"Assam Black Tea?" Lieutenant General Duff did not answer the Duke's words, but stared at the Black Tea and asked.

"No, it's Ceylon black tea. Although Assam black tea in your country is a good choice, it is still much worse than Ceylon black tea. In comparison, we will naturally choose the best." Duke Abruchi said with a smile.

"Thank you for your kindness. But sorry, when Ceylon is no longer a colony of the British Empire, I no longer drink Ceylon black tea." Duff said with an unhappy expression.

"Okay, there is coffee over there. The one on the left is from South Africa and the one on the right is from Brazil. You can do it at your own expense." The Duke said with a smile. After hesitating for a moment, Duff still walked to the shelf where the coffee was stored next to him, and then made the Brazilian coffee for himself. He could feel a certain degree of malice from the Duke's performance, but this is normal. Because the British's actions have already made Italy feel some inconvenience.

"By some of the recent events, I thought your country and Germany had abandoned their past grudges. It turns out that you are still hostile to Germany. So can you explain to me what the situation in coal supply has been recently? The Germans used the excuse to cut coal exports to Italy, and the United Kingdom also cut them. This is a bit beyond our expectations. The Germans did not give us an answer. I hope you can give it." The Duke said with a bad face.

"Can't you think of the reason for your country's political sense? You are very slippery and always want to please both sides, or gain excess benefits in the competition between both sides. However, neither Germany nor the British Empire nor the Americans like people who fall against each other." Duff said calmly.

"To put it simply, we and the Germans do not want the Carajono-class rapid battleships that your country is building to flow into the hands of the Americans, because this will reduce the income for us and the Germans. The Germans also have to deal with the warships, and they don't want the war to end too early. We are the same." After Duff said, he took a sip of coffee and then quietly watched the other party's reaction.

"This approach is really domineering." Duke Abruci said angrily. More than 70% of Italy's domestic coal needs to be imported from abroad. Before the war, Italy's main coal imported was produced from Wales, England. Therefore, based on this alone, it was unlikely that Italy would fight side by side with Germany and Austria during the war. After the war, as the Austro-Hungarian Empire acquired the Donetsk coal mine, Italy's coal imports began to diversify. Some of the coal was produced from Donetsk, while the other part was still imported from the UK.

Not long ago, the Allies used the excuse to reduce their supply of coal and oil to Italy without elaborating on the reasons. Subsequently, the British also reduced their coal exports to Italy, so Italy now has only two choices. The first choice is to find ways to restore the oil supply to Germany and restore the coal supply to the British. The second choice is to buy high-priced coal from the Americans! The Italians figured out some of these reasons, and today, the meeting between Duke Abruci and Duff was to solve this problem.

"And it's really hard for me to understand that Britain and Germany, which should have been for the feud, have taken the same action tacitly! Or take such action against Italy, which was originally unwilling to be in a dispute between great powers! I felt the malice and insults in it!" the duke said angrily.

"Since you can see the interests clearly, you should not ask such questions. As for the positioning of the Kingdom of Italy? You did not choose neutrality, but were prepared to gain benefits in the name of neutrality. As members of the allies, they did not declare war on the Allies. They negotiated and traded with us but chose to escape at the final moment. We know your little cleverness, and the Germans also know that Italy's practice makes you have no real friends, and Italy's national strength is not enough, so a real powerful country can naturally control you at will." Duff did not hide his contempt for Italy.

"We can choose the United States. Perhaps because of the war, the Americans' coal and fuel exports were a little tight and the prices were a little high. But it was not unacceptable to us, and the warships we exported to the Americans could also make up for the difference. We do not accept your blackmail!" the Duke said angrily.

"Haha, if you and Italy had the determination and ability, then I would not have come here! You dare not offend the Germans. And you do not have the ability to complete the warships within the prescribed time. Whether politically or technically, you actually have no more choices!" Duff said.

"What a joke? The Italian Navy's military technology has always been at the world's first-class level. The Caraggio-class battleship is no more than the German Bavaria, the fury of your country, and the Japanese Fuso-class difference! It's much better than the American ships. How could we not be able to complete it?" Duke Abruci sneered.

"It seems you also admit that the Germans are irresistible to you." Duff said with a smile: "That's good, we won't talk about political issues. Let's talk about economic and technical issues. I used to be a lieutenant general of the Royal Navy, and I am very proficient in the professional field!"

"Let's talk about the simplest question. At present, can Andorsha provide enough 15-inch guns? I remember that your country ordered about 20 15-inch guns for Armstrong's intention order before the war started, while the four Carajono-class battleships had only 32 15-inch guns in total. Your country has launched two Carajono-class battleships, but the artillery and turret have not arrived for a long time, so it can only explain one problem. There is something wrong with Andorsha!" said Duff.

(Note that in history, a considerable number of heavy artillery were purchased from the United Kingdom. According to the plan, the Italian government prepared to order 30 15-inch guns in 1913, ten from Andorsha, ten from Armstrong, and the other ten from Wicks. Moreover, Andorsha's gun weighed less than 70 tons, and Armstrong's 15-inch L40 gun weighed around 90 tons, and the difference in gun weight also led to different power of artillery. The Italian government clearly tended toward British goods. Later, due to the outbreak of the war, the warships were cancelled, and the 15-inch L40 gun produced by Andorsha was changed to train guns.)

"The other problem is the problem of armored steel. Not to mention how much hardened armor is needed for the four Carajono-class battleships. The two launched only require more than 20,000 tons of armored steel and defense substrates. I think your country's armor production will be difficult to meet the needs of the two battleships!" Duff said.

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Chapter completed!