American Strategic Deception Bureau

　"Doctor, did your trip to Beijing go smoothly? Why are you back now?"

　Looking at Dr. Kissinger, who looked exhausted but had obviously gained weight and looked even fatter, Firi asked suspiciously.

　"Because I didn't go to Beijing at all, I naturally came back quickly!" Kissinger replied.

　"Ah?! Didn't go to Beijing?" Fili was shocked - could it be that Kissinger's secret visit to China was actually turned away?

　“Although I didn’t go to Beijing, I met their top leader, the great Mao, in Guangzhou, so there was no need to go to Beijing.

　I arrived in Hong Kong on the first day, took a bus to Guangzhou on the second day, visited and had a meeting with Mao on his special train on the third day, returned to Hong Kong on the fourth day, and then had a symbolic chat with the Governor of Hong Kong. Then I flew back to the country to report to the President - I had just come out of the White House half an hour ago.

　By the way, these are the cakes and tea leaves I brought back from there. They are all top-quality goods. I’ll give you some to try…”

　Seeing the surprise on Fieri's face, Dr. Kissinger smiled and solved the mystery himself.

　Then he took out two beautifully wrapped gift boxes from his suitcase and handed them to Fili.

　Uh? Is the teacher in Guangzhou now?

　Oh, now I remember. I vaguely remember that in his later years, the teacher did make several southern tours. I think he went back to his hometown in Shaoshan, Hunan, and swam in the Yangtze River...

　I wonder which southern tour this year is this?

　Forget it, history has changed so much, it is normal for the time and route of the Southern Tour to change.

　So, there is really no need to think too much... Moreover, compared with the two "Beijing specialties" of Quanjude's roast duck and Donglaishun's mutton hot pot, the "one pot and two pieces" of Cantonese tea dim sum is probably more suitable for Dr. Kissinger's sweet taste.

　As Fili thought about this, he took the gift box and looked at it. He found it contained Longjing tea and pineapple cakes. But he didn't think much of it and continued, "You look so relaxed. Your initial interactions with people in China have been pretty good, right?"

　"Yes, the chairman's attitude is very friendly, and he is still very sincere about easing relations with the United States."

　Dr. Kissinger smiled and nodded, saying, “But they are also very determined to demand that we withdraw our troops from Taiwan and abandon the Taiwanese authorities.

　Fortunately, their relations with the Soviet Union also deteriorated again during this period.

　Ever since you, the last commander of the US military in Vietnam, were left with nowhere to stay in the entire country by a nuclear bomb and had to flee to Hong Kong to establish an "exile headquarters", Red China completely stopped its aid to Vietnam and withdrew all its aid troops.

　When Vietnam took away large tracts of Laos' territory, turning Laos into a protectorate and even colonizing it, Beijing also

　Despite widespread condemnation, the Soviet Union continued to generously aid Vietnam and defended Vietnam's aggressive behavior internationally, as if it was determined to compete with Beijing.

　However, Vietnam's current situation is even more dire than Paraguay's after the War of the Triple Alliance. Even with the Soviet Union's generous assistance, Vietnam would hardly have the courage to directly challenge China. At most, they would make some sarcastic remarks in international public opinion.

　Phiri generally agreed with Dr. Kissinger's point of view.

　As a time traveler, Firi certainly had no doubt about the ambitions of the Vietcong leadership. But even the greatest ambitions were useless without capital.

　There's no way around it. The Vietnam War in this dimension is more than ten times more brutal and bloody than the one in another timeline.

　Although Vietnam has achieved unity today, two-thirds of its population has been "evaporated" by war and nuclear explosions. The country's industrial and agricultural production has basically collapsed. Most cities have been razed to the ground by nuclear bombs, railways and highways have been cut off, and the most fertile rice fields have become nuclear contaminated areas...

　As a result, after unification, the Viet Cong could not even find a city with running water and electricity to serve as its capital!

　How could the Viet Cong, with such a devastated mess in their hands and a completely defeated army, dare to provoke China?

　The reason why Red Vietnam under his leadership was so eager to cede land from Laos after unification was that its own arable land had been severely polluted and damaged by the US nuclear bombs with a TNT equivalent of over one billion tons, and it could not be restored in the short term. So it had to seize land from Laos, which had also experienced war and less nuclear bombs and was therefore sparsely populated, to resettle some of its landless farmers.

