Reborn as King of South America

Chapter 97 Peace Talks
After a day of fierce fighting, Adolf left his defensive position on the city wall, escorted by a team of soldiers.

In front of a tall Western-style house in the center of Sucre, Adolfo's butler stood at the gate to welcome his master back.

"Sir, Mr. Frias has something important to discuss with you. He is waiting for you in the hall now."

"Well, I understand!" Adolfo dismounted, handed the reins to the servant who came forward, and ordered: "The guards have fought with me all day today and have made great contributions. Go and ask the kitchen to prepare wine and food and treat them well."

"Okay, sir." The butler bowed and responded, then arranged for more than fifty soldiers behind him to enter the yard.

"Frias, what do you want from me so late at night?"

Melgarejo's attack was repelled and Sucre was out of the most dangerous situation, so Adolfo didn't understand what had happened to bring Frias to his house so late at night.

"Is there another rebellion in the city?" Adolfo looked at Frias, who looked happy, and denied his guess.

"Adolfo, it's good news, Melgarejo is ready to surrender!" Frias stood up and said excitedly.

"Melgarejo is willing to surrender? Could it be a false surrender?" Adolfo said in disbelief.

"No, it's true. Melgarejo sent his brother Balivian to negotiate with us. Balivian is in my house now."

Frias was worried that Adolfo might be suspicious, so he added, "In order to show his sincerity in the peace talks, Melgarejo ordered his troops to retreat ten miles away. Adolfo, you can send someone out of the city to check and confirm whether Melgarejo's troops have really retreated."

Melgarejo was greedy and violent, and there was a deep conflict between the two. Adolfo certainly didn't believe that Melgarejo would surrender.
"Although Melgarejo's siege was unsuccessful, his troops suffered little loss. I think his sending Balivian to negotiate was just a cover. His real purpose was to relax our vigilance and then attack the city with one swoop."

"Haha, Adolfo, you are worrying too much. Melgarejo had no choice but to negotiate with us. The Chinese reinforcements arrived less than 50 miles outside the city. Melgarejo's troops are facing attacks from both our army and the Chinese. If they don't surrender, they will die."

Balivian was eager to reach peace terms with Sucre and had no intention of cheating. When he visited Frias, he was able to get the news of the arrival of Chinese reinforcements in a short time. Therefore, Frias believed Melgarejo's sincerity in the peace talks and rushed to Adolfo's house overnight.

According to the agreement between the two parties, the Chinese reinforcements will arrive in Sucre by tomorrow afternoon at the latest. Now that Melgarejo has taken the initiative to seek peace, it is only possible if the Chinese reinforcements arrive ahead of schedule.

The news that the Chinese reinforcements had arrived early could not be false. As long as Adolfo sent Chinese messengers from Sucre out of the city to contact the Chinese reinforcements, it would be easy to verify the authenticity of the news. Adolfo judged that Melgarejo would not be foolish enough to use this news to deceive himself.

"Oh, no wonder Melgarejo couldn't sit still, it turns out that the Chinese Independence Army has blocked his retreat."

Adolfo gloated, confirming the fact that Melgarejo had to negotiate.

"Melgarejo is doomed to fail. The next thing to consider is how to deal with Melgarejo and his 5,000 elite soldiers."

Frias looked at Adolfo and said.

"Five thousand soldiers are indeed a problem." Adolfo frowned. The five thousand soldiers under Adolfo are the most elite troops in Bolivia. If he can recruit these five thousand soldiers, the situation in Bolivia will be much more stable. However, these five thousand soldiers are the last bargaining chip of Melgarejo, and he will not give them up easily.

"Let's talk about Melgarejo's peace terms first." Having not come up with a suitable way to swallow up 5,000 soldiers, Adolfo stopped thinking and directly asked about the conditions proposed by Melgarejo.

"Melgarejo voluntarily resigned from the presidency and was willing to hand over half of his property and land in Sucre to the national treasury. In return, he hoped to obtain the post of military governor of La Paz and lead 5,000 soldiers to be stationed in La Paz."

"Melgarejo is still dreaming of staying in Bolivia to do whatever he wants. I think he is just daydreaming!"

Adolfo laughed in anger.

"Melgarejo has been doing evil things in the country. It's impossible to keep him in La Paz as the military and political chief. But we also have to prevent him from risking his life and fighting us head-on. After all, the 5,000 soldiers under his command are also Bolivian troops. A head-on fight between the two sides will not benefit anyone," Frias analyzed.

"I understand what you mean. Bolivia is not strong enough, and Chile, Argentina and Brazil are watching covetously. If we and Melgarejo both lose, the situation in Bolivia will become very dangerous. I will not risk the country's demise and fight to the death with Melgarejo."

Adolfo said in a depressed mood.

Adolfo would not hesitate in the decisive battle on the battlefield, but his current identity is not only a general, he is also the de facto supreme controller of Bolivia. Every decision he makes now may bring different consequences to Bolivia. Therefore, although he wants to catch Melgarejo and shoot him, reason tells him not to do so.

He is also responsible for the security of the entire country.

"Frías, you are responsible for the negotiations, but you have to have a bottom line for the outcome of the negotiations. That is, Melgarejo and his brother Balivian must leave Bolivia. Half of his property in Sucre can be returned to him, and all his land will be taken back and distributed uniformly by the state."

Melgarejo implemented a policy of purchasing Indian land, which allowed him to acquire a huge amount of land. Once these lands were nationalized, they could temporarily solve Bolivia's financial difficulties. This was one of the reasons why Adolfo insisted on driving Melgarejo out of Bolivia.

Without his vast tract of land, Melgarejo could only be a wealthy recluse abroad and could no longer exert influence on domestic politics and the military.

"I will arrange the negotiations, but you need to communicate with the Chinese Independence Army in person. After all, they are still our allies. Negotiating with Melgarejo behind their backs will affect the cooperation between the two parties."

"The Chinese Independence Army is a huge threat to us if they stay in Bolivia. After solving the problem of Melgarejo, it is better to send them away as soon as possible."

When talking about the Chinese Independence Army, Adolf expressed his concern.

"The Chinese Independence Army poses little threat to us. The key is to reach an agreement on peace terms with Melgarejo as soon as possible to prevent any unexpected incidents."

Frias advised.

(End of this chapter)