After years of fighting, war supplies were rapidly depleted. Not only was the Brazilian Empire unable to bear the war losses, but the Chinese Independence Army, Peru, Bolivia, and Paraguay also devoted all their national power to maintain large forces in preparation for war.
Starting from the Paraguay War, the Brazilian Empire has experienced various wars. Among them, the Paraguay War lasted for three years and weakened the overall strength of the Brazilian Empire the most. A large amount of materials were consumed in the Paraguay battlefield far away from the border. The Chinese Independence Army participated in the Paraguay War and eliminated the main force of the Brazilian army.
It was a heavy blow to Brazil's national defense, causing the Brazilian Empire to lose its offensive capabilities in a short period of time. In Peru, the Chinese Independence Army formed an alliance to fight against Brazil, and then occupied a large amount of land in the Brazilian Empire. This was the final blow, forcing the Brazilians to actively seek negotiations.
Objectively speaking, the overall strength of Brazil, which suffered heavy losses, is still higher than that of the four-party alliance. However, after the reforms of Pedro II, the Brazilian state system is different from that of Peru, Bolivia and other countries. Brazil, which strives to be in line with European countries such as Britain and France, is called
The empire was actually a federal state in which bureaucrats and nobles held power. Peter II held certain powers, but major decisions related to national interests still required the consent of the nobles and bureaucrats below.
The difference is that the anti-Brazilian alliance, whether it is the three Peruvian countries or the Chinese Independence Army, is a strongman system with highly concentrated power. Li Mingyuan can decide the direction of the Chinese Independence Army's actions with one word. The same is true for presidents of South American countries such as Lopez Jr. and Frias.
They can use the army in their hands to force the country to implement their will. Therefore, the relatively weak anti-Brazilian side can force Brazil to sue for peace and stop the war.
The war was temporarily suspended and the five-party peace talks were imminent. Li Mingyuan convened a meeting of the main generals in Joinvia, which was close to the front line.
"Brazil took the initiative to seek peace. Reaching a peace agreement will be beneficial to the reform and development of the Chinese Independence Army. Liu Pu, this negotiation is of great significance. I hope you will be personally responsible for it."
Li Mingyuan said to Liu Pu, who was sitting next to him.
"I accept your order." Liu Pu stood up to accept the order and said, "What is the bottom line for the Brazilian peace talks?"
"General Luo, where is our front line of control advancing?"
Li Mingyuan did not answer Liu Pu's question, but asked Luo Linshan.
"Your Majesty, please see, after the entire state of Santa Catarina fell into the hands of our army, the main force was divided into three parts and advanced from Joinvia, Lajes, and Chapeco. So far, our army has
All crossing the Iguazu Basin, the Precursor Control Line remains at the line between Guara Prava and Curitiba."
Luo Linshan stood up and pointed at the map spread out on the table with a wooden stick.
Following Luo Linshan's introduction, Li Mingyuan glanced at several control points in Guara Prava and Joinville. After pondering for a moment, he asked, "How many Brazilians are there in the area from the north of Guara Prava to the border with Argentina?"
garrison?"
"The northern part of Guara Prava is in the flood-prone area of the Iguazú River. The local traffic is blocked and the roads are impassable. No Brazilian troops have been found stationed yet."
"Very good, Luo Linshan, immediately dispatch a regiment to occupy the area,"
Li Mingyuan had just issued the order, but felt it was not appropriate enough, so he modified it and said, "Add another battalion of troops. As long as they do not encounter a large-scale Brazilian garrison, the troops will keep advancing northward and try to occupy as much land as possible."
"Your Majesty, we have ceased war with Brazil. I'm afraid that rashly occupying the front areas may cause conflicts."
Luo Linshan considered it.
"Lin Shan, you are overly concerned. There are no Brazilian troops stationed. If our troops occupy it, it is ours. The Brazilians have no reason to accuse us."
Li Mingyuan patted Luo Linshan on the shoulder and explained, "After the peace agreement is reached, the British will not allow another large-scale war in South America. Taking advantage of this opportunity, we must expand the control scope of the Chinese Independence Army as much as possible.
Otherwise, our army's continued expansion will be limited by relying on only a small area."
As the situation changes, Li Mingyuan's goal planning is constantly adjusted. Before participating in the four-party anti-Brazilian war, controlling Rio Grande do Sul is the best option that the Chinese Independence Army can achieve. After the war, negotiations are about to begin. Looking at the map
Li Mingyuan's ambitions were aroused in the newly occupied land above. So far, the Chinese Independence Army actually controls Rio Grande do Sul (281,000 square kilometers), Santa Catarina (95,000 square kilometers) and Paraná.
Part one (approximately 60,000 square kilometers), the total controlled area reaches 436,000 square kilometers, which is larger than the area of the Japanese archipelago.
Because the wave of European immigrants has not yet arrived, and the local residents of Rio Grande do Sul were expelled by the Chinese Independence Army, the total population of 436,000 square kilometers is only 220,000. However, with the large number of Chinese immigrants joining, the area controlled by the Chinese Independence Army has developed.
Not too difficult.
Initially, the size of the land affected the future development potential of the Chinese Independence Army. However, part of the current 436,000 square kilometers of controlled area will definitely be given back to Brazil. Therefore, the more land it occupies, the greater the room for bargaining with Brazil. Therefore,
Li Mingyuan ordered the troops to occupy as much land as possible with a simple and clear purpose, which was to force Brazil to transfer more land interests during negotiations. As for the transportation difficulties in the occupied areas, it was not considered. The Iguazu Basin is close to the Paraná River.
It has strategic interests for Brazil, which has lost its two southern states. The Brazilians will definitely want this area in the negotiations, so it is the right time to send troops to occupy it before the Brazilians can react.
