Technology invades the modern world

Chapter 428 You Have No Other Choice
This is a spring that is destined to be depicted in great detail in history.

America's soul struggles in agony every day.

It is no longer that spirited young nation, but has become anxious and suspicious, a giant teetering on the brink of collapse in self-doubt.

In this noisy and chaotic era, no one can remain uninvolved; everyone has become a tiny buoy in the torrent of history.

The assassination of Hoover six months ago served as the fuse, igniting chaos. At the time, Hoover's death was thought to be just an accident, a tragedy, or a massacre, but now it has become the opening ceremony of a meticulously planned grand drama.

The fuse was lit six months later.

When the lights came on, the most absurd scene unfolded: Soviet Ambassador Dobrynin appeared outside Hoover's villa at the most improbable time and in the most improbable place.

No one can explain it all.

The Kremlin categorically denied it, and Dobrynin's explanation was even more weak and unconvincing.

Once public skepticism is awakened, it will devour everything.

People began to weave all sorts of conspiracy theories in their minds.

Just then, a mysterious videotape was quietly leaked.

The videotape's contents spread like a virus, instantly infecting the entire country.

It suggests that Hoover, who spent his life opposing the CCP, was actually a secret agent of the Kremlin.

This absurd accusation, like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, stirred up a monstrous wave.

The White House vehemently denied the allegations, calling them malicious slander and a political maneuver.

However, once the seeds of chaos are sown, they will take root and sprout.

People no longer believe any official statements; they begin to doubt everything, from the president to the police on the street.

America's system of trust collapsed overnight; it was no longer a united whole, but a fragmented group.

And "V for Vendetta," a story that hints at his own identity, added fuel to the fire amidst the chaos.

When the film premiered in Paris, the cradle of revolution, it instantly triggered a global cultural tsunami.

The French viewed the film as a hymn to their own revolutionary history, while the English felt ashamed of their hesitation.

In America, the film became an unavoidable political issue.

It used a unique approach to call upon all Americans to reflect, question, and resist.

The first half of 1969 was spent in an unspeakable turmoil.

This era is both violent and romantic; both realistic and surreal.

Hoover's death tore apart the facade of the nation; the release of "V for Vendetta" provided a mirror for this chaotic era.

It reveals a profound paradox: in a country that pursues freedom, people fall into greater chaos because they cannot bear the truth that freedom brings.

No one can predict the future, and no one can see the outcome of this upheaval.

But in this spring, everyone living through it has deeply felt the pulse of the times, a pulse full of struggle and hope, lies and truth.

On the front lines of the Vietnam War in 1969, when the first GPS devices were secretly transported to the front, the changes they brought about fundamentally reshaped the war perceptions of soldiers, generals, and even the Minister of Defense.

To some extent, it turned the tide.

Joe was Big T's good friend on the front lines. When McNamara came to inspect the front lines, Joe joined Big T in causing a ruckus at the sergeant's club.

Ultimately, the inside story of the slot machines was exposed, indirectly contributing to Johnson's downfall.

It also destroyed General Wooldridge's kickback network.

Big T's reputation, however, skyrocketed, making him a rising star in the Elephant Party and hailed by the media as "the defender of the soldiers."

He eventually completed his military service and returned to New York.

But Joe wasn't so lucky.

You're causing trouble for me, do you think I'll let you have a good life?
He was still on the front lines, working as a lowly army sergeant.

This is the difference between having a background and not having one. The biggest difference between him and Big T is that Big T's father was named Fred, while his father was a worker.

He used to be a sergeant, also known as a second-class sergeant, E-5, and he is still a sergeant.

There was no promotion, and there was no hope of going back.

Submerged in the jungles of Annam.

(From this point onward, the name was changed to Annam, not Baiyue.)
Not only were the soldiers demoralized, but the officers were demoralized as well.

Because this war was a complete nightmare.

The jungles of Annam appear as flat, green areas on the map.

But in reality, it's a swamp teeming with hostility.

The humid air makes maps blurry, and compasses often fail in hilly areas with abnormal magnetic fields.

America's army drifted like ghosts in the green sea, unaware of the enemy's location or that of their own.

Every time we called for air support, they could only describe our location as "beside that big banyan tree" or "by that stream." It was a gamble, a gamble that the artillery fire wouldn't fall on our heads.

The fear born of this uncertainty is more deadly than any enemy bullet.

All the soldiers had had enough of this kind of life.

At the beginning of the year, everyone at the base was already chanting "Long live the professor!" because the professor had brought them peace.

From the soldiers' perspective, the professor simultaneously convinced both Hanoi and Washington that they were about to return home and end their nightmare in Annan.

Clearly, Hoover's death shattered their dreams.

The war was to continue, and a guy named McNamara, who was airdropped from Washington, brought more troops, better weapons, and higher demands.

Of all these, the one that impressed Joe the most was a box called "AN/PSN-101 Pathfinder".

