Rise of Australia

Chapter 277 The Old King Falls
As time enters April, Australasia also ushers in late autumn in the southern hemisphere.

To be honest, Arthur came to Australasia from the UK at the beginning, and he didn't quite adapt to the opposite seasons of Australasia's southern hemisphere and northern hemisphere.

When the northern hemisphere is in summer from June to August, it happens to be the coldest season in the southern hemisphere.

But the good news is that Arthur can still feel the snow when the British spend the summer, but not much.

As the lord of a country, Arthur's life is noble and luxurious, but also dull and boring.

First of all, there are too many national affairs, and there are many things that the government cannot decide. Arthur needs to be consulted.

Secondly, Arthur also needs to inspect the various constructions in the country and many more important things at intervals.

Arthur's reputation and support among the people is very good, and he basically gives a speech every Christmas, which is spread all over the country through newspapers.

In addition to these, the inspection of the army, the weekly cabinet meeting, the reports of the colonies, the development of the major companies of the royal consortium, etc., all these need to be understood by Arthur after a while.

After all, how can a monarch who doesn't know much about his army, government territories, and the development of his own enterprises manage and coordinate a large country?

When the time entered May, when Pierre, the Minister of Industry, was reporting to Arthur the current construction situation of the Leonora Industrial Base in Arthur's office, the Kent butler hurried over and said, "Your Majesty! There is big news from the UK." .”

Minister Pierre was very tactful, and quickly said that he would report back another day, and left in a hurry.

After seeing Minister Pierre leave, the Kent steward came up and said, "Your Majesty, according to the information given to us by the British royal family, King Edward just passed away today."

Arthur stood up suddenly, then sat down immediately, his expression returned to normal, showing a serious look, and asked: "Is the news accurate? Why did Uncle Edward die suddenly?"

"It was a telegram sent directly to us by the British royal family. The news is basically correct. As for the reason for King Edward's death, the British royal family has not disclosed it at present." Kent Butler replied.

"Let the Navy prepare the fleet, and at the same time notify the Foreign Minister Pierre to immediately form a visiting group and set off for England tomorrow." Arthur immediately gave the order without the slightest hesitation.

Even if the relationship with Edward VII is not good, but on the surface, they are still good uncles and nephews.

What's more, Arthur has a high degree of support among the British people. Naturally, at this time, he can't do stupid things to spoil the favor of the British.

After all, the support of the British is still very important to Australasia. With Arthur's status in the hearts of the British, it is impossible for the British government to be hostile to Australasia.

Although at the level of national interest, these are not important.But these politicians are not fools, and no one will jump out and be the first bird to be hostile and scolded by the British people.

At present, the news of Edward VII's death should only be known to the royal families of some relatively powerful monarchies, and the British government has not made it public.

This is also normal. After all, the handover of any monarch's power may cause turmoil to the country and society.

For a country like Britain, which has a large number of colonies and is still united by multiple kingdoms, the stability of the country and the tranquility of the situation are the most important.

For Arthur, the death of Edward VII was not necessarily bad news, but it wasn't all good news either.

The death of Edward VII officially marked the end of the Victorian era.This also means that Queen Victoria's remaining prestige has become less and less. As time goes by, Arthur's status in the hearts of the British people will gradually decline and become less important.

What's more, starting from the next British King George V, the power of the British monarch will not be so great, and it will not be able to suppress formal groups and organizations large and small in the UK.

As far as history is concerned, George V did not have the means of Queen Victoria and Edward VII, which is why in World War I, in order to stabilize the status of the royal family, the British royal family had to abandon the Saxe-Coburg-Gotha dynasty , changed his surname to Windsor.

Although this is called in order to comply with public opinion, the majestic king of a country has to change his surname for public opinion. Doesn't it just mean that the power of the royal family and the monarch has declined?

If the people are very supportive of the British royal family, then the hatred should be towards Germany, not against the royal family who came to the UK from Germany hundreds of years ago and have become authentic British except for their surnames.

You must know that changing the surname is not only related to the dignity of the royal family, but also related to the honor and history of a family.

As the monarch of the most powerful country in the world, George V's behavior of changing his family's surname actually symbolizes the weakening of the British monarchy and the power of the British royal family.

If the monarch during World War I was Queen Victoria, there would be absolutely no royal family name changes in the UK.

