American Strategic Deception Bureau

　After hearing this, Firi was helpless - this is the biggest difference between mercenaries and regular troops. Once they encounter an unfavorable situation, they will perform poorly!

　There is no way to ask those mercenaries who are just trying to make money with the mentality of workers to risk their lives and rush towards the mushroom cloud of a nuclear explosion.

　——You can’t work so hard. How can you make money if you work so hard?

　"Okay, I roughly understand. How many people are left in the 2506th Brigade now?" he asked.

　"In the Dominican Republic... there are still about a thousand soldiers willing to continue to join our cause. On the Cuban front, there are still two to three hundred people, led by Lieutenant Brigadier Irnedo Oliva. They recently abandoned the town of Maisi and retreated to the US military base in Guantanamo..."

　After silently doing some addition in his mind, Fili couldn't help but tilt his head back and close his eyes.

　Well, after more than a year of twists and turns, only half of the 2506th Brigade was left, with only fourteen or fifteen hundred people!

　What kind of mess did I inherit?

　It can turn the entire brigade into ashes!

　Who can fight a war like this? This isn't about getting rich, it's about losing your life!

　What? For the cause of Cuban freedom?

　Come on, who can be fooled by such nice words? It's clearly about the farmland that the United Fruit Company plundered in Cuba, right?

　When faced with Cuban soldiers who had been forced to flee their homeland and exile by Castro's land reforms, the CIA's political operatives could still deceive them by saying they were "fighting for their homeland." However, the Dominican mercenaries, who were not Cuban to begin with, were simply impossible to deceive.

　- What the hell do you Cubans' power struggles have to do with me? I'm Dominican!

　As a result, a large-scale desertion soon occurred in the reserve forces of the 2506th Brigade that remained in the Dominican camp. Hundreds of local soldiers took off their uniforms, copied the CIA's letters, resigned and went home. Some Dominican mercenaries left their weapons behind before leaving, some simply took away their guns and bullets, and some drove away the army's trucks and jeeps, making the military camp look like it had been looted.

　The new Dominican government also had an ambiguous attitude towards this matter. It refused to help the CIA search for deserters and instead urged the 2506th Brigade to leave the country as soon as possible. With the war in Cuba, the United States's doorstep, turning it into such a mess, the CIA's deterrent power in Latin American countries also suffered a considerable impact.

　What's more, the Dominican Republic was actually seriously injured because of this spectacular Cuban War, and was full of hatred from top to bottom.

　——In order to raise arms and technical arms cheaply, the CIA directly "borrowed" a lot of planes, warships, tanks and merchant ships from the Dominican army, and even "wet leased" the people, ships and planes together... They thought they could make some extra money, but who knew that most of the sailors and pilots died!

　Especially the Dominican Navy, which originally had only 3000 people. Now, half of the sailors were killed in just two weeks...

　How could the Dominican military, who felt they had suffered an unprovoked disaster, not complain about the CIA personnel who used them as cannon fodder?

　Not to mention, Estelion's previous behavior in the Dominican Republic was extremely ugly. It can be said that he plundered the people to the point of extortion, draining the fat of the people of this small country of three million people. The mercenaries' style and discipline were only slightly better than those of bandits, and it was really hard to expect the local government to have any good impression of them.

　——A considerable portion of the military funds that the CIA spent on recruiting troops and invading Cuba were plundered from the Dominican Republic!

　Then, after the officers who stayed behind learned that the brigade commander, political commissar, head of the provisional government, US military advisers and the CIA's behind-the-scenes financiers were suddenly wiped out, they were actually panic-stricken and at a loss. They didn't know what their future held, let alone stop the soldiers from escaping.

　As a result, by the time Major Ferry King took over the Cuban Special Task Force and made them sure that they did not have to disband for the time being and that they had a backbone again, only more than 1,000 of the more than 3,000 soldiers of the 2506th Brigade who remained in the Dominican Republic had fled.

　Moreover, the Dominican government is urging them to leave the country as soon as possible and is ordering these CIA-recruited mercenaries to not stay any longer.

　As desperate as the situation behind the Dominican lines was, the situation on the Cuban front was equally devastating.

