Following the inconclusive, but embarrassing, result of Ap Bac, General Huynh Van Cao launched a dummy attack on the same location. Why did he do this? What was the result?

The general thought he could fool the media and use a victorious "assault" to capture images for propaganda purposes, using the already-fallen troops as props. This ploy did not work. In fact, he nearly killed a U.S. general, 2 aids, and four reporters in the process.