Reborn as King of South America

Chapter 488 Rio de Janeiro

Not only Li Mingyuan was always paying attention to the progress of the war in Paraguay, but the President of the Republic of Brazil, Fonseca, was also very anxious about the war in Paraguay.

"Mr. President, General Rodriguez called urgently. The coastal ports connecting to the Villarrica front, Mauricio and other places have been occupied by the Han army. Our army has lost contact with General Getulio for more than 4 days, and there is no news of the 4000 reinforcements sent. General Rodriguez speculated that Getulio's troops and reinforcements may have been surrounded or even destroyed by the enemy."

Brazilian Army Marshal Peixoto rushed to the Presidential Palace overnight, holding a telegram in his hand and handed it to Fonseca with a serious expression on his face.

"Is the information accurate? Is there any other reason that caused the temporary interruption of contact? Have you sent anyone to contact Getulio and the reinforcements?"

Fonseca couldn't believe the content of the telegram and asked three questions in succession.

"The news has been confirmed again and again by General Rodriguez. It can't be false: the weather has improved, and the road from Villarrica to the Paraná River has returned to normal. If Getulio's troops were not surrounded or annihilated, they would definitely be able to send out signal soldiers to take the initiative to contact the rear. General Rodriguez sent several cavalry squads to the area around Villarrica, trying hard to contact Getulio's troops, but they were all blocked by the Han army and failed."

Fonseca felt a suffocating feeling in his chest and he gasped heavily a few times, holding on to the sofa with one hand, trying to support his body with difficulty.

"president!"

The attendant was horrified and rushed forward anxiously to support the other person.

"I'm fine." With the help of his servants, Fonseca slowly sat down on the sofa. Peixoto picked up a cup of black tea and brought it to his mouth. Fonseca drank a few sips, lay on the sofa and rested for a few minutes, and his complexion gradually returned to normal.

"President, please take care of yourself. The Brazilian Republic needs you. You must not fall down."

Brazil's Foreign Minister Hernandez patted Fonseca on the back with a worried look on his face.

"I'm old, and my health isn't as good as it used to be."

Fonseca waved his hand, signaling Hernandez to stop, and then continued, "Let's not talk about this for now. Getulio's troops, after replenishing the losses and the 4000 reinforcements, had a total of 2 people. Why were they suddenly surrounded or wiped out by the enemy? The Han army on the Villarrica front had only a few thousand people at first. Even if the Han army sent reinforcements later, the total strength was only more than , which was not as many as Getulio's troops and the reinforcements combined. Marshal, tell me, how did the Han army do it?"

"Due to the sudden loss of communication, General Rodriguez was not clear about the specific situation on the Villarrica front. It is estimated that the Han army continued to send reinforcements via the railway, using superior forces to cut off the external communication between Getulio's troops and the reinforcements."

"Getulio's troops and reinforcements total 20,000 people. They cannot just disappear without a clear explanation. Order General Rodriguez to continue sending people to contact them. Once accurate information is obtained, report to the Presidential Palace immediately."

"Major Anderson, telegraph General Rodriguez immediately and convey the President's order."

Marshal Peixoto gave instructions to his adjutant, then turned to the president and asked, "We must prepare for the worst-case scenario in which Getulio's troops and reinforcements are annihilated. If 20,000 troops are annihilated and the positions are lost, then the ports of Guaira and Duguaizú along the Paraná River will be left with a lack of manpower. The Han army can use the waterway to attack the two places upstream from the downstream estuary."

"What suggestions does the Marshal have?"

"I think it is necessary to send emergency support. From the 1.5 people who are rushing to Paraguay, 5000 people should be sent to Puerto do Guaizu and Puerto Guaira to strengthen the troops in the two places, and the remaining 1 people will continue to be sent to the front line in Asuncion."

"Okay, the Marshal will take care of the arrangements for the reinforcements."

Fonseca thought about it for a moment and agreed to the other party's suggestion.

"Does the Marshal have anything else to say?"

Fonseca asked, looking at the other party's hesitant expression.

"Mr. President, have you considered withdrawing troops from Paraguay? The situation with Getulio and the reinforcements is likely to be bad. The war has changed. It's not too late to withdraw troops from Paraguay while the overall situation is under control."

"Marshal, before the war, the army stated that it would be able to defend the gains in Paraguay until political intervention to resolve the issue. Why did you change your mind?"

Peixoto's suggestion made Fonseca hesitate for a moment, but considering the consequences of withdrawal, he quickly killed the idea in his mind.

