The Rise Of Australasia - Chapter 314

Chapter 314: Chapter 276: The Fall of the Old King

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With the onset of April, Australasia was ushered into the deep autumn of the southern hemisphere.

Honestly, when Arthur initially travelled from the United Kingdom to Australasia, he had difficulty adapting to the completely opposite seasons of the southern and northern hemispheres.

While the northern hemisphere endures summer from June to August, it’s the coldest season in the southern hemisphere.

However, the good news was that during the British summer, Arthur could still experience a taste of snow, albeit not much.

As a ruler of a nation, Arthur’s life was privileged and opulent, yet also dull and uninteresting.

Firstly, he was inundated with state affairs. Many decisions that the government could not decide were often referred to Arthur for his opinion.

Secondly, he had to periodically inspect various domestic constructions and other significant affairs that were happening within the country.

Arthur was highly esteemed and supported among the people. He typically delivered a speech every Christmas that was distributed nationwide through newspapers.

In addition to that, he had to periodically oversee the military, attend weekly cabinet meetings, read colony reports, understand the development of various royal financial group enterprises, among other things.

After all, how could a monarch who is not fully aware of the condition of their own military, government territory, and enterprise development manage and coordinate a large-scale nation?

As time entered May, while the Industry Secretary Pierre was reporting on the current status of the Leonora Industrial Base construction to Arthur in his office, Butler Kent hurriedly arrived and said, “Your Majesty! There is big news from the United Kingdom.”

Minister Pierre promptly expressed that he would report another day and hurriedly left.

Once Minister Pierre had left, Butler Kent walked over and said, “Your Majesty, according to the news from the British Royal Family, King Edward has just passed away today.”

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Arthur suddenly stood up, then just as quickly sat back down. His expression returned to normal, exhibiting a serious demeanor as he asked, “Is this news accurate? How did Uncle Edward suddenly pass away?”

“The telegram was sent directly from the British Royal Family, so the news is highly likely to be accurate. As for the cause of King Edward’s death, the British Royal Family has not disclosed it,” Butler Kent replied.

“Order the navy to prepare the fleet and notify Foreign Minister Pierre to immediately form a visiting group set to depart for the United Kingdom tomorrow,” Arthur immediately commanded without hesitation.

Even though his relationship with Edward VII wasn’t particularly good, officially, they were still on good terms as uncle and nephew.

Furthermore, Arthur enjoyed high popularity among the British people, and naturally, he couldn’t do anything foolish that could tarnish the good impression the British had of him.

After all, the support of the British people was still very crucial to Australasia. Given Arthur’s status among the British, the British government could not possibly oppose Australasia.

Although these matters were not important on a national interest level, these politicians were not fools. None of them would dare step forward and be targeted for malice and contempt from the British people.

Currently, only royal families of certain powerful monarch nations should know about the news of Edward VII’s death. The British government has not publicly disclosed it.

It’s only to be expected, as any transition of monarch power could cause instability in the country and society.

For a country like the United Kingdom, possessing extensive colonies and consisting of many kingdoms on its native land, national stability and tranquillity are of the utmost importance.

The passing of Edward VII was not necessarily bad news for Arthur, but it wasn’t all good news either.

The passing of Edward VII officially marked the end of the Victorian Era. This indicated that Queen Victoria’s residual prestige was dwindling; as time progressed, Arthur’s status in the hearts of the British public would likely decline, becoming less significant.

Moreover, beginning with the subsequent King George V, the power of British monarchs wasn’t as substantial. They could no longer suppress various formal groups and organizations within Britain.

Historically, King George V indeed did not possess the dexterity of Queen Victoria and Edward VII. To solidify the royal family’s position during World War I, the royal family had to give up the Saxe-Coburg-Gotha Dynasty and change their surname to Windsor.

Although this action was glorified as being in line with public sentiment, a king changing his surname represents the waning of the royal family and the monarch’s power, does it not?

If the public truly supported the royal family, then the resentment should have been directed at Germany, not at the Royal Family, who, despite having originated from Germany hundreds of years ago, had become thoroughly British except for their surname.

One should know that changing one’s surname not only involved the royal family’s dignity but also the family’s honor and history.

As the monarch of the most powerful nation in the world, King George V’s act of changing his family’s surname symbolized the decline of Britain’s royal power and the royal family.

