The Rise of the Empire

Just before the end of the Russo-Japanese War, at the other end of the world, another war has also ended, and the two protagonists of this war are the Kingdom of Italy, which Bismarck thought was too much but not enough, and the old The Ottoman Empire was dubbed the sick bed of Europe.

"This war is like a battle between a frail young man and an old man who is getting old. The young man is full of confidence in himself, and he takes a worn-out sword with a hand like a dead branch and tries to rob the old man. Although the opponent is not far from a pile of dead bones, he still holds back the opponent, not to mention that there is a huge monster standing behind this old man." Churchill once commented on this An Italian-Turkish war.

In terms of the scale and impact of the war, this war that broke out earlier cannot be compared with the Russo-Japanese War in the Far East. Some people even suspect that the two sides are so rubbish that they can make this war last for 2 years! In the dilapidated towns of Libya, in the vast desert, and in the exotic oases, the Italian and Turkish armies are constantly fighting. Well, it is not accurate to describe it as fighting. anti-harassment. The scale is small, the battle is not fierce, but the number of fights is very high.

The Italians gained naval superiority, and the British then restricted access to Libya from Egypt. This has made resupply of the combined Turkish and German forces in Libya increasingly problematic. But at the same time, Italy was also exhausted by the 200,000 troops stationed in North Africa. The death toll of up to 15,000 people is terrifying, but what is even more terrifying is the daily supplies and money consumed by the lonely overseas army! The monthly consumption of up to 2 million pounds terrified this country that was not very rich! This is almost equal to the cost of burning a dreadnought ship every month! And even so, the area controlled by the Italians still did not push beyond 200 kilometers from the coastline...  

"This kind of country has absolutely no value in buying, absolutely nothing! A Turkey in turmoil can be dragged like this. I really want to know if Italy and the Austro-Hungarian Empire go to war in the north, can Italy stop the offensive of the Austro-Hungarian Empire !” In his letter to the British Army, General Joffre’s contempt for the Italian Army was palpable.

And the attitude of the British is also gradually changing. If before, the British still valued the geographical advantages of the Italians in the Mediterranean and the large fleet although it was a bit old, then the British should consider it now. How valuable is the fleet! The size of the Italian fleet is indeed not bad, the seventh in the world, the British thought so at the time, if Italy was on the side of the Allied Powers, then the fleet of the Mediterranean Allied Powers would be Italy plus France. Stabilize the Austro-Hungarian navy on the opposite side. And now? The British felt that even without Italy, France would still be able to stabilize the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and even Churchill believed that even if Italy was on the side of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, France would still be enough to deal with Italy and Austria-Hungary.

It stands to reason that no one would think that there are few allies when fighting a war, but in fact, Britain and France must consider the cost of attracting allies. First of all, although the Italians are scumbags, they still have to pay for appearances! Historically, the French gave Italy some territorial benefits. And it is allowed that if Italy wins, it can take another share from the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

In addition to the territorial aspect, Britain and France also have to consider, if Italy participates in the war, who will pay for Italy's imported materials and food. If we simply talk about the endowment of natural resources, Italy is the worst among the big European countries. Not only can it not support itself in food, but it can't even do basic coal and iron! Foreign exchange in Italy is very limited,

Once war breaks out, maybe Britain and France will have to transfuse blood for Italy... The self-sufficiency of the French can only guarantee enough food. There is no problem with coal mines, but there is not enough iron ore. The British are more dependent on foreign countries. If the burden of Italy is added, the material supply of the Allies may be even tighter.

If Russia is an object that Britain and France must fight for, and Italy is a cooperation object that Britain and France try their best to fight for before the outbreak of the Italian-Turkish war, then after the Italian-Turkish war, Italy has become an object that does not matter. According to the French, if they want to buy this not very powerful country, they must first give Italy 150 million francs to fill the shortfall in the treasury, and then Italy may have the idea of ​​​​expanding its military and preparing for war. If it is expanded to the level recognized by Britain and France, the French believe that the cost will not be less than 1 billion francs! And this cost is obviously too high, it is better to support the Russians!

However, the long-term war of attrition is also somewhat unbearable for Turkey, a poor and weak country. Although the resistance in Libya is dominated by local Arab tribes and a small number of Turkish government troops, and they are also considered nomadic cavalry, the consumption is much less than that of the regular Italian army. There are many, but Turkey's family background is not as good as Italy's. Even with the support of Germany, it is a bit too much. What's more, Italy has occupied a large number of Turkish islands through naval superiority, and uses these islands as a threat.

Finally, under the mediation of Germany and Austria, the two sides began peace talks. In the end, both sides took a step back, and Italy withdrew its troops from most of Libya, but retained some economic privileges and the right to station an army of no more than 3,000 in Tripoli. At the same time the islands in the Mediterranean returned half to Turkey. Although Turkey is a little uncomfortable with this result, it can only accept it in the end. What cannot be obtained on the battlefield is naturally not easy to obtain on the negotiating table. Being able to recover half of the island and retain most of Libya's sovereignty is already a good ending, while the Kingdom of Italy has retained the most basic face. After fighting for nearly two years, it cannot be said that they have gained nothing. According to the Italian Prime Minister, they have at least A nail driven in Libya....

"After this war, Italy may have to be honest for a few years. Their already modest treasury is on the verge of being exhausted. Otherwise, after the appearance of the dreadnought, Italy, which claims to be the hegemon of the Mediterranean, will definitely follow. But They will not be able to start work for at least the next three years. And the Italian army is even more vulnerable." In a meeting, Prince Leopold made no secret of his contempt for Italy.

"Okay, the issue of Italy is not very important to us. The Russo-Japanese War has been accepted, and the Boer War has long since come to an end. The Allied Powers system composed of Britain, France and Russia has taken shape, and the final decisive battle is coming. The Kaiser I also realized that if I want to go to Berlin, will you still go?" Ruprecht asked.

"No, you can go by yourself. After all, it is you, not me, who represent Bavaria. I am relieved that you go." Prince Leopold said.

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