Reborn as King of South America

Chapter 120 Neighboring Countries Are Ready to Make Move

Garcia was in a difficult situation as the direct person responsible for the failure of the war, and Pedro II, who sat on the throne of the Brazilian Empire, was also having a hard time.

After the war was lost, all the previously hidden contradictions surfaced.

In terms of the national economy, the wealth accumulated by Pedro in the early years of his reign was consumed in the Paraguayan War. Hundreds of thousands of young and middle-aged men were engaged in war-related industries, which promoted the development of Brazil's military industry, but caused serious losses to the country's macroeconomic development. The industrialization construction that was underway on the eve of the war was forced to be suspended, and a large number of railways and factory construction became unfinished projects. The huge financial funds invested in the early stage did not see any hope of profitability in the short term.

The development of agriculture and light industry slowed down or even regressed. One year after the war began, the Brazilian Empire began to import food, medicine, light and heavy industrial products needed for daily life from Britain, France and other countries. The wealth accumulated by the government and the people quickly flowed to Britain, France and other countries, directly promoting the development of their industries.

Not only did the Brazilian Empire fail to gain a single piece of land or a single pound in compensation after launching the war, but even its southernmost state of Rio Grande do Sul was taken away by the Chinese independence army.

Pedro II was in a very complicated mood. He regretted that he had easily provoked the war with Paraguay, and also blamed Garcia for the failure of the war, which allowed the Chinese independence army to take advantage of the opportunity and caused the main force to be annihilated. If the Chinese independence army had not intervened, the Paraguayan war would not have been lost so badly.

Regret and resentment, Pedro II's mood is difficult to describe clearly in words, but no matter how unwilling he is, the outcome cannot be changed. What Pedro II has to do now is to deal with a series of adverse effects brought about by the failure of the war.

First of all, as Garcia is a core figure of the royalists, Pedro II cannot abandon him. Otherwise, not only will it discourage the royalists, but it will also increase the momentum of the Republicans and weaken the influence of the Brazilian royal family and the emperor's control over Brazil.

Secondly, after the failure of the Paraguayan War, Bolivia and Peru were ready to move. Peru submitted a request to the Brazilian government to discuss the ownership of the disputed areas between the two countries, while Bolivian President Adolfo publicly declared that all agreements signed by the former president and Brazil were invalid, and urged the Brazilian army to withdraw from the occupied Bolivian land, otherwise the Bolivian army would attack the invading Brazilian army.

A single stone can cause a thousand ripples. The Brazilian army has only failed once, but the surrounding countries are eager to rush up and tear a piece of flesh from Brazil. Pedro II does not think that Bolivia and Peru have such strength, because before this, the Paraguayan army that attacked the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso had been expelled from the country by the Brazilian army. If the Paraguayan war had not caused heavy losses to the main force of the Brazilian army, the Paraguayan army that attacked Mato Grosso would have paid a huge price.

Pedro II did not take the strength of Peru and Bolivia seriously, but the threats posed by the four spheres of influence of Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay and the Chinese Independence Army should not be underestimated.

If the four powers secretly formed an alliance to deal with Brazil, the Brazilian Empire would be in danger.

Pedro II's worries were somewhat unnecessary. Not to mention that the Chinese Independence Army had conflicts with Peru and Bolivia, even if the four major forces formed an alliance, they could not cause fundamental harm to Brazil because of the geographical barriers.

Peru and Bolivia's demands on Brazil are like taking advantage of the situation, and they are also driven by their own special national conditions. The leaders of Peru, Bolivia and even Paraguay are all powerful caudillos. They did not come to power through democratic elections by the people, but were pushed to the presidency by their generals and officers with rifles and cannons.

Therefore, the presidents of the three countries' threats of war against Brazil were not based on objective considerations of national strength, but were a unanimous choice made for their own interests.

Warlord forces are often fanatical and irrational. The battles with the Chinese Independence Army caused the Peruvian and Bolivian warlord forces to lose a lot of benefits. The most serious losses were suffered by the middle and lower-level officers in the core of the army. Their property and food were swept away by the Chinese Independence Army. They suffered huge losses and needed to obtain compensation from other places.

The armies of Peru and Bolivia were no match for the Chinese Independence Army, and it was unlikely that they would retaliate against them. The wealth of the Indians and ordinary farmers in the country had already been exploited by the warlords, and the property and land they could obtain from plundering ordinary people would be limited. Moreover, excessive oppression of the lower-class people in the country would provoke similar incidents as the Chinese Independence Army uprising. The rulers of the two countries, who had suffered a great loss once, did not dare to go too far, and stopped the plundering after leaving the most basic living supplies for the lower-class people.

The lower-class people were living in poverty and the soldiers were dissatisfied. Just when the new Bolivian President Adolfo was feeling overwhelmed, news came that the Brazilian army was completely wiped out by the Chinese Independence Army and the Paraguayan army. Only 5,000 of the 50,000 main Brazilian forces escaped back to the country. The Argentine and Uruguayan troops also withdrew to the country. The Chinese Independence Army seized Rio Grande do Sul and planned to occupy it as a base.

With the loss of the main force of the Brazilian army, and the Chinese Independence Army and Paraguay eyeing Brazil covetously, Adolfo saw hope for a solution to the problem of recovering the territory that he had been worried about. At the same time, he took advantage of the loss of the main force of Brazil to seize the rubber-rich Acre region, and also obtained economic compensation to appease the emotions of the domestic army.

In 1867, Melgarejo and Brazil signed a private treaty stipulating that Brazil would exchange the border area for the Acre area and promised to build the Madeira-Mamoré railway connecting the two countries to solve the problem of the passage of Bolivia's export products to the Atlantic Ocean. In addition, Bolivia also ceded the areas inhabited by Brazilian immigrants in the south and north of Acre to Brazil. In this way, the total territory obtained by Brazil from Bolivia was 19.1 square kilometers. The price paid by Brazil was only a few million Brazilian currency and a batch of arms. At the same time, due to the impact of the Paraguayan War, the railway promised by Brazil has never been built.

Because of a treaty with no legal effect and some money as a weapon, Brazil expanded its territory by 19.1 square kilometers.

19.1 square kilometers accounts for one-tenth of Bolivia's total land area. After Adolfo came to power, he had been troubled by how to recover the territory, and the result of the Paraguayan War gave him an opportunity.

There is no sacred empire, but it can also be said that there is no kind and harmless country. When Brazil first became a colony, its area was only one-third of its current size. Then, after a series of expansions, its area doubled by the early nineteenth century. Brazil then successively annexed Uruguay and French Guiana, using the means of plunder to continuously acquire territory from surrounding countries.

The territory of the Brazilian Empire continued to expand, and at the same time, it offended the surrounding countries. Uruguay was annexed by Brazil, and it had no choice but to form an alliance with Brazil. Argentina was also invaded by Brazil, but Argentina was strong enough and was not annexed by Brazil. Bolivia and Peru were constantly being cut off. The Acre region originally belonged to Peru and Bolivia respectively, but now the Acre region has been forcibly occupied by Brazil.

Acre has a vast area and an important strategic position. Neither Bolivia nor Peru would be willing to lose this area. Also, because they face a common enemy, Brazil, Peru and Bolivia have come together and become good allies. Therefore, after Adolfo received the news, he did not rush to react. He first contacted Peruvian President Pedro Diez. After the two sides discussed countermeasures, they issued a statement to Brazil.

(End of this chapter)