If the monarch during World War I was Queen Victoria, then there would absolutely be no pressure for the royal family to change their surname.

Regrettably, great monarchs like Queen Victoria are few, and the final glory of the Victorian Era is about to end.

It’s worth mentioning that Arthur is also from the British royal family and is a direct descendent.

If the British royal family changes its surname in the future as it has in history, should Arthur acknowledge it?

Arthur shook his head subtly, dismissing that idea. Within Australasia, no power could make Arthur change his surname, and he had no intention of doing so either.

After all, his relationship with the British royal family after King George V was not that close, Arthur had no need to follow any name change made by Britain, and risk losing face.

After ordering Butler Kent to notify the navy and Minister Andrew, Arthur returned to his bedroom in the royal palace, bidding farewell to Queen Mary with a regretful face.

He had promised Queen Mary after the last tour that he would not frequently leave the palace for at least two years, so that their son William and daughter Anna could see their father at any time.

Unexpectedly, in less than half a year, Arthur had to break his word.

However, this was unavoidable. Queen Mary was very understanding and even comforted Arthur with a smile, reassuring him that she and Princess Louise would ensure there would be no problems at the palace.

Of course, before leaving, Arthur also needed to hold a cabinet meeting to arrange government affairs after his departure from Australasia.

The death of Edward VII posed a significant problem for the British Empire, the old empire.

Despite Arthur’s dislike for Edward VII, he had to admit that this man, who lacked discretion in his personal life, was indeed capable in managing state affairs.

Although Britain is currently the undisputed top power in the world, with the world’s best navy and the third-strongest industry,

Britain’s internal situation is already pretty bad, with not only class differences, but also political contradictions and party disputes.

The major political fight in Britain is between the two major parties, the Liberal Party and the Conservative Party.

Prime Minister Asquith, the leader of the Liberal Party, has implemented many reforms in Britain, earning a great deal of prestige and solidifying the Liberal Party’s position as the ruling party.

However, the problem is that Edward VII, who supported the reforms, has passed away, and whether the Liberal Party can continue to rule depends on the opinion of King George.

In other words, the soon-to-be-crowned King George holds a significant stake in the future political trend of Britain.

If King George chooses the Liberal Party, the political struggle in Britain may be postponed or temporarily eliminate the hidden danger of political instability.

If King George chooses the Conservative Party, which is opposed to the Liberal Party, the struggle over reforms between the Liberal Party and the Conservative Party will begin.

However, the good news is that for a powerful country like Britain, the struggle between political parties does not consume much of the country’s resources.

In other words, the consumption caused by inter-party struggle is just a drop in the bucket for Britain and will not affect Britain’s status and power.

But the issue lies in the fact that all these occur under the condition that foreign forces will not intervene. If Germany or other countries want to stir up trouble, it may make the already somewhat chaotic British political scene even more chaotic.

However, all of this has little to do with Arthur. Currently, Australasia does not have much influence internationally, and no country has any designs on Australasia for the time being.

After all, to harbor ambitions against Australasia at this time would mean confronting the joint forces of Britain, Germany, and Russia, the three major powers.

Going deeper, Britain can pull in France, and Germany can pull in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Doesn’t this mean that anyone who has designs on Australasia would face the united condemnation of the five major European powers of Britain, Germany, France, Russia, and Austro-Hungary?

At present, no country in the world can withstand the joint pressure of these five countries, which means that Australasia will be quite safe for a long time, at least until other countries and powers rise.

Arthur called a cabinet meeting, first to ask the cabinet’s view on the current situation in Britain and Europe, and second to have the cabinet fully prepared for a possible European War.

Although the historical World War I will not break out for several years, Arthur does not dare to completely rely on history.

If some country’s brain short-circuits and decides to start a war at this moment, the saying “If one hair is touched, the whole body is affected” is justified, and the entire Europe would be ignited into a great war. If Australasia is unprepared at that time, wouldn’t that mean countless opportunities would be missed?

Arthur’s first command was to have the Ministry of Industry always ready. If the countries of Europe show signs of fighting, production in the factories can be increased accordingly.

Concerning medical care, grain, supplies, equipment, weapons, ammunition, and other strategic materials, they can be transported in large quantities to Europe when the time comes, in exchange for more benefits.

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