Reborn as King of South America

Chapter 499 The overall situation has been decided
Bad news came one after another, and the situation was heading towards the worst. Since the war began, 2 people were lost in Villarrica and 4000 people were lost in Guaira Port.

2 people were deployed in Humeita Fortress, 5000 people were deployed in Carapegua Defense Line, and two batches of 7000 reinforcements were sent from Asuncion. The total force on the Humeita front reached 3.2 people.

There has been no news from the flank fortresses and defense lines in Tierra del Fuego, Lencia, Carapegua and other places. If the defenders in the direction of Humeta follow the fate of Villarrica's troops and are wiped out, then the total number of troops lost by the Republic of Brazil in Paraguay will be close to 6, with nearly half of the main force lost. Even ordinary Brazilian soldiers can feel the impact of such a heavy loss.

The Humeita Fortress was surrounded on all sides, and the news exchange with Asuncion was completely cut off. The Brazilian army defending Asuncion, whether generals or ordinary soldiers, could not figure out the real situation of the Humeita Fortress. They did not know whether Mount Miral was still in the hands of their own army, nor did they know the specific casualties of the defenders. They also did not know how long the Humeita defenders could hold out when they were completely besieged.

The war was going badly and people were in panic. All kinds of news were spreading in the streets, military camps, and city defense bases of Asuncion. Some said that the defenders of Humeta Fortress suffered heavy losses and both commanders Davis and Miller were killed. Some said that all the coastal positions of Humeta were lost and the Han army would attack Asuncion soon. Others said that the defenders of Humeta were completely wiped out and Davis and Miller, like Getulio of the 9th Division, took the lead in surrendering to the Han Kingdom.

The news became more and more exaggerated, and in the end, there was even news that President Fonseca agreed to surrender to the Han army.

In the Asuncion Government Building, several guards on duty also moved away from their posts and huddled together against the wall, muttering to each other.

The military boots touched the ground, making a crisp sound. Hearing the footsteps, several soldiers stopped chatting and returned to their respective posts.

Major General Nakgal, commander of the 1st Division of the Republic of Brazil, had a gloomy face. He ignored the guards who had left their posts without permission and walked towards the government building on his own.

"The situation is critical, the morale of the army is shaky, and even ordinary soldiers can feel the tense atmosphere of the unfavorable war situation. As a senior general of the Republic, Major General Nakgale can naturally see it. Moreover, he can not only see it, but also understand that the situation in Paraguay is far more critical than ordinary soldiers imagine, because he has more and more comprehensive information.

More than half of the main forces of the navy were lost, the main forces of the army suffered heavy casualties, the Humeta Fortress was surrounded, the Paraná River Basin was attacked fiercely by the Han army, and the United States had not yet directly intervened. In such a critical situation, if one is not careful, the Republic of Brazil may be defeated miserably.

He didn't understand why the largest country in South America had fallen to such a state? How did the situation suddenly collapse into such a state?

Blame Han? Of course, Han was the main factor that led to the division of Brazil and the decline of the Brazilian Republic, but what is the use of just blaming Han? Is it useful to verbally condemn and put all the responsibility on Han? Can it solve the crisis in Paraguay? No!

If we want to completely save the Republic of Brazil, we can only look for problems within ourselves. Brazil is not a purely modern country. There is no ethnic group with a dominant culture, belief, or race. There is a lack of close centripetal force. Each ethnic group and each interest group has different demands, which are often contradictory and conflicting and difficult to unify.

With so many internal conflicts and the country not yet unified, was it the right choice to rush in just because Lopez Jr. died and Paraguay was in a crisis of division? If we follow General Santos's advice and continue to consolidate the country's strength, give priority to dealing with the remnants of the royalists, and complete the unification of Brazil, would the outcome be completely different?

No one could give Major General Nakgal an accurate answer. Even he himself didn't know what the result would be if he chose to follow Santos' advice. However, he was sure of one thing: the result would not be worse than it is now!

