Rise of Australia

Chapter 338 Reserve Military Service System

The past 1912 can be regarded as perilous, but there were no dangers.

In this year, the Italian-Turkish war, the Balkan war, a more intense naval arms race, etc., accompanied by a small strait crisis, made the situation in Europe even more confusing.

Although people don't know when the European war will come, Europe is already quietly filled with gunpowder.

The National Day in 1913 was very ordinary compared to before, but after all, there were free food and meat distributed, so the streets and lanes in Australasia were very lively.

Just after the National Day holiday, Arthur summoned the Prime Minister of Kent and the Minister of Defense Raul to inquire about the military preparations of Australasia.

The military expansion of European countries is very rapid. Not only has the army's standing army been greatly expanded, but various laws have also been amended to increase the number of army reserves.

Although Australasia is far away in Oceania, the future World War I is also very important for Australasia. It is not only the real start of the country's rise, but also the best opportunity to truly control the entire Oceania.

In order for Australasia to gain more international discourse power after World War I, it is necessary to become a victorious country in World War I.

Although strictly adhering to neutrality can achieve better development, a neutral country is destined not to have too much right to speak.

As for the two major European military blocs, if Arthur had to choose one to rely on, it would definitely be the Allied Powers that seemed stronger on paper.

Reasonably speaking, the Allied Powers were Arthur's better choice.

First of all, Australasia and the British Empire have a closer blood relationship. The two countries are of the same origin, so there are naturally reasons for closer relationship.

Secondly, Arthur has experience from later generations, so he naturally understands which side of this war is the one who has the last laugh.

The Allied Powers had a wider colony and population. Although Russia withdrew from the war midway, they won the final war victory.

Theoretically speaking, as long as Australasia participates in the First World War and declares war on the Allied countries from the perspective of the Allied Powers, it will be logical to take over German New Guinea, merge the colonies in New Guinea into one, and even go directly to the West. Advance, merge New Guinea, which was originally divided into three parts of the world, into one piece, and establish a larger direct colony.

Theoretically speaking, it is also possible to send troops to participate in the war in exchange for some concessions from the British and French colonies in Oceania.

In this way, Australasia can control the entire Oceania and become a true intercontinental hegemon.

In the conference room of Sydney Palace, Arthur summoned Prime Minister Kent and Minister Raul to discuss the military preparations for Australasia.

"Minister Raul, how is our military preparedness? If a European war breaks out in the future, how many troops can we mobilize at most to participate in a European war?" Arthur asked solemnly.

Arthur's original plan was to be a fool in the early stage and sell arms to both sides.Wait until the situation in the war becomes clearer before joining the side with the advantage.

But after thinking about it, such sloppy behavior would be too embarrassing.What's more, after the end of World War I, Britain and France are still the top powers in the world. If the United States should try to prevent the United States from sucking European blood during World War I, then the United States will have nothing to say after World War I. The world is still dominated by Europe.

This is also good for Australasia, because if Germany is defeated and has direct competition with the United Kingdom, it will become the United States.

And Australasia wants to rise and gain hegemony in the Pacific Ocean, and the enemy it faces is the United States.

From this point of view, Australasia could not only cooperate with Britain and France in World War I, but also become an ally of Britain and France in World War II.

As the saying goes, no pain, no gain. Compared with the previous attitude of sitting on the sidelines, only by truly contributing to the victory can Australasia gain more voice.

Of course, after the end of the game, Arthur was not stupid enough to shed his own blood to contribute to Britain and France.

Anyway, Australasia has a large aboriginal population, and these people can just form an aboriginal army to replace the Australasians to die.

"Your Majesty, we currently have a standing army of 22. Because our reserve system is immature, if we want more soldiers, we must go through at least half a year of training. Judging from our domestic enthusiasm for joining the army, we The total number of troops is about 100 million." Minister Raul thought carefully for a while before replying cautiously.

"Reserve?" Arthur nodded, looked at the Prime Minister of Kent, and asked: "Are we able to formulate laws on the reserve and the source of soldiers? If compulsory military service is implemented within Australasia, what will happen?" How many potential soldiers can be obtained?"

"Your Majesty, according to the usual situation, if we implement compulsory military service in Australasia, we should be able to obtain nearly one million reserve service. Judging from the prestige of His Majesty among the people, I am afraid that this number can be increased." Prime Minister Kent said with a smile.

One advantage of a monarch with high prestige and popular support is that any policy will be supported by the people.

There is basically no shortage of soldiers in Australasia. As long as Arthur raises his arms, there may be millions of people willing to sign up to join the army.

Of course, although Australasia, with a population of 1200 million, can recruit millions of troops, the loss to the country's development is too great, and Arthur cannot bear it.

"There is no need to be so exaggerated, Prime Minister Kent. But in any case, increasing the number of our reserves is something that must be done. Although I don't know when the European war will start, in order to allow Australasia to purchase further, perhaps we have to Participate in this war that could have been avoided." Arthur quickly stopped Prime Minister Kent's exaggerated statement and explained with a smile.

Although it is possible for Australasia to surrender to one of the two major military blocs, there is no need to fight desperately.

Just because of Australasia's geographical location far away from Europe, it is destined that Australasia's mainland will not be threatened.

Under such circumstances, how could Arthur exhaust the potential of Australasia for the sake of Britain and France?
"If this is the case, Your Majesty, I suggest that we only need to require some adult male citizens who have reached the age of 30 and are under the age of 22 to participate in militarized training once a year, so that they can become good reservists." Prime Minister Kent Said: "If we don't have the idea of ​​​​sending a large-scale army, then I think 30 regular troops and [-] reserve troops are enough to ensure that we can guarantee the security of our homeland at any time."

