As the person directly responsible for the defeat of the war, Garcia was in a difficult situation, and Pedro II, who was sitting on the throne of the Brazilian Empire, was also having a hard time.
The war failed, and all the contradictions that were originally hidden came to the surface.
In terms of the national economy, the wealth accumulated during the early years of Pedro's accession was consumed in the Paraguay War. Hundreds of thousands of young and middle-aged men were engaged in war-related industries, which promoted the development of Brazil's military industry, but caused significant losses to the country's macroeconomic development.
The ongoing industrialization construction on the eve of the war was forced to stop, and a large number of railways and factories were built as unfinished projects. The huge financial funds invested in the early stage had no hope of profit in a short time.
The development of agriculture and light industry slowed down or even regressed. One year after the war began, the Brazilian Empire began to import food, medicine, and light and heavy industrial products needed for daily life from countries such as Britain and France. The wealth accumulated by the government and private people quickly flowed to Britain, France and other countries, directly
Promote the development of industry in Britain, France and other countries.
Not only did the Brazilian Empire not receive a piece of land or a pound in compensation when it launched the war, but even the southernmost state of Rio Grande do Sul was captured by the Chinese Independence Army.
Pedro II was in a very complicated mood. He regretted that he had easily provoked a war with Paraguay, and he also complained about the failure of the Garcia battle, which allowed the Chinese Independence Army to take advantage of the loophole and led to the annihilation of the main force. Even if
Without the intervention of the Chinese Independence Army, the war in Paraguay would not have been so ugly.
Regret, resentment, Pedro II's mood is difficult to describe clearly in words, but no matter how unwilling he is, the outcome cannot be changed. What Pedro II has to do now is to deal with a series of adverse effects caused by the failure of the war.
First of all, as the core figure of the royalists, Garcia cannot be left alone by Pedro II. Otherwise, it will not only chill the royalists, but also increase the momentum of the republicans and weaken the influence of the Brazilian royal family and the emperor's control over Brazil.
force.
Secondly, after the failure of the Paraguay War, Bolivia and Peru were ready to take action. Peru submitted a proposal to the Brazilian government to discuss the ownership of the disputed areas between the two countries. Bolivian President Adolfo publicly declared that all agreements signed by the former president and Brazil were invalid and urged the Brazilian army to
Exit occupied Bolivian lands, otherwise the Bolivian army will attack the invading Brazilian army.
One stone stirred up a thousand waves. The Brazilian army had only failed once, and the surrounding countries wanted to rush forward and tear a piece of flesh from Brazil. Pedro II did not think that Bolivia and Peru had such strength, because before that, they attacked Brazil.
The Paraguayan army in Mato Grosso has been expelled from the country by the Brazilian army. If the war in Paraguay had not caused heavy losses to the main force of the Brazilian army, the Paraguayan army attacking Mato Grosso would have paid a huge price.
The strength of Peru and Bolivia is not in the eyes of Pedro II, but the threats posed by the four spheres of influence of Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay, and the Chinese Independence Army cannot be underestimated.
If the four forces secretly form an alliance to deal with Brazil, the Brazilian Empire will be in danger.
Pedro II's worries were somewhat unnecessary. Not to mention that the Chinese Independence Army had conflicts with Peru and Bolivia. Even if the four major forces formed an alliance, they would not be able to cause fundamental harm to Brazil due to the geographical barrier.
Peru and Bolivia's demands on Brazil seem to be taking advantage of the situation, and at the same time, they are also driven by their own special national conditions.
The ruling leaders of Peru, Bolivia and even Paraguay are Caudillos who have deep domestic influence. Their rise to power does not rely on the democratic elections of the domestic people, but their generals and officers use rifles and cannons to push them to the presidential throne.
Therefore, the war threats issued by the presidents of the three countries against Brazil were not based on objective considerations of national strength, but a unanimous choice made for their own interests.
Warlord forces are often fanatical and irrational. The warlord forces in Peru and Bolivia lost a lot of money in the battle with the Chinese Independence Army. The most serious losses were among the middle and lower-level officers who were the core of the army. Their property and food were stolen by the Chinese Independence Army.
After being wiped out, they suffered huge losses and needed compensation from other places.
In Peru, the Bolivian army is no match for the Chinese Independence Army, and it is impossible for them to retaliate against the Chinese Independence Army. The wealth of domestic Indians and ordinary farmers has long been exploited by warlord forces, and the property and land obtained by robbing ordinary people again is limited, and it is too much.
Oppressing the people at the bottom of the country will trigger events similar to the Chinese Independence Army uprising. The rulers of the two countries who have suffered a big loss dare not do things too far and stop after leaving the most basic living supplies for the people at the bottom.
A search operation was launched.
The people at the bottom were living in poverty, and the soldiers were dissatisfied. Just when the new Bolivian President Adolfo was feeling anxious, news came that the Brazilian army was completely wiped out by the Chinese Independence Army and the Paraguayan army, and the main force of 50,000 Brazilians fled back to the country.
There were only 5,000 people, and the Argentine and Uruguayan troops also all retreated into the country. The Chinese Independence Army seized Rio Grande do Sul and planned to use it as a base to stay there.
The main force of the Brazilian army has been lost, and the Chinese Independence Army and Paraguay are eyeing Brazil. The issue of regaining the country that Adolfo was originally worried about has seen the dawn of a solution. At the same time, taking advantage of the loss of the main force of Brazil to seize the Acre region, which is rich in rubber, he can also gain
Economic compensation can appease the mood of the domestic army.
In 1867, Melgarejo and Brazil signed a private treaty, which stipulated that Brazil would exchange the territory of the border area for the Acre area and promise to build the Madeira-Mamoré railway connecting the two countries to solve the problem of the passage of Bolivian exported products to the Atlantic Ocean.
.In addition, Bolivia also ceded to Brazil the areas inhabited by Brazilian immigrants in the south and north of Acre. In this way, Brazil gained a total territory area of 191,000 square kilometers from Bolivia. The price paid by Brazil was only a few million Brazilian currency and
A batch of arms. At the same time, due to the impact of the Paraguay War, the railway promised to be built by Brazil has never been built.
Because of a treaty with no legal effect and some financial weapons, Brazil expanded its territory to 191,000 square kilometers.
191,000 square kilometers occupies one-tenth of Bolivia's total land area. Adolfo has been worrying about how to regain the country since he came to power, and the results of the Paraguay War allowed him to see an opportunity.
No empire is sacred, and it can also be said that no country is kind and harmless. When Brazil officially became a colony, its area was only one-third of its current area. Then, after a series of expansions, its area doubled by the early 19th century.
Then Brazil successively annexed Uruguay and French Guiana, and used force and plunder to continuously acquire territory from surrounding countries.
The territory of the Brazilian Empire continues to expand, and at the same time, the surrounding countries have been offended by it. Uruguay was annexed by Brazil, and becoming an ally with Brazil is a last resort choice. Argentina has also suffered from Brazilian aggression, but Argentina's strength is not bad.
It was annexed by Brazil, while Bolivia and Peru were constantly being cut off. The Acre region originally belonged to Peru and Bolivia respectively, but now the Acre region is forcibly occupied by Brazil.
Acre has a vast area and an important strategic position. Neither Bolivia nor Peru would be willing to lose this area. Also, because they face the common enemy Brazil, Peru and Bolivia have come together and become good allies. Therefore, Adao
After receiving the news, Fernando did not rush to react. He first contacted Peruvian President Pedro Diez, and the two parties discussed countermeasures before issuing a statement on Brazil.
