Chapter 214 The Wedding Begins

In addition to airplanes, Australasia has also seen some important changes in all walks of life.

First of all, the tractor mentioned by Arthur before, Mercedes-Benz Automobile Factory has already produced samples, and the current operation is also very stable.

In the field of agriculture alone, he can accelerate the growth rate of Australasia's agriculture and greatly reduce Australasia's human investment in agriculture.

Of course, the most important thing about this tractor for Arthur is its military performance.

Arthur specially transferred some people from Benz Automobile Factory, and together with experts from military factories, he established another important research room in Australasia, the Australasia Mechanical Research Room.

Yes, Arthur's purpose is very clear, that is, to start researching and developing military machinery, that is, armored vehicles similar to tanks and chariots.

Of course, in order to conceal the truth and avoid being discovered and valued by the powerful countries, the Australasia Mechanical Research Room is still a civilian research room for tractors.

Of course, now that the tractor has been tested, it is natural that it cannot be left alone.

Arthur ordered the Mechanical Research Laboratory to start producing several tractors, so that he could conduct pilot experiments first to ensure its positive effect on the agricultural field.

Secondly, it was to strengthen the ability of the mechanical research laboratory personnel, train their proficiency in producing such machinery, and lay a good foundation for the birth of chariots and tanks in the future.

Another thing worth mentioning is that after years of research by German experts and military factories, the M1897 75mm artillery at that time also ushered in its own improved and upgraded version, a 105mm semi-automatic artillery.

This artillery has poured the efforts of all German experts and experts from the Australasian military factory, and it is also one of the largest caliber semi-automatic artillery at present.

This artillery was named GA1906 105mm semi-automatic artillery, which can fire twelve shells per minute.

The previous French Miss 75 also received relatively good improvements, and the artillery firing rate increased from 15 rounds per minute to 20 rounds per minute.

After the birth of the GA-1906 105mm semi-automatic artillery technology, Australasia currently has three semi-automatic artillery calibers, namely 37mm, 75mm and 105mm.

These three types of artillery can basically adapt to various situations faced by the Australian army, and they are also the most equipped artillery in the Australian Army.

Since the number of army personnel exceeded 60,000, Australia's annual military expenditure has also ushered in a significant increase.

The salary of these 60,000 soldiers alone is nearly 2.4 million Australian dollars. In addition to the various expenses required for soldier training and the cost of maintaining the navy, Australasia's current annual military expenditure is nearly 3 million Australian dollars.

Of course, all the expenses of the Guards are paid by the royal family, which is also the real reason why Australia's military expenditure does not exceed 3 million Australian dollars.

In fact, the increase in per capita annual income has not only brought about an increase in military expenditure, but also an increase in the fiscal revenue of the royal government.

Before New Zealand joined Australia, the annual fiscal revenue of Australia and New Zealand was approximately maintained at around 10 million Australian dollars and 4 million Australian dollars.

After the establishment of the Federation of Australia and New Zealand, the total fiscal revenue of the Federation is about 18 million Australian dollars per year.

Now, with the establishment of the Kingdom of Australasia, although it has only been eleven months so far, the total fiscal revenue of the Kingdom of Australasia has exceeded 19 million Australian dollars, and it is estimated that the total fiscal revenue for the whole year of 1906 may exceed 21 million Australian dollars.

From this data, we can know the economic growth rate of Australasia. You know, after New Zealand joined Australia, it naturally exempted various complex taxes like Australia before, and only retained relatively simple single taxes.

However, the two regions still relied on less taxes to obtain much more fiscal revenue than the previous heavy tax period, which is enough to show how rapidly Australasia's economic development has developed in the past few years.

If the government deficit was huge before, then the government's revenue and expenditure are now within an acceptable range.

With the current economic development speed of Australasia, it is only a matter of time before the total fiscal revenue exceeds the total expenditure.

If it were not for the huge domestic construction, this goal would have been achieved long ago.

However, the Australasian government is not in a hurry at the moment. The government's loans come from the royal family and the German government, and the repayment dates are relatively relaxed, so the government has enough time to prepare.

Although Arthur lent the government 100 million pounds of funds and 50 million pounds of equipment, Arthur currently has more funds and property than these, so there is no reason to urge the government to repay.

Needless to say, the German loan was signed at the time. The repayment date was 20 years, and World War I was over at that time. . .