The more he reflected on the current situation of the Paraguayan war, the more he believed that Santos' original suggestion was correct. All the way to the Asuncion Government Building, Major General Nakgal kept reflecting and concluded that participating in the Paraguayan war was a wrong decision. The Republic has paid the price of tens of thousands of casualties for this wrong decision, and it must not continue on the wrong path. He must persuade Admiral Santos and other senior officers at today's meeting to immediately stop the Paraguayan war, retain the remaining troops, and leave a glimmer of vitality for the revival of the Brazilian Republic.

The scale of the meeting was much larger than usual, and the spacious conference hall was filled with people.

Major General Nakgal looked around and saw that not only the heads of various departments of the front-line command, but also officers of lieutenant colonel and above in all front-line troops were present. It seemed that the severance of the news about Humeta Fortress had also had a great impact on Admiral Santos, otherwise he would not have convened such a large-scale meeting.

“Admiral, before Fort Humeta was completely surrounded, General Davis and General Miller sent the last battle report yesterday evening.

The counterattack on Mount Libona failed, Mount Mar was lost, the defenders of the Tierraca and Lencia fortresses were completely wiped out, and the total casualties of the defenders of the Humeta Fortress were 1.2. The enemy is fiercely attacking Mount Ukami and the Carapegua defense line, and the defenders have suffered heavy casualties. Please support. "

A staff officer stood up and first informed everyone of the latest battle situation.

"Admiral, the situation at Humeta Fortress is critical. We should immediately send reinforcements to recapture the Carapegua defense line and restore contact with the defenders!"

"Admiral, we cannot lose the Humeta Fortress. If we lose the Humeta Fortress, Asuncion will not be able to be defended!"

"The president and the marshal asked our army to hold out for half a year. Only two months have passed. If the Hume Tower Fortress is lost, the president will definitely blame us. We can't afford to investigate when the time comes." ...

As soon as the staff officer finished reporting the battle report from Humeta, several middle-level officers expressed their opinions one after another. Due to the large number of people, the conference room suddenly became noisy.

"Quiet!"

Just as Major General Nakgal was about to speak, a voice full of pressure sounded and the conference room suddenly became quiet.

"The Han army has accumulated 10 troops in front of the Hume Tower Fortress, and according to the intelligence obtained from the investigation, the second batch of 2 people has already set off on a transport ship and will arrive at the Hume Tower Fortress tomorrow at the latest to join the attack on the defenders.

Colonel Roberts, Lieutenant Colonel Mitchell, if I send your 3rd Regiment and 6th Militia Regiment to support Fort Humeta, can you guarantee that you will complete the mission?
"

Santos looked at the two mid-level officers who spoke first.
Said in a calm tone.

"I..." The two officers named by Santos lowered their heads guiltily, hesitating and not daring to respond.

"answer me!"

Santos' tone became more severe, and the two officers being questioned felt even more guilty. They lowered their heads and dared not speak.

"Support! Send reinforcements! Don't I know the importance of Hume Tower Fortress? If sending reinforcements can really change the situation of the war! Would I still sit here and listen to your nonsense!"

Santos slammed the table in anger and roared: "The Republic does not have so many soldiers to sacrifice and consume! I am responsible for the lives of 10 Republic soldiers in Asuncion! I am responsible for the future and destiny of the Republic! I can't send 10 soldiers to death just because of Rio de Janeiro's rigid and inflexible orders! I can't do it!"

No one in the meeting room had ever seen Santos so angry, so they all held their breath and spoke carefully.

“General Davis, General Miller, Colonel Ramirez who has already died, and more than 3 soldiers who have reinforced and stationed at Fort Humeta are all the best and most courageous soldiers of the Republic. Like all of you, I want to rescue them from the enemy’s encirclement. However, the reality is cruel. With the current strength of our army, it is simply impossible to do so. Continuing to draw troops for reinforcement will only waste precious time and drag the entire army on the road of chronic death. Therefore, even though I am very sad and unwilling, I can only give up reinforcing Fort Humeta.

