My Italy

Admiral Yagir's misjudgment is irrelevant at all, or in other words, Admiral Yagir did not misjudge.

As the uprising in Dutch Borneo intensified, during the period when the Dutch were mobilized after the defeat, Ziwardan's power expanded greatly. Inland towns such as Longbawan, Longbo, Bursa, and Ujibina were all occupied by it. As their sphere of influence expanded, their number also increased dramatically, reaching more than 13,000 people.

The Dutch, who failed last time, stepped up their deployment of troops. According to rumors, this time the Dutch became ruthless and planned to mobilize 5,000 troops to conquer the Qivadan rebel forces who had made them lose face.

The actions of the Dutch were seen by the Italians as neighbors. As an example of a good neighbor, Governor Antonio was also very concerned about the Dutch.

In the Governor's Palace in Pontianak, an official was reporting to him on the attitude of the Dutch.

"Your Majesty the Governor, the Governor of Kitsinia in Jakarta rejected our request. He said that the Dutch army can cope with the current situation, and the Dutch colonial government will compensate our businessmen for the losses suffered in this riot."

After hearing the Dutch's reply, Antonio said without changing his expression. "I understand, go down."

After the official left, Antonio touched his forehead and sighed.

I made a mistake. I didn't expect the Dutch to be so stubborn. It seemed that Borneo's strength alone would not suffice.

Yes, Antonio underestimated the determination of the Dutch, or in other words, the determination of the new governor, Kythenia.

It was also Antonio's bad luck. Unlike his predecessor, the newly appointed Dutch governor was a rare die-hard nationalist who would rather suffer a loss than let others have an easy time.

Antonio's disastrous plan to help the Dutch wipe out the rebel forces was directly rejected by the new governor.

But then again, how could the Dutch not get any wind of Italy's sneaky behavior over the years?

In the past, given Italy's strength, it could only turn a blind eye. But with the emergence of the Ziwardan rebellion, the Dutch were even more unable to allow Italian troops to appear in their colonies.

Of course, Antonio did not have other options, but these methods all required the help of Rome, and he had not wanted to use the power of Rome before because it would not show his ability.

But now that he encounters a stubborn Governor of Jakarta, Antonio will not be stubborn at this time. Flexible change of strategy is the choice of a good politician.

Of course, Antonio can also increase his support, but this option is not feasible. This would make Italy an outlier among the colonists. You must know that although countries use all kinds of methods when fighting for colonies, some methods can be done but cannot be said, and some methods cannot be said or done.

Things like Antonio's support of colonial riots in other countries are things that cannot be said but can only be done.

Of course, there are some differences in what can only be done. Evidence cannot be caught. This is an iron rule. Not doing so will disgrace him and Italy.

Moreover, expanding support for rebels is also taboo in Southeast Asia. Although it is not illegal, it is a foul act. (Small-scale funding does not count, but large-scale funding does not count)

Thinking of this, Antonio took out a pen and paper and prepared to write a letter.

After a while, he sealed the letter and handed it to his secretary.

"Arrangements will be made to have this letter sent to Rome."

Antonio did not plan to send the news by telegraph for the sake of confidentiality. Instead, he used a communication ship to send the news to Rome. Anyway, this matter is not that urgent, confidentiality is the first priority.

While Antonio was having a headache for the Dutch, at home, after Carlo inspected the navy, his next stop was the Guards barracks on the outskirts of Rome.

Standing in rows, the upright Guards officers and soldiers stood with their heads high and their chests raised, waiting intently for the king and military bosses who were inspecting them to pass by.

"Very good, the officers and soldiers are very energetic!"

Carlo looked at the Guards officers and soldiers lined up and praised the Guards commander Lieutenant General Grovey with satisfaction.

"Your Majesty praised me. The reason why the officers and soldiers of the Guards are what they are today is because of His Majesty's concern."

Carlo inspected the Guards for a very important reason, that is, the Guards was finally promoted from a division-level unit to a corps-level unit.

The Guards finally had a division level subordinate to them. The 1st Guards Division currently visited by Carlo was the newly reorganized unit. The 1st Guards Division was adapted from the 1st and 3rd Guards Regiments and the 1st Brigade of the 2nd Marine Division.

At present, the 1st Guards Division has one fully-formed infantry regiment, two under-formed regiments, one shelf regiment with only officers, as well as artillery regiment, transportation regiment, engineer battalion, communications company, gendarmerie and other ancillary units. At present, the Guards There are a total of 11,359 officers and soldiers in the First Division, which is a gap of more than 5,000 compared to the full complement of 16,451 officers.

At present, it has not been completed that there is not much difference in the number of the second division and the first division. They are both in a state of dissatisfaction.

In fact, the current state of the Guards is basically the same as that of the Italian Army.

