My Italy

William I's funeral was a grand one, with hundreds of thousands of people witnessing it. White roses surrounded the coffin, symbolizing good wishes for the deceased William I.

The long farewell procession had no end, but Carlo, the King of Italy, was placed at the front of the procession, only one lower than the Austro-Hungarian Emperor Joseph I. Behind him was King Carol I of Romania, and finally It was King William III of the Netherlands.

Among the four kings, Carlo was the most out of place and had less communication with the other three kings.

In fact, you don’t need to think about it to know that the three youngest are in their fifties and sixties, so it is strange that they can chat with Carlo, a young man in his early twenties.

Of course, it’s not like we haven’t talked before, but usually it’s limited to simple hello and other exchanges. Among them, Emperor Joseph, the emperor of Austria-Hungary, talked more with Carlo. After all, they were allies.

In addition, I would like to say that the relationship between Italy and Austria-Hungary is currently at its best. In terms of levels, the relationship has changed from hostility to indifference. This is a huge improvement.

Unable to talk to the three elderly monarchs, Carlo would naturally choose someone of similar age to talk to him. Because Wilhelm II had many things to do, except for Carlo's one visit when he arrived in Berlin, he never came again. However, Instead, a naval colonel named Tirpitz was sent to communicate with Carlo.

Carlo did not look down on the other party because of his low position and military rank. Instead, he was very friendly and exchanged naval experience with him.

That's right, it's the father of the High Seas Fleet, the eternal Tirpitz.

Otherwise Carlo would bother with such a small naval captain, knowing that he was very pressed for time.

At this time, Tirpitz had not yet formulated his theory of the existence of the fleet. Instead, he was studying the cruiser's tactics to break diplomatic ties. Of course, this has a lot to do with the fact that he is currently commanding a cruiser formation.

For Tirpitz, who did not have his own theory, Carlo would also inject some of his own opinions from time to time during the conversation. Of course, it is not known how much the other party would listen. This was just Carlo's desire to give it a try.

Of course, he doesn't want to accuse the other party of having a wrong theory. Any theory needs to be used in a corresponding position. The existence of a fleet is the safest method when you are at a disadvantage and do not want to use too risky tactics.

Of course, this method allowed the High Seas Fleet to hold back the British Home Fleet, which was far more powerful than itself, which shows that this theory can be used. However, Germany's position determines that its use of the existential fleet theory cannot help it get rid of its maritime disadvantages.

In addition to communicating with Colonel Tirpitz, Carlo also talked with other people. Among them, the one who talked the most was Nicholas II, the last Russian tsar who was younger than himself.

The two are of similar age, and there is currently no conflict of interest between the two countries, which makes Russia very willing to allow its crown prince to communicate with the young Italian king.

However, in the process of communicating with the tsar, Carlo discovered that Crown Prince Nicholas was as introverted and shy as the rumors said. Moreover, when Carlo sometimes raised questions and opinions during the conversation, the already twenty-year-old The crown prince also looked at his personal tutor Pobedonoschaev who was standing aside.

He was already twenty years old, and he had to ask his private teacher for minor questions. No wonder he would later be interfered with by his wife in government affairs. So the Tsar needs to bear at least one-third of the blame for Russia's collapse.

In addition to communicating more with Colonel Tirpitz and Crown Prince Nicholas, Carlo also had contact with other people. Among them are the second-generation head of Krupp, Friedrich Alfred Krupp (commonly known as Little Krupp), and Werner, the head of Siemens in Germany. Siemens, this time the famous scientist and businessman, has not yet been awarded the title of nobility, so he cannot add "Feng" as a middle character yet.

Of course, in addition to these two, Carlo also met with many other famous company leaders. The reason why Carlo was so eager to meet these people can be guessed by everyone.

That's right, they are just trying to acquire some technologies. Of course, Carlo has no unreasonable thoughts about the core technologies that he is determined not to sell (mainly because the cost is too high and he dare not act recklessly). As for the technology that could be sold or not, Carlo wanted to fight for it. No matter how you say that you are also the monarch of an allied country, you still need to give some face.

Although Germany's technology is currently not as good as Britain's, with its good development momentum, it is already on par with France. So this time Carlo is prepared to strengthen Italy's weak industry to give it a good opportunity to develop as soon as possible.

With these things involved in his mind, Carlo showed a little lack of energy at the funeral. After reluctantly listening to the speech read by Prime Minister Bismarck, he was ready to leave.

In any case, the attitude of others when they came was very good. Didn't you see that the Austro-Hungarian Emperor Joseph I next to him was a little shaky.

But sometimes, people are like this. The more they want to leave, the less they can leave.

I saw a German personnel wearing the clothes of an attendant, running all the way to Carlo. "King Carlo, Crown Prince William and the Prime Minister would like to ask His Majesty to move over. There are some things that I would like to discuss with you."

Although Carlo was very confused about what made the two of them so anxious, since William II and Bismarck were looking for him, there was nothing else to say, so go ahead.

So in the chapel next to the cemetery, Carlo met Prime Minister Bismarck and Wilhelm II.

"King Carlo, I have taken the liberty to invite you here. I want to seek your help for something."

Facing the apologetic Prime Minister and William II who was already wearing a gloomy expression next to him, Carlo felt as if he was trapped in a whirlpool.

"If anything happens, please let me know, Prime Minister."

Now that he sensed the abnormality in the atmosphere, Carlo would certainly not agree easily.

"Actually, it's nothing. Can you tell me the cost of the model ship given to the crown prince, and the subsequent maintenance costs?"

Bismarck's words coupled with William II's expression, Carlo already knew everything. "This model is our country's latest warship. There are currently three ships under construction in our country. The shipyard's quotation for the Chinese Navy is 26.2 million lire. According to the navy's own estimates, the annual cost of this warship will reach about 3 million lire."

After Carlo finished speaking, Bismarck turned to William II and said. "Your Highness William, you have also heard that the construction cost of such a battleship is enough for us to form another half division. If other supporting ships are added, then the cost of two divisions will be used to build such a battleship. . This is a bit too early for our country at present.”

While Bismarck was talking, Carlo had quietly left. This was not really because he was cheating on Crown Prince William, but because he didn't expect this person to be so impatient.

When the two were chatting happily, William II did not ask the price, and Carlo forgot about it. He did not expect that he would see such a scene.

Of course, from this scene, Carlo could predict that the two of them would not be together for long. For two people with strong personalities, it is simply a pipe dream to be able to live in peace, not to mention that their political philosophies are completely opposite.

Of course, Carlo kept silent about what he saw.

But he didn't expect that even if he kept quiet, he would be remembered.