Reborn as King of South America

Chapter 237 War Preparation
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"stand at attention!"

A group of dozens of senior Han generals and officials accompanied Li Mingyuan into the conference room. The guards in charge of guarding the door stood at attention and saluted with guns.

"Director Wang, please first introduce the production situation of the military factory."

Li Mingyuan pulled up a corner of the hem of his black cloak, sat in the main seat, and asked.

"Since the implementation of the two-shift system in January, the average production capacity of weapons and ammunition has increased by one third. According to the plan, the total reserve of weapons and ammunition at the military factory will be doubled by the middle of next year."

"Last May, the Bolivian government tore up the agreement reached with Chile and unilaterally increased the tax rate in the Atacama saltpeter producing area, which caused strong protests from the Chilean government. At the beginning of this year, the Bolivian president revealed his intention to fully recover the interests of the southern saltpeter producing area, and received support from the governments of Peru and Paraguay. According to my speculation, the contradiction between Bolivia and Chile in the distribution of saltpeter interests is difficult to resolve. At the latest by the end of next year, a war will break out between Bolivia and Chile."

"Chile has the support of the British. Isn't the Bolivian government worried about British armed intervention after provoking a war?"

Liu Yongfu asked cautiously as it was his first time attending a core meeting involving the National Defense Forces.

"Probably not. Britain's interests in Chile are only saltpeter and iron ore. It would be too costly to personally intervene in the war between the two sides, which is not in the national interest of Britain."

Wang Xiaoshan said.

"It is unlikely that Britain will send troops to intervene." Li Mingyuan nodded. "Britain's directly occupied colonies are all over the world. While the vast colonies have brought huge economic benefits and a vast consumer market to Britain, they have also tied up most of the British's energy. In addition, the German Empire, which was established less than ten years ago, has brought increasing pressure on the European order led by Britain. Considering their global strategic interests, the British will not waste their precious military forces on Chile, which is located in a remote corner."

"Your Highness, is the Argentine operation scheduled to take place after the outbreak of the Chilean and Bolivian wars?"

After listening to Li Mingyuan's words, Liu Yongfu thought for a while and asked.

“When to officially launch combat operations in Argentina will depend on the course of the wars in Chile and Bolivia and the preparedness of our army.”

Li Mingyuan explained that "the conflict between Bolivia and Chile involves the interests of Britain, Peru and Paraguay. Once a war between the two sides breaks out, it is likely to expand into a full-scale war between Peru, Bolivia and Chile.
Because of the barrier of the Andes Mountains, Paraguay was unable to send troops to participate in the Three Kingdoms War and could only provide weapons and supplies to support Bolivia and Peru. The British had commercial interests in the Atacama region and were likely to take measures such as an arms embargo on Bolivia and Peru to help Chile resist the Bolivian and Peruvian armies.

So we have to wait until all the forces have withdrawn before we proceed with the Argentine offensive plan.”

"The economies of Peru and Bolivia have recovered a lot in the past few years. They have recovered a lot of territory in the war between the Quadruple Alliance and Brazil. Now the morale of the Peruvian and Bolivian armies is high. If they encounter the Chilean army supported by the British, the war will probably take quite some time."

Wang Xiaoshan said thoughtfully.

"The longer the war between Bolivia, Peru and Chile drags on, the better it will be for us. While other countries' attention is drawn to the war between the three countries, we can let go and fight a big war."

Li Mingyuan had been planning the annexation of Argentina for many years. In order to ensure the reliability of the plan's implementation, he had been patient for nearly nine years since the end of the war in 1870. As the outbreak of the Guano War drew closer, Li Mingyuan became more and more concerned about the preparations for the war.

"Liu Pu, how is the mobilization of the troops going?"

"The recruitment of new soldiers for the field army was completed half a month ago, and all field troops have resumed reorganization. The main force of the field army has reached 13 troops, and the Zibo and logistics troops have exceeded 3 troops." Liu Pu did not look at the troops' combat readiness plan, and directly answered, "The 13 field troops and the 3 logistics support troops are currently conducting a coordinated training program under simulated field combat conditions. It is expected that the training assessment subjects will be completed in eight months, and the troops will be familiar with the coordination and cooperation."

