April 2, 1867

Grand River Fort Umaita

The fortified castle, which had withstood more than eight months of repeated attacks by the Triple Alliance, ushered in the most fierce all-out assault to date, with the Allies launching massive artillery bombardments at all costs, drowning the already battered fortress in a dense rain of artillery......

After more than eight months of stubborn fighting, most of the more than 380 artillery pieces of the fortress of Umaita have been destroyed, and the Paraguayan army has less than 60 artillery pieces left to fight back.

However, under the heavy bombardment of more than 800 artillery pieces of the Allied forces, it was soon completely destroyed, and a tidal wave of attacks followed.

Dense gunfire rang out all over the world, and under the blows of superior artillery fire, the Paraguayan defenders suffered heavy casualties and still fought with gritted teeth.

At about 2 o'clock in the afternoon, with the two loud bangs of "boom ......", the fortress of Umaita was blown open by the Allied forces with two large gaps, and the Allied soldiers, driven by the commander, rushed towards the blown gap.

Although the Paraguayan soldiers defending the fort suffered heavy losses, they still mobilized their remaining forces to close the gap, and the two sides engaged in fierce hand-to-hand combat at the gap.

Slashed with knives and stabbed with spears, the Paraguayan soldiers, covered in bruises, fell down the city with the enemy in their arms, and repelled more than a dozen Allied attacks.

At dusk, the remnant sun is like blood.

The breached gap in the fortress of Umaita was covered with the corpses of soldiers on both sides, and in some places several layers were piled up, and the battle was unprecedentedly tragic and bloody, as if it were a slaughterhouse.

Usually at this time, the Allied soldiers have finished their work, began to collect the remains of the soldiers under the white flag, and went back to lick the wounds all over their bodies silently.

Duke Marques de Casias, the commander of the Allied forces from the Brazilian Empire, was already red-eyed at this time, and knew that there was not much time left for the allies, and the Tang Empire was eyeing the side and could intervene in the war at any time.

"Pass my military order, send the 4th and 5th divisions of the black slave army to continue the attack, the musketeers division and the 7th division of the Argentine Chaco province are ready for the next round of attacks, no matter what the cost, this damned fortress must be captured by midnight today, and all the Paraguayans in the fortress must be killed." Duke Marques de Casias gave a murderous order with red eyes.

General Solvino of Argentina and General Venancio Flores, President of Uruguay, who were standing next to each other, silently exchanged glances with each other, and wisely chose to shut up.

The Allied forces are mainly composed of Brazilian Imperial soldiers, and in today's bloody battle alone, the Allied side has suffered more than 17,000 casualties, and the Brazilian black slaves have consumed nearly 10,000 people, and also caused more than 6,000 casualties in Paraguay.

If you can't break through the fortress of Umaita in one fell swoop, it will hurt the morale of the allies too much.

After nightfall

The two sides continued to fight at night, and a bloody battle began around the two gaps that had been blown up.

The battle reverted to the primitive slashing and spear-stabbing white-knuckle combat, often a battalion of soldiers rushed up for more than half an hour and was disabled, and then a battalion of soldiers was replenished, repeatedly launching a brave assault on the gap.

It was about nine o'clock in the evening

In the face of an almost endless stream of Allied soldiers, the exhausted Paraguayan army was finally crushed, and countless Allied soldiers spread through the gap, shouts of killing resounded through the fortress of Umaita for a long time.

Until the early hours of the morning, the Allies fully occupied the fortress of Oumaita, and the remnants of the heavily damaged Paraguayan army, about 12,600 people, were forced to evacuate the fortress in desperation, and in a hurry, thousands of wounded were not even taken away.

This battle inflicted another heavy blow on the Paraguayan army, which was already empty, and lost the fortress of Umaita, which was backed by a moat, and the capital of Yacençon, located on the plains of the Great River of Paraná, was not at all safe to defend.

The fortress of Umaita was lost, and the situation became worse than ever.

Located just 130 kilometres from Paraguay's capital, the city of Aconçon, the fortress of Umeta is like a ripe fruit at your fingertips.

In the face of the imminent victory, the Allies ignored the ultimatum issued by the Tang Empire, and after arriving at the deadline on April 3, 1866, they brazenly crossed the red line and marched towards Yacençon, trying to destroy Paraguay in one fell swoop.

April 5th

The Allies dared to turn a deaf ear to the ultimatum, and the Tang Empire could not tolerate this naked contempt, and under the fury of the thunder, it officially declared war on the Brazilian Empire, Argentina, and Uruguay, and the Andean Governor's Office issued the second phase of the 100,000 soldiers conscription order.

Region of Córdoba

The total number of troops of the Tang Empire gathered here is about 35,000, including two regiments of the Second Expeditionary Division of the Royal Navy and another artillery battalion, with a regular army strength of more than 5,600 people.

In addition, there are nearly 30,000 armed militia groups, which are classified as the 5th to 11th divisions of the volunteer militia, a total of 7 divisions, each with a strength of 3,600 to 4,800 people, all of which belong to the dragoon establishment.

The so-called dragoons are highly mobile infantry that ride on horseback and dismount to fight.

The Royal Army reinforced each volunteer militia division with a cavalry battery, each armed with eight 3-pounder or 6-pounder Colt field guns, which were used as a weapon for attacking.

