Paraguay

Grand River Fort Umaita

Located on the left bank of the Paraguay River in the southwest of Paraguay, not far from the confluence of the Paraguay River and the Paraná River, the fortress of Umata is the only way to enter Paraguay and is known as the "Sevastopol of the Americas".

Behind the fortress of the Great River, Umeta, is Asunción, the capital of Paraguay, which is the last bulwark to defend the capital.

50s of the 19th century

Former President Carlos António López took advantage of the strategic location of the area, which was bordered by rivers on both sides and mountains on the other, and built a strong fortress here, armed with more than 380 cannons and surrounded by trenches, which was the key point for the Paraguayan army to maintain front and rear communication and defend Asunción.

About 10 kilometers away from the Umaita Race, there is a tent camp of the Triple Alliance as far as the eye can see.

The camp was surrounded by a fence made of trees, and the dense tents inside the camp stretched out along the banks of the Paraná River, and the long caravan of horses arriving at the camp from the rear created an atmosphere of war that was unprecedented in the atmosphere.

The allied force, composed mainly of Brazilians, numbered about 115,000 men, and several large camps stretched out along the banks of the Paraná River, which was quite impressive in size.

After the crushing defeat at the Battle of Kurupati last July, the Allies mobilized again, and the Brazilian Empire formed a slave army of about 42,000 black slaves, promising the temptation of the freedmen after the victory, and pushed the slave army into battle.

In the following six months, Argentina and Uruguay also successively increased their troops to the front line, forcing the Paraguayan army to retreat to Umata, the fortress of the Great River, forming a confrontation between the two armies.

Grand River Fort Umaita

Standing beside the stone wall of the fortified fortress, Paraguayan President Andrés López López, wearing a crumpled military uniform, with a messy beard, looked at the fortress battlefield after the fierce battle with melancholy eyes, and was speechless for a long time.

The smoke of gunpowder and the pungent smell of blood on the battlefield, the scars of artillery shelling on the fortified stone-walled fortresses were everywhere, and the attacking Allied troops were killed and wounded in the hundreds, and the corpses and wounded were being collected under the white flag, which was particularly tragic against the setting sun.

Exhausted Paraguayan soldiers sat on the passage of the stone-walled fortress with their swords and guns to rest, and watched numbly as the stretcher carried the fallen soldier down, the blood from the wound dripping all the way and staining the granite floor red.

Such fierce battles are about to come every once in a while, and the Triple Alliance forces are attacking the fortress at any cost, day after day, month after month, and the momentum is getting more and more fierce for months now.

With the destruction of the Paraguayan naval fleet and the loss of control of the Paraná River, Paraguay, a landlocked country, was under a tight blockade by the surrounding countries and was in an increasingly difficult situation.

The fortress of Umata brings together more than 27,000 people, almost the vast majority of Paraguay's existing military strength, many of them are thirteen or fourteen-year-old junior soldiers, fifty or sixty-year-old grandfather soldiers, and more than 2,200 women's soldiers, showing that Paraguay is now extremely depleted of human resources.

More than three years of brutal war have cost Paraguay nearly 100,000 men.

This is a catastrophe for Paraguay, with a total population of only more than 400,000, and it is unbearable!

"Mr. President, the bill on the alliance between the two countries has been passed by the parliament. The results of the referendum will be available in the next two days, and judging from the current situation, it will receive the support of more than 80 percent of the citizens, and it is not a problem to pass the vote. When the Tang Empire makes a move, Paraguay will be able to breathe a sigh of relief. ”

It was Colonel Zheng Fengrong, the head of the Tang Empire's instructor corps, who wore a gentleman's tuxedo, a gold pocket watch on his chest, and a precious ivory cane in his hand, looking like a nobleman who had strayed into this place.

President López turned his face when he heard this, his sunken eyes looked haggard, and he said with a wry smile; "Sir Cheng, the sinister intentions of the imperialists of Brazil and Argentina to overthrow Paraguay were fully revealed, and they openly clamoured at the Buenos Aires Peace Conference;" Kill the last Paraguayan man. ”

Surrounded by the imperialists, Paraguay was in an extremely difficult situation, we lacked all the supplies to continue fighting, and the soldiers resisted the enemy's frenzied attack with their iron will.

Paraguay is in dire need of valuable support from the Tang Empire, and here you see it......

