After meeting with Capodimonte, Umberto received good news from his father that the meeting with the aristocrats had been arranged.
Compared with the south, the old aristocrats and landowners in the north were rather difficult to deal with because they had influence in both military and political circles.
Moreover, the north feared communism the most.
On November 16, more than thirty members of the collateral branches of the royal family and aristocratic representatives gathered at the royal palace, where the King would personally persuade them.
Invited by the King, they naturally did not dare refuse to come; for example, the Duke of Aosta and the Count of Turinwere both cousins of Victor Emmanuel III.
These two were also the bellwethers of the northern aristocracy.
If the King surrendered his lands, and the collateral branches of the royal family also surrendered theirs, then the northern aristocrats would have little room left to choose.
Umberto attended the gathering with his father to get acquainted with some people he had never met before.
These people came from core regions of Italy such as Piedmont, Lombardy, and Venice, and most of them were royalists.
Under the introductions of Victor Emmanuel III, Umberto exchanged pleasantries with everyone one by one to show his respect.
“Your Highness, I am the Marquis of Saluzzo.
I met you when you were a child.” After the King finished his greetings, the Marquis of Saluzzo took the initiative to greet Umberto.
“Hello, Lord Marquis of Saluzzo.
Please forgive me; this is my first time meeting so many people, and I am a little overwhelmed.” When Umberto heard the name, some information flashed through his mind, but he pretended not to remember.
“You are busy with affairs of state, Your Highness; there is no need to trouble yourself over such matters,” replied the Marquis of Saluzzo.
Umberto offered an apologetic smile and continued following his father to meet the others.
Aristocrats were the core foundation of the European continental monarchical system; it had been so in the past and should remain so in the future, although their importance was no longer as great as before.
After Victor Emmanuel III led Umberto around the hall, he returned to the main seat to preside over the meeting.
“Gentlemen, I summoned you to Rome to discuss one matter.
“Before coming here, you should all know the purpose of this gathering, so I will simply state my thoughts.
“Right now, tens of millions of people in Italy are struggling to survive, so we must give them hope and give the country hope.
“As the King of Italy, I took the lead in contributing land, but this is far from enough and still requires everyone’s support.
“You are all closely tied to the royal family; at such a critical moment, we must stand together.” Victor Emmanuel III’s tone was relatively mild.
“Your Majesty, land is the foundation of a family’s continuation; it cannot be casually given to those commoners.” An aristocrat spoke in a disdainful tone.
Umberto frowned upon hearing this; it seemed that the quality of the so-called aristocracy varied greatly.
Umberto rarely met outsiders and had no time to review everyone’s intelligence files, so he did not know many of these people very well.
But a person’s manner of speech could reveal their character and upbringing.
Victor Emmanuel III’s expression turned displeased; ever since he had experienced the adoration of the masses, his mentality had completely changed.
“I invited you here to have a proper discussion, so do not speak recklessly.” Victor Emmanuel III’s tone seemed calm, but everyone present felt a trace of coldness.
The King’s majesty remained.
“The country is on the verge of collapse and must be reformed so that your titles and wealth can continue to be passed down.
“The royal family and the country are one; if the country disappears, the royal family will disappear as well.
“Of course, changes to the political system would have less impact on you, at most costing you your aristocratic titles and part of your wealth.
“From this perspective, the royal family is somewhat different from you, which is why I support Umberto’s reforms.
“Over the past half month, I have felt the people’s desire for a better life and their love for the country.” “You are different from other landowners; you are supporters and allies of the royal family, and you should stand on the side of the royal family.
“We should shoulder the responsibility of revitalizing Italy together.
“You give up your land, and the government purchases it, guaranteeing the continuation of your family’s prosperity.” When Victor Emmanuel III spoke to this point, he had made his position clear enough.
Thus, he looked toward the Count of Turin and the Duke of Aosta beside him, signaling the two to express their positions.
Seeing the King look at him, the Count of Turin had no choice but to speak.
“Your Majesty, why don’t we listen to the opinions of the others first?” “…?” A trace of doubt appeared in Victor Emmanuel III’s eyes; could his cousin have some hidden intention?
Meanwhile, the Duke of Aosta echoed the Count of Turin, also suggesting that they first listen to everyone’s opinions.
At this moment, Victor Emmanuel III understood; it turned out that the cooperation they had agreed upon two days earlier had merely been an attempt to stall him.
A cold smile appeared at the corner of Victor Emmanuel III’s mouth, but his expression remained calm as he said to the crowd, “If you have any thoughts, speak freely, and the Crown Prince and I will answer you.” Victor Emmanuel III was prepared to let Umberto play the villain and deal with these people.
At this moment, Victor Emmanuel III gradually realized that only Umberto was truly thinking about the country.
Europe respected private property, but there were exceptions to everything, weren’t there?
