The Battle of Puerto Tumako took about five years to come to an end, and it was a counterattack on an astonishing scale involving foreign countries. The 3rd Regiment of the garrison paid a heavy price of thousands of casualties to barely hold the port.

Urgent reinforcements arrived in the port of Tumaco by boat, and the Imperial Army came from the province of Panama and was part of the officers and soldiers of the Central Plains Division of the Southern Army. There were two infantry regiments and an artillery battalion totaling more than 7,000 officers and men, carrying 18 6-pounder field guns and a large amount of ammunition.

When the urgent military situation of Tumaco besieged by an organized mob was reported to the division headquarters in Cali, the 1st Royal Mexican Field Division sensed something unusual and immediately reported it.

The relevant emergency military information was finally presented to General Mai Xiaozu, Duke of Pingnan, who was inspecting Medellin, and General Mai Xiaozu, with his rich experience in warfare, smelled a strong sense of conspiracy.

After months of clearing and sweeping the entire territory of Colombia, the Colombian rebels are now hiding in the jungle to escape the attack, and there are very few single teams with more than 1,000 people.

How is it possible that a rebel force with more than 10,000 people can appear all at once?

Do you really think that the jungle is a very nurturing place?

Tropical jungles are extremely dangerous, with poisonous snakes and poisonous insects everywhere, and access to clean water, which can cause massive tropical malaria and severe diarrhoea, all of which are life-threatening risks.

There may be some wild fruits and animals in the tropical jungle, but it is impossible to support a team of more than a thousand people, and only three or four hundred people will reach the sky.

So, there must be something strange in this.

After clarifying his thinking, Admiral Mai Hsiao-zu immediately instructed the Panamanian garrison to send an emergency reinforcement force through the long-distance telegraph line that was not long connected to the United Nations......

After receiving an urgent reinforcement order, the Central Plains Division stationed on the outskirts of Panama City immediately took action, assembled and boarded the ship the afternoon of the previous day, and arrived at the port of Tumaco, 520 kilometers away, on the afternoon of the second day, relieving the three regiments from the danger of destruction;

Take a break after landing

The reinforcements began to counterattack at dawn on the third day, and after a day and a half of bloody fighting in the city, more than 10,000 enemies were killed, and the rioters were driven out of the city, and then the cover-up was launched......

An inventory of the entire Battle of Tumaco;

The Imperial Army suffered 3,417 casualties, including 1,300 casualties among the Colombian armed forces, 677 casualties among armed civilians, and more than 1,420 casualties among the officers and men of the Imperial Army.

The rebels suffered about 33,000 casualties and another 21,600 were captured, including retired French Major General Monti-François and many important officials from Peru and Ecuador, and the truth of the whole matter gradually emerged.

According to the captive confession;

The advanced Chasebo rifles are part of the French order, which is part of the French order for French arms and is a priority to equip the Peruvian military's elite units, as a military adviser hired by the Peruvian government.

Peru sent more than 4,800 troops and Ecuador sent more than 2,100 men to attack in the midst of the mob dressed in civilian clothing.

After more than a month of preparation, more than 10 rebel forces in the scattered jungle were contacted, and about 3,800~4,000 local armed forces were gathered.

The initiators are the hardliners of the Peruvian military, General Juan Varela and Ecuadorian General Daniel Morat, who share a common characteristic;

All of them were born in the New World of white Spanish descent, all large farmers, who took a hard line because of the fear of the invasion of the Tang Empire, and opposed all efforts to promote a unified market in South America.

Given what is at stake

It was beyond the scope of the Southern Army, and after the Battle of Tumako, the Southern Army formed a detailed report to present to the Imperial Government, which finally fell on the head of His Majesty the Emperor......

The imperial capital is Chang'an

Daming Palace

"What is the opinion of the War Department?" Emperor Richard couldn't see any expression on his face, and asked in a calm tone.

Marshal Dai Changfu, Chief of Staff of the Royal Army, General Harry Freich, Deputy Chief of General Staff, General Chen Chuan, General Tian Mantun, and General Fan Pengju were all seated, sitting straight on one side of the generals, and on the other side were the cabinet ministers headed by Prime Minister Dong Jie.

After hearing His Majesty's inquiry, Marshal Dai Changfu, who was sitting in the first place of the generals, hurriedly stood up, raised his hand and performed a standard military salute;

"Back to Your Majesty's words;

The Royal Army is ready to obey His Majesty's call and is capable of dealing with any conceivable situation and winning the final victory.

