After years of fighting, the war supplies were rapidly depleted, not only the Brazilian Empire could not bear the war losses, but the Chinese Independence Army, Peru, Bolivia, and Paraguay also pledged all their national strength to maintain a huge number of troops to prepare for war.

Since the Paraguayan War, the Brazilian Empire has experienced previous wars, of which the Paraguayan War lasted for three years, and the overall strength of the Brazilian Empire was the most seriously weakened, and a large amount of materials were consumed in the Paraguayan battlefield far from the border, and the Chinese Independent Army participated in the Paraguayan War and eliminated the main force of the Brazilian army was a heavy blow to Brazil's national defense, making the Brazilian Empire lose its offensive ability in a short period of time, and the Peruvian and Chinese independent armies formed an alliance against Brazil, and then occupied a large amount of land in the Brazilian Empire was the final blow, forcing Brazilians to take the initiative to seek negotiations.

Objectively speaking, the overall strength of Brazil, which has suffered heavy losses, is still above the quadripartite alliance of powers, but after the reform of Pedro II, Brazil's national system is different from Peru, Bolivia and other countries, and Brazil, which is on par with European countries such as Britain and France, is called an empire, and is actually a federal state with bureaucratic aristocracy holding power, Pedro II holds a certain amount of power, but the consent of the nobles and bureaucrats below is still required for major decisions related to national interests.

On the other hand, the anti-Brazilian coalition side, whether it is the Peruvian Three Kingdoms or the Chinese Independence Army, is a strongman system with a high degree of centralization, Li Mingyuan can decide the direction of the Chinese Independence Army's actions with one word, and the presidents of South American countries such as López Jr. and Frías can also use the army in their hands to force the country to carry out their will, so the relatively weak anti-Brazilian side can force Brazil to sue for peace and stop the war.

The war was temporarily suspended, and the five-party peace talks were imminent, and Li Mingyuan convened a meeting of the main generals in Ruoinvia, which was close to the front line.

"Brazil took the initiative to sue for peace, and reaching a peace agreement is beneficial to the repair and development of the Chinese Independence Army, Liu Pu, this negotiation is of great significance, and I hope you will be personally responsible."

Li Mingyuan said to Liu Pu, who was sitting under him.

"Commanded by his subordinates." Liu Pu got up to accept the order and said, "Where is the bottom line for the Brazilian peace talks?" ”

"General Luo, where is the line of control advanced by our army?"

Li Mingyuan did not answer Liu Pu's question, but asked Luo Linshan.

"Son, please see, after the whole territory of Santa Catarina fell into the hands of our army, the main force was divided into three divisions and advanced from Joinvia, Lazhes, and Chapeco, and so far, our army has all crossed the Iguazu Valley, and the Line of Control is maintained at the line of Guaraplava and Curitiba."

Luo Linshan got up, and pointed a wooden stick at the map spread out on the table.

Li Mingyuan followed Luo Linshan's introduction, his gaze swept over the control bases of Kuala Prava and Ruoinvia, and after pondering for a while, he asked, "How many troops are stationed on the Brazilian side from the north of Guala Prava to the area bordering Argentina?" ”

"The northern part of Guaraplava is in the area of the Iguazu River flooding, and the local traffic is blocked, the roads are impassable, and the Brazilian army has not been found to be stationed for the time being."

"Very well, Luolin Mountain, immediately draw a regiment and occupy the area,"

As soon as Li Mingyuan gave the order, he felt that it was not appropriate, and modified, "Add one more battalion of troops, as long as it does not encounter a large-scale Brazilian garrison, the troops will continue to advance to the north and occupy the land as much as possible." ”

"Shizi, we have already ceased war with Brazil, and rashly occupying the front area may cause conflict."

Luo Linshan pondered.

"Lin Shan, you are too worried, there is no Brazilian army stationed, our army occupies it, it is ours, and the Brazilians have no reason to accuse us."

Li Mingyuan patted Luo Linshan on the shoulder and explained, "After the peace talks are reached, the British will not allow another large-scale war in South America, and we must take advantage of this opportunity to expand the control of the Chinese Independence Army as much as possible, otherwise our army will continue to expand the scope of limited expansion with just a corner of the land." ”

Before participating in the Quadripartite Anti-Brazil War, controlling a state in Rio Gro Gran do Sul was the best choice that the Chinese Independence Army could achieve, and after the war, negotiations were about to begin, looking at the newly occupied land on the map, Li Mingyuan's ambition or ambition was stimulated, so far, the Chinese Independence Army actually controlled Rio Grande do Sul (281,000 square kilometers), Santa Catarina (95,000 square kilometers) and Paraná (about 60,000 square kilometers) have a total area of 436,000 square kilometers, which is more than the area of the Japanese archipelago.

Because the wave of European immigrants has not yet arrived, and the local residents of Rio Grande do Sul have been expelled by the Chinese Independence Army, the total population of 436,000 square kilometers is only 220,000, but with the large number of Chinese immigrants joining, it is not difficult for the Chinese Independence Army to develop the areas controlled by the Chinese Independence Army.