“Your Majesty, why must we give land to the farmers?
Giving them some money should be enough.” An aristocrat spoke first, feeling that any problem solvable with money was a minor matter.
“Heh, naive.” Umberto sneered inwardly, then responded.
“Money can solve problems for one or two years, but what about three or five years?
For twenty million people, how much money would the government have to distribute?
“If you want to carry out this plan, I agree, but you must pay half of the money, and you must not raise the farmers’ share of expenses or increase their land rent afterward.” “How can that be!” Several aristocrats objected in unison; the income from land rent was already limited, and having to bear half of the state’s subsidy expenses would turn it into a bottomless pit.
The words of these few caused everyone else to nod.
Looking at the ugly expressions of the people before him, Umberto felt contempt in his heart and said coldly, “So, you want the deficit-ridden government to bear all the expenses, and then earn the money back from the common people, right?
“I tell you, keep dreaming.
“When the royal family announced the surrender of all its lands, at least the farmers stood on the side of the royal family.
“If you are unwilling to sell, the government can only forcibly requisition the land.
“I believe that with a single command, land across the country can be requisitioned, and you won’t even have the opportunity to resist.
“The royal family wants to save the country, which also means saving your wealth.
When the country collapses and revolution breaks out, the red wave will sweep across the country just as it did in Eastern Europe.
“Your fate will either be to flee Italy or be swallowed by that wave.
“Which outcome is better and which is worse, you can think about it carefully.” A group of shortsighted people; he had wasted far too much saliva on them.
Perhaps Mussolini had given them a sense of security, but that security had been purchased at the expense of the interests of the masses.
After Mussolini came to power, he used mandatory decrees and violent means to suppress popular movements and rebellious forces, safeguarding the interests of capitalists, landowners, and aristocrats in exchange for financial support.
This was also one of the reasons why the Italian Army had lacked enthusiasm and willingness to sacrifice on the battlefield, because most soldiers came from the lower classes, from workers and peasants.
“Your Highness, developing the economy and giving the people a way out does not necessarily require land reform; vigorously developing industry would also work.
“Western European countries carried out no similar reforms, yet they still became major industrial powers, strong nations capable of dominating their regions.” The Count of Turin cherished land deeply.
“Uncle, Western European countries plundered wealth for centuries, possessing solid capital, abundant resources, vast colonies, and enormous markets, which naturally allowed them to sustain large numbers of factories.
“But what about Italy?
We entered colonial competition the latest and possess only two poor colonies.
“Domestic products lack competitiveness, market space is limited, and more than two-thirds of the population lives near or below the poverty line.
Who will buy the products produced by all these new factories?” “If the market were truly based on entirely fair competition, then Germany would never have needed to fight the Great War.
“You are all people who control enormous assets; you cannot possibly fail to understand this.
“Of course, I acknowledge that land is one of the most important family assets, but if Italy is to rise again, this step must be taken.” “The royal family abandoning land accumulated over generations is our way of burning the boats behind us; we must succeed.” Umberto’s tone was extremely solemn.
The people present wore grave expressions and fell into silence.
An aristocrat raised his hand, breaking the silence.
“Your Highness, you should know that the northern and southern landowners, including us, will not give up easily.
What will you do?” As soon as those words were spoken, everyone held their breath and quietly looked toward Umberto.
“The King invited you here to give you a chance.
“If you insist on standing on the opposite side of the royal family, then I have nothing more to say and will handle matters strictly according to law.” Umberto stood up and slowly walked around the table.
“If you win, then you will have the final say in Italy.
“If you lose, then you will lose everything.” “If Italy does not solve the land problem, the red wave will erupt sooner or later.
“Once it does, the royal family will be the first family to suffer, killed by the people just like the Russian imperial family.” “May I ask, why should the royal family bear this risk?” “To be frank with you, before this meeting, I privately spoke with representatives from the south.” “Either compromise or war.” “Since I took over executive power, the one who compromises will not be me.” Umberto gave a domineering answer to everyone present.
As soon as these words came out, even Victor Emmanuel III was dumbfounded.
Good grief, they said they had come to negotiate, so how had things suddenly escalated into threats?
This would alienate people.
Everyone had not expected this meeting to turn into a Feast at Hongmen, and they began to worry that they might not even be able to walk out of the palace gates.
“Your Highness, do you intend to make an enemy of all the landowners in Italy and undermine Italy’s national foundation?” The Count of Turin frowned, feeling that the Crown Prince had gone somewhat too far.
Umberto shook his head.
“If you want to think of it that way, then there is nothing wrong with it.
“However, if you stand on the opposite side of the royal family, Italy’s national foundation will no longer be you, but twenty million farmers, among whom are five million demobilized soldiers desperate for land.” “You understand very clearly what will happen if the government mobilizes them.” The meeting hall fell silent once again.
