The Italian Navy decided to temporarily build four new battleships in response to the temporary addition of six to the British. Now that Italy has followed suit, Germany, its main rival, is not far behind, and it has also announced that it will temporarily add two ships this year in response, and in addition, two more ships will be added next year.

One more thing, the battleships that Germany is about to build will also have 380-mm guns, like the Italians.

And for the British Empire, the sudden increase in the construction of warships by Germany and Italy was undoubtedly a provocation. For this reason, some London newspapers shouted that the actions of Germany and Italy were undoubtedly challenging the sea power of the British Empire, and Britain was willing to pay the last penny to protect its sea power.

For a time, the heat of the trilateral naval competition occupied the front pages of countries around the world. And the competition between the three countries at sea has also filled the whole world with topics.

The Navy has had an unprecedented year of prosperity this year, and for the Army, which also belongs to the military, it is simply not too envious.

But it's useless to be envious, the army needs to come up with its own way.

Therefore, it is necessary to come up with new gadgets in the army to let the king know that the army is the strongest guarantee of the kingdom.

So what is the most attractive thing to attract the king's attention, in fact, the simplest army at all levels.

The latest establishment of the Italian Army is the new one adopted in 1905, according to which a fully manned division of three infantry regiments should reach more than 14,000 men.

At present, the divisions in the army that have completed this establishment account for two-thirds of the army divisions.

As far as the army is concerned, the next task is to complete the reform of the establishment of the three regiments and divisions as soon as possible on the one hand, and to change the configuration of new weapons in the army on the other hand.

In a conference room in the Army Building, a meeting on the future of the Army is being held, and the top echelons of the Army, headed by Army Secretary General Simone, General Dalkion, General of the General Staff, and General Baxter, Director of Education, are listening to a report from Major General Cabrera, Chief of the Equipment Training Division.

"Based on the reports of the 3rd and 9th Divisions on the use of new weapons, our Equipment Training Service believes that it is feasible for the Army to issue new weapons at the battalion and company level for the use of mortars and machine guns. The distribution of new weapons should also be based on battalions and companies, which can enhance their resilience in various battles......"

At this time, the generals were quietly and carefully listening to the report of the director of the equipment training division of the War Department, and in addition to the voice of the major general, only the sound of rustling pens on the paper remained, which was taking notes.

As for the use of new weapons by the 3rd and 9th Divisions, this is an experiment that has been going on in the Army for more than a year.

In this experiment, the two units were organized at the regimental, battalion, and company levels. Among them, the 3rd Division equipped the Reviri light machine gun directly to the platoon level (one machine gun group, one machine gun with four people), heavy machine guns to the company level (one machine gun squad, two heavy machine guns, 12 people), and mortars to the battalion (one mortar platoon, four mortars and 24 people).

As for the Ninth Division, mortars were placed at the regimental level (12 mortar companies with an establishment of 158 men), heavy machine guns at the battalion level (eight heavy machine guns in a machine gun company), and light machine guns at the company level (four Reviri light machine guns in one machine gun squad).

The two divisions then went through various trainings and actual combat exercises to write down their experiences in the use of new weapons and submitted them to the War Department, which then made changes based on their experiences.

The experience of the front-line combat troops is the most real, the good is good, and they will not hide anything.

In this regard, the equipment of the Third Division has been delegated to a more grass-roots level, and it is more comfortable in dealing with emergencies and actual combat training, and the only thing to consider is the ability of basic officers to adapt to new weapons in tactics and the details of their use.

Now that the pros and cons of both are well understood, the next step is to announce the results.

"According to the judgment of our Equipment Training Department, the new weapons currently adopted by the Third Division are reorganized to the level of grassroots battalions and companies, which is more in line with the needs of operations."

As Major General Cabrera's words fell, the voices in the venue became noisy, and many of the generals present began to talk to each other, discussing the use of new weapons and training of their troops in the future.

"Quiet."

However, with Admiral Simeone's words, the venue immediately calmed down again.

I saw the head of the army speak. "On the issue of the use of new weapons by various units, you can come down and talk about it, but let me say a few words now."

In the face of Simeone's words, no one present dared to speak again.

