Nanyang Storm 1864

More than ten days later
Chicago Battlefield

The sounds of large-scale battles in the suburbs still linger. Several Chu troops have broken into the city and engaged in fierce urban warfare with the American troops defending the city, fighting for close combat.

With the war at this stage, Chu's superior air power could no longer play a significant role.

What stood before these fiercely resisting American troops were Tiger tank platoons, these heavily armored tanks moving through the city streets as if they were nothing.

Behind the three Tiger tank squadrons came Bison tanks and a large number of infantry, who launched an attack on the defending American forces, displaying overwhelming superiority.

Tiger tanks destroyed almost every American strongpoint with a single shot, unleashing their firepower amidst a hail of bullets and easily tearing a gap in the American defensive line.

The 46mm anti-tank guns brought in by the US military fired shells that hit the frontal armor of the Tiger tank directly, but only made a crisp "bang" before being deflected without any concern.

The Tiger tank then lowered its 76mm gun and fired a single shot that sent the American 46mm anti-tank gun, along with its crew, flying into the air, leaving limbs and parts scattered all over the ground.

In urban warfare
It wasn't the tanks that demonstrated an irresistible advantage, causing the American defenders to retreat in disarray and suffer heavy casualties.

This was happening all over the city, and just two days later, the Imperial Expeditionary Forces, surging in like a tidal wave, had captured half of Chicago and were pressing toward the docklands in the north of the city.

At this point in the battle, the dock area in the north of the city was the lifeline for the hundreds of thousands of Chicago American soldiers who were still putting up a stubborn resistance, and it absolutely could not be lost.

Wounded American soldiers defending the city were evacuated from here, and valuable supplies such as ammunition and food were also transported from here.

So the US military gritted its teeth and launched a counterattack, fighting the Chu army repeatedly at all costs, and the battle became fierce again.

"Deploy another twenty volunteer corps. Don't be afraid of losses. The Imperial Army has captured hundreds of thousands of foreign prisoners, so replenishment won't be a problem." Marshal Zheng Zhongyi slammed his fist on the table in anger.

Urban street fighting inevitably led to a sharp increase in casualties among the imperial troops, with casualties reaching over ten thousand in the past few days, which greatly angered the Marshal.

He personally ordered a relaxation of the deadline for defeating the enemy, reasoning that there was no need to rush in eliminating these stubborn American soldiers, and the expeditionary force was not in a hurry either, so there was no need to gamble with the lives of Imperial soldiers.

Urban warfare is extremely complex and cannot be completely overwhelmed by Tiger tanks alone.

The Chicago metropolitan area has a large number of high-rise buildings and many five- or six-story reinforced concrete buildings. The US military occupied these buildings and resisted stubbornly, and even heavy Tiger tanks could not do anything about it.

We must send out infantry squads to clean them up one by one, like digging out rats.

The close-quarters combat in urban warfare intensified the battles to an unprecedented degree and made them increasingly brutal, resulting in high casualties among Imperial soldiers.

In view of this
The Supreme Command quickly adjusted its deployment, breaking the North American Volunteer Corps into smaller units such as battalions, companies, and platoons, and assigning them to the Imperial Army.

In this way, the most dangerous offensive missions and urban clearing missions could be undertaken by these white soldiers.

The new military adjustments were immediately implemented, and the intensity of the Imperial army's siege of the Chicago metropolitan area was immediately reduced, abandoning the reckless advance at the cost of casualties.

The new military deployment had an immediate effect. On the first day of its implementation, casualties among imperial soldiers were reduced dramatically, from nearly 10,000 casualties per day to 1,300 to 1,400 per day.

Meanwhile, casualties among the North American Volunteer Corps rose rapidly, with roughly three or four regiments, or about four or five thousand men, being added every day.

Similarly, the pace of progress has slowed down.

In the streets of the city

The American troops, entrenched in the fortified buildings, fought fiercely, forcing the attacking Chu army to clear them out one by one, with gunfire and artillery sounds ringing out from morning till night.

The Imperial Army had long since withdrawn its tank units. These tanks could demonstrate their power on the open streets, but they struggled to move forward in the narrow old town.

For more than half a month
The 7th Army, which was in charge of the main attack, gradually chipped away at the city's defenses and finally encircled the dock area in the north. They then began shelling the dock area in front of them, separated by the large warehouse area of ​​the Schmidt Industrial Company.

By this stage of the battle, the defending U.S. forces had suffered heavy casualties, leaving only about 3.7 troops holding out in a narrow strip of land near the dock area, which consisted mainly of docks, city streets, and factory terrain.

