The Rise Of Australasia

Chapter 604 - 462: Chaotic Conference and Astonishing Proposal

"Russia needs Australasia’s support. We hope to acquire the entire Polish region, East Prussia, and Cilicia.

At the same time, Russia has made significant contributions in this war, and we need at least 12 billion pounds in compensation from Germany to alleviate the domestic impact of the war." Without any hesitation, Grand Duke Paul expressed his originally intended conditions upon hearing Arthur’s inquiry.

A wave of feeling disturbed Arthur’s originally calm mood, as he didn’t expect the Russians to have such an insatiable appetite.

Poland, East Prussia, and Cilicia, along with Galicia and Austrian Poland annexed by Russia from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, are territories covering hundreds of thousands of square kilometers and located in the core regions of the Allied Powers.

If these areas were obtained under the leadership of Nicholas II, his prestige within Russia would undoubtedly increase significantly.

It is natural that a monarch who expands territory for his country will cause people to forget his shortcomings naturally.

If Russia can get 12 billion pounds in compensation, it will recover quickly and recreate the glory of being the European bulldozer once again.

However, considering the current situation in Russia, it is basically unlikely that Britain and France would agree to the Russian’s request.

Russia at its peak is something every nation should be wary of, but the country is now rife with internal strife, making it seem like a fierce yet internally chaotic paper tiger.

"Australasia will not object to Russia’s request, but whether other countries will support it requires your own efforts to secure," said Arthur after a moment of silence.

Post-war Europe is muddled, and if Australasia supports Russia’s partitioning of Germany, it will inevitably displease some German civilians, running counter to Australasia’s strategy of attracting German immigrants and technology.

Moreover, Australasia’s support alone is not enough; Britain and France’s attitudes are also crucial.

Grand Duke Paul was somewhat disappointed to hear that Australasia was not willing to support Russia in the peace talks, but it was not too unexpected.

After all, the benefits to be divided among Germany and the Allies are limited. If one country takes more, it means that other countries will take less.

After calming his disappointment, Grand Duke Paul brought up his second purpose of the visit, "Your Majesty, is it possible for us to secretly purchase a batch of weapons and equipment from your country? Although the war has been victorious, Russia’s order still needs the military to maintain.

If possible, we hope to defer payment for these arms, as the government simply cannot afford it at the moment."

Arthur was not surprised by the Russian’s proposal to purchase weapons and equipment. After all, Russia’s chaotic order needs to be resolved, and all parties are looking for ways to buy more weapons and equipment.

"Of course, there is no problem, Grand Duke Paul. If it’s acceptable to your country, we can even exchange this batch of weapons and equipment for the previous population payment method. Within three months, we can provide 600,000 rifles, 2,000 machine guns, 1,100 various firearms, and hundreds of millions of bullets and 5 million artillery shells to your country.

We hope to sign a further population immigration agreement with your country, possibly expanding the annual immigration to around 2 million." Naturally, Arthur would not refuse the Russians’ request to purchase weapons.

As Arthur could not determine when the war would end, Australasia’s military factories had been in production until Germany announced an unconditional cessation of hostilities.

Russia buying weapons is a perfect opportunity for Australasia to clear out the weapons inventory, considering that the next large-scale war might not occur for another 20 to 30 years and the weapons may already be obsolete by then, so it is better to sell them earlier.

Compared to Russia’s currency and mineral resources, what Arthur valued more were the endless population resources of Russia.

Strictly-selected Russian immigrants are the best source of immigration after British immigrants, as they are more adaptable to rural life and autocracy and easier to manage.

It is not easy for immigrants from a republic to accept a monarchy in Australasia.

Even if they accept it on the surface, they will not easily adapt to having a king above them in their hearts.

Compared to Russian immigrants, immigrants from republics undoubtedly have a higher rate of rebellion and pose a more significant threat to the country’s rule.

Therefore, for Arthur, the best immigrants are British immigrants, followed by Russian immigrants.

Next are immigrants from European monarchies, followed by European immigrants, Asian immigrants, etc.

As for African immigrants, they are not completely excluded but are sent back the moment they arrive. If they refuse to leave, they will be sent to the colonies and disappear without trace in a short time using various methods.

Australasia’s immigration policy does not exclude immigrants of any ethnicity, but the Australasian government, from top to bottom, is taciturn; Australasia does not welcome negroes.

Upon hearing Arthur’s proposal to exchange some advanced weapons for Russia’s population, Grand Duke Paul’s heart blossomed with joy, and he quickly assured, "Of course there is no problem, Your Majesty. We are willing to help your country screen the candidates in advance, ensuring that there will be no reactionary forces among the immigrants coming to Australasia.

