The Rise Of Australasia-Chapter 1044 - 781: Sharpening the Knife for France_2

Chapter 1044: Chapter 781: Sharpening the Knife for France_2

Paraguay was different. The country already faced a severe shortage of light weapons, so their focus in purchasing arms included light firearms such as rifles, machine guns, and small-caliber artillery.

It is worth mentioning that both Paraguay and Bolivia hired army instructors from Australasia and France to serve as commanders in their militaries.

This was quite common in that era. Small nations often lacked a comprehensive grasp of land warfare tactics and did not have a deep reserve of military talent.

Most small countries, when war broke out, would hire army instructors from the major powers that supported them to command their forces.

Before World War I, the most popular commanders were all Germans. After all, Germany was renowned worldwide as having the premier army, and German military schools were amongst the most popular military academies at the time.

As for now, no one had claimed the title of having the world’s premier army. Some believed it was the French who had defeated Germany with their land forces, others thought it was the Australasians who demonstrated formidable army strength during World War I, and some nations even considered that the Island Nation and Russia Nation could also contend for the throne of the world’s premier army.

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After all, the land army’s size and combat effectiveness in these countries were respectable, and besides these, including Britain, the armies of other countries, had fallen far behind in terms of numbers.

Paraguay’s import of light rather than heavy weapons was an advisory from the Australasian military command group to the Paraguayan government.

After all, in the grasslands and jungles of Northern Chaco, heavy weapons were hard to utilize effectively. Although airplanes could certainly be of considerable use, Bolivia and Paraguay didn’t have many to begin with, and whether they could fully utilize these powerful airplanes was questionable.

This was akin to giving firearms to a nation in the Cold Weapons era; although firearms could make an impact, without appropriate tactical deployment, they could never match the combat power of militaries in the current era, even if both sides had equivalent weaponry.

Airplanes were too expensive and not suitable for a country like Paraguay with limited land and population. Purchasing a large quantity of light weapons to compensate for Paraguay’s deficiency in arms was what the Australasian military command group believed Paraguay should prioritize.

Beyond aggressively purchasing weapons and equipment, at the British’s suggestion, Paraguay also underwent nationwide mobilization.

While the country’s population was small, the military swiftly expanded from 3,000 to 60,000 troops under nationwide mobilization.

On the other hand, Bolivia, having previously enjoyed a numerical advantage several times greater, became complacent.

Although Bolivia also mobilized to some extent, it was not the nationwide mobilization that could affect production but rather a mobilization near the border of the Northern Chaco region.

While this increased the Bolivian military past 30,000 troops, compared to the all-in 60,000 troops of Paraguay, they were at a numerical disadvantage.

On May 22nd, 1931, due to the great disparities between Paraguay and Bolivia, the mediation conference organized by the British officially failed, and the war between Paraguay and Bolivia continued.

The Bolivian military thought they could continue their seemingly unstoppable conquest over Paraguay but soon found their offensive successfully thwarted and, with the front line faltering, switched from offense to defense.

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Under the command of the Australasian officers, the Paraguayan army launched surprise attacks on several vital military fortresses on the front line, quickly taking over a few fortresses that the Bolivians had occupied without their preparedness.

But that was not all, with the strong support of the British, a large consignment of weapons and equipment was urgently dispatched to Paraguay and successfully armed the Paraguayan military.

Leveraging the newly arrived arms, Paraguay quickly gained the upper hand at the front line, causing the Bolivian military to retreat step by step.

It was then that the Bolivians and their French backers realized the seriousness of the situation, recognizing that Paraguay might have carried out a nationwide mobilization.

To maintain their numerical superiority in troops, Bolivia also decided to undertake a nationwide mobilization, expanding its army to around 150,000 troops.

Compared to the not-so-large country of Paraguay, Bolivia had a larger area to mobilize across and would need more time to do so.

Moreover, due to Bolivia’s proximity to Chile and Argentina, it would be highly unlikely for Bolivia to carry out a nationwide mobilization without other countries becoming aware.

It wasn’t long before the British received news that Bolivia was also undertaking a nationwide mobilization. To ensure Paraguay’s continued advantage, the British decided to create some problems for the French.

How could they create problems for the French?

After much thought, the British still turned their attention to the former territories of the United States.

As mentioned before, the French had acquired more strategic regions of the southern United States, including Texas with its abundant mineral resources and large population, along with the entire southern coast.

Although these areas had reestablished republics with the support of the United States, due to the less than cordial relations between American states, these countries were not too fond of French rule.

Take Texas, which had become independent as the Lone Star Republic, for example. The founding history of the Lone Star Republic can be traced back to 1836, nearly 100 years prior.

The founding of the Lone Star Republic was a result of dissatisfaction with Mexican rule, seeking independence as a sovereign nation.

Even after being coerced to join the United States following independence, the Lone Star Republic maintained significant powers, including unique rights of independence unparalleled within the United States Federation.

Although currently under French control due to the United States’ defeat and partition, this does not mean the Lone Star Republic respects French rule.

Especially since the true transformation from Texas to the Lone Star Republic, many emerging parties within the Republic have been eagerly hoping for the nation to regain its independence.

The Texas of today is no longer the barren area it once was. With a population of over five million, coupled with plentiful mineral resources and crop yields, the Lone Star Republic has the potential to become a gem in the Americas.

Besides internal issues within the Lone Star Republic, Mexico also harbors a strong desire for this land it once owned.

Although France, the world’s second major power, currently controls the Lone Star Republic, this still cannot deter Mexico from stepping back.

After all, Mexico is a closer neighbor to the Lone Star Republic and has a natural geographical advantage over distant France.

For Mexico, convincing the Lone Star Republic to break away from French rule and join Mexico could mean regaining Texas without resorting to war.

The British focused on American land for precisely these reasons, recognizing the various issues surrounding the Lone Star Republic.

It can be said that to France, the Lone Star Republic is a bomb waiting to explode at any moment.

This bomb, the Lone Star Republic, might even affect the South Coast Federal Republic and the Florida Confederated Republic to the east, potentially dissolving French control along the southern coast of the United States.

That is what the British wanted to see. Not only would it cause the French a great deal of trouble, but it might also lead to heavy losses for them.

It should be known that French capital has always been keen on economic outflows. Although they have only been in control of these three republics for a short time, French capital has already invested heavily in their economic outflow, with funds and assets too numerous to count.

If the French were to lose control over these three republics, not only would the French government suffer heavy losses, but French civilian capital would also face a cataclysmic disaster.

For the British, this could potentially eliminate their biggest competitor and rid themselves of any trouble in Europe for good.