My Italian

Chapter 480: French attitude

Remember [New] for a second,! The passage of the shipbuilding plan is a great event for the Italian Navy.

However, it will take some time to see the new battleship launched. At least the drawings of the new battleship need to be prepared, or else the shipyard workers will use what to build the ship. So it will take time for the Navy to get new warships.

Of course, Italy's sudden shipbuilding plan was also taken aback by other European countries.

In Germany, Kaiser Wilhelm II negotiated with his trusted ministers the implications for Germany of the Italian shipbuilding program.

"Your Majesty, Italy's shipbuilding plan is absolutely a good thing for our country. At least they can help us share the maritime pressure from Britain and France. Maybe it is possible for us to achieve a balance of power at sea."

Marshal Tirpitz, the Secretary of the Navy, was the first to express his views. In fact, his views also represent most of the current German politicians' views on Italian shipbuilding. After all, Italy is an allied country. Given the lack of its own navy, the allied country's shipbuilding is beneficial to itself.

"However, will this provoke a strong reaction from the United Kingdom? In addition, the attitude of our other ally, the Austrians, also needs attention." At this time, someone raised a different opinion.

Faced with this, no one else needed to speak, and Tirpitz could answer by himself. "Our shipbuilding plan, the British reacted so strongly that they didn't build it? As for Austria-Hungary's response to Italian shipbuilding, what's so surprising? Austria-Hungary has the upper hand, so there's nothing to worry about."

Well, this is not rude, it is very reasonable. Tirpitz's speech drew praise from others.

"Marshal Tirpitz is right. Italian shipbuilding is very beneficial to our country. It can not only contain the naval power of Britain and France, but also deepen its hostile relationship with Britain and France. We should applaud. After all, we Our allies are very ambitious in the Mediterranean, and we should support their demands.”

The speaker was His Excellency Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs von Bilo. The successor of Bismarck had a lot of experience in diplomacy, and suggested that the purpose of Italian shipbuilding must be for the interests of the Mediterranean. The prime minister with diplomatic background has accurate vision, and he can see the real core interests of Italy at a glance.

"Then let me send a telegram, a telegram to my friend Carlo. At least I and Carlo must have the same attitude towards the French."

Rarely, the German emperor said a witty remark, and all the important officials present laughed happily.

Unlike Germany's happy face, the French government, as Italy's neighbor and competitor, has some headaches for Italy's sudden start of shipbuilding.

Yep, it's a headache. How could the French government not know about the tension between Italy and France over the years. Moreover, they also know the reason why Italy is dissatisfied with themselves. It has seized Tunisia and the competition for the interests of the Mediterranean, which has led to poor relations between the two countries. And now Italy is preparing to massively expand its navy, so the French government must be careful.

Currently in power in France is the Combes cabinet, the prime minister who studied theology, and one of the best things he has done so far is the separation of church and state (it always feels so familiar).

"Everyone, Germany is currently building its own fleet, and Italy is now starting to build its own fleet. Our navy must be expanded, otherwise the consequences will be very serious."

The one who spoke was the Minister of the Navy, Pilate. At present, the French Navy is facing the pressure from the German and Italian navies to build ships, which makes the French Navy feel like a needle. Therefore, as soon as the cabinet meeting opened, Pilaten made a pre-emptive speech.

However, his intention was not realized, and the Finance Minister Rouvier immediately said, "We are all aware of the difficulties faced by the navy, but our country's finances are not optimistic at present. It is a bit awkward to want to expand the navy on a large scale like Germany and Italy. Reality."

This Rouvier is a senior figure in French politics. He has served as Minister of Finance for several cabinets and also served as Prime Minister. He is very good at balancing the budget. He is a pivotal figure in the cabinet, so his words made others very Pay attention to.

"Can't we think of a way? If our navy keeps up, we will be at a dangerous disadvantage in the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea."

"But the issue of fiscal revenue and expenditure also needs to be considered. At present, in addition to normal expenditures, our country is also under pressure on land, and we also need to consider our allies. Financially, there is really no extra funds for the navy to build ships."

Rouviere is not unreasonable, he will analyze the expenditure of the Ministry of Finance to the Navy. Faced with Rubier's analysis, Pilaten was not reconciled.

"I also admit the financial difficulties, but the problems facing our navy are even bigger. Isn't national defense and security important? Our navy not only needs to safeguard the interests of the Republic, but also needs to protect the maritime security of the homeland and colonies. The pressure on the sea is too great."

The words of the navy minister made it difficult for other members of the cabinet to speak, who made France want to avenge the humiliation of Versailles. The lost Lorraine and Alsace are the most important coal and iron bases in France.

