Just imagine that even more than one-third of Germany's own grain needs to be imported to meet the pre-war level. So if Italy is added, why should Germany support an additional 14 million Italians? Even if it can support it, who will pay for the purchase of grain? This has not yet been counted on the supply of materials including coal, iron, rubber, copper and other ores.

"If Italy joins the war, then we are equivalent to spending a commission of 100 marks to hire a mercenary worth only 20 marks, and also supporting their families! This business is a loss in any case." said the Duke of Albrecht, who had not spoken.

"But if we can take control of the Mediterranean sea, we can end the war quickly. After all, if Italy is on our side, the British and French coalition forces will not be able to provide effective reinforcements to the Balkan countries. Maybe we can take Belgrade and Athens in the first year. There will be no more Turkish battles. After controlling the Mediterranean, our navy can quickly break out from the Strait of Gibraltar and enter the Atlantic Ocean, and then advance the Norwegian naval battle planned by His Royal Highness Ruprecht nine months to one year." Prince Albert said.

Prince Albert said while sending his own deduction to the crown prince. The above detailed introduction to the war steps and schedules set. It can be seen that Prince Albert is still very careful about this. Not only the army, but also the air force and the navy.

"In fact, it is very beneficial for us to let Britain and France fight us in the Balkan countries! If I want to end the Balkan War as soon as possible, I can do it as well as Italy!" The crown prince said with a smile. "The situation of this war has undergone very fundamental changes. If the military forces directly used for combat on the battlefield in previous wars determined more than 80% of the war, then in this war, the military forces directly fighting on the battlefield can only play a 50% role in the war, and the other 50% are determined by comprehensive national strength. Your idea is the same as Xiao Moltke's original idea."

"We all know that the key factors for victory in the war are the Eastern and Western fronts. Before the war began, Marshal Moltke's initial plan was to use domestic railway high-speed maneuverability to quickly mobilize the army, kill the French before they were ready, and then concentrate their efforts on the Eastern front to deal with the Russians. In this way, we can end the war at a lower cost."

"But unfortunately, this plan failed. The reason is very simple. The French mobilized troops far more than we imagined. Before we captured Belgium, the French were already on high alert. Then, you all know that the Prussian Legion was difficult to make progress in the face of the intensive defensive situation of the British and French coalition forces of more than 7 armies. I can notarize that the Prussian Legion had already made the best choice under the conditions at that time, but unfortunately, it was still useless." The Crown Prince said.

"But after the Bavarian army entered the Western Front from the Eastern Front, we successfully shocked the entire French defense line, advanced a big step forward, and wiped out hundreds of thousands of British and French troops." Prince Albert said.

"Then something happened on the Eastern Front." Ruprecht's words made the prince's remaining words choke in his throat!

"After this salon, you can visit Marshal Moltke and spend a month to understand the situation. In fact, after the Bavarian Legion entered the Western Front for the first time and achieved a big victory, we conducted an in-depth analysis of the situation and came up with several preparatory plans, but the results were all rejected."

"One of the plans is naturally that the Bavarian Legion will continue to stay on the Western Front and then kill France in one go. This plan cannot be implemented because the Bavarian Legion fought continuously on the Eastern Front and Western Fronts at that time, and the losses were very serious. If we wanted to continue to attack France, it would take at least three months to prepare. However, according to the French's replenishment speed, 3 months was enough to restore millions of troops, and the British and the troops from various autonomous territories could also be quickly replenished. After three months, the British and French coalition forces we faced would be stronger than before the war. Our replenishment speed was not as good as that of Britain and France."

"And when we responded and supplemented on the Western Front, the Russians could use this period to break through the defense line of the Kerpatian Mountains and then attack Hungary from multiple directions. Hungary was an important grain-producing land for the Austro-Hungarian Empire. If we lost it, the situation would be unimaginable. Therefore, the final result is that if we continue to attack the Western Front, we cannot guarantee that we can defeat Britain and France, but the possibility of collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire would be greater. Therefore, in the end, the Bavarian Legion returned to the Eastern Front, and the Prussian Legion entered a defensive situation on the Western Front. Then, you should be very clear about the offensive of the British and French coalition forces. The defense war was very fierce. Although we had defensive advantages and preparations, the entire front was then withdrawn by 15 to 20 kilometers!" Ruprecht said.

"But what do you say have to do with the Mediterranean war situation we mentioned?" Prince Albert was a little confused.

"Of course, it's related. The situation on the Eastern and Western fronts fully illustrates a problem, that is, the key to determining the victory of this war lies in whose national strength can withstand the consumption of the battlefield, rather than the victory or defeat of a battle! In the past, similar to the French-Prussian War, the history of us defeating a country with extremely small casualties has passed. The exchange on the battlefield is indeed very important, but more importantly, through repeated battles, the national strength of the opponent is consumed as much as possible until one of them dies out of strength." The crown prince said.

"Okay, let me explain to Albert the rest. A quick battle is impossible, not only on the Western Front, but also on the Eastern Front. The Russians have huge population advantages and depth advantages. Our heavy blows have indeed left irreparable scars on the giant Russian bear, but it will take a long time to finally defeat Russia. You should be clear that even if we eliminated millions of Russian troops in the Polish Pocket Battle, the Russians can eventually defeat the Hungarians in the Ukrainian region! We have tried our best to shorten the war time, but it is already the limit to defeat Russia for 20 months, and it is impossible to be lower." Duke Albrecht said.

"But if we transfer the Balkans troops to the Eastern Front, we will have more troops and it will be easier to defeat the Russians. We can take the time ahead." Prince Albert said.
Chapter completed!