If possible, we would like to have even more weapons, as this will be a long-term cooperation."

What Russia is not short of is population, and managing this large population is a rather cumbersome task.

Before the outbreak of the war, Russia had a total population of about 172 million, making it the country with the largest native population among the powerful nations.

The war has not affected the growth of the Russian population at all. By the beginning of 1918, Germany’s population has reached nearly 181 million and continues to grow at a rate of 3 million per year.

Such growth rate is due to the impact of the war; otherwise, the population growth would only become more exaggerated.

This is also the reason why Russia is not worried about its population. Even if 2 to 3 million people emigrate from Russia each year, its population would not decrease.

Having a population of up to 180 million already ensures that Russia has the capital to be a superpower. For the current Russian government, an increased population is also more of a burden.

After all, the more the population, the more resources are consumed. The reason why Russian workers and people launched an armed uprising previously was because domestic resources were insufficient, and a large number of people were affected by hunger and war.

Arthur was eager to sell all the weapons from World War I, and Grand Duke Paul was eager to obtain more weapons and equipment for Russia.

The two sides hit it off immediately, and a five-stage purchase treaty was signed.

According to the treaty, Australasia will provide a large number of weapons and equipment to Russia every year in exchange for an annual immigration quota of about 2 million people from Russia.

Russia will pre-screen these immigrants to ensure that spies and members of the revolutionary party do not infiltrate.

The transportation and resettlement work of the immigrants will be fully borne by Australasia. After ensuring that the population of immigrants has no problems, Russia will not provide any after-sales services.

The deal could be described as mutually beneficial, as Australasia could solve its population problem while Russia could obtain the weapons and equipment it needs.

Although Arthur did not agree to the diplomatic support at the Peace Conference, resolving the issue of weapons and equipment still made Grand Duke Paul breathe a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, Australasia did not make excessive demands, which made Grand Duke Paul feel very grateful to Arthur.

Initially, Grand Duke Paul thought that he would have to spend some time negotiating and even explore the possibility of contacting Queen Mary to see if emotional cards could be played.

Unexpectedly, Arthur was quite generous in terms of weapons and equipment. Russia could exchange a large number of useless populations for weapons and equipment to strengthen its military power.

Although the atmosphere in Australasia was harmonious and beautiful, the ongoing Paris Peace Conference was chaotic, with various factions at play.

In order to fight for more benefits for their countries, representatives and diplomats from various countries used various tactics, alliances, and intrigues, resulting in complex relationships between countries.

Prime Minister Bento met with representatives of many Allied Powers, including the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, the President of France, the President of the United States, the Prime Minister of Russia (assets party), and the Prime Minister of Italy, during his few days in Paris. He also met with representatives from countries such as Romania, Serbia, Italy, and Montenegro.

Even Belgium, which seemed to have nothing to do with Australasia, sought a meeting with Prime Minister Kent. They chatted for several hours.

These talks appeared harmonious, but in reality, they did not compromise their respective interests. Some countries even quarreled over the smallest benefits during the negotiations, and the harmonious atmosphere of the negotiations dissipated, as if they were enemies.

During these few days, the rooms of the Four Great Powers of the Allies were the most popular among all. Everyone knew that the real masters of this conference were the representatives of the Four Great Powers of the Allies.

Although the Americans seemed powerful, they were not taken seriously by the major European countries due to their weak military capabilities.

As for Italy, it goes without saying that the performance of the Italian army was far inferior to the Balkan Allied Forces. Their status as a power was solely due to their navy and a somewhat large-scale industry.

Klemenss Cameron, the Prime Minister of France, chaired the Paris Peace Conference as the host.

Klemenss immediately put forward quite strict requirements for the Germans, limiting a total of 15 items, including:

Disbanding all German military forces, confiscating all heavy weapons from the German troops, dismantling all military installations and military factories within Germany, making Poland and Bavaria independent, France regaining Alsace and Lorraine, and establishing an independent republic in the left bank of the Rhine River, Germany paying France a total of 15 billion pounds in reparations, arresting all war criminals who waged war and holding trials by an international joint court organized by the Allies...

This demanding request would almost bisect Germany’s strength, and Germany would lose important regions including Poland and Bavaria.

If the French demands are truly accepted, Germany wouldn’t be able to retain its status as a power even within 20 years.

If they want to restore Germany’s strength before the war, it’s impossible without at least 50 years of time as a starting point.

This is a catastrophic blow to Germany and the German government. The French proposal also set the entire negotiation venue abuzz.