Mediterranean hegemon

ps: First update of the day, try to update later...

After the telegram was sent to Contini, he was also stunned: Is this going to circle in South China? But this matter always makes people laugh. Isn't it 60 years ahead of schedule? [Far East Trip 10-11 sensitive, see the author of the same name\u003e His subordinates also advised him not to do this. 10 million oceans equals 50 million lire, which is not a small amount. The place given is not a good place, just a blank land. It is necessary to build it with great effort. Isn't this throwing money into the water in vain? If it is a leased land, it is easy to say. Italy can build it, but to put it bluntly, it is a commercial zone. The civil power must be shared with the Chinese side, and the military power is almost non-existent. Even Agnes found it incredible. The Chinese want us to help develop a commercial zone? This is crazy. We haven't invested enough money in our own place!

However, Contini had seen the prosperity of Shenzhen Special Economic Zone and knew how important this place adjacent to Hong Kong was. Jokingly speaking, when he traveled back in time, the price of the land and houses he had drawn was enough to buy the whole of Italy, so he smiled and said, "It's okay, this place is not bad. We have an exclusive dock and port, so we don't have to crowd with others... It's big enough for me to mess around. You all know that I don't like petty places."

"What about security and military?"

Contini pointed to the telegram: "First, China recognizes that we have deployed appropriate and necessary security forces; second, allowing the Italian navy to move in is a big treasure house."

Navy? A group of naval officials thought about it again and again and felt strange. The navy could not go ashore. With Italy's size, it seemed impossible to maintain a force in China that could compete with the French Far East Fleet or the British Far East Fleet. What's the use of the navy?

"You guys, your minds are not as open as the Chinese." Contini said angrily, "What is the navy? The navy is an all-round branch of the military. There are warships for fighting, ships for transportation, marines for landing, naval aviation for flying in the sky, and submarines for underwater. Have you forgotten that this president also has floating airports at sea, special underwater sightseeing boats, and special Mediterranean transport boats?"

He almost mentioned the special cruise ship Aida, but remembered that Aida was still beside him, so he quickly shut up.

"Oh!"

"In addition, this president also has United Airlines, water speedboats (torpedo boats), United Warriors (black paratroopers), and special guards (oil guards). These are all company assets and civilian organizations. They have nothing to do with the Italian Defense Forces. Why can't they be stationed?"

Everyone laughed, and then everyone realized: Although the military force in the hands of the president is smaller in scale, it is complete in categories and has everything. Even the uniforms are special black uniforms. At first glance, they are energetic, and they are not the same routine as the Annan patrol and Indian Ah San.

"Besides, I can afford 10 million dollars. It's just some scrap steel. I'll ask Ansaldo and Bereda to get more new goods..."

For this 10 million dollars, the Guangzhou government really doesn't want cash but scrap steel, but it has added a condition to the scrap steel, which is to give more high-grade scrap steel and consumable scrap steel. These difficult terms were created by the Italians and are now used by the powers: low-grade scrap steel contains wood impurities, rifles, medium-grade machine guns, high-grade artillery, and consumable scrap steel ammunition.

So the old coach is a good friend of the United Group. With his demonstration in the north, the south felt the urgency of upgrading, especially the giant cannons. Facing the reality that the tall and strong Xi'an city wall was breached, everyone realized the importance of giant cannons.

These giant cannons were picked out by Contini from the active equipment of the Italian Army and sold to the Far East with the attitude of exchanging them if possible. Because these are not new or even from World War I, most of them were built in the years after the Battle of Adowa, and it has been nearly 30 years now. Although they are still powerful, they are too heavy after all, and they were not used much in World War I, so Contini fooled the army to replace these old guns with railway guns, and also required the integration of army and navy artillery.

Italy has one good thing, all medium and large caliber artillery are produced by Ansaldo, so there is no need to give one set to the army and one set to the navy to compete for business. Ansaldo itself also hopes to promote the integration of heavy and especially super-heavy artillery of the army and navy, so as to further reduce inventory. If 20 guns are sold, 10 for the navy and 10 for the army, if they do not match, they may need to prepare 20 replacement barrels for each, and if the calibers of both sides are unified, only half of them will be enough. Contini has a clear view of Italy's problems. Italy's technological content is not low, but productivity is a problem. If there is a lack of clear understanding in this situation and blindly pursues more and more complex equipment systems, it is completely putting the cart before the horse.

Therefore, he used his status as a military sponsor of the Army to give the Army a complete set of solutions. In the field of small arms, he mainly replaced 1926 rifles, 1926 light machine guns and Browning heavy machine guns. At the same time, he urged Ansaldo to speed up the completion of mortars. Development, of course, must be strengthened in the field of heavy weapons. On the one hand, Ansaldo Company's output must be vigorously expanded, and on the other hand, the number of medium mines in army equipment models must be reduced, such as the 210mm heavy howitzer and the 280mm siege howitzer. Contini said It means that all train guns will be used to counteract them. The focus is to strengthen the 105mm and 155mm caliber howitzers, of which 155 is a division-level howitzer and 105 is a regiment-level howitzer. As for the army? He was never optimistic about Italy setting up such a system.

In addition to towed artillery, he is also preparing to strengthen the number of mobile artillery. Although Professor Goddard introduced from the United States has just started in the field of liquid rockets, he has already achieved certain success in the field of solid rockets. This small rocket that can fly 2-3 kilometers is the favorite of the President. It can be dressed up as a rocket launcher. When the time comes, put it on the back of a United truck or load it on Christie's newly developed M-series tank, it will be a proper Italian pipe organ. Maybe someone will name it President pipe organ in the future...

"Send a telegram to Commander-in-Chief Chiang. I agree in principle to these terms. The fleet has also brought some scrap steel, which can be delivered after the contract is signed. However, should the terms be slightly changed to include the two small islands at the Pearl River Estuary? Give us Qi'ao Island and Neilingding Island, and I am willing to add another 2 million yuan for this!" Contini told Huang Xinguodao, "You tell them, I will not build forts or other military facilities on them, I hope to develop them. Into an industrial and tourist resort, you know, I originally wanted to develop Bali..."

Because the names of Qi'ao and Neilingding Islands are difficult to pronounce in Italy, they changed their names to simpler ones: the big one is called Agnes Island, the small one is called Ida Island...