The Rise of Australasia

However, this was a good thing for Chile, as their goal was only to defend and they had no intention of counterattacking.

For the Chilean side, their most important task was to hold their territory before British support arrived and to protect the British mining interests in Chile.

But for Argentina, a stalemate in the war was the last thing they wanted to see.

Once the war entered the attrition phase, it would not only consume a large amount of Argentina's domestic resources, but most importantly, it would waste Argentina's time.

If the battle couldn't be resolved quickly, would the Americans send troops to help Argentina?

Perhaps they would if the opponent were Italy. But the opponent was the British Empire, the world's first superpower, and even the German Empire wouldn't offend them easily, let alone the United States, which was generally despised by Europeans as nouveau riche.

Frankly speaking, the war had already become too much for both of the two major South American nations to handle. If it weren't for the strong conviction on both sides to win, they might have already reached the stage of seeking peace.

In order to win the war, Argentina spared no expense and purchased a large number of heavy machine guns and firearms from the United States in an effort to break through Chile's defenses as quickly as possible.

On July 29, 1913, as July was drawing to a close, the third offensive and defensive battle between Argentina and Chile officially began.

This time Argentina went all out, sending an additional 10,000 reserve troops to the frontlines, as well as providing a large number of machine guns, artillery, and weaponry ammunition, along with medical supplies.

Currently, Argentina's equipment on the frontline had surpassed Chile's, which showed just how huge the price Argentina had paid for the war.

These weapons, equipment, and strategic supplies alone put the Argentinian government deep in debt.

If they could not repay this debt with war reparations, Argentina's development could be severely limited for more than ten years in the future.

After all, this debt was owed to the Americans, and it was virtually impossible to default on their debts in the Americas.

The third offensive and defensive battle lasted for more than half a day and eventually ended in a major defeat for Chile due to the negligence of their commander.

This battle also shifted the balance of attack and defense between Chile and Argentina, transforming the war from an initial balance to Argentina having a certain advantage.

The casualties on both sides were telling. In this battle, Argentina deployed more than 50,000 troops, suffering 3,024 deaths and 12,058 injuries.

On the Chilean side, there were also more than 40,000 combat troops, with 5,021 deaths and 14,231 injuries.

In addition to the higher number of casualties in Chile compared to Argentina, the negligence of the Chilean commander led to the loss of a solid defensive position for the Chilean army, who were forced to retreat more than ten kilometers.

This meant that the Argentine army had officially expanded more than ten kilometers forward, and the fighting area had already reached Chilean territory.

This situation was very urgent for Chile and forced them to seek help from the British Empire once again.

On August 2, 1913, after mutual communication between the Four Great Powers of the Allies, they announced their intervention in the war between Chile and Argentina and pledged to form an expeditionary army to help Chile defend their territory.

The intervention of the Four Great Powers in the war between two small countries instantly made the South American war a hot topic worldwide. People were curious about what kind of magic this region possessed that could attract the four Great Powers to send troops.

In fact, if it weren't for the well-hidden United States behind the scenes, the public would know that the South American war involved not only the Four Great Powers, but also the United States in the Americas, making it a total of Five Great Powers.

If it weren't for Germany's obsession with developing its navy and its lack of interest in getting involved in this conflict, perhaps not only the Allied nations would be attracted to South America, but also the Central Powers.

It had been half a month since the last telegram from the British Empire was sent to Arthur.

During this half-month, the Four Great Powers of the Allies had initially negotiated the number of troops they would send.

According to the agreement among the Allies, the proportions of troops to be sent by the Four Great Powers were: 20,000 from Britain, 25,000 from France, 30,000 from Russia, and 16,000 from Australasia.

The total personnel of the Four Great Powers exceeded 90,000, and with the powerful navy providing escort, as well as the remaining tens of thousands of Chilean troops, there was no doubt that they could resolve the small South American war.

Aside from ending the South American war and protecting Britain's interests in South America, this war also served as an important means for the Four Great Powers of the Allies to showcase their respective military strengths.

Therefore, according to their respective agreements, the expeditionary forces of the four countries would send their elite troops, and the combat capabilities of the expeditionary forces must be guaranteed.

While Arthur was not sure about other countries, the troops Australasia planned to send were the Fourth Regular Division, which had undergone long-term training.

The Regular Division was the military unit with the most luxurious weapons and the most outstanding training in Australasia, apart from the Guard Division.

Although the Fourth Division was the last to be established, it had been training for several years.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, it was necessary for the soldiers of the Fourth Division to gain some experience and witness some bloodshed.

After all, an elite force can only be formed after experiencing numerous battles, both large and small.

A force based solely on training cannot grow into an elite army. Only soldiers who have seen blood and been on the battlefield can become excellent elite soldiers.

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