Reborn as King of South America

Chapter 437 Paraguay Crisis Continued

"Little Lopez died on the banks of the Paraguay River, in a fortress where he once led troops to garrison."

The news of Lopez Jr.'s death spread rapidly in the port camp, and the fact itself gradually made the soldiers and officers realize a realistic problem: the "Supreme Head" was dead, and he did not leave a convincing successor for his rule.

Perhaps it was because he was sure that no one in the country could replace him; perhaps it was because he did not expect that he would die suddenly. He had just pushed Carlos to the forefront and had not had time to pave the way for his son to ascend to the throne of power. He ended his last journey of life with reluctance and regret.

In Paraguay, the rights of citizens from all walks of life to freely express their opinions and govern themselves have long been suppressed by Lopez Jr.

Now that Lopez Jr. is dead, the violent machine that oppressed and enslaved them has lost its most core controller.
The huge violent machine has lost its unified command and control. In response, it has lost the suppression and deterrence of Lopez Jr. The pressure accumulated in all walks of life in Paraguay will cause a terrible social explosion once a fuse is ignited! The power of the social explosion will destroy the ruling order of the Paraguayan government and bring violent and deep destruction!

Paraguay's "crown" fell from the head of little Lopez and landed on the fertile black soil, waiting for a brave hero to pick it up.

A hero needs strength and prestige to support him. After the death of Lopez Jr., all the forces that have the opportunity to compete for the ownership of the crown are concentrated within the kingdom's regime.
The seven people, including Prime Minister José Decode, Commander of the Guard, Lieutenant General Enrique, four division commanders who control the core forces of the Paraguayan Army, and Lieutenant General Francisco Isidoro, who is the Army Chief of Staff and has a profound influence in the army even though he does not have a unit directly under his command, are considered the most powerful candidates for the Paraguayan crown.

Among them, the commander of the Second Division was stuck in the quagmire of Indian rebellion and could not get out. The commander of the Fourth Division led his troops to garrison the border between Paraguay and Brazil. The defensive pressure was huge and they were far away from the power center, Asuncion. The forces represented by the two were inherently at a disadvantage in the competition after the death of Lopez Jr.

Apart from the two division commanders who were tied up, the remaining prime minister and several other senior generals all had their armies to support their seizure of power. Compared with them, although Paraguayan Army Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Isidoro has always been with Lopez Jr., he has also lost the opportunity to cultivate his own trusted backbone!

Little Lopez was suspicious and stubborn by nature, and he was even more suspicious of the generals close to him! Lieutenant General Isidoro stayed carefully beside Little Lopez and planned for the so-called Paraguayan cause. He did not dare to show his ambition. However, now that Little Lopez is dead, the situation in Paraguay is about to usher in a subversive change! Lieutenant General Isidoro can no longer pretend to be deaf and dumb, follow others step by step, and be a poor yes-man!
The chaos and turmoil in the military camp aroused Isidoro's ambition! He was unwilling to miss the opportunity to change the political landscape of Paraguay!
A bold plan was brewing in his mind, and then he soon put it into action.

Isidoro took advantage of the remaining prestige of Lopez Jr. and the habitual obedience of the various Guards units, and in his capacity as Army Chief of Staff, issued orders to the engineering battalion, artillery battalion, 1st Guards Regiment and other units to accept his command.

Faced with Isidoro's seemingly reasonable orders and solicitations, the military chiefs of the engineering battalion, artillery battalion, and communications company obediently stood on Isidoro's side.

Although the commander of the 1st Guard Regiment had doubts about Isidoro's order, he remained cautious until the situation became clear and agreed to follow Isidoro back to Asuncion.

The engineering battalion, artillery battalion and other troops that followed Lopez Jr. surrendered one after another. When he saw that things were developing in a favorable direction for him, Lieutenant General Isidoro was clearly rejected by Lieutenant Colonel Manley, the commander of the cavalry battalion: "His Majesty has left a will that the various units of the Guards accept the command of His Highness Carlos! Other generals have no right to take over the command of the Guards!"

"I am the highest-ranking officer in the port camp! According to wartime regulations! After His Majesty returns to the Lord's arms, I should take over the command of the entire army!

Lieutenant Colonel Manley! I command you in the name of the highest military commander of the camp! Obey the order of the highest commander! Collect His Majesty's body and return to Asuncion by boat immediately! "

"I'm sorry, General, but I cannot disobey His Majesty's orders."

Lieutenant Colonel Manley Ely replied forcefully: "According to His Majesty's will, we must wait for the arrival of Major General Ames Washburn, commander of the Second Brigade, with the Concepcion garrison before we can set out to return to Asuncion."

"Lieutenant Colonel Manly Ely! Do you know the consequences of disobeying the orders of your highest superior during wartime?"

Upon hearing that the other side had brought out the troops of the Second Brigade of the Paraguayan Army from the camp near the port, Isidoro intensified his threatening tone!
"I have no intention of offending the general's majesty, but I cannot disobey his majesty's will."

