Preparations to march into northern Argentina are in full swing, and pieces of intelligence from Argentina and Paraguay are constantly being passed to the National Defense Forces headquarters.
On September 1st, two thousand Argentine troops withdrew from the Misiones front line. On September 5th, Argentina and Paraguay officially declared an armistice. On the afternoon of the same day, Lopez Jr. took advantage of the Misiones armistice to announce that it would be held ten days later.
National universal suffrage will be held, and the results of the popular vote will be used to decide whether Paraguay will implement a constitutional monarchy.
Paraguay's political system transformation is something Li Mingyuan and the officers of the National Defense Force are happy to see.
As Paraguay is a military ally of Rio Grande do Sul, the more stable López Jr.’s position is, the more in line with Rio Grande do Sul’s interests.
At the headquarters of the National Defense Forces, Li Mingyuan took out a telegram, put it on the table, and said with a smile, "Paraguay will hold a national general election in ten days. What do you think of this matter?"
"According to Lopez Jr.'s control over Paraguay, it is a foregone conclusion that Paraguay will implement a constitutional monarchy. The so-called universal suffrage is nothing more than a cover."
Liu Pu glanced at the contents of the telegram with a smile on his lips, "Little Lopez made a good plan. He took advantage of Paraguay's restructuring to invite heads of state to discuss national affairs. Does he think he is Duke Huan of Qi and wants to be
Leaders of the four South American nations?”
There was not much content in the telegram. Others heard Liu Pu's words and saw that Li Mingyuan had no objection, so they quickly circulated the telegram.
"Your Highness, although Paraguay's restructuring is a major event, His Highness is closely related to the country's security and cannot leave Rio Grande do Sul easily."
After Luo Linshan read the telegram, he suggested.
"I have considered General Luo's concerns, but now that the domestic development of Rio Grande do Sul is on the right track, my temporary absence for a few days will not delay the domestic political operation. While little Lopez's idea seems a bit naive, there are also merits in it.
Place."
Li Mingyuan did not laugh at Lopez's overestimation, but analyzed the significance of the four heads of state talks from the general trend of South American countries:
"Little Lopez talked about several major events that happened in Brazil during this period in the telegram. The first one was that Pedro II promulgated the abolition of black slavery. According to the abolition of black slavery, Brazil formed a 30,000-person black army.
army.
The second incident was that Pedro II ordered the troops to move near the military control line between Brazil and Paraguay. Lopez Jr. was worried that the Brazilians wanted to start a new war.
The third item is Brazil’s purchase of two ironclad ships, and Paraguay also has the idea of purchasing ironclad ships.”
Li Mingyuan listed the three things mentioned by Lopez Jr., and then continued, "The movement of the Brazilian army to the borders of Brazil and Paraguay does not necessarily have the intention of starting a war, but the intention of the army to expand its troops and the navy to purchase ironclads is self-evident.
.
Brazil and Paraguay have become antagonistic due to the Paraguay War, but the conflict between the two countries is not insurmountable. As long as the young Lopez, who is keen on external expansion, is eliminated and pro-Brazil forces are supported to come to power, peace between Paraguay and Brazil can easily be restored.
As for us, Rio Grande do Sul is a country established on the basis of seizing the two southern states of Brazil. Once the National Defense Force shows weakness, the Brazilian army will definitely concentrate its forces to eliminate us and will not give the Chinese a chance to surrender."
Those who are not of my race must be punished. Western white people are more harsh on yellow people than black people. Because of the influence of the traditional living environment, black people cannot challenge the dominance of white people. However, East Asians represented by Chinese
Different, East Asia is covered by the Chinese civilization circle. Starting from thousands of years ago, the Chinese civilization has become the leader of the Eastern civilization alongside the Roman civilization and the Arab civilization in the West. Even in modern times, when the Manchu and Qing Dynasties entered the customs and the Chinese civilization declined, more than ten years ago, the Chinese civilization
The outbreak of the Taiping Rebellion also left a deep impression on Western white people.
The awakened Chinese were not the ones that white people could bully at will. Therefore, they chose to support the Manchu Qing government in suppressing the Taiping Rebellion and continue to maintain the status quo of China's decline.
