After confirming the authenticity of the Rio de Janeiro shipyard's ability to build its own 4,000-ton armored cruisers, Li Mingyuan was initially a little surprised.

At the end of the decade, in addition to Britain, France, Germany, Russia and other European powers, the countries that could independently complete the task of building ironclad ships of more than 2,000 tons were the United States, Han and Japan.

And now, with the completion and commissioning of the armored cruiser Admiral Mandel, the Republic of Brazil, which is remote in a corner of the world and full of internal contradictions, has also stepped into the ranks of countries that build ironclad ships on their own.

The armored cruiser is a product of the development of the modern industrial system and a symbol of the country's comprehensive industrial strength, and the fact that the Rio de Janeiro shipyard was able to build a 4,000-ton armored cruiser shows that the Republic of Brazil has the industrial heritage to develop into a regional industrial power.

However, judging from the data on the time and cost taken to complete the construction of the Admiral Mandel, there may be problems such as lack of experience in the construction of shipwrights and technicians in the shipyard in Rio de Janeiro, but by comparing it with the three newly industrialized countries of Han, Japan, and the United States, it is certain that the officials of the Republic of Brazil, who are in charge of the construction of the ship, must have taken kickbacks and bribes.

The displacement tonnage of the ship is lower than that of armored cruisers of the same class, the construction price of the ship is more than three times that of the purchased warships of the same class, and the number and caliber of the main guns of the ship are only half of that of the warships of the same class!

All kinds of problems are superimposed, and if there is no catty in them, I am afraid that the officials of the Brazilian Republic themselves do not believe it.

The feudal rule of the Pedro family was overthrown, and a nominally democratic and republican government was established, but in private it was still the same system of accepting bribes and trading power.

Seeing through the essence of the inner workings of the government of the Republic of Brazil, Li Mingyuan's surprise and curiosity about the Republic of Brazil soon disappeared because the armored cruiser Admiral Mandel appeared on the surface of the Atlantic Ocean.

The Republic of Brazil is like a decaying tree, which needs to go through a series of subsequent wars to gradually weaken its vital forces, and before that, focusing on the development of Paraguay's domestic situation, formulating a positive and effective response plan, and reaching the core strategy of unifying the La Plata region as soon as possible, is the most important problem that the Han side should start to solve.

Since the Paraguay Incident, the central government of the Han State and the headquarters of the two armed forces have immediately become extremely busy, and one after another information has been sent to the Han State through various channels, and then it has been presented to Li Mingyuan and the high-ranking military and political officials of the Central Army and Government as quickly as possible.

On May 30, 1889, just a week after the Paraguayan Incident, in order to coordinate the forces of the military and political parties and formulate a final solution to the Paraguayan chaos as soon as possible, Li Mingyuan specially invited relevant officials and generals from all sides in the palace to convene a high-level military-political joint meeting.

The joint military and political conference held on May 30, 1889 was a high-level meeting to unify internal thinking and respond to changes in the external situation, and it can also be seen as the final rehearsal for the Han state to fully intervene in the situation in Paraguay and prepare for war.

"The population distribution of Paraguay is similar to that of Brazil, the western and northern regions are vast and sparsely populated, and the three western provinces and the two geographical regions in the north, formerly the former Brazilian states of Mato Grosso do Sul and the southern part of the state of Goiás, together have a total area of 900,000 square kilometers, accounting for 81 percent of the total territory of the Kingdom of Paraguay.

The eastern region covers an area of about 200,000 square kilometers.

However, the number of Paraguayan people living on this land has reached 350,000, accounting for about two-thirds of the total population of Paraguay, of which about 170,000 are permanent residents of Asunción, the seat of the central government of the Kingdom of Paraguay, and half of the total population of the eastern region. ”

According to the information obtained by the army chief of staff, Zhao Yongzeng, introduced to the people in the palace: "After the death of López Jr., the whole country of Paraguay was divided into three forces, one represented by the four-member regency committee composed of Isidoro, who instigated the Guards and the Paraguayan naval fleet to take Carlos hostage on May 22 and took control of the power of the central government of Paraguay, the four-member regency committee is the most powerful force in Paraguay's domestic politics, and they control the various departments of the central government in Asunción. and won the allegiance of most government officials and the farmer class.

