The day was about to dawn, and Asunción was shrouded in a haze under the mist.

The sound of horses' hooves sounded from far and near, and finally stopped in front of the presidential palace.

"Emergency war report ahead, report to the president quickly!"

The cavalry quickly dismounted and took out Istigali's handwritten letter.

The soldier on duty took the letter and walked quickly into the presidential palace.

The brightly lit residential area behind the presidential palace sits at his desk and reads through the government reports presented by officials below.

Hearing hurried footsteps outside, Lopez Jr. put down the report in his hand, stood up and walked to the hall outside.

In the early hours of the morning, entering the president's residence without being informed by the guards, there must have been an important report.

Paraguay is calm, and the place where something big is going on must be the Misiones region, where there is fighting.

López Jr. guessed the contents of the emergency as he walked, and when he reached the hall, the guards had just arrived.

"President, a handwritten letter from Colonel Istigali to you."

Little López took the letter, opened the envelope and quickly browsed it, and after a few minutes, a smile appeared on his tense face,

The weapons and ammunition traded from Rio Gran do Sul were rapidly consumed in Misiones, but the results were very limited, and the Paraguayans were unable to benefit effectively from a few poor and backward towns and more than a hundred square kilometres of land far from the Paraná River.

As the war dragged on, the enthusiasm of the domestic people to participate in the war was declining, and the pressure on López Jr. was also increasing.

The conflict of Misiones is not a Paraguayan war, the Paraguayan war is a native war, the little López takes advantage of the closed territory of Paraguay to smear the image of the Brazilian army, portraying them as murderous demons and intimidating the Paraguayans, if they do not resist, after the Brazilian army occupies the entire country, all the Paraguayans will be reduced to their spoils, the old and children will be mercilessly slaughtered, the women will be reduced to slaves, and the young and strong men will be concentrated in the mines to engage in heavy mining labor.

The army pressed the border, the main Paraguayan force retreated into the country, and the panicked Paraguayan civilians believed López Jr.'s statement and resisted the Brazilian army with all their might.

After the victory of the Paraguayan War, ordinary people worshipped López Jr., and while focusing on the problems of food and life related to themselves.

Misiones is far beyond the borders of the country, and López Jr. claims that the just war to recover the land can arouse the enthusiasm of the people for a while, but after the enthusiasm, they are more concerned about the small things around them.

The loud slogan is empty after all, and López Jr.'s initial strategy of deflecting domestic contradictions and consolidating his rule has created an embarrassing situation, which is overwhelmed and consumes supplies and weapons in vain.

Little López continued the war under pressure, and it was at this time that a timely letter from Istigali brought him the victory he needed.

Morandi is located in the upper reaches of the river in the Argentine-controlled area, from which Morandi can travel down the river by boat, and the coastal area is not safe, and the attack fleet can go directly to the city of Posadas.

The capture of Morandi was equivalent to tying a rein over the heads of the Argentine troops south of Misiones, who were constantly on guard against the attack of the Paraguayan army.

Little Lopez paced up and down the hall, thinking about how to get back to Istigali.

Paraguay's domestic army has just recovered to 25,000 men, of whom more than 10,000 are recruits.

Considering the domestic defensive and logistical pressures, López Jr. could only provide a maximum of 3,000 troops to support the front line, and there was a shortfall of 2,000 soldiers from the minimum of 5,000 soldiers requested by Istigali.

3,000 reinforcements and 5,000 front-line troops, adding up to 8,000 is not too much, but in the face of the remnants of the Argentine army in the south, Istigali's troops have a considerable advantage.

Making a decision in his heart, López Jr. immediately gave the order,

First of all, the front-line troops were rewarded for their military exploits, promoted to the rank of Major General of Istigali, and all front-line soldiers were paid an additional two months' military salary, and the military salary reward was settled and distributed to the land after the end of the war.

Secondly, 3,000 veterans were mainly dispatched, led by trusted generals, to rush to the aid of Istigali.

López Jr. dispatched troops to continue to expand the results, but Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina, had a dull and gloomy atmosphere.

"Morandi was lost, and the defending forces fled back with only one or two hundred men, and Misiones was short in the south.

Everybody talks, what to do? ”

Argentine President Sarmiento said in a deep voice.

