The Rise of Australasia

"What vast plains!" King George V couldn’t help but exclaim while touring the Mure River Basin with Arthur.

Though the United Kingdom had many plains under its rule and there were plains even better suited for development than the Mure River Basin.

But the problem was that the plains of the Mure River Basin in Australasia were on their native land, while the plains better suited for development by the British were in India and other colonies, where they first faced the threat of colonial rebellion.

Despite the British Empire controlling a large number of colonies, as the monarch, King George V was clear that only with the strengthening of his native land would the country become more stable.

Though the current strength of the United Kingdom appeared strong, a significant part of that was due to contributions from the colonies.

If the United Kingdom were to lose most of its colonies, the power it could retain might not surpass that of the current France and the United States.

It was for this reason that King George V envied the expansive territory of Australasia and its abundant developable land.

Expanding the territory of the United Kingdom by just double would leave other countries with no hopes of domination.

If they possessed vast native lands like India and Australasia, the United Kingdom would easily become the unequivocal world leader, surpassing the United States in economy and industry.

Unfortunately, such thoughts could only be entertained. Regardless of the scale of land owned by the colonies, it was, frankly, not much related to the native land of the United Kingdom.

America, once a paradise for immigrants, now Australasia, both were once British colonies.

The British had not failed to develop America and Australasia, but the problem was, even if developed, it was not certain the British could hold on to them.

Just like with America, after the colonies developed their own character, seeking a higher degree of independence, or even outright independence, became a natural course of events.

This is also why many European nations were reluctant to focus on developing their colonies. Even if the potential of the colonies exceeded that of the native lands, they would never become the homeland.

Portugal once controlled Brazil, the Netherlands once controlled the Dutch East Indies, and now are they not both third-rate, weak countries in Europe?

Which of the world’s powerful nations did not rise to power based on the strength of their homelands? Even without colonies, these powerful nations still possessed enough might to crush second and third-tier countries.

"Where can such land compare to that of the British Empire?" Arthur laughed and said, "Just developing the land would take more than ten years, not to mention needing enough hands to cultivate it.

With the population of Australasia, I fear there won’t be much progress in developing the Mure River Basin within 20 years."

Hearing what Arthur said, King George V nodded involuntarily.

Truth be told, Australasia indeed had its advantages and was bound to be a strong contender for world supremacy if allowed to develop over time.

But to King George V at present, an Australasia with a population of just over 20 million was unlikely to be a match for the British, nor would it pose a threat to British supremacy.

To become a real threat, the population of Australasia would have to at least reach over 40 million people.

Given the current pace of population growth in Australasia, this was an eventuality ten-plus years in the future, by which time the United Kingdom would have become even stronger and naturally would not need to worry about threats from Australasia.

Compared with Australasia, the United States—with its larger population, more developed industry, and more prosperous economy—was the United Kingdom’s number one competitor.

And the so-called European superpower, France, was also worth the British’s vigilance, with countering France and the United States being the British’s main goal. For the time being, Australasia is only a reliable ally, far from becoming an enemy. Your next read is at

What’s more important is the attitude Arthur is currently showing, favoring steady development, which reassures King George V the most.

An Australasia focused on peaceful development is indeed a rare close ally for the British, eliminating worries about Australasia introducing instability into the global situation.

The reason for trust in Arthur and Australasia’s steady development is because of the vast territory of Australasia and the recent acquisition of two large islands, Sumatra Island and Java Island.

Sumatra Island and Java Island are also coveted by the British, but the British are inevitably unable to possess these islands.

Unfortunately, the terms for the Dutch East Indies were that no power should covet them.

Australasia’s moves were supported by both the British and French, which involved extensive exchanges of interests, including supporting British actions in Central America, among other things.

If the British were to covet these two islands, the French would likely have already begun to support the Dutch, causing discomfort for the British.

This is the gap between the British and Australasia in diplomatic actions. Same as two nations, British actions face many obstacles from other countries, but Australasia’s moves generally do not, as Australasia has no formal rivals yet—the United States can be considered half a competitor but is excluded from the World Alliance.

Britain has many competitors, with Germany previously in Europe, and now it has turned to France.

The rivals across the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans are the United States, and Other Regions and Powerful Nations also have certain interests and disputes.