At present, according to the latest information, the four-member regency committee has encircled the commander of the 1st Brigade of the Paraguayan Army, Major General José Bacon, and the 1st Brigade of the Paraguayan Army has also announced that it will accept the leadership of the four-member regency committee.

With the addition of the newly surrendered 1st Brigade, the four-man Regency Council nominally controlled an army of about 6,500 men, which was about half the number of the Paraguayan Army's 3rd Division, 2nd Brigade, and Guards Cavalry Battalion. ”

"Except for the four-member regency committee and the two sides of the rebel coalition, what is the attitude of the other powerful generals of the Paraguayan army?"

A general asked.

"The question raised by General Wang is related to the third military and political force in Paraguay, which I will talk about below."

Zhao Yongzeng continued: "The Paraguayan Army followed the model of the German army, setting up four standing army divisions, two army brigades, and one guards, with a total standing army of about 47,000 people.

Among the remaining units, Lieutenant General Hadro Peterson's 2nd Division was trapped in the flood zone in Mato Grosso do Sul, and because the commander of the 3rd Division of the Paraguayan Army, Silvestre, did not comply with the arrangement of López Jr., and decided to lead the main force of the 3rd Division of the Army, together with the troops of the Guards Cavalry Battalion and the 2nd Brigade, to march towards Asunción, resulting in the complete interruption of the supply route connecting the 2nd Division to the rear.

The Second Division is currently facing difficulties not only in running out of ammunition and supplies, but also in the possibility of being attacked by Indian rebel forces, so the Second Division is stuck in the quagmire of Mato Grosso do Sul and cannot defend itself, and is temporarily unable to intervene in the internal situation in Paraguay.

The other two division-level troops, the 1st Division and the 4th Division of the Paraguayan Army, are stationed in the area where Han and the Republic of Brazil are handed over, and each of them is facing military pressure from the side of the Han State and the Republic of Brazil, and it is difficult for them to draw decisive forces and plunge into the struggle for the dominance of the central government in Paraguay.

”

"In this way, the power to decide the course of the war in Paraguay in the second half of the year fell into the hands of the Regency Council of Four and the rebel coalition."

Wang Jianhua, commander of the Fourth Division of the Han Army (renamed in 1886, formerly known as Wang Dashan. Looking up and thinking.

"If there is no external force to intervene, a new king of the Kingdom of Paraguay will be elected between the two forces."

Zhao Yongzeng nodded in affirmation of Wang Jianhua's point of view, adding: "In order to increase the chances of seizing the supreme power in Paraguay, the four-member regency committee strengthened its control over the military and political aspects of Asunción as soon as the rebel coalition announced its march to Asunción.

On May 26, the four-member Regency Committee, in the name of liquidating the crimes of the López family, announced that the land in the names of the López family, including Mrs. Lynch, Carlos and others, would be owned by the government.

On 27 May, the scope of the liquidation and compulsory resumption of land was extended to nobles, government officials, and military officers loyal to the Lope family, and in just two days, the four-member Regency Committee recovered 639,500 hectares of land and a total of 467 houses in the area around Asunción.

On 28 May, the four-member regency committee recruited young and able-bodied laborers from the surrounding controlled areas as a reward for the forcibly repossessed land, but according to the total information of the staff officers, more than 70 percent of the men between the ages of 12 and 46 of the total population of more than 500,000 in Paraguay were transferred to serve in the army, and the three-day conscription notice of the four-member regency committee only increased the number of old and weak men by more than 1,000. ”

"The First Paraguayan War in 1868 caused Paraguay to lose more than 200,000 people, and after the end of the Paraguayan War, Lope Jr. was still obsessed with a policy of foreign expansion with reckless militarism, and did not seize the 20 years during the armistice to develop the domestic economy, so even if the population of the empire itself doubled several times, the population of Paraguay was only less than 100,000 more than in 1868."

With the memory of later generations, Li Mingyuan understands the almost paranoid nature of Little Lope better than others, and he also has a clearer understanding of Paraguay's fall to the point where it is today under the rule of Little Lope.

