1932: Playing with the Japanese Communist Party with a doll

The person you are talking about is you?

Seeing that Mussolini did not answer, Haruta chuckled, skipped the topic, and talked about another matter:

"I remember that the annex to the Lateran Treaty clearly stated that the secret account of the Holy See Bank had been used to pay for the weapons and ammunition of the Blackshirts. Did you know about this?"

3

In an instant, even the air seemed to freeze completely.

The secret financial channel with the Vatican in 1929 should have been buried forever with the death of Pope Pius XI, but...

Damn Americans, how many secret documents did you get from the Vatican?

Damn the Church, you have no backbone at all, you just give people whatever they want!

The damn Apostolic Palace, has it become the archive of the US State Department? Even so, Mussolini still managed to remain calm.

According to Springfield's arrangement, the reputation of the Holy See will be tarnished for a long time to come, and not many people will believe what they say.

However, Mussolini had no idea that these were state secrets at the time and would not be worth mentioning in the future.

"On October 28, 1922, your Blackshirts' Cremona Regiment unloaded boxes of gold bars at Forlì train station. Where did these gold bars, which should have belonged to the state, end up? Is it related to your son-in-law, Galeazzo Ciano? I heard he opened several factories specifically to take orders from the state."

"I've heard that you're a family man who advocates traditional values. But I'm sure many people will be very interested in the story of how you transfer 50,000 lire every month to a Zurich bank to a certain opera tenor."

"By the way, your ex-wife, ah, I know you desperately deny it, but she is indeed your ex-wife... Ms. Ida Dalce, is she living well in Saint Clement Island? Is she still claiming that you accepted huge bribes from the French?"

"Or your mistress, the noble..."

Mussolini slumped back into the chair, his nails digging deep into the grooves of the handle. His forehead ached and cold sweat soaked his entire back.

Everything else was fine, but if that thing got out, he'd be finished. "Would you rather see good news in an American newspaper about deepening economic cooperation between the US and Italy, or a photo of you licking Miss Petacci's toes in Time magazine?"

Springfield addressed Mussolini by name for the first time:

"Be smart, Benito. The choice is yours." "...You are a terrible leader, Ms. Field." Mussolini no longer had any leadership aura and said with a wry smile:

"Since you know so much, why don't you just overturn the entire Italian political situation and replace me directly?"

"I've said before, apart from the United States, I don't care what kind of system other countries adopt. As long as the local people can live a good life, I don't care whether it's a dictatorship, a democracy, or even a feudal monarchy..."

Still saying this... this is the third time.

What? If a lie is told a thousand times, it becomes the truth? You are not one of Hitler's men.

So, instead of renegotiating with a young man, I prefer to cooperate with a mature and intelligent politician like you."

Because they know me better and have more negative information about me, they can control me more easily, right?

Mussolini secretly resented this, but didn't dare to say anything.

However, Springfield's evaluation of him as a "mature and intelligent politician" was not wrong at all. After realizing that things were irreversible, Mussolini quickly put aside his boring emotions and thought about the pros and cons.

Then he discovered:

Huh?

It seems... things are not that bad?

At least it's not that bad for now.

As long as he does not choose to lead Italy to stand on the front line and directly confront Britain and France, but only accepts the "principles of democracy and freedom", there is actually a lot of room for maneuver.

What about documents like "Labor Rights"? Just sign them!

Anyway, whether it will be implemented after signing, and to what extent it will be implemented, is still a matter of debate!

Using a few pieces of waste paper to exchange for economic cooperation and aid from the United States is a huge win!

Thinking of this, Mussolini calmed down completely:

"Ms. Field, please show me the labor documents again."

"Ok."

Haruta smiled widely.

the other side.

In the royal garden of the Italian royal palace, Machiavelli, dressed in a suit, was walking among the rose bushes with Queen Jelena Petrovich Njegoš.

"You are such a beautiful person..."

Looking at that impeccable profile, the queen gracefully plucked a rose and pinned it to Machido's chest. Her fingers brushed through her hair, her face slightly blushing.

"And this hair, is it natural?"

She had thought that Ms. Field was beautiful enough, but she had not expected that the envoy with dark brown and slightly purple hair who had secretly come to the palace after Ms. Field left was even more beautiful in some aspects.

