The lion and the rabbit still tried their best. In order to win the Argentine War, Li Mingyuan used the national strength accumulated by the Han Dynasty in the past ten years.
On April 28, the last guard force of more than 20,000 people arrived at the Buenos Aires military camp from Santa Fe. At this point, the number of National Defense Force troops gathered outside Buenos Aires
The number reached 150,000, which was nearly twice the number of Argentine defenders in the city.
There are a total of 220,000 Han troops deployed in Argentina. In addition to the 150,000 main force besieging Buenos Aires, the remaining 70,000 troops are mainly distributed in three major strategic directions.
The first unit is stationed in Santa Fe, Paraná and Rosario, and is responsible for guarding against reinforcements from Cordoba and other central and northern provinces to Buenos Aires.
The second unit is deployed in Junin and Pergamino. It is mainly responsible for monitoring the movements of the Argentine troops in Mendoza Province and preventing threats from local forces in central Argentina to the flanks of the National Defense Forces.
The third force is composed of part of the National Defense Forces regular army and Mapuche nomadic youths, with a size of about 6,000. Their combat mission is to attack the scattered Argentine militia forces and weaken the reinforcements from the southern region to the Argentine Federal District.
The three armies have different numbers and sizes, and they also undertake different combat tasks.
At the end of April, as the siege of Buenos Aires entered a tense state, letters from the Argentine president asking for help were sent to the local provinces one after another.
On April 22, the first local troops set off from Mendoza Province to reinforce Buenos Aires.
On April 27, Urquiza, who could not stand still and watched the bitter battle between Miter and the National Defense Forces, thought he had waited for the opportunity and announced that he would send 20,000 troops to relieve the siege of Buenos Aires.
Urquiza is the most powerful force among the local warlords in Argentina. With his clear statement, other provincial warlords, either because of their reputation or for the purpose of taking advantage of the situation, have sent varying numbers of troops from the north, west,
Launch an attack on the defense forces of the National Defense Forces from three directions in the south.
The flames of war broke out around the city of Buenos Aires, and the scale of the war continued to expand as time went on.
There were several battles every day, and one battle every three to five days. The intensified war quickly consumed the war reserves of the National Defense Forces. Groups of pre-support militiamen organized in advance were constantly transferred from the country to the front line, or simply selected to replenish the front line battle-damaged troops.
, or immediately form logistics transportation teams of different sizes to provide necessary combat materials to front-line troops.
The sharply expanding material consumption and casualties were the core reasons why Li Mingyuan was eager to end the siege of Buenos Aires as soon as possible. At the same time, the British Expeditionary Force was approaching and the British government was exerting increasing pressure on Brazil and Chile.
important factors to consider.
On April 27, after twenty days of wrangling and preparation, the British government finally dispatched a force consisting of 10,000 British soldiers, 1,000 Italian soldiers, 400 Belgian soldiers, and more than 3,000 volunteers from various European countries.
, expedition to the South American continent to support the Argentine government forces in their defensive operations against the National Defense Forces.
The ongoing Zulu War made the British realize that owning a huge colony was not a worry-free thing. The primitive and backward South African Zulu people relied on their backward cold weapons to give the local British army more than 2,000 soldiers.
There were casualties, and in order to suppress the rebellious Zulus, the British government remobilized more than 10,000 local regular troops to support the South African battlefield.
The regular army is different from the colonial army, which is simply trained and mixed with indigenous black people. A British regular army of tens of thousands fighting thousands of miles away from the country means huge military expenditures and political influence.
At the same time, as the person responsible for the defeat of the First Zulu War, British Army Lieutenant General Chelmsford wanted to defeat the Zulu army and save his political career before his replacement, Lord Gannett, arrived in South Africa.
Therefore, when a telegram from the London government was conveyed to South Africa, ordering Lieutenant General Chelmsford to mobilize 3,000 colonial troops to join the British Expeditionary Force, Chelmsford played a trick. He transferred the British troops from the army to
All white soldiers were withdrawn and replaced with 3,000 indigenous black soldiers to prevaricate the British government and use them as an excuse to perform their duties.
The British Expeditionary Force will arrive in South Africa in early May. After some repairs, they will soon reach the coastal areas of Argentina, leaving less and less time for Li Mingyuan to occupy Buenos Aires.
On April 29, the battle outside Buenos Aires started again. The attentive Argentine officers discovered that the National Defense Force soldiers originally stationed in the west of Buenos Aires suddenly disappeared.
The west position of the city, one of the battlefields, was not attacked by the Wehrmacht troops.
