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On July 2, 1912, the world war changed dramatically and expanded in scale once again. Italy, which had been declaring its neutrality since the outbreak of the war, saw that the situation of the war was clear, and wanted to intervene before the end of the war and seize the huge dividends of the war. In this regard, the Allies and China naturally gritted their teeth with hatred, while the Entente was very excited about this. Why not be happy with one more powerful country joining their side and they will be able to win the war at a fraction of the cost?

At 9 o'clock in the morning, Italian Prime Minister Giovanni. In front of the Italian Prime Minister's Office and the world's envoys and media in Italy, Giolitti officially announced that Italy would join the Entente and declare war on the Allies and China from today.

"The Allies and China have undermined world peace, caused turmoil in the whole world, and caused countless innocent lives to die in the war. Italy, as a just country, wants the world to return to a state of peace. For this reason, after careful consideration, the Italian government, with the consent of His Majesty the King, formally withdrew from the Central Powers and joined the Entente. And, officially declare war on Germany, Austria-Hungary and China! The Italian government called on Germany, Austria-Hungary and China, the main culprits of the destruction of world peace, to immediately and unconditionally surrender to the Entente. Otherwise, the great Italian army will wipe you out in one fell swoop! "Giovanni. Prime Minister Jollietti said sternly, and the ugly face that dressed himself as a defender of world peace made people look very disgusting.

"Prime Minister Giolitti, are you not ashamed of Italy's blatant betrayal of the Covenant?" The German ambassador to Italy immediately stood up and angrily asked.

"Despicable villain! You arrogant Italians. Wait to bear the wrath of Austria-Hungary! The Austro-Hungarian ambassador to Italy also said with great indignation. After Italy declared war on the Central Powers, this would make the situation of Austria-Hungary even more difficult to deal with. Italy has always coveted the southern coastal areas of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire is almost universally aware of this. It's just that Italy's brazen reneging on the alliance and directly joining the Entente to fight is still unexpected and very shameful.

"Humph! Italy has chosen this way only for the sake of justice. I believe. All Italians, as well as peace-loving people of the world, will understand what the Kingdom of Italy is doing! "Italian Prime Minister Giovanni. Joliti didn't blush at all. The fact that he was able to serve as the prime minister of the Italian government for the fourth time undoubtedly proves that he is a very good politician, and to become a politician, you must first be thick-skinned.

The ambassadors of Britain, France, the United States, and Russia to Italy also expressed their appreciation for the Italian government's actions at this moment. and, on behalf of all countries, welcomed Italy's accession to the Entente. Although Italy's military strength is relatively poor, it can be regarded as one of the world's great powers.

"On behalf of the Chinese Empire, I declare war on the Kingdom of Italy!" At this time, Wu Zonglian, the Chinese ambassador to Italy, slowly took up his position and then spoke. After saying that, he immediately turned around and left the Italian Prime Minister's Office. Now that Italy had fallen to the Entente, and had declared war on the Central Powers and China. Then this is already unstoppable, and everything else is superfluous. After the declaration of war between the two sides, the embassy will definitely be closed, all personnel stationed in Italy. It is also necessary to withdraw to the country. Of course, there will still be some people left behind in the shadows to engage in some activities in other capacities.

Germany and Austria-Hungary followed suit, declaring war on the Kingdom of Italy. And left the Italian Prime Minister's Office. After Italy joined the Entente. Both the Allies and China have one more enemy. It's just that this enemy will not have any impact on China for the time being. The first to be threatened. will be the weakest of the Central Powers of Austria-Hungary.

Watching the ambassadors of China, Germany and Austria-Hungary leave, Giovanni. Prime Minister Giolitti was expressionless, but he did not know whether it was right or wrong to declare war on the Allies and China today. But, at least for now, the Entente side had the upper hand. At least in the European theater of operations. If anything changes at the time of occupation, it is a big deal that Italy betrays the Entente again, and they will not act as a wall-to-wall once or twice anyway.

