American Strategic Deception Bureau

　But this also meant that they could no longer block the advance of the US military and could only avoid frontal combat and "wander around without fighting" in the countryside.

　On January 5, 1968, with the surrounding area initially cleared, US shallow-water heavy gunboats finally ventured deep into the Saigon River and launched an artillery bombardment of Viet Cong-held Saigon. Meanwhile, US Air Force gunboats unleashed a relentless barrage of artillery on Saigon day and night.

　The US military initially fantasized that the citizens of Saigon, suffering from the persecution of the Vietcong, would welcome them, the "liberators," with flowers. But in the end, they were met with nothing but bullets, death, and hell. Every brick structure became a target for the Vietcong soldiers, who broke into homes, climbed onto rooftops, and hid in ditches and behind walls, turning Saigon into a vast bunker. Once inside, the US troops felt like they were falling into a barrel, with a hail of bullets pouring down from all directions. Every step forward became extremely difficult, and at times, they had to fight for their position room by room.

　Due to underestimation of the tenacity of the 5 Vietnamese troops within the city, and the decline in quality of American soldiers caused by the massive expansion of the military, the offensive was severely hampered and the fighting was extremely fierce. The Vietnamese soldiers, relying on the complex terrain and their extensive experience in urban combat, hid in eaves and ceilings, firing from every crack, and fought a desperate battle in this desperate situation. Despite their overwhelming firepower and manpower advantages, the US troops slowly but steadily chipped away at the enemy's positions in the city, but each advance was extremely difficult. The entire Saigon became a veritable "meat grinder," and both sides paid a heavy price.

　At the beginning of the war, the US military headquarters in Vietnam had considered protecting the cultural relics and landmark buildings in Saigon. However, as the fighting intensified, they no longer cared about this and only focused on pouring as much steel and fire as possible onto both sides of the Saigon River.

　In an instant, the stately churches left behind by the French colonists were reduced to ruins, and luxurious hotels were reduced to rubble. The streets were choked with rubble and corpses, so much so that a civilian officer who saw the collapse of Saigon's Notre-Dame Cathedral could not help but lament: "To save this city, we have to destroy it."

　Thus, the entire city of Saigon was caught in the vortex of fierce fighting, with smoke billowing and blood and flesh flying everywhere. Although the US military cut off all external aid to the city, the various Viet Cong forces within the city, under the command of the fierce general Le Zhongxun, still fought hard with stockpiled supplies.

　However, with the successive loss of key locations such as Tan Son Nhat Airport, radio station, General Staff Headquarters and Cholon Racecourse, by mid-January, the Vietnamese troops in Saigon had finally run out of ammunition and food and could no longer hold on, and began to surrender and flee in large numbers.

　Immediately afterwards, General Le Zhongxun, who commanded the defense of Saigon, also escaped from Saigon in disguise on January 18.

　The remaining Vietnamese troops, having lost their command, fell into chaos and soon gave up resistance one after another.

　On January 21, the fighting in Saigon was basically over. General Maxwell Taylor, commander of the US forces in Vietnam, triumphantly rode a jeep into the city for a military parade and raised the American flag in front of the ruins of the Independence Palace.

　The victory of the Battle of Saigon was announced via radio.

　A few days later, Firi and the Yukikaze, carrying a group of war correspondents, slowly sailed into the devastated Saigon River...

　Chapter 401: Saigon Spring

　January 31, 1968, Spring Festival

　Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam

　"With our own hands, we took up thousands of weapons!

　Taking up heavy weapons, let us swear to fight for freedom and peace!

　We will destroy that brutal enemy..."

　Accompanied by the cheerful tune of the South Vietnamese military song "Never Betray My Hometown", the red flag that had been flying for five years fell sadly in Saigon, and the long-lost three-line flag with a yellow background rose again along with the majestic Stars and Stripes.