　As for further annexing Cambodia and unifying the three Indochinese countries, even if the Viet Cong had high aspirations, they were powerless.

　Because, with Vietnam's severely unbalanced population ratio, if they still want to continue the war, they will have to send female soldiers to fight the Khmer Rouge!

　As long as Vietnam is unable to annex Cambodia and dares not directly harass the Chinese border, it will not cross Beijing’s red line and will not lead to war.

　At most, it is similar to the Sino-North Korean relationship in the early 21st century. Each side smears the other in public opinion propaganda, but it is completely ineffective.

　“However, although post-war Vietnam should not have the strength or the courage to actively provoke its northern neighbor.

　But as long as the Soviet Union maintains its strength and continuously launches strategic offensives, while my country continues to conduct strategic contraction and withdraws from Southeast Asia for a considerable period of time, then the contradictions between China and the United States will quickly fade, while the contradictions between China and the Soviet Union will quickly escalate.

　Dr. Kissinger continued, "In my opinion, no matter how loudly the slogan of 'world revolution' is shouted, it is just a slogan. The essence of the struggle lies in the game between major powers and the competition for interests. The stronger the Soviet Union becomes and the more the United States shrinks, the more likely China will stand on our side, thus rebuilding the 'big triangle' diplomatic relationship between China, the United States and the Soviet Union..."

　Phiri also basically agreed with Dr. Kissinger's view.

　You must know that during the Cold War, the two major camps were playing a zero-sum game. The decline and retreat of the United States meant the strong advancement of the Soviet Union.

　For Beijing, a strong Kremlin is far more dangerous than a strong United States.

　After all, no matter how powerful the United States is, it is still far away on the other side of the ocean, while the Soviet Union is right next to it and shares the longest border with it in the world!

　Therefore, unless the Soviet Union could truly become a beacon of socialism, abandon national, religious, and ethnic barriers, and completely integrate into the world proletariat, prioritizing class interests over international interests, the cooling and rupture of Sino-Soviet relations after the honeymoon period was almost inevitable.

　Because the Soviet Union was too powerful and its style of action was too domineering, the pressure from the north was too great.

　Continuing to maintain the Sino-Soviet alliance will no longer bring more benefits to China, but will instead bring endless troubles.

　Thinking of this, Fili suddenly felt a flash of inspiration in his mind, and finally understood the answers to some questions that had always troubled him before the time travel.

　Why is it that in 21st-century international relations, China and Russia often feel that Europe, the US, Japan, and South Korea are arrogant and bossy, even to the point of dictating to them. Even small European countries dare to point fingers at China and Russia, leaving them feeling deeply aggrieved?

　However, the political circles in Europe and the United States are, on the contrary, hostile to China and Russia, gritting their teeth in hatred. They are clearly actively interfering in the internal affairs of China and Russia, but they feel as if they are being invaded?

　The key lies in the fact that there are huge differences in understanding between China, Russia, Europe, the United States, Japan and South Korea on the nature of the historical event of the end of the Cold War!

　In the eyes of the United States, Western Europe, Japan and South Korea, the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe were defeated countries, as were Cuba, Vietnam and North Korea. China's role was that of a traitor who jumped ship at the last moment, similar to Italy's role in World War II, that is, a "defeated country that was granted amnesty."

　The West's economic harvest from Russia was legitimate war reparations, though not in name. Yet, the Russians believed they had taken the initiative to end the Cold War, making enormous sacrifices for humanity, and that Gorbachev's contribution was greater than Reagan and Thatcher combined. So, after the Cold War ended, they fell into self-admiration, believing themselves to be allies of the United States, having jointly ended the evil Soviet system and returned to the civilized world, and therefore deserved to be the victorious nation.

　That is why Russia has repeatedly wanted to join NATO.

　But the problem is that the West believes that Russia should accept the treatment of Japan and Germany after World War II, that is, cession of territory and dismemberment, and direct stationing of troops - so when they saw that Russia did not beg NATO to station troops in Moscow and hand over control of the airspace over the capital like Japan, they were naturally furious.

