of Spain and the United Kingdom. However, since the Treaty of Nassau in 1962, the United States has controlled the British nuclear arsenal and has essentially turned Britain into a vassal. As long as the US-UK relationship does not break down, the Strait of Gibraltar is equivalent to ours.

　(Britain did occupy Gibraltar, but Spain controlled Ceuta on the other side of the Strait in Africa. So, in reality, the two countries each held half of the Strait. Spain certainly couldn't block the Strait of Gibraltar, but Britain couldn't block this vital choke point either. Otherwise, why would the Battle of Trafalgar have taken place in the Mediterranean? Because the British troops in the Gibraltar fortress couldn't keep the Spanish and French fleets out of the Mediterranean.)

　After the Fourth Middle East War, the Suez Canal was no longer secure, but Turkey still controlled the Bosphorus Strait, blocking the only passage between the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. Even if the Soviet Union took control of the Suez Canal, there would not be much obvious benefit.

　Even if NATO warships are not allowed to use the Suez Canal, we can still enter the Mediterranean through the Strait of Gibraltar and enter the Indian Ocean by going around the Cape of Good Hope. The most we can do is to make fleet movements less convenient than before, and we may lose control of the Red Sea.

　Of course, letting the Russian bear control the Suez Canal was a setback, no matter how you look at it. So, President Nixon told me that the United States had already lost the Suez Canal during his presidency. Next, it would be best if he didn't lose the Strait of Malacca during the remainder of his term.

　Dr. Kissinger said, “The president wants me to talk to Beijing and ask them not to overreach.”

　"As far as I know, the war situation in Malaysia had stabilized in May this year."

　Phiri said, “Although the US military is withdrawing from the Malay Peninsula, the Kra Isthmus has been turned into a radioactive contaminated area by our nuclear bombs, the Viet Cong has withdrawn its reinforcements, and the Thai Communist Party’s rule in Pattani is also very unstable, and local Muslim armed forces have been fiercely resisting.

　Although the Malayan Communist Party guerrillas established a large base north of Mount Taman Negara and launched several surprise attacks on Kuala Lumpur, their offensive has stalled.

　"Of course I know this. It's the rainy season in Vietnam and Thailand right now, so it's impossible to transport combat supplies to the Malayan Communist Party..."

　Dr. Kissinger said, "No matter how badly UMNO, which rules Malaysia, performs, it should not collapse until the Malayan Communist Party has stockpiled sufficient war supplies." But the question is, what if war breaks out again next year? Given the current situation, it's absolutely impossible for the US military to return to Southeast Asia!

　President Nixon probably had no interest in wasting the remaining intercontinental missiles on the Malay Peninsula. By the end of this year, the Malaysian government forces would have to rely on themselves to resist the offensive of the Malayan Communist Party - and it would be a nuclear strike by the Malayan Communist Party's red armed forces!

　Neither the White House nor the Pentagon believed that their military was strong enough to withstand the bombing of an atomic bomb without collapsing.

　Therefore, the President asked me to go to Beijing again to discuss with Red China whether it is possible to limit the expansion of the Malayan Communist Party..."

　"Ah, Doctor, you want to go to Beijing for talks and exchanges to avoid misunderstandings on both sides. This is of course a good idea.

　However, if you expect to use diplomacy to get what you can't get on the battlefield at the negotiating table, I'm afraid that's wishful thinking."

　Fili shook his head and said, "First, President Nixon couldn't offer a suitable bargaining chip. The United States can neither abandon Taiwan nor immediately establish diplomatic relations with New China. The most it can do is end the blockade and withdraw its troops from Taiwan, and even then, Congress would likely block that move.

　Secondly, Beijing couldn't rein in the Malayan Communist Party—it couldn't control the Vietnamese Communist Party, let alone the Malayan Communist Party. The so-called socialist family was even looser than our liberal camp. Even without Chinese aid, the Malayan Communist Party could still get Soviet aid. "

　Speaking of this, Firi couldn't help but sigh: The United States' reckless spending after the Cold War was, of course, mostly wasted money and brought trouble upon itself. But at least it was because the United States was rich at the time and could afford to squander it even if it did (which it can no longer afford under Biden).

