Wasteland Rules: Die Fighting (The World After Book 4) by J.G. Martin Read Free Book Online

still
very fluid in most places since it was mostly long stretches of uninhabited
desert. Already fairly inhospitable before the Collapse, now it was a downright
hostile environment. No one lived out there anymore and keeping an outpost
manned was almost impossible. No one went out there unless absolutely
necessary.
       That had led to numerous skirmishes between the
Texas Rangers and the Aztlan militias known as Reconquistadors. Aztlan had been
formed when Mexican immigrants and the Mexican-American descendants of
immigrants had flooded back into Northern Mexico during and after the Collapse.
Better educated and more organized than the locals, they had quickly taken
over. Armed with weapons looted from army bases and police or personal weapons
legally owned in the U.S., they had proved more than a match for the
disorganized and corrupt Mexican Army and Federales.
      They only claimed Northern Mexico so it could be
assumed that the Mexican government got their act together and stopped them
further south, but no one knew for sure. It was rumored that everything south
of Aztlan was in complete chaos and that cannibals and worse ran things. Maybe
with the satellites back up, someone would find out for sure.
       Not satisfied with Northern Mexico, Aztlan had
looked to reclaim territory lost to the U.S. in the Mexican-American War and
subsequent land deals. They had little problem taking most of Arizona and the
very southern tip of California and they struck a deal with G-21 around L.A. before
then turning their attention to Texas. Many in Aztlan still harbored resentment
about the Alamo and the loss of Texas. So they launched an attack on the
fledgling N.R.T. and laid siege to El Paso.
       That proved to be the defining and coalescing
moment for the nascent N.R.T.. Texans and others rallied around the defense of
their homeland and propelled a conservative former land commissioner into
power. His only platform was defending Texas’ sovereign territory and punishing
anyone who attacked it. Until his ascension, the politicians had been fighting
on every level over who was in charge. There were even some still loyal to the
U.S.T.G. even though they had not provided any help so far.
       Average citizens volunteered in droves to fight
under his leadership. His fiery and passionate speeches about the great state
of Texas inspired and motivated the masses. Former U.S. Army and National Guard
units declared their loyalty to him and the power shifted overnight. The
elements loyal to the U.S.T.G. were purged or went deep underground. He was
made the de facto Commander in Chief of the N.R.T.’s military and he proved to
be a brilliant commander.
       Or rather he proved brilliant at delegating. Rather
than micromanage the war like so many previous government officials, he turned
the veteran commanders of the former Army units loose. He only ordered them to
deliver a flaming sword to Aztlan like he had promised the people. Without any
ethical or moral restrictions on their rules of engagement, the military
commanders unleashed a scorched earth campaign unlike anything the Americas had
ever seen. Sherman’s march to the sea paled in comparison to the hell they
unleashed.
       The rules of the Geneva Convention were thrown out
and the Texas troops used everything they had in their arsenal.  The military
bases in Texas were a treasure trove of weapons and they were able to arm every
single man or woman who wanted to fight. Volunteer troops were given free rein
in captured territory and they raped, looted, and burned. Artillery was fired
and bombs dropped indiscriminately without regard for civilian casualties. To
the N.R.T. forces, no one was considered a civilian. Many felt they were
fighting back an invasion that had been going on for decades, even prior to the
Collapse.
       The superior firepower of the N.R.T. forces had
rapidly pushed the Aztlan forces back and allowed them to capture Monterrey.
Not wanting to rule over