　After the main attack force of Brigadier General San Roman was defeated by the mushroom cloud of Soviet nuclear mines and was wiped out by Che Guevara's counterattack, the feint attack force of Deputy Brigadier General Irnedo Oliva in Guantanamo Province also fell into extreme panic and its morale was extremely low.

　Although the morale of the Cuban revolutionary army had collapsed severely after the series of nuclear explosions by the US military, and they were no longer able to launch a large-scale counterattack, the mercenaries of the 2506th Brigade had completely lost their fighting spirit and even began to openly disobey orders, falling into a state of command failure.

　At first, Lieutenant Brigadier Irnedo Oliva had hoped to hold on to the shattered town of Maisi, preserving at least a sliver of territory for the newly established "Free Cuba." However, his subordinates collectively disobeyed orders, forcing him to abandon his position and retreat with the US troops into Guantanamo Bay. Many fell behind and disappeared during the retreat. By the time they retreated to the vacant US military compound at Guantanamo Bay, there were fewer than 300 of them left.

　In the end, there are only 1400 to 1500 mercenaries left in the 2506th Brigade that Firi can mobilize. Not to mention the equipment - he can ask the Pentagon for it on credit - but in terms of the quality of the soldiers, it is estimated that most of them are not as good as the half brigade trained in Guatemala in 1960.

　The 2506th Brigade at that time, though also only half a brigade, 1500 men, and with soldiers of varying quality, still contained at least several hundred elite troops who had undergone the full "hellish training" at the US military base in Panama and had passed the assessment.

　However, the hundreds of elite soldiers who were trained with great difficulty at that time, as well as the professional Cuban officers who were educated at West Point and the Virginia Military Academy, have now basically all been buried under the mushroom cloud of the nuclear explosion, leaving only Fili and his group of half-baked rookies, few of whom have even attended military school.

　As for the remaining soldiers, most of them have only received basic recruit training. Some of them have not even completed recruit training for less than two months. Their combat effectiveness is only slightly better than that of armed Boy Scouts - if they are against the Cuban militia, they are almost the same.

　But on the island of Cuba today, let alone Castro's direct troops, even the genuine

　The Soviet army has more troops than the mercenaries under Firi!

　How to fight such a battle?

　Furthermore, before seriously considering how to fight, the remaining troops in the Dominican Republic had to be shipped across the sea to the Cuban front as quickly as possible. Dominican Republic President Joaquín Balaguer had already issued an ultimatum, allowing the 2506th Brigade to remain in the Dominican Republic until January 30th at most; any later would result in their expulsion! CIA headquarters at Langley Building offered no objection, instead signaling Fili to comply.

　After all, the "Tropic Thunder" operation, which was supposed to be a fierce and powerful one, has been turned into a dilemma and a mess. The CIA can't speak to the outside world with confidence.

　So, let’s first consider how to get the Cuban mercenaries to move!

　"Well, the number of transport planes is far from enough, the frigates are gone, and all the landing craft have been destroyed. There's no way we can conduct an amphibious landing now, let alone a paratrooper drop—the trained airborne troops are basically all dead, so we can only find a port under our control to disembark.

　Alas, it seems that we can no longer use the leapfrog tactics. We can only follow the Pentagon's instructions and meet up in Guantanamo to rest.

　However, we can borrow merchant ships to transport troops from the Atlantic Fleet. Secretary of the Navy George Whelan Anderson Jr. has already agreed to provide free transportation. Logistics and supplies after landing will be directly drawn from Guantanamo Bay, and weapons and ammunition can also be used from the 2nd Marine Division's active equipment..."

　Firi explained to Torres the various supports he had obtained from various agencies in Washington over the past few days, in an effort to boost the morale of the mercenaries of the 2506th Brigade, whose morale was on the verge of collapse. "The Pentagon also promised to return Guantanamo to Cuba at the appropriate time."

　"Return Guantanamo?" Torres' eyes widened in disbelief. "Is this true?"

　——Since Cuba's independence, the Guantanamo Bay base, which was forcibly occupied by the United States, has always been a thorn in the hearts of the Cuban people.