　During the earlier Cold War period, China and the Soviet Union's foreign aid was often provided when their own financial resources were stretched thin. They were trying to put on a brave face and even sacrifice substance for the sake of face - especially for the impoverished China at the time. Many times, it was like a beggar competing with the Dragon King for treasures!

　The problem was that unlike the British Empire, New China lacked a sophisticated "managing vassal states" strategy. Instead, it harbored a naive, idealistic romanticism, a touch of the "Heavenly Kingdom" arrogance... Consequently, it became a sucker and a victim, nearly becoming a laughingstock.

　For twenty years, China and the Soviet Union were divided and confronted, each attempting to wrest control of the Red Bloc's discourse. New China, in an effort to demonstrate its generosity, despite being impoverished, was still eager to give away any good things it had. Its own country, which didn't even have a subway (not counting the Hong Kong MTR), offered to help North Korea build one. The free aid it gave to Albania even allowed that tiny country to use seamless steel pipes as telephone poles.

　The result was that no matter how much money was given, it was useless. After Albania defected, the entire socialist camp stood on the side of the Soviet Union, even North Korea was no exception. Only China was left alone to go against the tide... So it had no choice but to cooperate with the United States to fight against the Soviet Union.

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　The problem was that the early revolutionary organizations in Southeast Asia were mostly urban intellectuals, relying on schools as a platform for their activities. They could incite marches and strikes in the cities, but asking them to mobilize peasants to fight against the landlords in the countryside... well, while not completely impossible, the difficulty was completely different from organizing labor movements, student demonstrations, and urban riots.

　Generally speaking, the communist parties in Southeast Asia have too high a proportion of Chinese, making it difficult for them to truly integrate and unite with the indigenous people. Furthermore, their initial strength is not strong enough, and they cannot seize the capital and major cities as a foundation from the beginning, as was done in the October Revolution in the Soviet Union.

　Once these Southeast Asian red revolutionary groups lose their foothold in the cities and are forced to move to the countryside, attempting to retrace the old path of the Chinese revolution and "surround the cities from the countryside," they will find themselves unable to rub shoulders with the indigenous people.

　In old Chinese society, the urban and rural people were already very alienated from each other. But at least they were of the same ethnic group.

　They spoke the same language and shared similar ideologies. As long as revolutionary cadres were willing to humble themselves and put in more effort, they could become one with the villagers.

　However, in Southeast Asia, where there are many ethnic groups, the urban revolutionary youths who are studying and the indigenous farmers in the countryside often have different ethnicities and languages, and their thinking is completely on different channels. It is even more difficult to mobilize them to revolt!

　Revolutionaries play the class card, while reactionaries play the ethnic and religious cards. But in practice, the latter always prevail over the former!

　Just like the tenacious Communist Party of Burma, once rooted in northern Myanmar and relying on strong support from Yunnan Province, China, it struggled for decades. Although it experienced a period of prosperity with strong military forces and produced many heroes, it ultimately collapsed due to the root causes of its innate illness.

　Even after the disbandment, a problem called the "Golden Triangle" remained, which continued to plague China into the 21st century.

　Of course, the above are all situations in another timeline.

　In this dimension, the US is even more ruthless in Southeast Asia than in the other timeline, mirroring Nazi Germany and the Imperial Japanese Army in every way, even surpassing them. This has driven anti-American sentiment among the indigenous peoples of Southeast Asia to a feverish degree, to the point of actively siding with revolutionary forces.

　Therefore, whether it is the Thai Communist Party, the Malayan Communist Party, or the Indonesian Communist Party, they have all achieved a greater degree of localization in this dimension - although this has also made them less willing to listen to Beijing and Moscow and more independent. But at least they have taken root and are able to independently carry out revolutionary work.

　However, now that the US military has withdrawn and external pressure has suddenly decreased, the internal conflicts among the communists will erupt.

　According to information Phiri gathered while in Hong Kong, the Vietcong had forced Laos to cede a large area of ​​land to Vietnam and to accept Vietcong "guidance" in both domestic and foreign affairs. Cambodia's Khmer Rouge was also experiencing constant friction with the Vietcong and was attempting to enlist Thailand's help to counter Vietnam.

