Mediterranean Hegemony Road

After receiving the news from the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry, the French government was also furious. Seeing that the Italians were about to die, John Bull jumped out to do things again.

In the eyes of the French, Bulgaria's previous proposal to carve up Italy was a very good choice. Not only can kill a competitor, but also enhance the national strength, it really kills two birds with one stone.

But from the British standpoint, this is the worst possible situation. Even if the three countries carve up Italy, what is the use of Italian land?

Except for Sicily and Sardinia, John Bull has expressed no interest. They are not interested, but they can't let their competitors get it?

If France and Bulgaria divide the Italian peninsula, the French will dominate the European continent, at least Central and Western Europe will tremble under their wings; while Bulgaria is equivalent to controlling half of the Mediterranean Sea, but the British have little to gain.

They were originally the bosses of the Mediterranean Sea, and even if they could acquire the two islands of Sardinia and Sicily, nothing would change.

As for a plot of land from the Italian peninsula, they are even more disdainful. They are neighbors with two army powers. John Bull has not gone crazy!

President Raymond Poengale asked coldly, "Has the accuracy of the news been confirmed?"

The French foreign minister shook his head and said: "Not yet, but it is certain that the Bulgarians will not joke about such things. In terms of motivation, the British can do it!"

After a long silence, Raymond Poengale said: "Make sure as soon as possible, if the information is accurate, we will cooperate with the Bulgarians, and it is time to let the British know that their decision is not equal to the decision of the Entente. !"

The French foreign minister sighed and said: "Mr. President, the British are making small moves one after another, so disregarding the overall situation, we must take action!

Otherwise, in the end, we and the Germans will fight to the death and let the British take advantage of it! "

Raymond Poengale said hesitantly: "Well, in the name of convening the Allied Powers' Joint War against Germany Conference, we will invite representatives of all countries together to protest against the British together!

The British also had to make concessions as long as we were on the same footing as the Russians and Bulgarians. "

When he said this, Raymond Poengale was obviously lacking in confidence and had to pull the two countries together. Today's French can't do without John Bull, even if the behavior of the British is outrageous,

They can only remember first, and then liquidate it later.

By the time the French acted, it was too late, and on September 8 the Italian government issued a diplomatic proclamation announcing its withdrawal from the world war.

The next day, on behalf of the Entente, John Bull agreed to the Italians' withdrawal from the war and invited the Italians to join the Allies.

On the same day, the Bulgarian and French coalition forces began to storm Rome, and the Italians were celebrating the end of the war. The city of Rome was broken by surprise, and the Italian government fled in a hurry.

The world's public opinion was in an uproar, condemning the shameless actions of the Entente, but the newspapers of the two countries highly praised the British for the great cause of the Entente, and the pressure of public opinion on John Bull suddenly increased.

In the eyes of those who do not know the outside world, this is all a conspiracy of the British. They used diplomatic means to deceive the Italians, let the Italian defenders relax their vigilance, and let the Allied forces break Rome in one fell swoop!

The international reputation of the British Empire has been severely damaged. This invisible loss is more serious than the actual loss, making John Bull furious, but powerless!

Because this operation was carried out in secret, and they did not inform the other Allied members. When they announced the news, the French-protection coalition had already paraded on the city of Rome.

The Italian government, which fled in a hurry, is now arresting the British for a savage attack, asking them to give an explanation, and constantly building up momentum through public opinion, hoping to make the Allied countries retreat.

George V, who received the news, vomited blood directly, and for the first time expressed doubts about his behavior of giving up his rights and handing over to the cabinet.

At No. 10 Downing Street, the Prime Minister's official residence, a group of British dignitaries are gathering together. The atmosphere is very serious, and the face of Prime Minister Arquis is already full of gloom.

Foreign Minister Gray said angrily: "This time we were trapped by the French and Bulgarian alliance, otherwise the timing could not be so coincidental, why did Italy just announced its withdrawal from the war, why did they just launch an attack that night?

We just announced the invitation to Italy to join the Entente, they were parading on the walls of Rome, and now the whole world is watching our joke! If we can't handle the Italian issue, our diplomatic credibility will be ruined! "

The Minister of State sneered and said, "After saying so much, it is not all the result of the private actions of your Ministry of Foreign Affairs. If you had informed the two countries in advance, the embarrassing situation like this would not have occurred!

Don't tell me you don't have time, even if you inform the Italians on the day they announce their withdrawal from the war, they will not be able to storm Rome.

