I'm playing whack-a-mole in Siberia

Chapter 849: The Smoke of War Resurfaces
Before Felix made his move, the Italian took action first.

After the conflict between the Kingdom of Italy and the Kingdom of Yugoslavia ended, the Italians behaved themselves for a while, but after the outbreak of the economic crisis, Mussolini thought about it and finally hoped to divert domestic conflicts through colonial expansion.

Just at this time, the mustache extended an olive branch to Mussolini.

Before the outbreak of World War I, the Kingdom of Italy was an ally of the German Empire. Although the Kingdom of Italy eventually broke its alliance with Germany and joined the Allied camp, Manuel Lupin still firmly believed that the Italians were worth winning over.

Three months ago, Mussolini visited Germany and was warmly received by the mustache man.

A month later, Ribbentrop, the mustache-wearing foreign policy adviser, visited Italy and was also personally received by Mussolini.

Seeing the Kingdom of Italy and Germany flirting with each other, this caused France to worry.

The French are well aware that once Germany regains its strength, there will inevitably be a war between Germany and France.

If Italy and Germany join forces, France will be caught in the disadvantageous situation of fighting on two fronts, so in recent times, the French have frequently shown goodwill to the Kingdom of Italy.

In addition, there is Britain, which has always wanted to join forces with Italy to fight against Russia.

For a time, the Kingdom of Italy became a popular destination, which made Mussolini very proud.

However, even with the support of Britain, France and Germany, the Kingdom of Italy still faced many difficulties in expanding overseas.

The three countries that border the Kingdom of Italy by land are France, Switzerland, and Yugoslavia.

France did not dare to fight, Switzerland could not fight, and Yugoslavia could not be defeated. Mussolini searched for a long time on the map and finally set his sights on Abyssinia in North Africa.

Speaking of Abyssinia, it is also an old rival of the Kingdom of Italy. In 1895, the Kingdom of Italy invaded Abyssinia, but not only failed to conquer Abyssinia, but also suffered heavy losses and was forced to sign the Treaty of Addis Ababa, recognizing the independence of the Abyssinian Empire and compensating the losses of the Abyssinian Empire.

This was the first time that a European country was forced to sign a treaty of defeat with an African country, and the Kingdom of Italy became a laughing stock around the world.

Mussolini still had some strategy. He learned from the experience of the last Italian army's failure and did not send the Italian army to invade directly. Instead, he created friction on the border between Abyssinia and Somalia to create a reason for the Italian army's invasion.

The Abyssinian Empire immediately turned to the League of Nations for help.

Lorenzo turned the tables and placed the blame for the conflict on the Abyssinian Empire.

"This is impossible. We do not have any troops stationed in the border areas, and our herders will not graze across the border. This is totally untrue!"

Abyssinia's ambassador to the League of Nations, Tefaye, argued hard, hoping to gain the support of the League of Nations.

Tefaye was destined to be disappointed. Between the Kingdom of Italy and Abyssinia, Britain, France and Germany would not support Abyssinia.

Russia, the only country that could possibly support Abyssinia, has drifted further and further away from it in recent years.

When the Russian Civil War just ended, Abyssinia and Russia had a honeymoon period, and the first batch of African students trained by the Amur Army Academy came from Abyssinia.

The Abyssinian Empire had originally hoped to strengthen its military strength through Russia, but it was unable to purchase Russia's various advanced weapons, so that the trainees who received training at the Amur Army Academy were useless after returning to Abyssinia.

At this time, Britain extended a helping hand to the Abyssinian Empire and took the initiative to present a batch of weapons and equipment to Abyssinia, thus gaining the trust of the Abyssinians.

Such words alone are not enough to alienate the relationship between Abyssinia and Russia.

After Sudan's independence, Britain increased its aid to the Abyssinian Empire, and Haile Selassie I became increasingly wary of Russia.

If Russia had applied the same tactics it had used on Sudan to Abyssinia, Haile Selassie's rule would have also been overthrown.

"You just said that Abyssinian herders never entered Somalia to graze their livestock, didn't you?"

Lorenzo pursued relentlessly.

"I can only say that after the signing of the Treaty of Usiali, our herders have never crossed the border—"

Tefaye's explanation was not very convincing.

