Chapter 593: Bravery and Fighting in Italy
Now I can only use this sentence to comfort myself. Sheffield vaguely remembered that France, as a land power, had some problems in naval construction, and the Courbet-class battleship was not a successful battleship.
But there is no choice. To be honest, it is good to have it. At least it can play a huge deterrent role when used against tribal armed forces in the Middle East. It is definitely alien black technology.
"I'll ask my mother to discuss this with the French side and see if we can reduce the cost." Anne was silent for a moment before speaking again, "We have to fight for this kind of thing, don't we?"
"No, time is more important than cost. Money earned must be spent." Sheffield rejected his wife's good intention. Starting work early is much more important than saving any cost. What time is it now? Hurry up and bring the battleship over to protect William Pasha's territory. This is more important than anything else.
Earning money must be spent, this is what the slave owner wanted to say to his wife. The two Courbet-class battleships were only part of the overall plan, the other part was the establishment of the great city of Kuwait.
Now that Kuwait has fallen into their hands, Sheffield must not allow any accidents to happen. As we all know, the Ottoman Empire is in the Allied camp, and the British Empire is the boss of the Allied Powers. Sooner or later, the two sides will have to fight it out. Therefore, it is very important to prevent Kuwait from being involved in the war.
Kuwait's existing infrastructure is not sufficient to protect itself, so it needs to be updated, and updating costs money.
"Contact the Grand Vizier and ask if he wants railway guns. If so, place an order with the United Company. Don't worry, as a member of the Ottoman Empire, I will only charge the cost price and will never make a dollar more. But the Grand Vizier must order more, including for Kuwait. Now, in order to cope with the impact of immigrants on the border, the production line of 280mm railway guns is still open. If it's too small, 340mm is also acceptable. Who is in power in the capital now?"
"Enver Pasha, a member of the Young Turks," Anne added to her husband's words. "He is a key figure in German power and once served as a military attaché in Germany. I think your suggestion will be accepted because there are rumors in Paris that Italy may want to seize the Ottoman Empire's territories in North Africa."
"Oh!" Sheffield suddenly remembered that there was indeed such a thing in history, the Italo-Turkish War!
But, Italy! The touchstone of European imperialist powers, those stronger than Italy are the powers, and those weaker than Italy are ordinary countries. As for Italy's strength, it can't scare the level of the Qing Dynasty. The name of pauper imperialism is well-deserved. If all European powers were this kind of stuff, the world would be much more peaceful.
After the Sino-Japanese War, Italy claimed to be one of the six major European countries and sent a note to the Qing government, demanding the same privileges as the other five European countries: Britain, France, Russia, Austria and Germany. However, although the Qing government had just experienced the defeat in the Sino-Japanese War, it clearly knew that Italy was only strong on the outside but weak on the inside, so it directly rejected the unreasonable demands of the Italian government.
Italy followed the example of European powers in playing gunboat diplomacy, sending three warships to wander outside Sanmen Bay in an attempt to intimidate the Qing government. However, this time the Qing government was not intimidated, and the Beiyang Fleet directly sent the entire fleet, including the Haiqi and Haitian, southward, posing as if it was ready for a decisive battle with the Italian navy, but failed to find the Italian fleet.
The matter ends here. Is Italy considered a great power? If it is considered a great power, it is obviously inferior to the members of the other two camps. If it is not considered a great power, it is much stronger than countries like Spain, which has also signed a military alliance.
Sheffield remembered that during the Italo-Turkish War, Italy had gathered five times more troops, far more weapons and logistics than the Ottoman army, and had a geographical advantage. The Ottoman Empire's territories in North Africa had actually become an enclave. Egypt, which was controlled by Britain in the east, was cut off from the Ottoman territory, and the west had been divided by France.
On the contrary, Italy's Sicily is very close to North Africa, and it is very difficult for the Ottomans to provide support. Even with five times the number of troops and the use of aircraft and airships, Italy fought for a whole year before defeating the Ottoman defenders who were destined to have no support. In fact, Italy only controlled the coastal areas.
"Paris is indeed a spy center!" Sheffield joked. Any prediction that has not been verified by facts can actually be considered fake news. Real estate businessmen understand this best.
After a moment of silence, Sheffield suddenly sat up straight. At that moment, William Pasha's heart was filled with the glory of the Ottoman Empire. He said, "My dear, tell the young party members that Italy will definitely take action. So, now that twelve railway guns have been manufactured, dismantle half of them and ship them over immediately. The production line will continue to manufacture them."