In the solemn and cold house, the body of Lopez Jr. was lying on the bed, and a few meters away from the bed, the originally obedient and docile Paraguayan officers were clearly divided into two factions.

Isidoro's faction had a large number of officers, while Manly and Eli's faction had only a few officers from the Guards Cavalry Battalion. Inside the house, Manly and Eli's faction was at a disadvantage in terms of numbers, but outside the house, in the King's Guards Camp, there were more than 400 soldiers from the Guards Cavalry Battalion stationed.

It would be disadvantageous to clash with Manly and Ely's faction in the cavalry camp. Therefore, after weighing the pros and cons, Lieutenant General Isidoro had to give up the plan of peacefully annexing the Guards Cavalry Battalion and led the seven or eight main officers he had just conquered back to his own camp.

"Lieutenant Colonel, General Isidoro is gone."

After Isidoro and the others left, a soldier who had been following them returned to report.

"Send another group of people to contact Major General Washburn, explain to him what just happened in the camp, and request the Second Brigade to rush to the port camp for support as soon as possible!"

"Yes, Lieutenant Colonel!"

"Also, from now on, order the First Company of the Cavalry Battalion to set off immediately and rush to the area bordering the First Guards Regiment for surveillance. The three platoons under the Second Company will be sent to the Engineer Battalion, Artillery Battalion, and the port where the transport fleet is anchored. Persuade them to obey His Majesty's will and not follow General Isidoro in rebellion!"

"Yes, Lieutenant Colonel!"…………

Fierce gunfire and shouts broke the tranquility of the night. The red artillery fire illuminated the port camp on the Paraguay River. After Isidoro left the cavalry camp, he colluded with Major General Don Jose Falcon, commander of the naval transport fleet, to launch an attack on the cavalry camp.

With the help of the warships' guns, the 1st Guard Regiment and the Engineer Battalion attacked in coordination. With their firepower and numbers at a disadvantage, the Paraguayan Guard Cavalry Battalion was at a disadvantage and had to retreat in a panic from the camp where they were originally stationed.

In the early hours of the same night, the Paraguayan Guard Cavalry Battalion, escorting the body of Lopez Jr., met up with the advance troops sent by Major General Washburn. The two forces combined and barely repelled the attack of Isidoro's troops.

The next morning, the main force of the Paraguayan Army's 2nd Brigade arrived at the port of Concepcion, but all they had left were abandoned heavy artillery and nearly a hundred dead horses.

The internal fighting that occurred at the port of Concepción marked the beginning of civil unrest in Paraguay.

Three days after the incident, the commander of the Guards Cavalry Battalion, Manly Ely, the commander of the Second Brigade of the Paraguayan Army, Washburn, and the commander of the Third Division stationed in Puerto Casado, Silvestre, issued a joint announcement, announcing the formation of a joint force to march into Asuncion and fight against the rebellion!
On the day before the formation of the joint force, Isidoro, who returned to Asuncion smoothly, won over Paraguayan Prime Minister Jose Decode, Guard Commander Lieutenant General Enrique and others, and announced the establishment of a four-member regency committee. He, Navy Fleet Commander Major General Don Jose Falcon, National Prime Minister Jose Decode, and Guard Commander Enrique would serve as regents to replace the deceased Lopez Jr. and exercise power to control the country.

On May 1889, 5, the Marquis of Istigarlib, a veteran of the Paraguayan army and once a capable general of Lopez Jr., was found guilty by the four regent chairmen and imprisoned in Asuncion Prison. That night, worried about the Marquis of Istigarlib's influence in the army, Isidoro and others instructed the prison guards to kill the old retired general and faked a scene of his suicide out of fear of punishment.

At 1889 a.m. on May 5, 25, the four-member Regency Committee sent troops to surround the Asuncion Palace. More than a thousand guards loyal to the López family relied on the city walls and tried their best to block the attack of the coup forces. At 8 p.m., several rebellious palace guards opened the city gates. The palace defenders were outnumbered and were gradually eliminated.

At 4 p.m., the coup troops occupied the palace and captured Carlos Lopez, the heir designated by Lopez Jr., while Carlos' mother, Mrs. Lynch, took advantage of the earlier chaos and ran to the Chinese embassy with her other son and daughter to seek asylum.

The four-member regency committee gradually attacked and eliminated the enemies and armed forces that opposed them. Outside Asuncion, the joint force composed of the Guards Cavalry Battalion, the Second Brigade of the Paraguayan Army, the Third Division of the Paraguayan Army and other units, boarded the collected transport ships and advanced towards Asuncion along the Paraguay River.

A large-scale civil war is about to break out in Paraguay. At the same time, the Han Kingdom and the Republic of Brazil, which are close to Paraguay, are also paying close attention to the development of the Asuncion war. …………

(End of this chapter)