Truly the Greatest

The Beginnings

WASHINGTON - George Dubya looks over his capital city; the quiet village on the shores of the Southern Sea. Dubya had been the leader of the nomadic Americans before they decided to settle down and build an effective empire. The nation now comprised all of the American Penninsula (a small, rugged outlet with few resources or arable land).

To the northeast, militiamen were exploring a vast grassland rumored to hide another civilization. Dubya looks over his geography charts. He knows the key to a successful war machine is to have as many cities throughout the lands as he can manage. Suddenly, a page bursts into his chambers. Dubya looks up, surprised.

"What is it, page?" he asks.

"Sir, sorry to burst in like this. A regiment of militia have found a French phalange regiment in the Central Grasslands!"

"What??!" Dubya yelled. "Send message to New York. Build legionarre regiments. All units not garrisoned within the cities will head toward the French forces and engage! Do you understand page?"

"Yessir!"

"How's our developments on that...weel, or whatever it's called?"

"Pretty good. Our generals are considering incorporating it into military tactics."

Dubya nodded slowly. "That's good. Now go."
The page left...

Dubya turned back around to his palace overlook. The French! , he thought.

CENTRAL GRASSLANDS - The commander of the First Militia Regiment receives his orders: Destroy the French.

Damn , he thought, Dubya isn't even talking to these people. He just wants them dead.

Upon exiting his tent, he relays the message to his subordinate commanders.

"General Lee," one of the subordinates calls out, "maybe we should try and talk to the French about this situation."

General Lee shakes his head. "No. Dubya has given an order. We will follow it."

"Yessir," the man says, reluctantly. He knows the brilliance of General Lee. Lee had been a petty enlisted man when the American Armed Forces were formed. Clawing his way up the ranks, he proved to be a man of great valor. Having been wounded twice fighting off barbarian tribes, Lee had received the greatest military honor in the Armed Service's history, The Fist of Glory Medal. That, along with a commission as Lieutenant General. Following his commssioning, he led the First Militia straight into a barbarian village and slaughtered every warrior who didn't surrender. With this smashing victory, Lee was promoted to Field General, the highest rank acheivable in the US Military. Now he was ordering his men to march, not into an uncivilized barbarian force, but into a full national army regiment.

With that, the field commanders organize their men and march them, daggers in hand, toward the well-equipped, dug-in French forces. Within an hour, almost every American militiaman is dead and the surviving officers flee, along with General Lee, back to Washington. Meanwhile, tactical generals have completed their plans for a new force called a chariot. With this, the men believe, the Americans will have the upper hand in any conflict. Just as the presentation finishes and Dubya is about to leave the conference room, word arrives that General Lee and a few surviving officers have returned to Washington in defeat.

"No!" Dubya exclaims. "That can't be. General Lee is my best commanding officer. He couldn't have failed."

"Sorry, sir," a messenger explains solemnly, "the French forces were too strong. And there's one more thing, sir."

"What is it?" Dubya asks, frustrated.

"French regiments are on their way here and we don't have any American forces ready to stop them."

WASHINGTON - Dubya storms into the military barracks and demands to know where Lee is. After being directed to nearby chambers, Dubya finds Lee sullen and depressed, going over the battle in his mind. How many things would he have changed if he had the chance? Maybe if the militiamen had tried a Lincoln Flanking Manuver, the battle may have been won. Maybe if the militia had-

"Lee!" yells Dubya, standing in the doorway. "What happened?"

Lee slowly looks up to his commander and utters two words he has never said before: "I failed."

Dubya and Lee discuss the battle and Dubya informs Lee that the French forces are heading this way.

"What I want you to do, Lee, is to go to New York. I've ordered them to begin training a chariot regiment. My tactic generals say this could give us a supreme edge in war. The problem is, it'll take too long to train them here in Washington. This city is trying to put together a Legionarre Regiment under the command of General Grant."

"I thought Grant was in charge of national defense troops only." says Lee.

"This is national defense. If we can't break the French with our Legionarres and you can't get here in time, we're done for...Go to New York, oversee the training and familiarize yourself with the chariot. When you have completed the regiment, drive as fast and as hard as you can back here. Take the city over if it's been captured or break anyone that threatens it."

