Nanyang Storm 1864

After three days of bloody fighting in the Battle of Los Angeles, the defending American forces had suffered more than 11.7 casualties. Just when the defensive line was about to collapse completely, the Chu army suddenly suspended its offensive.

Seeing this long-awaited opportunity, President Hoover and the top brass of the U.S. military were overjoyed. Taking advantage of the lull in the fighting, they worked through the night to send reserve troops to the front lines and repair the destroyed fortifications.

They had considered that this might be a cunning and ruthless Easterner's scheme to lure the enemy deep into their territory.

But what can we do about it?
Like a gambler who had lost, President Hoover had no choice but to bet his last remaining chips, hoping for a miraculous turnaround and a slim chance of survival.

Giving up now would mean all the previous efforts and sacrifices had been in vain, and the outcome couldn't be worse.

After two days of silence, the fighting resumed on April 28.

The American defenders could only fight the enemy with rudimentary weapons on the shattered battlefield. They had only a small number of light and heavy machine guns, and their artillery was almost completely lost.

Meanwhile, the heavily armed expeditionary force of the Great Chu Empire, with its rampaging fighter jets in the air, seemingly inexhaustible artillery on the ground, as well as tanks and armored trucks, relentlessly ravaged the American troops with a hail of steel bullets.

The two sides were severely mismatched in strength, and every day, between 20,000 and 30,000 American soldiers were thrown into this bottomless millstone of death, turning to ashes in the smoke and fire.

When the US military could no longer hold out, the Great Chu Empire's expeditionary force would always slow down its offensive.

After holding out for six days, the defending US forces completely collapsed.

At this moment

The long-awaited 7th Army, spearheaded by the 102nd Tank Division, followed by the 132nd and 155th Mobile Divisions, bypassed the US defenses and penetrated deep into enemy territory, capturing the eastern part of San Francisco and quickly taking control of the northern part of the city.

This completely cut off the retreat route of the US troops who were fighting in the suburbs, and surrounded them completely.

1931st January 5

The surrender of U.S. forces in San Francisco marked the fall of the vast San Francisco Bay Area, signifying a chain reaction of collapse across the entire American West and the disintegration of the main resistance forces.

At this time, San Francisco was a ghost town. This western metropolis with a population of more than 50 before the war had seen all the rich and capitalists who could escape flee, and almost all the white men who could fight were killed or wounded.

Only a few hundred thousand women, children, and the elderly remained in the city, and apart from kitchen knives and pitchforks, they had hardly any decent weapons.

The main resistance forces in the western states were almost entirely depleted in the Battle of San Francisco.

November 8st

Sparks, north of San Francisco, fell, and two days later, the Great Chu Empire's expeditionary force, advancing rapidly along the northbound railroad, captured Maeford. After a brief pause, it continued its northward advance.

November 16st

With the fall of key Washington state cities Salem and Portland, the northward-bound army split into two, continuing its advance north and east.

Until February 5

Almost all the major cities in the western states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Utah, Nevada, California, Arizona, and New Mexico have fallen and been occupied by the expeditionary force of the Great Chu Empire.

Thus, the Imperial Expeditionary Force completed its full military occupation of the nine western states of the United States a month ahead of schedule, marking the victorious conclusion of the first phase of the war.

The bad news of America's continued defeats caused a huge shock in East, Midwest and South societies, and public anger overwhelmed the White House like a tidal wave.

The two-year-long global economic depression had already taken its toll on Americans' nerves, and the news of defeat only made matters worse. The American people's frustration erupted like a volcano, venting their anger on the government.

American newspapers ridiculed Hoover with a series of insulting nicknames, such as "the runaway coward," "the cowardly Herbert," and "our failed president."

President Hoover, who fled back to Washington, D.C. by plane, became a target of public criticism, and the government's prestige plummeted.

In southern Texas, separatist sentiment surged as tens of thousands of rednecks took to the streets to protest the government's new war taxes and forced large-scale recruitment of white militia, vowing to "fight for independence and not pay the price for a failed government."

Meanwhile, in the turbulent southern states of North Carolina, South Carolina, Mississippi, Georgia, and Florida, separatist rhetoric surged, further exacerbating the social unrest.

more than half a month later

General Chu Zhengyan, commander of the Arizona Army, was inspecting the front lines. He ordered an airborne command post to circle the line from Rio Rancho to Santa Fe and Moriarty, making a large loop in the air.