Look at the tragic situation of neighboring Italy. In order to develop its heavy industry, the world is looking for coal and iron mines. It is good for them to find coal and iron mines in Kosovo and Libya, but the safety of the long transportation routes is not discussed. This directly leads to The Italian steel industry can only rely on the protection of tariff barriers and can only develop domestically.

Therefore, the issue of the navy made it difficult for everyone present to answer. But at this time, someone spoke instead. Valley cage

"Actually, I think it's a little difficult for our country to counteract the navies of Germany and Italy alone. Under the current circumstances, our country cannot take care of both the navy and the army, and can only choose one to be the guarantee."

The speaker was Foreign Minister Del Casser, whose words immediately aroused Pilaten's dissatisfaction. Because if you can only protect one, there is no saying that the government must protect the army. After all, for France, the land is more important than the sea.

"Isn't maritime safety important?"

In the face of the complaints of the Minister of the Navy, I saw Del Casser said. "Maritime safety is of course important, but under the circumstance that only one party's safety can be guaranteed, our country can only choose land. And the issue of maritime safety is not without solutions."

Foreign Minister Del Casser's words attracted everyone's attention. After all, in this case, they wanted to see what good solution this guy came up with.

Facing the eyes of everyone, Del Casser said immediately. "Everyone, at present our country's safety at sea can actually be solved by forming an alliance."

Speaking of this, Del Casser immediately said the name of a country. "I think an alliance with the UK can completely solve the problem of our country's maritime security."

Del Casser's words were like a meteorite smashing into the water, immediately setting off a huge wave.

"What, you actually believe the British."

"I absolutely hate to see the backs of our country be handed over to the British."

"If the British can trust it, then I think the whole world can be trusted."

In the face of the passionate opposition, Foreign Minister Del Casey could still feel everyone's dissatisfaction with the British, even if he was well-prepared in his heart.

There is no way that there are too many topics between Britain and France. From the Hundred Years War to the recent Franco-Prussian War, the role of the British in it is not honorable at all. And now the two countries are still fighting over the sphere of influence in Africa, I am afraid that it is not foolish to talk about an alliance.

This is still at the government level. If you ask a Frenchman which country is the most annoying, the British are always at the top of the list. It was only in the past few years that the Germans took the lead. Now it is proposed to form an alliance with the British, I am afraid that the government is too stable.

After everyone had denounced the British, Foreign Minister Del Casey continued. "I admit that you have all the problems you mentioned. Including me, I have no good feelings for the British. But we are politicians, and we cannot be influenced by our feelings, and the interests between countries are more important. At present, my country and the United Kingdom The benefits of forming an alliance are huge. First of all, we can gain a powerful ally, and I won’t say much about its naval strength, everyone knows it.”

Although the people present were not too fond of the British, their naval strength was trustworthy.

Seeing everyone's thoughtful expressions, Del Casser continued to hit the railroad in the heat. "In addition, I think there is no doubt about whether the UK can be trusted or not. At present, the colonies that can be divided up in the world have been divided up, and the British colonies are ranked first, and our country ranks second. The German William Didn't the emperor say that to obtain land under the sun for Germany, this will inevitably conflict with the United Kingdom. Coupled with its aggressive construction of the navy, it is enough to make the British see it as a thorn in the eye. As long as our country is a little closer, I believe that the United Kingdom People must know who their friends are."

Although Del Case's words are heartwarming, some people still point out the biggest diplomatic dilemma at present. "But now the British are besieging our ally Russia, how can we reconcile the relationship between the two countries?"

That's right, the current bad relationship between Russia and the United Kingdom is a problem before the French government~www.wuxiaspot.com~ If this problem is not solved, there will be no way to bring the two countries together.

For the poor diplomatic relations between Britain and Russia, Del Casey also has his own solutions. "This is very simple. Russia's expansion in the East is not in the interests of our country, and we can do nothing to deal with it. After Russia has hit a snag in the Far East, our country will help, and then the irascible polar bear will be able to calm down. When the time comes, my country will be the center of the deal, and I believe that both countries will be able to seriously consider it. After all, the interests in the Far East are nowhere near as high as those in Europe. I think as long as we take some interests in the Balkans, the Russians will be able to flock to them.”

Yes, Delcasser also knows the temperament of the Russians. Greed is a weakness that can be exploited. As long as they let go of the Balkans, where they are most concerned, the Russians will turn their eyes from the East to the West.

"But be careful, what if the Russians break out of the Black Sea?"

"This question is completely unfounded. When the time comes to defeat Germany and retake Alsace and Lorraine, we will have another Crimean war. Besides, the British and Italy are probably more worried about this than us."

Delcasser's wonderful speech made everyone present nodded in approval, and Prime Minister Kombu, who presided over the meeting, immediately opened his mouth. "Then do as Lord Del Casser said. Let's first release some goodwill to the British and see if London has an answer."

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