"Yessir!"

With that, Lee immediately left the barracks for his trek. New York lay on the shore of the Southern Sea, just like Washington but there was no road connecting the two. A rugged string of valleys and mountains seprated the two cities and Lee would have to traverse the entire distance at the head of a regiment.

Dubya returns to his palace and looks over the city. Some legionarre infantrymen are training in the streets. He prays Lee will make it back in time as he knows the Legionarres will fail......

NEW YORK

"C'mon men! Hold the stirrup tight against your chest. Make sure your feet are firmly on the chariot, shoulder-width apart. Now I want to see a Van Buren Battle Formation NOW!!"

Lee is training his troops hard for the upcomming battles. It has been two months since his failure in the Central Grasslands and the memory of that fateful day still haunts him. He wants to make sure a failure of that magnitude never happens again. Word has been coming in from Washington that the French forces are approaching the Federal Farmlands (an area of irrigation and road networks north of Washington between the hilly midlands and the coast. They could strike anytime in the next few months if they want. The legionarre regiment under the command of General Grant is almost ready to strike although many military analysts see the attack as the sure failure. There have also been strange rumors circulating throughout the nation that another civilization, The Romans, have been destroyed by yet another civilization called the English. These English are rumored to dwell somewhere beyond the Great Sea (an ocean to the north of the American Penninsula). Most thought is concentrated on the impending French invasion, however. Lee grows more and more worried that if the French decide to march all-out on Washington, he will not get there in time.

The days pass and finally, the First Legionarre Regiment is ready for action! With the French have just arrived onto the Federal Farmlands, the legionarres will have a direct route toward the enemy. Dubya immediately orders the regiment to march and on a sunny, August day, the regiment leaves the city under a large parade-atmosphere. Taking the direct route to the French encampments, the legionarres pause for a short rest, a few miles away.

Suddenly, the next day, Grant orders a full-on assault of the French phalanx regiment. The French knew the legionarres were coming and had fortified their positions. The battle began with a long line of legionarre battalions trying to pierce the French lines. The first infantrymen were unsuccessful at breaking the lines and many, upon seeing their commrades dead, broke rank and fled the battlefield without fighting. Suddenly, some French phalanx platoons broke off as skirmishes and slughtered the retreating men. Grant was dumbfounded as the battle concluded and was forced to flee under pressure from advancing battalions. The battle had been a dismal failure due to the fact, Grant realized later, that the men had been rushed in their training and had not had enough disciplinary training.

Upon hearing of the defeat, Dubya decided to wait and see if the French would assault the city head-on. Surely, they knew the roads of the Federal Farmlands led to Washington. However, the attack wasn't coming. Scouts later reported that the phalax regiment was taking time buring the fields and terrorizing the farmhands. This was giving the city a little bit of extra time and a small window of hope. Dubya knew the fate of Washington was all up to Lee now......

THE GATES OF NEW YORK - Lee charged out of New York at the head of the First Chariot Regiment. No parade, no nothing. He knew his mission was too critical to waste a second on trivial formalities. Lee led his regiment through the rugged hills seperating New York and Washington. The last he heard, the French troops were within striking distance of the capital and the legionarre regiment had failed to stop them. It was all up to him now. He rode for ten hours every day, pushing his men and horses to their limit. The future of the empire rested on his regiment. Back in New York, Lee had made sure to train the men hard and fast, but not rushed. He knew the consequences of improper training. Once, he had been captain of various platoons during the first barbarian hostilities. He had seen firsthand what happened when men were not properly trained and discplined.

Finally, three weeks after they had left New York, the regiment charged up and over the last hill overlooking Washington. Lee stopped dead in his tracks as he saw what had happened...

Washington was still intact with the American flag waving proudly over the Palace. His men gave a cheer as they saw the city and quickly sprinted down the hill and into the city. The people gave a cheer as they saw their General return with troops. Dubya came out to greet General Lee.

"Very well done, General! I knew I could trust in you." Dubya said. "I assume you've heard by now. Our legionarres failed."

Lee nodded, solemn, remembering his own defeat. Finally, he said, grimly, "How's Grant taking it?"

"He's fine. I realize now that Grant is a much better warrior in defense than offense."