We don't know how long we can hold out?

For a month, two months or three months, Paraguay is looking forward to the help of the Tang Empire, just like looking forward to a long drought and rain, looking forward to it day and night.

At this time of life and death

The precious aid of the Tang Empire is even more precious, and I only hope that it will come sooner and make Paraguay suffer less suffering and suffering. ”

"We can understand your expectations, but if you don't have the right name, you can't say what you want. It is hoped that His Excellency the President will understand that the Imperial side must conclude a comprehensive military alliance with Paraguay in order to have sufficient reasons and obligations to intervene in the war and to put an end to all that has led to the destabilization of the situation in South America. Colonel Zheng Fengrong was not led by President López, but replied in a very methodical manner.

He raised his hand and raised his cane, pointing in the direction of the Allied camp outside; "The Allied forces outside represent the major countries of South America, including Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay, and behind them the South American countries of Venezuela, Bolivia and Chile.

President López, Paraguay is almost on all sides under your leadership, and its popularity can be said to be extremely poor.

None of these neighbors liked Paraguay, including the dictator Chile's military junta.

In the dead of night

Mr. President should ask himself, is there something wrong?

When the Tang Empire came forward to help Paraguay, it had to bear the criticism and accusations of these South American countries, and without a plausible reason, how could it work?

With all due respect

Paraguay's predicament is of your own making, and perhaps leaving the presidency late in the war was a wise decision.

You've hurt the country so much that choosing to let it go is perhaps the best decision for both Paraguay and the Nopez family. ”

Colonel Zheng Fengrong showed a very strong performance, from the heart;

He disliked this reckless and impulsive president very much, and he was addicted to food, and even let his beloved mistress Elisa meddle in domestic affairs, which was ridiculous.

President López is the standard second-generation president, and during a visit to Paris, López met Elisa Lynch, a high-class courtesan and a woman of Irish descent, and the two had a hot fight.

After returning to China, his mistress Elisa also followed, and the two have been living together, and Elisa even pointed fingers at Paraguay's national affairs, which is also the most criticized place.

"Is this a condition of the Empire?" President López asked.

Colonel Zheng Fengrong shook his head lightly and replied indifferently; "You can understand it as a safe arrangement, no matter how it ends in the end. Mr. President, as the culprit for the reckless initiation of the war in South America, must be held accountable for this war, which resulted in hundreds of thousands of casualties. Maybe a trip to the Empire or Europe would be a good ending. ”

"I see." President López replied with a grim expression.

On the bright side

The South American war was fought with unprecedented brutality, and Argentina and Brazil, the two major South American powers, paid a heavy price for winning the war.

Once the Tang Empire intervenes, it will inevitably become the target of public criticism.

Leaving President López in Paraguay will help to shift the focus of conflicts, reach a final peace agreement, and restore peace and stability to South America.

From another point of view

The Tang Empire does not want another political strongman like President López López to emerge in Paraguay, who will not be easy to control the country, and may even turn against the empire after the situation has calmed down.

There are many white-eyed wolves throughout the ages, even if there is only a very small probability, it is something that has to be guarded against.

The strategic layout of the Tang Empire in South America will never be emotional, let alone hope for President López's gratitude, and it is simply ridiculous to talk about feelings for politicians.

The empire will be cautious at every step, and robbing while the fire is burning is not a joke.

Once it falls within the framework of a military alliance, the situation in Paraguay in South America will not be allowed to get out of control again.

As a democratic country, it is impossible for President López to come forward to honor the Tang Empire as the "Heavenly Empire", he does not have such a right, which is neither legal nor compliant, so he must take the road of military alliance.

The guiding document for relations between the two countries is the Treaty of Military Alliance between Don and Pakistan, which is being voted on in a referendum, which is an important bill passed by the Paraguayan parliament by a large majority and passed by a referendum.

The Treaty of Military Alliance of Asunción provides;

The Supreme Joint Military Command of the two countries will be headed by an officer of the Tang Empire, which is the highest military command body in Paraguay and has the supreme power to formulate foreign military guidelines and command the combined forces of the two countries.

The Tang Empire had the right to garrison troops in Paraguay, with 11 army bases and three naval bases (Note; As it is a landlocked country, the naval bases are located in the Paraná River, the Paraguay River and the Inland Lake), which are responsible for training in peacetime and commanding the combined forces of the two countries in wartime.

