Rome, the capital of Italy, because the Holy See is in Vatican, this has become a place that Catholics around the world yearn for. However, the relationship between Italian government and Vatican the Holy See is very bad.
Before the unification of Italy, the Holy See ruled the Papal States in central Italy. The Second French Empire provided security guarantees for the Papal States. But it is a pity that the Second French Empire was wiped out in the Franco-Prussian War. This also allowed the Kingdom of Sardinia to directly capture the entire Papal State. The Holy See was driven into the tiny Vatican. A large amount of wealth that originally belonged to the Holy See also fell into the hands of the Kingdom of Sardinia.
Until now, the Italy royal family is still unpopular in Vatican.
King of the Kingdom of Italy Vittorio Emanuele III is currently in his palace, praying to God, praying that Combined Fleet can defeat German Navy in a naval battle. That way, they might be able to achieve a decent peace. If you can go to Vatican to pray, maybe the effect will be better. But Vittorio Emanuele III knew that he could not go to Vatican at all.
In this World War, Italian Army's performance was really terrible. They were beaten hard by the Austro-Hungarian Empire and German military at Alps, and suffered heavy losses. I had to give up the attack on the Austro-Hungarian Empire and just defend. It can be said that their contribution in this war was just to hold back part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire's army.
However, the situation on the battlefield changed suddenly. Allied Powers, which originally seemed to be losing the war, won one victory after another as if it had been given a shot of blood. One after another powerful countries were defeated by Germany. Soon, it will be Kingdom of Italy's turn. Judging from military strength, Kingdom of Italy has no chance of winning at all. But at the same time, they are not willing to fail. Therefore, when the Britain people proposed to form Combined Fleet to defeat German Navy and strive for a chance of survival, Kingdom of Italy immediately agreed.
For this battle, Italian government undoubtedly has great hopes. If we can win, then all crises will be resolved. No matter how bad things get, we can still strive for a decent peace. If it fails, everything is lost.
The most aggrieved thing about Vittorio Emanuele III König is undoubtedly his betrayal of Allied Powers and joining Allied Powers. Originally, they were members of Allied Powers! Although there are conflicts with the Austro-Hungarian Empire, they are just disputes of interests and are not irreconcilable. If they can continue to stay in Allied Powers, then they are now also one of the winners. There is no need to be as frightened and frightened as you are now. What's more, you can also share a lot of the fruits of victory.
Now, not only will I not get any of the fruits of victory, but I will also have to pay for my own interests! This kind of comparison is really too great. Vittorio Emanuele III often regretted it.
"Damn Giovanni Giolitti. It's all because of him that the kingdom betrayed Allied Powers. Otherwise, we would have been cheering for victory now!" Vittorio Emanuele III König said through gritted teeth.
Giovanni Giolitti was the previous Prime Minister. It was when he was Prime Minister that Italy betrayed Allied Powers and joined Allied Powers. However, Vittorio Emanuele III seemed to have forgotten that when Britain and French threw out so many baits, he was also tempted. In fact, he, König, should bear the main responsibility.
However, it is Monarch's usual practice to shift the responsibility to his ministers.
"Your Majesty, Prime Minister is here." Servant reported to Vittorio Emanuele III König.
"Well, let him in." Vittorio Emanuele III said.
Antonio Salandra Prime Minister walked into the office.
"Prime Minister, is there any news about the naval battle?" Vittorio Emanuele III König asked eagerly.
"Your Majesty, there is no news yet. Your Excellency Francesco is guarding Naval Ministry. He will report it immediately as soon as there is news." Antonio Salandra Prime Minister said.
Vittorio Emanuele III breathed a sigh of relief. There is no news, which may be the best news. Because at least the bad news of defeat has not been received.
"Can we defeat the Germany people in this battle?" Vittorio Emanuele III König had a trace of earnestness in his eyes.
"Your Majesty, it's very difficult to say. In addition, I am not from the navy, and I know little about naval warfare. However, from the comparison of the strength of the two sides, the gap between us and German Navy is not big. If we are lucky, it is not impossible to defeat the Germany people." Antonio Salandra Prime Minister said.
Vittorio Emanuele III nodded. "I hope God can bless Kingdom of Italy!"
"Well, if I had known earlier, we shouldn't have betrayed Allied Powers for a little benefit. Now, it's time for us to pay the price for it." Vittorio Emanuele III König looked frustrated. When he thought of this, he regretted it very much. However, there is no such thing as regret medicine in this world. Even if I regret it, it is of no use.
"Your Majesty, don't say that. After all, you made that decision for the benefit of Kingdom of Italy. At that time, everyone thought that the Germany people would fail. After all, the three powers of Britain, France, and Russia was too powerful. But who knew that they would win the war so easily? This is really unbelievable," Antonio Salandra said.
If they could be given a chance to make a new choice, they would probably choose to stay within the alliance without hesitation. In this case, they can hitch a ride on the Germans and take advantage of them. After Germany wins this war, it will certainly take the lion's share when distributing war benefits. But even if they can drink some soup and water, that's good! At least there is no need to worry like now that if it fails, the country will be destroyed.
"Yes, I did that for the benefit of Kingdom of Italy!" Vittorio Emanuele III König was very satisfied with this statement. Of course, he made a mistake on this issue, but isn't it worth understanding that he made a mistake for the sake of the national interest? Thinking of this, Vittorio Emanuele III felt a lot better.