"This is true, sir."

"Shall we begin fortifying the city?"

Lee looked up. "What are you talking about? They'll slaughter us here. These chariots are amazing weapons but only if they're put in an offensive position. No good in defense."

There was a long pause. Then, Dubya said, "Well, if that's what you believe, General Lee, then do what you have to do. Just save this city."

"Yessir!"

General Lee signaled his men to rally and follow him out of the city. The populace gave a long, proud yell as the regiment exited the city toward the French positions.

At the head of the regiment, Lee was horrified to find the French only a few miles away in neighboring districts. Had he been any slower in getting to Washington, he might have not made it in time to save the city. Without slowing down, Lee charged full-force at the French lines. General Le Chente, commander of the French regiment had been taken totally by surprise. His scouts had reported Washington as being defenseless. Lee charged down the road and into the French phalanx. None of the French had seen a chariot before and many fled the oncoming assault. Le Chente marched toward the front of the lines to show his men that there was nothing to be afraid of. Suddenly, Lee turned parallel to the line, sprinted toward Le Chente, and axed his head off, leaving his body streaming blood over the nearby infantrymen. By this time, the rest of the chariot regiment had arrived and were hacking away at the phalanx. The French broke rank and fled into the Washingtonian districts before they were apprehended. Lee never killed men that were unwilling to fight. Captured soldiers were marched toward a nearby city and made to swear allegiance to America or face imprisonment.

An hour after the battle had begun, it was over. Lee was holding the bloody head of Le Chente in one hand and the Seal of the First French Phalanx Regiment in the other. The threat to Washington was over, the Americans had found a brutally effective weapon, and it was time to take the war to the French people......

CENTRAL GRASSLANDS - General Lee stormed through French lands looking for their first city. He had encountered several militia regiments on the way, and had dispatched them in due order. The chariots were clearly the wave of the future and the French would soon realize that nothing could stand in the way of the American people. After the battle that saved Washington, Lee had been given the Wing of the Angel Medal for upstanding bravery and fantastic leadership. Having been awarded the Fist of Glory Medal earlier in life, he was now the most decorated soldier in the history of America. This fact, inspired many young men to volunteer in the Armed Forces as charioteers under Lee's command.

In the meantime, Lee was in his fourth month of searching. Dubya would be wanting to hear some good news anytime it came. Suddenly, his scouts came rolling over a small hill shouting that they had found a city.

"Orleans, General! Orleans!" they shouted.

"Calm down, men," Lee exclaimed as they approached. "What is it? What have you found?"

"Sir, we've found a city a few miles to the east. It's called Orleans. It looks to be defended by two or three phalanx and militia regiments. No roads or farmland from what we can see, but there might be a mine nearby."

Lee absorbed the knowledge and pondered over it for a while. Finally, he said, "We attack at dawn." The charioteers gave shout of joy. Battle at last!

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The next morning, Lee assembled his officers and rallied all the charioteers together. This, he knew, would not be an easy victory. Lee had never faced more than one regiment at a time. And these were three fortified regiments within a city. Clearly, a difficult task. However, Lee was confident in his men's skills and gave the order to charge into the city.

Orleans, with no city walls, had been barricaded by makeshift ramparts made from old wagon and furniture. Stationed within the city and behind the barricade, the French regiments awaited the Americans. Suddenly, there came a roar from the hills overlooking the city. The Americans were charging. Lee headed the regiment, as usual, and drove violently through the barricades. His men followed and urban combat ensued with chariots rolling down streets and hacking away at defenders. The regiments, despite their supreme numbers couldn't overcome the American technology and quickly fell. The populace, upon seeing imminent defeat, rose up to fight as well. Lee slaughtered the insurgents and, in the fighting, set fire to the city, destroying Orleans once and for all. The victory was smashing and, as Lee and his men left the charred ruins, a call rose out, "TO PARIS!"

