In the evening, in the Chang'an Imperial Palace, dozens of officials from various central departments and generals left behind in the army quickly rushed to the Chang'an Imperial Palace after being notified.

"The Americans have just sent a diplomatic protest to the government, and they demand that the government immediately stop the acts of war in Paraguay and withdraw its troops from Paraguay within half a month. If the government does not do what they want, the Americans threaten to send the Atlantic Fleet and Army units to support the Paraguayan army. ”

Li Mingyuan briefly explained the contents of the protest letter, and then solemnly said: "The Americans have not threatened the imperial government once or twice, but this situation is more serious than before, because according to the intelligence analysis obtained by the Ministry of State Security and the Ministry of Military Intelligence, the Americans not only dispatched a fleet consisting of a second-class battleship, five large cruisers, and 14 supply ships of various types to the Caribbean two days ago, but also the diplomats of the United States are also in tandem with the high-ranking officials of the Republic of Brazil. The intention was to persuade the Republic of Brazil to agree to give the Americans the right to establish a military base in the Republic of Brazil.

The Americans' dispatch of naval fleets meant more deterrence than practicality, and had limited influence on the military operations of the imperial army in Paraguay, but the activities of American diplomats in contact with the Republic of Brazil with the intention of establishing military bases were a greater and more serious threat to the future of the imperial government!

The United States is located in North America, far away from the Empire, and if the United States Government launches a war of containment against the Empire because of the Empire's expansion in South America for some time in the future, then the only measure they can take is to go on a long expedition and cross a distance of more than 10,000 kilometers to transport their troops to the south of South America and fight a decisive battle with the Imperial Army on land.

If the supply route extends from the US mainland to the southern part of South America, it will be difficult for the current US government to accept the staggering attrition of a war that may last for a year or even more than a year.

If the Americans succeed in convincing the government of the Republic of Brazil and resolving the interference of the British to establish a military base in the coastal area of the Republic of Brazil, then the starting point of the Americans' supply route, although it will not stretch from North America to South America at one time, will be able to provide a stable foothold for the expeditionary force and greatly reduce the need for logistical supplies for the expeditionary force.

Therefore, according to this analysis, the Americans' plan to establish a permanent military base in the territory of the Republic of Brazil is far more threatening to the imperial government than the direct dispatch of a fleet to intervene.

Therefore, for the sake of the future development strategy of the Reich and the national security, the Reich Government must take strong measures to resolutely thwart the attempts of the Americans to establish military bases on the territory of the Republic of Brazil, regardless of the attitude of the British side!

”

"Counting the militia and the federal armies of the states, the United States has about 100,000 standing army troops, and the naval strength is slightly stronger than the army, with 2 second-class battleships, 12 cruisers of various types, 7 coastal defense warships, and the tonnage of the main armored warships is 55,000 tons, and the total tonnage of the main warships is 1.5 times that of the imperial navy.

If the U.S. government makes up its mind to go to war with the Empire, the situation will be more favorable to the Empire in terms of the combined strength of the Army and Navy that the United States and the Empire currently have, rather than waiting until ten or twenty years from now to start a war. ”

The intelligence on the number of US Army troops, the tonnage of the main warships of the Navy, and the combat performance has always been the focus of the intelligence department of the Han State.

Liu Jiazhao, the new chief of military intelligence, is more inclined to take advantage of this incident and directly start a war with the United States.

"It is not good for the United States to go to war now, and the Americans will not fail to understand the situation, otherwise they would not be bluffing, using the opportunity of the war in Paraguay to divert the attention of Britain and the Empire, and on the other hand, they will not be in contact with the top of the Brazilian Republic behind their backs. In the name of creating a fait accompli first, and then forcing the empire and Britain to accept the existence of American military power in the territory of the Brazilian Republic. ”

Luo Linshan, the chief of the War Department, followed Liu Jiazhao's words and speculated: "It is very unlikely that the Americans will directly intervene in the Paraguayan war now, and even if the United States wants to take advantage of the temporary inseparability between the empire and Britain to seek benefits, it will not choose the most risky way of directly going to war with the empire."

You may have heard some information and rumors that the backers of the indigenous insurrectionary forces on the island of Cuba are the United States Government, and if the United States Government really intends to use force to gain benefits, then the islands of Cuba and Puerto Rico, which are close to the United States mainland and are very rich in natural resources, should be the first targets they eye. ”

"But Spain has the support of Britain and France behind it, and Britain, France, Italy and other European countries have no small economic interests in the Cuban archipelago, do the Americans really dare not give face to the British and seize the colonies in the hands of the Kingdom of Spain?"

Foreign Minister Tang Jing said uncertainly.

