Reborn as King of South America

Chapter 149 A Question

Five hundred soldiers of the 2nd Mixed Brigade and part of the Artillery Brigade separated from the westward-bound troops and continued on their journey, arriving in San Pedro four days later.

At the bend of the Uruguay River, three stone fortresses were distributed in a triangle. In the open space in the middle of the fortress, more than a thousand soldiers were divided into two groups and stood in formation. A few dozen meters away from the troops, hundreds of black heavy carts were filled with weapons, ammunition, medicines and food.

Wang Dashan, commander of the 1st Mixed Brigade, came down from the fortress tower and walked straight towards the open space.

"Captain Zhou, Captain Wu, long time no see."

Wang Dashan rode over on horseback and greeted the two officers of the support force from afar.

"Hello, Brigadier!"

The two of them saluted Wang Dashan in unison.

"Part of the 105rd Regiment of the nd Mixed Brigade and the nd Battalion of the mm Howitzer Regiment of the Independent Artillery Brigade have been ordered to move to San Pedro. Please give your instructions, Brigade Commander!"

"Third Regiment, Second Artillery Battalion, stay put!"

Wang Dashan dismounted, stood up straight, and saluted.
After completing the troop handover ceremony step by step, Wang Dashan smiled and asked, "Did you have a smooth journey?"

"Before reaching Passo Fundo, the troops sailed by boat and had no problems along the way. However, on the way from Passo Fundo to San Pedro, they encountered several small Argentinean troops. I captured several Argentine soldiers and learned through interrogation that there was a battle going on from San Pedro to Morandi. They were defeated soldiers who escaped from Morandi.

Upon hearing that the fighting situation in the border area was tense, I and Captain Wu were worried about the safety of San Pedro, so we hurried on our way and arrived a day earlier than the time required by the General Staff.

Said Captain Zhou.

"The city of Morandi was captured by the Paraguayan army. The Argentine soldiers you encountered must have found that the southern area was not feasible, so they took the risk of passing through our army area."

Wang Dashan analyzed.

"I am worried that the Argentine soldiers will disrupt order in our territory, so I have ordered a team of soldiers to keep them under guard. Commander Wang, would you like to interrogate them again? Perhaps we can get more information about the Argentine frontline troops."

"No need. Colonel Istigali, the commander of the Paraguayan Misiones front, invited me to visit Morandi. Once there, I can directly observe the Morandi post-war battlefield and assess the intensity of the battle. Besides, I can't get any useful information from the captured soldiers."

Wang Dashan rejected the suggestion of Captain Zhou, glanced at the soldiers standing in the open space, and felt something was wrong.

"Captain Zhou, are all your men here?"

When Wang Dashan heard the sentry report that reinforcements had arrived, he guessed that they were going to officially go to war with the Argentines. If a war broke out, the number of reinforcements would definitely not be less than three thousand, and even if he did not count the soldiers on the open ground, there would definitely not be more than fifteen hundred. This was completely different from what he had guessed.

"My men and Captain Wu's artillery battalion are all here. Another group of about 3,000 soldiers led by Brigade Commander Zhou separated from us halfway, and we don't know their specific mission."

"The three thousand soldiers did not reinforce San Pedro, but turned to other directions." Wang Dashan secretly understood the meaning of Captain Zhou's words.

The troops were separated midway, and the level of secrecy was high. Could it be that the real intention of the headquarters or the prince was to start a war with the Argentines in San Pedro? Then what was the ultimate goal of the three thousand soldiers?

Wang Dashan frowned, unable to think of a reasonable guess. At this time, the regiment commander surnamed Zhou took out a sealed letter and said, "Before leaving, Brigade Commander Zhou left a letter and asked his subordinates to hand it over to Brigade Commander Wang when they arrived in San Pedro."

San Pedro is a frontier area, and the telegraph lines purchased from Prussia have not yet been laid here. Therefore, the Wehrmacht temporarily relies on manpower to transmit military orders.

"I understand the prince's order. You should go to the fortress to rest first. Tomorrow, Captain Wu and I will visit Colonel Istigali together."

After reading the letter, Wang Dashan had an idea in mind and made arrangements.

"Yes, sir."

The next morning, Wang Dashan and a hundred soldiers rode towards Morandi.

"General Wang, welcome to Morandi!"

On the top of Morandi City, the dense bullet marks and broken walls left by the fierce battle a few days ago were still there. Istigali personally welcomed Wang Dashan at the foot of the city.

"Our two armies are the most steadfast allies. Colonel Istigali has invited me sincerely, but I am unwilling to accept the invitation." Wang Dashan said generously.

