As Cadorna becomes the new marshal in charge of the Army Department, as the saying goes, once the emperor and his ministers are born, a series of adjustments will inevitably be made to the Army. Of course, the most important adjustment begins with the Army Department. Within three days of taking office
During this period, Marshal Cadorna integrated and changed various departments under the Ministry of War. A large number of officers who were originally affiliated with the other four military heads were transferred, removed from their posts, and used for other purposes.
The vacancies left by these people were filled by the personnel brought by Cadorna from the General Staff.
The reason why Cardorna did this was not only to eliminate the influence of several retired generals, but also to slim down the bloated army. You must know that when General Saraguet was in office, several major military leaders
The controlled Army Department has 591 officers at all levels. It is overstaffed, has overlapping management, and is involved in everything. This has led to low efficiency in the Army Department. This is not desirable in Cadorna's view. Do not build the Army Department into a capable one.
In the leadership department, how to distinguish him from his predecessor?
Of course, in the process of downsizing the Army Department, a lot of power will also be given to other departments. Among them, the one that has gained the most is the General Staff. At present, the Italian General Staff is not compared with the German army where the general staff is supreme.
, even the Russian army is not as good.
In previous military exchanges, the German side pointed out several times that the Italian Army Ministry had too much power, which was not conducive to the construction and command of the army. However, the Italian Army did not pay attention to the opinions of the allies at all, and it seemed that the Qing Dynasty had its own national conditions.
situation.
The reason for this is precisely because several military leaders were unwilling to lose their rights. They were not even willing to let the king intervene in the army, let alone the nonsense of others. After several talks with no effect, the German side stopped talking.
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However, Cadorna shared the power of the Army Department with the General Staff. In addition to adapting to the development of the times, he also did not want to give people the impression that he had great power. After all, several people who previously held the power of the Army have now retired and are enjoying their old age.
, he doesn’t want to follow in his footsteps. He is only 68 years old now and can still fight for the kingdom for more than ten years.
The General Staff Department, where I had worked for more than ten years, was a good target for decentralization.
On the one hand, this allows the government and the king to see the new atmosphere of the army. On the other hand, I have stayed at the General Staff Headquarters for so many years. Although a large number of officers have been transferred to the Army Department, my influence is still there. As for the passage of time,
As time goes by, his influence in the General Staff Headquarters will become less and less. This is something that cannot be helped and no one can avoid it.
And when Marshal Cadorna was purging the Army Ministry with great fanfare and reducing the power of Saraguet and others, the troops stationed in the local areas would inevitably be affected to some extent.
Currently stationed in the headquarters of the Sixth Army in Albania, Lieutenant General Baxter is as restless as an ant in a hot pot.
The reason is simple. Everything that is happening in Rome makes him extremely worried. His old superior, Admiral Tapea, and others suddenly announced their retirement a few days ago, which shocked him. He knew that something must have happened in Rome.
It was a big deal, but I was left in Albania and could do nothing.
Therefore, he paid extremely close attention to the news in Rome and checked newspapers, telegrams and other contents every day.
Of course, the news in the army was paid attention to immediately, and any slightest sign of trouble had to be seen with a magnifying glass, not to mention Marshal Cadorna's aggressive actions in the War Department.
And it was by observing Cardorna's actions in the War Department that he became even more worried. Because Cardorna, the newly promoted marshal, was vigorously purging other forces, and Lieutenant General Baxter was Admiral Tapea.
The second most powerful figure.
For this reason, he had to use confidential military communications to personally contact several other colleagues to discuss everyone's way out.
Of course, he is also in contact with other forces, but the results after contact are not ideal. Those people are timid and simply cannot be worked with. So there are some things that must be considered.
"General, Major Kazim is here."
Upon hearing the guard's report, Lieutenant General Baxter immediately said with a hint of expectation, "Please invite him in quickly."
Kazim is a key figure in the plan. As the commander of the army, his travels are very eye-catching, so he has Major Kazim take part in many private matters. After all, he is an adjutant and is much more concealed than himself.
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"How's the situation?"
After the guards left, Lieutenant General Baxter immediately asked the dusty former adjutant in a low voice.
"General, the situation of the trip is not good. Except for four people including Colonel Lane of the 18th Division and Colonel Uller of the 23rd Division, the others did not agree. They said that the general's move was too risky and it was very possible.
There will be serious consequences.”
Kazim's words immediately made Lieutenant General Baxter's face darken.
Looking at the Lieutenant General's gloomy expression, Major Kazim asked quietly. "Lieutenant General, what should we do next?"
"Since they are unwilling, then ignore them and continue to contact Ren and Uller. However, you must keep it confidential and wait for my instructions to tell you anything else."
"Okay, Lieutenant General."
After the former adjutant left, Baxter showed a look of frustration. It was too difficult to protect himself. These people were all promoted by himself, but he didn't expect that he would shrink back like this after showing off his words, ignoring his own expectations.
But I am unwilling to accept myself like this. I have worked hard in the army for so many years and was ordered to retire. Isn’t all these years of hard work in vain?
While Baxter was worrying about his future, Kazim left with an equally uncertain expression. Like Baxter, he was also thinking about his future.
After following Baxter for so many years, Kazim also knew the top brass of the military very well. The retirement of several previous bosses also shocked him. However, considering that he had followed the general for many years, he suppressed it.
As for now, he felt that he needed to think about himself. Continuing to follow the general would only lead him to a dead end. Maybe it was time to think of other ways.
Thinking of this, he turned in a different direction and walked towards an unknown building. There was a row of letters on the building that clearly read the Sixth Army Military Police Department.
Two days later, when Baxter was presiding over a military meeting, a group of soldiers with the word "gendarme" poured in. After the captain of the gendarmerie, Major Galloppa, presented an arrest warrant from Rome, Buck collapsed to the ground.
Lieutenant General Ste was taken away directly.
The same treatment as Lieutenant General Baxter included Colonel Lane, Chief of Staff of the 18th Division, Colonel Urrell, Commander of the 2nd Regiment of the 23rd Division, and four others. The reason for their arrest was that they were trying to create rebellion in the army.
It can be said that the arrest of Lieutenant General Baxter scared away the dissatisfaction felt by many people in the military. Many people felt that this rectification could not escape the passers-by, and they directly requested to retire due to their age, physical condition and other reasons.
When faced with the retirement application sent to him, Marshal Cadorna waved his hand and directly agreed.
In the past three months of cleaning, 38 generals and 126 school-level officers have been withdrawn from active service. As for those who are as bold as Lieutenant General Baxter, there are only a handful of them, and most of them can go home and enjoy their old age.
Of course, this is because Cadorna is unwilling to expand the scope of the purge. After all, purging too many officers will reduce the combat effectiveness of the army.
