The War of the 21st Century

Chapter 3: The Summit

Not long after the Chinese invaded Taiwan, Republican president Davis agreed to meet with the president of the United States Nicholas MacArthur. For the first time in two years, they agreed to meet face-to-face during a 24-hour ceasefire. The war had turned into a stalemate, with neither side close to winning. The Great Divide had created a logistical nightmare for the US government forces trying to move its troops around and their objectives lay on the capture of the nothern center Republican states to link up the eastern states with the west. On the other side, the RSA had a war on two fronts: battling the US from the east and west sides.

Under these conditions, the two men met in neutral territory. MacArthur argued:

- "A house divided shall not stand. I agree that we are both responsible for this mess. Both! Democrats and Republicans. But there was no need for this. Don't deny that you have brought about the downfall of this nation. Don't deny that even you know that you have made a mistake. There is no need to keep on doing this. While we do this, our nation weeps while the world laughs at us."

Davis riposted:

- "The nation was already divided years ago. We simply set a line between your people and mine. A democracy doesn't work when the nation is split down the middle. Democracy only works if the people feel that at the end of the day they are on the same team, no matter their differences and opinions. But that was not the case! Your leaders only legislated for the democratic voters. We Republicans were not a minority; we were half of the population, and we were being ignored! And don't forget: We did not want to wage war. You did! You struck us first in order to submit us into the union once again."

The two men had not spoken in two years of conflict. The US government did not recognize the secession of the Republican States, and thus they were considered rebels and not a formal government. The Chinese invasion of Taiwan changed that view by necessity. Now, the US needed to establish some form of communication with their disgruntled neighbors, so there was no choice. They had a lot to talk about, and while MacArthur was the more practical man, Davis was an idealist. However, there was some hope. Unlike his predecessors, The President believed Davis was a man of principle and a good moral compass. He even believed they weren't that different...

"You wouldn't have done anything different if you were in my position. The only reason you are not in my position is because you lost the elections."

"If I had won, there would have been no secession."

"Correct you are, sir! At least we Democrats wouldn't have seceded. You agree?"

"And there is your mistake. You only think about the Democrats, when you should have thought about both."

MacArthur stayed quiet for seconds. He had a short temper. He tried to control his rage...

"This is pointless banter. This is not about two years ago; This is about now. The Chinese just made their first move, and we need to make ours. You know what is at stake here!

Davis had a cooler temperament on the surface. He was of the passive-aggressive brand, and he believed he could use the Chinese invasion to pressure the US government into an agreement in his favor. Now was his chance to end the war in his terms...

"If it's peace what you seek? We'll let you have it with the following conditions: withdraw your troops from our borders, recognize the Republican States of America as a separate country, pay reparations for our besieged states and our fallen soldiers, and we are willing to commit to a limited alliance. We are willing to establish commerce and exchange supplies. We will not supply our soldiers."

MacArthur made his counteroffer...

"We agree on a ceasefire, and established commerce only on a limited level. We won't pay reparations and won't recognize you as separate country; it is just out of the question."

Davis countered again...

"We are willing to cede the northern states in exchange for withdrawal, reparations and recognition."

Under the circumstances and after hours of talking, MacArthur was convinced that it was probably the best offer the Republicans were willing to do, and yet he knew that recognition would be akin to surrender and losing the war...

"If you cede the northern states, we will withdraw our troops from besieged states and pay reparations for only fallen soldier families. As for recognition of the RSA, the answer is no..."

MacArthur stopped dishing the offer for a second...

 "Lincoln...I believe that we can make this country whole again. This division will not stand forever. My hope is to do it peacefully. You are our brethren too. But if you don't acquiesce in time, we will do it by force and we will win."

Davis feared MacArthur's words. He knew Nicholas was determined to follow on the footsteps of Abraham Lincoln. History looked like it was doing a full circle, and he was on the losing side of the struggle even if he thought he was the righteous one. MacArthur at least had an explicit example to follow...What example should he follow? 

After a few seconds, he replied:

"I'll take your offer to our congress. I believe you'll have a deal... As for your statement about forcing us back into the US...remember this: the cost will be higher than you can bear, and you will not achieve true peace even if you win."

And thus it was that the Civil War came to a halt after two years of bitter fighting. North Dakota, Montana, and Idaho were welcomed back into the United States in exchange for money reparations and the withdrawal of troops from the besieged states of North Carolina and Ohio. The move was seen as a victory for the RSA because even though they were not recognized as a separate country on record, they were functioning and trading with the US as if they were. They also withstood the might of a superior army up to this point, and didn't lose any ground, except the territories they ceded in exchange for temporal peace. 

As for the US, the move wasn't seen as good idea by the people, even with the ceded states. The people didn't understand the rationale behind it. What they didn't know was that the US was preparing to send its armed forces in an alliance with the Japanese, and Australians to aid the Taiwanese against the Chinese in the Pacific. The people did not want to be involved in another war, not knowing that war was going to come  either way. War was inevitable.

As for the Chinese, they had planned for this war for years. They just believed that it wasn't wise to attack the most powerful nation in the world; they knew that they would destroy themselves, and in two years they proved it. With the nation split between USA and RSA, the military also divided, weakening the ranks of a once all-powerful army. 

And thus, in a stalemate the Modern Civil War ends. The War of the 21st Century begins...