At 12:30 noon on September 14, 1889, Mauricio, a small town in southern Paraguay, became noisy and noisy due to the influx of a large number of troops.
In the center of the small town, in a beautiful, classical Western-style building, Major General Getulio, commander of the 9th Division of the Army of the Republic of Brazil and commander of the advance force, was sitting around a marble table with several close staff members to rest.
This house obviously belongs to a powerful Paraguayan family. The house is luxurious and elegant. There is a neat and beautiful lawn in the spacious courtyard, lined with green trees. There is a spring in the backyard, and the smooth stones are covered with moss.
There is a simple stone statue placed next to the path in the courtyard.
The glazed tile roof and vermilion columns complement each other beautifully.
The beautiful interior decoration also has a touch of Western Gothic architecture. Peonies, roses and other scenery are painted on the ceiling, and the floor is covered with gorgeous carpets.
In the glass bookcase in the room on the right, there are clothes, shoes and hats that look good. In the glass cabinet in the room on the left, there are priceless jewelry and jewelry.
The original owner of the house fled out of the city when the Brazilian army first entered the city. Perhaps he fled in a hurry. He and his family did not even take many of their precious belongings with them.
However, if you think about it from another perspective, in an era of war and strife, life is more important than wealth. If you sacrifice your life in vain for property that cannot be taken away, then you have nothing.
Major General Getulio sat on the chair with satisfaction. While looking at the gold and silver property on the table, he smiled and said: "What a lucky guy. Before we entered the city, he took his family with him."
Escaped, if it were me, I wouldn't be able to let go of so many precious and luxurious properties in the city."
"They may have heard some rumors fabricated by the Paraguayan government and misunderstood the Republic's army, so they ran out early."
An officer sat opposite Getulio and said with a smile.
"Haha, yes, the Paraguayan government deliberately spreads rumors to vilify the Republic's army and deliberately creates unnecessary hatred between us and the Paraguayan people. All this is the Paraguay government's fault, and the Republic's army has nothing to do with it!"
"Yes, General, this is all a conspiracy by the Paraguayan government."
Another officer stared at the metallic luster of gold and silver property on the table and said greedily: "However, I hope that there are more rumors like this, the better. In this case, it can save us a lot of trouble."
"Hahaha, Colonel Gaspar is such an interesting person."
The other officers burst into laughter after hearing Gaspar's words.
"Colonel Gaspar is a loyal officer of the Republic. The logistics transportation route from the rear to the front line is not smooth, and the front line troops often do not receive timely supplies. At this time, as the commander of 10,000 soldiers on the front line, we
It is also very necessary to take some flexible measures to raise food and other living supplies for the soldiers.
Of course, during this period, it is also reasonable for us to take away some of the items abandoned by Paraguayan people."
Major General Getulio found a very convincing excuse for their actions, and then continued: "General Rodriguez only gave us two hours to stay and repair time. It is now 12:25 noon.
, the time has just passed 1 hour and 35 minutes, we still have 35 minutes of rest time left."
"No, General, you remembered wrongly. From the time we received General Rodriguez's telegram, we should have 1 hour and 35 minutes left for repairs."
An officer reminded him solemnly.
"Yes, starting from the time we receive the telegram, we still have 1 hour and 35 minutes to repair."
Major General Getulio suddenly realized: "Tell the soldiers who are repairing in the city to take the time to "rest". The troops will assemble in an hour and set off on time at 2 p.m."
"Okay, General."
"Oh, by the way, I would like to remind the soldiers that when "purchasing" goods in the city, you must pay. You cannot directly rob Paraguayans of their property or food."
"You are truly a kind general."
"Don't worry, I will definitely bring your instructions."......
"Hey man, I saw this silver coin first, it's mine!"
"No, I got it first, whoever gets it first belongs to whoever!"
…………
In the city of Mauricio, next to a commercial street, two Brazilian soldiers quarreled over the ownership of a silver coin.
"Hey, Gerrit, Bartholomew, I found a good thing, come and take a look!"
shouted another soldier who broke into a wealthy man's house.
"What good thing? Is it a silver coin?"
"No, it's much more valuable than silver coins. Come and take a look!"
"We'll go there now."
The words of another soldier attracted the attention of the two soldiers. The two of them quickly gave up their quarrel and ran to the house facing the street.
"Look, what a delicate piece of bronze, what a beautiful guy!"
"
Bancroft, is this the good thing you're talking about?"
"Yes, that's it."
The Brazilian soldier named Bancroft said happily: "
If I read it correctly, this thing should be an antique from the 15th century, and its value is at least 500 pounds, no, at least more than 2,000 pounds."
"Are you really sure this big copper is worth £2,000?"
"Of course, I'm absolutely sure!"
Bancroft's eyes were full of materialism. He seemed to have forgotten that this was a battlefield and was only obsessed with looking for valuable things.
"As you know, I have been working in an antique shop before I joined the army. I have been studying antiques for nearly twenty years, and I rarely make mistakes."
"Two thousand pounds? What an unimaginable figure. Bancroft, the two of us will help you carry this bronze away and hide it. After the war is over and the bronze is sold, the money from the sale must be divided."
