Negotiations with the Admiralty were not all Carlo's work today, because he had other work to do.
This time in Italy's Far East, it was not only the navy's two-piece patrol that played a role, the army also performed. Although it mainly provided weapons and equipment, the Guards can also be regarded as an army unit, so of course the army also deserves credit.
However, in this Sino-French war, the Army did not send any combatants, so the credit was not great. Although the Guards was also part of the Army, due to its particularity, it could not be fully counted as part of the Army.
Of course, this cannot be said to say that the Army is not interested in the Sino-French War, but not many are interested. However, there is one weapon that has completely attracted the attention of the Army, and that is the Maxim machine gun.
This machine gun that made a big splash at Zhennanguan is very popular with the Italian Army.
The Minister of War, General Saraguet, approached Carlo for this purpose.
"Good day, Your Majesty."
"Hello, Your Excellency, General, do you have anything to do with your visit this time?"
Facing Carlo's inquiry, Admiral Saraguet was troubled, but he finally made up his mind.
"Your Majesty, the main reason for coming here this time is to understand that Beretta Arms Company is an industry of the royal family."
Facing the question from the Minister of War, Carlo looked at the General in front of him with a smile.
"Not really. As far as I know, the company is still run by the Pietro family. The royal family only has a stake in it, which does not affect its ability to make decisions."
"oh."
After listening to Carlo's explanation, General Saraget showed a look of disappointment on his face, which was then hidden by him.
Although the admiral concealed it very well, who Carlo was was immediately revealed to him.
"What's wrong, General, has Beretta Company done anything bad to the Army?"
Facing Carlo's inquiry, Admiral Saraguet thought about it and felt that it was not something shameful, so he spoke out his purpose.
It turns out that the Army likes the Maxim machine guns that made a big splash at Zhennanguan, so it wanted to buy a batch. However, after sending an inquiry to the Beretta Company, it was shocked by its quotation, which was as high as 70,000 Lira per gun.
The price quoted made everyone in the army think that Beretta Company had issued an extra zero. You should know that the price of a 57mm infantry gun is almost the same.
This price was beyond the expectations of the War Department. You must know that according to their understanding, the Maxim machine gun is a big consumer of bullets. It is enough ammunition for a company to fight a battle, but not enough for it to shoot for ten minutes.
Although Beretta's quotation surprised the Army Department, this weapon is so suitable for the current needs of the Army that the Army can only bite the bullet and prepare to spend money to purchase a batch.
According to unknown information, Admiral Saraguet learned that the royal family had shares in Beretta Company, so with a try attitude, the admiral saw if he could let the royal family influence the company to lower its selling price.
But the words from Carlo's mouth made him know that it was all in vain.
This is not to blame for Beretta having set the price so high, because the production of Maxim machine guns is currently very difficult due to basic materials, and in order to develop this machine gun, Beretta Arms Company has invested a lot of money.
Coupled with the reward that should be given to Mr. Maxim, all factors have piled up. How can the cost of the Maxim machine gun not be high?
"By the way, how many Maxim machine guns does the Army plan to purchase?"
After listening to the admiral's story, Carlo couldn't help but ask.
"Originally, the Army planned to purchase 150 rifles for border defense. However, due to their price, the Army could only purchase 80 rifles."
This is a big deal!
Carlo also had to praise General Saraget's words as far-sighted.
This is a purchase worth nearly ten million lire. No wonder the Minister of War would come to ask him.
Don't think that the more funds the Army has, the more funds it has to spend on purchasing weapons. Compared with the Navy, the Army doesn't have much money to spend on procurement.
The current funding for the Italian Army is 221 million lire, and that of the navy is 117 million lire.
Although the army's funding seems to be quite large, after deducting the salary allowances and training expenses of officers and soldiers, which account for the majority, less than half is left. After deducting the funds that support the research and development of new weapons and the construction costs in various places, the funds that can be used for weapons procurement are
It's only 50 million. Just purchasing 80 Maxims and their ammunition will cost nearly a thousand lire. This will naturally make General Saraguet, the Minister of War, embarrassed. But it's a pity that this cost
It’s a bit embarrassing to lose face but still not be able to accomplish anything.
Since the desired results were not obtained in Carlo, General Saraget left after chatting for a while about the army.
After Carlo sent the Minister of War away, he rubbed his slightly swollen temples and began to close his eyes to rest.
During this time, he clearly felt that the attitudes of the ministers towards him were different. Although he did not say anything, his intervention in the Sino-French war made them look at him with a hint of fear.
This is a good start. I believe that as long as I don't make serious mistakes, the Prime Minister will know how to choose when he becomes an adult.
Just as Carlo closed his eyes and thought, he suddenly smelled a hint of fragrance, and then felt a soft touch on the back of his head. A pair of slender hands covered his eyes, and a familiar voice sounded.
"Guess who I am?"
There is no need to guess, who else could it be besides Nia, who is getting longer and brighter. But judging from the size of the softness on the back of the head, it should be a lot bigger.
"Nia, your question is really not difficult at all."
Carlo said, holding him in his lap with his backhand.
"Ah, Your Majesty, you are really becoming less and less humorous."
Nia said while knocking off the strange hand on the chest.
"Don't keep touching."
"I'm just trying out my results. It seems I still need to work hard."
Well, a certain distance has been broken between Carlo and the little maid. On a dark and windy night for a month, when he couldn't even see the mythical beast, Carlo turned into a hungry wolf and killed Nia.
The little white rabbit swallowed all the skin and bones.
After cupping this tender cabbage, Carlo felt refreshed. After breaking through a certain distance and reaching a negative distance, the little maid became more and more unique, mixing the innocence of a girl and the style of a young woman.
, also made Carlo obsessed with it, and he almost couldn't pull it out.
Fortunately, Carlo was busy with work during this period, which allowed him to gradually leave Wenrou Township. But now that Wenrou Township has come over, Carlo can't control it. Fortunately, he also knows that this is an office, and there may be attendants at any time.
I knocked on the door, so I didn't fall into a deep ditch, but now I can't work in this state.
Carlo took the little maid and walked towards his dormitory. His footsteps were so eager that anyone would expect something to happen.
