"Have the Italians notified the Empire's Foreign Ministry and the Kingdom of Bavaria at the same time?" Ruprecht said with a frown.

"I informed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Empire, but I had not had time to do the Bavarian Kingdom at the same time." Prince Albert said. Bavaria has embassies in some countries, (yes, this is also a German feature...) If the Italians want to visit Ruprecht, they can naturally contact the Bavarian embassy directly, and then notify the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Empire is just a formality. But now, the Italians have notified the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Empire but have not directly notified the Bavarian embassy, ​​which is a problem.

"Have you done something recently?" Ruprecht thought of some possibility.

"Yes, the empire's suppression of Italy has begun. It was originally in commerce, first of all, food. It turned out that a considerable part of Italy's food came from Russia, but now, their cheapest way to import is through us and the Austro-Hungarian Empire. We have restricted the food exported by Italy."

"The next thing is coal and oil. The Americans are busy preparing for war and controlling the export of raw materials, and do not want to make things difficult for us because of trade issues. Therefore, we started to pinch Italy's neck in terms of food and energy, and things are going very smoothly," said Prince Albert.

"That's all?" Ruprecht said he didn't believe it. "If that's the case, they should go and talk to the German government."

"You forgot that Ukraine, the largest grain producer in Russia, was in your hands, and you also owned the largest shares in the Baku Oilfield. The Italians have always been incompatible with the Austro-Hungarian Empire, so they would not directly discuss related matters with Vienna, and your relationship with Italy was not very good. So, they might want to mediate through the empire first, so that the atmosphere of meeting the two sides would be better." Prince Albert thought for a while and said.

"This reason is a bit far-fetched. Okay, it's more straightforward. Some things, if I want to check, it's easy to find out." Crown Prince Ruprecht subconsciously felt that Prince Albert on the opposite side seemed to be hiding something.

"That's right, maybe Italians know from some channels that you have some prejudice against Italy. They may want to eliminate this prejudice." The prince said after wiping the cold sweat on his head.

"I understand, there must be some people who rumored that I promoted the German Empire's punishment plan for Italy, right?" Ruprecht said meaningfully. But to be honest, this blame is indeed related to the crown prince. After all, he did agree, but it would obviously not be good if it was all on the crown prince!

"Okay, I don't think His Majesty the German Emperor did not participate in this matter?" asked the Crown Prince.

"Absolutely not." Prince Albert said immediately.

"That's good. If we take some action, I hope His Majesty the Emperor of Germany will understand." Ruprecht said. This is definitely spread by people with ulterior motives. Although the matter itself is not big, it may be a temptation. For this temptation, the crown prince naturally wants to teach some people behind the scenes, but at most it is handed over to the people below. The crown prince has no intention of dealing with these things.

But well, the Italians are willing to come to negotiate, which means they are ready to surrender. The crown prince still hopes to take advantage of this opportunity to deal with this restless little brother in the alliance! Of course, all this has to be waited until he returns to Bavaria. The matter of the High Seas Fleet must be before this matter!

"The Italian ambassador once expressed his willingness to carry out military cooperation with Germany and Austria." Prince Albert continued.

"Military cooperation? Haha, I really want to know how much help Italy's military power will help Germany and Austria now?" The crown prince sneered. Italy is still a big country with a population of 40 million. Such a size makes it impossible for Italy to satisfy some benefits like Sweden or Finland. Italy is ambitious. Not to mention that this plane has not been incorporated into Italy's Libya, obviously Italy is still ambitious for Ethiopia! If nothing unexpected happens, then once Germany and Austria agree to re-incorporate Italy into the allied system, then next, Italy requires Germany and Austria to support him on the Ethiopia issue!

But in the Crown Prince's opinion, it was not good for Italy to annex Ethiopia (called Abyssinia at the time) either for Italy or for the Allies! There is a reason why Ethiopia survived the colonial division craze in the last century. You can say that this country is backward and weak. But Italy who wants to eat this place is also salty enough! Think about the historical investment of Italy in the Ethiopian War and subsequent expenditures to maintain the colonies! It was just throwing money and no output! If Germany and Austria indulge in Italy's invasion, it would have a good international impact.

"There is certainly a reason why Italy is so anxious to restore bilateral relations. They ask for us." Ruprecht paused and continued: "However, when Italy re-expressed its willingness to cooperate, they had not done anything for Germany and Austria, and they had to give first, which made me feel very bad."

"So, Your Excellency, tell the Italians that we did not negotiate equally before. If we want to obtain the forgiveness of the empire, then ask Italy to show enough sincerity. The basis of the alliance is obligation. If Italy does not want to play its due role in the future European system, then we will never accept Italy!" said the crown prince.

"Are you planning to use this opportunity to knock out Italy's tariff barriers and trade protection?" Prince Albert said.

"That's right. Italy's industry is very weak and its economic strength is not strong. As for the army? Not to mention, although their warship design is very good, I feel that the biggest help to us now may be the market." The crown prince thought for a while and said.

"This is probably a bit difficult. Even against the defeated France, we have not used such direct means to force the other party to open up the market." The prince frowned and said.

"That's because France has strong strength. Although it is a defeated side, it is worthy of the empire's favor. If France can stand on our side in the future, then it really doesn't matter what attitude Italy is. Why should Italy enjoy the same treatment as France?" the crown prince asked back.

"Okay, as you wish, His Highness," said Prince Albert.
Chapter completed!