My Italy

Today, many people gathered in a large shipyard at the Venice Naval Shipyard. These people came to participate in a ceremony, the groundbreaking ceremony of the Milan-class first ship, the Milan.

Speaking of which, the Milan-class battle cruiser also had a bumpy road. Construction was originally supposed to start in March last year, but who caused the Messina earthquake to suddenly break out in Italy? The earthquake caused more than 100,000 casualties and caused direct economic losses of 5 billion lire.

Such huge losses require the Italian government to prioritize disaster relief, and the military's funding can only be reduced again and again.

But now it's better. After taking a breath, the Italian Navy can finally find the funds to start construction of the Milan-class battle cruiser.

To be honest, the Navy has mixed feelings about this Milan-class battle cruiser, because its construction cost is not low at all.

The current Milan-class battle cruiser has undergone some minor changes compared to the previous one, mainly in the firing director and radio. In addition, in order to solve possible air defense problems, 18 40mm anti-aircraft guns have been added. This anti-aircraft gun is also a masterpiece of Italian military industry. In order to deal with possible attacks by enemy airships, the Italian military developed this anti-aircraft gun. This 40mm L/50 anti-aircraft gun has a maximum firing height of 85 degrees, a muzzle velocity of 714 meters, a maximum firing height of 4500 meters, and fires 60 rounds per minute.

Although this data does not look good, in this era, it is enough as an anti-aircraft weapon. After all, the fastest plane in the sky can only reach a speed of 200 kilometers per hour, while the huge airship is even slower.

However, no matter how it is modified, the first keel of the Milan will be laid here today, which represents the beginning of a new generation of battle cruisers. Of course, as the Navy's first major event in 1910, it was natural to hold a groundbreaking ceremony.

Therefore, Admiral Yagier, the head of the Navy, visited the shipyard and personally laid the first keel of the Milan under the witness of everyone.

When Admiral Yagir laid down the first keel, the audience burst into warm applause. The navy is applauding the start of building large warships again, while the shipyards are applauding the new large order. Although their purposes are different, they are all applauding the Milan that is being built in front of them.

Then the shipyard very thoughtfully brought champagne, and then the dock turned into a cocktail party. A group of middle and senior management of the shipyard and the navy mingled with each other, promoting emotional exchanges with each other.

This is normal. For a shipyard, if it wants to get orders from the Navy, it must have a good relationship with it. Those who think that they only need to have excellent skills are gods who live in ivory towers and do not eat the fireworks of the world.

In this kind of mingling occasion, there is also a focal point, and Admiral Yagir, Minister of the Navy, is this focal point.

"Your Excellency, Admiral, I heard that the Navy wants to resume the construction of the fourth Cavour-class ship?"

As the most well-informed person in the shipyard, General Manager Horn stood next to the admiral and asked cautiously.

"Why, your shipyard still wants to build the Andrea Doria?"

Although the admiral did not say it explicitly, the implication of his words was that it was confirmed that the Cavour IV ship would be built. Of course, the admiral's tone was not very good, and he was obviously expressing some dissatisfaction with testing himself.

Horn, as the general manager of the shipyard, could not hear the dissatisfaction of the minister, but for the sake of the local interests of the shipyard, he had to go ahead.

"Yes, Your Excellency, our shipyard is currently the strongest in Italy, and we are very confident that we can successfully complete the construction of the fourth ship, the Andrea Doria."

In response to General Manager Horn's assurance, Yagier did not answer, but raised his glass. The meaning is already very clear, and I don’t want to talk about it now.

Since the Lord of the Navy didn't need to talk, what could the others say? They could only raise their glasses and drink together.

In fact, the Navy has not yet made up its mind about Cavour's No. 4 ship. It has been decided that it will be built, and there is quite an attitude of getting started as soon as possible while the funds are sufficient. However, the Navy has not yet made up its mind on who to give the order to.

Being undecided is simply a matter of differing opinions.

Some people in the Navy Department believe that naval orders cannot be patronized by their own shipyard. Although the Venice Naval Shipyard is strong, it cannot rely on this shipyard to solve the navy's orders. Since several strong shipyards are needed, the Navy cannot show favoritism in order allocation, which is not conducive to the Navy's shipbuilding plan.

Another group of people objected. They believed that there was nothing wrong with naval orders giving priority to their own shipyards. Not to mention that the Navy's own shipyard is strong and can assist the Navy in completing its shipbuilding work. Of course, several other shipyards and naval orders can also be allocated, but they need to meet the premise of satisfying their own shipyards.

The problem now is that the two groups have their own opinions, and no one is convinced by the other. It is difficult for him, the Minister of the Navy, to make a direct decision. That's why he pretended not to hear General Manager Horn's inquiry.

Of course, others did not dare to mention the admiral's pretense of silence and could only continue to socialize.

In fact, the groundbreaking ceremony of the Milan was not long, it only took one hour to complete. However, the subsequent cocktail party took a long time and lasted until the evening.

However, Admiral Yagir did not stay long, he stayed for a while and then left. He was also in a hurry to return to Rome to deal with many affairs of the Admiralty, so he could not stay away for long.

Early the next morning, Admiral Yagir appeared in the Admiralty Building in high spirits.

"Hello, General!"

"Hello, General!"

"Hello, Minister!"

"..."

Amid warm greetings, Admiral Yagir came to his office.

"Blanc, what's your priority today?"

As soon as he entered the office, he asked his secretary. If you want to be the secretary of the Lord of the Navy, you must meet a requirement: before Admiral Yagir arrives every morning, the documents that need to be processed by him should be arranged in order of importance and urgency for his convenience.

"Your Excellency, the top document has priority."

When I came to the desk, there was indeed a stack of coded documents on the table.

Admiral Yagir sat on the chair and immediately reached out to pick up a document on the top. When he saw the title, he immediately knew why the secretary put it on the top.

The title is very simple, discussing the tactical role of battle cruisers and their cooperation with the main fleet.

Regarding this title, Admiral Yagir ignored it and looked at the author column, where the names of Leifer and Gomes were clearly written.

Admiral Yagir read carefully what these two men had written. This document is not thick, about 8,000 words. If you read it quickly, it will be finished in a few minutes. But Admiral Yagir is different. He read it for a full hour and a half. After he finished reading, he raised the document in his hand. Instructed the secretary.

"Let them both come to me."