The Rise Of Australasia

Chapter 411: Chapter 342: Military Expansion and Loans

On March 27th, 1913, before Arthur's eyes, Minister Grey and Prime Minister Kent signed the treaty, formally representing the conclusion and implementation of the British-Australian Treaty that had been negotiated for over a month.

This was a comprehensive agreement covering diplomacy, economy, and military cooperation, with Australasia officially becoming an ally of the British and joining the ranks of the Allied Powers.

The signing of the Anglo-Australian Treaty caused quite a sensation in both Australasia and Europe on that day.

It also meant that Australasia would officially join the Allied Powers, bringing the number of Powers in the alliance to four, ahead of the three in the Central Powers.

Although Australasia's status as a great power has only been acknowledged by European governments and media in recent years and still faces competition from island nations,

no one can deny Australasia's status as a great power - even if it is the eighth power, it is still much stronger than non-great powers.

If we look at the strengths of the Allies and the Central Powers on-paper, the advantage of the Allies is even greater.

Both Italy and Australasia are bottom-ranking great powers, and to some extent, Australasia's military strength is even stronger than Italy's (mainly reflected in the army, with balanced naval forces).

Russia is also stronger than the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Combined, the British and French powers surpass Germany's.

Additionally, with the advantage of land area and population, the scales of war seem to be tipping in favor of the Allies.

On the day Australasia announced its signing of the treaty with Britain, William II sent a telegram to Arthur inquiring about the situation.

During the reign of Edward VII, Arthur's relationship with William II was undeniably better.

However, the relationship between the two countries is not sustained by Arthur's personal connections. For Australasia, joining the Allies brings more benefits and status, enabling it to become one of the top five powers.

But if Australasia joins the Central Powers, it would have no hope of victory unless it exhausts its last drop of blood and shows its true cards.

For both Arthur and Australasia, it is unacceptable to exhaust their potential and resources for Germany's victory.

Therefore, joining the Allies was the best outcome, at least for Arthur and Australasia.

Although it may seem immoral given the relationship between Arthur and William II, the development of the nation is like this, regardless of the individuals involved.

In response to William II's inquiry, Arthur could only explain that the majority of the British population wanted the alliance.

However, Arthur also assured William II that Australasia would not use any illegal weapons in the war.

Many illegal weapons were used in World War I. Both sides constantly devised new tactics in their quest for victory.

Aside from the Maxim heavy machine gun, one of the deadliest weapons of World War I, there were also chemical weapons and flamethrowers, which struck fear into every soldier.

Chemical weapons, with their various types of poisonous gas, caused soldiers to go blind, suffocate, become infected, or even die.

The seemingly less destructive flamethrower inflicted cruel damage when it was used. Although they couldn't break through sturdy fortresses, their extremely high temperatures could enter through loopholes and ventilation holes, causing painful burns to enemies at close range.

Those unfortunate enough could even be roasted alive by the flamethrower, a much crueler death than other methods.

Even if someone was lucky and further away from the loophole, they could still suffocate or become dehydrated due to the quick consumption of oxygen and moisture caused by the high temperature.

Furthermore, the high temperatures could ignite ammunition and shells inside the fortress, making it a close encounter with death for those without any shelter within.

Although Australasia's joining of the Allies made them potential enemies with Germany in terms of position,

the relationship between Arthur and William II did not change significantly, and the two were still able to converse happily via telegram.

However, as a top-ranking monarch, William II had his pride and would not try to retain Arthur, considering his actions were a form of betrayal.

In William II's view, victory on the battlefield should serve as proof to Arthur that the British-French alliance was just a shell, unable to withstand the might of the German Empire's forces.

It must be said that many Germans were somewhat arrogant during this period.

Since the founding of the German Empire was based on the defeat of then Western European hegemon France, the feeling of facing a former defeated foe when confronting France and England now made the German military and many high-ranking officials increasingly confident, not taking the French army seriously.

The news of Australasia joining the Allies also caused a stir domestically.

The supportive population naturally consists of immigrants from Britain and Russia. Due to the proportion of British immigrants and the high growth rate of Russian immigrants in recent years, the combined total of both British and Russian immigrants accounts for more than 85% of Australasia's total population.

Therefore, from the perspective of the people of Australasia, joining the Allies was the general will of the people.

As for the German population, which accounts for less than 10%, they naturally did not want to see this happen.