The Rise Of Australasia - Chapter 361

Chapter 361: Chapter 310: Why not support Australasia?_2

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What was even more unbearable for the British Empire was that Germany had already announced that it was building Super Dreadnoughts.

Originally, this was the British Empire’s trump card to dominate the Germans in terms of warship quality, but it had already been quietly followed by the Germans.

This also meant that half of the British Empire’s warship construction plans had to be devoted to building Super Dreadnoughts; otherwise, when the German Super Dreadnought fleet caught up, the navy would still not have a significant advantage.

But the problem was that the cost of the most advanced dreadnoughts was already around 2 million pounds.

And the cost of the most advanced Super Dreadnoughts was even higher, at around 2.4 million pounds.

No matter how you calculate it, the British Empire’s finances would only become more burdened, which made other government officials a bit worried.

After all, if the once-invincible British Empire went bankrupt in the hands of this government, the public’s spit alone would be enough to drown them.

After all, once the government runs out of money, the people’s welfare policies will decrease. How would the people who are accustomed to reaping benefits see it? Isn’t it just a sure sign of government incompetence?

To address these concerns, the British Cabinet held an emergency meeting to discuss current shipbuilding plans and financial difficulties.

The current Prime Minister of the British Empire, Asquith, also serves as the Minister of Finance, which shows the importance of finance to a country.

The Finance Department of Australasia is also one of the cabinet departments controlled by Arthur.

“Mr. Churchill, I think it is necessary to reconsider the navy’s construction plan. Even if our financial income is almost twice that of Germany, it cannot withstand such a huge consumption! You must know the state of our finances last year, and if we continue to build ships at this mad pace, I’m afraid it won’t be long before our finances are overwhelmed and we have to borrow like crazy,” Prime Minister Asquith, frowning, looked at a slightly confident Navy Secretary Churchill and said during the Cabinet Meeting.

“Mr. Prime Minister, now is not the time for the British Empire to back down! The Germans are building warships at a crazy pace, and if we suspend our shipbuilding plans, it will mean handing over our position as the world’s number one navy, won’t it?” Navy Secretary Churchill, with an excited face, stood up and argued, even in the face of Prime Minister Asquith.

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“We know that the navy is facing tremendous pressure right now. Although Germany needs to pay attention to the development of its army, we also need to focus on the security and welfare policies of our colonies. Don’t we? Our military expenditure has already exceeded a quarter of our total financial income, and this year it will even exceed a third. Do you want to serve the entire British Empire and ignore development just for the sake of the navy?” The Minister of Home Affairs stood up and refuted Churchill’s words.

It is worth mentioning that the current Minister of Home Affairs, McKenna, was the Navy Secretary of the British Empire six months ago. The previous Minister of Home Affairs was Churchill, and they exchanged their positions in November 1911.

During Churchill’s tenure as Minister of Home Affairs, he argued against the navy’s expansion in order to alleviate financial pressure.

However, after becoming the Navy Secretary, Churchill changed his stance, intending to expand the navy drastically to maintain the British Empire’s status.

As for McKenna, who had once stood firmly on the side of navy expansion, after becoming the Minister of Home Affairs, his viewpoint shifted to prioritize the government and, naturally, he had to rebut the plans for navy expansion.

“I am also aware of the pressure our finances are facing, but can’t we issue bonds abroad? As long as we can maintain our naval advantage, the Germans will shift their focus to army expansion, which will reduce the pressure on both the navy and our finances. If we give up now, the Germans will surely surpass us in both naval and land power, overtaking the French and Russians. At that time, no single nation or power will be able to suppress Germany. This will be disastrous for the current situation in Europe and even more so for the British Empire and the government,” Churchill was not convinced and continued to argue his views and opinions.

“We maintain our naval advantage, watch the confrontation between Germany and France’s armies, and extend a helping hand to France when necessary. Doing so not only drags down Germany but also prevents the rise of France after Germany’s defeat, isn’t this consistently our idea and purpose?” Churchill brought up the British Empire’s long-standing policy of stirring up trouble in Europe, making it seem like anyone who disagreed with naval expansion was a traitor to the British Empire.

“That being said, are bonds free? The bonds issued will eventually be repaid by government finance. If a large number of bonds are issued, the scale of the navy can indeed be built up, but can the navy take on the interest of the bonds for the government? If it is as Your Excellency says, I’m afraid our finances will collapse completely before we even drag down the Germans. We must know that our enemies are not limited to Germany; the United States has also invested heavily in its navy and will sooner or later become one of our main competitors. If we fund resistance against Germany ourselves, it will be either France or the United States that benefits in the end.” Prime Minister Asquith, who also serves as Minister of Finance, shook his head, still insisting on delaying the naval expansion.

Though the British Empire possesses the world’s most powerful navy and the largest number of colonies, its status and interests are also coveted by many countries.

Take Europe as an example; the British Empire’s enemies are every European power that could potentially become the ruler of Europe, which is why the British Empire adopts the troublemaking policy in Europe.

Although the British Empire is the most powerful country in the world, it can ultimately only assure its security in the British Isles.

This also means that if a country becomes the ruler of Europe, it will threaten the British Empire’s native land.

This is why Britain fought against France before and now confronts Germany.

For the British Empire, the current Germany is a rival to be defeated. However, if defeating Germany allows France to rise, then defeating Germany would be meaningless.

The best way is to have Germany and France both suffer losses during the war so that neither can possibly threaten Britain’s status.

If currently the most powerful country in Europe were France, Britain would probably join Germany’s camp to fight against France.

In addition to the European situation, the British government is also concerned about a country that keeps a watchful eye on the European situation – the United States.

Although the United States had been previously looked down upon by major European countries, seen as nothing but a nouveau riche occupying a good land area, it cannot be denied that the development of the United States has gradually caught up with the European pace, and its economy and industry are now world-class.

What the United States lacks to become a top power is the military and technological foundation. If given several more decades, it is likely to grow into a competitor even more terrifying than Germany.

“The United States?” Churchill laughed dismissively and asked, “Why don’t we try supporting Australasia? Since the support for the island nation has failed, we might as well find another country to help. Australasians share the same origins as us, and as long as the British descendants occupy the majority of Australasia, they can never be our enemies. Isn’t this the best candidate for support? Although Australasia’s population is small, they are mostly European immigrants, making them more eligible to become a developed country and a major power than the island nation.”

There is a reason for the British Empire supporting the island nation.

The geographic location of the island nation is destined to face a war with the Far Eastern superpower, Russia, if it rises.

Moreover, the island nation is only separated from the United States by the Pacific Ocean. With the United States unable to extend its reach to Europe, its expansion could only be directed towards South America and the opposite side of the Pacific. The Philippines is a prime example.

Supporting the island nation is one of Britain’s methods to counterbalance the United States and also to divert Russia’s attention, exhaust Russia’s power in the Far East, and prevent Russia from plotting against British India.

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