Reborn as King of South America

Chapter 146 Reactions from all parties
It was almost dawn and Asuncion was shrouded in haziness under the mist.

The sound of rapid horse hooves came from far away and finally stopped in front of the Presidential Palace.

"Emergency battle report from the front, inform the president immediately!"

The cavalry quickly dismounted and took out Istigali's handwritten letter.

The soldier on duty took the letter and walked quickly into the Presidential Palace.

The residential area behind the presidential palace was brightly lit, and Lopez Jr. sat at his desk reading the government reports submitted by the officials below.

Hearing hurried footsteps outside, Lopez Jr. put down the report in his hand, stood up and walked towards the hall outside.

Entering the president's residence in the early hours of the morning without notifying the guards must mean that he has something important to report.

Paraguay is peaceful, and the only place where something big is happening is in the Misiones region where the war is going on.

Little Lopez walked while guessing the content of the urgent report. When he reached the hall, the guards had just arrived.

"President, this is a personal letter from Colonel Istigali to you."

Little Lopez took the letter, opened the envelope and quickly read it. After a few minutes, a smile appeared on his tense face.
The weapons and ammunition traded from Rio Grande do Sul were quickly consumed in Misiones, but the results achieved were very limited. With only a few poor and backward towns and more than 100 square kilometers of land far away from the Paraná River, the Paraguayans were unable to obtain effective benefits from these places.

As the war dragged on, the enthusiasm of the people in the country to join the war gradually waned, and the pressure on Lopez Jr. became greater and greater.

The Misiones conflict was not the Paraguayan war. The Paraguayan war was fought on the homeland. Lopez Jr. took advantage of Paraguay's closed land environment to smear the image of the Brazilian army, describing them as demons who kill without blinking an eye, and intimidated the Paraguayans that if they did not resist, after the Brazilian army occupied the entire land, all Paraguayans would become their spoils, the elderly and children would be ruthlessly slaughtered, women would be reduced to slaves, and young and strong men would be concentrated in mines to engage in heavy mining labor.

As the army approached, the main force of Paraguay retreated into the country. The panicked Paraguayan civilians believed what Lopez Jr. said and resisted the Brazilian army with all their might.

After the victory of the Paraguayan War, while ordinary people admired Lopez Jr., their attention shifted to issues related to their own food and life.

Misiones is far outside the national border. Lopez Jr.'s declaration of a just war to recover the country's territory may arouse the temporary enthusiasm of the people, but after the enthusiasm, they are more concerned about the trivial matters of life around them.

Loud slogans are ultimately empty talk. Lopez Jr.'s initial strategy of diverting domestic conflicts and consolidating his rule resulted in an embarrassing situation, with neither victory nor defeat, and a waste of supplies and weapons.

Little Lopez continued the war under pressure, and at this time, Istigari's timely letter brought him the victory he needed.

Morandi is located in the upper reaches of the Argentine-controlled area. If you take a boat downstream from Morandi, there is no strategic location to defend along the coast, and the attacking fleet can reach directly to the city of Posadas.

The occupation of Morandi is equivalent to putting a rein on the heads of the Argentine troops south of Misiones, and the Argentine troops need to be on guard against attacks from the Paraguayan army at all times.

Little Lopez paced back and forth in the hall, thinking about how to respond to Istigali.

Paraguay's domestic army has just been restored to a size of 25,000, of which more than 10,000 are new recruits.

Taking into account the domestic defense and logistical pressures, Lopez Jr. can only provide a maximum of 3,000 troops to support the front line, which is a gap of 2,000 compared to the at least 5,000 soldiers required by Istigali.

Three thousand reinforcements and five thousand front-line troops, a total of eight thousand people, are not too many, but facing the remaining Argentine troops in the south, Istigali's troops have a considerable advantage.

Having made up his mind, Little Lopez immediately gave the order.
First, the front-line troops were rewarded for their military achievements. Istigali was promoted to the rank of Major General, and all front-line soldiers were given an additional two months' salary. The salary rewards would be settled as land distribution after the war.

Secondly, a force of 3,000 mainly veterans was dispatched, led by trusted generals, to rush to the aid of Istigali.

Lopez Jr. deployed his troops and wanted to continue to expand his victory, but the atmosphere in the Argentine capital Buenos Aires was dull and gloomy.

"Morandi was lost, and only 100 or 200 soldiers from the city defense force escaped. The southern part of Misiones is short of troops.

Let's talk about what we should do," said Argentine President Sarmiento in a deep voice.