Timely withdrawal from Paraguay may be the safest and most prudent approach, but as the country's top leader and the decision-maker of the Paraguayan War, he spent a huge amount of manpower and material resources, overdrawn the funds accumulated by the country's development in the past decade, and relied on loans and arms procurement support from Britain and the United States to launch a war. After regaining lost territory and occupying the entire territory of Paraguay, he returned to the country in disgrace and handed over the results. If Fonseca agrees to do this, how will the various ethnic groups in the Republic of Brazil view him? Will they think that he made a rational decision for the future development of the Republic? No! They will only think that he is an old man with no responsibility and strategic vision and a broken brain. Can such a person continue to sit in the president's seat and lead the whole country forward? Fortunately, he was not thrown into prison by the opposition in the name of losing power and humiliating the country!

As a politician, having ascended to the highest throne of power in the country and enjoying the pleasure brought by the highest power, Fonseca was unwilling to risk losing his political future. War is gambling. It is not the behavior of a qualified politician to give up and admit defeat just when both parties have just sat down at the gambling table and have not officially started gambling. The bargaining chips and strength of the Han Kingdom are stronger than those of the Republic of Brazil, but the Republic of Brazil is not without support. The United States of America, which is also a country formed by immigrants and has a higher population, national strength, and industrial output than the Han Kingdom, is the bargaining chip that turns the table. Fonseca will not admit defeat until all the chips are placed on the gambling table and the winner is completely determined.

"The war situation was out of control. Even though we carefully assessed the strength of the Han army before the war, after a month of fighting, the Han army's weapons and equipment, troop combat effectiveness, and other aspects were still higher than our assessment. This was the result of asymmetric intelligence and the Han army's external blockade."

After some explanations, but observing Fonseca's resolute expression, Peixoto softened his tone and explained: "If the external situation changes fundamentally within two or three months, the Paraguayan war may be resolved satisfactorily."

The two men were tied to the same rope. Peixoto signed the Paraguayan War, and he also suffered a bad fate when the troops withdrew from Paraguay in disgrace. Since the president insisted, he could only follow the idea of ​​continuing to fight.

"What are the movements of those royalist remnants?"

As the war continued, Fonseca turned his attention back to the parties involved in the conflict.

"The remnants of the royalists are still accumulating troops in the border areas."

"The evil spirit will never die!"

Fonseca snorted and continued, "Where are the Americans?"

"The American minister replied that the US Atlantic Fleet is ready. It has been transferred to the Miami area. However, there are some disagreements within the US Congress and no final consensus has been reached."

"Urge the Americans to make a decision as soon as possible. The Republic has shown its sincerity, and they should also make up their minds."

"Okay, President."

Brazil's Minister of Foreign Affairs Hernandez responded.

"Mr. President, I suggest that the navy launch harassment against the coastal areas of the Han Kingdom. If there is an opportunity, it would be best to go upstream along the Parana River estuary and attack the Han army's water supply transport fleet to buy more time for the army to hold on to Paraguay."

"What does the Navy think?"

Faced with Peixoto's suggestion, Fonseca threw the question to Ferreira, commander of the Navy of the Republic of Brazil.

"Mr. President, Marshal Peixoto, the situation in the navy is more complicated. There are many people in the fleet who sympathize with the remnants of the royalists."

Navy Commander Ferreira was interrupted by a piece of news before he could finish his words.
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"Emergency war report, Han issued a clear-coded telegram, claiming that it had completely wiped out the Villarrica frontline defenders and a 2-man reinforcement force with superior forces, achieving a great victory."

A staff officer rushed over and briefly repeated the contents of the telegram.

President Fonseca took the telegram and read it carefully. Although he was saddened by the loss of 2 troops, he felt better when he saw in the telegram that the Han army had transported more than 4000 main forces to the Villarrica front by train, and cooperated with the defenders to launch an attack on the Brazilian army. Only then did they eliminate Getulio and reinforcements.

The result was acceptable as they used twice the number of troops to destroy the Brazilian defenders who had no strong defensive facilities.

"The Han army, with 4 troops, surrounded and destroyed Getulio's troops. The Villarrica position was completely lost. We must also speed up our response."

Fonseca handed the battle report to Peixoto and others one by one for them to read. After they had all read it, he continued, "According to Marshal Peixoto's suggestion, the navy will dispatch its main battleships to launch diversionary attacks on the coastal areas of Han. Marshal Ferreira, you will arrange this matter yourself. As for the situation of those who sympathize with the remnants of the royalists within the navy, we will slowly resolve it after the war is over."

"Okay, President."

The president made the decision to send the navy to harass the coastal areas of Han without his knowledge, and Ferreira had no choice but to accept it.

"Getulio's troops and 4000 reinforcements are the main force of the Republic. It is reasonable for the Han army to attack with a force of 4, regardless of casualties, and surround and destroy of our troops."

After reading the telegram, Peixoto thought that the Han army's battle report was reasonable and put aside his doubts.

"Since everyone has no objection, let's implement the results of today's meeting. It's getting late, so everyone should go back and rest early."
(End of this chapter)