"Little López is dead, on the banks of the Paraguay River, in a fortress that he once led his troops to garrison."

The news of López Jr.'s death spread rapidly in the harbor camps, and the fact itself gradually made the soldiers and officers aware of a real problem: the "Supreme Führer" was dead, and he did not leave a convincing successor to his rule. ”

Perhaps it was because he had been convinced that no one in the country could take his place; Maybe it was because he didn't expect that he would die suddenly, he just pushed Carlos to the forefront, and before he had time to pave the way for his son to ascend to the throne of power, he finished the last journey of his life with reluctance and regret.

In Paraguay, the right of all sectors of the population to freely express their opinions and to self-government has been suppressed for a long time by López Jr.

Now that little López is dead, the violent machine that coerces and enslaves them has lost its core controller.

The huge machine of violence, the loss of unified command and control, and the echo of this, the loss of the suppression and deterrence of López Jr., the pressure accumulated in the entire Paraguayan interior, in all strata, once ignited by a certain fuse, will produce a terrible social explosion! The power of the social explosion will destroy the ruling order of the Paraguayan government, and it will also bring fury and deep destruction!

Paraguay's "crown" fell from the head of López Jr. and fell on the fertile black soil, waiting for a brave hero to pick it up.

Heroes need strength and prestige as support, and after the death of little López, there is a chance that the forces that have the ability to compete for the ownership of the crown are all concentrated within the kingdom regime.

The Prime Minister of the Kingdom, José de Code, the Commander of the Guards, Lieutenant General Enrique, the four division commanders who control the core strength of the Royal Paraguayan Army, and the seven Lieutenant General Francisco Isidoro, who have deep influence in the Army, are the most powerful candidates for the Paraguayan crown.

Among them, the commander of the second division was stuck in the quagmire of the Indian rebellion and was difficult to get out, and the commander of the fourth division led the army to garrison the first-line border of Paraguay and Brazil, with huge defensive pressure and a long distance from Asunción, the center of power.

In addition to the two division commanders who were entangled, the remaining prime ministers and several other senior generals all have troops to support their seizure of power, compared with them, although the chief of staff of the Paraguayan Army, Lieutenant General Isidoro, has always been by the side of López Jr., but he has also lost the opportunity to cultivate his henchmen!

Little López is suspicious and stubborn by nature, and he treats the close generals around him with even more suspicion! Lieutenant General Isidoro carefully stayed by López Jr.'s side to plan for the so-called great cause of Paraguay, and usually did not dare to show an ambition, but now, López Jr. is dead, and the situation in Paraguay is about to win subversive changes! Lieutenant General Isidoro could no longer pretend to be deaf and dumb, and followed the others step by step, as a poor echo worm!

The chaos and turmoil in the barracks stirred up Isidoro's ambitions! He is not willing to let go of this opportunity that could change the political landscape of Paraguay!

A bold plan is brewing in my heart! And then he quickly put it into action.

Taking advantage of the remnants of López Jr. and the habitual obedience of the various units of the Guards, Isidoro issued orders to the Engineer Battalion, the Artillery Battalion, the 1st Guards Regiment and other units under his command, with the authority of the Chief of Staff of the Army.

In the face of Isidoro's seemingly reasonable orders and co-optation, the military commanders of the three armies of the engineer battalion, the artillery battalion, and the communications company obediently stood on Isidoro's side.

The commander of the 1st Guards Regiment was suspicious of Isidoro's orders, but until the situation became clear, he remained cautious and agreed to follow Isidoro back to Asunción.

The engineer battalion, artillery battalion and other units that followed López Jr. returned one after another, and when he saw that things were developing in his favor, Lieutenant General Isidoro was explicitly rejected by the commander of the cavalry battalion, Lieutenant Colonel Manlieli: "Your Majesty has left a will, and all units of the Guards are under the command of His Highness Carlos!" Other generals did not have the right to take over the command of the Guards units! ”

"I'm the highest-ranking officer in the harbor camp! According to wartime regulations! When Your Majesty returns to the Lord's arms, I should take over the command of a unit!

Lieutenant Colonel Manly Ely! I order you in the name of the highest military commander of the barracks! Obey the orders of the Supreme Commander! Gather His Majesty's body and return to Asunción by boat at once! ”

"I'm sorry, General, I can't disobey His Majesty's orders."

Lieutenant Colonel Manlieli replied forcefully: "According to His Majesty's orders, we must wait for the arrival of the garrison of Concepción, led by Major General Ames Washburn, commander of the Second Brigade, before we can set off for Asunción. ”

"Lieutenant Colonel Manly Erie! Do you know the consequences of disobeying the orders of the Supreme Commander in wartime? ”

Hearing that the other party carried out the troops of the 2nd Brigade of the Paraguayan Army near the port camp, Isidoro accentuated his threatening tone!