"Apart from the actions of the four-member Regency Council and the rebel coalition, what is the reaction of the Brazilian Republic?"

After learning about the situation in Paraguay, Li Mingyuan began to turn his attention to the side of the Brazilian Republic.

"The Republic of Brazil has not been doing anything unusual recently, but according to information from us and from the Brazilian Empire, the government of the Republic of Brazil is frequently making secret contacts with the United Kingdom, Chile and other countries through its embassies abroad."

"The Republic of Brazil was frightened by the Imperial Army, and without the support and security guarantees of the British, the Republic of Brazil did not have the courage to risk war with the Empire and directly intervene in the situation in Paraguay."

Luo Linshan, the chief of the Ministry of the Army, analyzed.

"The Republic of Brazil has not done nothing, and combined with the situation just introduced by General Zhao, I estimate that the naval confrontation incident a few days ago was not as simple as a simple accident, perhaps the government of the Republic of Brazil deliberately wanted to use this to show its naval strength, and then indirectly test the attitude of the imperial government to the Republic of Brazil's intervention in the Paraguayan incident."

Li Mingyuan connected the information obtained from various aspects, pondered for a while, and decided, "Regardless of whether the Republic of Brazil is intentionally tentative or unintentional, the general policy of the imperial side regarding the Paraguay incident remains unchanged.

The Brazilian Republic does not move, and the imperial army does not move, and it is necessary to wait until the Brazilian Republic can no longer sit still, and first send troops into Paraguay, and then the imperial army will enter Paraguay as a righteous army. ”

"Your Majesty, what if the Brazilian Republic does not take the bait?"

"It is impossible for them not to take the bait, the four-member regency council and the rebel coalition are about to fight, the defense forces in the western and northern regions of Paraguay are empty, and no matter what the outcome of the Paraguayan civil war is, Paraguay's defense forces will suffer heavy losses, and in this case, the government of the Republic of Brazil must make the decision to send troops, whether it is for the purpose of diverting internal contradictions or for the purpose of recovering the occupied territory and recovering the hearts and minds of the people at home.

Although Fonseca, Morais and others controlled the central power of the Brazilian Republic, they did not have the final say on whether to send troops or not.

Now, since they are afraid of the attitude of the Empire, they dare not rush to send troops. Then let's dispel their concerns and help them make decisions. ”

Li Mingyuan had a countermeasure in his heart, and immediately ordered: "Minister Tang, tomorrow your Ministry of Foreign Affairs will issue a statement to the outside world, announcing in the name of the central government that the empire will strictly abide by the rules of neutrality and will not provide weapons and ammunition to any warring forces in Paraguay.

It also shows the peace-loving attitude of the empire and persuades all forces in Paraguay to try to adopt peaceful means to resolve contradictions and differences. ”

"Yes, Your Majesty. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will, in accordance with His Majesty's instructions, let the Republic of Brazil see the attitude of the Han Kingdom. ”

Tang Jingsong, Minister of Foreign Affairs, took over the task assigned by Li Mingyuan, and then handed over a list of names and said: "Chen Jinghu, the imperial minister in Paraguay, reported that there are more than 200 Paraguayan dignitaries and dignitaries who have fled to the imperial legation in Paraguay and sought asylum in the empire, including Mrs. Lynch, the lover of López Jr., as well as one of their sons and a daughter. ”

"The intelligence officers of the Imperial Ministry of Security have spent years in Paraguay, and most of the Paraguayan dignitaries who have sought the asylum of the Imperial Legation are the ones who have worked hard to develop them. Their presence was conducive to the future rule of the empire and the assimilation of the Paraguayans. ”

After Li Mingyuan cursoryly read the list submitted by Tang Jingsong, he ordered: "Through the secret transportation channel established by the Ministry of Security in Paraguay, the embassy personnel and Paraguayan dignitaries stranded in the city of Asunción should be safely transferred, and among them, special attention should be paid to ensuring the safety of Mrs. Lynch and her sons and daughters, who will be of use to the imperial army after entering Paraguay." ”

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will cooperate with the Ministry of Imperial Security to safely transfer all the people stranded in Asunción City."