During this period, the U.S. used high-speed transport ships to evacuate tens of thousands of wounded soldiers at night and transport large quantities of weapons, ammunition and food forward, maintaining the hard-fought battle.

But when the North Wharf entered the range of Chu's cannons, it all came to an end.

That night
Three high-speed transport ships that had made a surprise attack on the North District Wharf under cover of night docked one after another. The Chu artillery, which had been waiting for a long time, began to fire fiercely, raining down cannon fire to greet the American transport ships.

The fireballs from the explosion stretched far and wide, engulfing all three transport ships that had just docked at the pier, and quickly ignited a massive fire, the blazing flames illuminating half the sky.

The large number of wounded American soldiers gathered on the dock were blown to pieces by the artillery fire, their deaths were gruesome.

Soon, the transport ship at the dock caused a violent secondary explosion. The huge blast wave shattered all the windows of nearby buildings and also affected the cargo ships docked next to it.

Not long
The transport ship that exploded was torn to pieces and slowly sank at the North Wharf.

The other two cargo ships carrying grain and supplies burned even more fiercely, like giant torches, clearly visible from dozens of kilometers away.

After burning for several hours, the remaining two supply ships sank one after another, leaving the North Wharf charred black and filled with the strong smell of roasted meat.

This was a heavy blow to the morale of the American troops who were still holding out in the northern area. With supplies cut off and wounded soldiers no longer able to be evacuated, there was no point in continuing to hold out.

Next morning
The U.S. garrison in Chicago, led by General John Byrd, surrendered, marking the end of the Battle of Chicago.

1933st January 10

The Royal Expeditionary Force of the Great Chu Empire completely occupied Chicago, winning the final victory in the battle. This brought a huge shock to American society, and an atmosphere of pessimism and defeat enveloped the entire country.

Just three days later

On November 1, the U.S. Senate passed the impeachment motion against President Herbert Clark Hoover by a vote of 68 to 29, with 3 abstentions. President Hoover was forced to step down, and Vice President Griffiths succeeded him as president, completing the remaining year or so of his term.

at this time

The hatred of the American people towards President Hoover has reached its peak, with them angrily calling him "Hoover Pig" and using him as a synonym for stupidity and failure.

Early in President Hoover's term, the stock market crash of late 1929 triggered the Great Depression, causing widespread bankruptcies, factory closures, and impoverishing large numbers of the middle class overnight. Scenes of unemployed Americans lining up for welfare during the Great Depression became poignant historical photographs.

At that time, the Hoover administration stubbornly persisted in its laissez-faire economic policies, but as the Great Depression worsened, its measures proved ineffective.

A children's song even circulated on the streets of New York, satirically depicting the scene.

"Mellon sounded the whistle, Hoover rang the bell. Wall Street gave the signal, and America rushed into hell." (Mellon was the U.S. Treasury Secretary.)

President Hoover became synonymous with poverty, and even dogs sneered at him.

The shantytowns built by unemployed workers using paper bags were called "Hoover Villages," the sacks filled with scrap by homeless people were called "Hoover bags," and people sawed off the front of cars and had them pulled by donkeys as cheap means of transportation called "Hoover cars."

Refugees who lost their homes slept on park benches covered with newspapers, which were called "Hoover blankets," and farmers caught rats to eat, calling them "Hoover pigs."

At this point, the American people had no idea that President Hoover's outrageous actions were only just beginning.

His government pushed through the National Security Act, treating financial investments and large amounts of fixed assets from the Great Chu Empire as easy targets, and forcibly seizing them through security decrees, thereby triggering a continuous deterioration and hostility in relations with the Chu state...

This eventually escalated into a large-scale North American war, which became the beginning of a real catastrophe, followed by defeat after defeat, loss of territory after loss, and the dismemberment of America.

Enough is enough! I've had enough! Let that damned President Hoover go to hell!
The tormented American people could no longer endure it, and Congress voted to impeach President Hoover, who was succeeded by Vice President Miles Griffiths, a typical firefighter.

Upon taking office, the 32nd President, Miles Griffith, delivered a speech in Washington, stating that the United States was at a crossroads and that he would do everything in his power to end the war as soon as possible, at any cost.

1933st January 11

With the mediation of European countries such as Britain, France, Germany, and Italy, armistice negotiations officially commenced in New York. This was a major event that attracted worldwide attention and drew the focus of the world's major powers.

