Chapter 131 There are always more solutions than difficulties
The two expedition commanders jointly sent a telegram to let the military and political bosses in Rome know of their actual difficulties.
Facing their difficulties, the person who cared most about them was Carlo. So when he learned about the expeditionary force's difficulties, he immediately summoned military and political leaders for a meeting.
"Everyone has seen the difficulties faced by the expeditionary force. How should we solve them?"
Carlo expressed his opinion at the beginning. This is very rare, because he usually waits for others to express his opinion before expressing his opinion. This also shows that Carlo has great feelings for this expedition to Abyssinia.
Pay attention to.
It’s impossible not to take this seriously. You must know that Carlo relied on his past life memories before, and this expedition to Abyssinia was the first time he took the initiative to change. How can this be the same? (Forcing the Netherlands to abandon Lanfang without going through a war
So it doesn’t count.)
The important ministers all felt this, and they were a little surprised why the king would pay so little attention to small Abyssinia. But since the king asked, they needed to provide a solution.
"Our government can immediately purchase a batch of livestock and send it to the expeditionary force. We can also ask the diplomatic missions in East Africa and Egypt to arrange for people to purchase a batch of livestock. In addition, we can also pay a special fee to purchase it locally.
As for the road construction equipment it needs, we can also purchase a batch immediately."
Prime Minister Depretis' words made Carlo look at him with approval. Although he had not had a good experience with this Prime Minister before, he still had some abilities.
After the Prime Minister finished speaking, the Minister of Army was not far behind. "Your Majesty, our army immediately arranged for two regiments of engineers to rush to Eritrea urgently, and we will not let its preparation time delay too long."
Since the Prime Minister and the Minister of War have spoken, Admiral Golek, as the Minister of the Navy, naturally also needs to express his position. "Our Navy will arrange additional ships to transport the urgently needed supplies for the Engineer Corps and the Expeditionary Force."
The full cooperation between the military and the government did not disappoint Carlo.
Subsequently, the government purchased a large number of donkeys, horses, mules and other livestock, and also urgently purchased a batch of road construction tools. The army even mobilized two engineering regiments to rush to Eritrea. The navy's transport ship had already been arranged to the port, waiting for these engineers to board the ship.
After that, it was immediately shipped to Eritrea.
Rome's actions are not unpleasant. Of course, Simonsi and other expedition commanders are not just waiting for these supplies.
They arranged for the troops that had arrived in Eritrea to start preliminary construction work.
"clang!"
An eagle's pick hit a stone, causing white marks to appear on the stone.
Barry put down the eagle chisel in his hand, wiped the sweat from his face, looked at his friend who was also wielding the chisel, and gasped. "I said Captain Cosentz, aren't you tired?"
Cosenz, who also had sweat streaming down his face, answered without looking back, "I'm tired."
"Since you are tired, why don't you take a break and let everyone take a break."
Looking up at the tired officers and soldiers, Cosentz put down the chisel in his hand and shouted, "Let's rest for fifteen minutes."
Following Cosenz's words, the soldiers responsible for the expansion on both sides of the road immediately put down their tools and gathered together in twos and threes to rest. Some smoked, some drank water, and some took the opportunity to find a place under the shade of a tree to lie down for a while.
, it doesn’t look like they are Italy’s elite troops at all.
Faced with this situation, Cosentz did not restrain his subordinates like he did in Italy before. He knew that this time everyone came with the intention of winning the battle with the enemy. As a result, they came here to work on road construction first, and the inner gap was too great.
It’s so big that it’s inevitable that it’s a bit uninteresting.
"Here, have a drink."
Facing the kettle handed by his friend, Cosentz took a sip. But then he looked at his friend with wide eyes, because the lake was not water, but wine.
"I brought it secretly."
Knowing his friend's thoughts, Barry gave an explanation.
"Be careful next time so you don't get caught."
Faced with Cosentz's words, Barry smiled, took the kettle and carefully covered it. "I know it won't be discovered."
"Then when will it be our turn to switch defenses on the front line?"
After Barry put down the kettle, he immediately asked another question that everyone was concerned about.
"I don't know about this either. It needs to be decided by the commanding staff. Differently, I heard that the regiment commander has already contacted General Simeone. If there is any news, it should be in the next few days."
Facing inquiries from his friends, Cosentz told the news he knew.
After hearing what his friend said, Barry spoke out his wish.
"I really hope that this hard work of building roads can be ended soon, so that we can easily capture the Abyssinian emperor and take him to Rome, so that we can all be promoted."
Faced with his friend's unreliable wishes, Cosentz smiled and thought of a solution for him.
"It's a good idea that you have, but it requires the cooperation of the Abyssinian emperor. First, he needs to leave his army, and then walk up to you empty-handed. You only need to raise your gun, and the war will be over.
"
Faced with his friend's joke, Barry laughed out loud. "Hahaha, you still understand my thoughts best."
While the two friends were having fun on the construction site, Simonsi was listening to the report at the expeditionary force headquarters in Asmara.
"Reporting to the General, as of yesterday, we have recruited a total of 12,000 local people from nearby areas to participate in the road construction project. According to the estimates of Lieutenant Colonel Zamora of the Fourth Engineer Regiment, this will reduce our workload by 8.7%.
In addition, in response to the shortage of tools, we found a ship that was passing by and docked at Massawa and found that it was transporting various construction tools. After negotiating with the ship owner, we purchased these tools from him for 610,000 lire.
This can temporarily alleviate the lack of tools. I believe that after Rome sends enough tools, our problem will no longer exist. In addition..."
The officer reported various tedious things, which were basically caused by the need to build roads. There was a lack of tools, and the army was dissatisfied with being turned into coolies. All these situations needed him to deal with.
However, although it is cumbersome, Simone believes that this is an exercise for himself. As long as he can build the road to the Abyssinian Plateau, he will be able to impress others.
Yes, Simeone believed that the biggest factor hindering his army was the road problem. As for the Abyssinians he needed to deal with, he could only rank second.
Don't think that this is Simeone looking down on the opponent. This is based on years of experience. Although Britain and France secretly shipped a lot of weapons and ammunition to the Abyssinians, fighting a war does not mean more people than guns. No matter how advanced the weapons are,
It also needs to be used rationally, and no matter how you compare it, the Abyssinians are no match for the troops he leads.
To be fair, under the same conditions, the Italian army can deal with five times the Abyssinian army. This is a reflection of training, tactical application, and officers' on-the-spot reactions.
Therefore, Simone, what he needs most now is to build roads. As long as his supplies continue, the Abyssinians will have no chance.
