With the end of this secret mobilization meeting against the Ottomans, preparations for war began across Italy.
The Turin Arsenal, located in the east of Turin, was formerly the Arsenal of the Kingdom of Sardinia, founded in 1716 by the government of the Kingdom of Sardinia. Later, after integrating several other weapons manufacturing factories, it became the main weapons supplier to the army of the Kingdom of Sardinia.
After the unification of Italy, the Turin Arsenal became one of the main arsenals of the Kingdom of Italy, undertaking nearly 30% of the army's weapons manufacturing tasks, and is currently the largest arsenal in Italy.
In the rifle manufacturing workshop of the arsenal, brand-new M88 Carcano rifles are being manufactured by workers themselves.
As the general manager, Carvalho was inspecting the factory.
"The quality of the Army's orders must be guaranteed. Last month, an accident occurred in which a soldier was injured while using a firearm. It was identified as a quality issue with the firearm. You must pay close attention to quality. I will not allow such an accident to happen again."
Facing Carvalho's words, the head of the rifle manufacturing workshop kept nodding. "General manager, please rest assured that we have punished the person responsible for the gun and warned him that if such an accident occurs again, he will go home immediately."
The words of the person in charge of the workshop made him very satisfied.
"Very good. Since I took over, I have been emphasizing quality. Only high-quality quality can make us the first choice of the military. You must know that there are several arsenals behind us, and they are eyeing us. We must not relax in any way."
After talking about quality issues, Carvalho casually asked the secretary behind him. "By the way, what are Mr. Carcano busy with these days?"
As the general manager of the arsenal, Carvalho is very concerned about his factory's chief firearms designer. It’s okay to not care about it. What if this master has a hot head and is poached by other arsenals, and he can’t even find a place to cry?
Facing his leader's inquiry, the secretary said quickly. "Mr. Carcano has recently been analyzing the Beretta Arms Maxim machine gun."
As soon as he heard that the chief gunsmith was not doing his job and began to study machine guns again, Cavallo had the urge to slap his forehead.
"Is it the latest Maxim machine gun?"
"Yes, this is Beretta's latest Maxim machine gun. I heard that with a weight reduction of 2 kilograms, its reliability is 6% higher than the previous model. According to tests, it can shoot 96 times without interruption. Minutes are not stuck.”
As a qualified secretary, it is natural not to answer whatever you ask, but to tell the leader what he wants to know in advance. In this regard, Carvalho's secretary is very qualified.
However, Carvalho did not pay attention to the problem of the secretary's qualifications. Instead, he felt very headache thinking that his opponent also had an excellent firearms designer. Of course, he was more envious.
Unlike rifles, which are mass-produced guns, Beretta's machine guns are all about technical work, and they are a separate business. Why shouldn't he be envious of this?
But there is no point in envying him, unless his chief gunsmith can develop a work that is better than the Maxim machine gun. It is precisely because of this little expectation that he did not neglect Carcano's job. , without too much interference.
While Carvalho was inspecting the arsenal, the office director hurried over. His running posture is a bit weird, like a ball with limbs running, and the sweat stains on his forehead are clearly visible, which is difficult for him to weigh 180 pounds.
Before he even arrived, I heard his breathing sound like an aging blower.
"What's wrong?"
Anyone could hear the Prime Minister's dissatisfaction, so the scene immediately fell into a strange and quiet atmosphere. "I'm sorry for not notifying the government in advance. The main reason is that the time was not ripe. After renewing the Three Kingdoms Alliance, didn't I call everyone together?"
The words from Carlo's mouth were a bit surprising. I didn't expect that the king could actually give in to the prime minister. You must know that Carlo has always had a very tough image, and he feels the same no matter who he is towards.
But they soon realized that this was just an illusion, and Carlo continued. "The next step is to prepare for war against the Ottomans. I don't think anyone has any objections to this, right?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Carlo stared at the people in the venue, especially the Prime Minister. The prime minister and the king looked at each other, and their performances made the atmosphere tense again.
"I favor preparations for war with the Ottoman Empire."
Suddenly a voice broke the situation. The person who spoke was somewhat surprising, because it was Foreign Minister Jiminy Bacona.
As Bacona opened his mouth, the Minister of Navy and Army, who had long been interested, was not willing to lag behind.
"Our navy is in favor of preparing for war against the Ottomans. As long as the king orders it, the navy is more than capable of leaving the Ottomans without sea routes at any time."
Admiral Gorek, who had already received many benefits, was the first to speak.
And his words made several people say in their hearts, "Flattery!"
But he was right. Italy's biggest advantage over the Ottoman Empire was its navy. As long as the Italian Navy sent half of its warships, all the old warships of the Ottoman Navy would hide in the Black Sea Strait. Because it’s a free delivery when it comes out, it’s a complete package.
"We in the Army also favor preparations for war against the Ottoman Empire."
Compared with the Navy, the Minister of War is not so confident.
In the final analysis, it was due to strength. The Ottoman army was not native to Africa. They wanted to say it would be an easy victory but they dared not. If they said it was a difficult victory, it would not be to embolden other people's ambitions and destroy their own prestige. Simply, don’t say anything.
The speeches of the two ministers in succession made Finance Minister Tejela feel that if he didn't say anything, he would be classified as the prime minister, so he could only speak. "I also support preparations for war against the Ottoman Empire, but the Treasury needs to raise funds, so it is best if the war comes later."
Well, Tejela's words almost made everyone present laugh. He actually said this, but others didn't understand it. Only Tejela knew that it was his sincere words. At present, raising enough funds is a big project for the Ministry of Finance. Without two or three years, it is simply impossible.
To fight the Ottoman Empire, no matter how much, one billion lire is necessary. This is a rough estimate he gave based on the previous two military operations.
Now the Prime Minister was the only one who did not express his position. At this time, the shortcomings of his character were exposed. He was indecisive and panicked when he saw that others agreed.
It happened that Carlo walked up the steps at this time. "Prime Minister, do you also agree?"
Facing Carlo's question and the looks of others, Prime Minister Despretis nodded with difficulty and uttered one word.
"Yes."
In the final analysis, it was due to strength. The Ottoman army was not native to Africa. They wanted to say it would be an easy victory but they dared not. If they said it was a difficult victory, it would not be to embolden other people's ambitions and destroy their own prestige. Simply, don’t say anything. The speeches of the two ministers in succession made Finance Minister Tejela feel that if he didn't say anything, he would be classified as the prime minister, so he could only speak. "I also support preparations for war against the Ottoman Empire, but the Treasury needs to raise funds, so it is best if the war comes later."
Well, Tejela's words almost made everyone present laugh. He actually said this, but others didn't understand it. Only Tejela knew that it was his sincere words. At present, raising enough funds is a big project for the Ministry of Finance. Without two or three years, it is simply impossible.
To fight the Ottoman Empire, no matter how much, one billion lire is necessary. This is a rough estimate he gave based on the previous two military operations.
Now the Prime Minister was the only one who did not express his position. At this time, the shortcomings of his character were exposed. He was indecisive and panicked when he saw that others agreed.
It happened that Carlo walked up the steps at this time. "Prime Minister, do you also agree?"
Facing Carlo's question and the looks of others, Prime Minister Despretis nodded with difficulty and uttered one word.
"Yes."
