The madman Pedro II spoke of was none other than Paraguay Marshal Francisco Solano Lopez, known as the "Little Napoleon of South America". After the fall of the capital, he had been conducting guerrilla warfare in the north.
The Marshal of Paraguay has indeed turned into a madman. In a desperate situation, he began to suspect that many people were betraying him and executed his closest followers.
During the naval battle on the Paraná River, Lopez was already surrounded by the Brazilian army. Faced with the encirclement, he not only refused to surrender, but even ordered the execution of his mother and sisters who persuaded him to surrender.
On March 1, the last battle of the long war ended in just about an hour. What the coalition faced was not so much an army as a group of "beggars". During the battle, Paraguay's Vice President and Prime Minister
Lopez's escort, a group of women led by his mistress Mrs. Lynch and composed of officers' wives, daughters and maids, suffered heavy casualties under the attack of the coalition forces.
During the battle, Lopez's Brazilian Corporal Jose Laceda gave him a fatal spear. After being injured, Lopez was worthy of being a South American tough guy. When faced with persuasion to surrender, he refused to surrender and shouted: "I
"I live and die with my country." In the ensuing battle, Lopez was shot in the back and died. Also killed in the battle was his eldest son, a 15-year-old boy.
His mistress, Ms. Lynch, was taken into custody by the coalition forces after she buried her husband and son.
On this day, this long and bloody war finally ended.
It was also on this day that the port of Buenos Aires welcomed a guest - Brazilian Foreign Minister Count Joseph Parahos. His arrival immediately attracted the attention of the outside world. After all, the whole world now knows
It describes the naval battle that took place on the Paraná River with a disparity in strength but a quite subversive outcome.
Will South China and Brazil break out into war?
The diplomatic community in Buenos Aires is paying attention to this matter, and now the arrival of Count Joseph Parahos has naturally attracted the attention of outsiders.
Is it war?
Or peace?
The last time Count Joseph Parahos came to this city was to sign a secret treaty with Argentina and Uruguay. They established the "Triple Alliance" and agreed on the terms for the partition of Paraguay after the war.
And now?
Things have changed and people have changed!
Paraguay did not die, but Argentina, one of the Triple Alliance, disappeared from the world.
On the way to the Presidential Palace, no, the former Presidential Palace, Count Joseph Parahos looked out through the carriage window. There were many South Chinese soldiers wearing green military uniforms on the sidewalk, and those soldiers were often surrounded by
Will be followed by an Argentinian woman.
When he was in Rio de Janeiro, he had heard about what happened here. Many Argentine women who had lost their husbands had to surrender to these occupying forces in order to survive.
“Southern Chinese are tainting Argentina at an unprecedented rate!”
However, Count Joseph Parahos was not interested at all in all of this. In Brazil, many European men had children with black slaves, and Brazilians were not as particular as Argentinians.
In fact, Argentines are not particular about it. After independence, Argentina began to premeditatedly reduce the number of black people in the country. The civil war between provinces lasted for decades, and a large number of black people served as cannon fodder. In the war with Uruguay, the final
At first, almost all of them were black men. After the large-scale death of black men in battle, didn't many lower-class whites also marry black women?
Stained yellow?
It's completely normal in South America. Hispanic immigrants once dyed South America white. Things have just changed a bit now.
Things have changed. What are the biggest changes?
"In the past, the problem in the La Plata River Basin was Brazil and Argentina, but now it has become Brazil and South China. Because of communication problems, some unpleasantness has occurred between us. I hope we can focus on the future and change the problem from
Solve it fundamentally.”
At the beginning of the negotiation, Count Joseph Parahos put forward his point of view directly - misunderstanding!
The naval battle on the Parana River was just a misunderstanding.
"Your Excellency, if Nanhua wants to have a conflict with Brazil, it can send more warships instead of just sending a dozen escort boats of less than 100 tons."
"Indeed."
Count Joseph Parahos smiled unnaturally. Nanhua only sent small gunboats, but your artillery fire was fierce!
"It is precisely because I felt your restraint and kindness that I made this trip."
What is restraint? What is kindness?
The key is that the Brazilian fleet was completely destroyed!
Continuing this "misunderstanding" will not do Brazil any good, so that's why it happened now!
This world has always been about strength, and people who are addicted to food have to pay a price. After paying the price, of course you have to admit defeat when you find that you are no match for others.
If the Brazilians had won, would they have been as polite as they are now?
"We welcome the Count. As you said, you are here to solve our communication problems. So what suggestions does the Count bring?"
Zuo Zongtang said with a smile that although he did not speak Portuguese and Count Joseph Parahos did not speak Chinese, both of them could speak English, so there was no problem in communication between them.
"Well, since all the problems arise from Paraguay, in order to solve these problems, we believe that in view of the regime change in Argentina, the rights and interests of Argentina, a party to the "Trilateral Treaty", can be completely inherited by South China. I don't know what you think.
?”
Facing the suggestion of Count Joseph Parahos, Zuo Zongtang just thought about it motionlessly, staring at him in front of him, and occasionally took a puff of his cigar.
This condition is just a test by the Brazilians!
No one will reveal all the bottom line at the beginning of the negotiation.
"There is a saying in China that no merit will be rewarded. South China is not a party to the "Three Kingdoms Treaty" and has no intention of gaining anything in Paraguay, let alone bullying the Paraguayan people!"
Putting the cigar on the ashtray, Zuo Zongtang looked at Count Joseph Parahos and said.
"And, as you just said, the problem in the La Plata River Basin used to be between Brazil and Argentina, but now it has become a problem between Brazil and South China. Because of communication problems, we have already
Some unpleasant things happened, so for the sake of peace in the region, can we discuss how to fundamentally solve this problem?"