Reborn as King of South America

Chapter 490: A budding and flourishing era

The whistle blew long and hard, and a huge fleet came into view. At the front of the fleet were several steel behemoths that were emitting black smoke and speeding away. Their black muzzles were pointing forward, intimidating any enemy who dared to offend.

On the bow deck of the 2400-ton Yangwu-class dome-shaped armored cruiser, Lieutenant Commander Yang Guangzong leaned against the steel railing, holding a German book with drawings of warships in both hands, reading it attentively.

An unknown water bird flew over the deck, making a crisp sound. The sound of the bird interrupted my thoughts. I put away the book, raised my head to stretch my sore neck, and then turned to look at the river. The weather was clear, there was a breeze, and the ripples on the water surface were shining with sunlight, refracting bits of light.

The rainy season came to a brief end, the river was in high tide, the sun was shining brightly, and the Yangwu-class cruiser was sailing smoothly on the Paraguay River. The scene before him made Yang Guangzong feel much happier. The slight regret he had felt because he was transferred to the inland river basin and could not participate in the upcoming naval battle also disappeared.

After completely annihilating the 2 Brazilian defenders in the direction of Villarrica, the navy, in accordance with the order of the front-line headquarters, dispatched some small and medium-sized warships to assist the army and launched an attack on the Brazilian defenders in the two inland river basins of the Paraguay and Parana rivers. The Yangwu-class dome armored cruiser captained by Yang Guangzong was transferred to the Paraguay basin to participate in the attack on the Humeta fortress.

The entire fleet includes two 2400-ton Yangwu-class light cruisers, each equipped with four 4mm naval guns, two 150-ton Yongxing-class light cruisers, each equipped with four 2mm naval guns, six 1350-ton Sea Lion-class gunboats, eight 4-ton Sea Wolf-class gunboats, eight 120-ton Sea Shark-class torpedo boats, plus various auxiliary ships such as troop transports, with a total number of more than 6 ships.

运输船队搭载了3万名陆军和配属火炮、重机枪、迫击炮、制式步枪等武器和弹药，待抵达虎美塔要塞，留下两艘2400吨级扬武级轻巡洋舰、2艘1350吨级永兴级轻型巡洋舰、4艘 760吨级海狮级炮舰、3艘 120吨级海鲨级鱼雷艇后，剩余舰船将返回清河市，继续输送第二批总计约2万人的兵力和弹药物资。

Due to poor land transportation, heavy artillery was difficult to transport to the front line, and it was equally important to dispatch the Yangwu-class dome-shaped armored cruiser to assist the army in attacking the Hume Tower Fortress. After thinking about this clearly, Yang Guangzong felt much more open-minded. Then, from a rational and objective perspective, he analyzed the impending naval battle between the Han Kingdom and the Republic of Brazil, and the result he obtained was somewhat different from the initial one.

The Han Navy started a little later and has been developing for nearly 20 years. The Republic of Brazil inherited some naval ships from the Portuguese colonial period. However, compared with the Han Navy, both are still in their infancy. The naval battles that broke out between the two countries are essentially still a fight between rookies, without much skills and tactics.

For a naval officer, not being able to participate in a naval battle is naturally regrettable and sad, but a soldier's duty is to obey orders, and naval soldiers must also obey national strategic arrangements and put national interests first. As for personally participating in naval battles and gaining experience in maritime combat, there will be plenty of opportunities in the future.

The Republic of Brazil, the Brazilian Empire, and even Chile, which is known as a naval power in South America, are not the first combat targets of the Han Navy. According to the instructions of His Majesty the Emperor, the United States is the number one enemy. Han naval officers should also hold themselves to the standards of the world's naval powers, so as to play the role of the backbone of the navy in the future all-out war between Han and the United States.

As the Paraguayan war progressed and the external situation changed, the Emperor's prediction gradually became a reality. America's hostility towards the Han Kingdom became increasingly undisguised. If it were not for the British taking the lead, the Americans, without any scruples, would have sent their warships and army to the Republic of Brazil and even Paraguay to threaten or even attack the empire with force.

From Yang Guangzong's perspective, it is understandable that Americans regard the entire North America as their sphere of influence, but they are so ambitious that they even regard South America as their own backyard and do not allow other countries to interfere. This is too much.

Expanding territory and sphere of influence to the northern part of South America is the empire's unshakable national policy. The Monroe Idea is obviously also the consensus of the US government on external expansion. The differences and conflicts between national strategies foreshadow the irreconcilable contradictions between the two countries. Unless one side compromises and gives in, otherwise, when the expansion forces of both sides come into contact and overlap, war is inevitable.

The Americans are trying to destroy or even seize the British's dominance in South America, while the Han Dynasty is taking advantage of the last period before Britain cedes its dominance to accumulate national strength and strive to push the boundaries of its influence northward, including territorial borders, political borders, and economic borders.

