American Strategic Deception Bureau

　As long as the ideal is there, hope is there.

　No matter how poor or even bleak the reality is, as long as there is motivation to strive, it is possible to create miracles!

　Just like the German Army after World War I, although the army was reduced to only 100,000 people, the entire army did not have a heavy machine gun or a tank, and during training they could only use cars with cardboard shells to simulate tanks... But as long as the dream is still there, the German army in World War II can sweep across Europe again!

　On the contrary, the German army in the 21st century spends $55 billion a year on military expenditure, which ranks sixth in the world and second in Europe, but only maintains 60,000 troops, and only one-third of its heavy equipment is still usable. Seventy percent of the new tanks have never been used and are aging in warehouses and have become decorations.

　30% of the German soldiers were fat otakus who looked like rookies who had never received any training and would faint from the heat at 27 degrees Celsius.

　Germany could only mobilize one armored battalion within a week, and even with the entire nation's resources, it would take a month to mobilize an armored brigade. The German submarine force, once sweeping the Atlantic with wolfpack tactics, now had only six submarines left, all of which had been grounded for a long time, with not a single one able to launch!

　Less than one-third of the Luftwaffe's aircraft were capable of flying, the bases were dilapidated, and God knew whether many of the runways were usable.

　To be honest, if Ukraine had not fought to the death with Russia, but turned west... it would not be a dream to break through Germany and reach the Netherlands!

　If the German army's military was in disrepair due to financial difficulties and lack of money, then it would be somewhat understandable.

　But the German army was obviously very rich, but it was reduced to this state. It seems that the only thing that can be said is that the spirit of this army is gone.

　In contrast, the Russians, with their annual military budget of $66 billion, are able to maintain an army of 600,000 fighting in Ukraine for years, with their arsenals running at full capacity, and also maintain the world's largest nuclear arsenal, interfere in the situation in the Middle East and Africa, and fight proxy wars with the United States, Türkiye and France.

　And what did the German army do with $550 billion a year?

　What remains of Germany's image as the "strongest army" from the Prussian era?! Nothing left, right?

　Therefore, although Firi, the commander of the Federal Space Force during the Cold War, was a lone commander, the entire United States still had high aspirations and believed that the future Federal Space Force must be pioneering and enterprising, building space cities, colonizing alien planets, and placing strategic goals on the stars.

　But the US Space Force in the 21st century has been made to be as despicable as paparazzi who focus on taking secret photos, which makes people lose interest at all.

　——Instead of relying on the space force that is facing the universe, it is better to promote Musk’s Starship!

　Of course, no matter how high the ambitions of the American aerospace industry are, Firi, the first commander of the Federal Army, has to start from scratch...

　Military flags, emblems and songs were created.

　The military uniforms were easy to deal with. Ferry directly copied the blue-gray uniforms of the "Earth Federation Space Army" in "UC Gundam" - the uniforms of the Principality of Zeon on the other side of the "One Year War" in the Gundam Era were too fancy, and the style was more like the luxurious dresses of the Napoleonic Wars.

　Moreover, in order to distinguish itself from the British redcoats of the 18th century, the US military has been relatively averse to red uniforms since its inception.

　So, let the Federal Space Force wear blue uniforms: what kind of Federal Space Force is it if it wears only red uniforms?

　The Earth Federation is a federation, and the American Federation is also a federation!

　As for the military flag, Fili took the flag of Trump's future US Space Force and simplified it, removing the Earth as the background. The Space Force's emblem is based on the military flag, with the Earth as the background and a few stars added.

　——Especially the white North Star that is the same as the NATO flag, it must be added to the emblem of the Space Army!

　Next comes the most troublesome military song.

　Speaking of the military songs of the Space Army, the first thing that comes to mind for Fili, the time traveler, is the majestic old Chinese song

　"The Motherland Will Not Forget" has a majestic and touching melody that makes people excited when listening to it - especially the two lines "In the army conquering the universe, I am the one who silently dedicates myself" and "On the journey to the universe, I am the one who selflessly fights." It is obvious that this is a battle song of the space army!

　Unfortunately, the song "The Motherland Will Not Forget" has too strong a red imprint, and the collectivist spirit and Bolshevik style permeating the lyrics are too strong, which is really incompatible with the United States of America, which advocates elitism, individualism and liberalism.

　Even if the lyrics were changed, the melody was clearly of the Soviet and Eastern European style, and it could not be used indiscriminately in the United States during the Cold War.