　The pale and thin citizens of Saigon stood amid the smoke-filled ruins and rubble, watching numbly as the "flags on the city walls changed dramatically" once again.

　For the first time in his life, Colonel Ferry King set foot on this famous internet celebrity check-in spot that was once a highlight of the Vietnam War.

　——Since the U.S. military in this time and space fully intervened in the Vietnam War, which began with the fall of Saigon and the collapse of South Vietnam, he had never been to Saigon before.

　Well, before traveling through time, Ferry went to Vietnam and only signed up for a Hue-Da Nang tour group. He also never went to Saigon, which had been renamed Ho Chi Minh City at that time.

　So, he was actually quite curious about the city of Saigon.

　But as soon as he got off the dock, Fili couldn't help shaking his head and sighing.

　This battle is even worse than the ruins of Berlin after World War II, and is comparable to Stalingrad!

　——As the capital of the French Indochina Peninsula colony, Saigon, known as the "Little Paris of the East", was once very beautiful.

　(Although for some reason, there seem to be quite a few cities called the Little Paris of the East, such as Beirut, the capital of Lebanon.)

　Saigon was originally France's core stronghold in the East. The French colonists put a lot of effort into building Saigon, investing huge sums of money and constructing it on a massive scale. So much so that the French actually lost money during the first thirty years of the Indochina colony's development.

　Not only was France unable to extract much profit from Vietnam, but it had to invest money in Vietnam for construction, turning colonization into poverty alleviation!

　Of course, France, known for its usurious imperialism, did not come to Vietnam for charity. The urban infrastructure and iconic buildings they built in Saigon were ultimately intended to create a new home for French expatriates. That is why they were willing to invest heavily in Saigon and build various magnificent buildings.

　For example, the famous brick-red Notre Dame Cathedral in Saigon, even the red bricks were shipped from France; the luxurious Saigon Opera House is as good as any opera house in Paris at that time; in addition, there is the Saigon Post Office full of Renaissance style, carefully laid out streets and parks, etc.

　But despite this, the locals of Saigon still feel proud of it, just like the people of Shanghai are proud of the "French Concession style".

　Moreover, under the influence of many years of French rule, baguette has become a favorite staple of Saigon locals.

　Baguettes and coffee at Saigon breakfast stalls are as common as fried dough sticks and soy milk at Chinese breakfast shops.

　This oriental Asian city is filled with a certain romantic exotic atmosphere and a blend of Eastern and Western cultures.

　There is a classic song called "Beautiful Saigon" that praises this "Western" city with cheerful rhythm and lively tone.

　But now, the artillery shells and explosives from the US and Vietnamese armies have completely razed the city to the ground.

　The brick-red Notre Dame Cathedral, the pink Sacred Heart of Jesus Church, the cream-yellow Saigon Post Office, the magnificent Saigon Opera House, the Continental Hotel on Catina Street, the grand Ham Nghi Boulevard and Gia Long Street, and the Cholon District, once home to many Chinese merchants, were all reduced to charred ruins. Over 100,000 Saigon residents perished in the war, leaving the city practically a ghost town, like Stalingrad, Warsaw, Hamburg, and Dresden during World War II.

　Although today is the Lunar New Year, there are neither couplets celebrating the New Year nor the aroma of spring rolls on the streets of Saigon.

　The bloody hands of war, like crushing a delicate marigold, tore the fragrance, beauty and loveliness of Saigon into pieces.

　So, after strolling around the unrecognizable city of Saigon, Ferry left behind David Halbernstein, a war correspondent for the New York Times, and others who were eager to dig out explosive news from the ruins, and went to the temporary headquarters set up at Bien Hoa Airport 30 kilometers away with a dull attitude to report to General Maxwell Taylor, the current commander of the US forces in Vietnam, according to the rules.