Participants included officials from the Presidential Office and representatives of various local forces. Before attending the meeting, only a few people knew the content of the meeting.

"Paraguay's attack on the city must have caused heavy casualties. We can order the front-line troops to concentrate their forces to launch a counterattack and recapture Morandi while the Paraguayans are still struggling to gain a firm foothold."

A general from the president's camp spoke first.

"No, the Paraguayans will immediately reinforce the city's defenses when they occupy Morandi. If our army launches an attack at this time, we will fall into a trap set by the Paraguayans. They can use the strong city and the fortifications around Morandi to gradually consume the attacking forces until they are defeated."

Another middle-aged bearded officer objected.

“The Paraguayans were able to conquer Morandi, so why can’t our army?

President, order the frontline troops to launch a counterattack immediately. If it is delayed, the Paraguayans will gain a foothold in Morandi, and it will be more difficult to recapture the city at that time!"

The general who spoke first insisted on his own opinion, ignored the others, and made his suggestion directly to Sarmiento.

"Humph! It's not that I look down on the frontline troops. If they had the courage of the Paraguayans who were not afraid of death, how could Morandi be lost?"

“Federal soldiers are bleeding and dying on the front lines, Ferna, where are your troops in Corrientes Province!

You are so timid and cowardly. I think you are scared by the Paraguayans and want to run away when you hear the name of the Paraguayans!"

Ferner had deliberately concealed the scandal of returning to his country without permission during the Paraguayan War. However, it was exposed in public by an officer who was more than ten years younger than him. Even though he was good at forbearance, he could not help but explode immediately.

"Asshole, do you still have your superiors in your eyes? Don't think you can just say whatever you want because someone is backing you up. The army is a place where strength speaks, not a stage for you to perform!"

Fellner had been in the army for many years, and even when he was angry and humiliated, he did not forget to elevate his position and teach the other party a lesson as an elder in the army.

Seeing that the two sides had shifted from arguing on the battlefield to internal conflicts, Sarmiento angrily slammed the table and said, "Ferner, this is the presidential palace, not your army. And you, Grace, General Ferner is an elder in the army, don't be too presumptuous!"

Giving each of them fifty lashes seems fair, but in fact it favors Grace. Sarmiento forcefully stopped the dispute at the meeting and turned his attention to former President Mitre.

"President, Moranda has been lost, the situation in Misiones has deteriorated, and the national territory is facing an invasion. You are still needed to make the arrangements for Argentina's domestic affairs!"

It had only been two months since Mitre gave up the presidency, and it was with Mitre's strong support that Sarmiento defeated his competitors and ascended to the presidency, so Sarmiento was very respectful in his attitude.

"Rio Grande do Sul has been sending more troops to San Pedro since the conflict broke out. Their intention is obvious. They want to take advantage of the conflict between the two sides, so the frontline troops cannot move lightly."

Although Mitre was no longer president, his prestige from two consecutive terms still overwhelmed everyone present. Mitre spoke to express his attitude, and no one objected.

"Morandi was lost and southern Misiones was threatened by Paraguayans, but this is not the most important thing. The important thing is that if we allow Paraguay to invade our territory, it will leave the Paraguayans and the Chinese with an image of being weak and vulnerable. Then they will intensify their demands and make more excessive demands.

The Paraguayan War lasted for three years. I am familiar with Lopez Jr.'s character. He is a warmongerer who compares himself to Napoleon. He wants to build Paraguay into the France of South America and become the overlord of South America.

Lopez Jr. paid a heavy price in the Paraguayan War, but the victory in the war confirmed the correctness of his launching a war to acquire land. The attack on Misiones was a premeditated test. He wanted to test the strength of the Argentine troops and then formulate relevant war plans based on the results. "

The analysis concluded by Mitre not only conforms to the ideas of Lopez Jr., but Li Mingyuan also has a similar purpose. The difference is that Li Mingyuan is used to taking things step by step. Unlike Lopez Jr., he is not brave and fearless and dares to take risks by betting the country.

"Lopez Jr. is too greedy. We must not let him achieve his goal. It doesn't matter whether Morandi loses or not, but we must make the Paraguayans pay a sufficient price and let Lopez Jr. understand that Paraguay cannot defeat Argentina with only 200,000 or 300,000 people!"

Mitre's last words determined the outcome of the meeting. The front-line troops remained on hold and additional forces were dispatched from Buenos Aires to prevent the Paraguayan army from advancing further.

(End of this chapter)