CENTRAL GRASSLANDS - As Lee sped out of the ruins of Orleans and deeper into French territory, some subordinate officers stayed back to secure the area and patrol for resources. One day, while the Second Chariot Regiment from Washington was patrolling the area, they suddenly encountered a militia regiment flying strange banners. No one had ever encountered this civilization before, and the Americans decided not to attack. Both regiment leaders met in an informal meeting and tried to understand what each other was saying in their native tongues. After several hours of painstaking interpretation, it was discovered these men were "Indians" from the north and wanted to declare a state of peace with the Americans. Since war powers leave it to the officers to make diplomatic decisions in unfamiliar situations, the officers agreed. A state of peace now existed between India of the north and America. When Dubya heard of this, he concurred...but he knew once Paris fell, he would direct his attention to India. Just then, Dubya heard more news from the front...Lee has found the defenders of Paris......

FORMER FRENCH TERRITORY - Lee rumbled through the French lands, killing off anybody who stood in his way. He had found and destroyed another minor French settlement and was now rolling down a tiny penninsula. Just then, his scouts came back with great news.

"Sir!" one of the couts said. "We've found Paris at last! It's at the end of this Penninsula on the coast."

"Great job, scout!" Lee replied, beaming. "We'll stop here and prepare a plan of attack."

Lee called all his major officers to discuss how Paris could be taken. Dubya had ordered that if at all possible, Paris should be saved from destruction and remain in American control. Lee agreed and careful steps needed to be taken to save the city. Typically, Lee would've launched a two-prong attack on the penninsula. The first attack would be a land thrust down the penninsula toward Paris. The second would be an amphibious invasion to cut the city off from reinforcements and protect the first American land attack. The problem was that America had no navy and raising one would take too much time. The land attack would have to do.

Lee estimated the garrison strength at Paris to be no more than three regiments strong. He also noted that Paris was a strong city and its people well-educated and intellectual. He wanted a strong, blitzkreig-style push down the small penninsula and into the city. He ordered his officers not to destroy any part of the city if possible and not to engage any passive civilians. "Destroy the garrison," Lee said, "and you will quell the people." A brutal show of strength, he believed, would keep the people from rising up violently. He added that the city should be kept under martial law for at least a year to prevent any civilians from establishing a rogue faction.

Finally, the day came when the regiments organized and began moving out toward Paris. Eight months had passed since the Battle of the Washington Suburbs when it looked like the American nation was about to fall. Now, the tables were turned and the French were down to their last city. Lee smashed through a phalanx regiment stationed outside the city and fortified his positions for the final battle.

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The next morning, Lee walked out and rode to the top of a nearby hill overlooking Paris. The French regiments were fortified and ready for battle. Lee raised his hand and an enormous line of charioteers formed at the hill's crest. He held his hand up for just a minute, and then brought it down. The chariots charged with Lee at the head and the battle began.

Lee tried, repeatedly, to smash through the barricades protecting the city but the defenders didn't give way. He encircled the city to spread the defender units out but still couldn't break through the lines. Suddenly, the French defenders came out of their fortified positions and attacked the nearby charioteers. Lee, right next to the defense lines, fought hand-to-hand with several Frenchmen, killing them all, before being forced to fall back to his reinforcement lines. Upon seeing the loss of an entire chariot regiment, he cursed, "Damn those Frenchmen!"

Immediately, he led a second regiment to the city. Some defenders had captured chariots and rode up to face the oncoming assault. They were quickly subdued and Lee vowed not to quit without taking the city. He focused on one point in the barricade where he thought there might be a weakness. He smashed through and entered the city. With this breach in defenses, the rest of the regiment followed and began killing off the defenders within the city. An hour later, the battle was over and Paris had not burned down. Lee, bloodied up from battle and holding a red, dripping axe in his hand, walked into the Presidential Palace, found Napoleon and executed him. He continued, imprisoning the French congress, until he arrived at the Palace flagpole. Lee took down the French flag and burned it, replacing it with a neat red, white, and blue American one. The nation of France ceased to exist at that point.

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Back in Washington, Dubya was heard to be crying, hollering and laughing upon hearing the news. He grabbed at his emperial charts and quickly scratched out the word "France". He ordered Lee home to a fantastic parade and feast in his honor. After spending a few days in Washington, Lee traveled to New York to speak on military tactics and to try and get approval for more military funds. Then, Lee returned to Washington for a conference with Dubya. Dubya told him of a new civilization to the north of the Central Grasslands that might allow the empire to expand even more.

