The center of Bolivian rule is around the first-tier cities of Sucre and La Paz. After crossing Lake Titicaca, the Chinese Independence Army has entered the core ruled area of Bolivia. Therefore, Li Mingyuan is particularly concerned about the intelligence investigation of the surrounding Bolivian army.
Bolivia adopted the Caudillo style of rule in the half century after independence. The so-called Caudillo refers to a group of military leaders or paramilitary leaders who emerged during the Bolivian War of Independence.
The landowning class exploited the indigenous Indians to obtain profits and used force to maintain their rule.
After Bolivia became independent, generals and leaders of different factions competed with the large landowners for power. In the century after independence, Bolivia had a total of 190 armed coups of various types, and 6 of the 40 presidents were assassinated. Therefore, Bolivia's political turmoil continued.
It suffered successive defeats in foreign wars.
Li Mingyuan roughly understood the basic situation of Bolivia before entering Bolivia. If he didn't want to find a good place for the Chinese Independence Army to survive, Li Mingyuan would have wanted to take root in Bolivia, but Li Mingyuan just thought about it in his heart.
It’s impossible to actually do it,
Because the most suitable places to live in Bolivia are mainly in the central region, the south and north belong to the plateau area, with an altitude of more than 5,000 meters, and the highest peak is more than 6,000 meters above sea level. Between the East and West Cordillera is a vast prairie.
Only those with enough red blood cells and the ability to absorb a small amount of thin air can live in this area year-round.
The Bolivian Indians have lived here for generations and have naturally adapted to the environment here. However, it is very difficult for the Chinese Independence Army to live here.
Moreover, although the civil strife in Bolivia continues, they only dare to do this without the involvement of external forces. However, if the Chinese Independence Army gets involved, maybe they will target the Chinese Independence Army.
Although the Bolivian soldiers are not well equipped with weapons and equipment, they have the advantage of being familiar with the local situation. They can completely use the way the Tubo people dealt with the Tang army during the Tang Dynasty to confront the Chinese Independence Army and bring down the Chinese Independence Army.
In the early days of the Tang Dynasty, the country was powerful and had not conquered the Tubo people who were entrenched in the plateau area. Li Mingyuan thought that he did not have the ability to subdue the Indians on the plateau.
That's why Li Mingyuan emphasized that the troops should not take the initiative to provoke the Bolivian army.
But more than a day after the Chinese Independence Army entered Bolivia, Li Mingyuan received news he didn't want to see.
The leading force of the reconnaissance battalion fought with a small Bolivian force, and after capturing the other party, they actually let three prisoners escape halfway, one of whom was said to be a mid-level Bolivian officer.
The reason for the conflict between the two parties was very clear in the message sent back by the reconnaissance battalion commander. It was the Bolivian army that took the lead in provocation, and the reconnaissance battalion soldiers had to fight back. Li Mingyuan could not blame them, because under the circumstances, Li Mingyuan
He will also decisively make the same decision as the reconnaissance battalion commander.
A conflict has occurred, and what we need to do now is how to minimize the harm of this matter.
Li Mingyuan thought for a while and felt that it was better to arrive at the scene in person to make an accurate decision. The army camp was left to Chen Guozhu, Li Sandou, Sun Bin and other generals to stay behind. Li Mingyuan led a thousand cavalrymen from the cavalry brigade to rush to the scene to check the situation.
According to the signal left by the soldiers of the reconnaissance battalion, one thousand cavalry arrived in a forest five miles away from the Aymara people. More than fifty cavalrymen of the reconnaissance battalion, led by the reconnaissance battalion commander Qian Jianyu, respectfully greeted
Li Mingyuan saluted.
Li Mingyuan was riding on the horse and had no intention of letting Qian Jianyu stand up while he was curtsying. Qian Jianyu's face turned red when Li Mingyuan looked at him coldly and he kept curtsing for several minutes without daring to move.
"Is it uncomfortable to half-squat?" Li Mingyuan said lightly.
"I don't dare to do this in a humble position." Qian Jianyu lowered his head and said softly.
"Don't you dare? Weren't you quite brave before? Why are you standing still like a little girl now?"
Hearing Li Mingyuan's words, Qian Jianyu's face turned even redder.
When he first met Li Mingyuan, he was still the deputy company commander. At that time, he dared to put forward his ideas in front of Li Mingyuan.
The second time in the military academy, he was even more valued by Li Mingyuan and was appointed as the commander of the reconnaissance battalion. However, this time, a prisoner escaped under his nose. He felt that he had been embarrassed this time.
He did not dare to reply to Li Mingyuan's sarcasm.
"First tell me clearly what you know about the situation. As for letting the prisoners go, we will punish you later." Li Mingyuan looked at Qian Jianyu and knew that this incident had taught him a big lesson, so he stopped scolding him.
He turned to him and asked him about the situation.
"In a humble position, I let the prisoners go, and I was willing to accept the punishment." Qian Jianyu first admitted his responsibility for letting the prisoners go, and then introduced: "After suppressing the prisoners' uprising, I left more than 20 people in a humble position to guard the prisoners, and then led a platoon of cavalry forward.
We went to hunt down the five prisoners who slipped through the trap, and after finally killing three of them, the remaining two prisoners used their companions to buy them time and escaped to the Bolivian troops in front."
"How many Bolivian troops are there in front?"
"When I led the troops over, I found that they were attacking an Indian village. Judging from the scale of their attack, there were about four to five hundred people."
There were not many Bolivian soldiers, so Li Mingyuan decided to lead his troops and talk to them face to face, explaining that the Chinese Independence Army had no intention of becoming their enemy. As for if they refused to listen, he could only use soldiers to subdue them and then discuss a solution.
On the way here, Li Mingyuan had already thought of solutions in two situations. The first one is that if the Bolivians understand each other, the two parties shake hands and make peace, and the Chinese Independence Army will not interfere in their internal affairs and leave Bolivia quickly,
The second is that Bolivia is an enemy of the Chinese Independence Army. In this case, the Chinese Independence Army will choose to cooperate with the local Indians and overthrow the forces led by Bolivian President Meljia Rejo by supporting the Indian armed forces.
Both options have their own advantages and disadvantages. Which method Li Mingyuan chooses depends on the attitude of the Bolivian army.
At the wooden fence in front of the Aymara village, the Bolivian soldiers who were about to rush into the village retreated like a tide. A dozen brave Indians climbed onto the fence and found that the Bolivian soldiers seemed to be in great danger and were panicking.
He ran away, not even taking the wounded soldiers left outside the fence with him.
"Chief, the enemy has escaped and the village is safe." After discovering the situation, the Indians loudly reported to the tribesmen in the fence, conveying the joy of luckily escaping death.
The old patriarch was ready to die in battle, but the enemy's sudden retreat made him unable to react for a while.
When more and more clan members cheered, he realized that all this was true. Throwing away a wooden spear he was holding tightly in his hand, the old clan leader regained the agility of his youth and quickly ran towards the fence.
, the surrounding Indians gave way to him one after another,
When he ran to the fence, the Bolivian soldiers had already run a long distance, and only the last twenty or so Bolivian soldiers were still within his sight.
"Great Sun God, you haven't abandoned the people on the plateau yet!" The old patriarch was filled with joy and sorrow, and he knelt on the ground and shouted excitedly.
The expression of the old patriarch infected other Indians. They believed that the sun god they believed in had saved the village. They all knelt on the ground piously and thanked the god for his salvation.