Well, both of them are very beautiful, but Haruta's gentle temperament is very popular with men, but this one has a more fatal attraction to women.

At least, the Queen of Italy, who was fifty years old and still well-maintained, found that she had a feeling similar to the girl's admiration after coming into contact with Machiavelli.

When not involving a certain commander, Wow-chan at work is actually an excellent T-doll who is meticulous in his work and full of elite temperament. At least she is much more reliable than that starry-eyed one.

"This is a treasure God gave me, as long as you like it."

WA2000 smiled slightly, skipped the topic, and took out a blue velvet box from her handbag:

"This is a gift Ms. Field specially selected for you. It is a sapphire brooch carefully crafted by Tiffany's chief designer."

Seeing the brooch sparkling in the sun, the queen's eyes lit up, but her smile was somewhat meaningful:

"Ms. Field is very kind. However, what can we do in return for this gift?"

Springfield sent Mussolini away and then sent this person to deliver gifts, so she must have something to ask for. That's why her husband sent her out.

Of course, one of the main reasons why the queen came forward was that she was worried about her husband's ability to concentrate when being alone with such a beautiful person.

Machido stopped and looked at the queen calmly:

"We might as well be more straightforward about some things. The United States hopes to establish a closer relationship with Italy. This will not only benefit the people of both countries, but also properly curb the expansion of power of some people."

"I like people like you who are straightforward and frank." The queen smiled gracefully.

"You mean our dear Benito?"

The Italian royal family has long been dissatisfied with Mussolini.

Simply put, the self-proclaimed "dictator for life" is gaining more and more power, with a tendency to completely break away from the royal family's control. The group he has formed is also gradually eroding the interests of the royal family itself.

However, in today's Europe, including the British King, weakening the power of royal families in various countries is the absolute mainstream voice, and the Italian royal family itself lacks the actual power to fight against Mussolini.

"You are indeed a discerning person." Machido nodded and quickened her pace.

"You know, Ms. Field has always been peace-loving. If Mr. Mussolini's desire for power is too great, it may jeopardize this precious peace. If the royal family can express some different voices at the right time, perhaps the situation in Italy can be more stable."

"This is difficult for us and may require some additional support from the US."

"Of course, I understand. So in addition to this insignificant little gift, we are also willing to provide the royal family with a more formal gift and some small suggestions."

"For example?"

"The $300 million annual royal grant is specifically used to maintain the dignity and decency of the royal family. If there are other things that require the royal family's help, we would be grateful for that."

The queen's breathing became heavier.

300 million US dollars is not a small number.

Despite the earth-shattering event of the "Gold Robbery," the United States successfully stabilized the situation under Ms. Field's proper handling. The US dollar remains very strong and even provides a new approach to governance for other countries:

The real anchor of currency value does not seem to be gold, silver or the illusory "national credit" in the traditional sense...

These are his words.

In short, the Queen was sure that her husband would not refuse this proposal. "So, your little suggestion is..."

"Since dear Mr. Benito represents dictatorship, why can't the royal family call for democracy?"

"???"

512 Why are the left, center, and right in Spain welcoming Field?

"...Everything has been arranged. The King has promised to more actively organize an army under the royal family's control to seize power from Mussolini or suppress him. The commander of the army has been confirmed to be the Crown Prince..."

"...The Queen seems to have noticed the tension between the Crown Prince and Crown Princess Maria José, but hasn't yet considered Mussolini's approach. I will guide her in due course..."

"...The royal family remains hesitant about supporting democracy and freedom and promoting a multi-party system, but they are somewhat interested in relaxing labor rights protections and are willing to test the waters in this area..."

Having completed her mission in Italy and soon returning to the Vatican to continue assisting Sandolesi, Machido reported her work results to President Springfield.

"Well, thank you for your hard work. I have no problem on my end. Although Mussolini hates me, he is convinced that the freedom and democracy I talk about are just a beautiful false future for Italy, and he will not seriously implement them..."

Mussolini didn't know that the woman he was negotiating with had also sent someone to flatter him in front of the royal family. After less than a minute of careful consideration, he chose to agree to Springfield's conditions.

