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Chapter 1016 Return to the Mediterranean (Part 2)

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    In the pouring rain, a JU-101 twin-engine transport aircraft painted by the German Imperial Air Force arrived at Malpensa Airport outside Milan.  Compared with the special plane used by the Hohenzollern royal family, the transport plane in front of you neither incorporated new aviation technology nor was it spray-painted with the domineering Black Hawk logo, but it still made the Italian government, which was deeply in turmoil, go to great lengths to organize a welcoming ceremony.  , Count Capri, who had recently taken over as Italian Prime Minister, and a group of officials lined up to wait.  The moment he walked out of the cabin, German Ernst von Weizs?cker showed a meaningful smile.  This middle-aged man, who comes from a diplomatic family and has been assigned as diplomatic ambassador to more than ten countries, is now the chairman of the Security Council of the League of Nations. His choice to come to Italy on a Luftwaffe plane seems to be not only for safety reasons.  consideration.  Walking down the gangway, von Weizs?cker shook hands with Count Capri with a relieved look: "Long time no see, my friend! My family often asks, when will you come to visit?" Facing this old acquaintance,  Count Capri, who is nearly sixty years old, managed to squeeze out a smile: "Ah, I have been so busy in recent years. I am so sorry! I am so sorry! Once I find time, I will definitely go and visit!" Feng  - Weizs?cker pretended to be very happy: "Then it's a deal." Next, Count Capri introduced him one by one to the military and political officials who came to pick him up.  These big shots, who were usually arrogant, were now like frosted eggplants. One by one, they were distracted. Occasionally, some of them had normal expressions, but they were just trying to keep their spirits up.  Of course, Von Weizs?cker knew very well that Italy was currently experiencing internal and external troubles and was in a precarious situation. Not only were people everywhere revolting, but the army was also on the verge of losing control. The royal regime was already precarious.  At this time, the help from the League of Nations, even if it is just a righteous support, is as valuable as the rain after a long drought.  After the brief welcoming ceremony, the Germans were not in a hurry to meet His Majesty King Emanuele III of Italy and His Royal Highness Umberto. Instead, they met in the lounge of the airport with the guests headed by Count Capri.  Military and political officials held an informal meeting.  Von Weizs?cker told the Italians that the armistice agreement signed between the three new Austrian and Italian countries was legal and valid. Although the League of Nations Security Council recommended that the new United Kingdom and Austria-Hungary be partially exempted from the war in the Kingdom of Italy on the grounds of political unrest in Italy.  compensation, but the recommendations were only recommendations, and if the new United Kingdom and Austria-Hungary did not accept the recommendations, it would be impossible for the League of Nations Security Council to impose any form of restraint or punishment on them.  Having said the bad news that deeply disappointed the Italians, von Weizsacker changed the subject and said that no European country wanted to see a civil war in Italy due to the so-called revolution, just as the people in the room did not want to see it.  It was as if a furnace in the house had overheated and exploded.  In recent days, he has been non-stop visiting heads of major powers such as the Emperor of Germany, the Emperor of Austria-Hungary, the King of the New United Kingdom, and the President of France, actively seeking their understanding and support, and achieving breakthrough progress.  As soon as he heard this, all the Italians present, even the attendants serving tea and water, looked like a drowning man grasping at straws, and focused their attention on von Weizs?cker.  Von Weizs?cker then said in a gentle tone: "Both the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the new United Kingdom agreed to withdraw their troops from Italian territory and trusteeships, provided that they could obtain some form of guarantee to ensure that the Italian government complied with the armistice.  "The agreement will pay war reparations." Italian officials looked at each other. If they could provide guarantees, would they still need to allow the coalition forces to re-enter Italy?  Von Weizsacker continued unhurriedly: "I consulted the German Emperor and the French President, but they both said they could not guarantee Italy. When I left Paris, I was deeply depressed.  I felt that the great ideal of maintaining world peace had suffered an unprecedented blow. The moment the plane took off, I suddenly thought, since no single country can guarantee Italy, what about in the name of the League of Nations? ¡± Von Weizs?cker?  After a pause: "Why can't we guarantee Italy in the name of the League of Nations? As long as it can quell public complaints and resolve this crisis of chaos, why not?" Everyone hesitated for a moment, and then stood up and applauded collectively for the sudden inspiration of the Chairman of the League of Nations Security Council.  We applaud now, and we applaud Italy¡¯s turnaround again.  Von Weizs?cker waved his hand, indicating to everyone to listen to him and continue speaking.  "I have arranged to convene an emergency meeting of the Security Council, but before the meeting is held, I must obtain a clear opinion from the Italian government: Do you accept the guarantee from the League of Nations, or do you not accept it." Count Capri thought for a moment: "What do we have?  "What's the reason for refusal?" "Of course there is a reason," von Weizs?cker replied, "After all, the League of Nations is not a country. All funds come from membership fees and donations, and they are used for specific purposes., if the Italian government is unable to perform the contract for some reason, it is impossible for the League of Nations to advance compensation on its behalf.  If we guarantee the Italian government in the name of the League of Nations or the League of Nations Security Council, then we also need to obtain some form of pledge from the Italian government, such as territory and trusteeship.  ¡± Count Capri¡¯s eyes suddenly widened: ¡°Your Excellency, do you mean that the League of Nations peacekeeping forces will replace the Austrian and Patriotic troops and continue to take over and occupy the five cities in northern Italy and Malta?  " Von Weizs?cker looked at the Italian Prime Minister calmly, neither confirming nor denying. "Everyone here is a big boss who has been in the military and political circles for many years. If you think about it, you will understand the deal.  In essence, there is no free lunch in the world. To be precise, since it became an independent sovereign country in modern times, Italy has often given the world the impression of conquering territories and exploiting both sides.  In 1885, they sent troops to East Africa and occupied Massawa, which started a history of colonial wars in East Africa that lasted for decades, and plundered nearly one million square kilometers of vast land (although they were invaded several times by African indigenous armies during this period)  Violent defeat); launched a war against the Ottoman Turks in 1911 and established a North African colony with an area of ??more than one million square kilometers (although the battle losses on the battlefield were horrific); in 1915, after the Allies achieved a decisive victory over the Entente, saw  After the war, he obtained French North Africa and French Somaliland by virtue of his status as a war country, and expanded his sphere of influence to Egypt and the Middle East (although he was severely beaten by the remnants of the French army at the Italian-French border at the end of the war);  In 1933, when the Allies were about to win the Battle of the Azores, they joined the war group again. This bet won Italy Malta and Cyprus, two strategically important strongholds (although the Italian Navy lost power in the latter part of the Battle of the Azores).  Many ships were lost almost needlessly) In addition to directly launching or joining the war, the Italians were also good at selling arms during the war. In 1914, they sold arms to Britain and Tsarist Russia, and the profits they earned in half a year were equivalent to the government's three-month profit.  In 1932, they produced guns and ammunition for the Germans, and the net profit they gained in one year allowed the government to have no worries for ten years; in 1938, they sold half of the air force to Japan, and used the funds and materials in exchange to build a group of cutting-edge  The ships consolidated their maritime strategic advantage over the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Spain and France in the Mediterranean; in the 1940s, they competed with the Austro-Hungarian Empire to provide military technology to Japan. Many new weapons were handed over to Japan even before the Italian army was equipped with them.  In exchange for a large amount of foreign exchange and hard currency, profiteers' sudden wealth has already attracted the covetous eyes of their powerful neighbors. However, various warnings from knowledgeable people in the country, well-intentioned reminders from high-level foreign celebrities, and various warnings obtained through intelligence channels have  , never made the Italian government alert and restrained, but continued to engage in various high-risk, high-reward transactions in a self-righteous manner, which eventually got into trouble. When Italian officials digested this impactful proposal, von Weizsacker's story  Tsukuru said mildly: ¡°The presence of peacekeeping troops can, on the one hand, relieve the Italian government from public criticism, and on the other hand, it can also reduce the pressure on maintaining local social order.  Furthermore, wherever the peacekeeping troops go, they are never charged any garrison fees in any name.  " After thinking for a while, Count Capri asked with a frustrated look on his face: "At least thousands of troops are needed to maintain order in a city. If we take over the five northern cities and the island of Malta, we will inevitably use a large number of peacekeeping troops.  During your previous meetings with heads of state, have you finalized the sources of troops for this peacekeeping force?  If the troops include the Austrians and Patriots, those occupying forces don¡¯t even need to withdraw, they can just change their names?  " "The issues that the Prime Minister is worried about are also the aspects that I was very worried about before.  Fortunately, the German Emperor promised that all the troops needed for this peacekeeping force could be provided by Germany. He also ensured that most of the officers and non-commissioned officers had participated in League of Nations peace-violating actions, and their discipline and sense of justice were trustworthy.  of.  "In addition," von Weizs?cker gestured, "the five northern cities should be regarded as one of the richest regions in Italy. If peacekeeping troops are stationed, it will more or less affect the local economic recovery. If Malta Island, Sicily are  The island and Sardinia are temporarily handed over to the peacekeeping forces, and the negative impact on the Italian economy should be controlled to a relatively ideal level.  " The Minister of Finance in Count Capri's cabinet, a gentle middle-aged man, suddenly said: "With Italy's pre-war taxation level, it would take 24 years to pay off war reparations, but given Italy's current situation, it may be possible to pay off war reparations.  It will take 50 or 100 years. Could it be said that the League of Nations peacekeeping forces plan to be stationed in Malta, Sicily and Sardinia for 50 or 100 years?  Such a long time is enough to cause the virtual division of Italy!  " Von Weizs?cker was not angry at all, but responded sternly: "The meaning of the existence of the League of Nations is to maintain international relations within the framework of international law.order, ensuring that the legitimate sovereignty of each country is respected, and I am here, sitting in front of you, not to divide Italy, but on the contrary, to find ways to keep Italy intact and unified.  ¡± Malta is not an inherent territory of Italy. It has never been incorporated into the national territory of Italy. Its jurisdiction has fallen into the hands of other countries. Whether it is from a legal or substantive point of view, it has not harmed the integrity and unity of Italy.  As for the populous islands of Sicily and Sardinia, the Germans have no interest in occupying them for a long time, nor do they need to use them to obtain and maintain military control over the Mediterranean region. Therefore, von Weizs?cker's high-sounding words are not  It is a lie, but a more sophisticated political technique. The Italians present are many experts in playing power. At this point, they certainly understand who the chairman of the League of Nations Security Council is speaking for.  If they want to keep their prominent positions in the army and government after being bullied by dogs, it is best to be a fool at this time (End of Chapter).
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