Reborn as King of South America

Chapter 286 Liu Yongfu's Thoughts

At midnight, on the British beachhead, a burning bonfire illuminated the surroundings, and teams of black soldiers in British colonial army uniforms rested with their backs together.

The British position was less than five kilometers away from the warships in the Parana River, and the shells fired from the warships could easily cover the attacking troops within the attack range. Therefore, in order to prevent the troops from being hit hard by the British artillery fire, Liu Yongfu, He Yanliang, and Shen Fushan had only one requirement for the front-line attacking troops, that is, fast, accurate, and ruthless!

"The reconnaissance battalion will conduct reconnaissance outside the British positions. Once the reconnaissance battalion has cleared the British sentries and obstacles along the way, the 3rd Guard Brigade and the 1st Mixed Brigade will launch attacks alternately."

Glancing at the western clock hanging in the middle of the tent, Liu Yongfu estimated that the reconnaissance battalion's operation would be almost complete in another twenty minutes, so he gave orders in advance.

"The purpose of the attack is to attract the attention of the British warships and delay the enemy's transfer time. Therefore, our attack must be measured. We cannot rush in recklessly and increase unnecessary casualties, nor can we retreat as soon as the two armies come into contact, which will make the enemy clearly aware of our combat intentions."

"Deputy Brigade Commander He has been in battle for a long time. With him in command at the front line, I think he can grasp the scale of the attack and complete the combat mission assigned by the headquarters."

"Although Deputy Brigade Commander He is disabled, I still admire his combat ability. However, Brigade Commander Liu, sitting in the high position of the mixed brigade commander, has to consider more issues than just fighting."

"What do you mean, Mr. Shen?"

Hearing the hidden meaning in Shen Fushan's words, Liu Yongfu changed to the respectful title they used when they worked together in Annan and asked humbly.

"Your Highness the Prince of Han was born in the Taiping Army. The previous Prince Shixian was a pillar of the Taiping Army in the southeast. When his power was at its peak, he had more than 100,000 soldiers. Even though the Prince Shixian was unfortunately murdered by his subordinates, the remnants of the Taiping Army who were loyal to the Prince Shixian still escorted the young Prince to South America. I would like to ask Commander Liu, if you were in your Highness's shoes, would you first promote the loyal and protected old subordinates, or give priority to the foreign generals who came to join you?"

"Mr. Shen, please don't talk nonsense. Your Highness has not given up on me and I would never dare to have the slightest thought of overstepping the boundaries. Please don't talk nonsense again, sir!"

Hearing that his former staff compared him to Li Mingyuan, Liu Yongfu's face changed drastically. He immediately looked around and found that no outsiders were eavesdropping. He hurriedly stopped the other party and said, "Yongfu knows himself well. He led a group of Black Flag Army brothers to fight the Qing army in the deep mountains of Annan and it was still difficult. How could he be like His Royal Highness the King of Han, who started with a few thousand weak troops, traveled thousands of miles in South America, and established a legacy. The talent of the King of Han is far superior to that of Yongfu. Next time, if you are in front of others, Mr. Shen must not say this again, otherwise even if Liu has a hundred mouths, it will be difficult for him to explain himself!"

"I naturally understand the character of Brigadier General Liu. Otherwise, I would not have urged Brigadier General Liu to join the National Defense Forces when we were in Annan. Brigadier General Liu should not have forgotten what happened back then, right?"

"Yongfu is not doubting Mr. Shen's intentions, but His Royal Highness the King of Han has been very kind to Yongfu. Yongfu does not want to cause His Royal Highness's suspicion because of a small matter and destroy the relationship between the monarch and his subjects. Mr. Shen, you should understand Yongfu's thoughts."

"Haha, Brigade Commander Liu really hasn't changed at all. He's still as cautious as before."

Shen Fushan smiled slightly and continued, "It's right to be cautious in what you do, but on the battlefield, being overly cautious and modest is not a good idea."

"Mr. Shen, please speak frankly."

"Okay, then I will tell Brigadier General Liu something clear." Shen Fushan stopped beating around the bush and said directly, "Your Highness the Prince of Han's civil and military officials can be divided into three major factions. The first is naturally the old Taiping Army members who followed Your Highness in the uprising. Senior generals such as the Wang Dashan brothers, Zhao Yongzeng, Chen Guozhu, and Li Sandou all came from the Taiping Army. The second is the South American Chinese who were successively promoted after the uprising. This faction is mainly represented by the commander of the First Division, Luo Linshan. The last faction is the Southeast Asian Chinese. After Your Highness the Crown Prince occupied the two southern states of Brazil, he successively sent people to contact the Chinese forces in various Southeast Asian countries. Ye Chenglin, Wu Fengdian, the Chen Shangfa brothers, and Brigadier General Liu can also be regarded as this faction."

"Mr. Shen, have you forgotten the wealthy merchants and scholars in Southeast Asia? Seriously speaking, civil servants like Hu Yaji, Chen Jinzhong, and Zhang Fanglin cannot get along with us."

