Time quickly reached March of 1938.
The war on the European continent grew more desperate, and nations continuously expanded their mobilization scales, waging this war even while gambling away their entire national fortunes.
The most vivid example was Germany. After altering its mobilization laws, Germany expanded its armed forces from under six million to over twelve million in just a few months, second only to Russia in total military scale and ranking as one of the largest among European nations.
The attacked Italy was not to be outdone either. Under Mussolini's instruction, the Italian Government announced a nationwide general mobilization, recruiting male citizens under 55 and over 16 into the military, while female citizens also entered various munitions factories and related facilities to produce sufficient weapons, equipment, and other supplies for the frontline troops.
However, Italy's resistance felt to the Anglo-French-Australasian Army like a cornered prey's death throes after being struck by a bullet. Although grand in appearance, it posed no actual threat.
It was instead the Italian Air Force that made its presence felt. Apart from the air force, the performance of the Italian Army could only be described as an absolute mess, completely failing to match the status of a major power.
Amidst the Italian Army's consistently stable underperformance, the Australasian Armored Corps easily pierced Genoa's defensive line, swept all the way across Genoa, La Spezia, and Lucca, and finally reached the rear of Florence, one of the most important cities in the north-central region of Italy.
Although a large number of Italian troops remained in Rome further south, to the Australasian Armored Corps at this moment, the Italian Army no longer mattered.
Taking advantage of the main forces of Northern Italy being drawn away by the frontal Anglo-French forces, 350,000 Australasian troops marched imposingly through the breach