facundo's relations with his family eventually broke down, and, taking on the life of a "gaucho", he joined the "caudillos" in the province of entre ríos. his killing of two royalist prisoners after a jailbreak saw him acclaimed as a hero among the "gauchos", and on relocating to la rioja, facundo was appointed to a leadership position in the llanos militia. he built his reputation and won his comrades' respect through his fierce battlefield performances, but hated and tried to destroy those who differed from him by being civilized and well-educated.