Simeone was pleased with the result, and he continued. "Next, all units need to be ready to prepare for the introduction of new weapons at the battalion and company levels. It's a test for all of us. Only by making the use of new weapons practical makes perfect, can the Army pay more attention to them. You must know that these new weapons are not cheap, and the War Department has also spent a lot of effort to obtain them for you, so the next units need to train basic officers so that they know how to use them, and at the same time, the War Department will also sum up the experience of the best batch of troops and distribute them to all units for the use of new weapons. ”

In the face of Admiral Simeone's words, the other generals present could only respond.

The meeting continued, followed by the distribution of new equipment and the content of training. The generals present at this time are very energetic, although it is said that everyone has the distribution of new weapons, but who is before and who is behind is very knowledgeable, and everyone wants to get it first for their troops, but there are always people who are slower. At this time, it depends on the ability of the generals, as well as the comprehensive capabilities of the troops, such as combat effectiveness and training.

And the final result is the same, the troops with strong combat effectiveness and the excellent ability of the unit commander are in the first batch, then the second batch is slightly weaker, and then the third and fourth batches are followed.

After the meeting, the generals also left their seats, and then they may be too close to meet, so the necessary communication has become a problem that they must consider.

But for the Army's Big Three, these contacts have nothing to do with them.

"Let's go, go up to me and sit down."

Simeone opened his mouth and extended an invitation to the two beside him.

"It's been a long time since I've sat with you, so I'm going to go over and see what good things you've hidden." The director of education, Admiral Baxter, was also unkind.

"Go together, go together!"

Next, the three army giants walked towards Simeone's War Chancellor's office, and the three bigwigs were also talking and laughing along the way, so lively.

When they arrived at his office, Simone beckoned the two to sit down before speaking. "I'll tell you something, don't make a noise."

The two of them, who had long known that something must be going on, nodded immediately. "I knew there must be something wrong with you calling the two of us, let's say we won't spread it."

"That's right, I met with Your Majesty the day before yesterday, and Your Majesty gave me a hint that our army will raise the funding for next year to 600 million lira."

"That's true."

General Staff, Admiral Dalkion, immediately couldn't sit still and stood up suddenly.

"Your Majesty personally hinted at it." Simeone replied.

"If that's the case, then it's great, 600 million lira of military spending, enough for our army to do a lot of things."

Admiral Baxter, the director of education, also replied in surprise.

God, although the army's funds have increased in recent years, the army's tasks are also heavy. On the one hand, the army needs to expand its scale, and on the other hand, the army needs to be reorganized into three regiments. Not to mention the changes to weapons and equipment involved in this. In addition, the army also needs to develop and purchase new weapons, and these piles of things need to use valuable funds, so the army has actually been living a very tight life.

Now His Majesty has personally hinted that the Army's funds will be raised to 600 million, which is great news.

Although the two giants were very happy, Simeone, as the party concerned, was a little heavy.

"Next, our Army has a heavier mission. This money is not so easy to get, and according to the performance of Germany and France this year, we in Italy must not stay out of the situation in the future. ”

"This is inevitable, our army alone will have to take away 600 million lira, and the navy will definitely not be less than 400 million, and the total financial income in a year is only how much, and it is not clear whether we will take so much money."

General Staff, Admiral Dalquion, spoke at this point, and it was obvious that he saw it clearly.

"It's nothing, just so we can change the mistakes we made and get back what Italy has suffered." The words of the director of education, Admiral Baxter, undoubtedly show his attitude.

As for who it is aimed at, it is not clear what it is.

Much of the benefits lost by Italy in modern times were caused by its neighbor France.

It is not clear that the director of education is not low in hostility to France.

"Your Majesty must have a request, right?"

At this point, Admiral Dalkion asked.

Faced with the Chief of the General Staff's inquiry, Simeone nodded.

"Yes, there are requirements. His Majesty has asked our army to expand to 700,000 in the next three years. ”

Simeone's words made the two admirals sit up straight, which was not easy at all. You must know that the current Italian army is only 460,000, which needs to be expanded by half of the scale within three years, which is not a small pressure for the army.

Of course, more importantly, the procurement of weapons and equipment will also increase a lot, and the army's tasks will be heavier.

"It's difficult, but it's acceptable." Admiral Baxter made an incisive analysis.

"That's true, but our Army has gained, hasn't it?"

"It looks like we have three more years to prepare."

The three army giants have basically figured out His Majesty's intentions.