　However, successive heads of government, including Castro, have failed to reclaim this strategic location and achieve national reunification.

　If the "Provisional Government of Free Cuba" established with the help of the US hydrogen bomb can achieve this great feat, its reputation will surely be greatly enhanced!

　At least when fighting the war of public opinion with Castro, besides the vague talk of human rights and freedom, there is something solid to bring out.

　Well, it can be roughly compared to Wang Jingwei's Nanjing government taking back the foreign concessions in Shanghai during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, right?

　"Of course it's true. This is a promise President Kennedy and Secretary of Defense McNamara made to me in person."

　Fili shrugged his shoulders. "Although I don't know why they agreed to this..."

　Next, Firi summoned the four "old, weak, sick and disabled" people whom he had not seen for a long time, and asked them to clean up the various account books left by Estelline under the leadership of the one-legged proprietress Armas, so that he could take stock of how much project funds he had available.

　After working late into the night, Ferry discovered that before the launch of Operation Tropic Thunder, Estelline had sold or mortgaged all the real estate, bonds, and stocks he had looted in the Dominican Republic to raise funds, which he invested in this operation along with the special funds allocated by the Bureau.

　After deducting all expenses that have already been spent, there is still about 50 million US dollars left on the books.

　This figure may sound like a lot, but half of it will be used up just to pay pensions to fallen soldiers and compensation for plane crashes and shipwrecks.

　The remaining 25 million US dollars can only sustain the 2506th Brigade in low-intensity security operations for three to six months at most.

　If we want to continue recruiting soldiers and expanding our forces, as well as purchasing warships, aircraft and other technical weapons, then our expenses will rise further.

　Not to mention, the cost of hiring informants and setting up an intelligence network in Cuba also has to be paid from this account - it looks even more stretched!

　"Major King, if we want to defeat Castro, we must raise more military funds."

　Armas's wife said sternly, "Even if we temporarily withhold compensation and pensions, fifty million dollars is still far from enough for us to launch a war of annihilation! Not to mention a nuclear war! Many mercenaries are clamoring for double pay!"

　"Yes, although even if you have money you may not be able to raise a fighting army, but if you don't have money you will definitely not have soldiers."

　Bai Siwen, an elderly Cuban Chinese man, also stroked his beard and nodded in agreement, saying, "Besides, if I were to go to Cuba to recruit rebels and gather information, I'd also have to spend money, and a lot of money at that! At least several million dollars to gather some useful intelligence."

　"Director Dulles said he could grant us another $10 million in special funding. But if we want more, we'll have to go through Congressional procedures. However, the bipartisan struggle is now intensifying, and the Republicans are planning to impeach President Kennedy..."

　Firi frowned and sighed, "Under such circumstances, it's hard to expect both parties in Congress to come together for the sake of the country and allocate us a large sum of money in a short period of time. If we're unlucky, the next round of funding might not be approved for half a year or even a year."

　"Half a year or a year later? By that time, the mercenaries who can't get their pay will probably all run away!"

　Diabetic Agent Daniel shook his head - although he was an excellent sniper of the CIA,

　But besides sniping, he had also led a team and run an independent intelligence station, so he knew a little about financial matters. "Can't I go find a sponsor to raise funds?"

　"You mean the United Fruit Company and the other conglomerates whose assets and lands Castro confiscated in Cuba?"

　Fili shook his head. "Unfortunately, the United Fruit Company has announced that it will abandon its previously acquired real estate in Cuba. Several other corporate consortiums are also no longer interested in Cuban land and property. They would rather give up the land and assets they once owned in Cuba than invest in us.

　Well, the future "Free Cuba" provisional government can boast about this as an achievement. Because from now on, Cuba has truly become "a Cuba for Cubans." But expecting these companies to continue to pay us is absolutely impossible..."

　Huh? The United Fruit Company just gave up on Cuba's vast arable land?

　When everyone heard it at first, they all found it unbelievable, but when they thought about it carefully, they were horrified.

　"Major Jin, Cuba Island has suddenly lost interest. Could it be because... bang!"