Aerial view

Around Rio Rancho's crossroads, a spiderweb-like defensive line has formed on the ground, consisting of four deep trenches and bunkers, densely packed with both visible and hidden bunkers. Relying on the surrounding undulating mountains, desert, and red rocks, it has completely blocked the westward passage.

Today, the Imperial Army has stationed more than 7.6 troops in this triangular area spanning tens of thousands of square kilometers, with the remaining reserves in towns and cities further west of Gallup.

It can be seen from the air.

The foundation for a railway winding westward is taking shape, and tens of thousands of prisoners of war and Mexican-American laborers are working under the scorching sun. The entire county is divided into more than 60 construction sites, and the project is progressing rapidly.

They forged roads through mountains and built bridges over rivers, traversing the desolate western wilderness and extending ever westward.

That's a major railway artery under construction, especially since it will pass through Arizona, known as the "Grand Canyon State," where the terrain is complex, with mountains, canyons, and vast forests—it's not as simple as you might imagine.

The railway will traverse the high plateau region of Arizona, with an average elevation of 1200 to 2400 meters and relatively flat terrain.

The most complex part is traversing the Grand Canyon, a canyon formed by the raging Colorado River as it flows through the northwestern part of the state over millions of years.

This is the southern end of the Rocky Mountains, where the railway will extend westward into the Las Vegas Desert, following the Colorado River's alluvial plains, which are carved up to 1800 meters deep.

This will be the most challenging part of the entire railway project, requiring the construction of 172 bridges and culverts. The longest railway bridge will cross a riverbed prone to seasonal flash floods, with a length of 6.2 kilometers.

At that construction site, more than 3800 strong laborers were working on the project, quarrying huge stones on the spot to build bridge piers and constructing a reinforced concrete bridge that spanned the two banks, opening up a safe elevated road for the railway.

After more than two months of intensive construction, the basic structure of the railway has emerged.

It is expected that the railway will be fully operational by the end of September, greatly enhancing the ability to transport supplies to Nio Rancho, sufficient to sustain the long-term combat attrition of 9 or even more troops. The piston engine noise in the airborne command post was extremely loud; Prince Chu-Zheng Yan, wearing fluffy, noise-canceling earmuffs, couldn't hear anything outside.

The other two generals sitting in the command radio could only communicate by hand gestures or writing in their notebooks; their voices were completely inaudible in the loud noise.

Prince Chu-Zheng Yan's position as Commander-in-Chief of the Arizona Army was equivalent to that of the front-line commander, and he bore a heavy burden of pressure.

He is the current emperor's third brother and served as the commander of the Costa Rica military region in Central America for more than ten years. He has an excellent understanding of the situation in North and South America and can even speak Spanish and French, and knows some Italian.

Prince Chu-Zhengyan was well aware of the Holy Emperor Taizu's strategic plans, so he dared not be negligent. During his inspection, he was very careful, scanning the fortress, camp, and railway under construction with binoculars, his expression quite solemn.

He is now at the forefront of the war, and the second phase of the war will inevitably revolve around the struggle for the Rio Rancho fortress area.

This is the only route for the US military to advance westward, without exception.

Since the outbreak of war

The U.S. military is continuously amassing troops and transporting massive amounts of supplies in numerous towns in Denver in the north and Oklahoma in the east, preparing to launch a large-scale offensive.

Around Denver, reconnaissance aircraft observed as many as dozens of military camps conducting intensive training day and night, actively preparing for the upcoming offensive.

In surrounding areas such as Oklahoma, Texas, and Mississippi, the U.S. military was also making intensive preparations, and the shadow of a major war was growing ever larger.

If the troops of the Arizona Military District can withstand the pressure, achieve results, and demonstrate the might of the Imperial Army, they will undoubtedly make a name for themselves before the Holy Emperor and remember this outstanding grandson of the Emperor.

This is a supreme honor for all the royal offspring of the empire.

He felt someone pat him on the shoulder. He turned around and saw it was Lieutenant General Tang Yuan, the deputy commander. Lieutenant General Tang Yuan pointed downwards.

Prince Chu-Zheng Yan nodded in understanding; the command plane was about to land.

The command plane was an improved version of a twin-engine bomber, crammed with three passengers, making it extremely crowded. The constant ringing of noise in our ears made it quite unbearable.