Dubya said, "These 'Indians' must be dealt with quickly. I feel their power might soon rival America's own. We must make sure we are left room to grow and be safe."

Just then, a messenger walked in. He exclaimed, "Barbarians have risen up in the Central Grasslands, near New York, as well as near Paris. It looks like these guerillas are challenging our powers in the area."

AMERICA - A year had passed since the capture of Paris. Martial law was called off and the city experienced fantastic growth with no internal problems. A new city, Boston, was founded on the eastern shore of the American Penninsula. Lee took command, again, of offensive forces for the invasion of India. Barbarian hordes were moving toward Paris, Washington, and New York. General Grant called up defensive forces to fortify the cities. And America had been working on perfecting the art of maritime navigation. All in all, America was growing...but, as Lee moved into position for the attack on India, an era was closing on the entire nation.

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Lee moved into the Central Grasslands for his first assault on the Indians. He had located an Indian militia regiment unaware of American troop movements. His chariots moved in, and Lee led the force into battle...the Indians were slaughtered. War now existed between India and America, and the whole world changed forever.

As Lee mentioned many years later, that autumn morning in the Central Grasslands, American policy changed. The era when the only military actions by America were in response to foreign threats was over. India had never encroached on American soil and the Central Grasslands were unclaimed by any nation. Dubya had attacked first and the power of America would change drastically...from a two-city nation defeding itself from the French, to a military power bent on destroying anyone it found.

Lee said it correctly in his book, America: Blood and Soil:

The attack on India was the first time I knew America would become a superpower. The battle killed the old policy of defense, and ushered in the new one...a policy of blood and militarism.

Click to expand...

CENTRAL GRASSLANDS - Officially, the war began because of "Indian agressive movements." Off the record, Dubya wanted the entire island he dwelled on to be his. So...Lee was glad to give in to him. Lee moved north with regiments of chariots toward the Indian cities. His scouts came back with reports that the nation dwelled on the northern coast with several cities on a small penninsula extending even farther north to the west. Lee chose this as his first target. He found a river valley with sophisticated irrigation and road systems, much like the Federal Farmlands (which were still in ruins). He encountered the city of Bombay first and destroyed it without problems. This, he knew, would be a war of attrition. Dubya didn't want any cities in the north, he wanted the Indian civilization to dissapear.

Following his victory in Bombay, Lee moved farther up the penninsula toward Delhi. With his overpowering number of chariots, experience in battle, and relative unpreparedness of the Indian people, Lee destroyed each city, virtually unopposed. From Delhi, he moved onto Calcutta. Then, Bangalore. And finally, Madras, the capital. India ceased to exist and the Americans had lost very few men. It had been a smashing, yet, unremarkable victory. No major battles. No definitive seiges. No major resistance or suprises. "A simple, little war," Dubya recalled. Afterwards, the barbarians attacked and lost against Grant's defenses. In addition, Washington built it's first sailboat fleet and began exploring the expanses of the ocean...There, they would find rivals. There, they would meet their match. There, they would have to fight with everything they had......

AMERICAN PENNINSULA - After the Indian-American War, Dubya decided to begin a new program to expand the powers of the nation. A domestic policy known as :"Ameri-growth" was instituted and the nation began to expand its civil powers for the future. Washington approved the emigration of hundreds of civilians to found new cities in the area as well as build an infrastructure. Atlanta and Philadelphia were built...the Federal Farmlands were repaired...and many more agricultural and industrial projects were created. At the same time, America raised a navy and began exploring the vast Great Sea.

"Ameri-growth", however, became very burdensome to the economy after a while. With Washington doing most of the work, too many people were emigrating from the city. The tax-base fell and the city became a ghost-town. Dubya and his cabinet were left without a functional city. Immediately, after his troops threatened to leave (because they were only guarding empty buildings), Dubya instituted an Emergency Economic Freeze throughout the city and forced settlers to come back and repopulate the capital. Other cities were made to carry the burden of supporting the settlers and order returned throughout the nation.

