Chapter 781 Exchange of Interests (Happy New Year!)

The war finally broke out.

For Bolivia and Paraguay, the oil in the North Chaco region is an important resource that cannot be abandoned.

Even if they have to pay a lot of price to the great powers in order to defeat each other, the two countries will start this war and try their best to defeat the enemy.

However, in terms of the military strength of the two countries, there is actually a huge gap between Paraguay and Bolivia.

Before the outbreak of the war, Paraguay's regular army had only about 3,000 people, and its weapons and equipment were only relatively ordinary rifles, machine guns and a small amount of artillery.

Bolivia is different. Because Bolivia received a high loan from Mobil Oil Company, the Bolivian government had enough funds to purchase a large number of new weapons including tanks and aircraft from European powers.

This also includes tanks, aircraft and heavy machine guns from Australasia, which allowed the Bolivian army to maintain a huge lead in both numbers and equipment.

But this does not mean that Bolivia can occupy a complete advantage in the war. If you have a map, you can see that the distances between Bolivia and Paraguay and the focal area of ​​the war, that is, the Northern Chaco region, are completely different.

Paraguay is only about 200 kilometers away from the Northern Chaco region, and the pressure on logistics is very small.

But Bolivia is different. Bolivia is more than 2,000 kilometers away from the front line. And this 2,000-kilometer supply line can almost only be delivered by trucks.

Although the Bolivians bought a large number of tanks, they are basically useless in the jungle grasslands of the Chaco region.

It is worth mentioning that the reason for the outbreak of war between the two countries is also very unique. Because Bolivia bought a large number of aircraft, Bolivia also began to organize large-scale aircraft cruises and reconnaissance work on the border of the front line.

It doesn’t matter if you don’t investigate. Once you investigate, you will find a huge unoccupied lake.

You know, because the Northern Chaco region is very hot and dry, water resources are very important for border areas, and they are definitely very important strategic resources in war.

Moreover, the lake is very vast. Whether it is for the role of war or for the subsequent strategic development of the Chaco region, this lake is an important area that must be occupied.

The Bolivian Air Force quickly reported this major discovery to the government, and soon received a response from the government, that is, to occupy the lake.

But the air force in the sky did not find that there was a small outpost of ten people in the jungle next to the lake.

When the Bolivian army discovered this small outpost, the Paraguayan army also discovered the Bolivians.

Because of the advantage in manpower, the Bolivian side did not retreat, but chose to launch an attack.

It is precisely because of this that the Chaco War broke out quickly and triggered a full-scale war between the two countries.

It is worth mentioning that in the early stages of the war, the Bolivian army won a comprehensive victory in the offensive because of its comprehensive lead in equipment and numbers.

In just one week, the Bolivian army successively captured three important military fortresses in the northern Chaco region, including Clares, Toledo and Boqueron.

The Bolivian army is equipped with very advanced light and heavy weapons, and there are a large number of aircraft escorting and reconnaissance in the sky.

Paraguay is the exact opposite. Due to the lack of national strength and inadequate preparation for war, the Paraguayan army is not only equipped with outdated equipment, but also lacks heavy firepower weapons.

Some Paraguayan soldiers do not even have hot weapons. Their weapons are machetes, sticks, and even stones picked up from the roadside.

The development of the war was beyond the British expectations. The Paraguay they supported quickly fell behind, and it is very likely to be defeated by Bolivia.

The British naturally did not want to see such a result. Under the intervention of the British, the international mediation meeting between Paraguay and Bolivia officially began.

Because Bolivia, supported by France, has already taken the upper hand, the British can only reluctantly invite Australasia to join the talks in order not to fall behind in this negotiation.

It is precisely because of this that Arthur easily achieved his goal and joined the oil battle in South America.

On May 3, 1931, the mediation meeting between Paraguay and Bolivia officially began.

In addition to Paraguay and Bolivia, the three major powers that have influence in South America also participated in this meeting.

The meeting was held in Brazil, which had nothing to do with the conflict, and on the surface, it maintained fairness in the conflict between the two sides.

But in fact, which of the powers and the two countries participating in the meeting did not have their own intentions? The reason why this peace negotiation exists is nothing more than one party wants to delay the opportunity for itself, and the other party believes that it has a sure win.

At the beginning of the peace talk, the negotiations on mediation were deadlocked. The Bolivian representative directly put forward conditions that the British could never agree to, requiring all ports along the Paraguay River and occupying the entire Chaco region.

Doing so would not only make the British lose the oil in the Chaco region, but also cause Paraguay, which the British support, to suffer heavy losses or even collapse.

The British would naturally not agree to such a request. After all, you have to look at the owner before you can beat the dog. Under the premise that the British openly support Paraguay, whether Paraguay wins or not is directly linked to the interests of the British.

In order to delay enough time in the negotiations, the British representative found the Australasian representative and put forward his own conditions.

That night, the British representative said in a very sincere manner in the room of the Australasian representative: "Mr. Jay, we are willing to share the oil in the North Chaco region with your country, and allow your country to have the same benefits and preferential treatment as us in Paraguay.

As long as you agree to support Paraguay in tomorrow's negotiations, we are willing to persuade Paraguay to agree to the above requirements."

To be honest, the oil in the North Chaco region is not that attractive to Australasia.

Sitting on half of the oil in the Persian Gulf, Australasia is no less attractive than any country in terms of oil.

What's more, Australia, Southeast Asia and Alaska all have large oil reserves, and they are areas that Australasia fully controls.

What attracts Australasia to participate in this conflict is actually the influence on South America.

After the demise of the United States, this back garden of the United States has become a no-man's land. Who can take the lead in occupying the hegemony of South America is very important for the struggle for global hegemony.

