The Rise Of Australasia

Chapter 939: Chapter 701: Occupying Garnifornia (Two-in-One Chapter)_3

Of course, if his impression was really marred, Arthur could only alter his plan and implement more stringent management of the Americans in these areas.

Nevertheless, these Americans still had their uses and should unquestionably be controlled as much as possible.

The attack on the West coast of the United States progressed very smoothly, so naturally, the assault on Alaska was no different.

Although Alaska is the largest state by area, it has the smallest population among the states of the United States.

The Australasia Army, with only one Infantry Regiment attacking the State of Alaska, progressed rapidly, capturing Anchorage, the state capital and largest Urban City within a few days.

Alaska truly lived up to its reputation as a land of ice and snow. As the region of the United States closest to the North Pole, even the climate of Alaska caused discomfort for the Australasia Army.

Luckily, there weren’t too many American troops stationed in Alaska, and with the navy’s assistance, Anchorage was swiftly captured.

If large-scale operations were launched here, the Australasia Army might not have had such a smooth offensive.

After seizing Anchorage, this Infantry Regiment was ordered to begin militarized management of the city.

As for other cities in Alaska, there was virtually no need to concern oneself with them, nor was it necessary to waste military resources.

Speaking of the population distribution in Alaska, it had the characteristic seen in all countries near the North Pole: the population was quite concentrated.

As both the capital and largest city of Alaska, Anchorage had only tens of thousands of inhabitants.

While tens of thousands might seem small, it accounted for 47% of the entire population of Alaska.

How staggering was that proportion?

Even Sydney and Melbourne, the most populous cities in Australasia, accounted for only about 30% of their respective administrative regions’ total population before they became independent districts.

A 47% share meant that by controlling Anchorage, the Australasia Army essentially decided its control over the State of Alaska.

Why was it important to gain control over Alaska?

Geographically, Australasia is located in the southwest corner of the Pacific Ocean, while Alaska is in the northeast corner, with the entire Pacific between them,

The distance from Sydney to Anchorage was over 12,000 kilometers, and even the fleet at full speed needed roughly a month to get there.

Geographical distance made it very difficult for Australasia to maintain control over Alaska, and it also seemed a bit improper formally.

But Arthur understood the rich mineral resources beneath Alaska’s soil. This region, seemingly of little strategic value at present, was even more valuable than the combined resources of states like Oregon and Washington on the West Coast of the United States.

Geographically, Alaska is home to 17 of the highest mountain ranges in the United States out of 20 and also boasts the highest peak in the country.

Most of the world’s active glaciers are also in Alaska, which offers an advantage for Australasia’s research on the Arctic and the Arctic Ocean’s geography.

Moreover, with a vast area of 1.71 million square kilometers, although the climate is cold for most of the year, the summers in the Northern Hemisphere are relatively cool and pleasant.

Of course, these are not the most important factors. Alaska is rich in mineral resources, with substantial reserves of zinc, lead, gold, silver, and coal.

Even though the upcoming currency would not be directly pegged to gold, having more gold certainly meant that more currency could be issued.

The abundant gold and silver mines in Alaska could make the currency of Australasia stronger, and its other mineral resources could enrich the mining system of the country.

Besides the mining resources, Alaska’s geographical location was also crucial.

Having possession of Alaska would enable Australasia to better control the states of the United States. In the future, once missile technology matured, they could effectively threaten regions across North America, fulfilling Australasia’s global strategic system.

Simply put, if new countries were established on the West Coast of the United States, it would be easier to control them.

After all, if Arthur’s son ruled the countries to be established on the West Coast of the United States, how could Arthur not worry about him?

Stationing a certain number of troops in Alaska would also facilitate a swift response by the Australasia Army to any unforeseen events erupting on the West Coast of the United States.

Australasia, along with Hawaii and Alaska, could form a horizontal line, helping Australasia gain better control over the Pacific Ocean.

With Hawaii and Alaska, Arthur could even proudly claim that the Pacific Ocean was an inland sea of Australasia.

After occupying the State of Hawaii, Alaska, Washington, Oregon, and California, Australasia’s strategy had already been more than half completed.

Fortuitously, the American People had chosen to focus on defenses in the East, letting the West be, which made Australasia’s advancement extremely smooth, as they had not faced any significant resistance.

Especially after the fall of California, the most populous state in the USA Western Region, mobilizing forces against other states in the West had become very easy.

The remaining combat tasks in Idaho and Nevada, with their sparse populations, meant their defensive capabilities were doomed to be weak.

This signified that Australasia had essentially achieved its objectives, and all that was left was to wait for Britain and France to seize their own targets.