My Italy

As the capital of Italian Borneo, Pontianak's port is also one of the few large ports in Southeast Asia. It is extremely busy.

Ships carry goods in and out of the port every day, adding to the prosperity of Pontianak.

But today, Pontianak Port looks a little different. Because there are very few ships entering and exiting Pontianak Port today, because today is the day when the Italian task force arrives.

And not only the fleet is arriving, but also the transport fleet carrying all the members of the 1st Guards Division under its protection is also docking. The crowd that greeted them on the pier was a sea of ​​people, and everyone was eagerly looking forward to the arrival of the Italian army. Moreover, there are enthusiastic people who are welcoming the crowd to many unsuspecting people and educating them about the situation of the Guards.

"These Guards are the personal soldiers of the Italian Emperor. Do you know that the Royal Guards are specially sent to stand guard for the Emperor? They are all big and round, and one of them can fight ten."

This is obviously a boast made by someone who doesn't know how to pretend to understand. Of course, there are also people who really understand.

"This Guards is the loyal army of the King of Italy. It is not wrong to regard it as the Praetorian Guards. However, this Guards may be able to fight tough battles, but it is not an embroidered pillow. They have been present in Italy's several wars before. In my opinion Maybe this time I’m just here to beat up the Dutch.”

Well, as soon as the Dutch were mentioned, the crowd immediately became excited.

"It's good to beat up the Dutchman, isn't the Dutchman a thing?"

"It's just that the Dutch are just bandits."

"Dutch……"

Well, not many Chinese in Pontianak say good things about the Dutch. Over the years of colonization, the Dutch have gained a good reputation in Southeast Asia. Of course, this was also guided by the local colonial government. Whenever the Dutch oppressed the Chinese, the Italian colonial government helped publicize it. This caused many Chinese in the Dutch colonies to go to the Italian colonies.

Of course, most of these people came with their wealth. You must know that apart from the colonists, the Chinese are the richest in Nanyang.

This trick is the favorite of former Prime Minister Cairoli. He is afraid of comparison in everything. After comparison, the Chinese will know who is the best.

The current situation is the best explanation. Italy's good reputation over the years has led to its current results.

Of course, as the newly arrived 1st Guards Division, they naturally have to present their good side to the people who greet them. Therefore, each ship of the 1st Guards Division selected the best officers and soldiers (seasickness is inevitable during sea transportation, let alone long distances) to form a capable force, which appeared in front of everyone full of energy and fully armed. .

Looking at the mighty Guards officers and soldiers, the crowd's cheers immediately reached their peak.

Regarding the treatment of the Guards, the accompanying navy officers and soldiers showed envy. Although they drive giant steel ships across the sea, the crowd will focus more on the warships and pay less attention to the naval officers and soldiers. Naturally, it is rare to feel that thousands of people are focused on them.

Lieutenant General Alvaro, as the commander of the task force, also has a deep understanding of the envious looks of his subordinates, but he is not doing it for the cheers of the crowd.

Well, what Vice Admiral Alvaro knows well is watching someone else become the new Lord of the Navy. Yes, Lieutenant General Alvaro was also one of the candidates for the Secretary of the Navy before. He also has a lot of prestige in the Navy, but in the end his performance was not as good as that of Admiral Yagir, so he could only lose the election in the end.

Of course, it wasn't like he couldn't eat without competing for the position of Lord of the Admiralty. After losing, he quickly adjusted his mentality to become the new Lord of the Admiralty. So in return of some sort, or as a gesture, he became the commander of this task force.

Currently, this Italian naval task force has more than 20 battleships, but the core ones are three Turin-class battleships and two Venice-class cruise ships. Even other auxiliary battleships have a speed that is not lower than the maximum speed. Section 17 can be regarded as the essence of the Italian Navy.

Lieutenant General Alvaro has full confidence in the fleet at his feet. With the strength of the fleet, let alone the pile of rags of the Dutch, he is not afraid even if he has a battle with the Indian Ocean Fleet of the British Empire.

Okay, this is a bit exaggerated. If there is a conflict with Britain, his fleet will not be in a good position. Not to mention anything else, the British Empire's naval bases all over the world, as well as hordes of warships, can surround his fleet.

As for the Dutch fleet, if it would have been credible to say that it was all in tatters eight years ago, the Dutch have built several new ships in recent years, the most outstanding of which are two 7,500-ton armored ships; Province number, Netherlands number. This class of battleships was designed in 1886, construction began in 1887, and entered service in 1890.

In line with the past practice of the Dutch, this class of warships is equipped with two 305mm main guns, four 150mm secondary guns, and 12 47mm small guns. It is equipped with a 9,000-horsepower three-expansion steam engine and has a maximum speed of 16.3 knots. .

It can be seen from the firepower that the ship is a small boat carrying a big gun. Although the speed was okay when it was designed, it is no longer good now. In addition, its ability to adapt to the environment is extremely poor.

This is indeed the case. During the sea trial, the two warships swayed severely and became unstable in level 6 wind and waves.

After some improvements, although it is better, there are still problems.

Therefore, these two warships can only be used as coastal defense warships and cannot go to sea at all. Of course, it is also possible that the Dutch thought this way, otherwise how could these two warships be built so cheaply. Two armored ships were built at a cost of only 20 million lire. This price is too cheap. Of course, it is still qualified to use it as an offshore warship to guard a port.

Therefore, it is impossible for it to become an opponent of the Italian fleet. Don't forget that the Netherlands holds an archipelago and has a huge demand for shipping.

The welcome ceremony lasted until noon, after the crowd gradually dispersed, and only then did Lieutenant General Alvaro walk out of the naval base.

Of course, before that, Vice Admiral Alvaro reiterated an order to the fleet that officers and soldiers must pay attention to military discipline. He didn't want the boys to ruin Italy's good name, even after they'd been at sea for so long. As for the army, I believe Major General Pulev will also issue the same order. These Guards attach great importance to honor and will never leave anything embarrassing.

In fact, according to logic, he, the lieutenant general, should appear at the welcome ceremony. The colonial government had invited him before, but Lieutenant General Alvaro refused because he did not want to be too ostentatious.

So he waited until the welcome ceremony was over before he got on the carriage and headed in one direction.

He was going to visit Governor Antonio and ask how the navy and land forces would need to cooperate with him next.

After all, the main purpose of coming here is to stand up for Governor Antonio and make the Dutch sober.

Of course, if the Dutch are really ignorant, then they should educate them, and he is also happy to see results.