In the evening, dozens of officials from various departments and generals from the army rushed to the Chang'an Palace after being notified.
"The United States has just issued a diplomatic protest to the imperial court. They demand that the imperial court immediately stop the war in Paraguay and withdraw its troops from Paraguay within half a month. If the imperial court does not do what they want, the United States will threaten to send troops
Atlantic Fleet and Army Forces, supporting the Paraguayan Army."
Li Mingyuan briefly explained the content of the protest, and then solemnly said: "The United States people threatened the imperial court not once or twice, but this situation is more serious than before, because according to the intelligence analysis obtained by the Intelligence Department, the United States people not only dispatched two days ago
A fleet consisting of a second-class battleship, five large cruisers, and fourteen supply ships of various types sailed to the Caribbean. Moreover, diplomats from the United States were also in tandem with the top brass of the Republic of Brazil in an attempt to persuade the Republic of Brazil.
Agree to give them the authority to establish military bases in the Republic of Brazil.
The United States dispatched a naval fleet, which was more of a deterrent than an actual one. It had limited influence on the imperial army's military operations in Paraguay. However, the activities of the United States diplomats in contacting the Republic of Brazil with the intention of establishing a military base posed a greater threat to the future of the imperial court.
,more serious!
The United States is located in North America and is far away from the Empire. If in the future, the United States launches a containment war against the Empire due to the Empire's expansion in South America, then the only measure they can take is a long-distance expedition, spanning more than 10,000 kilometers.
, transport troops to southern South America and engage in a decisive battle with the imperial army on land.
The most important factor that determines whether an expeditionary force can maintain long-term combat capabilities is logistics and material supplies. If the supply route extends from the United States to southern South America, then based on the current organizational capabilities and affordability of the United States, they are very
It is difficult to accept the staggering consumption caused by a war that may last for a year or even more than several years.
And if the United States achieves its wish, successfully convinces the court of the Republic of Brazil and resolves the British interference, and establishes a military base in the coastal areas of the Republic of Brazil, then the starting point of their supply route will not extend from North America to South America at once.
, but a large-scale military base with complete facilities can provide a stable foothold for the expeditionary force, and can greatly reduce the expeditionary force's need for logistical supplies.
Therefore, based on this analysis, the United States' plan to establish a permanent military base in the Republic of Brazil poses a far greater threat to the imperial court than directly sending a fleet to intervene.
Therefore, for the future development strategy and security of the empire, no matter what attitude the British adopt, the imperial court must take effective measures to resolutely thwart the attempts of the United States to establish a military base in the Republic of Brazil!
"
"Including the militia and state federal troops, the standing army of the United States has about 100,000 troops. The navy is slightly stronger than the army. It has 2 second-level battleships, 12 cruisers of various types, 7 offshore defense warships, and the tonnage of the main armored warships
55,000 tons, the total tonnage of the main warship is 1.5 times that of the Imperial Navy.
If they are determined to go to war with the Empire, given the comprehensive strength of the army and navy currently possessed by the United States and the Empire, the situation will be more favorable to the Empire if they start the war now rather than waiting ten or twenty years later.
The number of troops in the United States Army, the tonnage of the main navy warships, and combat performance have always been the focus of the Han intelligence department. Therefore, after analyzing the current military strength comparison between Han and the United States,
The new director-general of the Military Intelligence Department, Liu Jiazhao, is more inclined to use this incident to directly go to war with the United States.
"It is not good for the United States to go to war now. They will not be unable to understand the situation. Otherwise, they will not bluff and use the opportunity of the Paraguay War to divert the attention of the United Kingdom and the Empire while secretly contacting the high-level officials of the Republic of Brazil.
The plan is to first create a fait accompli and then force the Empire and Britain to accept the presence of the United States’ military power in the Republic of Brazil.”
Director-General of the Army Luo Linshan continued Liu Jiazhao's words and speculated: "It is very unlikely that the United States will directly intervene in the Paraguay War now, and even if they want to take advantage of the opportunity that the Empire and Britain are temporarily inseparable from, they will not choose to do so.