　Then, in 21st-century Russia, there's also a Space Force anthem. But not only is the tune unremarkable, the lyrics are essentially a summary of Soviet space history—like a menu, listing the first artificial satellite, Gagarin, the first man in space, the Baikonur launch site, the Buran space shuttle, and so on. It's filled with scholarly quotations, but lacks any sense of ambition.

　Therefore, for Firi, the Russian Space Force’s military song cannot be copied, and it is not even worth referring to.

　There is also the "Imperial March" from "Star Wars". It is solemn, but too depressing, and it sounds like Nazi evil.

　This is obviously inconsistent with the pioneering and free-spirited spirit of the Federation Space Force, which is similar to the early navigators of the Age of Discovery.

　Ultimately, Firi can only look to the future of Japanese anime songs. While Heisei-era Japan has steadily degenerated into otaku, and Reiwa-era Japan has further degenerated into moe-influenced music, anime songs are still incredibly passionate, with plenty of epic masterpieces.

　From the last legacies of the Showa era, "Space Battleship Yamato" and "Legend of the Galactic Heroes," to the endlessly updated "Gundam" and "Macross" series that have endured for half a century, as well as niche works like "Miniskirt Pirates," "Battle Flag of the Star Realm," "Space Sweepers," and "Space Pirate Harlock," to the thrilling "Knights of Sidonia"...

　For half a century, various space-themed anime works have always been popular IPs in Japanese anime and can be said to be enduring.

　This gave Firi, the first commander of the Federation Space Force, a huge library of anime songs for reference (copying).

　Although most of the theme songs, ending songs and interludes of space-themed Japanese anime are strictly speaking love songs or romantic songs, they are not suitable for use as military songs - you can't let American soldiers sing "Do You Remember Love" while shooting rockets, right?

　And the theme songs from "Knights of Sidonia" are nice, but how can an ordinary person sing such an exaggerated soprano?

　It's even harder to sing than the Chinese song "Qinghai-Tibet Plateau", okay?

　But after all, there are a huge number of space animations out there, and if you look carefully, you can find some simple and easy-to-sing marches available.

　Finally, Ferry used the tune of the theme song from the Legend of the Galactic Heroes, changed it slightly, and then wrote some lyrics that rhymed well, and put together a short song of only 60 seconds, which he named "Star Trek Song".

　……

　How should I put it? Although it's full of makeshift and perfunctory mixes, it actually sounds better than Trump's "Forever Above" by Space Army!

　As a military song, the only advantage of "Always Above" is that it is simple and easy to sing: it is only 40 seconds long and the melody is smooth.

　I heard that the U.S. Space Force didn't take the creation of the military song seriously at all, but instead outsourced it to Hollywood under the pretext of "saving money", and found some random studio to come up with the song "Always Above" - ​​uh, could it be like the joke about the Chinese local government making animation, where the originally generous funding, after layers of subcontracting, became a graduation project for college students, and the students were asked to make it for free?

　Alas, there is no good product even at a cheap price, let alone free?

　If you want to use the labor of art school students for free, the quality of the finished product cannot be guaranteed: it’s good enough that it doesn’t turn out to be a funeral music!

　What? Impossible? You can go listen to the Japanese national anthem, it's so sad.

　The tune is so good that anyone who hears it will think it is a dirge!

　"Since you, Marita, think the 'Star Trek Anthem' sounds better, then let's use the 'Star Trek Anthem' as the military anthem of the Space Army."

　Fili thought about it for a long time, and finally made this decision:

　In the future, if the Federal Space Force wants to set up a special reconnaissance satellite unit, they should give them "Always Above" as their departmental song - this song is simply written for the "satellite experts"!

　I will write a report right now, then contact the White House Chief of Staff, and try to meet with the President tomorrow or the day after tomorrow to finalize this matter..."

　However, before he could finish his words, he heard a loud "boom" in the distance, and the tape recorder that was playing the tape suddenly went silent.

　Then, there was the whistling sound of rockets, the intermittent sound of gunfire, the sound of machine gun fire like a "cloth ripping machine", and the crisp sound of bullets shattering glass, which rang out from all directions one after another. Upstairs and downstairs of the Harrington Hotel, there was a hysterical scream.

　Seeing this, Fili quickly pounced, hugged Marita who had not yet reacted, rolled on the ground several times, and successfully hid under the bed.

　Well, fortunately, the floor was covered with thick wool carpet. Although Marita was still naked in the house, without any clothes on, she did not get any scratches or bleeding after this thrilling tumble...

　Then, just as they hid under the bed, they heard a scream and the sound of something heavy falling from the next room. They didn't know who was hit.