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Several weeks later, the First Sail Fleet, under the command of Admiral Nimitz, arrived at an island to the north of the American Penninsula and found it populated. Following an expedition into the island, a small civilization known as the Germans was found. Germany had been founded only a few years before from French factions and was not militarily advanced. Dubya decided to invade the island and Lee was ordered to land and take the only city, Berlin. Reluctantly, Lee invaded the island and killed off the meager defenders before taking the city. Berlin would serve as a northern "buffer" city to protect the mainland from northern invasion.The Germans had been subdued but Lee, tired from over twenty-five years of war, retired to his home near New York, wanting never again to fight or see men die. A younger General MacArthur took command and continued the search for more civilizations. Meanwhile, Dubya had been hearing of a new style of warfare known as Chivalry that would throw the seasoned chariot out the window......

More please!

WASHINGTON -

"Mr. President!" yelled a page in the Presidential Palace.

"Yes," Dubya replied, surprised at the man's excitement, "what is it?"

"Our scientists in the technology sector have requested your presence to view something incredible!!"

Dubya remained calm and serious. "What do they want to show me?"

"Well, as you know we've been developing theories on feudalism and caste systems. In conjunction with that, our scientists had been experimenting with cavalry tactics and maneuverability. I think they've come up with something called a knight that might be the next revolution in warfare."

Dubya paused to think. The chariot had been developed in a similar way years before. "Okay, let's go."

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Dubya exited the presentation room with the glee of an eight year old in a candy store.

"Mr. Ford!" Dubya called out to his industrial manager. "Get me regiments of knights fast! Begin disbanding the chariot regiments!"

"Yessir!" Ford responded.

Within a few months, the first regiments of knights had been trained and were replacing the chariots as the main offensive weapons in the Barbarian Wars. In addition, fleets were being prepared to take knights to foreign battlefields as soon as a new civilization was discovered.

Finally, about eight months after the knight came into power, Nimitz reported sighting a foreign city northwest of Berlin. His scouts reported the name: Birmingham and the civilization: English. Upon further investigation, Nimitz found English cities all over a large cross-shaped island north of Berlin. Their weaponry was advanced, although not as much as the Americans. Dubya wanted war but MacArthur staunchly opposed an unprovoked attack. Dubya considered demoting him but realized he didn't really have any capable commanders in the Army. The only one was the retired Lee who had been in every American war to date. If something could convince Lee to come back into active service, Dubya would have a good chance at winning the war. However, Lee also opposed unprovoked warfare and had no intention of returning to the Army.

Just as Dubya was thinking about how to start a war, he received an urgent message from abroad: English chariots and legionarres had landed on the Island of Berlin (formerly the German Island) and destroyed the city and defenders. Dubya declared war immediately. The next day, General Lee came out of retirement and assumed command of all offensive forces......

WASHINGTON - Months in retirement had taken little from General Lee. Working around his farm, Lee had maintained his great physique. In his free time, he studied military arts extensively and managed to publish his first book, The History of the Chariot. Without the toil of war, Lee had developed new battlefield theories and had become very involved in developing the knight. Lee was at the top of his game when he decided to return to the military.

A few days had passed since the declaration of war and Dubya, Lee, Nimitz, MacArthur, Grant, and other high officials were in a top secret war discussion to discuss how America was going to handle this titanic threat. England was the most powerful nation they had come in contact with. The Indians, French, and Germans had nothing on the English military power. An island rich with resources had produced the one of the greatest military machines ever. City after city was pumping out troops every month and there were rumors that the English were developing knights. Elizabeth I was a merciless ruler and prefered to strike first rather than awaiting an attack.

"So," Dubya began, "how should we counter this threat?"

"Launch an attack on English soil immediately," MacArthur rang out.

"Now wait," Nimitz stepped in, "the English have taken the Island of Berlin merely a few hundred miles to the north. If they infest the island with cities, we could have a mainland attack."

"So take the Island of Berlin first?" Dubya asked.

"Yes," Lee said. "Take the island first. It will give the cities time to prepare more troops as well as a practice invasion for the main assault on the English."

"Good," Dubya said. "But how? How are we going to pull it off? Admiral Nimitz?"

"Well," Nimitz began, "we have several galleon fleets in the Philadelphia harbor. Each can carry three regiments of men. They're fast and effective. I see no problem in transporting the men."

"Good," Dubya responded. "Now, General Lee, how many men do you need?"

