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The fighting between the Chilean and Argentine armies, which took place in the eastern foothills of the Andes, ended in just a few hours. By three o'clock in the afternoon, all but one of the 50,000 Argentine troops defending the area had fled, and the other three divisions had been annihilated by the Chilean army. Of the more than 30,000 Argentine troops, in addition to more than 10,000 killed, the remaining 20,000 were all taken prisoner by the Chilean army.

After defeating the Argentine army, the Chilean army did not immediately attack Uspallata, but waited for the arrival of the large army behind. Chile's southern route army, however, has ten divisions, and the other seven divisions are still crossing the Andes.

The Argentine Minister of War, Martin, who commanded the army in Usparlata, was dumbfounded when he received the battle report from the front. Four divisions, more than 50,000 people, did not even hold out for half a day before they were defeated by the Chilean army, more than 50,000 people, only fled back to less than one division.

"Damn, when did the Chileans get so tough? If the Chilean army is so strong, is it necessary to fight this battle? Martin thought to himself.

For Lieutenant General Aaron, who commanded the front-line operation, Martin directly asked him to be arrested and escorted back to Mercedes to wait for President Jose Figueroa Alcta to deal with it.

By the time Buenos Aires received threats from the Chilean Navy, the small town of Mercedes had become a temporary residence for the Argentine government. A large number of people crowded in, making Mercedes overcrowded for a while. At the same time, the social order here has also been greatly challenged. A large number of Argentines fled from Buenos Aires, and many lost their property, coupled with a lack of food. This has caused huge problems with the Argentine government! Fortunately, the Argentine Army now needs a large number of soldiers, and all young and middle-aged people can join the army, which alleviates the shortage of soldiers in a certain way!

The news that the Chilean army had crossed the Andes and defeated the defending Argentine army reached Mercedes that afternoon. The former town hall has become the office of the Argentine government.

When the secretary sent a telegram from War Secretary Martin, Argentine President José Figueroa Alqueta was in the middle of a meeting. The Ambassador of Brazil to Argentina had just informed the Argentine Government, a week later. The first twenty divisions of Brazilian troops would enter Argentina in the hope that Argentina would open its borders so that there would be no unnecessary conflict.

Argentina was naturally overjoyed by the arrival of Brazilian reinforcements, and immediately said that the Argentine border would be fully opened. And asked the Brazilian army to arrive on the battlefield as soon as possible. Arriving on the battlefield as soon as possible and defeating Chile is not only the wish of the Argentine side, but also the wish of Brazil. A few days earlier, the Chilean Navy had launched attacks on Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, with heavy shelling that almost reduced the two cities to rubble. Even though the Brazilian government has ordered the residents of the coastal cities to retreat inland, many are still reluctant to leave because of the difficulty of leaving their homeland, so much so that at least 100,000 people were killed in the two shellings. This makes the whole country of Brazil full of hatred for Chile!

"Guys, this time, Argentina has come to face the time of life and death, and the Chilean army has attacked. While we have enough troops in the eastern foothills of the Andes, the Chileans have already mobilized a nationwide army. Whether we will be able to withstand their attacks remains to be seen. However, as long as all Argentines are united, I believe that victory will be ours and God will bless us! Argentine President José Figueroa Alcta said loudly.

At this time, the secretary of the presidential palace said a few words in the ear of President José Figueroa Alqueta, and suddenly everyone saw that the face of His Excellency the President had changed greatly!

President José Figueroa Alcta took one look at everyone and said: "Just got the latest news that the Chilean army has attacked. After a fierce battle, our front-line troops were defeated, losing more than 30 thousand people. Now the Chileans are marching on Uspalata. Minister Martin needs more reinforcements! ”

"What? Defeated, and more than 30,000 people were lost? The cabinet members of the Argentine government exclaimed. Before the mobilization, the total strength of the Argentine Army was only 400,000. The loss of more than 30,000 people is almost equivalent to one-tenth!

"Alright, let's talk about it anymore, we need to send more reinforcements to Minister Martin immediately! General Bruce, how many troops can we give Minister Martin now? President José Figueroa Alcta asked.