"How is the recruitment of the garrison and militia going?"

"On January 1, the National Defense Army's twenty guard regiments were expanded into ten guard brigades in accordance with the war preparation order. Each guard brigade has three regiments under its command and a total of people. According to the latest report on the expansion progress of the guard army, two guard brigades have completed the expansion, and the other eight guard brigades have generally completed more than % of the expansion progress. It is expected that all expansion preparations will be completed in two months."

"The field army restored its full strength by drawing a large number of veterans from the garrison brigade, and the garrison's combat effectiveness was greatly affected in a short period of time.

Liu Pu, the quality of the garrison soldiers and the professionalism of the officers are not as good as those of the field army. You must seize the time to train and ensure that the garrison troops are restored to their pre-expansion level before the outbreak of war."

"Your Highness, rest assured. After the war breaks out, I will definitely train 100,000 brave guard soldiers and will never delay your important affairs."

"The annexation of two white-dominated countries in World War I is likely to cause a stir in the Western world. Before the war breaks out, we must prepare for the worst, do our best to prepare various combat materials, and be prepared to face the blockade and sanctions from the British."

Li Mingyuan reminded the importance of preparations and the difficulties the country might face after the war, and then continued, "The Argentine combat plan uses 16 field troops and attached troops on the front line, and 6 garrison troops as strategic reserves and occupation zone maintenance troops to be deployed in the second phase of the combat plan. The domestic security and defense tasks of the Brazilian army are entrusted to 4 garrison troops and militia forces.

When the main force of the field army and most of the garrison troops are carrying out combat missions, even if the country is attacked by the Brazilian army, they must ensure support until the main force completely occupies Argentina and Paraguay.

Liu Pu, you have a heavy burden on your shoulders. You must do a good job in preparing for war at home."

"It is my duty to protect my country! When Your Highness is fighting on the front line, I will definitely protect the country in the rear!"

For the Chinese in South America, the annexation of Argentina was a matter of life and death related to the future development of the country. When planning the battle plan, Li Mingyuan made the decision to lead the troops into battle personally. Liu Pu, who understood the importance of the battle in Argentina, did not oppose Li Mingyuan's decision, but was determined to do a good job in defending the territory in the rear and not hinder the main force's combat operations on the front line.

Knowing yourself and your enemy, you will never be defeated. After understanding the combat readiness of his own side, Li Mingyuan turned his attention to Shen Fushan, who was in charge of intelligence work in South America.

"Your Highness, through the intelligence of spies and some Argentine businessmen, the Intelligence Department has drawn more than 60 maps of Corinthia, Salto, Rosario, Buenos Aires and other places, and the topography, terrain, water sources and other important areas have been clearly marked."

Seeing Li Mingyuan's inquiring look, Shen Fushan took the initiative to answer.

"How are the Argentine troops distributed? How many Argentine garrison camps are there along our march? What is their combat effectiveness? How much do the Military Intelligence Department know about these intelligences?"

"Northern Argentina is mainly composed of local troops led by Urquiza, with a total number of about 30,000. Buenos Aires and its south are controlled by former Argentine President Mitre. After the death of Argentine President Sarmiento, Mitre stepped to the forefront again and took charge of the Argentine federal government. He has more than 40,000 troops under his command."

After Shen Fushan introduced Argentina's basic intelligence, he added, "Four days ago, according to a report from a spy lurking in the Indian area in southern Argentina, the Argentine federal government relaxed its suppression of the Patagonian Indians in the south and reduced the number of troops stationed in the south. I speculate that Mitre was likely opposed by Urquiza and redeployed troops from the south to the northern controlled border area to deter Urquiza and other opposition forces."

"The Argentine presidency has been vacant for several years, and it looks like someone is interested in the position again."

Because of the external pressure from the Han Kingdom, the various factions in Argentina fought each other for a period of time and then calmed down for a few years. But now it seems that many forces in Argentina, which are unable to understand the future situation like Li Mingyuan, have shown signs of civil war again.

(End of this chapter)