Feng Guifang and Tang Zhengcai did not enter Asunción City, and after meeting with López, they left directly and began to operate nervously.

For the strategy of South America, the Chinese Imperial Court has not made a clear statement, but in private, everyone understands that the interests of this continent, even including the entire Americas, Emperor Feng Yunshan has promised it to the newly formed Erma Foundation, which is embodied in the Erma Bank, which is actually the eldest prince Feng Guifang.

And Feng Qifang also seemed to slowly understand this, although the emperor never talked to him. However, with the establishment of the Erma Bank and the investment, operation and operation of many Erma companies, Feng Guifang also understood that this America was equivalent to his fiefdom, and it was a territory for him to grow with the support of the emperor. In fact, Feng Yunshan had already instructed him a few times, but these were all macroscopic or specific affairs, and from the detailed planning, industry development layout, etc., Feng Yunshan knew that he still had to do it himself.

However, Feng Guifang remembered the emperor's suggestion to occupy several places rich in iron ore in Brazil, saltpeter and copper in Peru and north-central Chile, saying that this was a huge mineral wealth left to the Chinese. Not only that, but the emperor also pointed out in the letter, saying that he did not have to worry too much about the affairs of the Erma consortium, but focused on opening the Erma Bank, and then used the bank to expand various investments, and firmly control the financial and industrial affairs of various countries. And this, the most important point, is the most critical point to build his financial empire, to control the currency issuance power of the entire Americas and even other countries! And these can not be done in one sentence or two, first of all, let this currency circulate in most countries, once it is done, even if nothing is done, the second horse bank will naturally become a second horse consortium. It is precisely because of this that Feng Huifang deliberately added a clause to promote the holy coins of the Chinese Empire in Paraguay - silver coins and paper money, which were circulated as gold coins.

And López, on the other hand, is not without good news.

Since the end of last year, López has sent two Paraguayan troops to attack the weakly defended state of Mato Grosso in western Brazil, a vast and sparsely populated desolate land, where the Brazilian army fled without any resistance, and the Paraguayan army is now completely occupied and has captured a lot of supplies. Just now, the news came that the Paraguayan army, which had occupied the state of Mato Grosso, continued to march into Abulquerque and Columba, and the road was also smooth, occupying these two places, and, according to López's advance plan, two Paraguayan armies advanced, one was a 12,500-strong Paraguayan army led by Colonel Estigarivia to enter the Brazilian hinterland along the Paraguay River, and the other was the main Paraguayan force, led by Vincefin* General Robles' 25,000 men marched down the Paraná River to attack the Argentine province of Corrientes.

However, these happy events that were originally victories were overshadowed by the defeat of the Estigarivia part of Brazil.

However, twenty days later, on the night of the establishment of the Bank of Erma branch in Asunción, less than 200 kilometers downstream of Asunción, the Triple Alliance fleet, led by the Argentine Navy and the Brazilian Navy, launched an attack on the Paraguayan fleet in the lake where the Paraná and Uruguay rivers meet.

The Triple Alliance fleet gathered most of the warships in the entire South America, 16 of the most advanced steam semi-ironclad gunboats in the entire continent, plus more than 70 wooden warships to deal with more than 30 wooden warships in Paraguay, even if the Paraguayan fleet had an advantage in going downstream, it was still defeated by the Triple Alliance fleet with superior firepower, just when the Paraguayan fleet was destroyed by one-third of the warships and was ready to surrender, a strong fleet under the Uruguayan flag led by several ironclad ships rushed into the lake from the lower reaches of the Uruguay River, In just one hour, six advanced gunboats and more than 20 wooden warships of the Triple Alliance fleet were sunk, and more than 10 warships lost their combat capability.

The Triple Alliance fleet saw that the opportunity was not good, and wanted to escape, but the way was blocked by two ironclad ships outside the lake, and in desperation, although it was not clear how the Paraguayan reinforcement fleet suddenly fell from the sky, but found that its number was not as large as its own, so it thought about fighting hard and launched an attack.

