The Rise Of Australasia-Chapter 1260 - 928 Land Transactions and Loans_2

Chapter 1260: Chapter 928: Land Transactions and Loans_2

Chapter 1260 -928: Land Transactions and Loans_2

He had considered exposing Arthur’s ambition after the failure of the negotiations, but the chances of failure were high.

One must take into account Arthur’s immense reputation in the United Kingdom, something that neither King George V nor Edward VII had achieved. Furthermore, with the propaganda of the media controlled by Australasia, most British people would probably still choose to believe in the power of the media.

What would he, Winston Schmidt, be by then? A criminal who broke the relationship between the two royal families? Or just another scapegoat forcibly pushed out? Isn’t it the same outcome in the end?

Seeing Schmidt’s reluctance, Arthur smiled and said, “Mr. Schmidt, have you considered the world order after the end of the war?”

Schmidt nodded, “Of course. If we could defeat Germany, the world order formed by Britain and Australasia would still be able to control the situation.”

“I’m afraid not,” Arthur shook his head. “All this presupposes that there is no challenger to the world order like Germany.”

For Britain and Australasia, we need the existence of colonies. To be frank, colonies can provide us with ample manpower and resources, which are also the fundamental factors of a nation’s strength.

But for countries like Germany and the Russian Nation, their strength does not depend on colonies, but on the size of their territory and population.

It is predicted that after the war, a tripartite situation would arise where, aside from us being able to influence the world situation, the Russians would also be players affecting the world order.

Schmidt nodded again, seemingly agreeing with Arthur’s words.

The threat posed by the Russian Nation is not only due to its vast territory but also because of its huge population scale.

Although the Russian Nation had been devastated by World War I and the Civil War for several years, this country already had a population of nearly 150 million before the outbreak of the war.

This is an extremely exaggerated concept. Even in World War II, where Germany shined brilliantly, the main ethnic group, the Germans, only numbered just over 70 million.

This is the number of Germans after the annexation of Austria and the Czechoslovakian region by the German-Italians.

The native population of Russians is more than double that of the Germans; what an exaggerated and frightening concept!

It is precisely because the Russian economy and industry have always been at the middle to upper levels among the Powers, not entering the top tier, that the British had let their guard down.

If the Russian economy and industry had reached the level of the American People earlier, the British military intervention might be more fierce than imagined.

Seeing Schmidt nod, Arthur then continued, “This is exactly why, even after the war, Australasia and Britain still share the same interests.”

“At least as far as I’m concerned, our two countries have no conflicts of interest for the next 50 years, and the England-Australia Alliance can last for a very long time.”

While speaking, Arthur glanced at Schmidt and then continued, “More importantly, Australasia has no interest in India, and we are willing to support British rule there.

“Including South Africa, Egypt, Canada, and South America, we have no interest in any of them. This is the fundamental basis of the British-Australian relationship; Australasia is never a challenger to British interests but a guardian.”

Schmidt had not reacted much to the previous words, but when it came to lands like India, South Africa, and Canada, his reaction was quite strong.

This is normal; the vast colonies were absolutely instrumental in maintaining the strength of the British Empire for nearly a hundred years.

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Compared to the Straits Colony, the importance of regions like India, South Africa, Egypt, and Canada was obviously higher.

Because the Strait Colony is a crucial gateway connecting the Pacific and Indian Oceans, the British had already transferred all their colonies in the Pacific to Australasia.

In other words, the Strait Colony’s importance to Britain wasn’t as high as one might imagine. Occupying the Strait Colony, the British also had to bear the pressure from the Island Royal Navy.

However, if the Strait Colony were ceded to Australasia, it would not only obtain Arthur’s promise to support British claims to important territories in India, Egypt, South Africa, and Canada, but also allow Australasia to face the Island Nation’s pressure alone, which didn’t seem like such a bad deal after all.

But ceding territory wasn’t something that even Winston Schmidt as Prime Minister of Britain could decide on his own.

“Your Majesty, the cession of territory isn’t something I can decide on. Please give me some time, and I will relay to you the results of Parliament’s vote,” Winston Schmidt said after a moment of silence.

Arthur nodded, not in a rush. Watching Winston Schmidt as if he had made a significant decision, he said with a smile, “Unless there are unexpected circumstances, Australasia’s full-scale offensive against the Island Nation will take place within a month.

We will deploy at least three million troops, and the Pacific Squadron will be fully mobilized. If possible, the Australasian Government hopes to borrow at least 1 billion Australian Dollars from within Britain as war funds for the offensive against the Island Nation.”

Compared with ceding territory, a loan of 1 billion Australian Dollars wasn’t that significant. For Britain, which now controlled the most essential areas of the United States, the current war expenditures were entirely manageable.

“I will inform the civilian banks in Britain, but such a large loan can’t be prepared in a short time. Moreover, those civilian banks are mostly greedy and will not likely accept a completely interest-free loan,” Winston Schmidt said, nodding.

“Naturally, we will accept a low-interest loan,” Arthur said, willing to accept either an interest-free or low-interest loan.

Compared to the minor expenses in war, if they could win this war, the benefits to be divided from Germany, Italy, and the Island Nation would be tenfold.

After all, the Island Nation alone had a population of tens of millions, and if Arthur wished, he could make them all slaves.

The economic value generated by this population could probably pay off the 1 billion Australian Dollar loan in just a few years.

As for whether the Island Nation could withstand the tremendous economic pressure or even face public unrest, who would care?

The losers must bear the responsibility and consequences of waging war, and furthermore, for Arthur, any action taken against a country that had committed various crimes in its original history carried no psychological burden.

Hearing that Arthur would also accept a low-interest loan, Winston Schmidt’s expression finally showed relief.

If Arthur weren’t willing to accept a low-interest loan, Winston Schmidt wouldn’t have the ability to gather a 1 billion Australian Dollar interest-free loan for him.

Could soliciting a 1 billion Australian Dollar loan from civilian capitalists possibly silence the newspapers controlled by the capitalists in the Strait Colony trade?

With mixed feelings, Winston Schmidt didn’t feel like touring the Australasia Domestic Military Industry and troop training after the conversation and hurriedly took a plane back to London, United Kingdom.

Arthur didn’t mind Schmidt’s hasty departure; after all, upon returning home, Schmidt still had to respond to inquiries from the British Government and Parliament, and the deal for the Strait Colony couldn’t be concluded in a short time.

But the news Arthur had shared with Schmidt about the full-scale attack on the Island Nation wasn’t false. Regardless, Arthur had already decided to launch a comprehensive offensive against the Island Nation within a month.

The war in Europe was raging, and if Australasia didn’t make any significant moves, it might seem like Australasia wasn’t doing its part in the war.

This was unacceptable for Arthur, who wanted to gain greater benefits after the war. The fight against the Island Nation had to be not just victorious but also swift and impressive.

This would not only showcase Australasia’s formidable military strength to other countries but also make them recognize Australasia’s contributions to the war.