From March 18th to March 24th, the first phase of the United States federal offensive proceeded with remarkable smoothness. It was not until March 25th that their logistical supply lines were struck by a powerful counter-attack from the National Army of the Confederate States.

In the first Civil War, the Northern army had moved on horseback or on the feet of its infantry, sustaining both men and animals through foraging and plunder along the way. Maritime and rail transport had provided the necessary munitions.

This time was different. The modern federal army utilized armored vehicles and trucks. The Confederate forces launched a series of fierce strikes specifically targeting the federal supply lines and logistical hubs.

In the sky, the air forces of the Union and the Confederacy battled for dominance. On the ground, tanks and armored vehicles from both sides engaged in a death struggle. With both combatants possessing ample equipment and ammunition, the carnage was immense.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff had long prepared contingencies, and the initial federal counter-attacks were orderly. When the Army General Staff learned that the Southern forces were pushing northward along the Great Plains, they were not surprised. With massive mountain ranges to the east and west, the vast central plains were the logical route for a Southern counter-offensive.

However, on the 26th, two Confederate cavalry divisions achieved a breakthrough and continued their advance northward, leaving the federal staff confused. Did these Southern "rednecks" truly intend to rely on a cavalry charge in 1946?

Tanks and trucks had replaced the horse because they could carry the heavy firepower of the modern age. The 100mm guns that served as the mainstay of the US artillery required a team of horses just to move; a 150mm piece required even more animal power. A soldier with a rifle had been a formidable deterrent in 1860, but his effectiveness in 1946 was vastly reduced.

Yet the subsequent developments placed the Northern forces under significant pressure. The climate of the South was far milder than the North, and its plains were vast. Beyond the traditional crops of cotton and corn, alfalfa and other suitable forages were grown extensively. The Southern ranches held far more horses than the North, and naturally, their cavalry strength was superior.

These two Confederate divisions did not use their horses to assault major towns. Instead, they bypassed urban centers to strike the rail lines across the Great Plains. A few kilograms of explosives were enough to shatter a rail; a single rider with four horses could carry 60mm and even 80mm mortars to destroy the switch stations at rail junctions.

The Southern cavalry did not seek to hold key points; they focused entirely on the destruction of transport infrastructure. With the bulk of Northern strength either deep in the South attacking cities or guarding their own lines, the cavalry exploited the brief opening to its fullest.

By March 28th, General Eisenhower, the Air Force Chief of Staff, reviewed the latest reports and immediately contacted General Marshall, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs and Army Chief of Staff, requesting an emergency session.

Marshall's voice on the telephone was calm as ever. "On what grounds?"

"The situation in the Air Force has deteriorated," Eisenhower answered anxiously.

"Fine. Your office?" Marshall asked.

An hour later, Marshall entered the Air Force headquarters. The files were ready. He did not sit, but immediately began to read while Eisenhower smoked in grim silence beside him.

After a few minutes, Marshall set the documents aside. "Ike, is the South truly prepared? Or is this merely a short-term advantage in pilot numbers?"

Eisenhower had finished the internal assessment, yet the results left him reluctant to speak.

To prevent intervention by external powers, the USA in the North had funneled its limited power resources into nuclear development. This had resulted in a severe electricity shortage, crippling the production capacity for conventional equipment.

The South, however, possessed the Hoover Dam and faced no such shortage. Furthermore, after the Chinese firebombing of the Great Lakes, the aviation industry—which required far fewer raw materials than tanks or trucks—had been prioritized for relocation to the safer South. Under their reorganized power supply, the South’s aircraft production was now equal to, if not greater than, the North’s.

In terms of personnel, the first core wave of elite US pilots—the cream of the crop from the wealthy Midwest farms—had been exhausted in the Pacific. The second wave, drawn from both North and South, had been ground down during the North American campaign against China.

Most of the surviving third-wave pilots shared a common trait: they were highly individualistic and struggled with the discipline required for modern aerial combat. The industrial North produced pilots from the working class who were naturally more disciplined, but their numbers were few. In contrast, the South possessed a vast numerical advantage in this third wave.

Eisenhower hoped the current federal disadvantage was merely a matter of Southern numbers. But a significant portion of his staff believed the Southern aviation industry was actually capable of sustaining its strength.

Their reasoning was sound: fighters required regular maintenance. That the Southern fleet remained in such good condition implied not only proper upkeep but a steady supply of replacement parts. Had the Southern industry collapsed, the state of their aging aircraft would never have yielded such results.

Eisenhower mastered his emotions before answering Marshall: "I believe the Southern aviation industry is likely more robust than we anticipated."

Marshall remained silent, needing time to suppress the frustration of this development and consider his next move.

Even without Alaska, the United States possessed over seven million square kilometers of territory. Both North and South held areas of over three million. In such a vast expanse, the Army was entirely dependent on its supply lines.

