Reborn as King of South America

Chapter 462 Untitled
In the evening, at the Chang'an Palace, dozens of officials from various departments and generals stationed in the army quickly rushed to the Chang'an Palace after receiving the notification.

"The Americans have just sent a diplomatic protest to the court. They demand that the court immediately stop the war in Paraguay and withdraw the troops from Paraguay within two weeks. If the court does not do as they wish, the Americans will threaten to send the Atlantic Fleet and Army to support the Paraguayan army."

Li Mingyuan briefly explained the content of the protest, and then said solemnly: "The United States has threatened the imperial court more than once or twice, but this situation is more serious than before, because according to the intelligence analysis obtained by the Intelligence Department, the United States not only dispatched a fleet consisting of a second-class battleship, five large cruisers, and fourteen various types of supply ships to the Caribbean two days ago, but also the diplomats of the United States are connecting with the senior officials of the Republic of Brazil, intending to persuade the Republic of Brazil to agree to give them the right to establish a military base in the Republic of Brazil.

The United States dispatched a naval fleet, which had more deterrent significance than practical significance and had limited influence on the Imperial Army's military operations in Paraguay. However, the activities of United States diplomats in contacting the Republic of Brazil with the intention of establishing a military base posed a greater and more serious threat to the future of the Imperial court!

The United States is located in North America, a long way away from the Empire. If in the future, the United States launches a containment war against the Empire because of the Empire's expansion in South America, then the only measure they can take is to embark on a long expedition, covering a distance of more than 10,000 kilometers, to transport troops to southern South America and engage in a decisive battle with the Imperial Army on land.

The most important factors that determine whether an expeditionary force can maintain long-term combat capability are logistics and material supplies. If the supply route extends from the mainland United States to southern South America, then given the current organizational and endurance capabilities of the United States, it will be difficult for them to accept the staggering consumption brought about by a war that may last for a year or even more than several years.

And if the United States achieves its wish, successfully persuades the court of the Republic of Brazil and resolves the interference of the British, and establishes a military base in the coastal areas of the Republic of Brazil, then, although the starting point of their supply route will not extend from North America to South America at one time, a large-scale military base with complete facilities can provide a stable foothold for the expeditionary force and can greatly reduce the expeditionary force's demand for logistical supplies.

Therefore, based on this analysis, the United States' plan to establish a permanent military base in the Republic of Brazil poses a far greater threat to the Imperial Court than directly sending a fleet to intervene.

Therefore, for the future development strategy and security of the empire, no matter what attitude the British side holds, the imperial court must take strong measures to resolutely thwart the Americans' attempt to establish a military base in the Republic of Brazil!
"

"Including the militia and the federal army of each state, the standing army of the United States has about 10 troops. The navy is slightly stronger than the army, with 2 second-class battleships, 12 cruisers of various types, and 7 offshore defense warships. The main armored warships have a tonnage of 5.5 tons. The total tonnage of the main warships is 1.5 times that of the Imperial Navy.
If they are determined to go to war with the Empire, given the combined strength of the army and navy currently possessed by the United States and the Empire, the situation will be more favorable to the Empire if they start the war now rather than waiting ten or twenty years later.

Intelligence on the number of U.S. Army troops, the tonnage of the Navy's main battleships, and combat performance has always been the focus of the Han intelligence department. Therefore, after analyzing the current military strength comparison between the Han and the United States,
The new Chief of Military Intelligence, Liu Jiazhao, was more inclined to take advantage of this incident and go to war directly with the United States.

"Starting a war now is not good for the United States. They will understand the situation. Otherwise, they would not be bluffing and using the opportunity of the Paraguayan War to divert the attention of Britain and the Empire, while secretly contacting the top leaders of the Republic of Brazil. They are planning to create a fait accompli first and then force the Empire and Britain to accept the presence of the United States' military power in the Republic of Brazil."

Luo Linshan, the chief of the Army, continued Liu Jiazhao's words and speculated: "It is unlikely that the Americans will intervene directly in the Paraguayan War now. Moreover, even if they want to take advantage of the temporary entanglement of the Empire and Britain to seek benefits, they will not choose the most risky way of going to war with the Empire.

You may have heard some news and rumors that the supporters behind the indigenous uprising forces on the island of Cuba are the United States. If the United States really intends to use force to gain benefits, then Cuba and Puerto Rico, which are close to the North American mainland and rich in natural resources, should be their first targets. "

"But Spain has the support of Britain and France. Britain, France, Italy and other European countries have considerable economic interests in the Cuban Islands. Do the Americans really dare to disrespect the British and seize the colonies from the Kingdom of Spain?"

Foreign Minister Tang Jingsong said uncertainly.

