Chapter 65 Diplomatic Dispute (2)

Mussolini pondered for a moment and then said: "You mean the British are lying to us?"

"Not necessarily." Contini actually wanted to say that the British were lying and that you, leader, have been fooled, but the truth may not be true. Doesn't this mean that Mussolini's IQ is too low? The propaganda agency just boasted about the four greatnesses of "great leader, great helmsman, great mentor, and great commander", but then they said they were cheated and no one would be able to accept it.

So Contini spoke tactfully: "The British are a very complicated group. Baldwin has one idea, Chamberlain has another idea, and their military and Egyptian colonial authorities probably have other ideas. Not only are they acting as European troublemakers, The characteristics of the country are also caused by the chaos caused by multi-party strife in a democratic system. Italy was in such chaos before without a leader, contradicting each other and contradicting each other. One idea today will be another voice tomorrow. Jiuding, upright? This is the institutional superiority of Fascism, so I have always advocated the need for institutional confidence. Our mechanism is many times better than that of the British. Although it is a little behind now, at the current development rate, I believe that in Under the leadership of the leader, we can surpass it in less than 20 years!”

These words made Mussolini beam with joy. He patted Contini on the shoulder and said repeatedly: "Calais, your level and political consciousness are very high. I read your speech at the graduation ceremony of the University of Rome in full. In summary Very good. Without collective freedom, how can Italians have individual freedom? I asked them to promote this policy as a policy and propaganda slogan..."

"Should we increase our troops by two divisions first?" Contini suggested. "We need to increase our troops to attack Ethiopia, and we need to increase our troops to increase the intensity of the suppression of the Libyan guerrillas. Anyway, you have just reached a tacit understanding with the British, so we will "We are preparing to use force against Ethiopia as an excuse to send troops there. Of course, we have to think carefully about whether we are really going to attack Ethiopia, at least not now."

Mussolini nodded: "That's fine, let's add two more divisions. However, Calais' finances have been tight recently, and Libya's oil has not yet been produced. Look..."

This posture is like reaching out for money, and Contini is not angry: "Leader, I have been a little tight recently. I just planned to build a special cruise ship for Ada. When the cruise ship is built and my relationship with her is in place, we can It’s a wedding, do you think I can pay 20 million lire first?”

If someone else had used such nonsense excuses, Mussolini would have been annoyed. However, when Contini mentioned the Ada and the word marriage, Mussolini, as a father, could not even be happy. Why? Can you say no? He nodded and said: "The cruise ship must be built well, with style and luxury. You will get married once in your life, so you can't wrong yourself. Besides, after the cruise ship is built, you two can take the cruise ship to travel around the world for your honeymoon. When the time comes, I Let the Navy send cruisers to accompany you, such as the Taranto class that will be built soon..."

The Taranto class is a full demonstration of the Italian high-speed heavy cruiser design ideas. With a displacement of just over 10,000 tons, it actually has a maximum speed of 35.6 knots. There are two cruisers in this class, one is the Taranto and the other is Although the Trieste runs fast, its endurance is only a little over 4,000 nautical miles, which is the lowest endurance among major countries. At the same time, its armor is extremely thin, making it a perfect "thin-skinned, big-stuffed" treaty cruiser.

After the Taranto class, the Italian Navy suddenly adjusted its thinking and prepared to build a heavy armored fleet decisive battle heavy cruiser. The result achieved is the Zara class. The design indicator is that it can protect 203mm caliber naval guns at medium distances and has a high speed. Although it was originally positioned as 32 knots, the final design showed that it seriously exceeded the standard after adding armor, so it could only run 29 knots, or the tonnage could be increased to 15,000 tons to adopt the idea of ​​an armored cruiser.

Contini was very dissatisfied with this, but he could not simply deny that United Group only contributed some money, not all of it, so he had to have room for maneuver. His statement at the seminar was very interesting: "Of course the Zara class should be built with a medium protection level, but the speed cannot be too different. Now the newly built battleships can also run 29 knots, and the cruisers can only run 29 knots, making it difficult to cover. . I suggest that the speed should still be set at 32 knots, but we can make some changes and exceed the displacement appropriately..."