Going to war directly with the empire is the riskiest way.
You may have heard some news and rumors. The supporter behind the indigenous uprising forces on the island of Cuba is the court of the United States. If the United States really intends to use force to obtain benefits, then it is close to the North American mainland and has very rich natural resources.
Cuba and Puerto Rico should be their first targets."
"But Spain has the support of Britain and France behind it. Britain, France, Italy and other European countries have considerable economic interests in the Cuban Islands. Do the people of the United States really dare to seize the colonies from the Kingdom of Spain without giving the British face?"
Foreign Minister Tang Jingsong was unsure.
"Whether the Americans dare to seize the island of Cuba depends on their inference and analysis of the British court's foreign policy. If the British give in again and acquiesce to the fact that they have established military bases in South America, then the Americans who will receive a positive response will very likely
Maybe he would put down his last scruples and find an excuse to declare war on Spain."
"In this way, the true intention of the United States to intervene in the Paraguay War was deeply hidden. Their targets were not only the imperial court, but also Britain, Spain and other countries.
"There is a high probability that this is possible."
Luo Linshan nodded and continued: "The people of the United States are familiar with the Western international diplomatic game rules, and at the same time they are under the guise of maintaining peace in the Americas. Therefore, in the diplomatic game involving South America, the imperial court and the United Kingdom are inherently at a disadvantage.
.(The United Kingdom plays the role of a foreign colonizer, and the Han Dynasty started with war. Compared with the United Kingdom and the Han Dynasty, the image of the United States in South America is better)"
"The disadvantages in the international diplomatic game are not the most disadvantageous. The competition between the world's major powers is essentially about the law of the jungle and the survival of the fittest. Although the theory of empire expansion in South America is somewhat untenable, it is still just a matter of face.
, there is no difference between a reasonable excuse for expansion and a fabricated excuse. In the end, the decisive factor that determines which party holds the truth is the strength of the country.
However, in addition to the United States' efforts to stir up troubles in the international situation in South America, what I am most worried about is that they have reached closer military cooperation with the Republic of Brazil."
After listening to the opinions of Luo Linshan and other army generals, Chen Sen expressed his own opinions on behalf of the navy: "Although the Imperial Navy is not sure of defeating its opponent in a direct decisive battle with just one fleet of the United States Atlantic Fleet, it can rely on various military forces along the coast of the Empire to
The base and port forts also have the ability to block the United States fleet from imperial territorial waters.
However, if the Atlantic Fleet of the United States and the Fleet of the Republic of Brazil merge and they dispatch the main force of the Atlantic Fleet and use the Brazilian coastal ports as bases, then the Imperial Navy will face the combined maritime power composed of the Atlantic Fleet of the United States and the Navy of the Republic of Brazil.
A huge challenge.”
"The Navy of the Republic of Brazil is a considerable threat to the Imperial Navy."
What Chen Sen just said attracted Li Mingyuan's attention.
The navy is a vital military force for the world's great powers, and specifically for the South American country of Han.
The Han Kingdom is surrounded by the sea on three sides and its geographical location is relatively remote. If it loses its sea control and local foreign trade and transportation channels are blocked by the United States and the Navy of the Republic of Brazil, then even if the basic life of the local people of the Han Kingdom can be maintained, Li Mingyuan has high hopes.
The industrial development of China will also suffer a devastating blow.
Without foreign exchanges, it was impossible to obtain industrial technology that kept pace with the times. Han China's immature education system and relatively small population market simply did not have the conditions to complete industrialization.
Based on concerns about the geographical location, even though Li Mingyuan knew that it would not be difficult for the Han army to destroy the army of the Republic of Brazil and occupy millions of square kilometers of land in the Republic of Brazil, he still did not make up his mind to do it.
Now, perhaps the existence of the Army of the Republic of Brazil cannot threaten the national security of Han, but the warships of the Republic of Brazil docked at the military port have become a nail stuck in front of the door of Han, which makes Li Mingyuan feel very sad.