Chapter 278
Chapter 278
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: The Vietnam War (1)
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The war between North Vietnam and South Vietnam was still raging on.
They'd signed ceasefires here and there, but the agreements always fell apart when one side inevitably stabbed the other in the back.
"Those filthy bastards. Another backstab?"
"You're one to talk."
The United States had decided to back South Vietnam to bring this dragged-out war to an end.
But once they'd committed to intervening in Vietnam, one big problem cropped up.
*Ngo Dinh Diem, this guy's a total disaster.*
The leader of South Vietnam, Ngo Dinh Diem, was the issue.
He'd lost so much public support it wasn't even funny.
Protesters made Chiang Kai-shek, who'd handed over China, look like a saint by comparison.
Even his brother-in-law's wife had sparked outrage among Buddhists with a remark about a monk's self-immolation protesting the regime: "So what if one monk barbecued himself?"
The Lyndon Johnson administration debated whether it was right to dive into Vietnam with Diem's regime still in place.
"We should replace him immediately. It's impossible to wage war with incompetents like this pulling the strings from behind."
The CIA pushed for a coup once again.
"This time, we really believe it'll stick."
Langley immediately signaled South Vietnam's military leaders that it was time to oust the Diem regime.
"If America's on board like this, we can't say no."
South Vietnam's military, which had been eagerly awaiting Diem's ouster, didn't hesitate to launch the coup.
Diem was toppled in less than a day.
Up to this point, everything was going according to America's script.
But then things started veering off course.
"Now is the time for us to lay down our guns and talk about a better tomorrow."
The new leader, General Duong Van Minh, called for extending an olive branch to the Viet Cong.
"What the hell's that Duong Van Minh guy on about? He's a commie from the North too, isn't he?"
Minh's stance was enough to irk Washington, which had been gearing up for a push into North Vietnam.
"Let's stage a coup and replace him."
The CIA came up with another idea that defied common sense.
Overthrow the coup regime with yet another coup.
It was the kind of bold stroke only Langley could dream up.
"No, that's a bit much."
Even for America, it wasn't an option they could embrace lightly.
Back-to-back coups would leave the country in ruins—would it even function afterward?
But new CIA Director Richard Helms wouldn't back down.
"We just scored a win in China. We can't let them get blockaded by Korea and collapse."
There were already chips on the table.
The military threw its weight behind the plan too.
"Even if South Vietnam gets chaotic, flooding it with resources will sort it out quick. Worst case, we'll send more advisors."
Washington gave the green light to their arguments.
But with one condition.
"No third coup. This is the last one."
"Of course, sir."
The CIA stirred up South Vietnam's military again.
"Does it make sense for a guy who wants to go easy on the commies to lead the nation?"
"We think so too."
South Vietnam's military bided its time, then struck with another coup.
"This is the true military revolution to right the ship of Đại Việt!"
Nguyen Khanh, the power player in South Vietnam's military, booted out Duong Van Minh and installed himself as head of state, prime minister, and chief of the armed forces.
"I'm in charge of South Vietnam now."
The world was stunned when another coup rocked South Vietnam just weeks later.
"What? That's a country?"
Watching the chaos unfold, the Viet Cong sensed an opportunity.
"Those filthy puppet scum. Time to finish them off."
North Vietnam decided to back the Viet Cong uprising.
"Operation to liberate the southern half—commence!"
In August, massive armed revolts erupted across South Vietnam, leaving its forces scrambling.
"Why can't these guys respond? They held their own under Diem, more or less."
Washington air-dropped massive supplies on an emergency basis, but South Vietnam's army couldn't make proper use of the American aid.
It was a weakness inherent to the Nguyen Khanh regime.
"Hey, why are you the boss?"
The generals didn't respect Nguyen Khanh's authority much.
Unlike his predecessor Ngo Dinh Diem, who was a founding father of the nationalist movement, or Duong Van Minh, a war hero, Nguyen Khanh was just another run-of-the-mill general who'd lucked into power.
Politically, he had plenty of vulnerabilities too.
Even his coalition party, Đại Việt, was riddled with issues.
Some cooperated with Nguyen Khanh for the positions he'd handed them, but many had no intention of backing the general.
"Honestly, we never liked you either."