In the Central Plains, the core of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom was shattered. Although the Taiping Armed Forces led by Li Wencai achieved an anti-encirclement and suppression victory, the situation of the army itself did not improve, and it was still in the predicament of fighting alone. In the South American continent, the National Defense Forces led by Li Mingyuan
The rise also allowed the Brazilian Empire to see the power of the Chinese. Pedro II and the white Brazilian ruling class he represented, whether for national interests or to maintain their own rule, would not allow Rio Grande do Sul to remain independent.
The establishment of the Principality of Rio Grande do Sul was nothing more than a temporary compromise. Even though the Brazilian Empire acquiesced to the fact that the Chinese occupied the two southern states, it did not give up its rightful name. Rio Grande do Sul was still a part of the Brazilian Empire. The Brazilian Empire was always
Can take back control of Rio Grande do Sul.
In terms of fighting against the Brazilian Empire, Li Mingyuan and Lopez Jr. had the same interests. Lopez Jr. may have seen the actual situation of Rio Grande do Sul, so he directly invited Li Mingyuan to Paraguay to discuss important matters without worrying about his rejection.
After Li Mingyuan explained Little Lopez's intentions, Luo Linshan, who was originally opposed to it, did not dare to speak, but kept silent and thought.
"Your Highness, what Lopez Jr. meant in the telegram is that we support him as the head of the anti-Brazilian alliance of Bolivia, Peru, Rio Grande do Sul, and Paraguay. But even if you agree to support him, the presidents of Bolivia and Peru will agree
?"
After Liu Pu, Luo Linshan and others stopped talking, Sun Qisheng, who was standing aside, couldn't help but ask.
Because of his responsibility for the loss of the base, Sun Qisheng was relieved of his position in the special forces, demoted to second rank and assigned to serve under Luo Linshan. He only got the opportunity to participate in the national defense conference this time because of Luo Linshan's recommendation.
"Captain Sun, our troops marched from Peru to Rio Grande do Sul via Bolivia. How does the combat effectiveness of the Peruvian and Bolivian armies compare with the Paraguayan army?"
“Peru is rich in mineral resources, and its troops generally use muskets and artillery. Bolivia’s resources are relatively scarce. Except for a small number of main troops that have adopted firearms, most soldiers still use shuttles, bows and arrows and other cold weapons to fight. The comprehensive strength of the two countries’ troops is comparable to that of the Paraguayan army.
There is a certain gap.”
"Well, that's right. Although the Bolivian and Peruvian troops have more troops than Paraguay, the overall strength of the troops is not as good as the Paraguayan army."
Li Mingyuan nodded and continued, "Little Lopez relied on his tens of thousands of troops to resist the forces of Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina for two or three years. Finally, he cooperated with our army to defeat the forces of the three countries. With the aura of victory in the Paraguay War, Bolivia and Peru
The president will greatly overestimate the strength of Paraguay. If during the meeting of the four heads of state, Rio Grande do Sul expresses its support for Lopez Jr. to be the leader of the four-nation alliance, will the presidents of Bolivia and Peru possibly object?"
The fist determines the right to speak. Rio Grande do Sul needs to win over Paraguay out of overall considerations, and it is impossible to compete with Lopez Jr., while Bolivia and Peru lack military strength, and the two countries are taking advantage of the Paraguay War to steal from Brazil.
A lot of territory has been acquired, and with Lopez Jr. as the leader, uniting the forces of the four countries to confront Brazil will not harm the interests of the two countries.
From the perspective of military strength and practical interests, several officers present also understood what Li Mingyuan meant.
"Little Lopez diverted the contradictions of domestic economic difficulties through the Misiones War. Now that the Misiones War is over, Little Lopez needs new contributions to increase his prestige in order to stabilize the situation after the country's restructuring, and the leader of the Four-Nation Alliance
People's reputation is Lopez's new choice.
Lopez Jr.'s initiative to serve as the leader of the Four-Nation Alliance can help us stabilize the pressure from the north and is conducive to our military's operations in northern Argentina. For both reasons and reasons, I should go to Paraguay in person."
The decision was finally made, and the others could only agree after listening to Li Mingyuan's explanation.