Before ambulances and fire trucks even arrived on scene, the NSA briefly took over all digital radio and television stations across the country. Most devastatingly, they managed to hack every Chinese internet service providers, unblocking the entire internet in China. Millions of young, educated Chinese read Western news and history, completely uncensored, for the first time in their lives.
Adding yet more fuel onto the fire, the US president’s pre-recorded speech went out to hundreds of millions across the People’s paradise. His popular persona, even overseas, patiently detailed why the US struck back and promised to end all hostilities, as long as no PLA personnel crossed the International Date Line. Millions in China, who bought into their country’s propaganda about how incredibly dangerous that American president was, found his proposal reasonable and generous.
In the People’s Republic, you couldn’t just “write your congressperson” or sign a petition if you wanted change. There was only one way to get the attention of their insulated leadership: on the streets. Not by protesting, but by dragging those old men out into the open.
The president’s speech was more explosive than any nuke. With the most loyal and dangerous core of their military gone, dozens of their most dynamic leaders killed and the already restless masses swarming the streets, the country’s ultra-centralized government imploded. Succession of leadership is always the Achilles heel of authoritarian regimes.
The People’s masters might have handled an orderly transition of power better if they weren’t under such unprecedented pressure. Within hours, a military coup brought some order to the political chaos. Until it was followed by a populist counter-coup, which then sparked a counter, counter-coup from the Ministry for State Security and…well, things were confusing for a while.
Historical records from this early anarchistic period are skimpy and unreliable, but what’s certain is that within weeks this cycle of violence plunged China into a full-fledged civil war. If you can call a war between at least six different sides civil. The conflict with the US petered out in days, since neither side could effectively hurt the other without resorting to nuclear weapons and the mutually assured destruction that would entail.
The domestic effects of this mini-war on Americans were no less revolutionary. Some hardliners in Washington hoped that the slaughtered Chinese would serve as a terrifying example to the URA fanatics. They were half-right. The moderates did get scared. Scared right into the arms of the extremists who’d been warning about the Feds’ insanity all along. What little support the president still enjoyed in the West was permanently undermined.
On the other hand, except for providing a few more converts to the “freedom fighters” in the insurrectionist south, the victorious and bloodless (to America) war strengthened the president’s support among his base in the east. Americans love a winner. US news/propaganda networks relentlessly hyped up the silent role the URA played in the aborted Chinese invasion. Eastern television spun their inaction as culpability in allowing a foreign power to attack the US mainland. What more proof do you need that these people wanted to destroy America?
One unspinable result of the nuclear strikes was eliminating any chance of further foreign interference in the American conflict. All talk of deploying UN peacekeepers, or any type of unilateral or multilateral military intervention, abruptly stopped. Not even America’s allies were willing to get too deeply involved with these nuclear cowboys.
For better or worse, the Second Civil War would remain a purely American disaster…or opportunity.
The Beginning
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Acronyms/Slang/Terminology
.50 Caclass="underline" M2 .50 caliber (12.7mm) machine gun. Large and heavy, almost always mounted on a vehicle because it requires three soldiers to carry the weapon, tripod and just a small supply of ammo.
Relatively poor accuracy and a slow rate of fire compared to most machine guns, but its ability to throw a half-inch slug with the force to penetrate a brick wall or light-armored vehicle at over a mile makes it a favorite among all branches of the Service. Barely changed in design since World War 2.
2-oh-3: Single shot, 40mm grenade launcher. Attaches underneath a M16 or M4. Official designation: M203. Usually just called the 2-oh-3.
2-40: M240b 7.62mm medium machinegun. Normally referred to simply as the “2-40.” About 10 pounds heavier than the SAW. Just barely able to be carried and effectively used by a single soldier, it’s usually mounted on a vehicle or, if dismounted, an extra soldier is assigned to carry the ammo.
3-20: M320 grenade launcher. Fires 40mm “normal” or 25mm “smart” grenades, slowly replacing M203.
AT-4: Single use, disposable bazooka-like weapon. Standard unguided anti-tank rocket used by US Army. Swedish made, it is dirt cheap but deadly against light armored vehicles/fortifications. Effective range only 300 meters.
AHA: Ammunition holding area. Ammo dump. When not in the field, anything that goes boom, from small arms rounds to artillery shells, are stored there.
AMRAAM: Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile. A beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile. The most modern versions have a range of 100 miles.
Apache: AH-64 attack helicopter. Fast, armored and heavily armed, this chopper also boasts a 128x Forward Looking Infrared Radar sensor system. Whether used as scouts, quick reaction fire support, or just flying snipers, the Apaches are probably the most feared and respected helicopter in the world. Primary disadvantage is the small fuel capacity, leading to relatively short on station times (1–3 hours, depending on equipment load-out).
APC: Armored Personnel Carrier. Lightly armored/armed vehicle used for support tasks. Examples: Armored ambulances, mobile command vehicles, transporting combat engineers.
B-2: “Flying wing” stealth strategic bomber. Costing $2 billion a pop, they’re the most expensive aircraft in the inventory.
COMSEC: Communications security. Referring specifically to the daily changing cryptographic code groups used by the encrypted radios.
DPICM: Dual Purpose Improved Conventional Munitions. Generic term for a variety of artillery and airdropped sub-munitions that bridge the gap between anti-vehicle and anti-personnel explosives.
FRAGO: Fragmentary order. A modification to the original mission plan that doesn’t alter the core objectives, just how they should be achieved.