The size of the initial base area affected the development potential of the Chinese Independence Army in the future. At present, the control area of 436,000 square kilometers will definitely be given back to Brazil, so the more land occupied, the greater the room for negotiation with Brazil, so Li Mingyuan ordered the troops to occupy as much land as possible The purpose is simple and clear, that is, to force Brazil to cede more land interests in the negotiations, as for the transportation difficulties in the occupied areas are not considered, the Iguazu River basin is close to the Paraná River, which has strategic interests for Brazil, which has lost the two southern states, and the Brazilians will definitely want to occupy this area in the negotiations, so it is the right time to send troops to occupy it in advance before the Brazilians can react.

After Li Mingyuan explained, Luo Linshan carried out the order and instructed the adjutant around him to dispatch troops, and then the meeting continued.

After getting Luo Linshan, Li Mingyuan began to answer Liu Pu's question.

"Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina do not need to talk about it, it must belong to us, if the area from Invia to Curitiba belongs to the core area of Paraná, the Brazilians will not give it up, this area can be returned to them.

The northern part of Santa Catarina is small, the Iguazu River Basin is located in the upper northern part of Santa Taritana, and controlling this area can increase the depth of our army's defense and protect the security of the northern border. ”

The introduction of a part of the occupation of land was the price that had to be paid for the peace talks, and Li Mingyuan and Liu Pu could understand the significance of doing so, but the Chinese Independence Army generals who personally participated in the war were somewhat difficult to understand.

Chen Guozhu was the first to object: "Shizi, our army has nearly 100,000 elite soldiers, and it is not a problem to defend the areas currently occupied, and he believes that there is no need to give up the land occupied in front in exchange for the recognition of the Brazilians." ”

Convening a meeting of the main generals of the army, Li Mingyuan expected that there would be people with different opinions, so he was not angry, and said, "The Chinese Independent Army has been fighting for nearly a year, more than 100,000 brothers have suffered casualties and nearly 20,000, the current total number of Chinese is only 130,000, and there are only 40,000 people who can really be called a regular army, and more than 100,000 people are under great pressure to support the 40,000 main force. The gold obtained is quickly depleted in multiple purchases. ”

Li Mingyuan solemnly looked at the Chinese general who was sitting down, and said solemnly: "The Chinese Independence Army is not only an army, but also an armed force of a country that is about to be established. ”

Talking to a group of soldiers who were originally not at the bottom may not understand, but Li Mingyuan insisted on instilling in them step by step the view of the overall situation, military is the continuation of politics, and as a senior general and a military commander in charge, a keen political concept is an indispensable ability.

Li Mingyuan did not expect his generals to make tremendous changes in a short period of time, so he could only work from the outside to improve the overall combat quality of the Chinese Independence Army by using the advanced military system and weapons of the West.

After arranging the next tasks of his generals, Li Mingyuan left Liu Pu and discussed with him the specific matters of the peace talks alone.

"The Brazilians are forced to ask for peace talks, and they must not suffer a big loss in their hearts, and before the negotiations, they secretly held talks with the representatives of Peru, Bolivia, and Paraguay to reach a consensus on peace talks with Brazil in advance, so that when we negotiate, how prepared we will be for the Brazilians."

"In the southern part of South America, Brazil is the strongest, and the rest of Bolivia, Paraguay, Peru, Argentina and other countries are second strong, after the Paraguayan war, Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay have formed an alliance and nullified together, Argentina and Uruguay are happy to see us weaken Brazil's strength, and this peace talks have nothing to do with Argentina and Uruguay, they have little impact on the peace talks.

Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay, and the Chinese Independence Army (CPA) share the same interests, and the Quartet has benefited from Brazil and completely offended Brazil in this war, and the Quartet cannot reach a reconciliation with Brazil alone until the situation changes dramatically, so it is beneficial for all parties to take advantage of this opportunity to deepen relations with Peru, Bolivia, and Paraguay, and to reach an agreement on a military alliance against Brazil. ”

"The end of the anti-Brazilian war does not mean that real peace has come, and it is very necessary to maintain the anti-Brazilian alliance before a large number of Chinese immigrants arrive in the areas controlled by our army, but the British-led peace talks will not allow us to form a military alliance against Brazil, so this matter must be done privately, and a private military alliance agreement with the three Peruvian countries will be reached to avoid British intervention."

Li Mingyuan said.

"The prince once said that the British focus on economic interests in South America, and now that our army controls the land of the two states, covering an area of more than 400,000 square kilometers, we can invite the British to exploit the mineral resources in the area controlled by them in exchange for their support." Liu Pudao.

"Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina, as the foundation of our army, cannot be controlled by the British, and it is not feasible to exchange mineral resources for the support of the British, but after the peace talks are signed, a lot of infrastructure needs to be built in the control area, and we can sign a commodity trading agreement with the British, take the initiative to show them goodwill, and eliminate their concerns about the expansion of the Chinese Independence Army."

A series of war operations by the Chinese Independence Army in South America changed the regional balance in South America, the British-backed Brazil was defeated by the Chinese Independence Army, and the British did not achieve their goal of controlling the commercial interests of the Paraná River Valley.

Brazil was defeated, and it was not in Britain's interests to send British troops to intervene in the situation in South America, so if the British wanted to continue to realize their commercial interests, they would definitely use this peace talks to demand the right of free navigation in the Paraná River Basin.

As long as the objectives of the British were achieved and the parties pledged not to go to war again, a new equilibrium would be created in the south of South America, and the British would reap the commercial benefits they wanted.