After October, the wedding date of Arthur, which was discussed by Princess Louise and Grand Duke Sergei at the time, was getting closer and closer.

The Australasian government also began to prepare intensively to welcome this important day for all Australasians.

The government's spending was very generous. In addition to the fact that the government is not short of money at present, Arthur is an out-and-out powerful monarch, which is also a very important reason.

Of course, Arthur did not participate in the specific wedding expenses, and did not even express any opinions.

The specific procedures and processes were all discussed by the cabinet government, and the Royal House and the House of Representatives also strongly supported it.

Australasia will use at least two million Australian dollars for this wedding to hold a real wedding of the century.

The various jewelry and precious clothes made for Queen Mary alone are worth more than 400,000 Australian dollars.

This time, most of the Australian fleet will be dispatched to pick up Grand Duchess Mary from St. Petersburg, the capital of Russia, and go south through the Suez Canal and across the Indian Ocean to Sydney, the capital of Australasia.

Arthur does not need to pay attention to the specific wedding preparations. Government officials and Princess Louise will prepare everything. Arthur only needs to participate as the protagonist on the day.

In fact, Tsar Nicholas II also made a lot of preparations. Although Russia's finances are not so rich, it is the wedding of a direct descendant of the great Romanov family after all, and the object of the marriage is still a king from a noble European family.

Because the government and Princess Louise attached great importance to this wedding, Arthur had nothing to do during this period of preparation.

However, in order to express his importance to this wedding, Arthur decided to dispatch the Guards. The First Infantry Regiment of the Guards Division will be responsible for escorting Grand Duchess Mary from Tsarist Russia to Sydney Harbor.

The Cavalry Regiment will be responsible for the reception from Sydney Harbor to Sydney Palace.

After hearing about it, Tsar Nicholas II decided to increase the scale of the wedding again. Nicholas II will dispatch half of the fleet for this purpose. The fleet escorting Grand Duchess Mary will include at least two battleships and more than ten small and medium-sized warships for escort.

Australia's preparations are far more than that.

Benz and Diesel worked hard to make a more luxurious car, which will be used by Arthur and Grand Duchess Mary on the wedding day.

The cost of this luxury car directly exceeded 3,000 Australian dollars. It not only greatly reduced the roar of the engine, but also upgraded the appearance and design.

Another purpose of Nicholas II's decision to increase the scale of the wedding was to use this opportunity to show the remaining strength of Russia.

After the failure of the last Russo-Japanese War, some countries have expressed doubts about Russia's strength, believing that Russia is like an old man in his twilight years, and Russia's military strength has long been greatly reduced, far less glorious than the European bulldozers of the past.

Such doubts were unacceptable to Nicholas II, so he decided to use this wedding opportunity to let the world take a good look at the power that Russia currently possesses.

The preparation time for this wedding lasted more than a month. Under the careful arrangement during this period, the original Sydney Palace was also completely renewed, with more festive colors everywhere.

In order to reflect the celebration of the whole nation, Arthur specially announced something through the Royal Rescue Committee, that is, on the day of Arthur's wedding, all citizens of Australasia can receive a bag of flour, ten kilograms of mutton, one liter of milk and other supplies from the local government.

Of course, the specific regulations of each place are different, but they are basically the same, not much different.

Such welfare policies are actually what Australasia people are most willing to see. No matter how much you say, it is not as good as the real thing. Although these things are not valuable, fortunately everyone in Australasia has a share, which absolutely highlights fairness and justice.

On December 27, 1906, after more than a month of expedited preparation, Australasia finally ushered in Arthur's wedding.

This wedding has also been warmed up in Europe for more than a month, and has successfully become one of the focuses of attention of European civilians.

The cost of this wedding can be said to be one of the most expensive royal weddings. Its protagonists are Arthur from the British royal family and Mary from the Russian royal family.

In addition to the friendly relationship between Arthur and Germany, the countries that pay attention to this wedding even include top powers such as the British Empire and the German Empire.

In more than a month, Mary has also become the object of envy of European noble ladies.

You know, this is a grand wedding that costs millions of Australian dollars, which is more than one million pounds if converted into pounds.

Add to that the various other expenses, it is almost worth a dreadnought.

In addition, the wedding has attracted worldwide attention, and even some ladies who are already engaged are regretting why Arthur is not marrying them.

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