At the Entente forces' headquarters in Sicily, Lieutenant General Valikote was holding a public security meeting, preparing to crack down on the unstable elements in the occupied territory.
Recently, Sicily's Mafia had started stirring again, secretly making connections and plotting something. Naturally, this was intolerable to the occupying forces, and Lieutenant General Valikote had already decided to strike first.
As for whether they might get the wrong people? He had no time to analyze the Italians' intentions. Any suspicious movement would be suppressed. If someone was wrongly accused, they could only count themselves unlucky!
Suddenly, a staff officer rushed in and said, "General, a telegram from home."
Taking the telegram, Lieutenant General Valikote read through it in a moment, then said, "The homeland has ordered us to occupy Sardinia within two months and prepare for a landing on mainland Italy. The Entente has already coordinated internally, and I will continue to serve as commander-in-chief for this operation.
"Major General James, Major General Winston, you will both be taking part in this operation as well. The orders will be delivered to you shortly. Any questions?"
"No!" the two answered almost in unison.
They had already worked together during the Battle of Sicily, and got along reasonably well. Though they respectively represented the United Kingdom and France, the troops under their command were all colonial divisions. As cannon fodder, their status could not possibly be very high, and there was no chance of fighting over command authority.
Valikote nodded in satisfaction. "Good. Then proceed according to plan. Before attacking Sardinia, clean out Sicily first."
The Entente had long prepared several sets of operational plans; which one to implement depended on the actual circumstances. The Italian Navy had recovered some of its vitality, but it was still cowering inside its ports.
A landing