"General Wang, the promotion order issued by President Lopez was delivered to Morandi yesterday. His Excellency Istigari is now a major general in the Paraguayan Army."

The translator from the Paraguayan side reminded.

"Oh, don't blame me for not knowing the general's promotion!"

"That's fine," Istigar waved his hand generously, his face filled with joy after being promoted. "The food has been prepared in the city. Let's go to the city and talk slowly."

"General Istigali, please go first." Wang Dashan lagged behind half a step, and the two walked into Morandi City together.

Not only do Orientals like to discuss important matters at the dinner table, but most Western diplomats also exchange interests under the guise of holding banquets and parties.

Dozens of people sat together in the living room, but few people were eating the food on the table. The core of the banquet was always Istigali and Wang Dashan.

"General Wang, the Argentine army has mediocre combat power and weak fighting will. Now that our army has defeated the main Argentine force in Misiones and successfully recaptured the city of Morandi, the remaining Argentine troops are in a state of panic and are unable to fight. Don't you want to take advantage of the favorable opportunity created by our army and join the war against Argentina?"

A banquet is not as simple as eating and chatting, but Istigali's direct questioning at the beginning was somewhat beyond Wang Dashan's expectations.

"The Misiones conflict is a war between your country and Argentina. Our army respects the positions of both countries and will strictly remain neutral. Unless the war involves our interests, we will not send troops."

Wang Dashan said ambiguously.

"The power to decide on war lies with His Majesty the Grand Duke of Rio Grande do Sul. I understand the general's caution."

Istigali looked unimpressed, but he said, "However, the news that your country sold weapons and ammunition to our army cannot be hidden from the Argentines. In their eyes, selling arms to Paraguay is a violation of neutrality and an enemy of Argentina. Even if your country has not gone to war with Argentina, they will think that your country and Paraguay are in cahoots and are colluding against Argentina."

"What the Argentines think is their business. As a soldier, my duty is to carry out the orders given by the prince. Other matters will naturally be handled by relevant people."

"Politics has nothing to do with soldiers. I admire General Wang's principles of conduct." Istigari personally poured a glass of wine for Wang Dashan and said, "This is our Paraguayan specialty wine. General Wang, please taste it."

"Thank you, General, for the fine wine." Wang Dashan didn't bother to be polite with him. He took the glass and drank it all in one gulp.

After pouring three glasses of wine for Wang Dashan, Istigari said nonchalantly, "Your army has sent reinforcements to San Pedro twice. Are you just standing aside and watching the show?"

"The two armies are at war, and the prince is worried about causing unnecessary conflict, so he has sent more troops to garrison San Pedro. General, don't worry about it."

After Wang Dashan answered, he asked in return: "Your President Lopez has made many military achievements. He led your army and people to defeat the powerful Brazilian Empire and recovered a large amount of territory occupied by Brazil. Based on the same military strength, the victory achieved by Mr. Lopez is no less than that of Emperor Napoleon.

Mr. Lopez is known as the Napoleon of South America, and he has made contributions to the country, so why not be a true Napoleon of South America? "

Istigari was suddenly shocked. This was the first person who told him that Lopez Jr. should be king. Accustomed to Paraguay's republican system for decades of independence, the monarchy had hardly appeared in Istigari's mind. He had never imagined what Paraguay would be like if it implemented a monarchy.

"General Wang, please don't talk nonsense. President Lopez is deeply loved by the people and will not act like a monarch."

"I'm just curious. Please forgive me for my impoliteness, General."

Wang Dashan spoke the truth. In his heart, monarchy was the correct political system. The Han nationality had been a monarchy since the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties. The country and the monarch were one. Without a monarch, wouldn't the country be in chaos?

Istigali's heart was not as firm as he said. Not to mention the second half of the 19th century, even in the early 20th century, monarchy was still the mainstream system of countries in the world.

In South America, the national composition is complex, including indigenous people, white people, and black slaves. The United States vigorously supported the republican forces when South America gained independence. There was no aristocratic foundation in the Americas. All these factors combined led to the republic becoming the preferred system for South American countries. At this time, other parts of the world, whether in Europe, Asia or uncivilized Africa, were monarchies, with South America being the only exception. This is a strange thing.

Wang Dashan's simple question disturbed Istigali's mind, and he had no intention of considering the main purpose to be proposed below.

The banquet ended hastily after a short while. Istigari asked the soldiers to arrange for Wang Dashan and others to stay in the city, and he returned to his room to think alone.

Thanks to Jueyu Qingqi Cuizhanyun for the reward!

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(End of this chapter)