Chapter 811 Playing with Fire
Andre has a profound skill in judging others. He only talks about Britain and strikes hard against Italy.
The reason for criticizing Britain is that the Royal Navy still has strength.
What is in the Kingdom of Italy?
Did the Italian army’s poor performance make the Russian army laugh to death?
If Russia wants to attack Italy, it does not need the help of other military districts. The Balkans Military District is enough.
Vasili rushed to Adrianople after the conflict between Yugoslavia and Italy broke out, and took the initiative to ask Polis if he needed help.
This fully proves the deep feelings between Russia and the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.
In order to get help from the Grand Duchy of Yuriev, Theo took the initiative to open up resources to the Grand Duchy of Yuriev. Gordon almost didn't dance for Alexander, and his attitude was as good as it could be.
The fighting just started in Yugoslavia, and Vasily, the dignified commander of the military district, showed no restraint at all and came over just because he smelled it. It was really degrading.
Polis was calm and did not want to escalate the conflict.
The conflict between the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and Italy is not irreconcilable. As long as Italy admits its mistakes and no longer thinks about the mess, Polis has no intention of dragging all Yugoslavs into it. war.
The past few years have not been easy for Polis.
Yugoslavia is a multi-ethnic country, and the domestic situation is more complicated than that of Russia. More than 67% of the land has just been annexed in the past ten years. Most people do not have a high degree of identification with the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, and Slavs are the main body. Ethnic groups account for less than 50% of the total population.
Fortunately, the original power structure of these newly added territories in Yugoslavia has been completely broken, which leaves enough space for Polis to control the situation according to his own will. These newly added areas undergo transformation.
After 10 years of hard work, the construction of Yugoslavia has begun to bear fruit. Polis does not want to interrupt the development momentum of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia because of the war.
"No, no, no, you are wrong. Your country is in urgent need of a foreign war to enhance the cohesion and centripetal force of the people."
Vasily bluntly said that war is not necessarily a bad thing. , especially a once-in-a-lifetime opponent like the Kingdom of Italy.
Although the Kingdom of Italy is not strong, it is very famous. No matter what, it is also a permanent member of the League of Nations.
During the World War, the 12 battles of the Isonzo River between Italy and the Austro-Hungarian Empire caused heavy casualties to the Slovenians and Croats. Although the Italians were deeply worried about it, the Slovenians and Croats were also unforgettable.
If Yugoslavia can defeat Italy with a hearty victory, it will prompt Slovenes and Croats to have a strong recognition of the identity of "Yugoslavs".
Polis was surprised, the war could still be fought like this?
“Economic development is important, but national self-confidence is equally important. The Kingdom of Yugoslavia does not have a glorious history, nor does it have strong military strength. Why should Yugoslavs be proud of their identity?”
Wa Xili lives up to his surname and has a profound understanding of war.
Since the benefits are so great, let’s fight.
Like Polis, Mussolini was not ready to declare war on the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. Regardless of Lorenzo's jumping up and down in the League of Nations, Italy was actively contacting France, hoping that France would mediate and end the conflict in a decent way.
Mussolini had good intentions, but unfortunately he picked the wrong person.
France is Italy's biggest competitor in the Mediterranean, so the French are eager for Italy to be unlucky, so how can they help.
The French were also weak. Although they made up their minds not to help, they did not directly reject the Italians and leave enough hope for the Italians, so Italy missed the best opportunity to end the conflict.
On February 21st, the well-prepared Yugoslav army launched a fierce attack on the unprepared Italy, and invaded Italy in one fell swoop. While 4,000 enemies were wiped out, as many as 120,000 were captured.
This——
It has been 10 years since the World War, and the Italians still have not made any progress at all!
The news reached the League of Nations. Before Lorenzo could decide how to admit defeat, Edward stepped in to mediate the conflict between Italy and the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.
It won’t work without mediation. If Italy is completely defeated, it means that most of the Mediterranean will be within Russia’s sphere of influence. This is unacceptable to Britain.
If Britain lends a helping hand, it can bring Italy into the British camp, which will be beneficial to both Britain and Italy.
Negotiation is not out of the question, and compensation for land cession must not be less.
Lorenzo has a bottom line, he can pay compensation, but the land must not be cut.
"If you don't accept it, then keep fighting! Fight until one side completely admits defeat!"
