Reborn as King of South America

Chapter 282: Divide and Conquer
After a day of rest, at around 5 p.m. on May 15, Li Mingyuan temporarily convened a combat meeting with the generals in the city to announce the subsequent strategic deployment and tactical plans.

"The Cavalry Division, the two brigades of the Guard Army and the three battalions of the First Mixed Brigade, with a total of more than 3 troops, will form a southward column, starting from Buenos Aires, and sweep southward to clear out areas where the enemy's troops are vacant, such as Tren Laquen and Santa Rosa, to achieve the goal of occupying southern Argentina before early June. Then, they will form the Patagonia Garrison with Ye Chenglin's troops on the spot, with General Li as the commander of the garrison and Ye Chenglin as the deputy commander. The two will jointly bear the responsibility of eliminating local rebel forces and guarding against attacks by the Chilean army."

Li Mingyuan moved the pointer in his hand from the map to the location marked Mar del Plata, emphasizing, "In the direction of Patagonia, in order to cooperate with the main force to besiege Buenos Aires, Ye Chenglin's troops instigated and led the Mapuche Indians to fight more than 40 battles of varying sizes in the past two months, wiped out more than 3,000 Argentine local militias, and occupied more than 70 armed immigrant villages and towns. Now the enemy forces in Patagonia are mainly hiding in the areas around the three medium-sized military towns of Mar del Plata, Puerto Blanca, and Neuquén in the central part of the country.

When your troops are advancing south, they must contact Ye Chenglin's troops in advance, and after obtaining detailed intelligence on the enemy, they must focus all their efforts on one battle to eliminate the main force of the remaining Argentine troops in southern Argentina."

"Brother Ye is familiar with the local military situation. When I arrive in Patagonia, I will seriously consult Brother Ye."

Cavalry Division Commander Li Dawei said seriously.

"The climate of the Patagonian Plateau is cold and dry. The local Mapuche people and the Araucanians west of the Andes are brave and warlike by nature. When you arrive in Patagonia, you should listen to Ye Chenglin's advice and don't force the Indians too much, so as not to undermine our army's ruling foundation in the area."

"Your Highness, rest assured that I will not be careless in appeasing the Indians and preventing them from causing trouble for the National Defense Forces."

"In the initial stage of occupying the Patagonian Plateau, we should focus on stability. When the situation stabilizes, the government will take other measures to divide and reduce the number of local Indians. What you need to do now is to firmly control Patagonia in the hands of the National Defense Forces, and at the same time, seize the opportunity to win over the Araucan people in the west of the Andes Mountains, expand the area controlled by the National Defense Forces to the Pacific coast, and lay the foundation for opening up the Pacific immigration transportation line!"

Li Mingyuan looked at the western coast of the Patagonia Plateau, which was dotted with islands and reefs on the map, and continued, "Two months ago, the Chilean government followed Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay in officially declaring war on the National Defense Force. Half a month ago, the Chilean government sent a small-scale force to cross the actual control line between the two countries in the Patagonia region and launched an attack on a local Mapuche tribe. Later, they were repelled by Ye Chenglin's troops. A week ago, under pressure from the British government, the Chilean government dispatched two ironclad ships and five steam sailing warships to form a support fleet, crossed the Strait of Magellan, and had an encounter with the National Defense Force Navy. ...

It can be seen that the Chilean government is slowly taking the initiative in the Guano War by mobilizing domestic forces. The restraining effect of Bolivia and Peru on Chile is getting smaller and smaller. In the future, our army will face joint maritime military pressure from Britain, Brazil and Chile. "

"In the ten years since the founding of the country, the National Defense Navy has developed rapidly with the strong support of Your Highness. However, compared with the British Expeditionary Fleet, Chile, and Brazil, the National Defense Navy has no advantage at all."

The main force of the Wehrmacht Navy returned to Gang to avoid the threat of the British Expeditionary Fleet. Li Han, commander of the First Fleet, sitting on the right side of the conference room, had to admit the disadvantages of the Wehrmacht Navy.

"The future world is an era of the ocean. The National Defense Navy is the hope of the country to move towards the ocean. It cannot be easily sacrificed in a naval battle with no chance of winning."

Li Mingyuan explained why the National Defense Navy returned to Hong Kong to avoid fighting, and then said, "However, the comparison of maritime military power is not only judged by the number of warships, but also affected by land military factors."

