In fact, Italy's equipment level was very low when participating in the exhibition, with a large number of troops, with 35 divisions and 870,000 people, but only 1,500 light artillery and 200 heavy artillery. What is this about? If we take the British and French coalition forces on the Western Front as an example, the proportion of troops and light artillery fire is similar. The Allied forces are more than 2.6 million and have more than 4,000 light artillery, but the gap between heavy artillery is huge. The Allied is about 8 times the number of heavy artillery in Italy!

It is 1,600! In other words, from the perspective of equipment level, Italy is a big shortfall, not to mention the reserve shells and the quality of the troops. Therefore, if the water is squeezed out, Italy's combat effectiveness is not as terrifying as paper. Otherwise, when he first started fighting with the Austro-Hungarian Empire, he would not have suffered more than 110,000 attacks with three times the strength of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and lost 70,000. The most elite and most experienced troops lost in half a year.

Moreover, the prince is sure that this plane, the Italian troops on the side of the Allies, are not as good as the Allies in history! The reason is very simple. If this plane, if it follows the Allies, then Italy cannot obtain materials from the outside world, and can only be given by Germany and Austria. In history, Italy can obtain materials from the outside world. Wars are against logistics, materials and industry, but Italy is really bad in terms of materials! Germany has at least coal and iron, what does Italy have?!

"If we want to rely on the millions of Italian troops, then we must be prepared to support 10 million Italians and provide about 70% of the supplies to the Italian industry. Well, Xiao Moltke, tell me, from the perspective of a military strategist, is such a deal worthwhile?" After the prince finished speaking, he stared at Xiao Moltke and said nothing else.

"Holding the grass, how foolish?!" Xiao Moltke was also a little stunned. After all, he was just a soldier. The Prime Minister was solely responsible for material allocation, production and domestic food issues. As a chief of staff, he did not know much about this. He was a soldier, and Ruprecht was a real ruler, not only military, but also political and economic considerations.

"If you use 10 million people's food and uncountable materials to exchange for 800,000 Italian Army, this transaction is indeed a loss, but the Italians' aviation industry is still very good. And their location, if we can control this place, the threat from the entire Balkan war zone will be solved." Xiao Maoqi thought for a while and said.

"How many aircraft are there in Italy now? How many warships are there in the Italian Navy? How long does it take for them to deploy minefields from now on? If Italy is on our side, it may take 1 to 2 months for them to deploy a blockade, but if Britain and France want to block Italy, I am afraid that Italy will declare war on the first day, and the next day, Britain and France can make all merchant ships traveling from the Mediterranean to Italy disappear!" the prince sneered.

"My meaning is very simple. With the current state of Italy, even if they participate in the war, Britain and France can calmly recover the troops in the Balkans. If they are more careful, they choose to go directly to the Suez Canal and then go around Africa and return to Europe, then there will be no problem, or from land, through Egypt to French Algeria. If you want to rely on Italy's sudden joining to kill hundreds of thousands of British and French troops, you can only say that you are thinking too much. The Italian air force's production capacity is good, but the current holding capacity is too low. He has not entered the state that a war-ready country should have!" said the prince.

"So, if I ask what I mean, my answer is very simple. It is the greatest benefit to stay neutral in Italy. We don't need allies like Italy." The prince said.

"As you said, we should at least keep Italy neutral. What should we do if Italy chooses to join the Allies?" asked Moltke.

"Add to the Allies? That won't make our situation worse than the beginning. Now Russia is half-dead. I don't think that Italy's joining will be more terrifying than Russia at the beginning of its development. Russia's pressure on the Eastern Front is already very small. The Austro-Hungarian Empire can completely withdraw more than 20 divisions to strengthen the defense of the border areas. Then, we do what we want to do. Next year the Russians are finished, and then the Bavarian Legion will go to the Western Front and force Britain and France to sign the underworld alliance under the city of Paris. Well, that's it!" the prince said relaxedly.

"By the way, if Italy joins the Allies, then the Austro-Hungarian Empire may have a new place in the Italian Peninsula. Then, after the war, I will award the Italian king a gold diamond-inlaid medal weighing 1 kilogram to commend the Italian legion's consumption of materials from the agreement country." The prince did not forget to mock his opponent in the end!

"Your Highness, you are really optimistic about the situation of future wars." Xiao Moltke said speechlessly. If someone else said the words just now, and in just a few words, Xiao Moltke would definitely not believe it. It would be nice to not scold him. But what is the most capable general in the German army, in the alliance, and even in the world, the all-round level of land, naval and air combat. Therefore, with the prince's previous record as a footnote, Xiao Moltke really cannot refute... This may be a soldier who will defeat others without fighting! Whether it is against the enemy or himself, it is all effective!

So, at this moment, Moltke suddenly felt a little tearful.

"Okay, tell the German Emperor what I said intact, and then I will write another letter. In addition, let us tell our Prime Minister, Teobaden von Bateman-Holveg, if he is convenient, I hope he can come to me. Regarding this matter, I want to discuss the political influence with him. You are a soldier, and it is better not to interfere in some matters." The prince said at the end.

"Okay, I will convey your opinion, but I'm not sure whether Prime Minister Holvig will come." Moltke said that as the chief of staff of the German General Staff, Moltke knew the German Emperor's mind. William II was actually willing to let others pay for Italy to join the Allies' camp. But unfortunately, you have to convince Austro-Hungary and Turkey, especially the former. Emperor Fritz was very reluctant. This time, Moltke originally planned to convince the prince to do his father-in-law's job, but the result...
Chapter completed!