The meeting was attended by officials of the Presidential Office and representatives of various local forces, and only a few were aware of the contents of the meeting before attending the meeting.

"Paraguay has captured the city, and the casualties of the troops must be very large, and we can order the front-line troops to concentrate their forces and launch a counteroffensive to recapture Morandi while the Paraguayans are still on hold."

A general belonging to the presidential camp was the first to speak.

"No, the Paraguayans occupy Morandi, they will strengthen the city defense at the first time, if our army launches an attack desperately at this time, it will fall into the trap set by the Paraguayans, they can use the fortifications around the fortifications of the fortifications around Morandi to consume the strength of the attacking troops step by step, until the attacking troops are dragged down."

Another bearded middle-aged general objected.

"The Paraguayans were able to conquer Morandi, why can't our army!

The president, ordered the front-line troops to immediately send a counteroffensive, it was too late to postpone, the Paraguayans had a foothold in Morandi, and it was even more difficult to recover at that time! ”

The general who spoke first insisted on his opinion, ignored the others, and suggested directly to Sarmiento.

"Humph! It's not that I look down on the front-line troops, if they have the courage of the Paraguayans who are not afraid of death, how can Morandi lose. ”

"Federation fighters shed their blood and died on the front line, Ferner, where are your troops in the province of Corrientes!

Timid, timid, I think you are frightened by the Paraguayans, and you want to run away when you hear the name of the Paraguayans! ”

Fellner's unauthorized retreat to China during the Paraguayan War was a scandal that he deliberately hidden, which was exposed in public by an officer who was more than ten years younger than him, and his character of being good at forbearance couldn't help but explode immediately.

"Bastard, do you still have a senior officer in your eyes? Don't think that someone can talk nonsense if someone supports you, the army is a place where you can speak by strength, not a stage where you can perform hard! ”

Fellner has been in the army for many years, and even if he is angry and angry, he has not forgotten to elevate his position and teach the other party as an elder in the army.

Seeing that the two sides shifted from the battlefield dispute to the internal conflict, Sarmiento slapped the table angrily: "Fellner, this is the presidential palace, not your troops. And you, Grace, General Fellner is an elder in the army, don't be too presumptuous! ”

Playing fifty boards each seems fair, but in fact it is biased in favor of Grace, and Sarmiento strongly prevents the controversy of the meeting, and turns his eyes to former President Mitre.

"President, Moranda is lost, the situation in Misiones has deteriorated, the national territory is facing violations, and Argentina's domestic affairs still need you to make arrangements!"

It was only two months after Mitre relinquished the presidency, and Sarmiento was very respectful because he defeated his rivals and ascended to the presidency with his strong support.

"Rio Gran do Sul has been sending more troops to San Pedro since the outbreak of the conflict, and their intention is obvious, they want to take advantage of the fighting between the two sides to make a profit, so the front-line troops cannot be moved lightly."

Although Mitre is no longer president, the prestige he has accumulated from two consecutive terms still overwhelms everyone present. Mitre spoke to show his attitude, and no one objected.

"Morandi is lost, and the southern part of Misiones is threatened by Paraguayans, but this is not the main thing, the important thing is that if we acquiesce in Paraguay's invasion of the country, it will leave Paraguay and the Chinese as weak and bulliable. Then they intensified their demands even more excessively.

The Paraguayan War lasted for three years, and I am familiar with the character of López Jr., who is a war maniac who compares himself to Napoleon, and he wants to build Paraguay into South American France and become the hegemon of South America.

The Paraguayan War was a premeditated attempt to test the strength of the Argentine forces and then formulate a plan for war based on the results. ”

The analysis summed up by Mitre is not only in line with López Jr.'s ideas, Li Mingyuan also has a similar purpose, the difference is that Li Mingyuan is used to coming step by step, unlike López Jr., who is brave and fearless, and dares to take risks as a bet on the country.

"López Jr. is overly greedy, he must not be allowed to reach his goal, it doesn't matter whether Morandi loses it or not, but we have to make the Paraguayans pay enough price to make López Jr. understand that with only two or three hundred thousand people in Paraguay, he can't defeat Argentina!"

Mitre's last sentence decided the outcome of the meeting, and the front-line troops remained inactive and redeployed additional forces from Buenos Aires to prevent the Paraguayan army from continuing its advance.