　The Armas proprietress gestured with her hand to show an explosion, and Firi nodded. "That's right, it's because of the nuclear bomb that exploded in Cuba! Now the whole world knows that the Cuban land has been contaminated by radiation. So, what company would still be willing to invest in Cuba?"

　The author's words:

　So, do gaming majors in my country also offer courses based on popular games? For example, what level of practice is required to pass the exam for courses on "Arknights," "World of Warcraft," "StarCraft," and "Red Alert"?

　In addition, there is a Genshin Impact player who is planning to write a story about Klee, the God of Fire who travels to the Naruto world, establishes the Dudu Village, and proclaims herself the Bakugage.

　Well, when he writes and publishes the book, I will go to watch it and vote for it.

　Chapter 126: Radiation Contamination and Withdrawal of Investment

　In the past few years, the reason why the United States has been trying so hard to invade Cuba and overthrow the Castro regime is, on the one hand, because Castro openly surrendered to the Soviet Union, turning Cuba into a "red bridgehead in the Western Hemisphere" of the socialist camp in the Caribbean, threatening the national security of the United States; on the other hand, it is because it covets the various tropical specialties on the island of Cuba, mainly agricultural products such as sugar, tobacco and tropical fruits.

　The United Fruit Company's aggressive acquisition of land on the island of Cuba wasn't intended to let it grow weeds or hoard it for appreciation—undeveloped land would never see its value rise—but rather to build plantations and sell tropical produce to the American market.

　But now, with seven American hydrogen bombs and one Soviet atomic bomb being detonated one after another on the small island of Cuba, Cuba has instantly changed from the "Sugar Island of the Caribbean" to the "Radiation Island of the Caribbean"; from an attractive tropical paradise to a radioactive wasteland that everyone shudders at!

　From now on, Cuban sugar will become the world-known "radiated sugar"; the once world-famous Havana cigars will become the terrible "nuclear contaminated cigarettes" in the impression of people all over the world... Oh my God, how can such "nuclear sugar and nuclear cigarettes" be sold?

　You have to know that during the Cold War, human society was a world where everyone was afraid of nuclear war, and even "changed their temper at the mention of nuclear weapons."

　Under these circumstances, which company would dare to operate a plantation on the nuclear-contaminated island of Cuba? Would they sell the crops they grow as poison?

　Therefore, immediately after the Cuban nuclear crisis, the United Fruit Company abandoned its claim to the Cuban plantations and announced that all of its assets on the island would be donated to the Cuban people. Other financial groups followed suit a few days later, relinquishing their land and cutting their losses.

　——Just like the Bikini Islands, which served as a hydrogen bomb testing site in the Pacific Ocean. No matter how beautiful the scenery is, it is difficult to develop it into a tourist attraction.

　Land that has lost its value only looks good on maps. In reality, it is despised by everyone and no capitalist is interested in it.

　As a result, since Major Jin took office, he has obtained the right to dispose of all land assets in Cuba - as long as the mercenaries can take it down. However, the radiation pollution suffered by Cuba after a series of nuclear explosions has led to the collective withdrawal of investment by the financiers behind the scenes.

　Well, it's certainly a good thing that the Homecoming Corps didn't want to irradiate the wasteland and ran away on their own. But without the manpower and material resources of the Homecoming Corps, it would be a troublesome matter.

　Due to the excessive fear of nuclear contamination, the Pentagon no longer wants to maintain even the US military base in Guantanamo!

　After all, the Marines are all uneducated people. If they are not given large special allowances, who would dare to serve in the radiation wasteland?

　This sounds even more dangerous than a battlefield, okay?

　(Helicopter pilots in the late Soviet Union were once asked to choose between going to Afghanistan to be exposed to Stinger missiles or going to Chernobyl to be exposed to radiation.)

　The US military today is no different from what it was sixty years ago, with bases all over the world. They no longer attach so much importance to Guantanamo Bay, which is right next to their home.

　In short, after piles of nuclear bombs fell and mushroom clouds rose, Cuba has changed from a prosperous and blessed land to a completely dangerous place.