The South did not seek to conquer the North, so it had no need for cross-border operations; its logistical pressure was far lower. If the Northern Air Force fell into a position of inferiority, its supply lines would be constantly threatened. The North lacked the strength to raise a three-million-man army capable of defending itself against air attacks over the long term.

Having weighed the disadvantages, Marshall asked, "Can you maintain operations for another month?"

"I believe so," Eisenhower replied.

Marshall gave his judgment: "We have already taken Montgomery, the Southern capital. Next, we shall focus on the Southern industrial zones. Once they fall, the South will be unable to continue."

On March 2nd (typo in raw, likely intended April 2nd), Lieutenant Colonel Dan crossed the US-Mexico border and rushed back to the Confederate Joint Operations Command in the Texas capital. The news he received was not encouraging. The federal Army, supported by naval aviation, was pushing down the East Coast, targeting several vital Confederate shipyards and industrial bases.

Though the Confederate National Army resisted fiercely, the federal objective was clear: destroy the Southern industrial centers and cripple their war potential.

Upon reading the latest reports and learning of Dan’s return, General Bourbon sent a telegram: "Proceed to San Francisco, California, immediately."

Ignoring the exhaustion of his journey, Dan requested a plane and headed for San Francisco. As he descended toward the city, he saw vast numbers of factories already back in operation, and his heart lifted.

Before the war, America had possessed two great industrial zones: the Great Lakes and the West Coast centered on California. The West Coast had been the first to be struck by the Chinese, yet it had also been the first to recover.

Under the divisions of the first Civil War, California would have been part of the North. But this conflict was different. The Southern stance was one of firm opposition to the disastrous results of the North’s war and a refusal to bear the crushing taxes of a continued confrontation with China. These were issues that could only be resolved through a new Constitution or a clean break.

Former enemies now stood under the same banner, united by shared interests. Otherwise, California would never have aligned itself with the "Lone Star Republic" of Texas.

What bound them together was the Confederate system, which limited federal power and provided a mechanism for states to secede from the Confederacy. The original US Constitution had contained no such provision, and after the first Civil War, Lincoln had utilized war and amendments to explicitly deny any right of withdrawal.

General Bourbon met Dan in the offices of the Rockefeller Consortium in the San Francisco Bay Area. After introducing him to the industrial grandees, the General emphasized: "This is a top graduate of West Point and a pupil of Matthew Ridgway. Had the General not intervened, he likely would have died in a Yankee black site."

The Southern lords were intrigued and asked for Dan’s assessment of the war. After a moment’s thought, he began: "Before coming to San Francisco, I assumed the Confederacy’s industrial strength was inferior to the North’s. Now, I see the gap is not so large. Supported by California’s production, our National Army is fully capable of sustaining a mobile war for years, until the North is ground down by the very conflict it initiated."

Hearing Dan advocate for such a brutal and prolonged struggle, the industrialists grew somber.

Dan was undeterred. "This war will not be won or lost quickly," he continued. "The North knows its own weakness: it lacks the strength to occupy our territory completely. That is a fact. We must utilize this opening to pull and stretch their forces until the Yankees are broken by their own war!"

He concluded with confidence: "Gentlemen, this is a Protracted War! I suggest you all read Chairman He Rui’s *On Protracted War* and *National Defense and Mobile Warfare*."

At the mention of He Rui, a representative of the Rockefeller interests laughed. "Heh. We are not military men, Colonel. Perhaps you could summarize the contents of these books for us?"

"If you have the time, gentlemen," Dan replied with certainty.

The industrial lords exchanged looks and nodded in unison.

"Please, begin," the Rockefeller representative said.

"The Soviet-German war was a conflict between two industrial powers," Dan began his lecture. "Even if the German side was industrially superior, there was no fundamental technological gap between their equipment..."

He Rui’s *On Protracted War* was not long, but it was incredibly concise. When Dan finished, the industrialists felt no joy; rather, having heard the core of the difficulties laid bare, they felt the weight of the pressure.

Dan understood their concern. "The war will promote the total industrial development of California," he explained. "And the Confederacy looks forward to that growth. If the war is lost, whom do you think the Union will favor: California or the Great Lakes?

"Given the Union’s foreign policy, do you believe they can build a good relationship with China and join the global market Beijing controls?

"The Confederacy’s greatest weakness is its recent founding. But diplomatically, that is also its greatest strength: it has no history of hostility with the rest of the world. Once the war ends, we can immediately establish relations with China. Gentlemen, trust in the foundation of our nation. Peace is the only basis for our continued development."

The industrialists knew how much General Bourbon valued Dan. Hearing him discuss development from a national level, they felt no offense; instead, they saw him as a young man of extraordinary talent.

"Colonel," one of them said, "you mentioned *National Defense and Mobile Warfare*. Could you tell us of that as well?"