I have decided to suspend the war in Paraguay from today and all front-line troops in Asuncion will be evacuated in an orderly manner.

If Rio de Janeiro is to blame, it will be my responsibility alone, not yours."

"Admiral, it is the most sensible decision to stop reinforcing the Humeta Fortress and immediately stop the war in Paraguay. I support your decision. If the President and the Marshal want to hold you accountable, let me take the responsibility with you!"

Seeing that Santos, a high-ranking general, was willing to take the risk of offending President Fonseca and Marshal Peixoto and take the responsible action of stopping the war in Paraguay, Major General Nakgal stood up excitedly and supported the other party's decision with practical actions.

"Admiral, count me in. If stopping the war in Paraguay can save the lives of the remaining 6 soldiers, I am willing to follow your orders!"

“The Humeta Fortress is surrounded by the Han army. In a few days, the Han army may attack Asuncion along the Paraguay River.

Southeast of Asuncion, the enemy forces advancing from the direction of Villarrica are attacking our flanks. In the direction of the Paraná River, the port of Guaira has been occupied. If we wait until the enemy's outflanking troops go around to the north of Asuncion and cut off our retreat to the mainland, then everything will be too late. Retreat! It will be too late if we don't evacuate now!"

...Santos made a clear decision to evacuate, and the officers and generals below, regardless of their initial opinions, all changed their attitudes to support it. The supreme commander had made the decision, and they were naturally happy to do so because they did not have to risk being attacked or surrounded by the Han army.

"There is no news from Hume Tower Fortress, and the battle situation is unclear. To be conservative, the troops will begin to prepare for evacuation tonight. The first batch of evacuated troops will be 2 troops, the second batch will be 1.3 troops, and the last batch will be 1 troops.

Major General Nakgal, Major General Mirhei, you lead the 1st and 4th Divisions, the first to withdraw, Major General Kautaz, you lead the 6th Division, the second to withdraw, Lieutenant General Anderson, you come with me, lead the remaining troops, the final withdrawal. "

"General, you are the supreme commander, you should evacuate first. Let me lead the 1st Division and cover the rear of the entire army!"

Upon hearing Santos's arrangement, Major General Nakgal said anxiously.

"Admiral, you shouldn't be the last one to leave. If you are in danger, the whole army will be finished. Let me lead the troops to evacuate last."

"The Han army may launch an attack on Asuncion at any time. If you fail to evacuate in time, it will be troublesome! The task of guarding the rear can be handed over to other troops. Your safety must be guaranteed!"

Many middle and senior military officers were moved by Santos' responsible and accountable behavior and tried to persuade him.

"No need to persuade me, I have made a decision and will not change it. As the supreme commander of Asuncion, I must accompany the soldiers to hold on until the last moment before evacuating. This is the promise I made to them, and I will not break my promise!"

Santos waved his hand to stop everyone's persuasion and a smile appeared on his face.

"Don't worry, everyone. The Han army will not escape from Humeta Fortress so quickly. Even if it is the last batch to evacuate, it will not be too dangerous. The situation of the defenders of Humeta Fortress is very difficult. I plan to send several groups of messengers to try to pass through the enemy's blockade and convey the message to General Davis and General Miller to inform them of Asuncion's evacuation and allow them to break out at the right time and evacuate to the mainland along the land route from the northeast."

"After our army safely evacuates from Asuncion, there is no point in holding on to Fort Humeta. If General Davis and General Miller can successfully break out, it will be the best outcome."

"The enemy has set up a tight blockade. I hope General Davis and General Miller can receive the order to evacuate the cameras."

Several mid- and senior-level military officers spoke out in agreement with Santos' approach, but were not optimistic.

Santos himself did not hold out much hope. He just wanted to make his last effort to save as many Brazilian soldiers as possible and bring them back to their homeland safely.

(End of this chapter)