　Compared to Saigon, which was littered with rubble and ruins, and still littered with unexploded bombs and remnants of the Viet Cong, Bien Hoa, easily captured by US airborne troops, is now more intact and has more houses available for the US military to requisition. Therefore, it became the temporary base for the US Forces Vietnam headquarters.

　Then, of course, at this time

　General Maxwell Taylor had neither the time nor the interest to deal with a "little guy" like Fieri.

　He was coordinating and commanding the next offensive operation: three US divisions with a total of 50,000 troops had been moving upstream along the Mekong River these days, crossing the Vietnam-Cambodia border, and had now entered the city of Phnom Penh, engaging in a bloody battle with the Vietnamese troops defending the city and the Khmer Rouge armed forces.

　During this hectic time, everyone in the entire US military headquarters in Vietnam was extremely busy: even if they had nothing to do, they had to pretend to be busy.

　As an outsider of the CIA, Firi naturally sat on the bench at the headquarters and could only

　I have nothing to do and just wander around.

　Then, he met another "idle man" in this place - the famous South Vietnamese general who defended Chu Lai; Major General Li Mingdao.

　"Congratulations, General. Your outstanding performance at Chu Lai has spread throughout the Freedom Camp. From Washington to London, everyone is talking about your command and general demeanor. Your bravery and loyalty have also been highly praised by the White House and Capitol Hill."

　Firi saluted him and complimented him, saying, "I believe it won't be long before I will be calling you 'Mr. President'!"

　"Ah, actually, I just fulfilled my duties. Being president? I never thought about such a good thing."

　Major General Li Mingdao, who was still very young at the time, returned the salute somewhat stiffly - just over a year ago, he was only a major. It was entirely because of the repeated coups and chaos and turmoil within Quang Nam, as well as the massive offensive of the Viet Cong, which eliminated too many bigwigs who were ahead of Li Mingdao, that he was first promoted to brigadier general by exception, and then by chance became the leader of the last remaining isolated army of the Quang Nam regime.

　According to the White House's external rumors, the White House, having mistakenly supported the civilian Ngo Dinh Diem as South Vietnamese president, which led to his inability to properly control the military and ultimately led to the collapse of the South Vietnamese army in the midst of internecine fighting, learned a painful lesson. Now that South Vietnam has been restored, the government should choose a reputable, capable, and popular South Vietnamese military president to more effectively eliminate the Vietcong and stabilize the situation.

　It was clear that with the fall of Da Nang and the collapse of the Quang Nam Nationalist Army, Major General Li Mingdao, who had fought alone in Chu Lai, was the only suitable candidate left. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the United States would undoubtedly promote him to a term as President of South Vietnam as a reward for his contributions.

　This good news immediately made the Dawn Island, which was unprepared, feel a little helpless. They were nervous, expectant, and even worried about gains and losses.

　But he knew that the more critical the moment was, the more he could not offend people easily.

　So, after a brief hesitation, Li Mingdao smiled awkwardly and flattered Fili, saying, "Colonel Jin, your courage in risking your boat into the perilous Saigon River and setting foot on this battlefield where the smoke of gunfire still lingers is truly admirable. Just like five years ago, when you led a cobbled-together coalition force to defend Hai Van Ridge in desperate circumstances and curbed the arrogance of the Viet Cong."

　"What's so dangerous about the Saigon River? Even if the Vietcong had dropped mines in it, they would have been cleared by the Marines by now."

　Firi waved his hand dismissively. "It's not like some daring 'American ally' here would 'treat' my Yukikaze with attack planes and torpedo boats, causing another 'Liberty Massacre', killing our people and expecting us to continue to be slaves!"

　——The so-called "Liberty Massacre" was an "accidental attack" by Israel on the United States in the eastern Mediterranean in June 1967.

　It was during the Third Middle East War. The Israeli army took the initiative and attacked without declaring war. Relying on sharp sneak attacks, it defeated the Arab coalition forces of Egypt, Syria and Jordan within six days, seized the holy city of Jerusalem from Jordan, the important Golan Heights from Syria, Gaza from Egypt, and the Sinai Peninsula, which is larger than Israel's mainland.