Even by virtue of the British’s status as world hegemon, there are many countries that want to take advantage of the British and limit the development of the British Empire.

That’s just how things are, the British Empire is already strong, and if it were allowed to become even more powerful, it would truly be unstoppable.

Without even having to think about it, if the British press too hard, the French-Russian Alliance would still become a force to contend with the Anglo-Australian alliance, and even the Austro-Hungarian Empire would join in.

After accompanying King George V on a visit to Saint Arthur Castle, Arthur met with Dmitry, the current Grand Duke of Finland, in the new Royal Palace.

Although it had only been a little over a year since they last met, Dmitry’s demeanor had changed quite a bit compared to before.

After all, having become the Monarch of a country, one’s demeanor over a long period of influence becomes more imposing, exuding a sense of hidden depth.

Fortunately, Dmitry’s attitude towards Arthur was still fairly respectful, without any trace of arrogance for becoming the Grand Duke of Finland, especially since he knew very well how he came by his title and how to retain it.

"Dmitry, how is Finland doing at the moment?" Arthur asked with a smile, looking at the vastly changed Dmitry before him.

"Not bad, Your Majesty. The Grand Duke’s Guards have now been fully assembled, and I have regained a portion of the financial authority.

Although I am still unable to control the entire government, it is easy to influence it. Your Majesty, thanks for your support, Finland will surely be a permanent ally of Australasia," Dmitry nodded and spoke with a hint of a smile.

With the support of weapons and funds provided by Arthur, gaining control over the Finnish government was really just a matter of time.

Because such a small country simply cannot withstand the contention with Powerful Nations, the Government of Finland is also well aware of this and holds a good deal of respect for its new Grand Duke.

The first thing Dmitry did after taking office as the Grand Duke of Finland was to complete the formation of the Grand Duke’s Guards, securing his own first military force.

This Grand Duke’s Guards was composed entirely in accordance with the structure of the Guards of Australasia, and even the quantity of weapons and heavy weapons was not much different.

Although the total number of the Grand Duke’s Guards was just over a thousand, for Finland with its population of only a few million, this armed force was already more than sufficient for its own protection.

Looking at the confident Dmitry in front of him, Arthur still reminded him, "The current world economy is generally in a state of prosperity, but this prosperity is a bit abnormal compared to before.

Dmitry, try to reduce economic ties with countries like Britain-France-Germany as much as possible, Finland simply can’t withstand the impact of an economic crisis.

Keep some funds reserved for emergencies, if an economic crisis breaks out, that money will come in handy."

"Economic crisis? Your Majesty, do you mean?" Dmitry was startled, asking urgently.

"It’s just a guess by some economists within Australasia Domestic, but it’s good to be prepared in advance." Arthur waved his hand, explaining.

Finland is useful to Australasia, and Arthur didn’t want Dmitry, who he himself had put great effort into installing as the Grand Duke of Finland, to lose his title due to an economic crisis.

Even if it wasn’t that serious, the damage an economic crisis would cause to Finland with no preparation would be considerable.

Especially given that Finland lacks a developed industry, and not far from it lies Germany, a country that exports a large amount of cheap industrial goods.

If Finland cultivates an economy too dependent on German industrial goods, when the impending economic crisis erupts, Finland too will become a victim, with its economy and other developments suffering severe losses.

"I understand, Your Majesty," Dmitry nodded, showing his appreciation for the concern.

The topic of economic crises is not unfamiliar to nations around the world, having occurred several times in history.

There are many causes for an economic crisis, but whatever the reasons, preventing economic crises is indeed a good thing.

"Your Majesty, I have also come with a request from the government," Dmitry said with a smile.

"A request?" Arthur looked at Dmitry inquiringly.

"The government has asked me to purchase a fleet of warships from you to strengthen Finland’s navy. Our budget is around 4 million Australian Dollars, and we would like to build one battleship, about ten small warships, and ten submarines," Dmitry explained.

As a coastal country along the Baltic Sea, Finland also has a navy. But having once been part of the Tsardom of Russia, all of Tsarist Russia’s funds were devoted to building its own Baltic Fleet, although it was impossible to help Finland establish a sizable navy.

This resulted in Finland’s fleet being more of a patrol fleet, pleasantly labeled as maintaining order, but disparagingly said to be only capable of near-shore activities.

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