　It’s just that because they were hit so badly by the US nuclear bombs before, these disputes are currently mainly verbal attacks and do not seem to be very serious.

　What's more, Southeast Asian countries have suffered repeated nuclear explosions, leaving ruins everywhere and devastating losses, and the people have become extremely tired of war.

　The three countries on the Indochina Peninsula and Red Thailand are now in a state of disrepair and do not have much energy to send troops abroad.

　The Malayan Communist Party, the only group still on the front lines, has, with its aggressiveness and the weakening US military, launched a massive offensive from the northern border over the past year, seizing 60,000 to 70,000 square kilometers of territory. However, without strong external support, it seems unlikely that they will be able to continue their southward advance.

　The lands currently occupied by the Malayan Communist Party also have many problems and are not so easy to digest.

　——Before the British invasion, Malaysia had never formed a unified regime, but like the Indian peninsula, it was a country with many large and small princely states.

　The Chinese mainly live in several port cities in the southern part of the Malay Peninsula, while the northern countryside is basically still dominated by indigenous people.

　During the Sino-Japanese War, Chinese people on the Malay Peninsula formed volunteer armies and waged an armed struggle for independence. However, after World War II, the British returned, allied with the Malays to suppress the Chinese, and exploited internal and external ties with the Malay Communist Party (MCP), nearly wiping out the armed forces. During this process, one million Chinese were relocated to "Chinese New Villages" for easier supervision—comparable to "strategic villages" and "concentration camps."

　Later, amidst the rise of colonial nationalism and the Cold War, Britain reluctantly withdrew from the Malay Peninsula. However, in keeping with its old troublemaker tradition, it supported the "sultans" of the various states, who had been very subservient to the British Empire during the colonial period, to take over power. They organized a "Conference of Rulers" to "uphold the Constitution" while also actively stirring up conflict between the Malays and the Chinese.

　This approach exacerbated social contradictions on the Malay Peninsula, creating a tinderbox of tinder, leaving the Malay Communist Party (CPM) with room to maneuver. On the other hand, the ethnic antagonism between the Malays and the Chinese made it difficult for the CPM, which was primarily composed of Chinese, to overcome ethnic barriers and establish a cross-ethnic united front.

　Now, the Malayan Communist Party, with the Chinese as its core leadership, wants to establish a regime in the northern part of the Malay Peninsula, far away from the main Chinese settlements, and to engage in long-term confrontation with the Kuala Lumpur government... It is basically the same as the Communist Party of Burma wanting to gain a foothold in northern Myanmar. The ethnic, religious and language issues alone are enough to make people collapse.

　Of course, over time, the Malayan Communist Party could gradually localize and absorb Malays to join the revolution. But this is obviously not something that can be accomplished in a year or two, but rather requires a long and arduous process - by which time, Nixon would probably have long since left office.

　Meanwhile, the Malaysian government forces under UMNO, after suffering repeated defeats and losing numerous battles and territory, gradually learned from their experience and became more capable of fighting. By May of this year, they were able to conduct some decent defensive battles.

　According to Phiri, even if the Malayan Communist Party had become a powerful force and could not be eliminated, as long as the United States continued to maintain and increase its aid to the Malaysian government, then maintaining a North-South confrontation on the Malay Peninsula, like the Korean Peninsula, should not be a problem, at least in the short term.

　On the contrary, if Singapore completely abandons Malaysia, it will obviously not be able to survive independently in the long run as it cannot even be self-sufficient in fresh water.

　"So, even if the US military completely withdraws from the Malay Peninsula, as long as President Nixon continues to provide military and financial assistance to the legitimate Malaysian government in Kuala Lumpur and responds to Kuala Lumpur's "invitation",

　Hydrogen bombs were often dropped on the Malay Communist Party base on the Malay Peninsula.

　Then, the government forces in Kuala Lumpur, relying on the bonus of nationalism, should still be able to withstand the offensive of the Malayan Communist Party, at least for a few years.

　President Nixon could have ensured that during his term, the red flag would never be hoisted over the golden waterway of the Strait of Malacca."

　Phiri speculated, “The biggest question now is whether President Nixon still has money to send to Kuala Lumpur?