Our Royal Army can recruit and win battles, and the country of Buhehe is powerful in foreign lands and maintains the supreme glory of the empire. ”

"Well, I'm very relieved." Emperor Richard was satisfied with the War Department's answer, and nodded to let Marshal Duke Dai Changfu sit down.

The options on the table are already obvious;

In order to preserve the dignity of the empire, escalation of the war was inevitable.

The only difference is ...... To what extent will the war be extended?

It would be limited to Ecuador or Peru and Ecuador, or the war would have affected Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia, forming the Second South American War in a broad sense.

Emperor Richard turned his head and asked; "Is there a consensus on the part of the government?"

In the 10 years of development after the founding of the Tang Empire, the political circles of the Tang Empire have indeed formed a very distinctive political ecology, which is known for its efficiency, honesty and aggressiveness.

Bismarck, the iron-blooded chancellor of the German Empire, once commented on this; "It's a charismatic group of politicians, loyal and passionate, who often talk about the glorious conquests of their ancestors thousands of years ago and want to replicate that success......"

Adolfo Thiers, President of the Third Reich of France, also spoke highly of the Tang Imperial government, believing that it; "He is the most capable subordinate of His Majesty the Emperor of the East, who is conscientious and efficient in completing many difficult tasks. In contrast, Emperor Napoleon III always backed down in disputes with his courtiers in order to win more support......"

The rule of the Tang Empire can be described as a clear stream among the world powers today, with ideals, ambitions, responsibilities, and being able to do things is the most conspicuous label, which has been highly praised worldwide.

The Prime Minister, Count Dong Jie, stood up respectfully, bowed his hand and replied;

"Your Majesty;

After the events in Colombia, two opinions were formed within the government: conservative and radical.

The conservative faction believed that the policy of colonial expansion should be steadily promoted, and they could not eat hot tofu in a hurry.

At present, the primary objective of the colonial department is still to digest the residential areas of New Columbia, and it is not advisable to excessively expand the area of attack and lengthen the battle line, so as not to cause serious digestive reactions.

At best, the war will be extended to Ecuadorian territory.

This is also to follow the empire's policy of steady expansion, pursuing a divide-and-rule strategy of pulling one faction, fighting another, and isolating one faction, with steady progress as the mainstay.

The radicals, on the other hand, advocate that the sacred dignity of the empire should not be taken lightly, and that all the South American countries involved in it will be dealt a thunderous blow to solve the problem of the South American unified market once and for all.

The War Department, the Colonial Department, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs were the main ones who held such a position, while the ministers of the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Communications held different opposing views, and the two sides were at loggerheads.

Which is better or worse should be subject to the holy judgment, and the ministers and others should follow it correctly. ”

Hearing this answer, Emperor Richard raised his eyebrows, and after his expression changed to a stern look at Prime Minister Dong Jie, he asked in a low voice; "In Qing's opinion, where should I go?"

"This ......"

The power of the emperor saw the wind and thunder in a silent place, and a sentence written lightly forced Prime Minister Dong Jie to a situation of no retreat, and there was dissatisfaction in his tone.

If the cabinet can't come up with a unified opinion, what use do you want?

Prime Minister Dong Jie was forced by the emperor's gaze, and Hou Xianliang immediately broke out in a layer of cold sweat, and after saluting again, his waist bent deeper, and said; "Initiation of the Holy Majesty;

Wei Chen secretly thinks that prudence should be the first priority.

The first step is to blame the Ecuadorian state, and it is not advisable to excessively expand the scope of the attack, which is not conducive to increasing the empire's financial expenditures and international prospects, and the risk is also greatly increased.

Wouldn't it be better if you had a slow picture? ”

"Your Majesty, the Imperial Treasury seconded the proposal."

"Your Majesty, the Ministry of Agriculture and Industry seconded the proposal."

"Your Majesty, the Ministry of Communications seconded the proposal."

"Your Majesty, seconded by the Ministry of Education and Health."

"Your Majesty, the Ministry of the Interior seconded the proposal."

……

After the Prime Minister answered, a large number of cabinet ministers came forward to express their support, and it seems that there are many stable factions in the cabinet.

This represented the opinion of a large part of the aristocracy and courtiers, who were not opposed to facing expansion directly, but belonged to the moderate colonial expansionists or moderate colonial expansionists.

Since the founding of the empire, the 28 years of almost non-stop colonial expansion have been invested in the new colonies every year, and the government has consumed a lot of money.

At present, the financial support of the Andean Viceroyalty, Texas and Beihai provinces is ebbing, and it has received positive feedback and has continuously generated benefits.