If even his own party was like this, it was a miracle the country functioned at all.
Of course, with the sheer volume of American aid pouring in, South Vietnam wasn't about to lose ground to the Viet Cong.
But the situation was disappointing enough for Washington.
"No matter how much aid we pump into the Nguyen Khanh regime, pushing north seems unlikely."
Efficiency was the problem, not quantity.
Give them 100, and they could barely muster 2 or 3—what good was that against the enemy?
"A real headache."
After much deliberation, the U.S. military proposed a new strategy.
"What if we send mercenaries to Vietnam ourselves? Like the commies did."
During the Italian War, the reds had sent "people's volunteers" to keep North Italy afloat.
There was no rule saying the free world couldn't do the same.
"We can round up cheap mercenaries from Central America, Africa, and China—the numbers will add up fast."
Call them what you want; they were volunteers on this side too.
Washington perked up at the military's pitch.
It'd cost a bit, but no American lives lost—politically viable.
Lyndon Johnson bought in, figuring that securing Vietnam would open up China's windpipe.
America's moves soon caught Moscow's eye.
"What? The American imperialists are propping up South Vietnam to crush the North?"
With the U.S. openly gunning for North Vietnam, Moscow couldn't just sit idle—it'd look bad.
As the self-proclaimed motherland of communism, they couldn't twiddle their thumbs while a red nation fell.
The Soviet Union was already suffering a hit to its prestige and influence.
Losing ground here could shake the entire Second World.
"That said, pouring resources into a lost cause is pointless."
Shelepin opposed aiding North Vietnam, citing a lack of spare capacity.
Even if America took North Vietnam, it wouldn't heighten the security threat to the USSR.
The ones under threat would be in Pyongyang, not Moscow.
Shelepin's faction dug in hard, leaving Moscow unable to settle on a stance.
Of course, things weren't progressing smoothly on the American side either.
The chief culprit dragging things down was South Vietnam's inept military.
They pocketed every dime of U.S. aid.
With real power holder General Nguyen Khanh looking the other way, they had no qualms about embezzlement.
Even food and pay meant for the troops vanished into their pockets, leaving South Vietnam's officers and soldiers starving.
To survive, the rank and file had no choice but to commit petty corruption.
"Is this the Yankee new-model rifle?"
"Damn right. Money first."
South Vietnam's troops sold off American aid whenever they could—straight to the enemy.
Not just infantry gear like rifles and kit, but field guns too, as long as the price was right.
The Viet Cong turned around and used those weapons to rack up kills against South Vietnamese forces.
America knew what was going on.
*The South Vietnamese army's basically our mercenaries already, and they're pulling this? No guarantee hires we bring in will be any better.*
America couldn't be sure.
The surefire fix was deploying U.S. troops, but that was off the table.
If "U.S. forces" got involved, "march north for unification" went out the window.
The reds wouldn't just watch America roll into North Vietnam.
As America stewed over its options, Pyongyang caught wind that the U.S. was eyeing Vietnam as a breakthrough.
The KCIA immediately called for intervention.
"Sir, if the Americans grab Vietnam, our naval blockade option's dead in the water."
"No need to worry—the U.S. can't win quick without direct troops."
Yi Seong-jun figured Vietnam couldn't be toppled easily without U.S. boots on the ground.
"But sir? They're even sending mercenaries."
"Mercenaries are mercenaries. Grabbing low-quality ones won't help much in unfamiliar jungle."
Modern 21st-century mercs with proper training would be different, but expecting combat prowess from meat shields scraped together from poor countries for cash was a stretch.
North Vietnam's reds had talents like the Red Napoleon, Vo Nguyen Giap, leading them.
No way South Vietnam plus mercenaries would steamroll them anytime soon.
With that assessment, Yi Seong-jun judged Korea didn't need to get directly involved.
"So no direct action from us—just funnel some funds to North Vietnam through friendly overseas Chinese capitalists."
"Understood."
Give them money, and North Vietnam would procure arms and fight on its own.
Sure, without "Red China" backing them, South Vietnam had a shot at winning.
But America wouldn't clinch it in 1-2 years.
Five, ten years at least.
That bought plenty of time to choke China's air supply.
Yi Seong-jun began mulling additional options to tighten the noose around China at a leisurely pace.