Mediterranean hegemon

"I have had contact with the Italians and Mussolini was very frank. He did not want to conquer Greece or seize Greek land, but it would be impossible not to give him an explanation on this matter. I think it is not unreasonable: Italy is a great power after all. He cannot maintain his position as a permanent member of the League of Nations, and his dictatorship in Italy has come to an end, not to mention that the Greeks started the trouble in the first place. Of course, Italy's overreaction also exacerbated regional conflicts. "Foreign Secretary George. · Curzon (famous for the Curzon Line) explained, "I tend to give a reasonable explanation, but of course not entirely based on Italian prices."

"What explanation does he want?"

"Punish the perpetrators, apologize, and pay reparations."

"Does Italy want to interfere with Greek justice?" Baldwin frowned. After Serbia assassinated the Austro-Hungarian crown prince, Austria's demands were basically the same three. However, Austria-Hungary not only had to send officials to interrogate terrorists, but also wanted Serbia to ensure that all anti-Austro-Hungarian crimes were banned. Serbia could no longer bear the interference in its sovereignty, such as organizations and other activities. Coupled with Russia's instigation from behind, the negotiations finally broke down and a tragic war broke out.

"No, he is not interested in this. He can just express his apology verbally, but the compensation requirement is not low."

"How many?"

"$50 million!"

"Is Mussolini crazy? A mere lieutenant general dares to claim 50 million US dollars? At this price, 3-4 very good capital ships can be built."

"It is the virtue of the Italians to pay back the money on the spot when they ask for a high price. Besides, they dispatched the navy and mobilized tens of thousands of troops. They also conducted general mobilization in the country and conducted exercises with great fanfare. The cost is estimated to be quite a lot. I will definitely ask for compensation. I I think US$50 million is too much, and US$10 million is enough.” Curzon said, “The key question is do we need to come forward to communicate with the Greeks?”

"Communicate, but not through mediation between countries, but through resolutions passed by the League of Nations - this can effectively enhance authority." Baldwin analyzed, "And this method of handling will definitely cause dissatisfaction among the Greeks. If Britain simply imposes Pressure can easily backfire on us. If we come forward through international organizations, it will appear to be the mainstream international opinion, and the mood of the Greek people can be appropriately alleviated. "

"Okay." Curzon nodded, "What do you think of the German issue?"

When it comes to the German issue, everyone is basically unanimous in their opinions - resolutely oppose the government that came to power through a violent coup. However, they seem to have forgotten the fact that the Italian government came to power through threats of violence, and the British government has not done anything.

Curzon obviously looked further, saying: "On the surface, the German problem is caused by a small group of extremists, but in the final analysis it is the Ruhr crisis - this crisis exacerbated the internal chaos in Germany, caused the collapse of the German economy, and also It has caused the Weimar government to lose its prestige, and there are currently few Germans willing to support this government.”

"The irony is that France and Belgium, which sent troops to the Ruhr area and carried out the occupation mission, did not gain much benefit. Instead, they continued to lose military expenses..." Someone laughed, "The so-called harming others but not benefiting oneself probably refers to this kind of situation. Behavior?"

"No matter what, the dispute between Italy and Greece must be resolved as soon as possible, and the German rebellion issue must be resolved as soon as possible. Don't they still have 100,000 Wehrmacht troops? How come they can't even deal with these extremists?" Baldwin said dissatisfied, "As for the Ruhr issue, it will be resolved sooner or later, but if the French see that they can cause such chaos within Germany, they will definitely enjoy it."

Baldwin's guess was not wrong. French Prime Minister Raymond Poincaré also received the news that the National Socialist Party had come to power in a coup. However, he was not as worried as the British. Instead, he observed the incident with a happy attitude. , said to the cabinet staff with a smile: "Let's fight, break the damn Germany into pieces! The more tragic their civil war is, the better!"

"There is news that the coup troops used French machine guns, and some people suspect that we are behind the scenes."

"With French machine guns, it can be inferred that we control it?" Poincaré laughed, "Hatchkiss was used by no less than 20 countries in the last war. Who knows from which channel it flowed out? If we say that French machine guns are controlled by France, then the matter is too simple. We can donate a batch of American machine guns and British machine guns to the coupists - what does this mean? It is obviously Britain and the United States that are controlling..."

The circle of people burst into laughter.

"Your Excellency Prime Minister, we have just received news that the Turks and the Italians have signed a package of military agreements, for which the Turks will pay US$3 million."

"What's the specific content?"

"1. Purchase the battleship Queen Elena; 2. Repair the battlecruiser Goeben; 3. Purchase 60 aircraft... In addition..." the secretary added another piece, "There is also a rumor, if Turkey is in 3 If it can pay US$5.8 million within the year, Italy can hand over all the remaining three Queen Elena-class battleships and supporting artillery technology to Turkey, but this is just a rumor and has not been confirmed!”

Poincaré didn't take it seriously: "It's just a few third-rate warships. The real headache is the British, right? You can send a message to the Turks. If you need warships and other military supplies, you can also come to France to see us. The stuff is better than the Italians.”

“Are you ready to recognize the new Turkish government?”

"Sooner or later, we have to admit it, as long as the Turks do not hinder our control of Syria." Poungale smiled, "But there is no need to be so anxious, the British will help us."

The same news was of course also placed in the British cabinet meeting. Everyone was talking about Italy-Turkish military cooperation. Curzon's heart sank suddenly. The Italian-Turkish merger seemed to be a real thing and not just talk. Although Turkey was not Wealthy, but you can always get it for 3 million US dollars. After the transaction, Turkey has 1 Queen Elena and 1 Goben. It is not a worry. Greece can handle it with its naval strength, but if the Queen Elena class reaches With 4 ships, coupled with Italy’s intentional or unintentional support, the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean will be much worse.

He couldn't help shouting: "We must do our best to prevent the second step of the transaction. I want to talk to the Greek ambassador immediately!"

On December 14, two days after the Beer Hall Riots, Mussolini received good news: the British Ambassador verbally expressed his willingness to support Italy's demands, but the amount of compensation must be reduced. As a result, he immediately reduced the amount from 10 million to 40 million. , the British ambassador made a counter-offer of US$10 million, but Mussolini refused without thinking.

After difficult talks, the two sides finally agreed on a price of US$30 million and submitted the conditions to Greece. Of course, the British did not believe that Greece would accept the offer of US$30 million and would inevitably reduce it.

Mussolini also admitted this possibility, so he insisted on settling for 30 million. What if he only settled on 10 million and was hacked by the Greeks?

On December 15, the note from London and the ambassador's telegram were placed on the desk of the Greek government...