　It is conceivable that the Israeli army’s ability to achieve such brilliant results against the Arabs was certainly inseparable from the strong support of its American boss.

　In fact, in addition to generously providing Israel with large amounts of arms and military expenses, the US Navy's Sixth Fleet cruised along the coasts of Egypt and Syria before and after the entire war, protecting Israel's coastline and airspace and preventing Arab ships from attacking Israeli ports.

　In addition, the US Navy and intelligence agencies also dispatched several electronic reconnaissance ships to roam the coastal areas of Arab countries, handing over intercepted secret telegrams from Arab countries to Israel, and using the jamming equipment on the ships to interfere with Egypt's air defense radar facilities and battlefield communication systems.

　He has been helping out so much and doing almost everything except directly participating in the battle. This big brother has done enough, right?

　But the arrogant Israelis had no gratitude at all. Instead, they treated the American soldiers, who brought their own food with them, as lickers and slaves.

　On June 8, the US Navy's Liberty electronic reconnaissance ship was conducting radio monitoring in the waters near the Sinai Peninsula. Little did they know that on a beach not far from them, an Israeli army was tying the hands of 60 Egyptian prisoners of war, throwing them together, and then killing them all with machine guns.

　The reason was that the rapidly advancing Israeli army had no time to guard the prisoners, and did not want to release them, so they simply and brutally executed them en masse.

　Finally, after these Israeli soldiers, who disregarded international law, had killed all sixty Egyptian prisoners of war, they looked back and saw an American spy ship parked in the sea. They immediately panicked - oh no! The people on board must have seen their shameful act. What if someone leaked the news to the reporters? Where would Israel's face be?

　Next, the Israeli army decided to kill without thinking - even though the other party was the US military and an ally, the Jewish masters didn't care!

　Therefore, the Israeli army first sent a reconnaissance plane to act as a vanguard. The crew of the Liberty thought that the other party was one of their own and did not think there was anything wrong with it. They even waved to the pilot on board in a friendly manner.

　Next, the Israeli army's "illusion"

　The Israeli Shadow aircraft launched an air strike on the USS Liberty, which was flying the American flag, and the Israeli torpedo boats also rushed over at full speed.

　Before the Americans on board could grasp what was happening, they were blasted with rockets and aircraft gunfire. The ship burst into flames. Then, a torpedo struck the hull, tearing a gaping hole in the ship's hull. The desperate captain of the Liberty screamed for help from the nearby Sixth Fleet. However, the radio communications were jammed by the Israelis, and no message could be sent.

　Fortunately, a US reconnaissance plane happened to witness all this in the high altitude of the sea area and reported it to the Sixth Fleet in shock.

　Upon learning of this, the USS America and USS Saratoga aircraft carriers deployed in the eastern Mediterranean immediately dispatched a large number of A-4 Skyhawk attack aircraft to the sea area where the incident occurred to rescue the USS Freedom, but they were intercepted by the Israeli Air Force.

　During this period, Israel's Super Etendard aircraft launched a second round of attacks on the Freedom, almost completely destroying it.

　By this time, the exchange of fire had been reported to the White House, and President Johnson, horrified, called Rabin and roared, demanding to know what the Israeli army was trying to do. At this point, seeing that the cover-up was no longer possible, the Israeli army reluctantly withdrew and ceased fire.

　Afterwards, the U.S. Navy towed the Liberty, which had been reduced to wreckage and was almost sinking, to Greece and found that the hull was scrapped with 821 bullet holes. A total of 34 people on board were killed by the Israeli army, and another 164 were injured, for a total of 198 casualties.

　The USS Liberty incident shocked the world and cast a shadow over US-Israel relations. The Israeli government later insisted that the bombing was an accident, expressed regret for the US casualties, and offered compensation. However, it refused to acknowledge any responsibility and refused to conduct an in-depth investigation into the incident.