Before Italy invaded Somalia, the border between Abyssinia and Somalia was vague and there was no clear demarcation.

The border was not defined until 1928, when the Kingdom of Italy and Abyssinia signed the Treaty of Ousiali.

The main content of the Treaty of Ousiale was that the Abyssinian Empire ceded part of its territory in exchange for financial and military assistance from Italy.

Therefore, part of southern Somalia occupied by Italy originally belonged to the Abyssinian Empire.

"Great! You finally remembered the Treaty of Uscialli. You despicable guys exchanged a barren land with no output for funds and military aid from the Kingdom of Italy. Are you ready to tear up the Treaty of Uscialli now?"

Lorenzo's questioning made Tefaye sweat profusely.

Andre looked at Putales. Putales' eyes were clear and he had no intention of speaking at all.

Looking at Edward and Perrier, one of them had his eyes closed and the other was whispering with Alan, neither of them paying attention to the ongoing debate.

This kind of debate is also fruitless, the real struggle is happening outside the arena.

After the meeting, Tefaye did not ask Andre for help immediately, but followed Edward closely. It is unknown what promises the British made to the Abyssinians that made the Abyssinians so loyal.

Andre went to Alain and asked him what he talked about with Perrier.

The French have set their sights on the oil of the Grand Duchy of Yuriev and hope to sign a long-term purchasing agreement with the Grand Duchy of Yuriev at a fixed price.

"Then you better be careful, this thing has a big fluctuation."

Andrei reminded Alan that the Grand Duchy of Yuriev should remain consistent with Russia on the issue of oil.

"The French offer a good price—"

Alan is very smart. Even if he doesn't sell oil, he still wants to do a favor.

"Then you decide!"

Andrei is not in a hurry, it’s your Yuriev family’s business anyway.

Tefaye was almost dying of anxiety, but Edward did not give Tefaye the promise he wanted and suggested that the Abyssinian Empire and the Kingdom of Italy negotiate the issue.

The independence of the Abyssinian Empire was the result of compromise between Britain and France, otherwise it would not have been Italy's turn.

France was also unreliable. Edward could at least give advice to Tefaye, but Perrier never met with Tefaye and didn't care about the life or death of the Abyssinian Empire.

When Tefaye finally remembered Russia, Andre was also in a bad mood.

You can't wait until your country is threatened before you seek Russia's protection.

To put it bluntly, Russia really looks down on the Abyssinian Empire. The only role of Abyssinia for Russia is to serve as a springboard into Africa.

After Sudan's independence, the only role was also replaced by Sudan.

George was also concerned about Italy's military operations in North Africa.

Mussolini was ambitious and continued to send troops to the periphery of the Abyssinian Empire. War was inevitable.

If the Abyssinian Empire was an ally of Russia, Russia could provide protection to the Abyssinian Empire. In this case, George would definitely drag Russia into the quagmire of war because of the Abyssinian Empire.

"Why not? By defeating Italy, we can continue to strengthen Russia's deterrence."

Vasily has always disliked Italians.

In other words, Vasily hated any challenge to order, and the Kingdom of Italy should abide by the law.

"So, we should send our soldiers to fight in Africa for Abyssinia?"

War Minister Andre was equally resolute in his opposition.

"If we're going to go to war, then we're going to need a stronger navy—"

Kolchak's little thoughts are obvious. Russia has not built new large warships for a long time.

The warships built by Russia in recent years are all cruisers and destroyers, and they are just normal iterations. The total number has not increased, which is increasingly inconsistent with Russia's overseas interests.

In the past, Russia was besieged and blocked by Britain. It continued to invest huge amounts of money in building its navy, and eventually succeeded in breaking the British blockade, greatly expanding Russia's living space.

Looking back now, the period before and after the Russo-Japanese War was actually the peak period of the Russian Navy, which was hard for Kolchak to accept.

"We don't need a navy or even an army to fight Italy!"

Peter was full of confidence that Italy's military strength was nothing compared to Russia's.

The Kingdom of Italy did have the advantage over the Abyssinian Empire.

But considering the Italian army's performance in the world wars and the conflict with the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, it is hard to believe in the strength of the Italian army.

