Chile defeated Peru and Bolivia, forcibly seized the Atacama Desert, and made Bolivia a landlocked country. This may not be a big deal in the world, but in South America, it is no less than an earthquake of magnitude 8. The countries of South America are basically colonies of the former Kingdom of Spain and the Kingdom of Portugal. Even after independence, there are various problems that make countries full of contradictions and frictions. In normal times, because the strength of these countries is not much different, at most it is just a few small fights.

But now, Chile, a small country with a population of just over 1.5 million, is beating Peru and Bolivia, which directly puts Chile's other neighbors in danger.

Among the countries of South America, Chile is already one of the wealthier countries. Now, after getting the Atacama Desert, other countries are even more incomparable to Chile. Even Brazil, the largest country in South America, has a population of nearly eight million, five times that of Chile. It is also much larger than Chile and is the number one country in South America. However, Brazil's fiscal revenue is only 50 million milres. It's not much different from Chile. As for Argentina, another South American power, it has not yet developed at all, and its annual fiscal income is only a few million gold pesos, which is not worth mentioning at all.

In terms of financial resources, Chile has become the richest country in South America. After obtaining the Atacama Desert, Chile's export of guano and saltpeter will be added to its resources, which is estimated to skyrocket Chile's income.

Chile has money, and at the same time it has a strong military, in addition to a relatively sparse population. It is already fully like a hegemon. After winning the Guano War, Manuel. Monte. President Torres immediately proposed. For the sake of Chile's future, all Chileans should have more children. Families with more than two children will receive special subsidies to help them raise their children to adulthood.

The Chilean government has also recognized that a sparse population has become the biggest problem in Chile's quest for dominance in South America. If Chile has a population of more than 10 million, it is estimated that they can already directly challenge the hegemony of South America.

Chileans have responded to the government's call for every couple to have children as a top priority. This led to a baby boom in Chile in the next few years, and the population of Chile began to swell rapidly in a short period of time. Fortunately, Chile's fiscal revenue is increasing, and the export of guano and saltpeter obtained from the Atacama Desert has made Chile's fiscal revenue maintain a high growth rate. Otherwise. Chile may soon be transformed from a rich country to a poor country.

However, Chile's rapid rise has naturally aroused the vigilance of other South American countries. Chile's enemies to the north, Peru and Bolivia, have already been defeated, and Chile will have to cross the Andes Mountains if it wants to expand further. To the east of the Andes is Argentina. The country is almost four times the size of Chile, but has a population of only 200,000 more than Chile. Chile has long coveted the Pampas. If it weren't for their own national strength and the obstruction of the Andes, they would have crossed the Andes Mountains long ago.

Now, having solved the enemy to the north, Chile has also received great wealth. This makes Chile's ambitions irrepressible any longer. Although the guano wars have only just ended. But Manuel. Monte. President Torres has asked the General Staff, the War Department, and the Admiralty to prepare for the next war. The next step in Chile's invasion is clearly Argentina in the eastern Andes.

It's just that even if Argentina knows that Chile has ambitions for them, they are too poor in national strength. There was simply no way to defend against the Chilean invasion. Among other things, millions of gold pesos a year in revenue do nothing but keep the country running. Not to mention maintaining a large army. In fact, Argentina has only a 20,000-strong army and a very small navy. their armament. It is basically stuck in the era of breech guns and sails, and it has been out of touch with the mainstream world.

Fortunately. The Argentines are not alone, to the east of them, among the countries bordering them, there is also a powerful country, a true hegemon of South America. Therefore, Argentina directly approached the Brazilians and asked for an alliance with Brazil, so that they could get Brazil's help in the event that Argentina was invaded by Chile. After all, Brazil has such a population that it is easy to form an army of more than 200,000 people. While armaments may not be as good as Chile's, Brazil also has the financial resources to develop armaments.

Brazil, the most powerful country in South America, is also cautious about Chile's rise. Especially after the Argentines showed their intention of forming an alliance, Brazil became aware of the threat posed by Chile. After all, would the Argentines take the initiative to ask Brazil for asylum if they had not felt the immediate threat posed to them by Chile?

