"Your Majesty, the Italians have requested to enter the war. As long as the French agree to return their territory, the Kingdom of Italy can dispatch five hundred thousand troops to attack Germany!" Foreign Minister Coleman said.
"Oh, this is probably one of the best jokes of the year. Tell the Italians to discuss that issue with the French—we cannot decide for the Paris government!" Little Ferdinand replied without hesitation.
At this point, did the Kingdom of Italy's five hundred thousand troops really matter?
In terms of numbers alone, it was certainly no small figure, enough to sway the course of a war. Unfortunately, numbers did not equal combat strength.
The Holy Alliance was still crushing the Pan-International Front. The Italians carried even less weight now—how could the French possibly carve up their own interests for them?
Even if the Bulgarian government supported Italy, it would make no difference. The French were no weaklings; at present, they could only be considered half a lackey, not nearly so obedient.
Little Ferdinand's decision happened to be exactly what everyone had been thinking. They all understood such basic international common sense.
The grudge between the Italians and the French was a historical legacy from the previous world war. Even if Bulgaria now wanted to weaken France, it could not make an issue of this matter.
The legitimacy of most of Bulgaria's territory had been established under the Versailles System. By nature, it was a defender of the interest bloc.
The Italians might not have been much at fighting wars, but they were quite capable of developing their economy in peacetime. After the war, it would be just the right time to stir up their conflict with the French.
"Your Majesty, the Japanese government has requested to join the Holy Alliance. This time, they