"Your Excellency, our newly recruited troops are still training and cannot go to the battlefield at this time. Of the previous regular army, in addition to the two hundred thousand troops commanded by Minister Martin, there were two hundred thousand left. In addition to the 50,000 who went out and deployed elsewhere, there were 150,000. The Chief of Staff of the Argentine Army, Admiral James, replied!

"Very well, then send all the remaining 150,000 people to Minister Martin!" President José Figueroa Alcta said!

"All? Your Excellency the President, don't we need to leave reserves behind? Admiral Bruce asked, surprised.

"If Minister Martin can't hold on, what's the point of keeping 150,000 people behind? Besides, Brazilian reinforcements are coming soon, and our newly recruited 400,000 troops are also being trained. As long as we can hold out for a while, we will not be short of soldiers! Said President José Figueroa Alqueta.

"Yes, Your Excellency, I see!" Admiral Bruce nodded, he knew that the president was desperate to resist the Chilean army in the western region of Argentina and eliminate it, so as not to give the Chilean army a chance to attack the heart of Argentina!

The efficiency of the Argentine government was very fast, or rather the survival of the situation, and the Argentines were under great pressure, and it became their only belief to defeat Chile and defend their homeland. More than 100,000 Argentine troops marched from central Argentina to the west.

On 13 November, the Chilean army marched out of the Andes. Ten divisions of the Chilean Southern Route Army began to attack Uspallata. Argentine War Minister Martin also transferred the 50,000 troops defending Mendoza to Uspallata and concentrated 150,000 troops to confront the Chilean Army. The Argentine Army is coming here, and as long as he can survive this most difficult time, the situation he faces will be changed with the help of many reinforcements.

At the same time, Chile's Northern Route Army had also moved out of the Andes and captured San José de Hazar, marching on San Juan. The appearance of another Chilean army surprised Argentina. Now that all their armies have been thrown into the battlefield around Uspallata, there is no army left to stop this Chilean army!

Considering that Argentina had concentrated almost all of its troops in the area around Uspallata, Lieutenant General Yang Ming immediately ordered to slow down the offensive against Uspallata. At the same time, the northern route army was ordered to speed up the pace of the southward movement, capture St. Louis as soon as possible, and cut off the retreat of the Argentine army. Lieutenant General Yang Ming intends to annihilate the main force of the Argentine Army in this area.

On November 15, the Brazilian army began to cross the border into Argentina, but it would take a long time for 20 divisions and more than 200,000 men to reach the battlefield. And this is exactly the opportunity of the Chilean army!

On 20 November, the Chilean Army's Northern Route Army moved south and captured San Luis, cutting off the Argentine Army's retreat.

It was also on this day that Lieutenant General Yang Ming ordered the main force of the Chilean army to launch a fierce attack on the Argentine army.

Uspallata, where most of the Argentine army was assembled, became the primary target of the Chilean army's onslaught!

Ten divisions of the Chilean Army, with a total of thousands of 105 mm guns, launched a fierce artillery attack on Uspallata. Thousands of cannons bombarded almost the entire Uspallata into ruins, and the Argentine defenders suffered heavy losses in the shelling. The power of the god of war is fully manifested at this moment!

"How come these bitch-bitched Chileans have so many heavy artillery? Has Chile become so rich? The eyes of Argentine Army Minister Martin were full of anger and jealousy. Now, the Argentine army is all under his command, but all his heavy artillery pieces add up to just over 200 guns, plus 75 mm light field guns, a total of only a thousand. Compared with the Chilean Army, the Argentine Army is completely poor!

"Order the artillery to counterattack!" Minister Martin ordered. Of course, he knew that the artillery of the Argentine Army could not be the opponent of the Chilean artillery, and if the artillery battle was conducted, the Argentine Army would definitely lose. But does he have any other choice? If the artillery did not fight back, the shelling of the Chilean Army alone would have been enough to inflict heavy losses on the Argentine Army. When the time comes, if you want to resist the attack of the Chilean Army, this root is impossible!

The artillery counterattack of the Argentine Army caused some losses in the artillery of the Chilean Army. However, they immediately suppressed the Argentine Army, relying on the range and power of the artillery, the Argentine Army's artillery was suppressed after half an hour, and once the orientation was determined, it would be destroyed by the Chilean Army. In such a situation, the artillery of the Argentine Army suffered heavy losses, and in the end, in order to preserve its strength, it had to take the initiative to stop the shelling!