Regarding the requirement to reduce the total strength of the army, senior army officials such as Army Secretary Field Marshal Cadorna and Chief of General Staff General Simeone are in favor of compressing each unit to a reduced level rather than dismantling the entire unit.

At present, in addition to the Guards, the Army has 21 infantry divisions, four cavalry divisions, six mountain brigades, as well as heavy artillery, garrison and other other units. If full strength is used, the total strength of these troops should be as high as 430,000, while the current total strength of the army (excluding the Guards) is only 210,000. Reducing the strength by half depends entirely on reducing the actual strength of each unit.

At present, the Italian Army is divided into three situations. One is a standing division with two full infantry regiments, two less than full infantry regiments, and other affiliated units. This kind of division is currently the best unit in the army. It is also given priority in terms of weapons and equipment. It is also the fist of the army. Currently, there are only three such standing divisions under the Army, and they are basically placed on the Italian-French border.

In addition to this kind of standing division that can be brought to the battlefield at any time, there are also things like the 1st Guards Division, which has one fully formed regiment, two unsatisfied regiments, and a shelf regiment with only officers, and then add other Affiliated troops also number tens of thousands of divisions. There are nine such divisions in the army, and they are called standard divisions. They only need to recruit enough soldiers and simply train them, and their combat effectiveness will not be much worse than that of standing divisions. Of course, standard masters are also different. The best standard masters can reach more than 12,000 people, and some have only 10,000 people, which is less than 10,000. The reason for this gap is dissatisfaction with the differences in the formation of regiments. Some are only in the squad or reduced, from ten people in a squad to seven, and some will be reduced at the battalion level into a shelf battalion. These are called Dissatisfied with the infantry regiment.

Most of the cavalry and mountain brigades also adopt this model.

Then there is the most simplified division in the army. This kind of division has only two infantry regiments that are not fully staffed. The other two infantry regiments are shelf regiments. In addition, the artillery and other ancillary units have also been reduced. For example, the 15th Division is such a simplified division. Compared with a standard division such as the 1st Guards Division, the 1st Guards Division is fully staffed in the artillery regiment, and its three subordinate artillery battalions are all fully staffed. It is equipped with 72 artillery pieces. Although the calibers are somewhat different, including 105mm guns, 80mm and 57mm guns, the number of artillery pieces will not be small.

The 15th Division has only two full artillery battalions and one shelf battalion, which has only more than 50 artillery pieces.

This kind of simplified division is also an emergency establishment adopted by the Army in view of the current low external pressure. The troops and some equipment were reduced and expanded before the war came. Although it is much inferior to the standing and standard divisions, it is much better than the temporarily recruited mobilization divisions. It only needs to be given a month of training time, and its combat effectiveness will not drop too much.

Carlo certainly supports the downsizing plan proposed by the Army. Although it seems that the generals and squadrons are divided into three levels, it is actually the same in all European countries. Except for a few troops, this approach is adopted, but it is not as severe as the Italian compression.

Inspecting the expansion of the Guards was just a small matter for Carlo. After watching it, he spoke to General Simeone, the Chief of General Staff who was accompanying him. "When will we arrange a military exercise to see how the army's combat effectiveness is maintained?"

Faced with Carlo's words, how could Simeone, as the chief of general staff, refuse, he said. "According to the General Staff's plan, we will conduct division-level confrontation exercises in the second half of the year."

After hearing what Admiral Simeone said, Carlo suddenly asked. "Has the place been chosen?"

Carlo's words moved Simeone. "Your Majesty, do you have a choice?"

“How about East Africa?”

Carlo's words made him stunned. He didn't understand what His Majesty meant by these words.

"East Africa is possible, but the distance is long and unnecessary costs will be added."

Yes, Simeone feels that going to East Africa for exercises is a bit wasteful. There are so many people and equipment, and the shipping cost alone is a lot of money. Moreover, the foundation in East Africa is very poor. The officers and soldiers had to adapt to the environment in the past. Isn't it a bit redundant?

Faced with Simeone's doubts, Carlo immediately explained. "Recently Menelik II asked us for help, and the Sudanese invaded the granary of Lake Tana in Abyssinia. We need to at least make some gestures to help them."

That's right, the Sudanese and the Abyssinians are fighting again. Every now and then, the two countries will fight over the rich land of Lake Tana, without even breathing.

Menelik II, the Abyssinian emperor, also had a headache about this.

However, Lake Tana is related to nearly 20% of Abyssinia's grain output. There is nothing we can do to lose it in our own hands. We have no choice but to bite the bullet.

In fact, the Sudanese people next door are also having a hard time. Frequent droughts and wars have kept the Sudanese people in a state of hunger. At present, the only people around who can grab a handful, and with good reason, are the Abyssinians. What else is there to say? Just take your livestock, wife and children and go to an Abyssinian house for dinner.