Li Mingyuan raised his voice and asked his attendants to change the map to the Latarata area, explaining, "Please see, Chile is narrow from east to west and long from north to south. The core area of ​​the territory is located in a narrow area between 33 degrees south latitude and 40 degrees south latitude. If our army breaks through the Chilean army's blockade from the Patagonia Plateau and occupies the area south of Chivaldivia, what do you think the Chilean government will do?"

"The coastal area north of Valdivia is indefensible. If our army captures Valdivia, we can use the local railway to advance all the way to Santiago, the capital of Chile. If that happens, the Chilean government will be terrified!"

A quick-witted officer optimistically envisioned.

"But the Andes Mountains are rugged and steep. Even if we pass through the southern desert, which is the easiest to pass, we can't transfer too many soldiers. Isn't it too risky to occupy Valdivia and then march to Santiago?"

Luo Linshan noticed the loophole in the other officer's words and made a tactful suggestion.

"It's not a bad thing to be a little bolder. Of course, General Luo's concerns are justified."

Li Mingyuan took the feelings of both of them into consideration and said with a smile, "It is indeed a good idea to destroy a country in one battle, but our army cannot achieve this capability for the time being." After occupying Buenos Aires and destroying Argentina, Li Mingyuan did not get carried away by the victory and become arrogant to the point of destroying Chile.

"The purpose of occupying Valdivia is not to use it as a means of advancing into Santiago, but to create psychological pressure on the Chilean government. Once our army occupies the entire western Patagonia region and advances beyond Chiloé Island to Valdivia, the Chilean government will choose to withdraw its navy and army to counterattack our offensive, regain control of Valdivia, and thereby protect the core territory from the threat of our army."

“The Chilean navy and army were mobilized, and the British Expeditionary Force lost the assistance of the Chilean navy, and the maritime pressure faced by the Wehrmacht was instantly reduced.

Besieging Wei to save Zhao is indeed a good move!"

Hu Yaji flattered Li Mingyuan calmly.

"The effectiveness of the strategy will depend on the direction of subsequent operations."

Li Mingyuan waved his hand, signaling everyone to end the tactical discussion on the direction of the Patagonia operation.

"The reinforcements from the provinces of Cordoba and Mendoza in Argentina are less than a hundred miles away from Buenos Aires. Their troops are the last obstacle to the National Defense Forces' occupation of various parts of Argentina!"

Li Mingyuan paused for a moment, and suddenly called out, "Li Sandou, Zhao Yongzeng, and Wang Xiaoshan!"

"To!"

"Order the Second Division, the Fourth Division, the Second Mixed Brigade, the Fourth, Sixth, Seventh, Ninth, and Tenth Brigades of the Security Army, the Second Regiment of the Artillery Division, the First Engineer Regiment, the Zibo Heavy Industries, and the First Logistics Department to form a westward column. Appoint Li Sandou, Zhao Yongzeng, and Wang Xiaoshan as the commander and deputy commander of the westward column. The eastward combat plan will be commanded by these three people and there is no need to report to the headquarters in advance!"

Li Mingyuan gave the three people the power to make decisions on the spot, and naturally he would also entrust them with important tasks.

"The main forces of the Argentine army are still in Cordoba and Mendoza provinces. As you march eastward, you must seize the opportunity to eliminate the armed forces of local warlords such as Urquiza outside their lair. Don't give them the opportunity to escape back to the army!"

"Guarantee to destroy the enemy!"

The three of them stood up and promised.

"The Westward Column and the Southward Column will immediately break camp and set off. The rest of the troops will stay in Buenos Aires and prepare to stop the British troops!"

After making the final arrangements, the officers and generals in the conference room quickly returned to the barracks, reunited their respective troops and rushed to the new battlefield. The remaining 90,000 troops were divided into two parts under the command of Li Mingyuan. One part, 20,000 people, crossed the Paraná River and headed towards Uruguay, while the other part, more than 70,000 elite National Defense Forces, were deployed along the Paraná River in Buenos Aires, Rosario and other places, ready to fight the British expeditionary fleet coming up the river.

Thanks to classmate Hanjia Dean i, classmate Guowuguanzhanliujian, and classmate Chunnuanhuakaimndh for their rewards and support!

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(End of this chapter)