The Rise Of Australasia

Chapter 460: Chapter 366: T-14 Tank and T-14A Tank

Initially, Sydney was chosen as the capital not only because it was the capital of the largest colony of New South Wales at the time, but also because it had one of the largest ports, Sydney Harbour, which was suitable for economic development, and likewise appealing to immigrants from abroad.

However, now the drawbacks of Sydney being close to the coast are becoming apparent. Until the naval scale of Australasia is increased, the safety of Sydney is not so reliable.

Moreover, the issues that have arisen as Sydney's population exploded have led to growing voices within the Australasian government calling for relocation of the capital.

Moving a capital is not a strange thing for a country. When faced with problems such as economy, politics, military, and environment, relocation becomes an effective and inevitable solution.

Take the United States as an example; its capital is not in the most developed city, New York, but in the less populated and relatively less developed Washington.

For Australasia, having the capital located in a southeastern coastal city like Sydney creates another problem: neglecting the development of inland and western cities.

Australasia actually has plains and the only river in the Australian region, the Mure River.

Theoretically, the development potential of the Mure River Delta could even be higher than that of southeastern Australasia, and due to its inland location, it is relatively safer.

This area is also a barren land for Australasia, sparsely populated and economically underdeveloped.

If relocating the capital, this area would be the most suitable but also the most troublesome.

Building a new city here would be no different, representing the need for the Australasian government to spend decades developing this area.

However, the benefits are also very obvious. It has the largest river in the Australian region and is located in the Central Plain of Australia, offering huge development potential.

If developed well, just along the Mure River, tens of millions of people could live here.

It also means that the Australian region alone can accommodate at least 100 million people. Combined with New Guinea of New Zealand and the various colonies, Australasia could accommodate at least 200 million people, meeting the population demand to become a superpower.

Arthur, from the future, knows that although the Australian region has more than 7 million square kilometers of vast land, in later generations, the useable land is scarce, with the population concentrated along the coast and southeast.

It should be noted that in later generations, the vast Central Plain of Australia has been completely gobiified and desertified.

Now, more than 100 years ago, there is still the possibility of saving this Central Plain, especially the Mure River Basin.

If this area could indeed be developed into a cultivatable and livable region, it would be a good thing for Australasia and for Arthur.

Just the Mure River Basin could support tens of millions of people. If the northern Darling River Basin is included, tens of millions more people could be supported.

Together with the defensive island chains built by Australasia's outer colonies and archipelagos, the status of Australasia as a top power would be basically established.

However, although the benefits of relocation outweigh the drawbacks and occasional calls for relocation emerge from within the government.

For present-day Australasia, it is temporarily not suitable to undertake the relocation with fanfare.

First, the more than one million people in Sydney would certainly not want the government to move. After all, there is a huge gap between a capital and a non-capital city. Sydney's rapid development as the capital is undoubtedly the reason why it has surpassed Melbourne to become Australasia's first city with a population of over one million.

If it loses its capital status, Sydney may not be overtaken by Melbourne, but its current status will definitely decline.

Secondly, relocating the capital is not something that can be implemented immediately once decided. Choosing the location of the new city, constructing it, including the future government buildings, and the construction of a new royal palace, requires not only a lot of time but also a lot of funds.

Moreover, Arthur feels that the European war is not far away. Therefore, Australasia will not attempt to relocate the capital before the end of World War I, and Arthur has no plans for relocation for the time being.

Instead of using government funds for a new capital, it is better to produce more weapons and equipment and seek greater profits in the war.

Once Australasia has made enough money in this war, and there are no threats of war or foreign enemies, it will not be too late to announce a grand relocation.

With the great prestige brought by winning the war, even if the people are unwilling at the time of relocation, no one will jump out to directly oppose it.

However, although there are no plans for relocation for the time being, the investigation of the area near the Mure River can begin.

Even if this area will not be the future capital, it is still a land worth developing.

It should be noted that the current Mure River Basin's soil has not yet suffered considerable damage. Apart from a few areas that have already become gobiified, most areas are still lush grasslands and forests with great development value.

As long as the issue of Australasia's rampant wild rabbits can be addressed properly, this area will be the future granary of Australasia and one of the most developed and populous areas.