Counting these countries in South America, all of them are very important agricultural and animal husbandry exporting countries and mineral exporting countries.

What does the export of agricultural and animal husbandry products and minerals represent? It means that the country can obtain sufficient supplies during wartime.

Especially the location of South America is a natural logistical supply treasure for Britain, France and Australia.

The biggest enemy of Australasia at present is the island country, but no matter how powerful the navy of the island country is, it is impossible to cross the Pacific Ocean to the southern hemisphere to block the maritime trade routes of Australasia.

The same is true for Britain and France. Especially the British, there is no doubt about their control over the Atlantic Ocean.

If a war breaks out between Britain and Germany or France in the future, the British will not only be able to obtain supplies from North America, but also from South America, and they can kill any enemy by consumption.

Moreover, the strength of South American countries is generally weak, which is easier to control than North America.

Precisely because of these reasons, Britain, France and Australia have certain ideas about South America, and have taken practical actions.

Compared with the oil in the North Chak region mentioned by the British, Australasia is more concerned about the interests of the Paraguayan region.

Although Paraguay is only a small country in South America, its location is still very important. After having certain interests in Paraguay, it can radiate to the three major powers in South America in the north-south direction.

Controlling these three major powers actually means controlling the entire South America. Because the countries in the northwest, such as Colombia, Venezuela, Peru, and Ecuador, are far less powerful than the three powers of Brazil, Argentina, and Chile.

Although the Australian and American representatives were satisfied with the conditions offered by the British, they did not directly agree, but put forward more requirements: "Mr. John, I admit that your country's conditions are indeed attractive, but not so big that we firmly support Paraguay.

If your country is willing to let us participate in the mining of Chile's saltpeter mines, I think His Majesty the King is willing to support the British Empire and rebuild the deep friendship between our two countries."

Chile's saltpeter mines are definitely one of the most important mineral resources in South America. The British also understand this. In the past few decades, they have firmly controlled the mining and export of Chile's saltpeter mines.

This also allowed Chile to gain the support of the British Empire for a long time, and with less land, it maintained a balance of power with Argentina and Brazil.

It can be said that without the support of the British for Chile, Chile would never be as strong as it is now.

Of course, the support of the British is definitely not free. Chile has the world's largest saltpeter mine, but the mining and export of saltpeter mines all rely on the British.

Such a cost limits Chile from developing into a superpower, and it can only become one of the three major powers in South America.

Even for their own interests, the British will never allow Chile to become stronger.

After all, when Chile becomes stronger, it will consider more issues, such as taking back the mining and export rights of its saltpeter mines.

Needless to say, how important saltpeter mines are. In the eyes of the British, this is a more important resource than oil. Naturally, it is impossible to allow Chile, where the saltpeter mines are located, to become strong and threaten their power in Chile.

"Oh my God, this is impossible, Mr. Jay." John, the British representative, said in disbelief: "The saltpeter mines here are very important strategic resources for the British Empire, and it is unlikely to be delegated to other countries.

I heard that your country is interested in Argentina's black soil. Otherwise, how about we persuade Argentina to lease more black soil to your country?"

Compared with Chile's saltpeter mines, Argentina's black soil is a dispensable resource for the British.

Although black soil is excellent arable land, it is not so important for the British Empire, which owns the whole of India.

India can provide a large amount of food to Britain every year. Although this is most likely obtained by exploiting Indian talents, it doesn't matter to the British.

After all, the number of Indians has determined that Indian lives are not important. If 10,000 Indians can be used in exchange for the safety of one British person in the war, I believe the British government will do it without hesitation.

"Mr. John, you know." Representative Jay said with a smile: "Currently, Australasia is not short of arable land. We have more than 2 million square kilometers of potential planting areas in Java Island, the Murray River Basin and other areas.

Facts have proved that although black soil is conducive to crop planting, the maintenance cost of a black soil spanning the entire Pacific Ocean is too high, which is not cost-effective for us."

To be honest, Argentina's black soil is indeed a good choice. Although Australasia is not short of arable land now, Argentina's black soil is actually different.

The land in Australasia needs Australasians to plant and develop, while the land in Argentina only needs to employ local Argentines.

Compared to Australasia, Argentina has lower labor costs and superior grain production.

However, in the competition for national interests, the country with a small appetite will eventually suffer. As a diplomatic representative who loves his country very much, what Representative Jay wants to do is naturally to strive for more benefits for the country.

"Let's do this, Mr. John." Looking at John's embarrassment, Representative Jay smiled and put forward his final request: "For the sake of our good relationship, Australasia is willing to make concessions.

But in order to report to His Majesty, we need a lot of black soil for the development of food crops, and we must also become the preferred buyer of Chilean saltpeter."

Although we cannot participate in the mining of Chilean saltpeter, it would be very good if we can become the preferred buyer of saltpeter mines.

After all, Chile's annual output of saltpeter mines is still good, and the British Empire cannot consume so much saltpeter mines.

It's just that before, in order to prevent the enemy from becoming stronger, Britain would strictly restrict the export of saltpeter mines, and even prohibit exports to its hostile countries.

If we can obtain certain rights in export, the development of the military industry will become faster for Australasia.

Of course, there are more black soils, which are also very helpful for Australasia's food layout.

Hiring Argentine workers and using Argentina's black soil to grow Australasia's food is a very cost-effective deal.

Argentina is closer to Europe than Australasia. At that time, the food produced by Argentina's black soil can be exported to Europe in large quantities to exchange for sufficient foreign exchange income.

4000 words of update are sent, I wish you all a happy new year!