Reborn as King of South America

Chapter 198 Untitled
Preparations for the march into northern Argentina were in full swing, and pieces of intelligence from Argentina and Paraguay were constantly being passed on to the National Defense Forces headquarters.

On September 1, 2,000 Argentine troops withdrew from the Misiones front. On September 5, Argentina and Paraguay officially announced a ceasefire. On the afternoon of the same day, Lopez Jr. took advantage of the Misiones ceasefire to announce that a national general election would be held in ten days. At that time, the results of the popular vote would decide whether Paraguay would implement a constitutional monarchy.

Li Mingyuan and the National Defense Force officers are happy to see Paraguay's political system transformation.

As Paraguay is Rio Grande do Sul's military ally, the more stable Lopez Jr.'s position is, the more it will benefit Rio Grande do Sul.

At the National Defense Forces headquarters, Li Mingyuan took out a telegram, put it on the table, and said with a smile, "Paraguay will hold a national general election in ten days. What do you think of this?"

"According to Lopez Jr.'s control over Paraguay, it is a foregone conclusion that Paraguay will implement a constitutional monarchy. The so-called popular election is just a cover."

Liu Pu glanced at the contents of the telegram and smiled. "Little Lopez has a good plan. He took advantage of Paraguay's reform to invite heads of state to discuss national affairs. Does he think he is Duke Huan of Qi and wants to be the leader of the four South American countries?"

There was not much content in the telegram. When the others heard Liu Pu's words and saw that Li Mingyuan had no objection, they quickly circulated the telegram.

"Your Highness, although Paraguay's reform is a major event, your life is related to the safety of the country and you cannot easily leave Rio Grande do Sul."

After reading the telegram, Luo Linshan made a suggestion.

"I have considered General Luo's concerns, but now Rio Grande do Sul's domestic development is on the right track. My temporary absence for a few days will not affect the domestic political affairs. Although Lopez's idea seems a bit naive, it also has its merits."

Li Mingyuan did not laugh at Lopez Jr.'s overestimation of his own capabilities, but analyzed the significance of the four-nation summit from the perspective of the general trend of the South American countries:
"In his telegram, Lopez Jr. talked about several major events that had taken place in Brazil during this period. The first was that Pedro II issued a decree abolishing black slavery. In accordance with the decree, Brazil formed a 30,000-strong black army.

The second thing was that Pedro II ordered the army to move toward the military control line between Brazil and Paraguay. Lopez Jr. was worried that the Brazilians wanted to start a new war.

The third thing is that Brazil has purchased two new ironclad ships, and Paraguay also has the idea of ​​purchasing ironclad ships. "

Li Mingyuan listed the three things mentioned by Lopez Jr., and then continued, "The Brazilian army's movement toward the border between Brazil and Paraguay does not necessarily mean the intention to start a war, but the intention of the army to expand its forces and the navy to add ironclad ships is obvious.

Brazil and Paraguay have become antagonistic because of the Paraguayan War, but the conflict between the two countries is not unsolvable. As long as Lopez Jr., who is keen on external expansion, is eliminated and pro-Brazilian forces are supported to come to power, it will be easy for Paraguay and Brazil to restore peace.

As for us, Rio Grande do Sul was established on the basis of seizing two states in southern Brazil. Once the National Defense Force shows signs of weakness, the Brazilian army will definitely concentrate its forces to destroy us and will not give the Chinese a chance to surrender. "

Those who are not of my race must be killed. Western white people are more harsh towards yellow people than black people. Due to the influence of their traditional living environment, black people cannot challenge the dominance of white people. However, East Asians represented by the Chinese are different. East Asia is covered by the Chinese civilization circle. Thousands of years ago, Chinese civilization has become the leader of Eastern civilizations alongside Western Roman civilization and Arab civilization. Even in modern times, when the Qing Dynasty entered the country and Chinese civilization declined, the Taiping Rebellion that broke out more than ten years ago also left a deep impression on Western white people.
The awakened Chinese were no longer objects that could be bullied by the white people at will. Therefore, they chose to support the Qing government in suppressing the Taiping Rebellion and continue the status quo of China's decline.

