The Rise of the Empire

"The British are really cunning. As early as after they sent us information about possible civil strife in Turkey, I felt that there was a conspiracy in it, and now it seems that it is so." King Umberto I of Italy looked at it After the information just sent by the British ambassador to Italy, he said with a long sigh. It is difficult to be a king in this era, it is even more difficult to be the king of a great power, and it is even more difficult to be the king of a weak power! If you are the king of a small country, you can find a reliable boss and make a confession with peace of mind. As long as it allows you to rule without worry. But if it is a relatively weak power, it will not be so easy. A country that can be called a great power always has some strength. However, this strength is not enough to be self-reliant. It is always necessary to swing around some big countries directly in order to obtain benefits. Unlike the top-down and vigorous dynastic wars when Germany rose, the rise of Italy is completely dependent on the power of the big countries. Only when the conflict between the two sides can be successful can they be successful. For example, join forces with the French against Austria-Hungary. Now, although Italy is unified, it is still a weak country among the European powers. Before the end of the Spanish-American War, Italy's status in the world may not be higher than that of Spain! Italy is very dishonest. Not long ago, when Germany and Portugal clashed, official Italian public opinion temporarily sided with Portugal. Of course, under the persuasion of the German fleet to visit Italy and Prince Ruprecht, Italy Officials no longer comment on this matter, but deep down, Italy is still dissatisfied with Germany's performance. Umberto has never thought of being loyal to a certain national group. What he is thinking about now is how to ensure the maximum benefit of Italy while standing on the side of the winner. As a national leader, this is understandable. Now, they are Assess the consequences if Italy takes action against Turkey. "The land on the other side of us is not fertile. The area of ​​more than 1.5 million square kilometers suitable for arable land does not exceed 3%. The mineral resources are not very rich, not to mention the infrastructure is very backward. If we want to mine, I am afraid that we will have to invest Quite a lot of money." "However, I have to say that this place is also the best colony for Italy! Although it is barren, it still has a certain amount of iron ore, manganese ore, copper ore, and bauxite. And these things They are all not available in the local area. If we can occupy there, then we can save a lot of money every year. Although some investment is required at the beginning, we can achieve a balance of payments in at most 5 years. This is for our country's sluggish economy Very helpful." "At the same time, we can also use practical actions to prove the strength of Italy in order to counter the Germans' contempt for us." After weighing it, the Italian Prime Minister hoped that the King would accept the British proposal. "But not long ago, the Germans visited Turkey. They signed a cooperation agreement with Turkey in a relatively friendly atmosphere. If we do so, we will definitely cause dissatisfaction and even revenge from the Germans!" The foreign minister still remembered the prince's visit Aggressive momentum in Italy. "Because the Germans are not happy, so we don't do it? Italy is a partner of Germany, not a vassal. In terms of diplomacy, we have more leeway than Austria-Hungary, which can only rely on Germany, and we can still Choose Britain and France." "I have always believed that the Triple Alliance Treaty has no effect on Italy now. We signed this treaty to deal with Britain and France. Now, the French are firmly suppressed by Germany, and Britain is also We are busy with the Boer War, and we are secretly fighting against Germany. In this case, we have no foreign aggression, so naturally we don’t need this treaty.” The Italian Prime Minister said without giving an inch. "Even I think it would be better for Italy to break away from this treaty!" "We have already signed in the treaty. Regarding the special clauses of Britain, we will not fight against Britain for the sake of Germany and Austria. Although it is no longer possible for France to make peace with the we are hostile,

But in the whole system, Austria-Hungary will not take action against us, what will happen to Austria-Hungary if we withdraw? The Foreign Minister paused and continued. "Russia is now busy in the Far East, and the Balkans are also on the defensive." The Habsburg royal family remarried with the Bavarian royal family, and the relationship between Germany and Austria became closer. If we withdraw from the Triple Alliance at this time, the Austro-Hungarian Empire is likely to take action with the support of the Germans, and France will certainly not fight against Germany and Austria for Italy. As for the British? If they had spare energy, they would have done it by themselves, and we still need to intervene? ""Look at the performance of the British in South Africa. I don't think they performed better than the Spaniards in Cuba. They lost tens of thousands of people against a guerrilla-like indigenous armed force!" Hehe, can you take the guarantee given by such a country seriously? "The Foreign Minister's words were full of sarcasm. "Listen, Germany will not give up on us. Compared with us, Turkey is simply too backward, and it is not worth supporting at all!" And we are in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea. We are on that side, the Mediterranean belongs to that side! Italy and Austria-Hungary can suppress France, and if we join forces with France, Austria-Hungary can be suppressed. Any sensible politician knows who to choose! "The Italian Prime Minister said a little angrily. "If we take action, how long can we take Libya?" At this time, Umberto I, who had been silent all this time, suddenly asked. "Under normal circumstances, it may waste some time, but if Turkey launches a coup, we can easily take it down." "The Italian Minister of War thought for a while and said. "Tell me your reasons, I don't want the Italian Legion to become a laughing stock again!" "Umberto instinctively distrusted Italy's military strength. After all, in 1896, Italy was just beaten up by the Ethiopians in a place called Adua! This battle was fierce. Italy The legion has 17,700 people, facing the 100,000 troops of the Ethiopian legion, although many of them have weapons and equipment that can be called the product of the Middle Ages, but after all, the number is more than 5 times more! In the end, the heroic and fearless Italian legion ended with death 7,000 people, 4,500 people were captured in exchange for 4,000 to 6,000 casualties, and 8,000 people were injured. If you look at the casualty ratio, Italy has a slight advantage. (This paragraph is from the Internet, the data is doubtful.)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div \u003e