It weighs a full three kilograms and is as heavy as a brick.

The screen emitted a green phosphorescence, displaying a string of constantly changing numbers.

At first, they all scoffed at the device, thinking it was just another expensive toy from Washington.

But because it was the professor's creation, the soldiers had more confidence in it. On the front lines, McNamara's reputation was at most 10, while Lin Ran's was 100.

Just as the soldiers had hoped, Pathfinder changed everything.

In Joe's memory, it was a rainy night when he and his soldiers were ambushed in an unfamiliar place.

They were trapped in a muddy ditch and could not tell which way to go.

Joe turned on the GPS with trembling hands. Its small screen clearly displayed their current three-dimensional coordinates.

I clearly read out a series of numbers into the radio: "Grid coordinates: 457.23, 789.55, altitude: 120 meters."

A few minutes later, the sound of a shell whistling across the horizon came from the horizon. It landed precisely at the coordinates Joe had provided using Pathfinder, and the explosion tore through the jungle.

That night, Pathfinder saved the lives of everyone in Joe's team.

From that moment on, they developed an unprecedented level of trust in this metal brick.

They no longer get lost, no longer feel fear.

Pathfinder helps America's soldiers find enemy supply points in the dark and discover hidden tunnel entrances in dense jungles.

It is not just a tool; it is a coordinate in chaos, a hope for soldiers in desperate situations.

It transformed a chaotic battle for survival into a well-prepared march.

Annam has lost all its geographical advantages.

In the past, terrain was the North Vietnamese army's strongest ally.

The dense jungles, muddy swamps, and complex, winding underground tunnel system became insurmountable obstacles for America's army.

Even if they occupy a strategic location with their superior firepower and manpower, they often cannot maintain it for long.

North Vietnamese troops and guerrillas will infiltrate back like water, using their familiarity with the terrain to regain control of the lost land.

But now, with GPS, everything has changed.

GPS transforms the chaotic battlefield into a grid that can be precisely mapped.

America no longer needs to rely on blurry maps and compasses; they can precisely mark and record every important location using GPS: every village, every path, every suspicious tunnel entrance.

This data was transmitted to the command center in real time, forming an unprecedented digital battlefield map.

This is exactly what McNamara excels at.

This precise positioning capability completely changed the tactical patterns of America's army.

In the past, their tactics were called search and destroy, launching large-scale offensives and eliminating the enemy through powerful firepower suppression.

However, due to the inability to precisely control the battlefield, this tactic often resulted in enormous waste of resources and high collateral damage. But now, with GPS, the American army can employ more precise tactics:
GPS coordinates can be used to launch surgical strikes against enemy supply lines, command posts, and underground fortifications.

Bombers and artillery can conduct precision strikes at night or in inclement weather, greatly improving strike efficiency and reducing ammunition waste.

After occupying a territory, the U.S. military can use GPS to precisely define the defensive range and establish small forts or observation posts at key locations.

They no longer need to patrol blindly; they can know when and where the enemy has infiltrated simply by using GPS data.

This makes the defense more efficient and precise.

When a post or patrol is attacked, they can quickly call for reinforcements via GPS.

The command can dispatch the nearest troops to provide support based on their real-time coordinates.

Under the new tactics, the terrain advantage has been completely lost.

Those jungles that once led the US military astray are now areas that can be precisely mapped and controlled.

Those underground tunnels that once baffled America are now exposed to GPS.

America's army was not only able to conquer territory, but also to effectively control it.

This put the North Vietnamese army and guerrillas under unprecedented pressure, and their guerrilla tactics, on which they depended for survival, gradually lost their effectiveness under the precision strikes of GPS.

Battle reports can be deceiving, but the front lines cannot.

McNamara's Situation Room was moved from Washington to Saigon.

This spring, the atmosphere in the command center was completely different from previous years.

In the past, this place was always filled with arguments, frustration, and skepticism about vague battle reports.

On that huge map of Annam, the red North Vietnamese-controlled area and the blue America-controlled area were intertwined.

Every move on the front lines was accompanied by heated debates and doubts about the authenticity of the data.

But now, the map has changed.

With the help of GPS, the map was precisely divided into countless grids.

The red area is no longer blurry, but is composed of precise coordinate points.

The blue area, like a slow but steady tide, gradually erodes the red area.

This was not a sudden change overnight, but a precise and relentless advance that lasted for months.

From March to June, the changes in the battle lines were clearly visible.

In March, the U.S. military used GPS to pinpoint key supply points on the Ho Chi Minh Trail and carried out several surgical strikes.

On the screen, the thin red lines representing the Annamese army's supply lines began to break and shrink.

In April, the U.S. military began targeted clearing of the tunnel system.

Deep in the jungle, underground networks that once baffled the U.S. military are now being exposed by precise GPS coordinates.

On the screen, red dots representing secret North Vietnamese outposts disappeared amidst the blue gunfire.

