Rise of Australia

Chapter 229 Declaring War
On July 1907, 7, the Kingdom of Portugal officially responded by deciding not to surrender any of the Portuguese fishermen, and insisting that the Portuguese fishermen had no responsibility in this conflict.

This decision of the Portuguese government also caused an uproar among the European people.

The Europeans couldn't believe that the Portuguese refused to admit the responsibility of the Portuguese fishermen in the conflict even when they had all the evidence.

Even Arthur didn't expect that the Portuguese would be so tough. Under the premise that the European public opinion was clearly unfavorable to him, he resolutely insisted on his position.

Still, it's all good news for Australasia.If the Portuguese government compromised quickly, there would be no excuse for Australasia to reach out to Portuguese Timor.

The stubbornness of the Portuguese government now just gave Australasia an excuse to intervene in Portuguese Timor, which may also become an opportunity for Australasia to expand again.

Arthur originally thought that the opportunity for the expansion of Australasia would be in the Dutch East Indies, but he did not expect that the Portuguese could not sit still.

On August 1907, 8, Arthur expressed his shock at the attitude of the Portuguese government in a public interview, and at the same time firmly declared that the Australasian army will find justice for the citizens of Australasia, and no country or force able to override the heads of the Australasians.

On August 1907, 8, the Australasian government gave the Kingdom of Portugal an ultimatum, demanding that the Kingdom of Portugal immediately accept Australasia's compensation demands and apologize to the Australasian fishermen who were attacked.

The Australasian government also declared that if Portugal firmly believes that their fishermen are doing the right thing, then they should show the evidence they deserve instead of saying nothing in the newspaper.

This demand from Australasia once again won the approval of the European people.

Even after the initial request was rejected, Australasia still only asked the Portuguese government to apologize to the fishermen attacked and compensate all affected fishermen.

In the eyes of most European people, this is a very reasonable requirement and condition.

Referring to the completely different attitudes of Australasia and the Kingdom of Portugal after this conflict, many Europeans even believe that such conditions will make Australasia suffer.

To the surprise of the European populace, the Portuguese government, or the dictator Carlos I, once again rejected Australasia's request.

In fact, Carlos I quickly felt the great prestige brought to the royal family and himself by toughly protecting the people.

Although among the European folk, Portugal's prestige and reputation have been repeatedly reduced.However, in Portugal, the prestige of Carlos I has increased, and many media and individuals have spontaneously voiced their support for King Carlos I's decision.

You know, since Carlos I implemented a high-pressure policy, many opposition parties and the media have not had any good comments.

Being able to publicly support Carlos I this time is enough to show how huge the repercussions of Carlos I's decision in Portugal this time.

Things have developed to the current stage, even if the purpose is only to maintain his own rule, Carlos I has to stick to his decision, which is to be tough and protect his people at all costs.

This conflict has also attracted the attention of many European countries, including Germany and Russia, which have close ties with Australasia.

The attitude of the United Kingdom is very ambiguous. Although it expressed concern about the situation, it did not clearly support which side.

After the Kingdom of Portugal once again rejected the request of the Australasian government, William II also made a public statement in surprise, expressing his dissatisfaction with the arbitrariness of the Portuguese government and his support for Australasia.

The actions of the Russians were even more decisive. They not only criticized the Kingdom of Portugal bluntly, but also ridiculed Carlos I as a coward who dared not admit that he had done something wrong.

The teams and dissatisfaction of the two major powers in Europe also made Carlos I a little frightened.

But fortunately, the British Empire quickly contacted Carlos I secretly, expressed concern about this matter, and declared that the British Empire would work with France to peacefully resolve this conflict.

In this way, Carlos I gradually felt relieved.As long as it has the protection of Britain and France, Australasia will not have much impact on the Kingdom of Portugal.

On the contrary, he himself can use this conflict to accumulate a lot of prestige in Portugal.

When the time is almost ripe, at worst, the fishermen at that time will be pushed out as scapegoats, and he will be deceived by the fishermen, and the king who has a heart of love for the people will be able to get out of this incident perfectly, and still retain a large amount of accumulated money. prestige.

But is it really that simple?In other words, Carlos I underestimated the ambitions of the Australasians and Arthur.

On August 1907, 8, after the last 5-hour notice issued by the Australasian government to the Portuguese government, the Australasian government held a public meeting. The then Prime Minister Walter announced with great regret: "Because The government of the Kingdom of Portugal behaved very arbitrarily and unreasonably. It showed no mercy to the injured Australasian fishermen. Instead, it spread rumors in an attempt to discredit the injured fishermen and the Australasian government. After research and decision by the Australasian government, sever and Diplomatic relations of the Kingdom of Portugal and declaration of war readiness throughout Australasia."