　For example, Russia believed that with the end of the Cold War, the evil Soviet era was over, and it could now sit at the table of the civilized world. However, Europe and the United States were furious: "Russia is so ignorant of the times! Why hasn't it jumped into the pot yet? You are the main course!"

　There's no way around it. The Cold War was won without a fight, and it didn't lead to a geopolitical redivision of the world. The post-World War II Yalta system was merely shaken, but the supporting pillars remained intact. As the victorious powers, the West, while reaping significant benefits, still felt they had received too little.

　As a result, a misalignment of perceptions formed after the Cold War: China and Russia did not admit that they were defeated countries, but the West believed that China and Russia were defeated countries.

　If we regard the Cold War as the Third World War, then many strange phenomena after the Cold War become understandable.

　First, why did Germany reflect so deeply on the Holocaust? Because the Jews manipulated the United States and were the true victors of the Cold War.

　Secondly, why do Japanese politicians always go to the Yasukuni Shrine? Because they consider themselves the victors of the Cold War, believing that the Potsdam Declaration and the Tokyo Trials can be overturned by the Cold War victory. After the Cold War, Japan is a victorious country and should be able to act freely in East Asia as it did before World War II.

　Secondly, both the Democratic Progressive Party and the Democratic Progressive Party in Taiwan seek equal status with mainland China. They even consider themselves the mainland's masters, essentially the victors of the Cold War. They believe that no matter how powerful China is, it is still a defeated nation and must kneel down and serve as a slave. The so-called benefits to Taiwan are merely reparations from a defeated nation, but Taiwan not only feels comfortable accepting them, but also complains that the amount is too little. Their attitude towards paying the money is disrespectful and they deserve to be severely punished and disciplined!

　What’s even worse is that China and Russia believe that the world is still in its post-World War II state and that the Yalta system is still in effect.

　But the West believes that the post-World War II UN five permanent members system is outdated and now is the time for the victors of the Cold War to dominate everything!

　The status of the five permanent members of the United Nations and the Yalta system have long been ineffective after the Cold War!

　So what if China and Russia are powerful? You are defeated nations. No matter how powerful you are, you are international pariahs burdened with original sin, born to be slaves!

　Why has the United States repeatedly antagonized the United Nations since the Cold War, and why has it long been in arrears with its dues? Because the United States believes that the post-Cold War UN, like the League of Nations after World War II, is a junky institution that should be taken seriously.

　Why are many small countries around the world so keen on provoking China and Russia? Because Western-manipulated international public opinion has branded China and Russia as defeated nations. No matter how they're bullied, they can't fight back. Daring to resist is considered treasonous and politically incorrect—of course, whether China and Russia recognize this is another matter.

　As a result, the world situation after the Cold War is a bit like Europe after World War I, where everyone feels that others owe them a lot.

　The defeated nations did not submit as Japan and Germany did in World War II. Instead, they felt cheated and resentfully demanded "fair treatment." The victorious nations were equally resentful, constantly eyeing the redivision of geopolitics and the further dismemberment of the defeated nations. When the West failed to achieve geopolitical redivisions and the dismemberment of regional powers at the negotiating table, it resorted to coups d'état and hot wars, such as NATO's eastward expansion and color revolutions.

　In the eyes of the West, this is not an invasion, but "helping" China and Russia to recognize their status as defeated countries!

　Just like when Britain colonized the world in order to "spread advanced civilization"!

　However, after the Cold War, the United States overly admired Reagan's "win without fighting" strategy, believing that history would end with American-style capitalist democracy. Consequently, it was particularly cautious about its own survival and did not pursue Russia and China relentlessly, planting the American flag in Moscow and Beijing. Instead, it was extremely concerned about war casualties, even pursuing zero casualties. It's strange that a world hegemon doesn't pursue its own words and instead constantly talks about "smart power."

　But it is also because of this that Beijing and Moscow have been confused for a long time, unable to understand why there is such a big gap between what Europe and the United States say and what they do.

　In the end, when Russia finally broke through the "cognitive barrier" and realized its status as a defeated country, it no longer had any illusions about the West.

