The port of Iquique is one of the most important ports on the west coast of South America, and its geographical location is right in the center of the west coast.

By controlling Iquique, you will not only be able to obtain a good Pacific port, but also control eighty percent of the saltpeter and struvite production in the Atacama Desert, and the focus of this war is here.

The moonlight was like a wash on the ground, and the sound of the Pacific Ocean was heard in the distance, and the night in Iquique had gradually quieted down, except for the sounds of people from the fortresses surrounding the city.

"The city doesn't have walls, but seven large fortresses have been built around the city......?

Lying on the sand dunes, Tietoutuo was dressed in dark yellow camouflage clothes, and was observing Iquique's defense up close by moonlight, Chen Yonglu and several Taiping soldiers guarding around him.

"It's not unusual, this is South America, not China, they don't have that much population to build large walls, and Iquique is surrounded by yellow sand and stones, lack of wood and clayey soil, so they can't build civil walls, and they don't have so many ......manpower to build stone walls."

"Don't underestimate these seven masonry forts, the cannons inside are very powerful, they support each other with crossfire, plus the soldiers condescendingly shoot with muskets, the fire is fierce......"

"To the west of Iquique is the sea, and the shore artillery on it controls the docks, and the seven fortresses defend the north, south, and east directions, and the Chileans have attacked once before, but they can't rush through at all, and the city is in front of them, but they can't break through the enemy's fire network......"

"Crossfire?" if we attack from three directions on land, what are we afraid of?" asked Tietoutuo rhetorically.

"Hey...... You still don't know about this place, South America is different from China, it is vast and sparsely populated, there are not so many people to sacrifice, and the army here is not tolerant of hard fighting, to be honest, those natives don't have any concept of a country in their hearts......"

"In the final analysis, this war is still fought by the white bigwigs, the soldiers below are ordinary people, they don't care who the desert belongs to, anyway, the language is the same, that country controls this mining area, and workers from other countries can go to work and make money......"

"It's obviously a regular army, but it's actually a group of mercenaries! If you have a milk and a mother, you can carry a gun if you give money! If you attack from three sides, as you said, you need to mobilize at least 60,000 troops, and you must also have a fleet to respond on the sea, attract the fire of the batteries, and block the enemy's warships......

"Is it possible? Impossible, if Chile can invest 60,000 elites who dare to fight such a bloody battle at once, what else do we want to do? In this campaign against Iquique, our Taiping Army sent 15,000 troops, and Chile sent 30,000 troops, which can already be regarded as an all-conquering army......

45,000 people, even if the army of the country is overwhelmed, Tietoutuo can't calculate this battle, and those veterans who have just come from Southeast Asia are also dumbfounded, recalling that when they were in the Qing Kingdom, a bloody battle of 108,000 people was strangled together, if that spectacular scene was moved here...... Everyone didn't dare to think about it.

Chen Yonglu sighed: "45,000 people, do you think they can all be put into it? The Chilean side has invested two-thirds of the sky, that is, 20,000 people, and we have to leave 5,000 life-saving seeds for our 15,000 people, and there are only 10,000 left on the battlefield...... It's just 30,000 people, and I really don't want to think about it!"

"How many enemies are there?" asked Tietoutuo.

"The seven pillboxes were garrisoned with an average of 2,000 soldiers, a total of 14,000 soldiers, and the dock batteries had 2,000 emergency troops, and the Peruvian garrison of Iquique totaled 16,000 men...... With 16,000 defenders occupying a favorable position, it is difficult for us to eat 30,000 people!"

"Not only that, but according to intelligence, Bolivia is receiving reinforcements of more than 25,000 men from the west, bringing the total number of troops in Iquique to 40,000...... It's a tough battle!"

After observing the terrain of Iquique, Tietoutuo looked at his pocket watch and found that it was already past four o'clock in the morning, so he ordered everyone to retreat and quickly returned to the camp in the south.

For a day, the camp of the Taiping army was full of tense atmosphere of preparing for war, and the brown army was telling the reinforcements about the climate, products, language, and eating habits of this land. Veterans of long journeys jogged in the camp to regain their physical functions, blacksmiths were making more peace knives, and the Chilean army's logistics troops were sending a steady stream of muskets, crossbows, ammunition, bows and arrows, food, and medical supplies.

On this day, Tietoutuo did not leave the big tent, and the other generals were also locked in by him, and they were in a meeting all day. When Cirapizzo walked into the camp in the evening and lifted the tent of the headquarters, a thick puff of smoke pushed him out like a wall.

"Ahem, ahem...... Oh my God, don't choke yourself to death before you even fight, Cuban cigars are good, but they are not this pump!"

Walking into the smoky tent, Silapizo was immediately attracted by a huge object in front of him, he put down the handkerchief that blocked his mouth and nose and rushed over: "Oh my God! What is this? This is what you did? Have you received the most advanced military education?"

In front of Syrapizo is a huge sand table of about four square meters, with the port of Iquique in the center, and the cork carved blocks are placed on it, and all the streets are clearly visible.

Seven forts protect the city, blue velvet represents the waters of the Pacific Ocean, and black painted wooden guns are used on shore defense batteries.

Further away is a patch of yellow sand, hills, mountains...... Oases and desert towns dot the golden green, and a small Bolivian flag is planted.

"General, these small Bolivian flags represent Bolivian reinforcements, and the Peruvian garrison here in Iquique has been clearly marked...... Now I need you to mark the naval information as well!"

Tietoutuo grabbed a handful of small wooden warships and stuffed them into Sirapizo's hands.

Silapizo was very shocked, and he once again raised his expectations for these Chinese, especially when he saw that on the desk in the corner of the room, a roll of military maps was spread out, and the contour lines on it were very finely drawn.

"Can I see your map?" said Cirapizo.

"Yes...... This is what we have done from the original map, and we have found about 12 errors, and the previous map even left out three desert towns, which we have already marked!"

"You ...... Are you so proficient in mathematics and geometry? God, is the level of education in China so high?" Sirapizzo was like a lightning strike, and in the Chilean army only officers at the company level could master mathematics, and geometry, a high subject, could only be mastered by officers at the battalion level and above.

Now these Chinese are able to draw military maps by hand, which has completely subverted his previous concept.

"Your Excellency, now should not be the time to talk about these topics, we now need you to show us the balance of power between our enemy and our navy, and our war games have reached the most critical moment......

"What? Do you still know how to play war games? Don't you need to hit people like this!"