The launch of the Columbus was good news for Spain, but not for some countries. As a result, the four ships of the Philadelphia Navy Yard, the Norfolk Navy Yard, and the New York Navy Yard were loaded and patrolled, and the construction speed was accelerated.

However, this is a matter for the United States and Spain, and for Italy it is still a sideline attitude.

On the other hand, however, the Italian ones have no way to sit on the sidelines.

"King Carlo, thank you for your continued support on the Sudan issue, and I hope that your two countries will get better and better in the future."

In front of Carlow, the British ambassador, Sir Mandison, spoke words of thanks.

"Ambassador Mandison is gracious, and on the issue of the Sudanese rebels, my country has always been the same as your country, holding them hostage to their development and growth. For example, Abyssinia, a vassical state of our country, has fought dozens of battles with Sudanese rebels, ranging from thousands to more than 100,000 people, effectively curbing the scale of Sudanese rebels. So on the Sudan issue, your two countries are on the same page. ”

Carlo's words were insincere, but he didn't dare to let him fight with the British Empire on the Sudan issue.

True, the British could no longer tolerate the Sultan out of their control. A new round of Africa's carve-up is underway, and all countries are gearing up to speed up the scramble for Africa.

The Sudan, which was out of the control of the British Empire, was so glaring. Not to mention that the 2C program is in full swing, and if you want to go from Cairo to Cape Town, it will not be possible without Sudan. So the plans of the British for the reconquest of the Sultan. has been silently preparing.

Since last year, the newly equipped British colonial army has been testing, and it has been fighting with Sudanese troops in Dongula (a northern Sudanese city), defeating 45,000 Sudanese with 6,000 troops, a big victory that also allowed the British to weigh the Sudanese army.

Now that the weigh-in has been made, there is nothing to say about the next step, and it is important to recapture the Sultan as soon as possible. And if you want to retake the Sultan, your neighbors around it must have an idea, and the Belgians, who occupy the Congo valley in the southwest corner, dare not have any idea if they lend him ten dares.

To the west were the French, who had just taken the Chad Valley, and the French had nothing to worry about, and the French colonial government, which had just seized the Chadian Valley, did not have the appetite to look at the Sultan. According to the British themselves, an army of less than 10,000 men could not capture the Sultan at all. Not to mention the fact that the French have to go through the desert, which is simply not possible.

To the east of Sudan are the Italians, who have been here for many years. Although the border between the Italian colony and Sudan was also desert, the terrain was not conducive to military deployment.

However, Italy has a vassal kingdom of Abyssinia, which has been at war with the Sudanese for many years around Lake Tana, and its strength is not weak. Moreover, the Blue Nile River originates in the Abyssinian Plateau, and there are rivers as transportation routes at a high level, so it can be said that apart from Britain occupying Egypt and Uganda, the only one that can threaten Sudan is Italy.

Yes, it was precisely because Italy was a possible contender for Sudan that Ambassador Mandison's visit was made, and also to avoid some surprises.

In the face of the visit of the British ambassador, of course, Carlo would not make enemies with Britain for the Sultan, and besides, if he really wanted to take the Sultan, he would have done it a long time ago, and it was impossible to put a burden on the British Empire until now, and he was not the Kaiser.

And Mandison, who received Carlo's reply, was very satisfied, the task given by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs this time was very good, he had been in Italy for so many years, and the king's temperament had been understood, and he knew that there would be no twists and turns in what he had promised.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for you will inform London of your country's friendliness."

"Goodbye, Ambassador Mandison."

When Ambassador Mandison left, Carlo called an attendant. "Get the Foreign Secretary."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Half an hour later, Foreign Minister Bacona hurriedly appeared in front of Carlo.

"I've seen Your Majesty."

"Your Excellency Bacona, no need to be polite."

Carlo saw Bacona Road coming. "Ambassador Madison of the United Kingdom came to visit and asked me about my attitude towards Sudan. I have replied to him that my country will not intervene in Sudan. ”

Hearing Carlo's words, Bacona frowned. "Britain is preparing to take back the Sultan?"

"I don't think eight or nine are far from ten, otherwise how could that Ambassador Mandison come out of his way to visit."

Carlo said his judgment, "What's the matter, has something changed?" ”

"It is true that Menelic II, King of Abyssinia, had a slightly different idea, but I think it can be discouraged."

"What's going on?"

Faced with the Foreign Secretary's hesitant words, Carlo immediately felt that there must be something wrong with it.

In the face of Carlo's questioning, Bacona did not hide it. "Well, Your Majesty, here's the situation............"

It was only in Bacona's account that Carlo sensed the ambition of that Menelik II. After succeeding to the throne as king of Abyssinia, this Menelik II repeatedly used troops to weaken the feudal separatist forces. From 1887 to 1895, he successively suppressed the rebellion of the feudal princes in Leka, Vlamo, Sidamo, Ogaden and other places.

All this was done for the purpose of centralizing power, and the rulers of the provinces and districts were all appointed by them under this repression, which greatly strengthened the cohesion of the Abyssinian kingdom.

In addition, Menelik also built a new capital in the middle of the Ethiopian highlands, which Queen Tetu named "Fresh Flowers", and yes, the city of Addis Ababa.

In addition, Menelik minted his own currency, printed stamps, formulated a new financial and postal system in the country, and attracted foreign capital to build roads and railways, and laid telegraph and telephone systems. Of course, in this big move, capital from Italy occupies an absolute share.

Since the internal affairs are almost repaired, how can Menelik, as a wise monarch, not see the weakness of his neighbors. In fact, he could see better than the British that the spirit of the Sudanese was almost tormented. Even the annual battle between the two countries on Lake Tana has become two or even three or four years, and the distance is gradually pushed from the lakeside to Famaka in the middle reaches of the Blue Nile.

In this case, Menelik II was sorry for himself if he did not take the opportunity to expand a wave. Of course, as a wise monarch, he certainly wanted to maximize his interests, so he planned to give the sultans a ruthless blow, at least to tear off a large area of territory, so that the Abyssinian nobles who followed him could also taste the benefits of expansion.

Of course, it was necessary to obtain the approval or acquiescence of Italy in order to carry out his ambitions, and Menelic II was very clear about this. He borrowed a large amount of money from an Italian bank at a lot of interest early on, and most of these funds were used to purchase Italian materials. Menelic II, who had the support of the Bank of Italy and the factory owners, was not easy for the government to refuse, so he remained acquiescing.

"Are you saying that this Menelik II is already preparing to further seize Damazine in the lower reaches of the Blue Nile, as well as the area around the Akobo Valley in the Nile Basin?"

Faced with Carlo's inquiry, Bacona replied. "Yes, Your Majesty, that Menelik II has been preparing for this for three years, and has invested 10 million lire to improve the roads, and as for the material reserves, this is even more."

Well, it seems that this Menelik II has invested a lot of money, and it would be unwise to halt the other party's preparations in this case.

In that case, let's think about it from a different perspective.

"Consult with the British on this matter, and inform them that, in order to preserve relations between the two countries, we intend to have the vassal state of Abyssinia send a large army to help them. Then it would be better to talk to the English about the aim of that Menelik II, and how he would be paid for assisting in the dispatch of troops. ”

Faced with Carlo's thoughts, Bacona thought carefully. "Your Majesty's method is good, and it is very beneficial to our country."

"One more thing, tell that Menelik II that the expansion needs to be in moderation, otherwise it will be easy to go wrong."

That's right, the ambitious Menelik II, Carlo still had to give a little warning not to let him eat too much.