For a country, a plain as a geographical area has the greatest development potential and is what a country needs most.

Not only can plains be used to build urban clusters, but they can also be used to build pastoral areas, grain-producing areas, and industrial zones, etc.

Moreover, it is easier to build transportation infrastructure in plain areas, and laying highways and railways is relatively simpler.

For example, in the southeastern mountains and hills, when laying railways and highways, tunnels and bridges need to be taken into account as well.

On the other hand, with plains, you only need to lay roads with closed eyes, which can not only save a lot of manpower and supplies but also save a lot of time.

On January 17, 1914, after looking at the map of Australasia for a long time, Arthur finally issued his order, dispatching a geological survey team to the Mure River Basin.

If it is confirmed that this area is suitable for development and has great potential, Arthur would not mind relocating the capital to this area and developing Australasia's own plains.

If the development potential is not that great, Arthur will still allocate some energy after World War I to develop this area, considering its status as one of the few plains in Australasia.

Of course, if the development potential of this area is not huge, apart from implementing some policies to hinder the desertification and Gobi-formation of this region, Arthur's desire to develop this area will not be that high.

Geographical environmental survey is a major project, which not only explores the geographical environment of this area but also investigates its mineral resources, freshwater resources, and the suitability for developing agricultural and animal husbandry industries.

Even if the geological survey team progresses quickly, it would take at least two or three months to obtain a comprehensive report.

Of course, Arthur is not in a hurry about this. Apart from patiently waiting for the geological survey team's news, Arthur has other important things to do, such as the Royal Agricultural Machinery Factory.

On the surface, the Royal Agricultural Machinery Factory is the largest tractor manufacturer in Australasia but is also engaged in research on tanks.

Since the development of the first-generation tank four years ago, after a long period of exploration and experimentation, Australasia's second-generation tank was successfully produced.

The research of the first-generation tank was crude. After adding weapons, steel plates, and ammunition storage, etc., to the basis of a tractor, the first-generation tank was born.

Although it has been modified many times after that, such a tank design is still very simplistic, not only ugly but also prone to problems.

It's no exaggeration to say that the first-generation tank would break down every several tens of kilometers, greatly testing the contemporary tank soldiers' ability to repair tanks.

Although most of them are minor issues and can get back on the road after simple repairs, the problem is that the frequency of issues with the first-generation tank is just too high.

And the second-generation tank is pinned with high hopes by Arthur.

Because the second-generation tank is a brand-new design, not only is its appearance significantly different from the first-generation tank, but also the performance gap is huge.

Upon seeing the second-generation tank for the first time, Arthur immediately abandoned the design of the first-generation tank.

The reason is simple: in Arthur's view, the second-generation tank is indeed a more modern one.

Even if you don't look at the performance data where the second-generation tank leads by a wide margin, just from the appearance alone, the second-generation tank is enough to kill the first-generation tank in a second.

The second-generation tank is named the 14-Year Tank by Arthur, abbreviated as the T-14 tank.

According to the design of the Royal Agricultural Machinery Factory, the T-14 tank is divided into two models: the basic T-14 tank and the T-14A tank.

First, the T-14 tank is the basic version of the second-generation tank. It is slightly larger than the first-generation tank, accommodating five crew members, including a driver, a commander, a gunner, a machine gunner, and a loader.

The T-14 tank is equipped with a GA1902-75mm semi-automatic cannon and an MA-107 Maxim heavy machine gun, making it unrivaled in firepower.

The gun turret on the top can rotate freely, theoretically allowing it to attack enemies in 360 degrees.

Below the turret, a heavy machine gun is mounted with a fixed direction, which can only attack enemies in front of the tank.

In addition to improvements in firepower, the T-14 tank is also covered with 21mm steel armor, greatly improving the tank's protection capability.

The Royal Agricultural Machinery Factory has also considerately equipped the tank with an air conditioner, which allows the tank soldiers to adjust the tank's temperature at will, without worrying about the temperature problems they may face during summer and winter battles.

Of course, with the enhancement of firepower and armor, the weight of this tank has reached a staggering 14.6 tons, which is an absolute giant on the battlefield, and its weight alone is enough to crush any enemy.