Reborn as King of South America

Chapter 440 Ready to make a move
The development of the domestic situation in Paraguay not only affects the strategic deployment of the Han government, but also touches the sensitive nerves of important officials of the Brazilian government.

In the former Royal Palace of Rio de Janeiro, now the official residence of the President of the Brazilian Republic, President Fonseca, Speaker of the Parliament Morais, Army Marshal Peixoto, Navy Commander Ferreira and others gathered together to prepare for an in-depth discussion on how to deal with the chaos in Paraguay.

The meeting officially began. None of the senior military and political officials sitting around the round table took the initiative to speak up and put forward their own opinions. Therefore, as the convener and leader of the meeting, Brazilian President Fonseca tapped the table with his pipe and said, "I believe everyone has some understanding of the recent changes in Paraguay. Today, we have gathered everyone together to hold a meeting to solicit everyone's opinions on how to deal with the changes in Paraguay. If you have anything to say or ask, you can raise it on the spot without any hesitation."

After he finished speaking, everyone in the meeting hall still had a serious and thoughtful expression on their faces, and no one spoke to continue what Fonseca said.

"Marshal Peixoto, what do you think of the coup in Paraguay?"

The atmosphere in the conference hall was solemn. Fonseca had no choice but to turn his attention to his partner, Field Marshal Peixoto, hoping that the other party could provide him with some advice worth learning from.

"The Republic Army anticipated the political turmoil that might occur in Paraguay. However, according to the Army's analysis and speculation, Lopez Jr.'s coercive rule in Paraguay should last for another three to five years. However, Lopez Jr.'s sudden death disrupted the Republic Army's prior deployment. Before that, the Republic Army's strategic plan was to concentrate its main forces to eliminate the remnants of the royalists, and wait until the civil war ended and the central and northern coastal areas were under the jurisdiction of the Republican government again, and then take advantage of the collapse of the Lopez family regime to launch a war against Paraguay."

"Then, Marshal Peixoto, I want to know whether the Republic Army currently has the strength to defeat the royalist forces and recapture the central and northern coastal areas?"

"I'm sorry, Mr. President. The earliest time the Army planned to launch an attack on the Royalist armed forces was July 1890. Now, the time has been moved forward by one year and one month. The Army's various combat readiness, recruitment and training work have not been completed. The Republic Army has no absolute guarantee of victory in launching a full-scale attack on the Royalist armed forces at this time."

"What about the navy? In the past six or seven years, the Republic Navy has successively acquired four advanced armored cruisers. The total tonnage of the navy has increased by about one-fold compared to the period before 1880. Can the Republic Navy take on the main combat missions and assist the Army in launching a full-scale attack on the royalist armed forces?"

Having not received a satisfactory response from Peixoto, Fonseca placed his hopes of resolving the royalist armed forces on the navy.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, Mr. President. Although the Republic Navy has acquired many new warships in the past ten years, and the total tonnage of the navy has gradually exceeded the tonnage of the navy under the name of the royalist armed forces, the situation of the Republic Navy is completely different from that of the Army. Officers and sailors at all levels of the Republic Navy are white. They not only exclude non-white officers and sailors from serving in the navy, but also openly and secretly violate the orders of the supervisory officers sent by the Republican government to enter the naval fleet. In addition, because naval officers and sailors have various privileges during the imperial period, a large number of them still have illusions about the royalists. Some senior naval generals and officers even have private contacts with the royalists. …………

There are quite a few naval officers and sailors who sympathize with and lean toward the royalist armed forces. Given the current situation of the Republic Navy, I do not think the Republic Navy has the ability to launch an armed attack against the royalists. "

"The royalist party's profound influence on the navy is a historical issue left over from the division of North and South. This issue is relatively complicated and cannot be dealt with roughly, nor can it be left alone."

Fonseca's face was heavy as he ordered, "The operation of placing supervisory officers and sailors from other ethnic groups in the navy fleet must continue. As long as the control of the navy's main warships is in the hands of the Republican government, those conservative officers and sailors will not be able to stir up any trouble."

"Okay, Mr. President, the Navy will work with the port guards to strengthen supervision of ship officers and sailors."

After asking about the relevant aspects of the army and navy in turn and concluding that the original strategic plan of launching a priority attack on the royalists had lost its feasibility, the topic of the parliament returned to the Paraguayan Incident.

The time was not ripe for launching a full-scale attack on the royalist forces.

Political turmoil broke out prematurely in Paraguay, and the country lost the opportunity to attack in the central and northern coastal areas. At the same time, it gained an opportunity to recover territory and boost domestic morale in Paraguay. Fonseca realized that if war was inevitable, the most suitable breakthrough direction for the Brazilian Republic was in Paraguay.

