Chapter 623: Depressed Italy

Just before the end of the Russo-Japanese War, far on the other side of the earth, another war has also ended. The two protagonists of this war are the Kingdom of Italy, which Bismarck considers to have more than enough energy, and the old age. It is known as the Ottoman Turk Empire of the patient on the sickbed in Europe.

"This war is like a battle between a frail young man and an old man. The young man is full of confidence in himself, and he uses his hand like a dead branch to take a worn-out war knife and try to **** the old man. Legacy, but he ignored his own weakness. Although the opponent is not far from a pile of dead bones, he still dragged the opponent tightly, let alone a giant standing behind the old man." Churchill once commented on this. The Italian-Turkish war.

  If we simply talk about the scale and impact of the war, this war that broke out earlier cannot be compared with the Russo-Japanese War in the Far East. Some people even suspect that how much **** the two sides can make this war last for 2 years! In the dilapidated cities and towns of Libya, in the vast deserts, in the exotic oasis, the Italian and Turkish armies continue to fight. Well, it’s not accurate to describe it as a fight. The fighting between the two sides is more like harassment and Anti-harassment. The scale is small, the battle is not intense, but the number of fights is very large.

  The Italians took advantage of the navy, and the British subsequently restricted access to Libya from Egypt. This makes the supply of Turkish and German forces in Libya increasingly problematic. But at the same time, Italy was also exhausted by the 200,000 troops stationed in North Africa. The number of deaths as high as 15,000 is certainly terrifying, but what is even more terrifying is the daily supplies and money consumed by the lonely overseas army! The consumption of as much as 2 million pounds a month scares this country that is not so rich! This is almost equivalent to burning the funds for a dreadnought ship every month! Even so, the Italian control area has not been pushed past 200 kilometers from the coastline...

"This kind of country has absolutely no value in buying off, nothing at all! Fighting a turbulent Turkey can be dragged into this. I want to know if Italy and the Austro-Hungarian Empire go to war in the north, can Italy block the offensive of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. !" In a letter to the British Army, General Xiafei's contempt for the Italian army was overblown.

The attitude of the British is also gradually changing. If before, the British were still interested in the geographical advantages of the Italians in the Mediterranean and the old but large fleet, then the British should now consider this one. How valuable is the fleet! The size of the Italian fleet is indeed reasonable. It is seventh in the world. At that time, the British thought so. If Italy was on the side of the Allies, then the Mediterranean Allied fleet would be Italy plus France. The Austro-Hungarian Navy on the opposite side of the regulator. And now? The British felt that even without Italy, France would still stabilize the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and even Churchill believed that even if Italy was on the side of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, France would still be enough to deal with Italy and Austria-Hungary.

  It is reasonable to say that no one would think that there are fewer allies in the war, but in fact, Britain and France must consider the cost of pulling allies. First of all, although the Italians are scumbags, they also have to play fees! Historically, the French gave Italy some territorial benefits. And allow Italy to take a share of the Austro-Hungarian Empire after the victory.

  In addition to territorial aspects, Britain and France must also consider the issue of who will come out of Italy’s imported materials and grain if Italy enters the war. If you simply talk about natural resource endowments, Italy is the worst among the major European countries. Not only is it not self-sufficient in food, but even basic coal and iron are not good enough! Italy’s foreign exchange is very limited. Once a war starts, Britain and France may have to transfuse blood for Italy... French self-sufficiency can only guarantee enough food, coal mines are okay, iron ore is not enough, and the British are more dependent on foreign countries. If the burden of Italy is carried on, then the supply of materials from the Allies may be even more tense.

  If Russia is the object that Britain and France must fight for, and Italy was the object of cooperation that Britain and France tried to fight for before the outbreak of the Italian-Turkish War, then after the Italian-Turkish War, Italy became an indifferent object. According to the French, if they want to buy over this not very powerful country, they must first give Italy 150 million francs to fill the deficit in the treasury, and then Italy may have the idea of ​​expanding its military and preparing for war. If it is expanded to a level recognized by Britain and France, the French believe that the cost will not be less than 1 billion francs! And this cost is obviously too high, it is better to support the Russians!

However, the prolonged war of attrition is also a bit unbearable for Turkey, a poor and weak country. Although the resistance in Libya is dominated by local Arab tribes and a small number of Turkish government troops, they are also nomadic cavalry, and consume less than the regular Italian army. Many, but the wealth of Turkey is not as good as that of Italy. Even with the support of Germany, it is somewhat overwhelming. What's more, Italy occupied a large number of Turkish islands through naval superiority and used these islands as a threat.

  Finally, under the mediation of Germany and Austria, the two sides began peace talks. In the end, both sides took a step back. Italy withdrew from most parts of Libya, but retained some economic privileges and the right to station an army of no more than 3,000 troops in Tripoli~www.wuxiaspot.com~ and returned to the islands in the Mediterranean. Turkey half. Although Turkey was a little uncomfortable with this result, it could only accept it in the end. What was not available on the battlefield was naturally not easily available at the negotiation table. Recovering half of the islands and preserving most of Libya’s sovereignty is considered a good ending, while the Kingdom of Italy has retained the most basic face. It has been fighting for nearly 2 years, and it cannot be said to have gained nothing. According to the Italian Prime Minister, they at least Hit a nail in Libya....

"After this war, Italy is probably going to be honest for a few years. Their originally impoverished treasury has reached the brink of exhaustion. Otherwise, after the emergence of the Dreadnought, Italy, which claims to be the hegemon of the Mediterranean, will definitely follow. But. At least for the next three years, they will not be able to start work. The Italian army is even more vulnerable." In a meeting, Prince Leopold made no secret of his contempt for Italy.

"Well, the issue of Italy is not very important to us. The Russo-Japanese War has been accepted, and the Boer War has already come to an end. The Allied Powers system composed of Britain, France and Russia has taken shape, and the final battle is about to come. I also realized that if I want to go to Berlin, would you still go?" Ruprecht asked.

   "No, go by yourself. After all, it is you, not me, who represents Bavaria. I am relieved that you go," Prince Leopold said.

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