"I have no intention of offending the majesty of the general, but His Majesty's will cannot be violated."

In the tight, cold house, the body of Little López lay on the bed, and a few meters outside the edge of the bed, the originally obedient and docile Paraguayan officers were clearly divided into two factions.

The Isidoro faction had a large number of officers, while the Manlieli faction confronted it with only a few officers belonging to the Guards Cavalry Battalion.

Inside the house, Manlieli's faction was outnumbered, but outside the house, there were more than 400 soldiers of the Guards Cavalry Battalion stationed in the King's Guard camp.

It was not in his favour to clash with Manli's faction in the camp of the cavalry battalion, so after weighing the pros and cons, Lieutenant General Isidoro had no choice but to abandon the plan of peacefully annexing the cavalry battalion, and led the seven or eight major officers who had just been subdued to return to his own camp.

"Lieutenant Colonel, General Isidoro is gone."

After Isidoro and the others left, a soldier who was following the surveillance returned to report.

"Send another group of people to contact Major General Washburn to explain to him what has just happened here in the camp, and ask the troops of the Second Brigade to rush to the port camp as soon as possible to support!"

"Yes, Lieutenant Colonel!"

"Also, from now on, order the first company of the cavalry battalion to set off at once and rush to the area bordering the 1st Guards Regiment to be on guard, and the second company has three platoons under it, which are sent to the port of anchorage of the engineer battalion, the artillery battalion, and the transport fleet, to persuade them to obey His Majesty's orders and not to rebel with General Isidoro!"

"Yes, Lieutenant Colonel!" …………

The silence of the night was shattered by the fierce sound of gunfire and shouts of killing, and the crimson artillery fire illuminated the port camp on the banks of the Paraguay River, and after Isidoro left the cavalry camp camp, he launched an attack on the cavalry camp in collusion with the commander of the naval transport fleet, Major General Don José Falcon.

The warships and guns cheered, the 1st Guards Regiment and the Engineer Battalion coordinated the attack, and when the firepower and numbers were at a disadvantage, the Paraguayan Guards Cavalry Battalion fought unfavorably and withdrew from the camp where it was originally stationed.

In the early hours of the night, the Paraguayan Guards cavalry battalion, guarding the body of López Jr., joined up with the advance force sent by Major General Washburn, and the two forces merged into one and barely repelled the attack of Isidoro's army.

The next morning, the main force of the 2nd Brigade of the Paraguayan Army rushed to the port of Concepción, leaving them with only abandoned heavy artillery and nearly 100 dead horses.

The exchange of fire at the port of Concepción marked the beginning of civil unrest in Paraguay.

Three days after the incident, the commander of the Guards Cavalry Battalion, Manlieli, the commander of the 2nd Brigade of the Paraguayan Army, Washburn, and the commander of the 3rd Division, Sylvestre, who was stationed in Puerto Casado, issued a joint announcement announcing the formation of a joint force to march into Asunción and crusade against the rebels!

The day before the formation of the joint forces, Isidoro, who had successfully returned to Asunción, gathered Paraguayan Prime Minister José de Code, Lieutenant General Enrique, commander of the Guards, and others, and announced the establishment of a four-member regency committee, with himself, Rear Admiral Don José Falcon, commander of the naval fleet, José de Code, and Captain of the Guards, Enrique, as regents to replace the dead López Jr. and exercise the power to control the country.

On May 24, 1889, the Marquis of Istigalibi, a veteran of the army of the Kingdom of Paraguay and a former right-hand man of López Jr., was convicted by the four regents and imprisoned in Asunción prison.

At 8 a.m. on May 25, 1889, the four-member Regency Council sent troops to surround the Royal Palace of Asunción, and more than 1,000 soldiers of the Guards loyal to the López family, relying on the city walls, tried their best to resist the attack of the coup forces.

At 4 p.m., the coup forces seized the palace and captured Carlos López, López Jr.'s designated heir, while Carlos's mother, Mrs. Lynch, took advantage of the earlier chaos and fled to the Han Legation with another son and daughter to seek refuge.

Step by step, the four-member Regency Committee attacked and eliminated the enemies and forces that opposed them, while outside Asunción, a combined force consisting of the Guards Cavalry Battalion, the 2nd Brigade of the Paraguayan Army, and the 3rd Division of the Paraguayan Army, took the collected transport ships and advanced along the Paraguay River towards Asunción.

A large-scale civil war is about to break out on Paraguay's soil, and at the same time, the two sides of the Han Kingdom and the Brazilian Republic, which are close to Paraguay, are also closely watching the development of the war in Asunción. …………