However, the firepower of the opponent's ironclad ship is so powerful and sturdy that it does not look like a human thing at all. More than two hours later, after nearly half of the warships were sunk and damaged, the Triple Alliance fleet finally collapsed, and the entire fleet surrendered under the white flag.

The largest naval battle in South America, which took place on the inland river, ended in the total annihilation of the Triple Alliance.

The victory in this naval battle made the whole country of Paraguay rejoice. And López was even more shocked and inexplicable, originally a little cautious, but with the outcome of this war, it disappeared, and he respected the Erma Company and the people of the Chinese Empire.

Then came another piece of good news: an army of about 30,000 men, carried by hundreds of troop carriers and a large fleet, landed in the Bolivian port of Antofagasta and captured the port in one fell swoop. Strangely, after occupying the port, this army unfurled its flag, the Paraguayan flag, and then did not rush east and deep inland, but along the coastline, under the cover of a large fleet, it attacked Chile all the way, occupying all the northern and central provinces of Chile.

López knew that this must be the first batch of mercenaries sent by the Chinese Empire.

Sure enough, the Second Malaysia Company sent someone to inform Paraguay that the mercenaries had officially arrived. Next, this 30,000-strong mercenary group sent directly into the northern provinces of Argentina, regardless of the captured territory of northern Chile, and advanced into the Argentine hinterland at a speed of twenty or thirty kilometers a day. López was overjoyed and hurriedly sent the only reserve Paraguayan army that had just been recruited, less than 10,000, out to meet the convergence.

The Argentine government had just come to an end of the struggle between the two governments of Buenos Aires and Paraná, and the Buenos Aires faction had just unified all of Argentina, but had not completely eliminated Urquiza, the leader of the Paraná regime. The Buenos Aires faction, on the other hand, has always used troops to fight against Bolivia and Paraguay, and now the mercenary group is attacking under the banner of Paraguay, and Argentina is once again divided.

However, both the Buenos Aires faction and the opposition Paraná faction in Argentina are based on the provinces of Buenos Aires and Paraná on the banks of the Paraná River, and they do not feel any sorrow at all about the sparsely populated and densely forested areas of northern Argentina. Just because of his face, he was ashamed of the attack of a small country like Paraguay, and sent 30,000 soldiers to block it, but in just two days, 30,000 people were defeated by a sharply armed mercenary group.

Fierce mercenary group!

At this time, the two factions that had been fighting for internal separatism were shocked to receive the news that the Argentine Navy had been routed by the unknown Paraguayan fleet. Because both the province of Buenos Aires and the province of Paraná are concentrated next to the Paraná River, and they are also very close to Paraguay, they do not care about internal strife, and they begin to unite with each other.

Under the mobilization of the two factions, almost half of Argentina's troops mobilized the vast majority of the entire country, nearly 50,000 troops went to block the Paraguayan mercenaries who were attacking south, and fought a general battle in Recreo, as a result, the 50,000 Argentine soldiers who occupied the superior force were defeated by the fierce artillery fire of the Paraguayan mercenaries with only 25,000 troops before they launched an attack, 30,000 Argentine soldiers fled, and 6,000 were killed and wounded by artillery fire. The remaining 14,000 surrendered.

This war completely blinded Argentina!

At this time, the hard-hit Argentina was in civil turmoil again, and the Paraná faction overthrew the regime of the Buenos Aires faction and began to take power again, but at this time, perhaps the Paraná faction also thought that its old nest Paraná was too close to Paraguay, and agreed that the Argentine capital would remain in Buenos Aires, and sent Sarmiento, who was very close to the Buenos Aires faction, to act as an envoy to negotiate with the mercenary group and the Paraguayan government.

Sarmiento was the teacher of Paraguayan President Andrés López López in his early years, and the two knew each other very well. As a result, the negotiations went exceptionally well.

Argentina took the lead in withdrawing from the Triple Alliance, admitting defeat and announcing its surrender, ceding all eight northern provinces including Tucumán to Paraguay, and was responsible for compensating 5 million pounds for war losses.