Attending the New York negotiations was Prince Chu-Zheng Yan, Commander-in-Chief of the Southern Corps of the Great Chu Empire's North American Expeditionary Force. In front of everyone, he directly tossed a text of the ceasefire treaty and said in a cold voice;

"The United States must acknowledge its unconditional defeat, must accept the status quo, must cede the nineteen Midwestern states to the Empire as war reparations, must promise to abandon the development of naval and air power, and there are other demands."

Not a single word of this document can be changed; the US has no choice but to accept or reject it.

Furthermore, I would like to inform the United States that the current Republic of Chicago is in the process of being formed, and the United States must recognize it and respect the borders between the two sides; there is no room for negotiation.

The prince's attitude was very firm. Originally, the Great Chu Empire occupied nine western provinces and seven central provinces, which would only amount to 16 provinces. How could there be four extra provinces?

These are the states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Kansas, located in central North America, currently occupied by Imperial forces.

some of

Both Minnesota and Wisconsin are located on the Great Lakes and have a number of lakeside ports, including Milwaukee, Green Bay, Duluth, Konacopia, Pagana and Grant, as well as a fairly good industrial base.

Such a wonderful place, the Great Chu Empire naturally wanted to take it over.

In the future, as important shipping ports for exports to Europe, these Great Lakes ports will be crucial in ensuring the smooth flow of grain, furs, meat, and industrial goods from the central region to Europe.

Iowa and Kansas, located at the heart of the central transportation hub, are equally important.

When he heard the ceasefire terms from the Great Chu Empire, U.S. Secretary of State Mellon's face turned green. He stood up, trembling, and said, "This is outrageous! This is outrageous! The United States will never accept such a humiliating ceasefire treaty."

"Then let's wait and see. Let's wait for the establishment of the Republic of Chicago, and for the continued dismemberment of America. The Imperial military is very confident in completing this historical process. Farewell."

Prince Chu-Zheng Yan casually uttered a sentence, then turned and left.

This left the diplomatic envoys from various European countries looking at each other in bewilderment. They realized that behind the Great Chu Empire's tough stance was its formidable military strength, and it would naturally not compromise.

They then turned around and began pressuring Secretary of State Mellon to accept this extremely humiliating and irrevocable armistice treaty and de-escalate the situation in North America.

It is a well-established principle that victors do not accept criticism.

The harsh realities and coldness of international politics were laid bare at this moment, leaving Americans deeply saddened.

Major world powers, including Britain, pressured the United States to accept the armistice treaty of unconditional surrender, acknowledge the status quo, and admit defeat. Their reasons were remarkably consistent.

Who gave President Hoover the right to start the conflict?

This was a war that could have been avoided. President Hoover was both incompetent and playful, and he insisted on waking up and angering the giant dragon of the East. Naturally, he had to bear all the consequences that came with it.

When the US government runs out of money, it tries to take advantage of Chu's overseas investments. If we don't beat them up, who will we beat up?

This makes sense, but the key issue is that the State of Chu won the war, so naturally everything they said was right; otherwise, even if it was reasonable, it would become unreasonable.

All the major European powers are now pressuring the United States to surrender unconditionally and acknowledge its defeat.

This is because the military operations of the Great Chu Empire did not cease, even as the Seventh and Twelfth Front Armies were fully engaged in rest and replenishment.

The Second, Fifth, and Thirteenth Armies of the Chu Expeditionary Force are frequently redeploying and preparing to advance eastward along the railway, aiming directly at Detroit, Pittsburgh, and other important industrial cities in the Great Lakes region of the United States, and even targeting the major eastern metropolises of Philadelphia and New York.

When that time really comes, you won't even be able to cry anymore.

Whether the United States accepts the treaty of defeat is not important; once the regime of this democratic country is completely dismantled, everything naturally starts anew.

Whether we acknowledge it or not, it doesn't fundamentally change the formation of the Great Chu Empire's military dominance in North America, which is followed by the infiltration of its political, economic, and cultural influence.

It was precisely because I understood this point
The European powers had no choice but to unilaterally pressure the United States to accept this humiliating armistice treaty, and the window of opportunity was already very small.

Once the massive military machine of the Chu state starts turning again and launches a massive eastward offensive with overwhelming force, no one will be able to stop it, and then it will be too late.

Because they lacked a substantial military presence in North America, the other European powers, apart from Britain, did not have much leverage in their arguments.

If they were to confront the State of Chu and be met with a firm rebuke, what face would they have left? (End of Chapter)