Unfortunately, there are not many great monarchs like Queen Victoria, and the last glory of the Victorian era is coming to an end.

It is worth mentioning that Arthur was also born in the British royal family and is also a direct descendant of the British royal family.

If the British royal family continues to change its surname in the future like history, will Arthur admit it?

Arthur shook his head secretly, denying the idea.There is no force in Australasia that has the right to change Arthur's surname, and Arthur has no intention of changing his surname.

Anyway, the relationship between the British royal family after George V was not so close to Arthur. There was no need for Arthur to change his name with the United Kingdom, but he lost his face.

After asking Steward Kent to inform the Navy and Minister Andrew, Arthur returned to the palace bedroom and said goodbye to Queen Mary with an apologetic face.

Originally, after the last cruise, Arthur promised Queen Mary that he would not leave the palace frequently for at least two years, so as to ensure that both William and Anna could see their father at any time.

Unexpectedly, in less than half a year, Arthur would have to breach the contract.

But there was no way around it. Queen Mary understood this very well, and even comforted Arthur with a smile, reassuring Arthur that there would be no problems with her and Princess Louise in the palace.

Of course, before leaving, Arthur still needs to hold a cabinet meeting to arrange the work of the government after he leaves Australasia.

The death of Edward VII is also a big trouble for the old empire of the British Empire.

Although Arthur didn't like Edward VII, he had to admit that this old man with a rough private life did have some ability in handling government affairs.

Although the British Empire is currently the well-deserved number one power in the world, it has the world's number one navy and the world's third industry.

But at present, the interior of the British Empire is very bad. There are not only class contradictions, but also political contradictions and party disputes.

At present, the two major parties in the British Empire, the Liberal Party and the Conservative Party, are the main forces in the political struggle.

The leader of the Liberal Party, Prime Minister Asquith, has completed many reforms in the British Empire and gained a lot of prestige, making the Liberal Party the current ruling party of the British Empire.

But the problem is that Edward VII, who supported reform, has passed away. Whether the Liberal Party can continue to be the ruling party depends on King George's opinion.

In other words, King George, who is about to succeed to the throne, is very important to the future political trend of the British Empire.

If King George chooses the Liberal Party, then the political struggle in the British Empire may delay or temporarily eliminate the hidden danger of political struggle.

But if King George chooses the Conservatives, which are hostile to the Liberals, a reform battle between the Liberals and the Conservatives is about to begin.

But the good news is that for a country as powerful as the British Empire, the struggle between political parties is not so huge for the country.

In other words, the consumption of struggles between political parties is only a drop in the bucket for the British Empire, and will not affect the status and strength of the British Empire.

But there is a problem, all this is under the circumstances that foreign powers will not participate.If Germany or other countries want to take the opportunity to do something, it may make the already chaotic British political arena even more chaotic.

But all this has little to do with Arthur.Australasia currently does not have much international influence, and no country has any thoughts on Australasia for the time being.

After all, if you have thoughts about Australasia at this point in time, what you are facing is the lineup of the three major powers of Britain, Germany and Russia.

On a deeper level, Britain can bring in France, and Germany can bring in the Austro-Hungarian Empire.Doesn't this mean that if you have any thoughts about Australasia, you may face the common condemnation of the five major European powers, Britain, Germany, France, Russia and Austria?

For today's world, no country can withstand the joint pressure of these five countries. This also means that Australasia is relatively safe for a long time, at least when other countries and forces rise Before.

Arthur summoned a cabinet meeting, first to ask the cabinet for its views on the current situation in Britain and Europe, and second, to make the cabinet fully prepared to guard against the possible outbreak of a European war.

Although the First World War in history would not break out until a few years later, Arthur did not dare to rely entirely on history.

In case a certain country loses its mind, it directly launches a war at such a moment.As the saying goes, a single hair will affect the whole body, and the entire European war will start directly. Australasia, who is not prepared by then, will miss a lot of benefits in vain?
Arthur's first order was to have the Ministry of Industry ready at all times.If there is a trend of opening up European countries, then the production of major factories can be increased accordingly.

Strategic materials such as medical care, food, supplies, equipment, weapons, ammunition, etc. can be shipped to Europe in large quantities at that time in exchange for more benefits.

　The second update of 3000 words, please support, please ask for a monthly ticket!

　　Today is 7200, and it has been updated to 10000/[-].

　　
　
(End of this chapter)