In May, the U.S. military began establishing precision defense systems in the occupied territories.

Every outpost and every sentry post has precise GPS coordinates.

This allowed them to effectively resist North Vietnamese infiltration.

On the screen, the red dots that tried to penetrate the blue area were quickly annihilated after entering the defense zone.

In June, with the North Vietnamese supply lines broken and guerrilla tactics rendered ineffective, the U.S. military launched a large-scale offensive.

This time, they were no longer advancing blindly, but guided by GPS, they followed a precisely planned route, gradually compressing the enemy's living space.

On the screen, the blue area began to advance towards the red area at an unprecedented speed.

When McNamara returned to Washington and stood on the podium in the East Room of the White House, he faced reporters and senior White House officials.

He did not use complex charts and data to prove his point, as he usually does.

He simply pointed to the huge map behind him.

"Ladies and gentlemen," McNamara's voice was full of confidence, he used no fancy words, only cold and precise language: "In the past, our understanding of this war was vague."

Our battle reports are vague, our battle lines are vague, and our victories are vague.

The map is frozen in June, with blue arrows clearly visible pointing towards the heart of North Vietnam.

“But now, we have GPS,” he continued, “which turns all the uncertainties of this war into constants that can be quantified, calculated, and controlled.”

“Battle reports can be deceiving, but the front lines can not.” He repeated this statement with an unquestionable tone: “In the past three months, our front lines have advanced by thirty percent. Our supply consumption has decreased by forty percent, and friendly fire rate is close to zero.”

He made no mention of Hoover's scandal or the release of "V for Vendetta".

He simply used the coldest numbers and the most vivid images to show everyone one fact: America is winning this war.

It's not about luck, it's not about force, it's about skill.

“We are winning this war in a completely new way,” McNamara’s voice echoed throughout the White House. “We are using data, using technology, to eliminate uncertainty. We are using mathematics to prove our victory.”

There was no cheering, no applause, only deathly silence below the stage.

The media is generally anti-war.

But faced with this victory declaration, so characteristic of McNamara, they knew that no matter how much the Hoover scandal escalated, no matter how loud the anti-war voices became, as long as the front lines were advancing, victory was within reach.

"In the past, the Vietnam War was a chaotic mess in my eyes."

Every day I face countless numbers about casualties, supplies, and ammunition consumption, which are illogical and full of uncertainty.

The reconnaissance reports were always vague, supplies were often dropped in the wrong places, and friendly fire incidents were an unspeakable pain for us.

We cannot effectively control this war strategically because it is full of variables that cannot be quantified.

But now, this system called GPS has given me a whole new dimension.

It digitized the entire battlefield.

In my command center, I can see the real-time location of every soldier carrying a GPS device on an electronic map, where they are marked as a flashing blue dot.

I no longer need to rely on radio calls to guess their whereabouts; I can receive information directly about whether they are lost or ambushed.

This enabled me to conduct operations with unprecedented precision targeting.

I can directly order the air force to conduct surgical strikes on enemy strongholds at night without worrying about civilian casualties or friendly forces.

I can even optimize the supply lines to ensure that every bullet and every ration is delivered accurately to the soldiers on the front lines.

The GPS system has brought about a revolution in military command and control.

It transformed a chaotic, variable war into a massive chess game that could be precisely calculated and modeled.

It showed me the possibility of victory, not just a tactical victory, but also a victory in efficiency and control.

It allowed me to transform a chaotic war into an information war that I could perfectly control.

This mathematical model is fraught with uncertainty. Every wasted shell, every ineffective air raid, and every friendly fire incident is an error variable in the model.

I hate these data because they cannot be quantified, predicted, or controlled.

I need numbers to prove our victory, but this uncertain data makes my model full of flaws.

Thank you, Professor. You have provided me with the perfect tool: precise data.

This system transforms every vague concept in the jungle into a precise constant that can be incorporated into my mathematical model.

This is not just a tactical victory; it is a mathematical victory.

The advent of GPS has shown me the ultimate form of war: a perfect game devoid of emotion and surprises, consisting only of numbers and efficiency.

Victory is within reach!

After McNamara finished speaking, he first looked out the window of the East Room of the White House, nodded to Lin Ran who was far away in Huntsville, and then returned to his seat, handing the stage over to Nixon.

Let Nixon answer the reporters' questions, and give the stage to the president.

The Kremlin was also holding meetings, discussing how to salvage North Vietnam's decline, a process that began in March 1969.

It wasn't until May, when the Pathfinder obtained from the North Vietnamese front was sent to the Kremlin, that Kremlin officials learned what had changed at the front and why, overnight, America seemed to have gained X-ray vision.

This led to a more intense debate among them.
"Either abandon North Vietnam or restore relations with China."

We had no other choice.

This time, Soviet Russia had no choice but to accept it.

　I'm feeling a bit lazy today. I know how to write, and I have a lot of great ideas, but I just don't want to do anything.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)