"Well," Lee began, "knights are very effective over legions, phalanxes and even chariots. To take back the island I should only need three regiments."

"Done," Dubya finalized. "Three regiments to the Island of Berlin. After that, what should be our course of action?"

"I think an invasion of England should proceed immediately afterwards," Nimitz replied.

"I agree," Grant said. "Don't give them any chance of strinking the mainland."

"Yes, you're right," Lee commented. "An invasion at Birmingham would be the best option. It's the penninsula we're most familiar with."

"Then what?" Dubya asked.

"Keep moving," Lee said. "Put pressure on the English. We should work our way up the penninsula and strike the Midlands. Then, branch off into the three remaining penninsulas and exterminate the defenders. Take London and begin reconstructing our economy."

"So you believe we should assimilate the English cities?" Dubya asked. "Not destroy them?"

"We've been given a rare opportunity to double the size of our nation. I say take it. The English Island can serve as our northern center of power."

"Okay gentlemen," Dubya said, standing up. "I've heard all the facts I need. I'll review them and make my decision in a few days. Thank you."

The men stood up and left the conference room. As Lee was leaving, he heard the neighing of horses outside. Looking out, he saw the newest regiment of knights training up for war......

THE ISLAND OF BERLIN BEACHES - General Lee took a look around the island. What a cold, barren place, he thought as his knight regiments poured onto the beach from anchored frigates. The sky was a dull gray with a slight mist in the air. The waves lapped silently at the pebbly beach while the wind blew over plains and into the men. The island was not much more than a large field of dry, weed-like grass. There were no hills of significance anywhere. There were no useful animals or mineral resources to be found anywhere. The Germans had picked a poor place to establish a city and Lee didn't miss Berlin too much. The city had been a breeding ground of drunkards and theives.

However, his mission now was to rid this God-forsaken dirt mound of the English. As soon as all his men were offloaded on the beach, he moved onto the plains and began marching toward the ruins of Berlin. He arrived by the next morning and found the city burned to the ground with its defenders buried in a mass grave outside the walls. Lee found no one alive in or around the city and decided to move on and find the English assailants.

Finally, by breaking off into small groups and scouting the island, he found two chariot regiments on the northern end. Remembering that chariots were no good in defense, he charged full-force into the English and slaughtered the regiments without problems. The first battles of the English-American War had been fought and the Island of Berlin was clear. Dubya had no intention of rebuilding Berlin and ordered the island to be demilitirized and abandoned.

By that time, Nimitz was already moving his fleets, fully loaded with men toward Birmingham. Lee and his regiments were picked up along the way and the largest amphibious invasion to date was about to bring war to the English people......

Hello, everyone...hope you're enjoying my story. Thanx and keep reading, I'll keep writing!!! The map contains every city of significance in my story with different territories and geographical locations. The black cities are cities that are still in existance in this part of the story while the white squares are the destroyed ones.

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SHORES NEAR BIRMINGHAM - Nimitz looked over the entire deck of his lead frigate. A cold breeze blew through the men on deck as they approached the English coast. A misty, cloud hung over the choppy sea as everyone on board prepared for offloading.

Three weeks before, General Lee's forces had abandoned the Island of Berlin and joined up with forces from the mainland en route to England. Together, they made up the largest military power in American history. Nine knight regiments sailed on board three frigate fleets heading full-steam toward the shores of Birmingham.

The entire undertaking was called: Operation Tidal Wave, or the invasion of England. It consisted of a massive initial invasion to take Birmingham and establish a foothold in England; followed by supplemental regiments from the mainland for reinforcement. Most of the public was kept in the dark about the whole thing. To their knowledge, the hundreds of troops leaving the American mainland were peacekeeping forces for the Island of Berlin. No one in the general public could have imagined the massive invasion about to take place. Equally, no one in England could have predicted it either. Presently, Queen Elizabeth I was making plans to re-invade the Island of Berlin and try to scratch out an agreement between England and America.

Lee gave little thought to all this, however. His job was to invade and assimilate the English empire. The troops began the slow process of disembarking on the beach. Lee took the first longboat and rowed to the beach. After arriving, he remained motionless for a few minutes on the boat. No one else on board knew what was going on, but Lee realized the significance of this moment. It was the first time American troops were to step on English land. Lee looked over the sand dunes and into the distant horizon. Fertile plains, rich mountains, powerful rivers, and unsettled lands dotted the expanse as Lee took his time to notice. Finally, he slammed his boot into the soft sand and there began the greatest invasion in history and the bloodiest war on Earth.

