My Italy

"What did the Prime Minister say?"

Carlo looked at the information in front of him and asked his captain of the guard with an unhappy expression.

Carlo is very dissatisfied now. What makes him dissatisfied is that some officials in this disaster relief work, those mediocre officials who did not show their disaster relief capabilities at all, completely failed to live up to his expectations.

These people are completely indifferent to disaster relief. Instead, they are proficient in taking advantage of others, taking bribes and bending the law. Although Italy has dealt with many of these insidious insects in recent years, how can this situation be solved once and for all?

And Carlo considered the urgency of disaster relief in the year of severe drought, so he needed to keep an eye on these guys who might do bad things. After all, many disaster relief measures needed to go through them. As long as he was a little careful, the damage caused would be huge.

That's right, Carlo's requirements for officials are very low now. Corruption is not the original sin, but poor performance is. Idiots like this who are both corrupt and bad should be put on the shooting range.

Of course, this is just a thought, even if Carlo is the king, he cannot do this. Didn’t the last Emperor Chongzhen, who treated officials like this, lose his country?

After all, he doesn't have the same power and monopoly position as Chongzhen. Even now, Carlo has shown himself to be wise and powerful, and some things still need to be discussed. This is the biggest difference between Western monarchs and Eastern monarchs, and Carlo has also been deeply touched by it over the years.

Therefore, those who are found to be incompetent officials can only be left to the Prime Minister to deal with them. After all, it would be fine if there were only one or two. If there are too many people, it is difficult to guarantee that the monarch will not be seen as abusing his power. When the time comes, the officials will be collectively dissatisfied, which will outweigh the gains and losses. After all, Italy can live without a monarch, but it cannot live without officials.

"Your Majesty, the Prime Minister said that he will send people to inspect. If there is such a thing, it will be dealt with seriously."

Carlo felt unsettled by the words of the captain of the guard, so he asked instead. "Is there anything unclear about the investigation?"

Carlo looked at the information. The evidence was solid, so there was no need to bother.

Of course, Carlo also knew this, and it had nothing to do with Captain McClun.

"Forget it, let's get down."

Carlo's words made McClun feel like he was being pardoned, and he quickly walked out of the room. But before the door could close, he came back again.

"Your Majesty, the Prime Minister is here to visit."

Now that the true master has come, I can see him no matter what he says. Carlo immediately recovered and answered. "Then what are you waiting for? Let the Prime Minister come in."

"I have met His Majesty."

"You're welcome, Prime Minister. What's the matter with your visit this time?"

Facing the Prime Minister's visit, Carlo asked with a smile on his face.

Faced with Carlo's inquiry, Antonio didn't waste any time and went straight to the topic.

"Your Majesty, that's it. Didn't you send someone a list of corrupt officials before? Our government actually attaches great importance to it, but considering the seriousness of the current drought, in order to avoid dampening the enthusiasm of officials for disaster relief, we I think it would be better to postpone the review.”

The Prime Minister's words made Carlo burst into laughter. "Hahaha, why should I take it seriously? It turns out this is it. You guys have thought it through very carefully. I was in a panic at the time. It's too polite of you to bother the Prime Minister to go there in person."

"Your Majesty, even if I don't have this matter, I still need to make a trip. Isn't this the start of disaster relief fund-raising? Our government hopes that it is best for the royal family to take charge of this matter. This donation to the royal family can greatly encourage the people of the kingdom. of love.”

"If you're interested, I'll tell the queen later and ask her to organize a fundraising event for all the ladies."

Carlo spoke with the Prime Minister for half an hour, and after discussing some other trivial matters, the Prime Minister left.

After he left, Carlo looked angry.

This time the Prime Minister appeared to be explaining, but in reality he was denying his decision. Why is there a reason to avoid dampening officials' enthusiasm for disaster relief?

Of course, simply getting angry can't solve the problem at all. Now Carlo is eager to know what went wrong with the government.

There must be something he doesn't know, otherwise it wouldn't be like this. He has a hunch that if he doesn't find out, there is a big possibility that things will get out of control.

Of course, in the evening, in a hidden room in the palace, Carlo spoke to the person in front of him. "I'll check to see if there's anything going on on the government's side, and check on the political parties' side as well. I always have a feeling that someone is doing something behind my back, hiding it from me."

"As you command, Your Majesty."

The investigation takes time, and Carlo is patient enough to wait.

But the next day, good news came.

"Did the Abyssinians win?"

"I think so, Your Majesty."

Carlo looked at the telegram in front of him and felt that this was really an unpredictable fate.

This telegram stated that at the end of March this year, Menelik II took his carefully prepared 80,000 troops and invaded Sudan in one fell swoop. It went all the way down the Blue Nile, looking ready to march on Khartoum.

Facing the invasion of its old rival, the Sudanese army will certainly not let it do what it wants. Sultan Caliph Abdullah even summoned an army of 100,000 troops and gathered in Sennar, a city in the middle reaches of the Blue Nile.

Sennar is a hub city in Sudan. In addition to Blue Nile shipping, it has a road connecting the Darfur region in the west, Port Sudan in the east and Eritrea. Its geographical location is very important.

The two sides fought several battles around the city, but finally the Abyssinians, who were superior in equipment and well-trained (relatively), had the last laugh, and the Sudanese army suffered a major defeat. But this time Menelik II came well prepared, chasing Sudan's defeated army all the way to its core city of Khartoum. If Abdullah hadn't deployed some troops in the city (to guard against the British), then The city was likely to be captured in one fell swoop.

Even if he was not captured in one fell swoop, it would be difficult for Abdullah to be surrounded in Khartoum. Menelik II led his army to not only surround Khartoum, but also looted large areas of surrounding villages and tribes, plundering a large amount of food and livestock.

During this period, the Sudanese also organized several reinforcements, but they were all defeated. Those reinforcements were poorly equipped and poorly trained, let alone combat effectiveness.

In view of this situation, Abdullah directly asked Menelik II outside the city for peace. It's normal to be defeated and sue for a draw, because everyone knows that if you want to defeat your opponent in one go, don't even think about it.

Of course, Menelik II would not reject his old rival's request for peace, but the other party accepted the fish and meat on the chopping board and let him slaughter it.

After some king-to-king negotiations, Menelik II won a great victory.

In addition to the two fertile lands with lush water and grass in the Akobo Valley and the Damazin area, the Sudan also wanted to cede the Sobat Valley to the Kingdom of Abyssinia. In addition, Menelik II asked for 10,000 horses, 10,000 cattle, 40,000 sheep, 2,000 camels and other supplies as rewards for retreating.

Facing the Abyssinians who had gained a lot, Carlo thought for a moment and said. "Send a telegram to Menelik II and ask him to prepare 100,000 tons of grain and 50,000 cattle and sheep. I guarantee that the territory he has captured will not be taken back by the British."

"Your Majesty, is it okay to send a report like this?"

"Just listen to me, that Menelik II is a smart man, he knows what to do,"