The change in the situation of the National Defense Force was immediately notified to Argentine President Mitre, who sent several small groups to venture out of the city to investigate. After confirming that the National Defense Force had withdrawn from the city of Buenos Aires and leading to the western interior, some soldiers who were not determined to fight were
The Argentines had other ideas.
"President, the hearts of the troops in the city are unstable. Some soldiers are dissatisfied with the huge casualties in the battle to defend the city. They deliberately spread the word of abandoning the city and retreating, which has caused a very bad influence in the military camp.
.I also ask the President to immediately issue an order to arrest the soldiers who spread the rumors and stabilize the morale of the troops in the city."
The morale of the Buenos Aires defenders was fluctuating, and the defender commander Gretzweig said worriedly.
"The fighting was fierce and the defenders suffered heavy casualties. It is inevitable that the soldiers would have some resentment. Arresting them just because they complained a few words would arouse greater resistance among the troops.
Grazweig, return to your headquarters and command the troops in combat. I will send others to deal with the unstable morale of the troops in the city."
Mitre sat on the edge of the bed and said weakly.
"But……"
"The situation in the city is complicated and cannot be explained clearly to you in a few words. Grazweig, please do your job first."
Mitre has his own difficulties in mind. Not everyone in the city is willing to obey his orders. The strength of the federal army has been weakened. The battle to defend Buenos Aires is not going well. Many people are skeptical of Mitre's combat command ability.
With suspicion, if the tension in the city continues to increase and the soldiers' speech is suppressed, the accumulated conflicts are likely to break out in an unpredictable way.
Buenos Aires could not afford a blow from within, and Miter did not want Argentina to be destroyed by his hands in the twilight years of his life. Therefore, Grezweig's suggestion could only be shelved.
"The President..."
"Is there something else?"
"The reply from Chile has arrived. The President of Chile said that the war with Bolivia and Peru is fierce. The Chilean Navy needs to be stationed on the mainland to defend against attacks by the Bolivia and Peruvian navies. The Chilean Navy cannot withdraw to reinforce before the British Expeditionary Force arrives in South America.
us."
"It's just an excuse. If the Chilean government sincerely fulfills its agreement, they will not sit back and watch the federal navy be annihilated."
Mitre's hands hung helplessly on his abdomen, and he continued to ask, "What actions did the Brazilian Empire take? Where are their troops advancing now?"
"The Brazilian Army and the Han troops faced off on the front line of Joinvia. The Brazilian Navy launched several sneak attacks against the Han Navy. However, the sneak attacks had little success and only sank a few Han transport ships."
"Brazil and Chile are waiting for news about the British Expeditionary Force. If the expeditionary force is not available, they may not really send troops to support us."
Mitre sighed.
"President, the inland provinces are recruiting militias to support the federal district. It is not impossible for the federal government to defeat the Han army."
Gretzweig comforted.
"The Federal District has been defeated, and it is difficult for local powerful groups such as Urquiza to survive. I hope they can understand this truth, put aside their conflicts for the time being, and sincerely support the federal government in its operations."
"Yes, His Excellency Urquiza was once the president of the Federation. He will not watch Argentina fall into the hands of the Han people."...
Adding icing on the cake is not as good as providing help in the nick of time. The Argentine Federal Army, which is in a difficult situation, would rather believe that the local forces' troops sincerely support them than lose hope after suffering a severe blow.
Gretzweig left the presidential palace, and soon after, Miter announced as president that the Brazilian navy and the Chilean navy had achieved a great victory in the Atlantic Ocean. The Chinese navy was severely damaged by the two navies, and suffered heavy losses in personnel and material. Chile and Brazil
Reinforcements will arrive in Argentina in the near future, and together with the British Expeditionary Force, they will launch a counterattack against the Han troops.
The propaganda of the Miter government played a certain role. The turbulent people in Buenos Aires calmed down for two days because of the fabricated victory. However, when the fierce offensives of the National Defense Forces became stronger one after another, one after another
The position outside the city was breached by the Wehrmacht, and Mitre's lie was shattered.
On May 2, a food panic broke out in Buenos Aires. A food distribution point was robbed by civilians. That night, a group of more than a thousand civilians broke through Argentina's western blockade and fled from the city to
inland area.
On May 4, the number of people fleeing increased to 5,000, and some soldiers joined the fleeing ranks and mixed with the civilians to escape Buenos Aires.
On May 7, the wave of exodus from Buenos Aires intensified, and Miter had no choice but to issue an order to forcibly arrest the fleeing soldiers and prohibit civilians from leaving the city. The situation in Buenos Aires became even more tense.