Brazil at this time, also known as the Brazilian Empire, was ruled by Emperor Pedro II. Until the 19th century, Brazil was the largest Portuguese colony. In 1807, due to the French invasion of Portugal, the Portuguese royal family fled to Brazil, where they were not able to return to Europe until Napoleon was defeated. In 1822, the Portuguese Crown Prince Pedro, who was stranded in Brazil, with the support of local political forces, declared Brazil's independence from Portugal and established the Brazilian Empire. On October 12, 1822, at the age of 24, Pedro ascended the throne as Emperor of Brazil in Rio de Janeiro, calling him Pedro I.

However, due to the autocratic dictatorship of Pedro I, who vigorously defended the interests of the Portuguese aristocracy, and the defeat of the war with Argentina, there was widespread discontent among the people. On July 23, 1840, the Brazilian National Assembly proclaimed Pedro II in advance. In the 50 years that followed, Pedro II achieved a series of political achievements. In the eyes of the people, he is tall, upright, intelligent and elegant, reflecting the emperor's style everywhere. At the same time, he was able to govern the country in a democratic manner and do his best to maintain the unity of Brazil. In order to develop the Brazilian economy, he actively developed industrial and agricultural production, and vigorously built railways and highways. He has made a lot of efforts to solve the problem of regional disparities in Brazil's economic development, and has said that he wants to "sell the last jewel and save the suffering northeast". Pedro II is also said to have been an environmentally conscious botanist. At that time, there was indiscriminate logging in some parts of Brazil, but when he found out, he immediately stopped it and took the lead in planting trees himself. During the reign of Pedro II, Brazil was one of the most attractive countries in the world due to its longevity, economic prosperity and cultural brilliance.

At only thirty-three years old, Emperor Pedro II was undoubtedly an outstanding monarch, and during his reign, Brazil's economic development was rapid, and he cemented his title as the hegemon of South America. Now, however, their supremacy is being challenged by Chile.

"Gentlemen, the war on the other side of the continent has made us feel a great threat. The Chileans defeated Peru and Bolivia with their powerful navy and army, snatching the Atacama Desert from them, giving the Chileans more mineral resources to sell. My Chancellor of the Exchequer told me that in the next three years, Chileans could earn more than twice as much as Brazil. They will have a lot of money to buy advanced weapons and equipment from abroad. And at that time, I'm afraid it will be time for our tragedy! Pedro II's face was solemn. The Chilean Army and Navy's performance in this battle is too experienced. Although Brazil's economy is developing rapidly, Brazil's military strength is not in line with their hegemony. If war had broken out, Brazil's army would have been defeated by Chile, as Peru and Bolivia had done.

After all, Brazil has a navy and the largest number of land forces. However, like Peru and Bolivia, Brazil's navy is a sail warship, and its army is armed with old-fashioned muskets. If war breaks out between the two sides, then there is a high probability that history will repeat itself. Chile's army and navy will defeat Brazil's army and navy as they did Peru and Bolivia.

Fortunately, the blockage of the Andes and the strong image of Brazil have kept Chile from acting rashly. However, once Chile's power becomes stronger again, their ambitions will inevitably swell further. When the time comes, I'm afraid, it will be the time for war to break out. If Brazil were defeated, the losses would be extremely heavy.

"Yes, ladies and gentlemen, His Majesty is very right. Chileans have already shown their ambitions. They bought the most powerful army and navy in all of South America from the Chinese, allowing them to defeat the Peruvians and Bolivians with ease. And this, too, poses a great threat to us. Now, it is time for Brazil to work on the development of our armaments. Otherwise, by the time the Chileans cross the Andes and fight, it's already too late! Prime Minister Rodriguez said.

"Your Majesty, I think that the Chileans were able to defeat Peru and Bolivia solely because of the weapons they used. Whether it is the warships of the Chilean Navy or the rifles and artillery of the army, they are world-class weapons. If we want to maintain the hegemony of South America, we must buy such advanced weapons! Privy Council President Alfonso said.

Pedro II nodded, and then ordered the Directory's Governor, Admiral Morais, and Prime Minister Rodríguez to send men to Asia and Europe for arms purchases. This allows Brazil to have a strong army and navy. This has led to an arms race in South America. (To be continued......)

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