　Today's Malaysia has been devastated by the "red tide" and has been hit by a large number of nuclear bombs. It is estimated that there is no hope for fiscal and tax revenue this year. Although the sultans of the states in the Malay Peninsula are wealthy, they will definitely not spend a penny when it comes to the survival of the country. They would rather take their savings and live abroad.

　Therefore, if Malaysia wants to continue the war, it has to rely on the United States for financial support - it can not send troops, but at least it has to pay, right?

　However, it is likely that the current Congress will find it difficult to pass any bills related to overseas war funding. If the bill to allocate funds to Malaysia is rejected and the news reaches Kuala Lumpur, the morale of the Malaysian government will be further weakened, and the battle line that was originally able to hold will become unsustainable..."

　Chapter 514: Ghoul President, Gnawing on the Corpse of New York

　During the Cold War, nearly all of the US-supported allies (or puppets) shared a common characteristic: they could not wage war independently without US aid. Once Capitol Hill halted funding, even a previously maintainable war effort would collapse in an instant.

　Why? Because their confidence has collapsed. They thought they had someone to back them up. But now that America is abandoning them, what's the point of struggling?

　On the historical line before Firi traveled through time, the South Vietnamese government at the end of the Vietnam War in 1975 collapsed rapidly in less than a hundred days. This was largely because the United States drastically cut its financial aid to South Vietnam after President Nixon stepped down in 1974.

　Unlike the later, even more disgraceful Afghan puppet regime, the Saigon regime in South Vietnam did not collapse swiftly upon the withdrawal of US troops. On the contrary, in the spring of 1973, as the US military withdrew, the South Vietnamese army led by Nguyen Van Thieu took advantage of the Vietcong's laxity and complacency and successfully launched a full-scale counteroffensive as the US troops withdrew, seizing vast tracts of territory and reducing the Vietcong's territory by at least 30%.

　In the first half of 1974, the South Vietnamese army and the Viet Cong had their share of victories and defeats. Although their results were not impressive, they were at least acceptable.

　But the problem was that while the South Vietnamese army was fighting hard, the U.S. Congress was constantly cutting financial support for South Vietnam. It gave $22 billion in 1973, but only $7 million in aid to Vietnam in 1975. This amount of money was obviously not enough for the 70 South Vietnamese troops who received American training to maintain high-intensity combat for a long time, and South Vietnam itself could not collect much tax revenue amid the raging war.

　Therefore, by the end of 1974, on the eve of the North Vietnamese general offensive, the South Vietnamese army's logistics were on the verge of collapse. Planes had no parts, tanks lacked gasoline, and soldiers could not get bullets... The seemingly advanced American modern weapons had become completely useless because there was no money to maintain and use them.

　Of course, although the South Vietnamese government was poor, its landlords, capitalists, religious groups, and corrupt officials still had a lot of private coffers. However, the ruling class of such a reactionary regime has always only known how to exploit the people's blood and sweat. How could they possibly use their own private wealth to save the country?

　By the spring of 1975, when North Vietnam launched the "Ho Chi Minh Campaign", the South Vietnamese regime, exhausted and penniless, was desperate and begging for help everywhere like a beggar. However, the US Congress rejected the White House's bill to allocate US$9.72 million in emergency financial aid to South Vietnam.

　As soon as this bad news spread, the South Vietnamese regime, which had been struggling to maintain its front by robbing Peter to pay Paul, collapsed rapidly, feeling abandoned by the United States. The president took the lead in fleeing to Taiwan, and the other generals also lost interest in fighting and each sought their own way out.

　The South Vietnamese regime, which could have lasted another year, collapsed prematurely in an even more undignified manner because the American father refused to provide money.

　In the same way, in the present timeline after Firi traveled through time, the Malaysian government

　Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman and his army suffered repeated defeats, crushing them under the onslaught of the reinforced Malayan Communist Party. But no matter how many times they lost, the Kuala Lumpur regime always regrouped and fought again, never losing heart. Rather than simply lying down and scattering like monkeys at the tree's fall, they lay doomed to fail before the communists.

　Why? Because the reactionary class in Malaysia always believed that the American daddy would not completely abandon them, so they persevered.

　No matter how awkwardly or clumsily they fought, at least they were still persisting in fighting the "Red Bandits".