In the Central Plains, the core of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom was destroyed. Although the Taiping Army's side forces, led by Li Wencai, won a victory in the anti-encirclement and suppression, the situation of the troops themselves did not improve, and they were still in the dilemma of fighting alone. In South America, the rise of Li Mingyuan's National Defense Army also made the Brazilian Empire see the power of the Chinese. Pedro II and the Brazilian white ruling class he represented would not allow Rio Grande do Sul to remain independent, whether for the sake of national interests or to maintain their own rule. The establishment of the Principality of Rio Grande do Sul was only a temporary compromise. Even if the Brazilian Empire acquiesced to the fact that the Chinese occupied the two southern states, it did not give up its righteous reputation. Rio Grande do Sul was still part of the Brazilian Empire, and the Brazilian Empire could take back control of Rio Grande do Sul at any time.

In terms of fighting against the Brazilian Empire, Li Mingyuan and Lopez Jr. have the same interests. Perhaps Lopez Jr. saw the actual situation of Rio Grande do Sul, so he directly invited Li Mingyuan to Paraguay to discuss important matters without worrying about his refusal.

After Li Mingyuan explained Lopez Jr.'s intentions, Luo Linshan, who originally held opposing opinions, was unable to speak and instead began to think silently.

"Your Highness, the meaning of Lopez Jr.'s telegram is that he wants us to support him as the leader of the anti-Brazilian alliance of Bolivia, Peru, Rio Grande do Sul, and Paraguay. But even if you agree to support him, will the presidents of Bolivia and Peru agree?"

After Liu Pu, Luo Linshan and others stopped talking, Sun Qisheng, who was standing aside, couldn't help but ask.

Because of his responsibility for the loss of the base, Sun Qisheng was relieved of his duties in the special forces, demoted two levels and sent to serve under Luo Linshan. He was able to attend the national defense meeting this time because of Luo Linshan's recommendation.

"Captain Sun, our troops have marched all the way from Peru to Rio Grande do Sul via Bolivia. How do the Peruvian and Bolivian armies compare to the Paraguayan army?"

"Peru is rich in mineral resources, and its troops generally use muskets and artillery as weapons and equipment. Bolivia is relatively scarce in resources. Except for a small number of main forces that have adopted firearms, most soldiers still use cold weapons such as shuttles and bows and arrows to fight. The comprehensive strength of the two countries' troops is somewhat behind that of the Paraguayan army."

"Well, that's right. Although the Bolivian and Peruvian troops have more people than Paraguayan troops, their overall strength is not as good as that of the Paraguayan army."

Li Mingyuan nodded and continued, "Lopez Jr. relied on his tens of thousands of troops to fight against the troops of Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina for two or three years, and finally cooperated with our army to defeat the troops of the three countries. With the halo of victory in the Paraguayan War, the presidents of Bolivia and Peru will greatly overestimate the strength of Paraguay. If Rio Grande do Sul again supports Lopez Jr. to serve as the leader of the four-nation alliance during the meeting of the four heads of state, will the presidents of Bolivia and Peru object?"

Fists determine the right to speak. Rio Grande do Sul needs to win over Paraguay for the sake of the overall situation and cannot compete with Lopez Jr. Bolivia and Peru are not strong enough in military strength. Moreover, the two countries have taken advantage of the Paraguayan War to grab a lot of territory from Brazil. It will not harm the interests of the two countries if Lopez Jr. takes the lead to unite the four countries to confront Brazil.

From the perspective of military strength and practical interests, several officers present also understood Li Mingyuan's meaning.

"Lopez Jr. diverted the contradictions of domestic economic difficulties through the Misiones War. Now that the Misiones War is over, Lopez Jr. needs new merits to increase his prestige in order to stabilize the situation after the country's reform. The reputation of the leader of the Four-Nation Alliance is Lopez Jr.'s new choice.

Lopez Jr.'s initiative to serve as the leader of the four-nation alliance can help us stabilize the pressure from the north and facilitate our military operations in northern Argentina. It is reasonable for me to go to Paraguay in person."

Finally, the decision was made, and after listening to Li Mingyuan's explanation, the others could only express their agreement.

(End of this chapter)