　"Oh, that's Mrs. Huntington! I hope she's not killed! Last time she was hit by a stray bullet in the shoulder and the blood was all over the floor..."

　Marita, listening for sounds outside from under her bed, complained to Fili, "We've paid a fortune to live in Washington's 'Green Zone,' and yet we're constantly experiencing gunfights and power outages. What kind of 'Green Zone' is this?"

　"Hey, this is Washington's 'Green Zone.' That's why it's either no fight or a major one!"

　Listening to the rumble of artillery fire in the distance, Fili cast various protective spells and buffs on himself and Marita, while helplessly dismissing the message, "The White House is in the Green Zone. Those who are plotting rebellion and coup will naturally focus their fire on the White House and turn the Green Zone into a battlefield..."

　Of course, an average of one or two rebellions a week is indeed too frequent, but who can blame the chaos in America today?

　As he lamented, he used his "Mage Hand" to drag letter paper and a pen from the table and began to draft a report to be submitted to the President.

　——Even if he was forced to lie under the bed to avoid bullets, it did not affect Fili, a social animal, from doing his duty. He wrote the report while listening to the gunshots!

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　After confiscating the assets of the wealthy in the three rebellious states of New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey... the domestic situation quickly became increasingly chaotic.

　You know, the wealthy people in New York State are not just ordinary wealthy people. They are all super-powerful people with connections all over the world!

　Then there's Pennsylvania, whose capital is Philadelphia, the old capital of the United States. The local elite are filled with descendants of founding fathers. These aristocratic families, written into history books, may not be very prominent in normal times, but when it comes to life-or-death struggles, they often reveal their astonishing depths.

　If President Nixon wanted to move these people, it would be basically the same as the relatively weak Qing emperor moving a few iron-hat princes - how could there not be chaos?

　Next, in order to concentrate power and save fiscal spending, President Nixon carried out a massive round of layoffs, in which hundreds of thousands of federal civil servants and a large number of military officers were laid off - this was both to save money and to make way for President Nixon's supporters.

　As for the civil servants in the three rebellious states, not only did most of them lose their jobs, but many of them were also forced into concentration camps in the western desert to undergo ideological reform...

　Although the degree is far less than those things in Russian history, Americans' tolerance for tyranny is much worse than that of the Russian gray beasts!

　Thus, starting in mid-August, in just two weeks, three military rebellions broke out in Washington, D.C., along with five assassination attempts on the president. As for the aborted assassinations and attempted rebellions, they were too numerous to count—the Navy, Army, Air Force, National Guard, Marines, police, militia, and spies—almost all of the U.S. armed forces participated in the rebellion or assassination attempts.

　Basically, someone got carried away and gathered a group of brothers, drove armored vehicles and tanks, or flew planes straight to the White House.

　As a result, the White House alone was strafed twice by vehicle-mounted machine gun fire and bombed once by the rebellious air force, killing a minister, two advisors, and a dozen interns. The cabinet had no choice but to order the erection of sandbags and barbed wire at the White House entrance and the deployment of anti-aircraft machine guns on the roof.

　Nowadays, if a tourist takes a first glance at it, he would hardly recognize that it is the White House and would mistake it for the headquarters of some frontline military base!

　Uh, yes, the job of the President of the United States is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, so living in a fortress... seems normal?

　As for the government departments that became battlefields, there were countless of them - not only was the capital frequently attacked by rebels, but fighting broke out in local states every day. There were governors who killed the mayor's family, and there were wardens who killed the former governor's family. The entire country was in chaos.

　President Nixon, like Hitler during the Battle of Berlin, had to move completely into the White House bunker to work, often going days without seeing the sun. The Secretary of Defense's limousine was bombed twice, and his office was targeted by snipers five times. While fortunately, he wasn't hit once, the shock still spurred him to have a bulletproof desk made of armored steel, and he wore a bulletproof vest every day while reviewing documents and conducting official business.

　However, no matter how prepared you are, ruling a country and leading the world under the threat of bullets and death all day long is ultimately too stressful.

　Therefore, in late August, President Nixon established a system of zoning in Washington, D.C., a capital frequently attacked by insurgents and thugs, with nightly gun battles in slums creating an extremely severe security situation. He designated a four-square-kilometer area around the White House as the "Green Zone."

　At the edge of the Green Zone, the president ordered the construction of a makeshift wall and barbed wire, much like Europe's Berlin Wall. Checkpoints were erected at every entrance and exit, and all vehicles entering the Green Zone from outside had to pass through a sentry inspection.

　In this way, small groups of thugs will not be able to easily rush to the door of the White House, shoot guns and drop bombs indiscriminately, and interfere with the president's daily work.