After Li Mingyuan explained, Luo Linshan carried out the order and ordered his adjutants to dispatch troops, and then the meeting continued.
After taking care of Luo Linshan, Li Mingyuan began to answer Liu Pu's questions.
"There is no need to talk about Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina. They must belong to us. If the area from Invia to Curitiba belongs to the core area of Paraná, the Brazilians will not give up. This area can be returned to us.
them.
The northern area of Santa Catarina is small. The Iguazu River Basin is located in the upper reaches of northern Santa Catarina. Controlling this area can increase the depth of our army's defense and protect the security of the northern border. The south of the Iguazu River Basin is close to Santa Catarina.
We should try our best to win the state of Tarina into our hands. As for the areas north of the Iguazú Basin and the Guara Prava region, we only need to win some of them. If we can’t win, it won’t be a big problem.”
Pushing out part of the occupied land is the price that must be paid to reach peace talks. Li Mingyuan and Liu Pu can understand the significance of this, but it is difficult for the Chinese Independence Army generals who personally participated in the war to understand.
Chen Guozhu was the first to object: "Your Majesty, our army has nearly 100,000 elite soldiers. It is not a problem to defend the currently occupied area. I think there is no need to give up the occupied land in the front in order to gain recognition from the Brazilians."
Convening a meeting with the main generals of the army, Li Mingyuan expected that someone would raise different opinions, so he did not get angry and said, "The Chinese Independence Army has been fighting for nearly a year, with more than 100,000 brothers and nearly 20,000 casualties. The current total number of Chinese is only 130,000. The real number of Chinese
There are only 40,000 people who can be called a regular army. The pressure of more than 100,000 people to support the 40,000 main force is huge. If it were not for the support of gold obtained in Peru, we would not be able to support an army of this size without the enemy.
The Ten Thousand Field Army has reached its limit, and the gold obtained is quickly consumed through multiple purchases of supplies."
Li Mingyuan solemnly looked at the Chinese generals who were sitting upright, and said solemnly, "The Chinese Independence Army is not only an army, but also an armed force that is about to establish a country. Under the current situation, neither the number of troops nor the economic logistics are allowed.
We continue to fight the war, so in order to reach peace talks, it is inevitable to appropriately give up some of our interests, and you should seriously consider it."
If you talk to a group of soldiers who were originally at the bottom, they may not understand. However, Li Mingyuan insisted on instilling in them the overall situation step by step. Military is the continuation of politics. As a senior general and a sole military commander, keen political concepts are indispensable.
Lack of ability.
Military generals who lack an overall view are the shortcomings that restrict the continued development of the Chinese Independent Army. Li Mingyuan does not expect his generals to make huge changes in a short period of time. He can only work from the outside and use advanced Western military systems and weapons to improve the Chinese Independent Army.
Comprehensive combat quality.
After arranging the next tasks for his generals, Li Mingyuan left Liu Pu behind to discuss the specific matters of the peace talks with him alone.
"The Brazilians had no choice but to sue for peace talks, and they must not be willing to suffer a big loss. Before the negotiations, they secretly held talks with representatives of Peru, Bolivia, and Paraguay to reach a consensus on peace talks with Brazil in advance. In this way, during the negotiations, we faced the Brazilians.
How prepared will it be."
"In the southern part of South America, Brazil is the most powerful, followed by Bolivia, Paraguay, Peru, Argentina and other countries. After the Paraguay War, the alliance between Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay was cancelled. Argentina and Uruguay are happy to see us weaken Brazil's strength, and this
The peace talks have nothing to do with Argentina and Uruguay, and they have little influence on the peace talks.
Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay and the Chinese Independence Army have the same interests. In this war, all four parties benefited from Brazil, and they also completely offended Brazil. Before the situation changed dramatically, the four parties could not reach a reconciliation with Brazil alone. Therefore, using
This opportunity to deepen relations with Peru, Bolivia, and Paraguay and reach an agreement on a military alliance against Brazil will be beneficial to all parties."
"The end of the anti-Brazilian war does not mean the arrival of real peace. Before a large number of Chinese immigrants arrive in the areas controlled by our army, it is very necessary to maintain the anti-Brazilian alliance. However, the British-led peace talks will not allow us to establish a military alliance against Brazil, so this matter
Things must be done privately, and an undisclosed military alliance contract should be reached with the three Peruvian countries to avoid British intervention."
Li Mingyuan said.
"The Crown Prince once said that the British focused on economic interests in South America. Now that our army controls the two states, covering an area of more than 400,000 square kilometers, we can invite the British to mine mineral resources in the controlled areas in exchange for their support."
Liu Pudao.
"Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina, as the bases of our army, cannot be controlled by the British. It is not feasible to exchange mineral resources for British support. However, after the peace talks are signed, a lot of infrastructure construction will be needed in the controlled areas. We
We can sign a commodity trading agreement with the British, proactively show goodwill to them, and eliminate their concerns about the expansion of the Chinese Independence Army."
Countries only care about actual interests. A series of war actions by the Chinese Independence Army in South America changed the regional balance of South America. Brazil, supported by the British, was defeated by the Chinese Independence Army. The British controlled commercial interests in the Paraná River Basin.
The purpose was not achieved.
Brazil has been defeated. It is not in the interest of the United Kingdom to send British troops to intervene in the situation in South America. Therefore, if the British want to continue to realize their commercial interests, they will definitely use this peace negotiation to demand free navigation rights in the Paraná River Basin. After experiencing the test of the war, Li Mingyuan is sure
Paraguayan President López Jr. will definitely recognize the situation and agree to the British request.
As long as the British goals are achieved and all parties promise not to start a war, a new balanced situation will be formed in southern South America, and the British will obtain the commercial benefits they want.