The Port of Charleston, South Carolina's seaside is the largest port in South Carolina where the Koper and Ashley rivers meet and flow into the Atlantic Gulf.

Near Charleston Harbor, there are three castles under the direct administration of the American Federation, of which Fort Moultrie is guarded by less than 70 soldiers, Fort Pinckney has only 1 soldier, and Fort Sumter is still under construction and has not yet been garrisoned, but the geographical location is extremely important, and the scale of construction is also the largest.

Inside Fort Sumter. Major Anderson said to one of his lieutenants with remorse on his face at this moment: "I originally thought that Fort Sumter was huge, and even if the fortifications were not fully built, it would definitely be firmly defended and easier to defend against attacks from South Carolina. Unexpectedly, there were only 9 artillery pieces deployed in this Fort Sumter, which was less than half of the number I guessed. If I knew that this would be better than not changing guards, I would have stayed at Moultrie Castle! ”

The lieutenant comforted his superiors and said, "Major, you also know that the federal government has been short of funds, and it is normal for Fort Sumter to be underdeployed. However, the location is dangerous, and the walls of Fort Sumter have been built, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack. And Major, does South Carolina really dare to attack us? ”

Anderson shook his head: "South Carolina, it's really hard to say!" In any case, we are soldiers of the Federation, defend the Federation, guard Fort Sumter, carry out the orders of the Federation! ”

The lieutenant said, "Major, the number of our soldiers is too small!" You asked your boss to increase the defense, did you reply? If South Carolina really launches an attack, how can we hold on to the 67 of us, even if Fort Sumter is strong? ”

Anderson's face darkened: "The order from the War Department is to do our best with our current strength, and let us not take any action that provokes South Carolina." If the South Carolina Armed Forces take the initiative to attack, or prepare to attack, they will lead troops into Fort Sumter, which is the easiest to defend. I'll take the worst of the plan and go straight to this Fort Sumter first. The former Minister of War has resigned, and the new Minister of War in the Cabinet has not yet been appointed, so it is estimated that there will definitely be no additional troops in the short term! ”

While he was talking, a sergeant entered the room to report that South Carolina Governor William Gist had sent a notice. Anderson's face changed when he saw the result: "The governor of South Carolina is very angry when he knows that we are stationed in this Fort Sumter. In a fit of rage, he wrote a letter of warning to me, asking us to leave here within three days. and informed me that he would immediately send for the seizure of all federal territories and property in South Carolina, especially in Charleston, and that the other two castles next to it would soon fly the South Carolina flag. It seems that war between the Union and South Carolina is inevitable! ”

The lieutenant's face changed drastically: "Major, what should we do?" ”

"What should be done?" Anderson said proudly: "It is the duty of a soldier to obey orders. We were asked not to attack South Carolina as much as possible, and to hold Fort Sumter as best we could with our existing forces, and we complied. In the meantime, report the situation to the federal government as soon as possible! Whether there is a war or not, it is not something we can decide, let the upper authorities solve it! ”

..........

Houston, the capital of Texas (the capital was not Austin at this time).

Governor Houston paced back and forth in his apartment, clearly unsettling the situation.

As Houston, who is known as the godfather of Texas, there are really not many things that can make him uneasy.

As early as nearly 30 years ago, Houston was sent to Texas by Andrew Jackson, then President of the Commonwealth of America, for the benefit of the Indian tribes he had been exposed to in his youth, and actively participated in various local political activities. He orchestrated the Texas independence movement against Mexico, served as commander of the army, controlled most of the Texas militias, and in the Battle of San Jacinto, defeated the Mexican army that came to suppress it and captured the Mexican president himself, establishing the de facto independence of Texas. At that time, Houston was elected the first president of the Republic of Texas, and in recognition of his contributions, the capital city of the Republic of Texas, which was founded in the same year, was named Houston after him.

However, the recent events in the Federation have made him unusually embarrassed.

Lincoln, a communist, was elected president, and the Republicans have always opposed slavery in the South, and the major slave states in the South have begun to plot to secede from the Union, and even a few days ago, South Carolina directly declared its independence and re-established itself as the Republic of South Carolina. The tension between the North and the South suddenly cooled up, and in the face of this sea change, Houston, as the governor and godfather of Texas, naturally had to make a choice.

