Chapter 304 The Combat Power of the Italians

"Father, how is our negotiation with the Italians going? When will the Italians fulfill their covenant and participate in the war?" Qin Tian asked.

The war broke out for more than a month, but the Italians had no intention of participating in the war at all, and remained neutral. In fact, Qin Tian knew very well that the Italians were looking for a price, and they wanted to get the best of both worlds between the Allied Powers and the Allied Powers.

Although Qin Tian knew that in another time and space, the Italians finally chose to betray the Allies and join the Allies to fight. However, Qin Tian didn't know whether the Italians would make the same choice in this time and space. After all, in this time and space, the Allies gained a greater advantage in the war. Among other things, the German navy alone caused heavy losses to the British navy in naval battles. This advantage is enough for the Italians to think about it.

Qin Tian naturally didn't have a good impression of the Italian kingdom at both ends of the snake and mouse. He even wished that Italy would join the Allies. Although Italy is also one of the great powers, they rank low among the great powers in terms of industrial strength and military strength. Their military strength is even worse. Whether it is the invasion of Ethiopia or the war with the Ottoman Turkish Empire, it can be clearly seen how incompetent the Italian army is. Therefore, Qin Tian was not worried that the Kingdom of Italy would join the Allies. If the Italians really dare to do that, after Germany wins the war, they can just take this opportunity to solve Italy, remove it from the powers, and become a second-rate country.

The European continent in the future will be dominated by Germany. Qin Tian does not want to share Europe's hegemony with other countries, not even his own allies.

Speaking of the Kingdom of Italy, William II's face became even more ugly. Before the war broke out, Qin Tian had reminded Wilhelm II and the German cabinet to be careful of the Italians. Although, both William II and the German cabinet expressed that they would pay attention to the Italians. But in fact, they were not too worried. Germany and the Kingdom of Italy, after all, have been allied for many years.

However, what everyone did not expect was that after the outbreak of the war, the Italians really dared to stand still and refused to fulfill their obligations under the treaty. The choice of the Italians undoubtedly annoyed William II and the German cabinet very much. However, due to the tense situation, they did not dare to persecute the Italians too much, for fear of forcing the Italians to join the camp of the Allied Powers.

"The Italians still haven't made a clear statement. They obviously want to get greater benefits." William II said.

Qin Tian nodded: "The Italians have always been like this. They can break any promises for their own benefit. From the very beginning, the empire cannot trust the Italians."

"It's too late to say anything now, Falkenhain, once the Italians join the Allied Powers to fight, can our allies resist their attack?" William II asked.

Originally, Germany also counted on Italy to fulfill the treaty and declare war on the Allies. If Italy can send a large army to cross the Alps and attack southern France, it will definitely win when the main force of the French army is dragged by the German army in northern France. At that time, under the attack of Germany and Italy, France may be defeated soon. However, now because of the attitude of the Italians, this strategy seems to be in vain again.

Qin Tian had no illusions about the Italians from the beginning to the end. Especially the combat effectiveness of the Italian Army, which is notorious for pitting teammates. In World War II in another time and space, the Italians saw that Germany was about to defeat France, and they couldn't wait to send troops to attack southern France, wanting to grab a big piece of fat. As a result, the meat was not eaten, but was severely beaten by the French and suffered heavy losses. The French, who were beaten all over the place by the Germans, successfully defeated the Italians, who had an absolute superiority in troops, in southern France with inferior troops. It can be seen how bad the Italians' combat effectiveness is.

"Your Majesty, if Italy joins the Allied Powers, the Austro-Hungarian Empire will have to draw troops from the front to guard against the Italians. Otherwise, once the Italians invade the Austro-Hungarian Empire from the south, it will bring great harm to the Austro-Hungarian Empire. A huge loss." Von Falkenhain said.

"Your Excellency Chief of Staff, there is no need to worry too much about the Italians. Even if they betray the alliance and join the Allied Powers, it is no big deal. The border between the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Kingdom of Italy is mostly mountainous. The Austro-Hungarian Empire only needs a small number of troops , we will be able to hold the line of defense. When necessary, we can send two or three infantry divisions into the Austro-Hungarian Empire to assist them in fighting. I guarantee that it will be absolutely impossible for the Italians to break through our line of defense." Qin Tian A look of confidence.

Both Wilhelm II and von Falkenhain couldn't help but frowned. Of course they could tell that Qin Tian was very contemptuous of the Italians' fighting power. However, Italy is also one of the great powers! Weapons and equipment are considered relatively advanced in the world. Even if their combat effectiveness is not as good as that of Germany, it is not too far behind.

"Oscar, do you look down on the combat effectiveness of the Italian army?" William II asked.

"Yes, Father. I think the combat effectiveness of the Italian army is so bad that it can even be described as garbage. Look at when they invaded Ethiopia and their war with the Ottoman Turkish Empire a few years ago. We can clearly see this. Therefore, we don’t need to worry too much about the Italians,” Qin Tian said.

Both William II and von Falkenhain couldn't help but nodded. Indeed, the previous performance of the Kingdom of Italy was really not in line with their status as one of the great powers.

"Of course, Father. If the Italians can fulfill the covenant and fight against the Allied Powers, it will be more or less beneficial to us. For example, the combination of the Italian Navy and the Austro-Hungarian Navy is enough to suppress the main force. The British Mediterranean Fleet returning home. In that case, we can cut off the British route in the Mediterranean. At the same time, we can also transport the oil from Cyrenaica back to Germany." Qin Tian said.

After the war broke out, the crude oil reserves in Germany were being consumed rapidly and urgently needed to be replenished.

"Okay, I will ask the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to contact the Italians again. This time, our attitude will be tougher." William II said.