"Whether the Americans dare to seize Cuba depends on their inference and analysis of the British court's foreign policy. If the British make concessions again and acquiesce to the fact that they have established a military base in South America, then the Americans, who receive a positive response, are likely to put aside their last scruples and find an excuse to declare war on Spain."

“So, the real intention of the United States to intervene in the Paraguayan War was very hidden. Their targets were not only the imperial court, but also Britain, Spain and other countries.

“There is a high probability that this is possible.”

Luo Linshan nodded and continued: "The Americans are familiar with the Western rules of international diplomatic games. At the same time, they are under the guise of maintaining peace in the Americas. Therefore, in the diplomatic game involving South America, the imperial court and Britain are inherently at a disadvantage. (Britain plays the role of a foreign colonizer, and the Han Dynasty started with war. Compared with Britain and the Han Dynasty, the image of the Americans in South America is better)" "The disadvantage in the international diplomatic game is not the most unfavorable. The competition among the world's major powers is essentially the law of the jungle and the survival of the fittest. Although the theory of the empire's expansion in South America is somewhat untenable, it is ultimately just a matter of face. There is no difference between a reasonable excuse for expansion and an artificially fabricated excuse. In the end, the decisive factor that determines which side has the truth is still the strength of the country.

However, apart from the United States' stirring up trouble in the international situation in South America, what worries me most is their closer military cooperation with the Republic of Brazil."

After listening to the opinions of Luo Linshan and other army generals, Chen Sen expressed his own opinions on behalf of the navy: "Although the Imperial Navy is not sure of defeating the opponent in a head-on decisive battle with the United States Atlantic Fleet alone, it is also capable of blocking the United States Fleet outside the territorial waters by relying on the various military bases and port artillery batteries along the coast of the Empire.

However, if the United States Atlantic Fleet joins the Republic of Brazil Fleet, and they deploy the main force of the Atlantic Fleet and use the coastal ports of Brazil as bases, then the Imperial Navy will face a great challenge when facing the joint maritime force composed of the United States Atlantic Fleet and the Republic of Brazil Navy. "

"The Navy of the Republic of Brazil is a considerable threat to the Imperial Navy."

Chen Sen's words just now attracted Li Mingyuan's attention.

The navy is a vital military force for the world's major powers, and more specifically for the Han Kingdom in South America.

The Han Kingdom is surrounded by the sea on three sides and has a relatively remote geographical location. If it loses its control of the sea and its foreign trade and transportation channels are blocked by the navies of the United States and the Republic of Brazil, then even if the basic lives of the Han people can be maintained, the industrial development that Li Mingyuan has high hopes for will also suffer a devastating blow.

Without external exchanges, it was impossible to obtain industrial technology that kept pace with the times. The Han Dynasty's immature education system and relatively small population market simply did not have the conditions to complete industrialization.

Due to concerns about the geographical location, even though Li Mingyuan knew that it would not be difficult for the Han army to destroy the Brazilian army and occupy millions of square kilometers of land in the Brazilian Republic, he was still hesitant to make up his mind to do so.

Now, perhaps the existence of the Brazilian Army does not threaten the national security of the Han Kingdom, but the warships of the Brazilian Republic docked at the military port have become a nail in the door of the Han Kingdom, making Li Mingyuan feel very uncomfortable.

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"The security of the Empire's maritime territory is as important as the security of its land areas. I cannot tolerate a fleet that has the ability to threaten the Empire's maritime security blocking the Empire's doorstep!"

After thinking for just a few minutes, Li Mingyuan made a decision: "Order the Asuncion front troops to follow the No. 1 plan. After occupying Porto Ayes in the west of Asuncion, immediately split into two groups. The main force will continue to attack the Brazilian Republic army near Asuncion, and the other division will go north along the Paraguay River to sweep Concepcion, Porto Casado and other places.
Also, notify the Brazilian Empire and urge them to follow the previous agreement and use the royalist naval officers hidden in the Brazilian Navy, and then cooperate with the Imperial Navy to implement the operational plan to destroy the Brazilian Navy! "

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Luo Linshan and Zhao Yongzeng stood up and followed Li Mingyuan's order. Then they asked cautiously, "Your Majesty, should the troops on the Paraná River Basin Front cooperate with the troops on the Asuncion Front to launch a counterattack against the enemy in front of them?"

"The troops in Encarnacion, Villarrica and other places should not move rashly for the time being. After the battle in Asuncion has made decisive progress, the troops on the Paraná River front will concentrate their main forces to attack Duguaizú and Guaira in the north. However, the attack speed should not be too fast to give the Brazilian court time to react. Otherwise, the imperial army will cut off the Brazilian army's retreat too early, and it will not achieve the goal of luring the enemy out of their hole and taking the opportunity to destroy the Brazilian navy."

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(End of this chapter)