Although Prime Minister Walter did not formally declare war on the Kingdom of Portugal, the entry of Australasia into a state of combat readiness said everything, and the Australasians were ready for war.

After entering the state of war, the people in Australasia were furious, all the temporary conscription offices were full, and a large number of Australasians were looking for various ways to donate funds to the government.

The whole country is united. At this moment, there is only one enemy for all Australasians, and that is the Kingdom of Portugal, which has hurt Australasia's feelings.

After being cut off from diplomatic relations by the Australasian government, Carlos I was a little flustered.

But Carlos I's solution to the problem was not to compromise with Australasia, but to seek the support of the British Empire and France, which had previously promised to provide assistance.

The British did provide assistance, specifically, assistance with a solution to the events of the conflict.

To be precise, after the British made a decision in Australasia, they clearly expressed their attitude: they advised both parties to remain calm in this conflict, and were willing to provide a professional team to find the cause of the conflict for both parties. the truth.

In fact, this is quite normal. Judging from the character of the British shit stick, it is understandable to make such a decision.

More importantly, Arthur has a good degree of support and favorability in the UK, coupled with the special relationship between Australasia and the UK, which makes the British closer to Australasia.

What's more, no matter how you look at this conflict, the victim is Australasia. Whether it is a helper or a helper, isn't it obvious that you want to support Australasia?
With the attitude of the British people, if the British government makes a decision that runs counter to the British, one can imagine the turmoil caused by the British people.

Even Edward VII, who was extremely dissatisfied with Arthur, would not stand up as a leader at this time, let alone a British politician who had no grudges against Arthur.

Being able to express a neutral attitude has already risked offending the British people. If it weren't for Edward VII's very subtle attitude, I am afraid that British politicians would have already announced their support for Australasia.

After all, their official career also depends on the support of members of parliament and the public. A government that offends the British people is destined to not go far.

The attitude of the French is almost the same as that of the British. They just say that they hope that both sides will remain calm and restrained, and that they are willing to participate in the investigation of the cause and process of this conflict as a neutral party, and resolve this dispute peacefully.

If such discourse can solve the regional crisis, then the history of the world will be much less war.

It's a pity that this kind of words is just a show after all. It can't avoid the war, and it can't save any losses.

On August 1907, 8, Prime Minister Walter appeared in public again, and announced the final decision of the Australasian government and Arthur's order: the Australasian government declared a state of war with the Kingdom of Portugal immediately, and dispatched Army, mandatory to meet Australasian requirements.

Prime Minister Walter smiled and said that the purpose of the Australasian government was only to achieve the previous request, that is, to hand over the culprit of this conflict. The Kingdom of Portugal apologized to the injured fishermen and expressed to all Australasians affected by the conflict. Compensation for fishermen.

Judging from the time since the conflict and the number of fishermen affected, the Kingdom of Portugal should pay at least 100 million Australian dollars in compensation to tens of thousands of fishermen in Australasia, and at least 100 million Australian dollars in compensation to the injured fishermen.

Although the total compensation funds are only 200 million Australian dollars, Carlos I knows that at this stage, Portugal's national sentiment has been fully mobilized.

If the government agrees to the compensation at this time, even if it is only [-] Australian dollars, it will make the Portuguese people very disappointed with the government.

The one who was most affected was naturally Carlos I, who successfully established an image of loving the people and defying power in this conflict.

If he surrendered without a fight, I am afraid that the anger of the Portuguese will be passed on to Carlos I.

Therefore, after the declaration of war in Australasia, the Portuguese government responded decisively: Portugal and Australasia are in a state of war.

The mainland of the Kingdom of Portugal and Australasia are separated by hundreds of thousands of miles. The most vulnerable area in this war is Portugal's Asian colonies.

In order to express his attitude, Carlos I decisively announced that he would transfer [-] troops from Portugal's European mainland to East Asia. These soldiers will arrive in the East Asian colonies in batches within three months.

On the other side, Australasia.

Australasia has been preparing for war since the beginning of the conflict.

Although there is not enough time for preparation, but fortunately there are not many troops in Australasia, so there is enough time for assembly.

On the day the government declared war, more than [-] troops had assembled in Sydney Harbor, ready to board transport ships, and under the protection of the fleet, head to Portuguese Timor to capture important Portuguese strongholds in Asia.

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(End of this chapter)