　Normally, faced with such an outrage from its own younger brother, the American boss would have to express his anger and impose some punishment.

　Otherwise, if anyone can slap the United States in the face at will, the free camp will be unable to lead the team.

　However, Israel was still the United States' younger brother on paper, but in reality it had become America's father. Therefore, facing Jewish pressure, President Johnson backed down and quickly accepted Israel's insincere apology and symbolic compensation. He then turned around and suppressed the angry American people, warning them not to embarrass their allies over some insignificant incident.

　Such a cowardly attitude made the American people, who have always been arrogant and conceited, feel incredible and indignant about it: as a superpower that claims to lead the world, the US Navy ships were attacked by their allies in broad daylight, and had to swallow their anger afterwards. This is undoubtedly a great irony to US hegemony.

　However, in the days to come, such incidents will occur more and more frequently, making Americans gradually realize that they are actually being ruled by Jews, and that the United States is not a world hegemon, but a "semi-colonial and semi-imperialist society" that is as absurd as a joke!

　Of course, the Jewish power in the United States is still relatively loose, and they only dare to do things secretly. Fili even dares to complain about it in private.

　If he had waited half a century to say such things in public, when the American "deep state" had already taken shape, and if someone had recorded him saying them, he would probably have been immediately labeled an "anti-Semite." And his reputation would have been ruined, his career ruined.

　Li Mingdao had only vaguely heard of the "Liberty Massacre" that had occurred just last year. But from the strange attitude of US officials, he sensed a deeper story. So he simply laughed it off and calmly changed the subject. "Although you weren't in Vietnam long, the story of your battle against the Vietcong at Hai Van Ling has been circulating for years. Sadly, I only managed to hold Chu Lai. Hai Van Ling, Da Nang, and Hoi An, where you fought, are now all lost," he lamented.

　"Don't worry, future Mr. President, the time for counterattack will come soon! General Taylor asked the Pentagon for one million troops, not just to retake Saigon - we must recapture Da Nang and even continue to advance north to the 17th parallel north!" Firi comforted.

　Chapter 402: President of Dawn Island and Master Kissinger

　It has to be said that after deploying millions of troops and launching a nationwide gamble, 1968 did become a year of great triumph for the US military.

　- Just 11 days after the capture of Saigon, General Maxwell Taylor captured the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh on February 1.

　Unlike the desperate fighting in Saigon, the resistance of the Viet Cong and the Khmer Rouge in Phnom Penh seemed weak and perfunctory.

　In general, in the first two days of the fighting between the two sides, the resistance of the Phnom Penh defenders was fierce and tenacious, blocking the US troops on the banks of the Mekong River.

　However, as more and more American troops poured in from the lower Mekong River, the disparity in strength between the enemy and our forces widened. Furthermore, American armed boats began to bypass Phnom Penh's urban core, penetrating deeper into the Tonle Sap and Bassac rivers, seemingly preparing to encircle the city. Already suffering heavy losses in the Battle of Saigon, the Vietnamese army quickly lost the will to risk their last remaining resources to defend a "foreign capital."

　Therefore, taking advantage of the opportunity before the US military could encircle Phnom Penh, the Vietnamese army began to abandon Phnom Penh at the end of January and fled into the countryside and mountains.

　On the other hand, since

　Since the fall of Lon Nol's Khmer Republic, Red Vietnamese troops have been stationed in Phnom Penh, ruling the Cambodian capital under martial law. Meanwhile, Le Duan, bypassing Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot, has been heavily supporting pro-Vietnamese forces in eastern Cambodia.

　Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge forces were excluded from Phnom Penh and could only stay in their rural base in western Cambodia.

　Well, in fact, Pol Pot, who extremely hated urbanization, probably didn’t want to go to a “dirty big city” like Phnom Penh.