But now that Rome has fallen into the hands of the two countries, they will not give it up easily if there are not enough benefits! "

Foreign Secretary Gray retorted: "We are doing this for the interests of the British Empire. This is related to the post-war battle for the right to speak. If Bulgaria and France are involved, they will not agree to let Italy join the Entente!"

The Minister of State still sneered and said: "So now you are all happy? Even if Bulgaria and France cheated us this time, what can we do? We can't even protest to them, and now we are the one to blame!

Don't forget that we are still allies now, so can't your Ministry of Foreign Affairs save you a little bit of heart?

Now our enemy is the Germans and the Allies, please put away the old ways, it is no longer feasible!

Even if you want to limit their growth, can't you wait for the war to take action? Now it's time to put yourself in the pit!

You should read the papers too, damn it! Now the outside world is saying that the British Foreign Office is a German spy, responsible for provoking internal conflicts in the Entente! "

Gray wanted to refute, but he didn't know how to say it well. Now everyone in the Allied countries is not interested in the British, and diplomatic relations are in a mess. Although the strategic goals have basically been achieved, hidden dangers have also been buried.

If there is no way to ease relations with other countries, there is a high possibility that the three countries of France, Russia, and Bulgaria will unite to squeeze out the British Empire after the war, and then it will be miserable.

Arquis interrupted their continued quarrel, sighed and said, "Now that things have happened, let's find a way to stop the loss!

At the same time, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs must also change its diplomatic concept in the past.

Now our strategy is to find a way to repair the relationship with the Allied countries, to find a way to make the Allied countries work together to defeat the Germans in one fell swoop, and strive to end the war as soon as possible!

Don't imagine making peace with the Germans, the consequences would be disastrous for the British Empire! "

Foreign Secretary Gray did not speak for a while, and it was obvious that the Prime Minister was also very dissatisfied with the work of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

For most British dignitaries, it is more important to defeat the Allies first and end the war as soon as possible. As for the issue of checking and balancing the allies, it can be completely postponed.

Facing the invisible pressure exerted by everyone, Gray had to compromise: "Well, our Ministry of Foreign Affairs will find a way to get rid of the current embarrassing situation as soon as possible!"

Alquis added: "Not only that, we have to find a way to immediately attack the Allies and divert our attention!

Originally, the political influence caused by Italy's withdrawal from the war could have caused a heavy blow to the Allies, but now everyone's attention has been attracted by us, and it has not been able to play its due role.

Now that we are almost ready, we can launch a fatal blow to the Germans on the Western Front at any time, and now the Ministry of Foreign Affairs must coordinate the relationship between Russia and Russia, let them also launch an attack at the same time, and strive to end the war in the first half of 1917! "

Of course, there is also a well-known problem. He did not say that 1917 happened to be his last term in office. If he wins the war during his term, it will bring him huge political gains.

What we are doing will be the beneficiaries. Whether it is for national interests or personal interests, it is what everyone needs to end the war as soon as possible.

The Admiralty said suddenly: "Yes, we must speed up the war now, the Germans are negotiating secretly with the Russians, and once they reach an agreement and the Russians withdraw from the world war, we will be in big trouble.

As for the issue of Italy, I suggest making compromises with the two countries. We can make deals in other areas, but we can't let Italy perish. It's better to let them retain a certain amount of strength.

Our navy hopes to acquire Sicily as our naval base in the Mediterranean, so that our position in the Mediterranean will be even more consolidated! "

Churchill's proposal greatly increased Gray's pressure. He wanted to preserve Italy and occupy Sicily, so what could France and France gain?

If there is not enough interest, it is obviously impossible to satisfy them! The British Empire does not have the ability to command the heroes to follow suit. In short, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is busy behind.

Gray thought for a while and said, "We will try our best to fulfill the requirements of the Navy, but in this case, I am afraid we have to make concessions to them in other areas."

Prime Minister Arquis said calmly: "Concessions are inevitable, but everything must be based on the protection of the interests of the British Empire. As long as it does not damage our core interests, concessions can be made elsewhere!

Although I don't want to admit it, but now the British Empire is no longer capable of coercing the world, and a single German will exhaust us, so we need allies!

Even after the end of the world war, we still need allies to maintain our supremacy! "

History has once again turned a turning point. It was originally in 1918 that the foreign policy of the British Empire underwent a comprehensive change, but now it has been brought forward by a full two years!

Gray nodded, expressing acquiescence. With the rise of emerging countries, he has discovered that the strength of the British Empire is not unlimited! At least in the face of the Germans, they were a little powerless.