　——It has to be said that the anesthetic effect of Gorbachev's "new thinking" was too strong. It was not until 2014 that most Russians finally realized their status as a defeated country in the world and began to completely abandon the fantasy of integrating into the West. They once again united to save the nation, even at the cost of using force.

　At the same time, China's diplomacy with Europe and the United States has always been at odds with each other, and they have always been unable to communicate with each other. This is also because the two sides have very different perceptions of the Cold War: China believes that it is the victor of World War II and one of the five permanent members of the United Nations, and naturally deserves the status of a great power.

　Yet, Europe and the US consider it merely a slightly more respectable Cold War defeated nation, so how can it possibly hold any great power status? Not establishing a NATO garrison in Beijing and installing a "Beijing District Procuratorate Special Investigation Department" is already a great act of leniency!

　One side considers itself the victor, while the other side considers you the defeated; one side considers itself a Brahmin, while the other side considers you a Shudra...

　How can this communication and exchange continue?

　It’s just that the Americans are too concerned about their lives, and China has too much "strategic butt power".

　This kind of communication, which was completely inconsistent, was maintained for a long time by relying on both sides pretending to be stupid.

　As recently as the 2021 Alaska negotiations between China and the US, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged China to "proceed from a position of strength." This effectively served as a reminder of China's awkward position during the Cold War and its status as a defeated nation. China's response, "The US has no right to proceed from a position of strength," served as a reminder that the times have changed. Thirty years have passed since the Cold War, and China refuses to accept the title of a defeated nation.

　In the eyes of the United States, China is the equivalent of Hitler's Nazi Germany. Daring to tear up a treaty recognizing China's status as a defeated nation is clearly a heinous crime. Although China has never signed such a treaty of surrender, the United States believes that since China has signed it, it has signed a treaty.

　At this point, a new global Cold War officially began, and in many parts of the world it evolved into a hot war...

　Then, let's rewind to the 1970s, when the United States attempted to establish diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China. Kissinger's "Great Triangle Diplomacy" at the time seemed, from the American perspective, similar to the Allies' tactics used to induce Italy to defect from the war in the latter stages of World War II.

　In other words, during the Cold War, China was given treatment equivalent to that given to Italy in World War II, in exchange for China's defection during the Cold War!

　In this way, when the Cold War ends and the United States wins, China will enjoy the status of an "international pariah" as a "pardoned defeated country."

　——No matter how Beijing understands it or how Kissinger himself plans it, at least that’s what the gentlemen in Washington think.

　I just don’t know, if Kissinger really told the truth to the other side during his visit to China, would the restoration of diplomatic relations between China and the United States be possible?

　Alas, just like there are makeshift teams everywhere in the world, the essence of all kinds of diplomacy is to cheat and fool both sides!

　The spirit of craftsmanship in the eyes of the Japanese!

　I wonder if the Western artists who created Warhammer 40K have ever borrowed from their bizarre ideas?

　So, how did such a poor imperialist country and such a shabby industrial system become what it is today?

　Is there really a "Japanese miracle" in this world that violates the general laws of social development?

　But after the subsequent social investigation, Dr. Kissinger quickly understood what was going on.

　——What's the Japanese miracle? It's all thanks to the generosity of American fathers!

　After World War II, the United States fully supported Japanese industry. Not only did it place massive orders in Japan, finding markets and outlets for cheap, low-quality goods from Japanese factories, but it also forcibly implemented modern management systems in Japan, emphasizing quality inspections and product control, forcing Japan to abandon its "spirit of craftsmanship."

　After teaching the real skills of how to develop industry and destroying the remnants of the handicraft guild mentality of the small peasant era in the minds of the Japanese, the United States transferred hundreds of advanced technology patents worth more than $30 billion to Japan at almost free prices in the 1950s and 1960s.

　These patents were not only the most advanced technologies at the time, but also mature technologies that could be immediately used to create products and bring them to market.

　As long as the Japanese fully understand these patented technologies, produce the products and launch them into the international market, they can immediately make a lot of wealth!

　In addition to technology, the United States also opened the world's market to Japan, although this was actually a bit accidental - after World War II, the United States and the Soviet Union jointly dismantled colonialism, forced the independence of the vast colonies around the world, and destroyed the colonial empires of the old European powers.