Because the other side did not ask him to announce those "democracy and freedom" strategies on a large scale, nor did they force him to sign a traitorous treaty, nor did they put forward "excessive demands" such as establishing a multi-party system;

Compared to becoming a front-line pawn of the United States in direct confrontation with Britain and France, it is easier to carry out internal reforms and make some concessions in certain areas.

Anyway, just agree to it first! We can decide whether to carry it out or not.

Otherwise, he would really be "reformed".

I've made so many concessions for you, and you won't even call me a "saint"?

Then I will have to let you see what "divine punishment" is! There is no other way, Lao Mo really wants to improve.

"I don't know."

"What?"

"You... no, what exactly do you want to do, Commander?"

Maqiduo asked doubtfully:

"If you wanted to suppress the spread of fascism, wouldn't you have just killed Mussolini? If you didn't want to suppress fascism, why didn't you try to gain Mussolini's favor instead of deliberately angering him?"

"You realize that you can't scream and scream about killing someone just because their name is 'fascist'. You've surpassed more than 90% of the people in this world..."

It is worth mentioning that "Fascism" has a bad reputation in later generations, but at this time, especially in economically depressed areas, it was even more fashionable and more popular than socialism and communism;

It is no exaggeration to say that if President Field had openly opposed Mussolini and fascism at this time, she might have been strongly resisted by the people in the Mediterranean region.

This is normal.

Whenever the economy is in recession, extreme nationalism, far-right forces and xenophobic forces in various countries will definitely gain widespread support and will have a negative attitude towards democracy.

Democracy isn't necessarily good, and dictatorship isn't necessarily bad—for the local people. At least, compared to a democracy where no decisions can be made, everyone buck-passes and the country essentially grinds to a halt, under dictatorship, as long as the leader isn't too foolish and at least has the courage to take risks, they might be able to forge a new path.

Similarly, the word "Nazi" also had considerable public support in Europe at that time, and it could not be completely denied by the political propaganda of the victorious countries in later generations.

Haruta smiled and patted Machido's head:

"However, the commander's thoughts are very complicated. I can't explain them to you in a short time. It's better to wait until you have a chance to go to China and ask him in person!"

Machido knew that Chuntian was deliberately creating an opportunity for her, but she still instinctively said stubbornly:

"...This...this is because you refused to explain, so I had no choice but to go find him! It wasn't my initiative!"

"Yes Yes Yes.…"

Haruta continued to laugh and pet the dog's head. The dog couldn't do anything about her and had to forcibly change the subject:

"Is the situation in Italy basically over? Where's your next stop?" "Spain."

"Huh? What are you going there for?"

"It supports some people, but also creates trouble for others."

When Italy was spreading the news that "the United States and Italy have reached a number of cooperation intentions in economic and political fields, and that President Field and our great leader have a long-lasting friendship",

Manuel Azaña Díaz, Prime Minister of the Second Spanish Republic, was anxiously and excitedly waiting for the world-renowned fleet in the port of Barcelona.

It was simply because they had heard the big news that the Vatican had exposed the crimes of Pope Pius XI and other high-ranking Vatican officials, and declared that "Ms. Field is the Vatican's 'eternal guide'".

The harsh words used against those sinners and the disgusting licking of Springfield make people wonder whether the top leaders of the Vatican are collectively controlled by witches.

It is hard to say whether the Holy See will disappear completely because of this, but as a religious and political entity with huge influence in the Mediterranean region and even in Europe and the world, the Holy See’s political influence is definitely temporarily over.

As a staunch republican who was against monarchy, autocracy, and theocracy, Asanya undoubtedly hated religion to the extreme.

In his eyes, religion is more hateful than kings, slave owners and dictators. The latter three can only control the bodies of the people, but the former can control the souls of the people, making them willing to be bullied by the oppressors and even become obstacles to social progress.

Therefore, after Azaña came to power, he quickly implemented reforms and promulgated the extremely harsh "Law for the Defense of the Republic", which denied the status of Catholicism, confiscated church assets, and brutally suppressed all church forces.

In fact and in the long run, the establishment of separation of church and state, freedom of religious belief and marriage, secular education and equal voting rights for men and women have undoubtedly successfully promoted the progressive course and de-clericalization process of modern Spanish history.

However, Azaña and his friends ignored, or underestimated, the trouble caused by one problem, which is the actual situation in Spain.