Give us one!”
"Of course, we are the best brothers. As long as we make money from the sale, I promise to give you a share of the money!"
"Okay, we have agreed that when we divide the money, each person will have one share."
Another soldier repeated the sentence again, and then the three of them worked together to quietly carry the bronze utensils placed in the house to the garden in the backyard of the house.
"Okay, this is the place. Grit, Bartholomew, let's bury the copperware quickly while no one is paying attention. It will be easily discovered by others if it is too late."
"That's right, let's do it now."......
The city of Mauricio was in chaos. Its original order was completely lost. Bancroft, Griet, and Bartholomew hid the bronzes and walked out of the house.
I saw many soldiers looting goods on the streets,
At the door of the store nearest to them, the owner of the store and several Paraguayan clerks stood by the door with sad faces. They looked at the Brazilian soldiers looting the store, but they did not dare to stop them.
"Oh my god, look at how many good things they grabbed, including sugar, raisins and cigarettes!"
The soldier named Bartholomew who was the most greedy among the three said enthusiastically: "Bancroft, Grit! Let's go there quickly! We are late, they have robbed all the good things in the store.
!”
"The black bread in the army is too delicious. If you can eat desserts baked with sugar and raisins! That would be so happy!"
"Bancroft, don't hesitate, let's leave quickly!"
Another soldier named Grit urged.
"The food supplied at the rear is indeed too poor. We should prepare some food for ourselves to fill our stomachs."
Among the three, Bancroft had a vague tendency to become the leader. After roughly considering the current situation of the three, he quickly agreed to the proposals of the other two.
Three soldiers with different thoughts joined the looting process, and three more uninvited intruders were added to the messy shop.
The Brazilian soldiers who blindly followed the crowd were like hungry wolves in primitive society, greedily plundering everything they saw.
"Raisins taste good," Bartholomew stuffed a handful of raisins into his mouth with one hand and grabbed a box of raisins with the other.
He said to himself, "Orientals are all bad guys, but their canned beef is delicious, so I put it in these cans too."
"Cheese is also needed. It's useless without some cigarettes. Throw away the black bread distributed by the army and replace it with biscuits made in China. With sugar, the flour will definitely taste better, and you should also get a bag of fine flour made in China.
,
Oh, there are also rubber raincoats and rubber-soled cloth shoes. When it rains, you can’t live without these. Take less of these things, just two pairs..."
Bartholomew looked at the wide variety of items in the shop, and while trying his best to pack the package he was carrying, he reluctantly said: "The tents made in Han Dynasty are also very useful, but the packages are all full and lost.
what a shame."
"Barcelona, we have brought enough things. Let the Paraguayans sleep in the tents."
"Okay, let's leave the camping tents to the Paraguayans." The three of them picked out the things they needed, each carrying a large package on their backs, and walked out. They happened to meet the patrolling military police, "
Who allowed you to take things randomly?"
Bartholomew pointed to the groups of soldiers on the street who had gained a lot, and responded carelessly: "I came in with them. We are all soldiers of the Fourth Regiment of the Ninth Division. Our commander is Colonel Gaspar.
, it was the colonel who allowed us to take the things."
Hearing Colonel Gaspar's name, the military policeman instantly lost the confidence to question him, and his tone softened: "Have you paid? If not, pay quickly, any amount is fine." "We'll pay now."
money!"
Bartholomew put the silver coin he had just grabbed back into his pocket, then took out a Paraguay small-denomination coin he grabbed from another pocket, returned to the door of the store, and handed it to an apparently Indian-white mixed-race face.
clerk.
The clerk, probably angry, tossed the coin back to Bartholomew.
Bartholomew may have felt that his act of robbing someone else's store was disgraceful. After picking up the coin, he forced it into the clerk's hand, and then ran out quickly regardless of the clerk's subsequent reaction.
In the ordinary small town, when the soldiers of the company where the three of Barsaromu were with saw them carrying bulging bags, they all cheered and cheered as if they were waiting for Santa Claus.
They were shouting here and there, and the Brazilian soldiers who had returned early were amazed at how much plunder the three of them had plundered.
Following closely behind the three men, the last six soldiers of the Seventh Company of the Fourth Regiment of the Ninth Division of the Army of the Republic of Brazil returned with a full harvest. The food grabbed by the Seventh Company had already filled the large wooden table in the middle of the camp. The Brazilian soldiers of the 7th Company often complained about the lack of good food. This time they tried their best to get food, but they couldn't finish it. In the end, they couldn't even transport what was left.
Therefore, they took advantage of the time before departure to stuff every soldier into their stomachs until they felt like vomiting.
They ate raisins, preserved fruits, canned food, desserts, and fried cakes until the troops departed. Many soldiers did not stop until they had loosened their belts.
The soldiers of the 7th Company of the Brazilian Army proudly embarked on the road of no return to face the war. On the march, the Brazilian soldiers, who did not know what cruel blows they would face in the future, proudly shared the plunder with each other. Sense of achievement: "This is not plunder, it is expropriation. It is expropriation that the victor must carry out!"