　On the other hand, if someone manages to break through the Green Zone's walls and checkpoints and enter the Green Zone, they are no longer just some ordinary petty thief in a "passionate rebellion," but a truly powerful and formidable rebel.

　-

　In short, on that day, the sounds of gunfire and explosions in Washington's "Green Zone" continued from morning until noon, when they gradually stopped.

　During this period, an armed helicopter opened fire at the ground from the air, and was then shot down by a fighter jet, crashing into a building on the ground and turning into a fireball.

　That evening, Fieri, hunkered down at the Harrington Hotel, which had lost power due to a blown transformer, managed to gather information from several reporters staying there about the general nature of the commotion. Apparently, a laid-off FBI agent had joined forces with a group of Virginia Military Academy students and faculty in a rebellion, gathering a battalion of troops and two helicopter gunships to launch a surprise attack on the White House, attempting to kidnap President Nixon.

　Of course, this reckless rebellion was suppressed after a melee, and the president was unharmed, but the entire Green Zone lost power in the melee.

　The next day, the power supply in the capital was still not restored, but Firi, the commander of the Federal Space Force, still went to the White House. He walked across the lawn with more craters and scorch marks, walked into the famous white house, and submitted his preliminary draft of the Federal Space Force flag, emblem, uniform samples, etc., as well as a tape recording of the military song "Star Trek", along with the relevant report he wrote. He was then told to wait patiently for a reply.

　Because of the recent turmoil in the country, President Nixon was under great pressure at work, and the accumulated work on his desk was like a mountain.

　It doesn't matter if you put aside all the trivial things like insignia, uniforms, military flags and military songs. They will definitely be put in the category of not being a priority.

　When the president has some free time, he will read Phi's report, which is of great historical significance but not urgent at all.

　So, Firi had no choice but to sigh, leave the White House, which had recently become devastated again, and return to the Harrington Hotel 1300 meters away.

　Then, just as he returned to his room, he learned another unhappy news.

　"What? The hotel waiter came over and said they're going to significantly increase the rates? An extra 50% increase in the daily rate? How does that make sense?"

　After hearing Marita's retelling, Fili's eyes widened in anger, and his voice rose an octave. "This crappy hotel has no water, no electricity, and no meals. It's sweltering without air conditioning! Why is the manager not only not giving us a rent reduction, but is raising it instead?"

　"Even though there's no water or electricity, at least there's a house here! It's better than sleeping on the street!"

　Marita explained the whole story with a bitter look on her face. "During yesterday's street fighting in the capital, the Shoreham Hotel was destroyed by an air force bomb, and the other two hotels were reduced to ruins by fire. All the guests who were not burned or killed are now looking for other places to live..."

　"So, seeing its competitor fail and the market full of guests and short of rooms, the Harrington Hotel took advantage of this opportunity to raise prices and rip off customers?"

　Ferry immediately understood, "This is the same as when supermarkets double their prices on a snowy day..."

　Looking back at the window that was shattered by a stray bullet yesterday and still hadn't been replaced, he couldn't help but sigh silently in his heart:

　Am I in Washington in the 1970s, or in Baghdad in the 21st century?

　Author's words: PS: In many places that are traditionally considered pro-China, the local people are not friendly to the Chinese because world public opinion is in the hands of the enemy.

　Chinese aid teams have helped third world countries build power grids, connect them to the internet, and provide them with smartphones and computers—things the West wouldn't give them. Then, when locals pick up their smartphones, they see all sorts of Western content online smearing China, and their minds become hostile to us.

　However, the Chinese press is also controlled by the enemy, including a large part of the official media, whose main job is to stab their own people. Therefore, they are unable to occupy the public opinion front, and can only do good things but get no good rewards.

　Just like a certain internet celebrity who went to Syria before and found that the locals hated us (laughs).

　Chapter 518: The Big Liar of the Universe, Bored and Unemployed (Part 1)

　Although the calendar hanging on the wall has turned to September, the weather in Washington, the capital of the United States, is still hot and unbearable.

　In the sultry air, in addition to the exhaust from cars, there was also a faint stench of decay and the pungent smell of gunpowder.

　In the business suite of the Harrington Hotel, which still had no water or electricity, Fili sat blankly on the bed, staring at the clear sky outside the window, not wanting to move at all.

　——Another week has passed since he submitted the plans for the Federal Space Force’s flag, emblem, uniform, and song to the White House!

　But there was still no response from President Nixon, and he had to continue staying in a hotel in Washington, D.C., waiting for news.