　The reason why Fili was promoted rapidly and appointed as the commander of the Cuban invasion was not only because all the senior CIA directors gave up their positions, but also because he had helped the Department of Defense to sell unsold goods.

　He has been promoting the "Doomsday Survival Kit" for several years and has also participated in the directing and filming of several doomsday wasteland-themed movies and TV series. He is recognized as the "most knowledgeable" professional in the entire Pentagon about radioactive wastelands.

　Today, the island of Cuba has been bombarded by a large number of high-yield nuclear bombs from both the United States and the Soviet Union, with mushroom clouds everywhere, radioactive dust filling the sky, and nuclear wasteland covering the ground. Isn't this a perfect battlefield tailor-made for Major Ferry King, the "doomsday survival expert"?

　In that case, let Major Jin show his skills on the island of Cuba! There is a lot to be done in this vast post-apocalyptic wasteland!

　But the problem is that Firi can only be described as a "doomsday survival expert" with a lot of water, but he is not a "wasteland conqueror"!

　So, how could he use his extremely limited capital and leverage to build a barely functioning "Free Cuba" government in the nuclear-damaged wasteland of Cuba to challenge Castro's revolutionary regime? Fili had no idea yet.

　However, regardless of whether there is a clue or not, it is always right to get the remaining mercenaries to Guantanamo first...

　Therefore, in the first few days after taking office, Firi's job was to gather a group of US military advisers to develop a marching plan for the mercenaries to cross the sea.

　A few days later, the remnants of the 2506th Mercenary Brigade, whose size had been severely reduced, finally and reluctantly broke camp and set off one after another. They bid farewell to their lovers they found in the Dominican Republic, and began to board the transport ships provided by the US Navy, embarking on the journey back to Cuba in a miserable and sad manner.

　Ferry finally relaxed a little, and was no longer lonely and empty around him. Instead, he welcomed the familiar "entertainment supplies".

　——His secretary and fiancée Marita Lorenz, with a group of Latin American girls bought at an internal discount price, set out from the San Fernando Valley outside Los Angeles, crossed almost the entire United States to the east, and arrived in Coral Gables, Florida, to meet Ferry.

　-

　"Didn't this house get returned to Estelion? How come it seems like not much has changed here after six months?"

　Looking at the luxurious suite belonging to the head of the Cuban special task force, Marita, who had previously stayed in it for half a year, made this comment.

　"Well, after taking over the Cuban Special Task Force from me at the end of August last year, former Team Leader Esteline spent most of his time in the Dominican Republic. In total, he only spent about ten days or half a month in Coral Gables..."

　Fili explained as he turned on all the lights in the house, "So, naturally, the furnishings of this house haven't changed much. Um, I've also packed up the few personal belongings left behind by the former Estelline team leader and put them in storage."

　"So, it all seems like yesterday all over again! I really miss it!"

　Marita danced with her steps, spun around the living room with emotion, then plopped down on the sofa, crossed her legs, and struck a seductive pose. Her cheeks were flushed, seemingly from the bumpy ride, and under the light, she looked even more beautiful.

　Fili couldn't help but feel a little moved. He immediately put his arms around Marita's neck and kissed her lips. Then he slowly pressed his whole body against her and began to move his hands and feet, attacking her sensitive parts. "Hmm, compared to six months ago, do you have more things on your body?"

　"Yes, we shouldn't have any clothes on in front of a cultist like you! Slaves, take them off quickly!"

　To Fili's surprise, Marita smiled sweetly and nodded in agreement at his mere provocation, inviting the other women to undress. Then, the room erupted in a flurry of clothing, as the women tossed their clothes aside. A dazzling display of vibrant colors and body-scented fabrics unfolded like a hundred flowers, dazzling and dazzling. By the time their clothes had fallen, the women were completely naked, their bodies radiant and captivating.

　Two of the girls worked together to open a large suitcase lined with velvet and released the naked little maid Juanita.

　For a moment, all kinds of delicate skin that was as soft as a baby's was exposed, and all kinds of beautiful faces were reflected in each other, which was beautiful beyond words.

　The charming sight of the fragrant female scent and the shining flesh made Phili stunned at first, and then his mouth became dry and his heart beat faster.