The Rise Of Australasia

Chapter 1043: Chapter 781: Sharpening the Knife for France

Compared to the conditions offered by the French, there is no doubt that the British offered much more generous terms.

This actually also implies a high probability that Australasia will cooperate with the British, with the Frenchmen doomed to face off against both the British and Australasian competition in South America alone.

Although France is officially the second major power in the world, this does not mean everyone sees it that way.

If we consider only the domestic front, Australasia had long surpassed France in both industry and military, and even the economy, due to the continuous devaluation of the Franc, Australasia’s domestic economy is somewhat better than that of France.

If it were not for France’s vast colonial territories which inflate the overall figures somewhat, and the fact that Arthur intentionally promoted France as the second major power in order to avoid direct conflict with the British, it is likely that Australasia would now be regarded as the world’s second superpower.

For Arthur, it does not matter whether he ranks second or third in the world; it’s merely a title.

...

If this title incites enmity from the British to the extent that they employ every available means to counter the rise of his nation, then it would be a case of the gains not justifying the losses.

Though there seems a vast gap in power between the world’s second and third, only Arthur understands that Australasia’s military could utterly crush France, with a 100% chance of defeating them.

This is not Arthur’s pride speaking, but the conclusion reached after a lateral comparison between the Australasian Army and the French Army.

It is not just the French Army; many nations that participated in World War I have begun to dread war.

World War I inflicted massive casualties and financial losses upon them, leaving most Europeans unwilling to witness another large-scale war.

Australasia, however, is quite the opposite. Though Australasia also suffered casualties in World War I, their losses were extremely low compared to other Powers.

More importantly, during World War I, Australasia annexed substantial territories and, through the export of vast supplies and the arms trade, they brought their domestic infrastructure and economic development up to the level of the European powers.

It is fair to say that it was this World War that endowed Australasia with the powers of a superpower, and the gap in heritage between them and the European People was significantly bridged.

Add to this the prevalent personal worship of Arthur in Australasia, which fills the Australasian Army with fighting spirit and brings them to a true state of fearless valor.

In terms of morale and fighting spirit alone, the Australasian Army is undeniably top-tier and could easily overpower the war-weary French Army.

More importantly, due to the lavish Pension Policies Arthur put in place, the soldiers of the Australasian Army can fight without any worries for their families.

This is different from the blind fervor found in the Island Nation. Although their Military can also unleash a zeal and fervor comparable to the Australasian Army, their soldiers’ fighting spirit is ultimately blind.

When their morale is affected, the Military’s overall morale and combat capability can significantly decrease.

But the Australasian Army is different. With the concerns of their families fully addressed by Arthur, they can fight wholeheartedly for Arthur, the royal family, and the entire country.

Even if they fall in battle, their families will receive preferential treatment from the government, along with generous Pensions dispensed by the royal family and government, ensuring they can stay warm and fed, and not go hungry without their family’s breadwinner.

If the navy were not so far behind the British, relying on Australasia’s frightening Military performance, competing with the British for the throne of global domination would not be a problem.

Of course, for Arthur, merely being the Pacific overlord is sufficient for now. Becoming the world’s superpower is not as easy as it seems; at least for the time being, Arthur does not wish to become the world superpower.

He will start considering the new world superpower throne only after World War II has fully ended and the world Order has stabilized.

Certainly, before deciding to challenge for the world’s superpower throne, Arthur must ensure that Australasia’s navy, army, and air force are all at the pinnacle of global military power.

Currently, all three branches have certain deficiencies. Firstly, in terms of scale, they are only considered world-class, with neither the navy nor army being the largest in the world.

Population plays a significant role in this; continuing to expand the Population is also what Arthur intends to do next.

In Arthur’s vision, the Population should reach 50 million, and the total size of all Military branches combined should surpass 1 million men, to qualify for competing for the throne of global domination.

Of course, to firmly secure the throne of the world superpower, the Population must be driven to surpass one hundred million by all means.

With British intervention, this so-called mediation conference essentially served as negotiations to buy time for Paraguay.

The Frenchmen naturally understood this. Throughout the negotiation period, both Bolivia and Paraguay presented such exaggerated demands that it was patently obvious that neither side could possibly accept them.

While making these outrageous demands, both Bolivia and Paraguay were busy buying up corresponding weapons and equipment.

However, when it came to weapons purchases, the two countries took different approaches according to their distinct philosophies.

Bolivia continued with its principle of spending big, thanks to Loans from both France and ExxonMobil, enabling Bolivia to buy Tanks, Airplanes, and some large-caliber Firearms, among other heavy armaments.