The designers said in embarrassment: "President, 12,000 tons to 12,500 tons may not matter, but 15,000 tons looks too big. Even a blind person can see that it exceeds the standard."

Contini smiled: "If we can control the weight to about 13,000 tons and meet the 32 knots and protection requirements at the same time, what do you think?"

The Admiralty agreed, but designers generally disagreed because such a ship could not be built.

Contini shook his head: "You have to have innovative ideas... Who said it can't be made? Why don't you use electric welding if the riveting cost is too heavy? If the electric welding level is sufficient, the strength will not be worse than riveting..."

"But we have no experience in electric welding, and we have never heard that the battleship in the world is welded..."

"You're not studying. Many civilian ships are now using electric welding solutions. Why can't we try to innovate? Can a leader be satisfied if he follows others and eats dust every day? How can a leader be politically qualified if he is not satisfied?"

The bosses of the Navy Department are convinced by his fallacy. Anyway, the Taranto class has not been completely built yet. We can first think of a way to get a ship for testing. It just so happens that the Dante is expected to be decommissioned this year, so the United Group It must be used for modification, so they decided to test the electric welding method on the Dante. The United Group will find a way. In short, if it doesn't work in Italy, they will use German technology!

Mussolini also found out later, and he agreed with this idea that his would-be son-in-law's brain was very useful! Now when the cruise ship was mentioned, Mussolini didn't know that this was the most standard armored aircraft carrier. He really thought it was a cruise ship, so he planned to write a blank check to Contini and marry his daughter in a glorious way. Anyway, in a dictatorship, the leader’s family affairs are also national affairs. Besides, Contini paid so much money for the navy. What’s wrong with getting two cruisers to accompany him around the world? If it weren't for the fear that the battleships would overwhelm the cruise ships, Mussolini would have wanted to send out new capital ships.

Contini is deeply grateful for this.

Mussolini rolled his eyes and said: "Calais, 2 divisions, 20 million lire is a little less. Some time ago, in order to sponsor education, you made two donations totaling 40 million lire. Education is important, and national defense cannot It’s such a waste... Otherwise, if the departments are not balanced, my position will not be stable, and if my position is not stable, you will have a lot of trouble when you take over in the future..."

"Then 40 million?"

"About 50 million." Mussolini touched his head, as if he suddenly remembered something, and added, "Since the army's strength is not enough and it needs to be doubled, I think your oil guard needs to be expanded to some extent. ? Do you want to add another 3,000 people?”

This bargaining technique was so skillful that in the end Contini agreed to pay 50 million lire, but the number was increased to 4,000. Mussolini also recognized that he had 4 divisions with 50,000 people in Africa. The maximum number of Tiny is 10,000, and they are still newly trained security forces, so there is nothing to worry about.

However, the British actually dared to slander themselves, and this debt cannot be ignored.

But Contini soon told him about other troubles: "Leader, in more than a month I will have a showdown with the French. When the time comes, you have to ask the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to give me a helping hand..."

This bargaining technique was so skillful that in the end Contini agreed to pay 50 million lire, but the number was increased to 4,000. Mussolini also recognized that he had 4 divisions with 50,000 people in Africa. The maximum number of Tiny is 10,000, and they are still newly trained security forces, so there is nothing to worry about.

However, the British actually dared to slander themselves, and this debt cannot be ignored.

But Contini soon told him about other troubles: "Leader, in more than a month I will have a showdown with the French. When the time comes, you have to ask the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to give me a helping hand..."

This bargaining technique was so skillful that in the end Contini agreed to pay 50 million lire, but the number was increased to 4,000. Mussolini also admitted that he had 4 divisions with 50,000 people in Africa. The maximum number of Tiny is 10,000, and they are still newly trained security forces, so there is nothing to worry about.

However, the British actually dared to slander themselves, and this debt cannot be ignored.