Rise of Australia
Chapter 929 Land Transactions and Loans
Chapter 929 Land Transactions and Loans
Seeing that Arthur had not taken the initiative to propose sending more troops to Europe, Churchill finally couldn't help it and said straight to the point: "Your Majesty, we need the support of Australasia in Europe."
Arthur nodded. He was not surprised by Churchill's request for help. Britain and France were already at a disadvantage in the current war. If the British did not intend to sue for peace, they would definitely seek more help from the outside world.
But it was obvious that Arthur would not take the initiative to help Britain. As the saying goes, "Don't release the eagle before you see the rabbit." How could Arthur, who had already made a strategic plan, send out hundreds of thousands of Australasian troops just because of a few words from Churchill?
“We are also keeping an eye on the battlefield in Europe, but unfortunately, due to the war with the island nation, we do not have any spare troops to help you for the time being.
To be honest, maintaining an army of 80 in Europe is already a headache for me. There are more than 20 troops in Africa and the Middle East. We have already invested millions of troops in the war against Germany. This is the best we can do for Australasia." Arthur smiled and nodded, and began a grievance meeting with Churchill.
In terms of suffering, Arthur is no less miserable than these politicians. The British can count all the colonial troops as their own troops, so Arthur can naturally count the troops in Kalimantan and the Philippines as Australasia's contribution.
If the troops from Kalimantan and the Philippines are included, Australasia has already deployed at least 200 million troops in this entire war. For Australasia, which has a population of only more than 4000 million, this is definitely a "serious blow".
"North Kalimantan Territory." Churchill gritted his teeth and stated the price he had already anticipated.
Most of Kalimantan already belongs to the United Kalimantan Sultanate, a country that is completely controlled by Australasia and is actually a colony of Australasia.
The North Kalimantan controlled by the British is only some coastal areas in the northern part of the island. Although it is not large in area, it still has a population of millions of indigenous people.
This was almost the maximum price discussed within the British government. Faced with this country that was likely to pose a threat to the post-war British government, many British officials, including Prime Minister Churchill, really did not want to bleed too much.
"That's a barren area mostly inhabited by indigenous people?" Although Arthur was surprised at the British attitude of taking the initiative to bleed, a small territory of North Kalimantan obviously could not satisfy Arthur's appetite.
"If you add the Straits Settlements to the mix, perhaps those guys in the House of Representatives would be interested," said Arthur, smiling.
Compared to the territory of North Kalimantan, the Straits Settlements near the Strait of Malacca obviously made Arthur more interested.
If we can control the Strait of Malacca, it means we control the main transportation route between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean.
The political role and economic value brought by this region cannot be matched even by the ten territories of North Kalimantan.
"Straits Settlements?" Churchill's face changed drastically, and his expression became somewhat uncontrollable: "Impossible, this is absolutely impossible. Your Majesty, the British Empire will never tolerate the cession of the Straits Settlements, even if it loses this war."
Arthur's smile did not stop, as if he did not care about the British attitude: "Then there is nothing to talk about, Mr. Prime Minister.
Australasia certainly wants to help its allies, but until the island nation, the biggest enemy, is dealt with, we do not have the ability to support other battlefields. "
It was obvious that Arthur had the initiative firmly in his hands.
The war has now developed to this point. If the British want to negotiate, they will have to pay a heavier price than the Straits Settlements.
Even in light of the ambitions currently displayed by the German government, if the British want to negotiate, I am afraid that their colonies in Africa and India will be in danger.
Compared with such a huge colonial territory, the small Straits Settlements that Arthur requested was already the most he could do.
At least for the sake of Queen Victoria, Arthur did not ask for too much. Otherwise, Australasia could have become the mantis stalking the cicada, while the oriole was waiting behind.
After calming himself down a little, Churchill forced a smile, but he was still annoyed with himself for deciding to come in person.
If Churchill had known that Arthur's appetite was so big, he would never have come to Australasia in person. If he agreed to Australasia's conditions, Churchill would have become the sinner who voluntarily ceded British territory.
But if he did not agree to Arthur's conditions, and the Australasia side publicized it a little, Churchill would become the person who destroyed the Anglo-Australian relations.
As for the propaganda capabilities of Australasia, Churchill had no doubt at all.
Australasian media organizations played a big role in the change in pro-war attitudes among the British and French public.
Judging from the current penetration of Australasia into the British and French media, it is likely that at least one-third of the media in the two countries has Australasia capital.
Coupled with those neutral newspapers that were willing to sell themselves out for profit, Churchill believed that if cooperation between Britain and Australasia was not achieved, he would definitely be the scapegoat.
"Your Majesty, the Straits Settlements are very important to us. Can your country change the conditions?" Churchill forced an ugly smile and said to Arthur in a humbly.
It's not that he hadn't thought about exposing Arthur's ambitions after the negotiations failed, but the chances of failure were very high.
Considering Arthur's huge reputation in the UK, which was something that neither George V nor Edward VII had achieved. Coupled with the propaganda of the media controlled by Australasia, I am afraid that most British people are still willing to believe in the power of the media.
By then, what would Churchill be? A criminal who destroyed the relationship between the two royal families? Or a scapegoat who was forced out? Wouldn't it be the same ending?
Seeing Churchill's reluctance, Arthur smiled and said, "Mr. Churchill, have you ever thought about the world situation after the war?"
Churchill nodded: "Of course. If we can defeat Germany, the world order composed of Britain and Australia can still control the situation."
"I'm afraid not." Arthur shook his head: "All this depends on the premise that there are no challengers to the world order like Germany.
