Munich is a beautiful city, a view shared by many, and Carlo thought so too.
However, Carlo had never visited the city of Munich several times, and this time it was even more impossible. As soon as they got off the train, the Italian delegation, led by him, hurried to Nufenburg for this meeting.
Go.
There, a delegation led by the Kaiser himself had arrived, and an Austro-Hungarian delegation led by Foreign Minister and Chairman of the Council of Ministers Berchtold had arrived an hour earlier.
"William, Ludwig, long time no see."
At the gate of Neufenburg, Carlo saw the Kaiser and the Regent of Bavaria, Ludwig III, greeting him at the gate as soon as he got off the car.
"Carlo, I'm really happy to see you this time. How is Sissi (Louise's nickname)?"
Well, as a daughter slave, William first cared about his precious daughter Louise as soon as he opened his mouth.
"Sissi and Vittorio are doing very well now. I think she also wrote to tell you."
Facing William's inquiry, Carlo answered very naturally about the current situation of the crown prince and his wife. Since the couple got married, the two have become even more inseparable, almost like a honey pot.
However, Vittorio is the crown prince after all and needs to learn to be a qualified monarch, so he needs to understand government affairs, otherwise the two of them will get tired of being together every day.
After hearing that his daughter was doing well, William felt relieved.
Carlo then met the German and Austrian military and political officials who came with the delegation, such as the German Prime Minister, Army Representative Moltke, Navy Minister Tirpitz and others.
Of course, Austria-Hungary was also there, headed by Foreign Minister Berchtold, and its military representative, Chief of General Staff General Herzendorf, was also among them.
It can be seen from these people that what will be discussed next will definitely be a major military matter.
This is indeed the case. Two hours after the Italian representatives arrived at Nufenburg, representatives from the three countries began the first round of negotiations.
"Everyone, this time the top military and political leaders of our three countries gathered here to discuss the following issues such as cooperation and alliance among our three countries in the possible outbreak of war. Due to time constraints, it is impossible for everyone to stay for too long, so
We try to speed up the process so that the three countries can fully work together to deal with this dispute provoked by the Allies."
As the convener of the meeting, Carlo first delivered a congratulatory speech.
"Everyone, let's discuss the needs of the three countries first."
After Carlo finished speaking, Italian Foreign Minister Bacona spoke about the first topic.
"agree!"
"No objection!"
Germany and Austria certainly have no objections to what Bacona said. Discussing the needs of each country in advance can help everyone understand each other.
"In that case, let our country take the lead."
As the instigator of the current dispute, Austro-Hungarian Foreign Minister Berchtold was the first to speak. "What our country needs is to seize the Kingdom of Serbia and obtain recognition of our rule over the region from all countries. In addition, if Russia is defeated, then Volvo will
London and Bordeaux can be added to our country."
Austria-Hungary seems to have a big appetite. In addition to the original Kingdom of Serbia, it is also interested in the two Russian territories of Volyn and Podol. These two territories happen to be bordering its Galician territory. Austria-Hungary is not only
If you want to expand southward, you also want to expand eastward.
Of course, the Austro-Hungarians have a good appetite, so Germany also has a big appetite.
"If Russia and France participate in the war between Austria-Hungary and Serbia, then our country believes that after defeating the two countries, Russia's Polish territory should belong to our country. In addition, our country should have priority in the allocation of French colonies in Africa except North Africa.
right."
As German Prime Minister Holweg finished speaking, Germany's ambitions towards France and Russia were also exposed.
Although it no longer takes the French mainland, the colonies make Berlin drool.
Now that everyone is no longer hiding it, Italy certainly has no scruples.
I saw Bacona speak. "If the war involves Britain, France and Russia, then our country hopes to regain the Nice and Savoy areas that were ceded to France, and Corsica should also return to the embrace of Italy. In addition, northern Tunisia,
Egypt and Sudan should both be under our jurisdiction."
The demands made by Italy are enough to make people feel quite appetizing.
"Then the Suez Canal is under the jurisdiction of your country, isn't it?"
At this time, Prime Minister Holweg immediately started asking questions.
As for why he asked, it is very simple. The Suez Canal is too important. It is the maritime chokepoint connecting Asia. It can be said that whoever controls this can have huge influence on Asia.
Not to mention that most of Asia was a British colony at this time.
"This will only happen after Britain participates in this war. Our country will shoulder the important task of blocking the transportation of British supplies to the mainland, so it should also receive corresponding rewards."
Bacona, the foreign minister, gave the reason confidently.
Because if Britain also participates in this war, Italy's task will be very heavy. It will need to block its Mediterranean routes, and it will also need to fight the British and French armies in North Africa. This is not easy, and there must be enough
Just the reward.
Of course, Bacona also pointed out the fact that Britain is very likely to participate in the war. As for Germany and Austria, especially Germany, if the British Empire does participate in this war, Italy will definitely need to take the lead in the future of the Mediterranean.
Since it has taken on such a big task, Italy must make its own demands.
"Egypt is under your control, so I don't think it's too difficult. But for the Suez Canal, I think it's better to avoid trouble and negotiate together."
The person who spoke at this time was Count Berchtold, the Austro-Hungarian representative, the head of the Austro-Hungarian delegation. The purpose of speaking at this time was very simple, that is, to stand on the side of Germany and prevent Italy from obtaining the management rights of the Suez Canal alone.
.
Again, because it is too important. If after this war is over, Italy will not be the only player in the Mediterranean. In this case, it will also control the Suez Canal. How can you let Austria-Hungary sleep?
The next focus is probably to prevent the Kingdom of Italy from threatening our own safety.
The attitudes of Germany and Austria let the Italian delegation know that the other side of the Suez Canal would never let Italy have it alone. In fact, the Italian side also knew how important the Suez Canal was, and they just had the attitude of giving it a try before.
, after all, if it comes true, how much benefit will it bring to Italy.
"In this case, after our country seizes Egypt, it will establish the Suez Canal Management Committee, and the three of us will jointly manage the canal. However, the garrison and public security of the canal section can be managed by our country, right?"
Bacona re-drawn the plan for the Suez Canal and brought Germany and Austria together to share its interests.
"This is very reasonable and a good proposal."
"I think that's okay too."
Although the two countries do not want Italy to share the rights to the Suez Canal, the Mediterranean still depends on Italy, and the benefits it deserves cannot be less.
Next, the proportions occupied by each country in the Suez Canal were also divided, with Italy occupying 45%, Germany occupying 30%, and Austria-Hungary occupying 25%.
After discussing the distribution of benefits from the Suez Canal, the three countries also discussed the distribution of raw materials.
After all, no one can rely solely on their own country's minerals to maintain industrial needs, so they need the assistance of allies. Although this cannot completely offset the demand from the outside world, it can more or less relieve everyone.
Therefore, after some discussions, the three countries initially reached a complementary plan for industrial raw materials.
Among them, Germany will provide sufficient coal and other industrial raw materials for the three countries, while Austria-Hungary will also provide other industrial raw materials. As for Italy, it will mainly provide petrochemical products.
The contents of these discussions were all discussed within one day. This shows how clearly the three countries understand the tense situation in Europe.