Arthur nodded, and said in agreement: "Let's focus on adult male citizens in non-important positions. Military training will be held every six months or every year, and the training time will be at least half a month. During the training, you can ask these provide the equivalent of per capita income to people as compensation for their participation in militarized training."

If you can get paid for participating in militarized training, no one should refuse it.

Anyway, becoming a reserve soldier only needs to train once or twice a year, which will basically not delay normal work and life.

"Did the British promise that all our experts are here? If I remember correctly, their diplomatic team should be here soon, right?" After deciding on the reserve, Arthur looked at Prime Minister Kent with a smile and asked .

When the airship technology was sold to the UK before, the two parties made an appointment to send experts.

And the British government has also reached an agreement with Australasia. The British government will send a diplomatic mission team to visit Australasia and reach further cooperation between the two countries.

This actually means that Australasia has taken another step towards the United Kingdom.If it is said that Australasia received far more German aid than British aid before, then since George V came to power, Australasia and the United Kingdom have moved closer, and the aid given to Australasia by the United Kingdom has gradually greatly exceeded the scale of German aid.

Even now, British aid has been far greater than the scale of German aid.Australasia and the UK have good exchanges in warships, military industry, industry, chemical industry, education, medical care, human resources, food, etc.

It is not even an exaggeration to say that Australasia is an important strategic partner of the British Empire, providing the British Empire with various mineral resources, food, meat and other materials.

In fact, it can be seen from the map that the geographical location of Australasia is very important to the British Empire.

Australasia is located in Oceania, and it can effectively protect the Strait of Malacca under the control of the British Empire to the north, which is the main channel of communication between East Asia and Central Asia, West Asia and even Europe.

Australasia and India are separated by the Indian Ocean. India is the core of the colonies of the British Empire, and it is also the region that the British Empire cannot lose.

The security issue of India alone is enough to make the British pay enough attention to Australasia.

Even across the Indian Ocean, Australasia poses a certain threat to eastern and southern Africa.

This also greatly increased the importance of Australasia, a geographical location that could completely threaten the colonial core of the British Empire.

In addition, since the last meeting, the British government has established the core policy of abandoning the island country and switching to supporting Australasia. It also hopes to get closer to Australasia and jointly fight against the secret enemy of the United States.

Under such circumstances, it is not surprising that the UK sent a diplomatic mission team.

"Your Majesty, the experts promised to us by the British have basically arrived, and the last batch should arrive with the British diplomatic mission team. Thanks to these experts from the British, the expansion of our two major shipyards is very fast. It is going well, and even the Melbourne Shipyard hopes to start production in the middle of next year." Prime Minister Kent nodded and said with a smile.

The British have made great efforts in the expansion plan of the two shipyards in Australasia.

From the expansion design of the shipyard, to the various equipment and machinery of the shipyard, as well as various technical experts in the shipyard, there are British people.

Under the guidance of these British experts, the expansion progress of the Melbourne Shipyard and the Auckland Shipyard is also going smoothly. The Melbourne Shipyard is expected to be completed in mid-1914, and the Auckland Shipyard is expected to be completed from the end of 1914 to the beginning of 1915.

This also means that around 1915, Australasia will have a shipyard capable of building [-]-ton warships, and two shipyards capable of building [-]-ton warships.

Coupled with the help of British experts, even the most advanced Hope-class battleship in Australasia can be built in Melbourne and Auckland shipyards.

Of course, there are at least two years before that period, which also means that within two years, the expansion of the Australasian navy will not be large.

Arthur is actually waiting, waiting for the military factory and shipyard to develop a 381mm main gun.

With the technology of the 343mm main gun, coupled with the help of many British military experts, I believe that the 381mm main gun will be born sooner or later.

"We must pay attention to the specifications for welcoming the British visiting team. The British are our most important partners, and we have the closest relationship with the British." Arthur instructed.

If you want to continue to expand the islands in Southeast Asia and Oceania, it is necessary to obtain the support of the British.

What's more, if Australasia wants to take over the German colonies in Oceania, it must also obtain the consent of Britain and France.

"I understand, Your Majesty. I will receive the British mission in accordance with the highest standards. The most luxurious hotel in Sydney has packed up the best rooms and is waiting for our guests to move in." Prime Minister Kent nodded.

In the final analysis, the British are still the most powerful country in the world. No matter where their diplomatic missions go, they will receive the highest local reception.

What's more, Australasia has the same origin as Britain. Even if Arthur doesn't order, Prime Minister Kent will prepare the highest reception etiquette for the British mission.

"Minister Raul, I hope that the Ministry of Defense can come up with a plan report on the expansion of the number of colonial divisions as soon as possible. I hope that before 1915, we can have at least 15 colonial divisions and let them have certain combat capabilities." After giving instructions to Prime Minister Kent, Arthur looked at Minister Raul again and said.

The number of soldiers in 1 colonial division is nearly 2, and 15 colonial divisions represent nearly 30 soldiers.

But this is actually not much. After all, Australasia currently has millions of aborigines, and it is no problem to deploy 30 adult aborigines to form 15 colonial divisions.

The 15 troops composed of these 30 colonial divisions, if nothing else, will become the Australasian Expeditionary Force, replacing the regular Australasian troops into the war.

Of course, regular troops will also be dispatched, but there are not so many of them.For Arthur, it doesn't hurt how much the native division dies, but once the regular division faces serious casualties, Arthur will really feel distressed.

　One more today.

　　To tell you the sad news, my father-in-law is not in good health and can't breathe.The author bought a ticket for the day after tomorrow, and there may only be one or two updates from the day after tomorrow (strive for [-] words, at least [-] words).After I've been busy for a while, I'll give everyone compensation!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)