He had always supported slavery, and although he did not have slaves himself, he felt that the plantation and ranch economy of slavery were the most suitable for Texas, so he was very dissatisfied with the abolition of slavery in the North. But at the same time, he was very proud of the fact that he was appointed by President Jackson to turn the Texas region into a state and incorporate it into the American Union, becoming a hero in the expansion of the Union. Therefore, he has always defended the overall interests and unity of the Union, and he opposes from the bottom of his heart that Texas will break away from the Union, which will wipe out all the credit and contributions he made to the Union twenty years ago.

Houston has received word that the governors of several Southern states have plotted to secede from the Union, follow the example of South Carolina, form a separate republic, or even unite to form a new Confederation. But none of their southern governors have anyone for themselves. It seems that they know themselves very well, after all, they publicly declared their support for Lincoln on the third day of his election.

But it is precisely because I am finally in the Federation that I am so embarrassed! Although his prestige in Texas is very high, after all, Texas is still a slave state, so many state legislators are slave owners, they will inevitably follow the other southern states, against the Union controlled by the northern states and the Republican-run Lincoln administration, now it seems that sooner or later the dispute between the north and the south will lead to a civil war, and at that time, Texas will sooner or later be drawn into the flames of war.

And, the other day, restless state legislators began to put pressure on themselves to convene a parliament to vote on Texas' future options. Unexpectedly, after the vote of the members of the Texas Congress the day before yesterday, it was originally just a discussion on how Texas should deal with the dispute between the North and the South, but it evolved into a direct vote to choose whether Texas should secede from the Union. More than three-quarters of the lawmakers voted in favor of Texas following South Carolina's lead and independence from the Union. If Houston himself hadn't suppressed these congressmen with his super prestige, he would have made an excuse to say that the future of Texas should be decided by all Texas citizens, and whether or not to become independent from the Union must also be decided by Texas' statewide referendum.

But this is only a temporary policy, and Houston believes that the result of these Texas referendums is likely to be secession from the Union as well. This is just a delaying tactic for yourself. But even so, no matter what, you have to stick to your heart and be loyal to the Union.

Houston gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, and although he was nearly 70 years old, he was still full of fighting spirit.

However, fighting spirit is fighting spirit, and in his old age, he is no longer able to face a sudden attack, even if he used to be a soldier.

The door of Houston's apartment was kicked open, and several Indian guards protecting Houston flashed out of the courtyard, blocking Houston, but when they saw the leader who broke in, they couldn't help but change their faces: "Chief! ”

It turned out that it was the Indian Cherokee chieftain who led the intrusion. Fifty years ago, Houston had lived in the Cherokee Tribe for several years, and later married an Indian woman, and had always regarded himself as an Indian. And for the benefit of the Cherokee tribe, he did not hesitate to accept the conditions of the federal government of the United States to merge Tennessee and Texas into the federation, which was deeply supported by the Cherokee tribe.

"I, sons of the Cherokee tribe, obey my orders and take down Houston, the traitor of Cherokee!" The Cherokee Tribe chief shouted directly.

Several Houston guards were stunned. They have always admired Houston, even more than the chiefs of the tribe, but after all, the chiefs represent the tribe, and they have always regarded the interests of the tribe as the highest principle, so they are in a dilemma.

Just as they hesitated, Houston took the initiative to stand up, pulled them behind him, and stared at the Cherokee tribal chief: "Sanchez, why is that?" Why, I, Houston, have always considered myself a Cherokee and worked for the benefit of your Cherokee tribe, on what grounds do you accuse me of being a traitor to the Cherokee? And I'm your brother-in-law anyway. How can you do this to me? ”

"Houston, who made you stubborn, you have to die for the newly elected Republican President Lincoln!" A yellow-skinned man next to the chief sneered and shouted directly in Indian.

