The Rise Of Australasia

Chapter 615 - 470: The Role of the Army_2

Furthermore, the government’s free distribution of masks and disinfectant also requires manpower for door-to-door delivery, ensuring that everyone can get sufficient supplies.

As such, the government is faced with a serious problem: a lack of manpower.

Australasia is a vast country, which indirectly increases the time and labor costs of transporting supplies.

Arthur thought hard for a while, finally deciding to employ the military to transport supplies for the public.

Arthur’s move is quite bold. The military serving the common people, especially those in the middle and lower income brackets, is a rare sight in current history.

What’s more, Australasia is a monarchy, making such a situation even rarer - unprecedented, in fact.

Looking at European nations, which one isn’t relentlessly exploiting the lower-class citizens? Even France, which loudly champions freedom and human rights, can require its people to make sacrifices for the government when necessary.

But there’s no choice. The current situation is urgent, only the military has enough manpower, and they are fully capable of following the government’s and Arthur’s orders.

Hearing that Arthur had decided to use the military to distribute supplies to the people, the Minister of Livelihood, Philip, couldn’t help but heave a sigh of relief, but he was still shocked by Arthur’s daring decision.

Regardless, Arthur’s decision was not something he could stop, so he could only carry out Arthur’s orders go on.

At the end of May 1918, following Arthur’s order, tens of thousands of Australasia Army moved into action, beginning to distribute supplies to the people and to maintain order at isolation points and harbors.

With the inclusion of these fresh forces, it is almost guaranteed that most Australasians can get enough supplies, the vast majority of Australasians can obtain basic living supplies, and the isolation between cities can also be maintained.

It must be said, the implementation of isolation between cities has indeed effectively prevented the spread of influenza.

Furthermore, under the appeal of Arthur, many people who have started showing symptoms have voluntarily self-quarantined at home or gone to isolation points, which has also slowed down the spread of influenza in Australasia.

The City of Sydney, a special isolation point set up by the City Council.

"Mum, why did we have to move here?" a little boy looking out the window at the bustling crowd on the street, then at the sparse room only temporarily filled with clothes and grain, and not even being able to find a cup to drink water from, looked somewhat aggrieved at his mother who was cooking.

"Jon, haven’t I explained? We moved here so that more people won’t have to move here." The little boy’s mother walked over, patted her son’s head, and explained with a smile.

"But why? If we didn’t come here, would more people have to move here?" The boy named Jon asked, still somewhat confused.

"Jon, we have a cold now, we will infect other people if we go out. Haven’t you always been complaining about how uncomfortable it is? I trust you wouldn’t want others to experience this discomfort, right?" Hearing Jon’s doubts, Jon’s father who was cleaning up put down what he was doing, held little Jonathon in his arms, gave him a small wooden toy they had brought along, and explained.

To prevent the little one from being scared, he didn’t explain that this was not a common cold, but the influenza that the Royal Science Academy said was very serious and deadly.

"Then of course, Dad. Can we go out when we are better? Then I want to go to Sydney Palace Square, I heard there’s a statue of His Majesty there, and we can even see His Majesty!" Hearing that going outside would spread the cold to others, Jon instantly dismissed the idea of going out, but at the same time he became more curious and excited about life after recovering.

"Of course, little Jonathon. Once our cold is better, I’ll take you there so that you can see His Majesty and the Hero’s monument for yourself." Jon’s Dad quickly nodded, and said seriously.

Education in Australasia is very successful. The people in Australasia adore Arthur and the Heroes, and aspire to become scientists or soldiers, as this can accelerate their entry into nobility.

As for being movie stars, there are a few. The entertainment industry in Australasia is growing quickly, and the film industry has also seen significant growth.

But this entertainment industry does not hold a high status in Australasia, where the most popular are often the patriotic movies produced by the state.

Although Arthur’s prestige in Australasia is somewhat too high, it has even formed a cult of personality in the hearts of many people.

But this is much better than the pessimistic situation where society indulges in entertainment to death and the upper echelons ignore the plight of the lower classes.

Jon’s family’s conversation didn’t last long when, much to their surprise and bewilderment, their door was knocked on soon after.

When they entered this isolation point, the Sydney City Council specifically instructed that they were not allowed to go out without permission and were prohibited from communicating with other people at nearby isolation points.

This was to ensure that people inside the isolation point would not spread the flu to each other, reducing the risk of infection for some who were originally not infected.

Jon’s family situation was still good enough, being in Capital Sydney, there was basically no shortage of supplies.

Although life in the isolation point could not compare to the normal times, they were at least able to have full meals, but with enough free time and nothing to do, they all felt bored.

When they opened the door, Jon’s family was immediately taken aback.

The people standing at the door were neither officers from the City Council nor the police who previously delivered supplies, but a group of soldiers in military uniform, yet not equipped with any weapons.

These soldiers all wore masks, and the two leading them were disinfecting the outside of the room with spray bottles of disinfectant.

"Who are you?" Jon’s Dad asked curiously.

"We are soldiers from the First Division of the Army, charged with maintaining the quarantine area, carrying out disinfection and delivering supplies. Here are your supplies, sir, please check, and if there are no issues, we’re going to leave." The soldier explained their identity, then ordered his subordinates to move all the supplies to the door and asked, "Do you require help moving this inside?

It might be a little troublesome for you to move it all by yourself."

Jon’s family had never seen soldiers so kind before, let alone soldiers who so thoughtfully offered to bring the supplies into the room.

"Um, thanks for your trouble."

In less than a few minutes, the group of soldiers had moved all the supplies into the room and handed Jon’s family a list of the supplies.

Because they didn’t know how long they needed to be quarantined for, there were quite a lot of supplies given, including ten masks per person, two bottles of disinfectant per household, 100 catties of grain per person, 5 catties of beef and mutton per person, a large barrel of milk, and some flour, etc.

These supplies were enough for Jon’s family to live at the isolation point for a while, with sufficient grain, beef, mutton, and milk.

Worth mentioning is that, in addition to these essentials, the supplies also thoughtfully included textbooks and stationery for Little Jon, as well as some printed books, and so on.

These books could be used for reading in their free time, which could give Jon’s family some enjoyment during their long idle time.

After Jon’s family finished checking all the supplies, the leading soldier reminded them," If you have severe symptoms, please seek help from the soldiers on duty nearby, they will take you to receive treatment. Be reassured, all supplies and treatments are free, this is the preferential treatment His Majesty the King has given to all citizens."

"If you finish the books, you can apply for replacements. But remember, unless you have the government’s permission, please do not leave this room. This is the only requirement from the government to you."

After the instructions were complete, the soldiers disinfected the outside of the room again, then neatly returned the way they came, leaving Jon’s family dumbstruck, as if they still couldn’t recover from their surprise.