For Britain and Australasia, we need the existence of colonies. It is no secret that colonies can provide us with sufficient manpower and resources, which is also a basic factor in the strength of the country.
But for countries like Germany and Russia, their strength does not depend on their colonies, but on the land area and population they own.
According to predictions, after the war, there will be a three-way balance of power. In addition to us being able to influence the world situation, the Russians will also be the chess players who influence the world situation.”
Churchill nodded again, agreeing with Arthur's words. The reason why Russia could pose a threat, in addition to its huge land area, was its huge population.
Although World War I and the Civil War devastated Russia for several years, the country had a population of nearly 1.5 million before the outbreak of the war.
This is a rather exaggerated concept. Even in Germany, which shone so brilliantly during World War II, the majority ethnic group, the Germans, only numbered a little over 7000 million.
This is the number of Germans after the annexation of the German territories in Austria and Czechoslovakia.
The native population of Russians is more than twice that of Germans. What an exaggerated and terrifying concept!
That is to say, the Russian economy and industry had always been at an upper-middle level among the great powers, and had not reached the top level, which made the British relax their vigilance.
If the Russian economy and industry had already reached the level of the Americans, I am afraid that the British military intervention would have been more severe than expected.
Seeing Churchill nod, Arthur continued: "That is why, even after the war, Australasia and Britain still have the same interests.
At least in my opinion, there will be no conflict of interest between our two countries in the next 50 years, and the Anglo-Australian alliance can still last for a long time."
As he spoke, Arthur looked at Churchill, and then continued: “More importantly, Australasia has any interest in India, and we are willing to support British rule in India.
We have no interest in South Africa, Egypt, Canada, South America, etc. This is also the root of the UK-Australia relationship. Australasia is never a challenger to British interests, but a defender of British interests. "
Churchill did not react much to the previous words, but when it came to lands like India, South Africa and Canada, Churchill's reaction was quite intense.
This is normal. The reason why the British Empire remained strong for nearly a hundred years was absolutely due to its vast colonies.
Compared to the Straits Settlements, regions such as India, South Africa, Egypt and Canada were clearly more important.
Because the Straits Settlements were an important transportation route connecting the Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean, but all of Britain's colonies in the Pacific had been transferred to Australasia.
In other words, the importance of the Straits Settlements to Britain was not as high as imagined. Occupying the Straits Settlements, the British also had to bear the pressure from the island nation's navy.
But if the Straits Settlements were ceded to Australasia, not only would Arthur's promise to support Britain's rights in important territories such as India, Egypt, South Africa and Canada be obtained, but Australasia would also be able to face the pressure from the island countries alone. Thinking about it this way, it doesn't seem to be such a loss.
But even as the British Prime Minister, Churchill could not make the decision on his own regarding the cession of territory.
"Your Majesty, the matter of territorial cession is not something I can decide. Please give me some time and I will convey the results of the parliament's vote to you." Churchill was silent for a moment before speaking.
Arthur nodded, not in a hurry. Looking at Churchill who seemed to have made a major decision, he smiled and said, "If nothing unexpected happens, Australasia's full-scale attack on the island country will be carried out within a month.
We will deploy at least 300 million troops, and the entire Pacific Fleet will also be deployed. If possible, the Australian Government hopes to borrow at least 10 billion Australian dollars from the UK as war funds for the attack on the island country. "
Compared to ceding territory, the A$10 billion loan was not that important. For Britain, which controlled the most important parts of the United States, the current war expenses were still fully affordable.
"I will notify the private banks in the UK, but it is not possible to raise funds for such a large amount in a short period of time. Moreover, most of the private banks are greedy and at least will not accept completely interest-free loans." Churchill nodded and said.
"Of course. We also accept low-interest loans." Arthur could accept both interest-free and low-interest loans.
Compared with the small cost of the war, if the war could be won, the profits shared by Germany, Italy and the island countries would definitely be tens of times greater.
After all, an island country has a population of tens of millions. As long as Arthur is willing, he can easily become tens of millions of slaves.
The economic value that this population can create will probably take only a few years to fully repay the A$10 billion loan.
As for whether the island nation will be unable to withstand the huge economic pressure or even the boiling public resentment, who would care?
The loser must bear the responsibility and consequences of starting the war. Moreover, Arthur has no psychological burden for any action he takes against this country that has committed many crimes in its history.
Churchill's expression improved a lot when he heard that Arthur could also accept a low-interest loan.
If Arthur was unwilling to accept a low-interest loan, Churchill would not be able to raise an interest-free loan of A$10 billion for Arthur.
By the way, can finding a loan business of 10 billion Australian dollars for private capitalists make the newspapers controlled by capitalists shut up in the transactions in the Straits Settlements?
After the conversation, Churchill, with mixed feelings, had no intention of visiting the military industry and military training in Australasia, and hurriedly flew back to London, England.
Arthur did not care about Churchill's hasty departure. After all, Churchill still had to deal with inquiries from the British government and Parliament after returning home, and the Straits Settlements transaction could not be completed in a short period of time.
But the news that Arthur revealed to Churchill about the full-scale attack on the island country was not false news. In any case, Arthur had decided to launch a full-scale attack on the island country within a month.
The war in Europe is currently raging. If there is no major movement in Australasia, people will inevitably think that Australasia is just a nobody in the war.
This was absolutely unacceptable to Arthur, who wanted to gain greater benefits after the war. Not only did he have to attack the island nation, he also had to attack it beautifully and quickly.
This will not only allow other countries to see Australasia's strong military strength, but also allow them to understand Australasia's contribution in the war.
(End of this chapter)
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