Five hours later, all of Lee's knights were on the beach and were preparing to advance toward Birmingham. The city lay several miles inland and would be the first American target. Lee's scouts estimated a garrison strength of about two phalanx regiments, well within capabilities. He decided to attack in the morning and give the men some time to settle down for the long war ahead. He was sure English patrols had spotted his army on the beach but it was too late to save the city. Birmingham would fall......

oh ****thon :tank:

JUST OUTSIDE OF BIRMINGHAM -

"CHAAAAARGE!" Lee yelled as his knights bolted across the Birmingham Bridge, at the entrance to the city. Leading the pack, Lee smashed through the poorly made defenses and opened the way for the rest of his knights to take the city. The defenders, having never seen armored men on horseback, surrendered without much resistance and turned the city over to America...The first English city had fallen to the Americans.

After rounding up and imprisoning the mayor and other officials in Birmingham, Lee charged out of the city and headed north as fast as he could. The Americans would gain a great advantage if they could occupy as much territory as possible before the English had a chance to react. Lee's plan was to advance as fast as he could up the Birmingham Penninsula, capture Rome and perhaps threaten Dover before the English could have a chance at counterattacking. He wanted to reach the Midlands (the area where the four English penninsulas come together) and make a strong stand if the English unleashed their war machine.

Following his plan, Lee reached Rome two weeks after Birmingham fell. Capturing it without difficulty, he split his army into two divisions. One would head toward Coventry while the other would attack Dover. The English still hadn't rallied together and Lee planned on making the most of their hesitation. He captured Dover and Coventry easily and entered the Midlands.

MacArthur's division, which had captured Coventry, advanced toward Nottingham while Lee's division charged toward York. Lee managed to capture York easily but MacArthur ran into problems at Nottingham. Lee wrote to MacArthur, giving him some advice on how to handle the knights, but MacArthur ignored the lessons. Lee continued his blitzkreig invasion and arrived at Exeter. During the capture of Exeter, someone set fire to the city and destroyed it. Leaving the ruins of Exeter, Lee continued toward Reading and captured it successfully. Now London was cut off from the rest of its empire.

However, MacArthur had not captured Nottingham. The city was founded on a hill and had veteran defenders guarding its gates. Lee travelled to MacArthur's division and found MacArthur's leadership skills to be mediocre. After relieving MacArthur of command, Lee personally led the knights into Nottingham and captured yet another English city. England was now split in two, with London on the southern end and Liverpool and Brighton guarding the northern tundras. As Lee was about to smash the northern cities, an event occured that forever changed the course of the world......

BIRMINGHAM - It was a November morning. The sun shone brightly but the garrison of American phalanxes and knights felt no relief from the bitter cold. While the men were trying to warm themselves beside a small fire, one of them noticed a band of men marching just outside the city. Leaving to investigate, several of the American soldiers noticed the strange men were flying foreign banners from a distant nation. Suddenly, the small group of men turned into attack formation and the American garrison prepared itself for battle.

Upon seeing the situation, some of the American men laughed. There was barely one regiment of foreign troops standing up against four seasoned American phalanx regiments. Suicide...or so the men thought. At first, the garrison thought they were militia carrying spears or short swords. As the foreign troops marched closer, however, they noticed the men were carrying metal tubes of some sort.

Suddenly, the foreigners stopped marching and moved into several lines about a hundred yards from the American garrison. They pointed their metal tubes at the garrison and, suddenly, smoke and fire seemed to erupt from the end of the tubes. Dozens of American men fell dead. The foreigners fired again and more American troops fell dead. By this time, the phalanx regiments knew they were dead if they continued to stand there. Some of them charged at the foreign troops. The phalanx men were cut down immediately by the foreign firepower and the remaining defenders fled the city. The foreigners marched in and took over the city.

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In Washington, Dubya was the first to hear the news: The Babylonians had captured Birmingham. He declared war without a second thought and the First World War began......