"A gentleman is harmonious but different. Although Minister Hu of the Ministry of Commerce and Minister Chen of the Ministry of Finance have less contact with us, in some aspects, we are also in the same group."

Shen Fushan responded roughly and continued, "Based on their close relationship with His Highness, no matter whether it is the generals from the Nanyang faction or General Luo from the South American Chinese workers, they are unlikely to be more trusted by His Highness than the old Taiping Army members. Some generals from the South American Chinese workers have already risen to high positions, and General Luo is the last division commander with the rank of lieutenant general, except for the two veterans Zhang Ansong and Li Sandou. However, among the generals from the Nanyang faction, Ye Chenglin, Wu Fengdian, and the Chen Shangfa brothers are all stuck at the threshold of colonel. At present, only Brigade Commander Liu is the commander of the First Mixed Brigade with the rank of major general."

Shen Fushan paused for a moment, carefully observing the other party's reaction, and continued, "Among the Nanyang officers, there is no one with more influence than Brigadier General Liu. But when the Argentine War is over, Wu Fengdian, Ye Chenglin and others will rise to higher positions with their military merits, while Brigadier General Liu will remain in his original position. Objectively speaking, will His Royal Highness the King of Han still value Brigadier General Liu as much as he does now?"

"Mr. Shen wants Liu to take the initiative in the next war, make more military achievements, and continue to gain the attention of His Royal Highness the King of Han?"

After hearing the other party's straightforward words, Liu Yongfu reacted immediately.

"That's exactly what I meant. According to my observation, His Royal Highness the King of Han has great trust in Brigadier General Liu and seems to be interested in shaping Brigadier General Liu into a representative of the Nanyang military. Not every general can be favored by His Royal Highness the King of Han, so I am talking to Brigadier General Liu today."

It is an inevitable phenomenon for different factions to band together for warmth in any dynasty or political party. In the South American Han Kingdom, if we count carefully, the factions of all sizes can be divided into more than a dozen. For example, the Nanyang faction that Shen Fushan believes in can be further divided into the Annan civil servant faction, the military general faction, the Malay Peninsula faction, the Singapore wealthy businessman faction, the Singapore literati faction and many other factions.

A moderate differentiation of power is conducive to maintaining royal rule and social development, while excessive internal strife will consume national strength and affect the stability of the regime. Fortunately, with Li Mingyuan in control and regulation, the various forces in the South American Han country are competing internally and meeting enemies externally around the unified goal of national development, making the entire country condensed into a powerful fist, expanding the living space of the Chinese in South America under the unfavorable situation of being surrounded on all sides.

Liu Yongfu's heart was stirred by Shen Fushan's words. To stand out, get promoted and make money were his long-standing goals and pursuits.

When it first joined the National Defense Force, the territory of the Han Kingdom in South America was no more than the size of a province in Shuzhou, with a population of more than 1870. At the same time, as time went on, in 117, the National Defense Force occupied southern Argentina, and the land area of ​​the Han Kingdom expanded to 1879 million square kilometers. The population increased nearly twenty times in ten years, and the number of Chinese reached more than five million. In , the National Defense Force annihilated Argentine main forces and occupied Buenos Aires, the capital of the Argentine Federation. At this point, most of Argentina fell under the control of the National Defense Force, and it was only a few months away from the entire Argentina being incorporated into the Han Kingdom.

Objectively speculate the scene at the end of the Argentine War, forcing back the British expeditionary force, defeating the Brazilian and Chilean armies, the Han Kingdom's territory expanded to more than 3 million square kilometers, the vast and fertile Pampas grasslands were all under the control of the Han Kingdom, and a steady stream of Chinese immigrants enriched the Han Kingdom's national strength. A great oriental power stood on the New World of South America. What kind of high position would you be in at that time?
Liu Yongfu's inner passion could not be concealed through his eyes. Shen Fushan smiled with satisfaction and said, "Opening up the frontier and converting the barbarians to Chinese, the cause we are engaged in is truly a great cause that has not been seen in China for 5,000 years. In this exciting era, Brigade Commander Liu must not be cautious and modest, or he will miss the opportunity to leave his name in history!"

"If it weren't for Mr. Shen's reminder, Yongfu would have almost made a big mistake that he would regret for the rest of his life. Yongfu will definitely remember Mr. Shen's reminder."

Compared with his future in officialdom, the humble and peaceful image he had built up for a long time could be abandoned. After accepting Shen Fushan's suggestion, Liu Yongfu seemed to have become a different person. He immediately put down his official airs, called a company of guards, and rushed to the front line for inspection.

Shen Fushan's reminder provided Liu Yongfu with crucial help. While the war continued in various parts of Argentina, the officials of the General Staff ordered by Li Mingyuan were collecting the battle statistics reported by the National Defense Forces, and were preparing to formulate the promotion degree and title level of officers at all levels based on the size of their merits.

(End of this chapter)