The high command aircraft landed smoothly at a field airfield near Gallup. Prince Chu-Zheng Yan and two generals emerged looking disheveled, covering their heads with their military caps and running away into the distance.

The generals who were there to greet them had already come forward, but Prince Chu-Zhengyan waved his hand, indicating that they would talk about it later.

Even after taking off my headphones, my ears are filled with a buzzing noise that takes a while to return to normal.

Half a day later

At Gallup Front headquarters, a high-level military meeting was held, the topic of which was naturally to deal with the next phase of the fierce US offensive and to find loopholes and deficiencies in the defense.

The heart of the desert defense line is Rio Rancho, at the crossroads of north-south and east-west traffic. It is the only road leading to Los Angeles if you want to cross the high-altitude canyons of Arizona.

The US military had only one way to attack south from Denver: to capture Rio Rancho.

If the U.S. military were to attack from Oklahoma in the east, there would only be one route: they would have to capture Rio Rancho and Gallup, a series of heavily fortified cities.

However, if the US military were to attack from neighboring Texas, since there is no direct road between the two places, they would have to go south through Mexican territory, pass through the important Mexican city of Juarez, and then head north. After defeating a series of towns such as Las Cruces, Hatch, Cruz, and Socorro, which were garrisoned by the Chu army, they would then approach Rio Rancho from the south.

Is this possibility possible?

The desert road from Juárez to Rio Rancho in Mexico is about 620 kilometers long. It is a dirt road that is not maintained for many years and is in relatively poor condition with insufficient capacity.

Only a few Mexican caravans pass through, and the journey alone takes a week.

If the US military chooses this roundabout route, it can only use light cavalry to advance, and the number of cavalry cannot be too large, otherwise there will not be enough logistical supplies along the way.

The journey from Texas to Mexico is at least 2,000 kilometers, with more than 430 kilometers within Mexico alone.

Considering that the road leads through endless wastelands and red rock mountains, the command ultimately decided to deploy an armored vehicle battalion and a cavalry regiment, totaling more than 2300 troops, in Las Cruces, the first town north of Juárez.

Don't underestimate the armored vehicle battalion. According to the regular organization of the Royal Army of the Great Chu Empire, an armored battalion consists of a light tank company, two armored vehicle companies, and a logistics company.

The light tank is the "Wild Wolf" tank, weighing 4.2 tons. Each tank is equipped with a 127mm Maxim water-cooled heavy machine gun with 1200 rounds of ammunition.

In the open desert and Gobi, this thing is a deadly weapon against cavalry and infantry; it's no exaggeration to call it a reaper of lives.

The armored vehicles equipped by the armored vehicle company are off-road armored vehicles converted from three-ton trucks, which improves their off-road capabilities. The side compartments are equipped with 1.2-meter-high armored protective plates, and the truck tops are covered with tarpaulins.

The vehicle can typically carry a machine gun on its roof, as well as a platoon of twelve fully armed soldiers, with the platoon leader and driver sitting in the front cab.

The rear carriages can accommodate ten more crew members, including a machine gun crew of three.

This armored battalion was not afraid of tens of thousands of American cavalry; they would only be easy prey if they came. That's how arrogant they were.

The cavalry regiment consisted of cavalrymen from Patagonia in South America. These cavalrymen arrived in Baja California empty-handed by boat, where they were equipped with warhorses and underwent more than six months of acclimatization training.

As an attached mobile combat force, the largest cavalry combat unit in the Royal Army of the Great Chu Empire, namely the regiment, is mainly used for battlefield cover, communication and mobile strikes.

The Royal Army of the Great Chu Empire did not rely heavily on cavalry, and its total cavalry force numbered less than 3, which was divided into more than 20 regiments for auxiliary operations in various directions.

In actual field battles, it still comes down to tank regiments, armored regiments, artillery regiments, and infantry regiments; cavalry only plays a supporting role.

In the Juarez direction of Mexico, the US military is unlikely to launch a large-scale offensive; at most, it will be a surprise attack.

Precisely because of this judgment
The Arizona Front did not have a large military presence in the South, so even if the U.S. military succeeded in a surprise attack in the South, it would only lose some auxiliary troops at most.

Ultimately, these US troops are only serving a harassing purpose.

To open a route westward, one must pass through the heavily fortified area of ​​Rio Rancho, unless one can fly there. (End of Chapter)