Paraguay's domestic economy is on the verge of collapse, and the two forces that control the main military forces are accumulating strength and preparing for the final decisive battle in order to compete for the highest power in Paraguay.

Paraguay has a sparse population, with a total population of only over 500,000, and nearly 50,000 people were forcibly conscripted into the army.
Once the civil war breaks out, the already small number of troops will be concentrated near Asuncion to fight. Then, the defenseless western and northern regions of Paraguay will become the playground for the Brazilian army to wreak havoc. The possibility of winning is very high if the superior forces are used to attack the defenseless northern Paraguay. However, even if the Brazilian Republic faces Paraguay alone, it has the advantage of crushing it completely.

However, without obtaining the support of Britain and eliminating the threat posed by the Han State to their own army, neither Fonseca nor the officials and generals sitting in the hall dared to make the decision to send troops to attack Paraguay.

Fonseca was waiting for a piece of news, while Peixoto, Morais and other senior Brazilian officials sat in their seats without saying a word, also waiting for a decisive piece of news. Before hearing the news, no matter how rich and vivid Fonseca's speech was, no one would give him a clear response.

The meeting lasted from morning to night, and at seven o'clock in the evening, a telegram from the British Embassy reached Fonseca.

"The British agreed to our conditions. The British envoy made a commitment on behalf of the British government. In principle, they support the Republic government's just war to recover territory and fight against the Lopez regime. The British side will provide diplomatic and material support to the Republic government to ensure that the war is limited to the territory of Paraguay and that other countries are not allowed to spread the war to the Republic's homeland!"

Fonseca got the British promise and excitedly announced it to others.

"What about the Han Kingdom? Will the Han army ignore the principles of engagement set by the British government and send troops to attack the Republic's homeland when the Paraguayan War breaks out again?"

Peixoto still had some concerns.

"The Han government may ignore the warring principles set by the British and directly launch an attack on the Republic's homeland. However, the Han Ministry of Foreign Affairs just issued a public statement, clearly promising not to intervene in the Paraguayan civil war. Based on our experience of fighting with that group of Orientals many times, although they are full of ambitions for the Republic's land, their guarantees are generally trustworthy."

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Brazil stood up and explained.

"The British have made their position clear, and the Han government has also made a clear diplomatic statement. So, even if the Han army intervenes in the war after the Republican army enters Paraguay, as long as the Republican army is fast enough and rushes ahead of the Han army, it can eliminate the remaining Paraguayan troops and occupy Asuncion.
The Han army could not gain much advantage in the face of the Republic army, which was defending well.”

After hearing two pieces of good news in succession, Fonseca's confidence increased greatly, and he said happily: "Even if we consider the worst result, the Han army's offensive is fierce, and the Republic army cannot resist the Han army's attack and is forced to withdraw to the homeland for defense, at that time, we can also rely on the security guarantee promised by the British to force the Han army to stop the offensive before the border.

If we win the Paraguayan War, we will gain a lot. If we lose, we can also protect the Republic's territory from being invaded by the Han Kingdom. Whether we win or lose, the Republic is guaranteed. Therefore, I think the Republic's government should take the initiative to intervene in the chaos in Paraguay, take advantage of the opportunity of the dispersion of domestic forces in Paraguay, recover the occupied territory, and resolve the military threat from Paraguay to the southern border area of ​​the Republic. "

"I agree with the President. The gap in power between the Republic and the Han Kingdom is getting bigger and bigger. Simply passive defense cannot solve the threat posed by the Han Kingdom to the Republic. Taking advantage of the civil unrest in Paraguay, occupying Asuncion and pushing the confrontation line between the Republic and the Han Kingdom to the middle basin of the Paraguay River will be of great benefit to the Republic's future national defense strategy."

"The Han army is very powerful. If the Republic army is not doing well on the front line, I think we should stick to the principle of preserving our strength. If the army is frustrated, we should retreat decisively and withdraw the Republic army back to the mainland to preserve the Republic army's vitality."…………

With the British endorsement and guarantee, the officials and generals regained their confidence and put forward their own suggestions.

"When sending troops to Paraguay, it is best to preserve our strength. If we can win, then fight. If we can't win, then withdraw decisively. Marshal Peixoto's suggestion is very good."

Seeing that everyone had reached a consensus, Fonseca said with satisfaction: "It is completely reasonable to send troops to Paraguay and recover the occupied territory. I believe that all civilized countries in the world will definitely support the Republic's just war."…………

(End of this chapter)