“Your Highness, if we agree, what conditions will you offer us?” The Marquis of Saluzzo wanted to hear the solution so that everyone could weigh the advantages and disadvantages.
“Two conditions: first, the government will purchase the land at market price in the form of bonds; second, I have conceived a plan in which the Ministry of Finance and the royal family will jointly fund the establishment of an electric power company, and a portion of its shares will be sold to you.
“This is a condition that the southern landowners will not enjoy, so you should cherish it.
“More precisely, whoever compromises first will receive priority from me.” “Perhaps you do not yet understand the significance of this electric power company, but you only need to understand one point: it will be the only nationwide power operating company in Italy.
In other words, wherever Italy’s territory extends, this company will be the dominant operator; this is a responsibility and privilege granted by the government.” “Perhaps you think electricity is an expensive consumer product, but I do not believe that will remain the case.
Once technology advances, costs will fall greatly, and even ordinary families will be able to afford it.” “Look at the United States; its electricity consumption is the largest in the world, and at the same time, electricity has driven the development of many new industries.” “It can be said that electricity will become a permanent consumer necessity, just like food.
“If you hold shares, your wealth can continue growing and be passed down through generations.” “As long as the kingdom stands, your wealth will endure!” Umberto stopped speaking, and the council hall immediately erupted into heated discussion, sounding almost like ducks quacking across a pond.
Umberto sat down and waited for them to finish discussing and begin asking questions.
To put it bluntly, if he wanted to persuade them, threats alone were not enough; he also had to offer benefits that would bind their interests to the new system.
For the sake of land, this group of aristocrats could do almost anything.
Some of them had even supported the Fascists in order to protect their estates.
Unless necessary, Umberto did not want to act too ruthlessly and weaken the northern royalists.
“Your Highness, with the currency continuously depreciating, national bonds have little meaning to us, and every family already holds quite a few of them.” The Marquis of Saluzzo certainly did not want to receive another pile of worthless paper.
“No.” Umberto decided to reveal some information to everyone.
“The Ministry of Finance will soon finalize an international loan worth hundreds of millions of pounds to finance the reforms and guarantee interest payments.” “It can be said that once the reforms begin, the lira will appreciate, and the bonds in your hands will appreciate along with it.” Clatter.
More than thirty people immediately erupted into discussion again.
“Hundreds of millions of pounds, equivalent to tens of billions of lire; that is no small amount of money.” “Yes, with that much money invested into the reforms, they might actually succeed.” “Even the interest payments would be guaranteed.” …
The Duke of Aosta wore an incredulous expression; however, he hoped his eldest nephew would continue bluffing, because once the lies were exposed, that would be his opportunity.
Victor Emmanuel III spoke at the appropriate moment.
“In addition to the conditions already mentioned, the reforms require a large number of talented government officials.
Families with outstanding talents may recommend them to Umberto, and he will employ them according to their abilities.” “When all is said and done, you are the backbone supporting the royal family, and many of you are also relatives.
Umberto and I are willing to support you.
“Of course, the premise is that you obey discipline and the law and do not harbor improper ambitions.” Victor Emmanuel III deliberately glanced at the Duke of Aosta beside him, his eyes carrying a faint warning.
Feeling the King’s gaze, the Duke of Aosta felt a chill rise in his heart and awkwardly took a sip of wine.
Following his father’s words, Umberto said, “His Majesty is right.
The Cabinet I formed is relatively young and needs people with drive and vigor who can leave a brilliant page in the history of Italy’s reforms.” “As for today’s topic, let’s end it here for now.
Go back and think carefully, and please make your choice within five days.
I will formulate corresponding measures according to your decisions.” Everyone nodded one after another, finally lowering their anxious hearts as they waited for the palace banquet to begin.
The evening banquet seemed rather subdued because everyone had matters weighing heavily on their minds.
On the contrary, the Marquis of Saluzzo was quite active, chatting back and forth with the King and the Crown Prince, while the Count of Turin remained nearby.
“Your Highness, if I may boldly ask, with reforms this sweeping, to what height do you hope to lead Italy?” The Marquis of Saluzzo was very interested in Umberto’s style of governance; although he was not often in Rome, he frequently inquired about affairs in the capital.
Umberto looked at the Marquis, then glanced at the ancient Roman artifacts hanging on the wall.
“When was Italy at its most glorious?” Saluzzo answered without hesitation.
“Naturally, during the Roman era.” “Perhaps we can try to reach such heights again in the future.” After saying this, Umberto laughed heartily, making it seem as though he had only been joking.
Looking at the Crown Prince’s half-joking expression, Saluzzo smiled along with him, but inwardly, he believed the words were sincere.
The Count of Turin beside them listened with a start; this child truly had enormous ambitions.
Would Italy end up being ruined by this father and son?