"Whether the Americans dare to seize the island of Cuba depends on their inference and analysis of the British government's foreign policy, and if the British back down again and acquiesce in the fact that the United States has established military bases in South America, then the Americans, who have received a positive response, are likely to put aside their last scruples and casually find an excuse to declare war on Spain."

"In this way, the real intention of the Americans to intervene in the Paraguayan war is very hidden, and their targets are not only the imperial government, but also Britain, Spain, and other countries."

"Nine times out of ten, it's possible."

Luo Linshan nodded and continued: "Americans are familiar with the rules of the international diplomatic game of the West, and at the same time under the guise of maintaining peace in the Americas, so in the diplomatic game involving South America, the imperial government and Britain are inherently at a disadvantage. (Britain played the role of a foreign colonist, and the Han State started with war, and compared with the British and Han countries, the image of the Americans in South America is better)"

Although the theory of imperial expansion in South America is somewhat untenable, it is only a matter of face, a reasonable excuse for expansion is no different from a fabricated excuse, and the decisive factor in determining which side of the truth is in the hands of the country is the strength of the country.

However, apart from the Americans' stirring up trouble in the international situation in South America, what worries me most is that the United States and the Republic of Brazil have reached relatively close military cooperation. ”

After listening to the opinions of Luo Linshan and other army generals, Chen Sen expounded his views on behalf of the navy: "Although the Imperial Navy is not sure to defeat its opponent in a head-on decisive battle with the US Atlantic Fleet alone, it also has the ability to block the US fleet from the territorial waters of the empire by relying on various military bases and port batteries along the coast of the empire.

However, if the U.S. Atlantic Fleet merged with the Republican Fleet of Brazil, and the United States dispatched the main force of the Atlantic Fleet to base itself in the ports off the coast of Brazil, the Imperial Navy would face a great challenge in the face of a combined naval force consisting of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet and the Navy of the Republic of Brazil. ”

"The Navy of the Republic of Brazil is no small threat to the Imperial Navy."

Chen Sen's words just now attracted Li Mingyuan's attention,

The navy is a vital military force of the world's great powers, and then specifically to the South American Han State.

If the Han mainland is surrounded by the sea on three sides and its geographical location is relatively remote, if it loses its sea control and the 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 State can be maintained, the industrial development that Li Mingyuan has high hopes for will also suffer a devastating blow.

Without foreign exchanges, there was no access to industrial technology that kept pace with the times, and the immature education system and relatively small population market of the Han Kingdom alone did not have the conditions to complete industrialization.

Based on geographical concerns, Li Mingyuan did not make up his mind to do so, even though he knew that it would not be difficult for the Han army to eliminate the army of the Republic of Brazil and occupy millions of square kilometers of land in the Republic of Brazil.

And now, perhaps the existence of the Army of the Republic of Brazil cannot threaten the national security of the Han State, but the warships of the Republic of Brazil docked at the military port have become a nail stuck in front of the Han State, which makes Li Mingyuan feel very uncomfortable.

"The security of the Empire's maritime territory is as important as the security of the land area, and I cannot tolerate a fleet that is likely to become a threat to the Empire's maritime security all the time blocking the Empire's door!"

After thinking for just a few minutes, Li Mingyuan made a decision: "Order the troops of the Asunción front to follow the predetermined plan No. 1, after occupying Puerto Ayes in western Asunción, immediately divide their troops into two routes, the main force will continue to attack the army of the Brazilian Republic near Asunción, and the other partial division will sweep along the Paraguay River all the way north to Concepción, Puerto Casado and other places.

Also, notify the Imperial Brazilian side and urge them to use the royalist naval officers hidden in the Navy of the Republic of Brazil according to the previous agreement, and then cooperate with the Imperial Navy to carry out the battle plan to destroy the Navy of the Republic of Brazil! ”

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Luo Linshan and Zhao Yongzeng stood up, first obeying Li Mingyuan's order, and then cautiously asked: "Your Majesty, do the troops of the Paraná Valley Front cooperate with the troops of the Asunción Front to launch a counterattack against the enemy in front of them?" ”

"The troops in Encarnación, Villarica and other places should not move lightly for the time being, and when the decisive progress in the battle in Asunción has been made, the troops of the Paraná Valley Front will concentrate their main forces to attack Duguaisu and Guaira in the north, but the speed of the attack should not be too fast, and the government of the Republic of Brazil must be given time to react, otherwise, the imperial army will prematurely cut off the retreat of the Brazilian army, and it will not achieve the goal of luring the snake out of the hole and taking the opportunity to destroy the Navy of the Republic of Brazil."

"Yes, Your Majesty." …………

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