War is essentially a competition for survival resources and has nothing to do with good or evil. The same is true of the war in Paraguay. Survival of the fittest, the strong prey on the weak, the strong win and the weak are eliminated. The Han Dynasty and the Republic of Brazil both participated in the war out of their respective national interests, and even though Britain and the United States shouted civilization and peace, they were the first to launch aggressive wars.

Yang Guangzong found it funny to think of the colonial and aggressive wars launched by Westerners against backward countries under the ridiculous pretext of civilization and enlightenment. What was even more ridiculous was that some overseas Chinese actually believed the Western lies and attributed the decline of the Far East and the failure of the war to the feudalism and uncivilization of the Chinese, while worshiping Westerners as the beacon of civilization.

Yang Guangzong sneered at this kind of people. If he met them, he would definitely slap them. The improvement of the status of overseas Chinese was not due to the civilization and tolerance of Westerners, but the rise of the Han Kingdom and the efforts to protect overseas Chinese. It is really conscience-stricken to regard the improvement of the status of overseas Chinese brought about by the strength of the Han Kingdom as charity from foreigners. It is gratifying that such people have not been seen in the local area. If they were seen, Yang Guangzong would also write a petition to expel these scums who are full and have broken brains and deprive them of their national identity. After all, the Han Kingdom was established by His Majesty the Emperor and hundreds of thousands of soldiers with blood and sacrifice. It is the home and paradise of tens of millions of citizens, not a garbage dump for scum, traitors, and parasites.

The Paraguayan War was only a small step for the empire to become stronger and more revived. Yang Guangzong, like many young officers, was sure that he could win the war. As a young naval officer, he had greater recognition and confidence in the development of the Han navy. The mainland approved a ship purchase plan to purchase one ship and jointly build one ship. The ship purchase agreement was signed and the funds were in place. If everything went well, the Imperial Navy would be able to commission two new 12-ton ironclad ships in December next year. By then, the strength of the local navy would be further enhanced.

The 19th century was the age of the ocean. Whoever controlled the sea power controlled the world. The rise of the British Empire was the most striking demonstration of this. The navy was also the most technologically advanced branch of the military.

He joined the navy and went to study in Germany. After returning to China, he served as a trainee navigator, deputy captain of the Yongxing-class light cruiser, captain, and even captain of the Yangwu-class armored cruiser. Step by step, Yang Guangzong witnessed the development and growth of the Han Navy and personally experienced the importance of the navy to a country.

Just like the changes in the navy, at the end of the 19th century, the entire country showed a budding and prosperous development scene. The South American mainland at the end of the 19th century was an era of change and an era of vigorous development. Only in this era, and only in South America, could young people like him who had no connections or resources break through the shackles of identity and get the opportunity to leap forward.

Yang Guangzong was very glad that his father had decided to move the whole family to South America, even though his father went overseas simply because he could not survive and was desperate to gain even a slight chance of survival. However, he finally made the right bet. Not only did he survive, but he also took root in South America and provided a chance for his descendants to break through the shackles and make a name for themselves. With his father's choice, Yang Guangzong was able to start from the same starting line as the children of wealthy Nanyang merchants such as Chen Shiding and He Shulin, and had the opportunity to study abroad, serve as the captain of a main ironclad ship, and other opportunities that changed his life.

Regardless of region, family background, or occupation, the Jianye period was characterized by the selection of talents and abilities. Yang Guangzong was fortunate to participate in this great era, become a member of the era, and witness and write about this era with his own eyes.

A breeze blew by, carrying with it the faint smell of gunpowder left by exploding shells. A densely packed group of fortresses of varying heights came into view, followed by faint sounds of gunfire and shell explosions. As the fleet continued to move forward, the silhouettes of the fortresses became clearer and clearer, and the sounds of exploding shells and rifle fire also became clearer and clearer.

Arriving at the destination, Yang Guangzong put the German book aside, raised the telescope hanging around his neck, and looked carefully.

On both sides of the river fork in the distance, two fortresses built on hilly highlands overlook the river. The tall and sturdy gun barrels show off their power to outsiders. At the entrance of the river fork, seven or eight fortresses are arranged from far to near. Some fortresses are spitting out artillery shells. The sound of artillery comes from here. Farther away, only vague figures can be seen, and the size and number of the fortresses cannot be distinguished.

Putting down the telescope, Yang Guangzong carefully adjusted his clothes, then walked into the command tower and instructed the navigator: "We are about to arrive at the destination. Order the fleet to prepare for docking. All escort ships should remain alert to prevent enemy artillery from threatening the fleet."

"Yes, sir."

The navigator saluted and then asked, "Should we send a gunboat to contact the garrison for support?"

"Captain He sent a gunboat in advance to report the news. According to the original plan, we can just dock at the shore."

"Understood, sir."...

(End of this chapter)