On the first day of April 1941, in his palace, Vittorio Emmanuel III, the current king of Italy, met the man he had always wanted to meet.

It's a pity that when this person really arrived, his identity really surprised Vittorio Emmanuel III.

"Minister Ziano, my guards told me that you came to negotiate with me secretly?" Vittorio Emmanuel III asked, somewhat unconvinced.

"Yes, my esteemed king." Ziano, who had already prepared his speech, addressed the king with a respectful face: "For the sake of the future of the Kingdom of Italy and for your position, I have finally made up my mind to stand up and do something for the country and the royal family." ”

Do something?

Vittorio Emmanuel III was a little stunned.

He had always hoped that someone would help him control Mussolini, who was becoming more and more arrogant and had completely lost his sights.

However, he did not expect that this person would turn out to be Mussolini's son-in-law, Ziano, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Italy and a member of the Supreme Council!

Vittorio Emmanuel III naturally wouldn't believe that Ziano chose to kill his relatives because of his loyalty to the royal family, and wanted to dispose of his father-in-law and return peace to the royal family.

How can a person who can betray even his father-in-law and even his relatives be loyal to the king.

Moreover, Ziano did not betray early, but only when Mussolini's several war operations failed one after another, and Germany, as Mussolini's government's iron ally, was in trouble.

To put it nicely, this is called knowing the way back, and to say it is ugly, this is the grass on the wall, seeing the wind makes the rudder!

What surprised Vittorio Emmanuel III the most was that Ziano, a foreign minister, had such ambition and courage?!

It is impossible for a person who secretly meets the king alone, leaving only two cronies outside to keep watch over the wind, without enough courage to do so.

In Italy, Vittorio Emmanuel III really did not expect that this person was actually Ziano, who was only a foreign minister and had limited power.

Vittorio Emmanuel III, although he was overshadowed by Mussolini, was still aware of everything that was happening in the outside world.

It would not be surprising if it was Deputy Prime Minister Rossi, or the Chief of the General Staff, Marshal Badogglio, and other prestigious figures in the army.

Compared to these people, Ziano's power is really not favored by Vittorio Emmanuel III. Moreover, even the authority that Ziano had was mostly obtained only by virtue of the title of Mussolini's son-in-law.

"What do you do? Why did the secret come to me? Vittorio Emmanuel III did not express his inner worries and doubts, but first used two questions to say a lot of Ziano.

"Dear King." Ziano knew that this was the king giving him the opportunity to elaborate and prove. As long as he does not interrupt or expel himself, it shows that the king still has some expectations of himself.

"Italian Prime Minister Benito Mussolini's ambitions have grown wilder. Now, he even intends to wage war against such a flood beast as the Soviet Union. If we can't stop this, we will all be buried for Mussolini's madness! ”

Vittorio Emmanuel III nodded, listening in silence.

Obviously, Ziano has not yet said what satisfies him.

Mussolini was quite Caesar's ambitions, which basically no one in Italy would not have known about. Of course, Vittorio Emmanuel III also knew that if Mussolini was allowed to fight like crazy, Italy would lose sooner or later.

However, knowing does not mean that you will stop.

Vittorio Emmanuel III was a smart man, he didn't die because he was desperate. Otherwise, he would not have survived Mussolini's narrow-minded prime minister's bedside.

Ziano helped him secure the position of King of Albania, stabilizing his position and security, and he was indeed grateful to Ziano for this.

However, this does not mean that Vittorio Emmanuel III will die with Ziano. He won't take a stand until he doesn't see Ziano come up with a plan to impress him.

"Your Majesty, your support is of the utmost importance." Seeing that Vittorio Emmanuel III did not speak, Ziano probably guessed some of the other party's thoughts, so he continued: "With your support, when I mobilize the Air Force, I will have a name. In that case, it will be easier to move. ”

Mobilize the Air Force?!

Vittorio Emmanuel III was suddenly a little curious, and he wondered, how could Ziano, the foreign minister, be able to mobilize the air force again?

"Go on." Vittorio Emmanuel III finally couldn't help but speak.

Although he only said one word, Ziano knew that the king had been slightly moved by himself.

"Your Majesty, I was the commander of the Air Force's bomber squadron in Pisa. Since then, he has maintained control of that bomber squadron. And I've been secretly contacting a large number of Air Force generals lately. At that time, I only need to transfer this bomber squadron to the convoy bombing Mussolini with the tacit consent of the generals of the Royal Air Force, and I will be able to completely remove the cancer of this Italian kingdom! ”

When Ziano said this, he pretended to be calm and smiled: "And what needs to be done before this is only to arrange for Mussolini's convoy to leave the city to avoid accidental injury." Then get your Majesty's approval. ”

In the words, Ziano clearly portrays himself as a reliable figure who controls everything. Vittorio Emmanuel III, as king, seemed to just need to nod and support him.

But in fact, Ziano's description is full of moisture.

First of all, he didn't have a strong command of that bomber squadron, and the commander of that squadron was not now himself.

Although he bribed the new commander of the bomber squadron with a lot of money, and then took a lot of generals in the air force. But when it's time to act, others may not have the courage to listen to you and rebel.

Therefore, the support of His Majesty the King is the most important point. On the basis of bribery, and with the righteousness of the king's convocation, in this way, it is possible to further ensure that the bombing and assassination operations can be directed.

For Ziano, this is already his only option. On the side of the army and navy, he was completely out of control, full of blackshirts who supported Mussolini and admirals who admired Rossi.

Only the Royal Air Force, he can still use the name of the king, plus his own business, to gather a little secretly.

Now what Ziano has to wait for is whether the king is willing to believe in himself and whether he will support him.

This will decide his fate!