　At the same time, based on the disintegration of colonies, the free trade that the United States took the lead in practicing greatly expanded the space and market for international trade.

　It was at this time that the United States had begun to transfer its industrial sectors to Japan and Germany due to rising domestic labor costs.

　Therefore, the vast market that the American father had seized through military force and hegemony was not retained by the American father. Instead, it benefited the emerging Japanese industry, turning every possible place for business in the world into an economic colony of Japan - something that the imperial army could not achieve even after three million people died!

　Therefore, from the 1950s to the 1970s, Japanese companies such as Sharp, Sony, Panasonic, and NEC began to gain excellent development opportunities.

　Japan's Ministry of International Trade and Industry enacted the "Temporary Measures Act for the Promotion of the Electronics Industry," restricting foreign investment, protecting the domestic market, and guiding Japanese companies to focus on developing the semiconductor industry. These included black-and-white and color cathode ray tube televisions, transistor radios, tape recorders, video recorders, calculators, refrigerators, washing machines, and more. At the time, each of these items was not a cheap item, but rather the world's most premium consumer "luxury product."

　These are all good things that were sought after and desired by everyone during the Cold War, just like silk, porcelain and spices in the Age of Discovery!

　Just think about how much of a sensation a color TV or a tape recorder would cause in the countryside in the 1980s, and you'll know how popular these things were. Yet, the United States generously passed on their production methods to Japan, just as ancient Europe acquired mulberry cultivation, silkworm breeding, and silk reeling technology from the Tang Dynasty!

　At the same time, Japan is indeed a good student, sparing no effort in absorbing technology and transforming its applications, and even further innovating.

　In 1955, Japan successfully commercialized its first transistor radio. In 1957, a small radio that could fit in a shirt pocket was released. Subsequently, transistor radios were exported in large quantities to the US market, and Sony experienced significant growth as a result.

　The main production technologies of these once star products almost all came from Western countries led by the United States and Britain, but the profits went into Japan's pocket.

　This shows that Japan's father, the United States, really loves Japan, its godson, and supports it wholeheartedly, providing it with markets and technologies. Of course, this is also inseparable from the hard work of the Japanese people themselves - if post-war Japan really didn't live up to its expectations and chose to lie low and rot like the Philippines, then even if the United States gave Japan more good things, Japan would not be able to hold on!

　Of course, the reality is that Japan not only took over the industrial transfer from the United States, but also developed outstandingly, like a rocket taking off.

　In this dimension, due to the United States' excessive consumption in the Vietnam War and the subsequent domestic chaos, the speed of this industrial transfer has further accelerated. As for the scale of this transfer, it has also skyrocketed. The most advanced industries, technologies, talents, and vast amounts of capital are rapidly fleeing the war-torn and turbulent United States and pouring into the more stable and orderly Japan, causing the value of the "Japanese Miracle" to soar exponentially!

　After all, compared with the United States, where urban street fighting breaks out every few days, city fires and workers' riots occur at any time, New York has suffered a nuclear explosion, and even the capital Washington can suffer a power outage for a month, the stable "peace country" Japan is simply a paradise for capitalists!

　The US officials also acquiesced to this: it is better for the unstoppable capital to flow to Japan, which is controlled by the US military, than to flow to Britain and France, right?

　After all, Japan not only had US troops stationed there, but was also a defeated nation in World War II, inherently inferior in international relations. Even if it developed, it would be difficult for it to turn things around. This is similar to how Islamic countries in the Middle Ages generally used slave soldiers, even allowing slaves to serve as prime ministers and generals.

　Although many slaves were not very loyal, they were still more reliable than the old nobles.

　So I just had to make do with it.

　As we all know, "great effort brings about miracles." With the United States' desperate support, Japan's economic take-off was a natural outcome.

　Today, Japan's GDP has surpassed Britain, France, West Germany and the Soviet Union (questionable), and it is now the world's second largest economy!

　What’s even worse is that President Nixon is now in a desperate need of recovering losses from his overseas allies in order to clean up the devastated domestic situation.

　However, when faced with Japan, the fattest and most profitable country in the world, the White House finds it difficult to swallow.