　Therefore, when the US military attacked Phnom Penh, Pol Pot only symbolically sent a regiment to participate in the battle. As soon as he saw that the Vietnamese army was about to abandon Phnom Penh and retreat, he immediately fled, running faster than the Vietnamese - after all, Phnom Penh was not actually the territory of the Khmer Rouge.

　In this way, the US military entered Phnom Penh on February 1, raised the American flag over the royal palace that had been burned to ruins, and announced the restoration of the "Khmer Republic".

　President Lon Nol, who had suffered a stroke not long ago, also returned to Phnom Penh in a wheelchair and watched the US military parade entering the city on Monivong Street.

　By mid-February, armed boats of the U.S. "River Fleet" were already sailing across the vast Tonle Sap Lake, and had invaded Siem Reap and Battambang in northwestern Cambodia, erecting the American flag on the stone walls of the Angkor Wat ruins, a world cultural heritage site!

　At the same time, a US Marine Corps also landed in Sihanoukville and easily occupied the port city that had been abandoned by the Vietnamese army.

　On the other hand, General Abrams, who was transferred to the commander of the US military in Thailand, also sent a large number of troops from Bangkok in early January to attack the Thai Communist Party and the Vietnamese troops that entered Thailand. In the end, the Vietnamese troops and the Thai Communist Party, who were reluctant to give up the city, suffered a disastrous defeat in Tao Phut Province, and more than 1 people were surrounded and annihilated by the US military.

　Next, General Abrams took full advantage of the fact that the Vietnamese troops who had entered Thailand had retreated in haste and were returning to their own country to provide support. The Thai Communist guerrillas were not yet well adapted to regular combat and could not effectively fill the gap on the front line. He dispatched the US military to launch a massive counterattack in the Chao Phraya River basin, attacking from multiple directions. This greatly compressed the Thai Communist guerrillas' space for activities and basically drove the Thai Communist organization into the mountainous area near the Laotian border.

　On February 17, 1968, the U.S. troops advancing eastward from Bangkok and the U.S. troops stationed in Vietnam advancing westward from Saigon successfully met in Sisophon near the Thai-Cambodian border. European and American media hyped this up, touting it as comparable to the "Elbe Meeting" in World War II when the U.S., Chinese and Soviet armies defeated Nazi Germany!

　Well, if we only look at the map area, the attack distances of both sides are indeed not much different.

　Meanwhile, as the Vietnam War proved to be a "miracle of strength," with signs of a decisive victory, public opinion in the United States shifted dramatically. With the exception of a few cynical, anti-war left-wing media outlets, the entire press was overwhelmingly eulogizing and flattering President Johnson, praising his "courage," with claims like, "With General Taylor's arrival, the quagmire is over, and victory is assured!"

　There were endless publicity activities on television, radio and in newspapers, and the atmosphere was very lively and endless during this period - interviews with frontline officers and soldiers, famous think tanks predicting the war situation, Hollywood stars going to the front lines to host entertainment parties for the troops, etc. It was even more exciting than the holiday celebrations.

　The triumphal parades, the city entry ceremonies, the long lines of prisoners of war, and the American flag fluttering on the ruins were all so fascinating to watch.

　During this round of offensive, the soaring number of US military casualties was ignored intentionally or unintentionally by the American media and the public.

　It's not that the American military and the American people can't bear death. Rather, they can't endure the long, hopeless quagmire of war.

　As long as they can see that the front line is advancing and the enemy is being defeated, the Americans can remain calm even if there are more casualties in the short term.

　Take, for example, the island-grabbing campaigns of the Pacific War. From Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Saipan, Guam, Peleliu, Iwo Jima, to the Ryukyu Islands, the US military engaged the Japanese in bloody battles on any of these islands. But when did the US military and the rear areas ever fear this?

　As long as there is hope of ending the war victoriously, even the American public, once weary of war, can become warlike again.