"If you don't say it, you won't say it." Edward didn't mean to get to the bottom of it, but turned to get down to business:

"What exactly Spain wants from Italy, you tell me, I'll go and tell them, don't worry, even if you want to annex all of Italy, I won't be angry."

Alfonso glanced at the other party, put away his playful mentality, thought for a while and said: "It's definitely not limited to Sardinia, after all, Italy is completely defeated, you know." ”

Edward agreed: "Victors deserve respect. ”

"I also want Sicily and the annexed islands above, including the Lipari Islands, the Pelage Islands, and so on."

Edward was silent for a moment, the request was similar to what he had thought, but when he heard it, he still felt that the Spanish appetite was too great.

After a while he said, "Do you know how many Italians there are in Sardinia and Sicily combined?" 2.9 million! There are only 16 million people in Spain, do you think you can digest it? ”

Alfonso was dismissive:

"I only wanted a few ports in Sardinia at first, because they were too weak to take chances. And what about the 2.9 million Italians? Italy has only just been reunited, and their people are not doing well. ”

“…… All right. Edward said with some difficulty: "I support you in everything you want to do, but my words don't count, I can only say that I will try my best to communicate with the Earl of Granville, as for the outcome, I can't guarantee the outcome." ”

"Well, thank you." Alfonso nodded: "But I haven't finished speaking, routine war reparations and some preferential conditions are also indispensable, but Italy doesn't seem to have any money, so I promise that these conditions will not be too harsh." ”

"It's good if you're happy." Edward said dryly, "I still have something to say, I don't know if you can accept it." ”

"Say."

"That's right, I ran out secretly this time, and I might be lectured by the earl when I go back at night, so I ......"

"Want to sleep with me?" Alfonso looked at him with a smirk.

Edward nodded hurriedly.

"Nope."

……

Just as Edward was trying to renew his friendship with Alfonso, a new twist took place on the Italian battlefield.

With the news of the total destruction of the ambush fleet, all Italians sensed that the end was near, and even the most optimistic militants no longer believed that they could win the war.

The defeat on the battlefield soon set off a chain reaction on many fronts, with the Italian cabinet led by Giovanni Lanza falling instantly.

Under pressure from many quarters, King Vittorio authorized his trusted Count of Menabrea, Federico Luigi, to form a cabinet.

This is the previous Italian prime minister, and he has not performed well in the past two years, and most importantly he is a right-wing person.

Bringing him to power was the result of a compromise on many fronts, and if a leftist were to come up at such times, the king was really afraid that tomorrow a gang would burst into his bedroom and tell him: "Old fellow, Italy is now a republic!" ”

However, the situation is not optimistic, and the anger of the people cannot be quelled by removing a prime minister.

The best way to do this is to win a battle, of course, but that damn ambush was launched for that purpose.

It turns out that they really can't beat Spain on land and sea!

At this time, some radicals shouted the slogan of "mobilize another 200,000 soldiers, fight a decisive battle on the mainland, and promote peace."

But they were fired the next day.

The Italians are not so crazy after all, and even if they are, they will not be able to pay a penny, and they will not find a single soldier willing to join the army.

Even Garibaldi, the Italian god of war, who had high hopes, wrote earnest letters to the king, asking him to "seriously consider peace with Spain for the sake of this country and nation." ”

Garibaldi's illness also worsened a lot at this time, perhaps due to the adverse effects of the current situation, in short, although Garibaldi could still barely command the army outside Rome, no one knew when he would be ill.

At this time, it would be a little too difficult for this old man to expect him to launch another general attack to save the Kingdom of Italy.

(Historically, Garibald died after the twelfth, but in 1870 he was not in good health, and the Paris Commune offered to make him its leader, but refused due to health reasons.) ）

In such a situation, the prestige accumulated by the royal family of Savoy to unify Italy was exhausted, and the words that had promised to "make the Italian nation prosperous and unified" became a dream.

The country and the royal family have lost the trust of his people.

Now King Vittorio only wants peace as soon as possible, which is what the people want most than victory.

As long as you can keep your throne, what is it to cut some land? The change of territory in Europe is not once or twice.

Although Spain shouted the slogan of completely destroying the Kingdom of Italy and fulfilling its obligations as an ally, the king did not believe it at all.

As long as you give enough, what alliance can't be broken?

With this in mind, the Italian envoy contacted Prime, who was in charge of the defense of the city of Rome, and proposed an unexpected peace plan:

Italy was willing to cede Sardinia to Spain and restore it to its 1860 territory.

That is, to give the two Sicilies back to the Bourbon royal family.

As for what to do with the two Sicilies, whether it was annexed directly by Spain or handed over to Alfonso's relative, Francesco II, it was their own business.

However, this was conditional, that is, instead of demanding war reparations from Italy, Spain had to provide them with an interest-free loan of no less than £6 million and a land purchase of no less than £8 million.

And they had to send troops to help them defend themselves against the impending Austro-Hungarian invasion.

When Alfonso received the news on the 13th, to be honest, he was moved for a moment, 14 million pounds is not an unacceptable figure for a unified power, and it can be taken out by gritting his teeth, not to mention that there must be something negotiable.

But after thinking about it, he felt that this proposal contained evil intentions.

was able to cut off nearly half of his territory so generously, most likely to avoid the popular uprising.

In the previous wars, almost all of Italy's troops came from the north, and the south contributed very little soldiers and money.

Moreover, the identification of the royal family of Savoy in southern Italy is also very low, and if there is an uprising, it must have occurred in the south first.

For the Savoy royal family, this is a negative asset, and it is natural to want to get rid of them.

But Italy's agreement does not mean that other countries can agree, and once this peace condition is reached, Britain may immediately block Spain's road to the colonies and coerce them to spit out these territories.

The final result is most likely to rebuild an independent Kingdom of Bourbon and Sicily.

Alfonso is not an offshore balancer, and is not interested in making countries all over Europe, so how much help can he do to rebuild a country close to Spain?

What's more, Bourbon relatives have always been estranged from each other.

As for helping them fight Austria-Hungary, it is even more impossible, according to the current development, France and Austria may form an alliance against Prussia, isn't this the end of the condemnation of European countries?

With these joints figured out, Alfonso turned down the offer that would have been considered generous to anyone.

However, this proposal is not without meaning, at least Alfonso knows that Italy's bottom line is far lower than he thought.

In this way, there should be no reason for Italy to reject his peace plan.

As long as the other countries are dealt with, Spain will be able to withdraw from this war with dignity.

Alfonso had just sent a messenger when another bombshell news arrived: Austria-Hungary declared war on Italy at 8 a.m. on the 13th.