"In addition to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Intelligence, all departments of the central government should make material preparations and transport all necessary war materiel to the predetermined reserve areas in the north in advance, and the Imperial Army General Staff should draw up a number of possible combat plans on the basis of the intelligence gathered and the development of the internal situation in Paraguay."

"Yes, Your Majesty!" …………

The officials and officers in charge of the relevant duties replied in unison.

"The Navy's First Fleet and the Coastal Garrison Fleet should do a good job in combat drills and strengthen the fleet's actual combat response capability and vigilance capability.

At the same time, the selection and construction of new armored cruisers and the replacement and strengthening of the onboard weapons of ironclad ships that are more than 10 years old must also be completed as soon as possible. ”

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Chen Sen, chief of the Admiralty, and Li Han, chief of the Naval Staff, got up to take over the task, exchanged glances with each other, and then said in tacit understanding: "Your Majesty, the Admiralty and the Navy Staff Headquarters have preliminarily drawn up a plan for the purchase of ships. ”

"Oh, the Admiralty and the Navy Staff Headquarters are quite efficient, and they have made a plan to purchase ships so quickly."

Li Mingyuan took the document presented by the two of them personally, carefully examined it for more than ten minutes, then closed the document and asked with a smile: "Among the five sets of ship purchase plans presented, which one is most preferred by the Admiralty and the Navy Staff Headquarters?" ”

"Your Majesty, General Lee and I both think that the Orlando-class armored cruiser is the most suitable."

"Tell me your reasoning."

"Orlando class standard displacement 5600 tons,

Length 91.m, draft 6.86 m, atmospheric power 5500 horsepower, atmospheric speed 17 knots, strong pressure ventilation 8500 horsepower/speed 18 knots, endurance 10000 nautical miles/10 knots of coal 900 tons,

The waterline armor belt is 254 mm thick (composite armor) and 1.67 m high, the armor deck is thick, the front and rear partitions of the armor box are 406 mm thick (wrought iron), the exposed battery armor wall is 152 mm thick, the secondary gun turret is 127 mm thick, and the conning tower is 305 mm thick.

In terms of fire system, it is equipped with 2 times rear-loading rifled guns× 2×m/26 times rear-loading rifled guns, 6 6-pounder rapid-fire guns, and 10 3-pounder rapid-fire guns.

With a rated crew of 484 and a cost of £210,000, it has the ability to fight large ocean-going cruisers. ”

According to the overall performance data of the ship collected, Chen Sen preached according to the script.

"The Orlando-class armored cruiser is affordable, and the overall performance of the warship is also good, however, the degree of the armor box is enough, the width is too narrow, and it is just a 1.67-meter-high armor belt in actual combat. I'm afraid that it will not be possible to form an effective protection of the engine room boiler room,

In my opinion, it would be better to save weight and strengthen the armored deck, which is only 2-3 inches thick, and cancel this symbolic armored box. ”

"The armor belt is a protective device designed by the Pembroke Shipyard in the United Kingdom, and after the Imperial Navy has decided on the purchase plan, you can go to the Pembroke Shipyard to coordinate and improve."

Chen Sen echoed.

"The overall shipbuilding level of the British is much higher than that of the three major shipyards in the country, and in terms of shipbuilding technology, the Imperial Navy takes advantage of the opportunity to purchase ships and learn from them, and in terms of design and weapon configuration, if we think that the British design is unreasonable, we must also bravely point it out and make targeted improvements."

"Your Majesty has taught that the Admiralty and the Naval Staff will work together with the three major shipyards in the country to carefully examine possible problems in the design and construction of ships."

"It's always good to study and reflect more, okay, your ship purchase plan has been passed, just follow the points I talked to you last time, try to persuade Pembroke Shipyard to agree to buy one, and build one on its own, in order to achieve the purpose of ship purchase, the central government can provide the navy with an additional subsidy of up to 1 million Han Yuan for the purchase of ships.

Do a good job and complete the signing of the ship purchase contract as soon as possible before July. ”…………

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