In order to ensure the long-term and smooth implementation of the "Asunción Military Alliance Treaty" between Don and Pakistan and safeguard the territorial integrity of Uruguay and regional peace and stability, a series of safeguard bills will be promulgated one after another to consolidate the bilateral comprehensive military alliance relationship.

For democracies

The legitimacy of the procedure is very important, and the "Treaty of Military Alliance of Asunción" between the Tang and Pakistan countries, as a guiding military alliance policy, will establish the actual status of Paraguay dependent on the Tang Empire, not a vassal state, but a vassal state.

After the formal signing and adoption of the "Asunción Military Alliance Treaty" between the two countries, the validity period will be 49 years, and after the expiration of the period, the two sides will naturally renew the treaty for 49 years, and so on.

And it will be more difficult to overturn this comprehensive military alliance treaty than to ascend to the sky.

Because the "Asunción Military Alliance Treaty" between the two countries is not an alliance treaty, but a policy group that will be jointly guaranteed by a series of laws related to diplomacy, economy and people's livelihood, as if forming many moats around the core city.

If we want to overturn the core treaty of the military alliance between the two countries, we must first fill in the surrounding moats one by one, and then hold a referendum to finally overturn the "Asunción Military Alliance Treaty".

In the case of a large-scale invasion of Paraguay by ethnic Chinese forces, it is practically impossible to happen.

In the third year of the war, the total population of Paraguay has dropped to less than 300,000, and the vast majority of the more than 100,000 casualties in the war are young and middle-aged men, and two whole generations have been wiped out in the war.

Today, Paraguay's population of 12 years of age and age, of young soldiers under 16 years of age, plus grandfather soldiers, and underage males under the age of 12, does not exceed 45,000, and the war is not over.

In order to cope with this situation, the Tang Empire is bound to migrate a large number of young and middle-aged Chinese to Paraguay, with a total of between 120,000 and 150,000, and additional will be added depending on the situation.

After the war, the instructor corps, which was mainly composed of officers of Chinese descent, including Colonel Cheng Fengrong, would take off their military uniforms and enter the political circles, becoming a dominant and influential political force in Paraguayan politics, adding a Chinese color to the country.

Under various measures

In the future, Paraguay will only be tightly tied to the imperial chariot, charging into battle in the name of a South American country, and becoming a thug representing the interests of the Tang Empire.

Before all this is settled, the Tang Empire will not send a single soldier and will not make any substantial support.

President López seems to be in a hurry now, so why did he go early?

Three years into the war, the Empire has always opened its doors to Paraguay and welcomes it to the warmth of the Empire.

Paraguay's attitude was repeated several times, and even after failing to surrender to the Allied side, it was really desperate, so it had to bow its arrogant head.

The Paraguayans have always called themselves the "Prussia of South America", and their performance in the war was indeed outstanding and remarkable, with an average of 4.3 Brazilian soldiers and 1.41 Argentine soldiers killed in the Paraguay, and the will to fight was extremely tenacious.

The Brazilian Empire and Argentina had suffered enough in the war, and they simply hated the Paraguayans.

Otherwise, it would not have been possible not to even agree to surrender and vow to kill them all.

Colonel Cheng Fengrong, as the Empire's military officer in charge of Paraguay, knows much more than President López.

After the signing of the "Yasensong Military Alliance Agreement" between the two countries, the Tang Empire will once again carry out diplomatic mediation efforts.

Under strong pressure from the Brazilian Empire, the Triple Alliance of Argentina and Uruguay agreed to armistice negotiations, and threatened military intervention in an attempt to force the Triple Alliance to agree to restore peace and negotiate on the basis of the original borders.

As for the Triple Alliance's demand for more than two-thirds of Paraguay's territory and huge war reparations, that is even more impossible.

At most, there are some symbolic concessions, and this is the strength of the American hegemon.

The opportunity to end the war was given to the Triple Alliance, and the two peaceful mediation of the Tang Empire could be benevolent and righteous, and the face was sufficient.

Whether the Triple Alliance wisely goes downhill or continues to maintain its strength over Paraguay under the demagogy of the British depends on their own choice, and whether they can seize the last chance for peace is up to them.

Direct intervention in the war is only the last option, and at that time, don't say anything unprepared!