 Saavedra presented a draft plan to President Manuel Montt to advance Chilean territory to the south of La Frontera (consisting of the Bio Bio River), a plan that was rejected.After the incident involving the Frenchman Orélie-Antoine de Tounens, self-proclaimed King of the Araucania and Patagonia declaring the territories of his "kingdom" under the protection of France, President José Joaquín Pérez Mascayano decided to occupy the area immediately approving Saavedra's plan for the occupation of the Araucanía during its first phase..He led campaigns culminating in the submission of the Mapuche.