Immediately after Italy declared war on the Central Powers and China, Italian troops deployed on Italy's northern border launched an offensive against Austria-Hungary. The Italian soldiers, who had been preparing for war for a long time, sent more than 50 divisions to attack Austria-Hungary. However, northern Italy and the southwestern part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, belonging to the southern foothills of the Alps, have rugged terrain and backward transportation facilities, which are not conducive to the march of large troops. Austria-Hungary has always been wary of this ally, and has deployed a lot of troops in the border towns between the two countries. Although, the Austro-Hungarian army had low combat effectiveness and was repeatedly defeated by the Russian army, which was poorly equipped. But the combat effectiveness of the Italian army was even lower than that of the Austro-Hungarian army. Although Austria-Hungary lost some territory, it held its line at Caporetto and withstood the attack of the Italian army. And, with the support of Germany, a counterattack was launched. The result was victory at the Battle of Caporetto. German and Austro-Hungarian armies, with a total of 16 divisions, defeated 55 Italian divisions, killed 10,000 people, wounded more than 40,000, captured nearly 300,000 people, and invaded northern Italy. Of course, these are later cases. In the early days of Italy's declaration of war on the Central Powers and China, it caused considerable trouble for the Central Powers, especially Austria-Hungary. Not only did it contain the military power of Austria-Hungary, but it also made other countries in southern Europe ready to move.

After Italy declared war on the Central Powers and China, the Kingdom of Serbia and the Kingdom of Greece also began to actively mobilize their armies to join the Entente, and the possibility of declaring war on the Central Powers and China was very high. This will undoubtedly lead to a further deterioration of the war situation in Europe. Austria-Hungary felt the most immediate threat and appealed to Germany and China for help.

Kaiser Wilhelm II convened an emergency meeting of the German leadership. Italy joined the Entente side in the fight, again dealing a huge blow to Germany. In Europe, Austria-Hungary was already an important partner of Germany, and if Austria-Hungary was defeated, Germany would face a siege from the Entente. In addition, if the Kingdom of Serbia and the Kingdom of Greece joined the Entente, the Baghdad Railway would also be affected. And this will greatly weaken Germany's war potential.

After deliberation, Kaiser Wilhelm II ordered the German Army to send five divisions into Austria-Hungary to assist Austria-Hungary in holding the southwestern defensive line. and seek opportunities to defeat Italy and intimidate other southern European countries. At the same time, the German side has also made representations with China, hoping that China will play a tremendous role in the Italian issue. German Ambassador to China August. Feng. Klinder also met with Imperial Prime Minister Wu Tingfang and Emperor Wang Yuze, and put forward the demands of Germany and Austria-Hungary in the hope that China would launch a strike against Italy from the direction of the Mediterranean. After all, now the power of the Chinese Navy has expanded to the eastern Mediterranean. The Chinese military, especially the navy, stationed in Egypt and the Middle East, can pose a great threat to Italy.

Emperor Wang Yuze immediately said that China would not allow Italy, a treacherous and shameless villain, to roam freely. China's heroic army and navy will teach Italy a painful lesson!

On the evening of July 3, Beijing time, Emperor Wang Yuze convened Prime Minister Wu Tingfang, Chief of General Staff Cai Yun, Minister of the Navy Zhang Cheng, and Minister of National Defense Jiang Xingguo at Xinhua Palace to discuss combat operations against Italy.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I have promised Germany and Austria-Hungary that a blow will be delivered against Italy. This blatant renunciation of the Covenant by Italy was a great provocation for the Reich. We have to do something about Italy so that the rest of Southern Europe doesn't dare to act rashly! Wang Yuze said in a deep voice.

"Your Majesty, I am in favor of striking at Italy. After Italy joined the Entente, the Kingdom of Serbia and the Kingdom of Greece were also ready to move, which would be very unfavorable for the European war. The advantage of Germany and Austria-Hungary was already being lost, and it would be even more difficult for them if more countries joined the Entente. In particular, Germany has just made a statement that it will continue to fight. If we fail to show our strength and give confidence to Germany and Austria-Hungary, they will once again have the intention of making peace with the Entente! Chief of the General Staff Cai Yun said.

"Your Majesty, I agree. Playing against Italy will be a good opportunity to show what we are capable of. Let the Allies and the Entente know that although the main force of the Empire is now used on the United States, it is not that the Empire is not without the strength to deal with other crises. A blow to Italy would help increase the Empire's influence in the Mediterranean and also deter other countries. In particular, to keep the Baghdad railway and continue to transfuse blood for Germany! Defense Minister Jiang Xingguo also said.

"Your Majesty, the minister also agreed to launch an attack on Italy. However, he believes that we should not get too involved in the war in Europe. Especially before the United States has been completely defeated. Therefore, the scale of the attack this time should be limited! Imperial Prime Minister Wu Tingfang said.

Wang Yuze nodded, China should indeed launch a quick operation, create the most shocking effect in the shortest possible time, and let European countries see China's military strength!