Andre shouted crazily, Russia hasn't come to an end yet, you can't do what you want, that's it?
Lorenzo’s face was as red as a purple eggplant and he couldn’t say a word.
As long as the Italian army performed better and did not lose so miserably, Lorenzo would not be so embarrassed.
Not all of Italy’s 300,000 army troops are deployed in Italy. The North African colonies have not completely surrendered yet. Southern Somalia also needs troops. Italy is now unprecedentedly empty. If the Yugoslav army continues to move south, Italy is in danger of annihilation .
Kostic accepted the offer and demanded that Italy cede the Isonzo River Basin to the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and compensate the Kingdom of Yugoslavia with gold equivalent to 150 million rubles as food expenses for the 120,000 captives.
And after redefining the national border, the Kingdom of Italy is not allowed to station troops within 50 kilometers of the border.
Lorenzo dared not agree to any of them. That's what negotiation is like. If there is a high price, there will be repayment on the ground. As long as the conditions are set, it is a good start.
The key to the negotiations still lies with Russia.
On March 17, Mussolini visited Russia and had a cordial and friendly exchange with Felix.
"Italy agreed to open the port of Catania to us and allowed us to send management personnel to Catania in the name of exchange. It also signed a procurement contract with us worth 100 million rubles."
Felix is very happy, Russia has gained a lot this time.
George also didn't expect that Mussolini would make such a big concession.
This is definitely not the Mussolini that George is familiar with.
"There is only one problem left now. I have to find where there are weapons and ammunition that are about to expire——"
Felix was so proud that anyone else would never have achieved such a good result. .
George can also understand, after all, there is no shame in losing to Russia.
As long as we don't lose to Yugoslavia.
The hidden danger of doing so is to completely push the Kingdom of Italy to Britain.
The wisest thing for Russia is to give the Italians a step so that Italy can admit defeat in a relatively dignified way.
Although the current result is most beneficial to Russia, it also deepens Italy's hatred of Russia. In the long run, the gains outweigh the losses.
But you can’t blame Felix.
People like Italy are just like the idle bastards in the village. They don't do anything serious, but they worry about their neighbors all the time. We should hit such people hard to let them know who can be messed with. No one should be messed with.
As for Britain.
If Britain's allies are all like Italy, then George does not need to worry about Britain at all.
What George really values is the United States.
The alliance between Germany and Russia has not affected the enthusiasm of American capital to invest in Germany. After the New Year, investment from the United States poured into Germany at an even crazier rate, providing a stronger impetus for the development of the German economy.
On the surface, Germany's economy is getting better and better, surpassing the United Kingdom and France and becoming Europe's second largest economy again.
The German people have not been able to share the dividends of rapid economic development. The gap between the rich and the poor in the country is getting wider and wider, and people's lives are still very difficult.
George reminded Old Karl to pay attention to domestic conflicts.
“We are working hard to let the people understand the true face of the Hebrews——”
Old Karl diverted the trouble to the east and wanted to use the power of the people to bury the Hebrews as a group.
The power of the Hebrews in Germany is too great. To completely eradicate this cancer, all Germans must be mobilized. It is difficult for the Junker aristocracy alone to eradicate it.
The Hebrews are infamous all over the world. They have been wandering for thousands of years and have not disappeared. Their tenacity is evident, comparable to the Gypsies.
Hebrews exist widely in all walks of life in Germany and are deeply rooted. If they take direct action like Russia, it will have a huge impact on German society, and the Weimar government does not dare to take risks.
“Proper guidance, be careful if the fire burns too brightly.”
George is worried that old Carl will burn himself by playing with fire.
Mobilizing the people is a double-edged sword. The Russian Empire is a lesson learned from the past. If you are not careful, the entire empire will be buried.
What Karl Lao did is right, the key is whether he can retract and release freely.
"If Russia cannot provide industrial products to Germany at lower prices, we can only import them from the United States."
Old Karl does not want to dwell on this issue.
“Increase imports from the United States!”
George took the initiative to backfire. The more exports to Germany, the more American capitalists will invest in expanding productivity.
Old Carl was curious and didn’t understand why George gave up the German market of 60 million people to the United States.
For Australia, which has a population of 5.5 million, Russia does not hesitate to fall out directly with the United Kingdom.
Isn’t Germany, a country with 60 million people, worthy of Russia’s attention?
George is also playing with fire.
(End of this chapter)