Mussolini chose Abyssinia in order to prove that the Kingdom of Italy was no longer what it used to be.

"Gentlemen, calm down. There is no need for us to go to war with the Kingdom of Italy."

George didn't want to fight. When it came to choosing the right time, no one in Italy could match him.

Now it is obvious that Britain, France and Germany are not willing to take the lead. If Russia takes action, Britain will definitely fully support Italy, not to mention France and Germany.

George was also dissatisfied with Haile Selassie I's indecision. This man looked smart, but in fact he was a fool and was too easily influenced.

George didn't know how the British bewitched Haile Selassie. Was it so easy to get British aid?

Haile Selassie not only accepted aid from the British, but also exchanged territory for a bunch of junk from the Kingdom of Italy. George didn't know how to evaluate this behavior.

Russia sold Alaska to the United States because of threats from Britain and France, and it could not keep it if it did not sell it.

George didn't know whether Mussolini had threatened Haile Selassie, but it seemed that he hadn't, otherwise he would have reported the matter to the League of Nations long ago.

Russia did not have many interests in Abyssinia, and Haile Selassie would rather give the mining rights of Abyssinia to the British and French than to Russia.

This is a good thing, as it will let other countries see the consequences of relying on the British and French.

"Even the Italians know how to use war to divert domestic conflicts. We should do the same!"

Vasily was not willing to give up yet. He had been under a lot of pressure recently.

"You are the biggest source of conflict in Russia!"

George didn't give him face and refuted him to his face.

George also knew that there were problems in Russia, but the problems were not serious enough to make everyone feel insecure.

"You don't know how despicable those bastards are. They embezzled public funds, colluded with each other, and even dared to tamper with the army's logistics supply. Many of them also colluded with foreign forces and set up private accounts in foreign banks. They are traitors to Russia and our enemies!"

Vasily also had a problem with George.

"Military logistics supply?"

George really didn't know that the situation had become so serious.

The logistics supply system of the Russian military was established by George. The requirements for logistics supply are very strict. Only the most powerful companies can enter the logistics supply chain of the Russian military.

"Have you carefully checked the canned beef that the Yusupovs supplied to the troops?"

Vasily has evidence, this is George's territory.

George frowned. The Russian army’s canned beef did come from the food processing plant owned by the Yusupov family.

If there was a problem, George would call Felix.

"The supervisors sent by the military to the factory colluded with the factory managers. They clearly stipulated that the beef content of canned food should be 90%, but they used more cheap meat instead. In the end, the beef content was only 30%, and it was frozen beef, not the fresh beef required."

Vasily was very angry. Both he and George were responsible for this problem.

This has been going on for a long time. The cutting of corners has been going on for at least five years.

"What I am most worried about now is that this situation will spread to other areas. If there are problems with our weapons and equipment systems, I will kill more people!"

Vasily is cold and cold. The arsenal under Yuriev is the main supplier of heavy weapons and equipment for the Russian army.

After the three major reforms, they mainly produce light weapons, and most of Russia's heavy equipment comes from Amur.

"If there is a problem with the supply of weapons and equipment, you don't have to do anything."

George's confidence began to wane, as he hadn't been back to Amur for a long time.

There is no perfect system and it must be constantly modified to keep up with the times.

The system that George designed for Amur was indeed relatively complete during the Imperial Russian era, but it is hard to say whether it is still complete now.

It is impossible for George to keep an eye on Amur every day. His current work is mainly focused on Europe, and Amur is the rear base.

After the meeting, George called Mario and asked him to correct himself first.

Vasily's investigation will not stop. No matter who is involved, even if it is a member of the Yuriev family or the Dolgorukov family, George will not show mercy.

Mario's investigation has not yet begun. Alpha secretly reports that the Japanese army is making military mobilizations and may launch a foreign war.

George then remembered that he hadn't heard any news about Japan for a long time.

That’s not right. The last time we heard news about Japan was the tariff war instigated by Hoover.

Unlike European countries that responded quickly, Japan had no ability to resist when faced with the tariff war. Not only did it not retaliate, but it increased its trade efforts with the United States.

(End of this chapter)