These armed militiamen, who had responded to the summons, brought their own guns and horses, and gathered in response to the summoning order of the Governor's Palace, and they all appeared to be in high spirits and full of fighting spirit from top to bottom.

The Doge's Palace promised;

In response to the call-up of armed militiamen, each person starts with ten acres of merit fields, and the merits built up in battle can be counted cumulatively, and there is no upper limit.

That is to say, if you have the ability to lead a platoon to defeat an enemy division, just counting the merits, everyone can get thousands of acres of meritorious fields.

Of course, this only exists in drunken rhapsodies.

The Doge's Palace issued another prize;

For each white soldier killed, a reward of 200 Tang Yuan was obtained, and the reward for killing an officer was doubled, and the higher the rank, the heavier the reward.

This is a pure mercenary nature, and if you die in battle, there will naturally be no soldier pension to speak of, and all the consequences will be borne by yourself.

Even so, it still can't stop the enthusiasm of the armed militias.

Over the years of conquest, the Chinese militia in North America has formed a brave and adventurous character, and the iron-blooded genes of blood and fire have been fermented and brewed in the continuous expansion and conquest, and have been precipitated as one of the characteristics of the national character.

Sir Wu Erbao, the mayor of Wujiabao Town, has now become the commander of the 10th Division of the Volunteer Militia.

He gave up the comfortable and comfortable life of a large manor owner, gathered the Chinese militia in the town and neighboring villages and towns, and formed the 10th Division of the Volunteer Militia of about 4,150 people, and personally served as the division commander.

There are thousands of large and small manor ranches in Córdoba, and Sir Wu Erbao's Wujiabao Town can be ranked among the top 5 in terms of size, and it is one of the big ranchers in the local area.

Even so, there are many retired officers with more military qualifications than Wu Erbao, and it is not necessarily his turn to be the commander of the volunteer militia.

Wu Erbao obtained this position through fierce competition, providing 80 tons of grain and 35 tons of black beans for the 10th Militia Division, as well as 2,000 bottles of grain wine brewed in the pasture and other materials, and bringing 570 cavalry from Wujiabao Town to join the 10th Division, which was able to stand out.

"Our division, the 5th Division and the 8th Division attracted the main force of the Argentines head-on, and fought in formation, the 6th and 9th Divisions took advantage of the gap to attack the left rear flank of the Argentine army, and the 7th, 10th, and 11th divisions took advantage of the gap to attack the right rear flank of the Argentine army, and in a battle they crushed their main cavalry force and swept down......"

Lieutenant General Lei Juekun, commander of the coalition forces of the Governor's Palace, pointed his finger on the map and drew dots, and then waved his big hand like an autumn wind sweeping away leaves, and continued decisively;

"I want you to act as swift as fire, as swift as thunder, to crush the enemy's will to resist at once with the fiercest of attacks, and to swiftly sweep across the battlefield after defeating the enemy in front of you, and to wipe out the Argentine white militia in the provinces of Columbia and Chaco in one fell swoop.

The Paraguayans could not hold out for a few days, and the fall of Acension was imminent, and Paraguayan President Andrés López was forced to hide in the mountains with the remnants of the defeated army to fight guerrillas, and the women who remained in Ascension would become the target of the Allied forces to vent their anger.

The second summoning order of the Imperial Governor's Palace has just been issued, and it is expected that it will take another two weeks to gather 100,000 troops.

Our task is to sweep away the enemy in front of us during this time, and completely open up the organized armed militias in Columbia and Chaco, as well as those white estates and towns, within the range of our cavalry.

Let the brethren cheer up, and all the seizures belong to the divisions, and the governor's palace does not look down on the small money of three melons and two dates.

Within two weeks

The 481 kilometers north from the Córdoba area were to be swept all over again, with the 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th Divisions on the left flank, and the 9th, 10th, and 11th divisions on the right flank. ”

After deploying the military task, Lieutenant General Lei Juekun swept his gaze over the excited faces of these militia division commanders in front of him, smiled slightly and threw out a great temptation that attracted people, and said;

"You are all veterans of the perennial war, you know how to fight and how to assault, and the people under your command can not only fight together but also divide the troops to assault, so you don't need me to be verbose.

Here General Ben reminds me;

Your Majesty is also paying close attention to the war taking place in South America, and this is a good opportunity for you to perform, and you should not miss it.

For some division commanders who have performed extremely well, the Governor's Office will report to His Majesty and give them a special commendation.

Perhaps His Majesty is happy to be able to reward two or three noble titles, which is a blessing to invite heaven.

How many people's dreams are to join the ranks of the imperial nobility?

Now the opportunity has really come, but you must seize it! ”

"Thank you Your Excellency the Commander-in-Chief for mentioning that the only way to go to the fire is to die in the soup." The division commanders stood up in unison and replied loudly with their fists clenched.

At this time, everyone's eyes flashed with fiery eyes, and the excitement stimulated by the commander's words was irrepressible, and they were determined to do a good job.

Nowadays, whether it is money, land, or meritorious land, it is not attractive to these volunteer militia division commanders here, who doesn't have tens of thousands of acres of land?

Only the title of imperial nobility with full gold content is the goal that everyone is competing for, even if they invest in it.

With a noble title, are you afraid that you will not have a place in the Andean Governor's Palace?