"You're going to spend money recklessly again. What does this have to do with you?" Annie said with some dissatisfaction, "A place with nothing but sand, why are you so concerned about it?"
"Never predict what's under the ground, dear. With the current situation of the Ottoman enclaves in North Africa, it's impossible to win without even an advantage in military strength. But as for the Italians, it doesn't matter if we fight them. If people from other civilizations were as smart as me and specifically targeted countries like Italy and Spain, the internal conflicts in many countries would definitely be eased. Unfortunately, for many countries, the only ones who can come all the way to show off their power are countries like Britain and France, which are truly able to accumulate confidence. Countries like Spain and Italy will not come, and if they do, they will run away immediately."
"If the Italo-Turkish war breaks out, it will be a very rare example." Sheffield said with a smile, looking forward to this war. This kind of example is too rare.
If the Italo-Turkish War had been fought without interference, the slave owners even thought that the Ottoman Empire would win. But there is nothing fair in this world. The fact is that the Ottoman North African territory has been divided into an enclave.
"Can you let your mother work in the political circle to see if France can swallow up this land before Italy, or if the French army can move in to reap the benefits after Italy defeats the Ottoman Empire?" As the world war drew closer, Sheffield became more and more excited.
"That's difficult, isn't it?" Annie replied, frowning. "It might cost a lot of money."
"Don't mention money to your man. Your man has already prepared 50 million to build a city in Kuwait. Don't you French have a long tradition of alliance with the Ottoman Empire? What's there to be afraid of if you stab Italy in the back? I don't think the Italian army would dare to do anything to the French." Sheffield kept on chattering and inciting. Anyway, the world war would break out sooner or later, and it didn't matter if there was a slight difference now, as it would not delay the development of the overall situation.
The question now is whether the royalists in France, or their descendants, still have the ability to propose bills after so many years. The slave owner has never hated the republican system so much. If France was still an empire, he could easily find the favorite of the French king and spend a million to decide on the matter of backstabbing Italy.
However, the shortcomings of the republican system are fully exposed in this matter. First study and then discuss. The efficiency is definitely not high. Italy does not have the aura of the German feud, so there is no way to make the French government respond quickly.
Italy's national strength is not weak, nor is it strong! The French may not be willing to muddy the waters, which is why Anne feels unsure.
"William, if you really want to make an effort, I will book a boat ticket back to Paris right away." Anne heard that her husband was so concerned about this matter, and made up her mind, "Just in time to finish the matter of the two battleships. I will go to New Orleans tomorrow!"
When Sheffield heard this, he had no choice but to agree. He quickly asked a chef to increase the nutrition of the food. His wife was going back to France soon, so she would definitely have to travel a lot in the next few days.
It was impossible for a slave owner, a citizen of the United States, to exert political influence on the French from thousands of miles away. Fortunately, his wife was French, a royalist, and aristocrat, and her husband had a small fortune on the American continent. At least it was enough for her to use her connections at will.
"When it's time to speak to the old man, don't be polite. I tell you, the camera in his hand must have many secrets. It's a waste not to use it." Sheffield avoided the question and said seriously, "I am the Pasha of the Ottoman Empire, and you are a French nobleman. This is beneficial to the interests of both my husband and me. Instead of letting the Italians take away the Ottoman enclave, it's better to give it directly to the French. At least they won't feel suffocated."
"Honey, don't change the subject." Anne unbuttoned her shirt one by one, and the burden on her chest finally broke free from the restraints and bounced out. After a few seconds, the skirt slipped down her smooth long legs. Anne, who had unbuttoned her long hair, ordered, "Carry me up. Your efforts will determine the outcome of this time."
This might be life! When Sheffield was pressed down, he suddenly remembered this sentence.
White people are so wild. Sometimes Sheffield likes the feeling of Sato and her daughter. Although it lacks a little sense of power, at least his calves don't cramp.
Anne's purpose of returning to France was what Sheffield said, to see if she could make the French think that they could stab the Italians in the back. The slave owners did not particularly hate the Italians, and the existence of such a country would give other civilizations some confidence. Maybe after being stabbed in the back, the Italians would not jump around and stay in the Allied countries honestly, at least on paper, to balance the power comparison between the two major groups.
(End of this chapter)
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