Mediterranean hegemon

Italy, here I come Chapter 55: Do something big (1)

Although Hermann Goering had never run a business, he was still keenly aware of Contini's problem - burning money! He believed that there were only two results if he continued to burn money like this. First, the young master would have to stop this practice, actively shrink or even transfer; second, the young master's capital chain would collapse completely and it would be difficult to continue.

However, although he thought it was unwise, he did not mean to dissuade him. It was not that he was reluctant to see Contini jump into the fire pit, but he was very clear about the other party's attitude - he didn't think about making money at all, but just wanted to operate the strength. Is there a way that is more cost-free than this? Yes, such as the revolutionary plan currently planned by the National Socialist Party. In essence, the two are actually the same kind of people. As for why Goering had this idea, in addition to the "Second Air Force" that surprised him, what shocked him even more was the "Roman Warrior" military club.

There were a lot of guns in it. They were not the old-fashioned weapons of various brands. They were all standard army weapons used by the German army in the last war - GP-18 submachine guns, Mauser pistols, etc. Except for the lack of the iconic long-handled grenades and machine guns, they were basically German standard army units. But did Contini lack machine guns? He had more than 200 fighter planes that had not been dismantled of weapons. He could get machine guns by dismantling a few of them at random. Although there were brands from various countries, it was undeniable that they were genuine machine guns.

Weapons alone were not enough. Goering also met the soldiers in the club - even if they were called bodyguards, guards or instructors, although there were only 24 people at present, but from the perspective of a former ace pilot, they were all elite infantrymen, and their eliteness was not inferior to the best German troops he had ever seen, except that they were a little older.

When these people jumped down from the parachute tower one by one and completed their training goals without changing their expressions, he knew that he was right. This young man had a higher goal to pursue. To be precise, the description of him as a young man was already biased, because Contini also jumped down from the parachute tower with equipment, and his posture was very standard. Even if he was placed in the pilot team, he couldn't find any big faults.

He finally had a further understanding of Contini's ambition, but he didn't say it out loud. Who doesn't want to have ambition? The National Socialist Party, Adolf Hitler and his ambitions were also very big. I'm afraid Contini would not know it, and of course there was no need to say it for the time being. What he didn't know was that Contini had a clear insight into their ambitions, so he wanted to show his strength to Goering so that the relationship and mentality could be equal. As for others, they probably thought he was satisfied with quarreling with people like Matteotti.

On February 1, Goering returned to Germany with a check and a cowhide envelope, and was picked up by Hitler as soon as he left the train station.

"How is it?"

"Successful!" Goering couldn't hide his smile, "He funded us a lot of dollars, and we can get it in a few days."

As he spoke, he raised his whole hand and flipped it quickly: "Not 10,000 or 30,000, but a full 100,000!"

"So much?" Hitler was also stunned for a moment, but he knew what 100,000 US dollars meant: before the Mark crisis broke out, 500 US dollars was equivalent to a German engineer's salary for one year's work. After the crisis broke out, 500 US dollars was at least equivalent to one and a half years of income. 100,000 US dollars meant the annual salary of more than 3,000 engineers, which was a huge amount of money.

Although the National Socialist Party currently has more than 20,000 members, 100,000 US dollars is only about 4 US dollars per person, but the problem is that most party members still have income. There are only about 20 backbones who are completely off-duty and need to rely on the party to bear their income. With this money in hand, they can do a big job.

"That's not all. He said he would help us again in a few months. Now he has a lot of business, so he may have difficulty in funding."

"You mean, the next $100,000 will be more than that?" Hitler's eyes were shining with unusual brightness.

"I think so. At least it will be the same, and..." Goering handed over another cowhide envelope, and deliberately opened it to let the other party see the colorful bills inside. "He gave me all the cash he could take out of the safe, saying it was a personal gift for you and me."

"Really our good friend and comrade..." Hitler nodded, "Hermann, keep it. You've worked hard this time!"

"That's not good. You should keep it."

"Leave it with you! I'm sure you can take care of the money. If there is any special need, I will trouble you." Hitler seemed to be in a good mood. "During the time you were away, we developed more than 2,000 Party members, newspaper circulation has also increased significantly. I feel that the people are increasingly supporting us, and I have more confidence in the revolution. The more chaotic the current situation is, the more beneficial it will be for us in the future. "

"Chief, Italy has another request and hopes we can help."

"What request?"

"He wants to find a group of pilots and mechanics to work in Italy."

"It's not a difficult task. You have a lot of friends in the army, so just introduce them."

"But I think this is a very good opportunity and it will be very helpful to the party's cause..." Goering told him everything he saw and heard at the United Air Force Base.

"It seems that we know too little about Mr. Ciano's ambitions. He doesn't seem as simple as he seems."

"You are absolutely right. He has an elite army and a military club with 3-4 companies of complete equipment." Goering said his idea, "If our comrades meet the requirements, can we do it?"

Hitler shook his head slowly: "Not for the time being, it will make him misunderstand that we want to interfere with his strength. His career has just started, which will cause unnecessary misunderstandings. But since he has made a request, you must introduce personnel with high technical level and good obedience to Italy. If you can't complete 200 units, you must at least complete one-third or one-quarter. Otherwise, how can we have the face to ask for money next time?"

"I understand, leader."

Hitler patted his shoulder: "This line is becoming more and more important. You must keep it secret. Don't take out the funds all at once. We must have control! We still have to do a lot next time!"

What is control Goering is very clear: At present, the National Socialist Party is not a party that Hitler has the final say. Having sufficient funds is undoubtedly a very necessary and critical factor in gaining the right to speak.

While the two were planning to do something big, Contini was also thinking about what to do next, but first he had to face a more difficult problem: deficit.

Antonio, who was responsible for coordinating all the businesses of the United Group, handed him the financial report, and said in a serious tone: "Master, judging from the financial data, we are in big trouble..."

Looking at the long list of expenditures and investments on the report, Contini also felt a little confused.

The report showed that the total expenditure of all industries under Contini's name in 1922 was 780,000 liras - this was mainly the loss of the Youth Daily newspaper and the initial investment of United Motorcycle. The technical expenses of 50,000 US dollars and the expenses paid to other companies were amortized annually over 5 years in finance, otherwise this number would have expanded several times.

But the expenditure of 780,000 liras was simply a small number in 1923. In January of this year, the expenditure directly exceeded 2 million liras, and more than half a month after February, the expenditure had exceeded 1.5 million liras. It would be very good to stop at 3 million by the end of the month.

In comparison, Contini's income was pitifully small. He earned 140,000 liras from aviation training, and more than 10,000 liras from selling unwanted scraps and dismantled waste materials. The biggest income came from the newspaper - thanks to the circulation of more than 10,000 copies and the corresponding advertising income, the income barely exceeded 400,000 liras.

"Master, if this trend continues, we may record a loss of more than 40 million liras by the end of this year, which is not a small amount..."

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