However, the new colonial area of Yunzhong Province and the new colonial area of Colombia immediately came up, and these are all places that require large financial investment. Coupled with the continued military operations of the Southern Corps, a large deficit in fiscal expenditure this year is a foregone conclusion.

And then rashly expand the military strikes against Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia, really think that it doesn't cost money to start a war?

Even though the imperial treasury has a lot of income, it can't afford such a large amount of spending?

The traditional Han courtiers all have a simple concept of "living within their means", which is the same as living at home, and they are unwilling to borrow money to live from the heart.

The courtiers were not opposed to colonial expansion, but hoped to move steadily, digest the previous colonial achievements, and then plan the next expansion goal.

This was the policy that Emperor Richard had always pursued, and it has now become the consensus of the entire court.

From a certain point of view, the courtiers were all loyal believers of His Majesty the Emperor and were practicing His Majesty's theory of colonial expansion, which was originally correct.

Emperor Richard saw that the elders of the military department and the minister of the colony who supported the radical and radical plan, Viscount Yao Guangyi, the minister of foreign affairs, Luo Fengxian, and others were ready to move, so he waved his hand with a calm expression, meaning that they should not be impatient.

Only then did he ask steadily; "Dong Aiqing, the statistics on the overall economic operation of the empire in 1873 have come out, how much is the growth?"

Prime Minister Dong Jie did not dare to slack off, and replied after respectfully saluting; "In contrast to the 11.2% growth of the national economy in the previous year, the large-scale economic crisis that originated in Europe in 1873 hit the imperial economy hard.

Year-end statistics show that economic growth fell to 3.45% in 1873, a precipitous decline from the previous year.

However, compared with the world's major powers in recession, the economic performance of the Tang Empire can be described as outstanding, and it still recorded stable growth in the storm of the global economic crisis, which is really commendable.

This also reflects the resilience of the empire's economy, and Weichen congratulates His Majesty and the Tang Empire! ”

"So according to economic statistics, how much social demand has been stimulated by the launch of the Colombian war?"

"Hmm...... Your Majesty, the Ministry of Finance, in conjunction with the Imperial General Office of Statistics, did make a careful assessment that the effect of the Colombian War on the social demand in 1873 should be about 30%. ”

"In other words, the war has drawn demand and made a positive contribution to the overall economy of the empire to avoid sinking deeper into the quagmire, which cannot be ignored?"

"Your Majesty, this is the consensus of the cabinet ministers, and the war in Colombia has indeed stimulated the overall needs of society and is one of the main factors in getting us out of the economic crisis."

"But the force that pulls social demand is weak, accounting for only about 30%?"

"Your Majesty, that's true."

"Hmmm......"

Emperor Richard responded, looked around at His Highness's ministers, and said unhurriedly;

"Everything must be adapted to local conditions, move according to the times, and must not stick to the rules, Zhu Aiqing made the mistake of empiricism.

On a normal day, prudence is appropriate.

But what is the situation today?

The world economic crisis has intensified in its second year, and instead of reducing tariff protectionism, countries have increased their actions, and the overall scale of international trade has shrunk further, which is already expected.

Under such circumstances, only a strong push for domestic demand growth is the only way to avoid the overall economy falling into the abyss of recession.

Don't be afraid of large-scale borrowing, money can only generate value when it is spent, and piling up at home will only mold.

As long as the national economy is back on track, then the effort will be worth it.

This is especially valuable

How can these fools of Peru and Ecuador ignore their good intentions when they have already given them the excuse to go to war?

Perhaps, when these South American countries come back to their senses and come to their senses again, they will no longer dare to offend the majesty of the Empire. Be cautious in everything, and you can't find a mistake if you want to pick one?

How can you let go of such a wonderful opportunity?

Only the international outlook, which the government was concerned about, took out the captives of Tumaco and made them widely reported by the imperial and European media, including the French general and the decent figures of Peru and Ecuador.

Let the world public opinion see that these people and the countries they represent behind them have openly provoked the Empire.

The Tang Empire is just fighting back, giving you time to prepare for public opinion, it should be about a month.

A month later

The Tang Empire, together with Paraguay, Uruguay and other countries, openly declared war on Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia, simply making the scene bigger and more lively, and completely solving all the hidden dangers of the unified market in South America. ”

"Your Majesty, the ministers obey the holy decree."

"In addition, a total of 200 million Tang yuan of war bonds will be issued to the people of Datang, with an interest rate of 4.2% for a period of 5 years, and the royal fund will subscribe for 20%, and you will also take out some of the excess money to buy it, and take care of it."

"Your Majesty, there is nothing wrong with the ministers." The ministers replied in unison.