The Cherokee chief also seemed to feel a little weak-hearted, and he didn't dare to look into Houston's eyes, but he didn't dare to offend the person next to him, so he could only mention vaguely: "Crow, you see that this person next to me is Lord Shi, the special envoy of the Eastern Chinese Empire, who has made a special trip to cooperate with my Indian tribes. Look at it, are I and this Lord Shi both yellow-skinned and black-eyed? Master Shi said that we Indians and the Chinese in the East were originally one family, and they were very sad to see the tragic situation of our Indians being burned and killed by Western robbers, and they wanted to do their best to help us seize a territory of their own. and also prepared for me a wide and fertile land in the southwestern part of Texas for the Cherokee tribe, which belonged entirely to the territory of the Cherokee tribe, so I promised to obey Lord Stone for the sake of the future of the Cherokee tribe and our Indians. Now that you have become a stubborn rock hindering the development and growth of the Cherokee Tribe, listen to my advice, agree to the arrangement of the Texas State Assembly, and come forward to declare Texas from the United States of America! Maybe in this way, Lord Shi can let you go for the sake of my face! ”

"I see!" Houston's face turned pale, and it was really uncomfortable to be betrayed by the Cherokee tribe. What shocked and worried him even more was that he did not expect that not only would the southern states be involved in the north-south dispute over Lincoln's election as president, but even the distant Chinese empire would stretch out its claws and infiltrate it. He could not help but fear for the United States of America and Texas, and his own safety was put on the line.

"I won't promise you! You yellow monkeys, liars and mongrels from the East! Houston shook his head, yelled at the Chinese surnamed Shi categorically, and after scolding, he shouted at Chief Cherokee angrily, "Sanchez, don't be deceived by them. They're using you to work for them! ”

"Bastard dog thing!" The Chinese surnamed Shi scolded in Indian language, which was not yet very proficient: "You Westerners are liars and mongrels!" How many of our fellow Indian brothers and sisters were there in the Americas, and how many are left today? How many of them are left in the vast land and forests of the Americas, which were the territory of their fellow Indians? Just because you foreigners are all harmed by you colonists and robbers! Could it be that your federal government of America has carved out a small area from northern Texas for the Indians, and in fact has kept them in captivity? ”

After speaking, the Chinese surnamed Shi said to the chief of the Cherokee tribe: "Chief Shiroki, you Shi tribe must seize this opportunity. The two major tribes of the Sioux and Cheyenne tribes in Kansas and Colorado have agreed to the terms of the alliance of our Chinese Empire, and at the time of the dispute between the north and the south of the United States of America, they have also taken the opportunity to declare independence and unite to form a United Indian Emirates. And I, the Chinese Empire, have sent an envoy to help you form an alliance with the states in the south that are preparing for independence, and together they will get rid of the rule of the American Federation in the north. ”

The chief of the Roki tribe nodded, no longer looked at Houston, and directly waved his hand, allowing several tribal warriors behind him to rush up, holding Houston down on the spot, and then he pulled out a bright scimitar and slashed it with one sword, cleanly cutting off Houston's head, who only had time to snort.

January 8, 1861. An astonishing piece of news spread throughout the American Commonwealth. Yesterday, Texas announced its secession from the Union, becoming the second Southern state to declare independence after South Carolina. In addition, the Texas Legislature declared that Sam Houston, the governor of Texas and the father of the state, also agreed to the independence of Texas, but because of his advanced age, he and his Indian wife Margarida returned to the Indian tribe to live out their old age, and recommended his youngest son of Indian ancestry, Shima Houston, to be the interim president of the newly established Texas Republic, which was approved by the Texas State Assembly.

Undoubtedly, this powerful news is like a hurricane in Texas in the future, violently impacting the entire American Federation. After Texas, the slave states of the South declared independence from the United States of America.

On January 9, Mississippi declared its secession from the Commonwealth of America.

On January 10, Florida declared secession from the Union, becoming the fourth independent Southern state.

On January 11, Alabama declared secession from the Union, the fifth independent state.

On January 18, Georgia declared its secession from the Union, the sixth.

On January 26, Louisiana declared its secession from the Union, the seventh.

In less than 20 days, all six successive southern states declared their independence from the Union and formed their own republics. At this moment, the entire American Federation, especially the northern states, was dumbfounded.