Chapter 263 Queen Mary Is Pregnant
The formation of the Allied Powers and the complete confrontation with the Central Powers have had the greatest impact on the European situation, in fact, it is the small and medium-sized countries around these two major military groups.
As the lineup of the two competing parties is clear, these small and medium-sized countries are also facing a problem, that is, which side to join or remain neutral.
Such a problem is not easy to choose. Each of the competing parties has a top power at the hegemonic level, and both are composed of three powerful countries.
This means that if a war breaks out between the two sides, it will be a huge war that can easily affect the whole of Europe, and no European country can be easily spared.
If you become a neutral country, can you really avoid this shocking war?
Starting from September 1908, the arms race between the two major military groups has reached a new level, but the main participating countries are still Britain and Germany.
After the Germans surpassed themselves in dreadnoughts, Britain immediately revised its shipbuilding plan, accelerated the construction of the three planned Bellerophon-class battleships, and issued a death order to the shipyard responsible for building these three battleships, at least by the end of March 1909, to be completely completed and launched.
This is not over yet. The construction plan of the St. Vincent-class battleship, an improved version of the Bellerophon-class battleship, has also been accelerated.
According to the original British construction plan, the completion time of the three St. Vincent-class battleships will not be until May next year at the earliest, and the remaining two will not be completed until March or April of the year after.
However, the Germans' overtaking has made the British panic, so they specially ordered that the three St. Vincent-class battleships must be completely completed by the end of 1909 and enter the navy in the middle and late 1910.
This means that from September this year to the end of next year, the British Empire will build and complete at least six dreadnoughts in more than a year, consolidating its first place in the navy.
Compared with the construction speed of Australasia, the British Empire's naval construction speed is extremely fast, but this is still just the tip of the iceberg of the British Empire's naval shipbuilding industry.
In addition to the construction of dreadnoughts, the British Empire also plans to carry out a new round of replacement of weapons and equipment for its native army, and to use the obsolete weapons and equipment in the colonial army.
This is not a small expense, but it is not too much for the wealthy British Empire.
You should know that the military expenditure of the British Empire has always been the highest among the major powers, and the military expenditure last year was as high as a huge 58.92 million pounds.
The second place is the German Empire, with a military expenditure of 54.89 million pounds. The third place in military expenditure is Russia, which seems to be less developed, with a military expenditure of 53.28 million pounds.
The fourth, fifth and sixth places are France, the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Kingdom of Italy. Their military expenditures are 45.5 million pounds, 21.13 million pounds and 18.57 million pounds respectively.
The high military expenditures of the major powers also mean that the confrontation between the two major military groups in Europe has almost reached its peak, and the arms race has caused the military expenditures of various countries to rise steadily.
But this is not the peak of military expenditures of various countries. According to historical situations, the military expenditures of various countries have increased several times after the war.
If we talk about the year with the highest military expenditures of various countries, it should be the German Empire in 1918.
The military expenditure of the German Empire in this year was as high as 350 billion German marks, which is equivalent to a terrifying 17.5 billion pounds. This is why the war brought great pain to European countries.
Let alone the high military expenditures, this year's war is enough to drag down any country.
As a defeated country, it is not surprising that the people of Germany are facing 500,000 marks of bread after the defeat. The long-term war and high military expenditures have already caused the currencies of various countries to depreciate rapidly.
Coupled with the oppression of other countries after the defeat and the exploitation of domestic capitalists, the seeds of hatred sprouted in the hearts of the Germans.
Compared with the high military expenditures of the major powers, the military expenditures of Australasia, which is geographically remote, are pitifully small.
In 1907, the military expenditures of Australasia were only more than 4 million pounds. Even this year when the shipbuilding plan has been launched, the total funding will not exceed 8 million pounds.
This point can reflect the current gap between Australasia and major European countries. Australasia's population and economic situation are still far behind European countries. This is also the limit of whether Australasia can become a powerful country.
Time quickly came to Christmas in 1908. Christmas is an extremely important festival for Western countries. Australasia also has a three-day national holiday on Christmas.
Sydney Palace is very grand in its preparations for Christmas. The trees and flowers on the surrounding squares have been decorated. Even the statues in front of the palace are shining under the sun.
Of course, Arthur doesn't care too much about these, because there is more important news waiting for Arthur to deal with.
After Arthur worked hard for two and a half years, Queen Mary's belly finally made some movement.
On the day before Christmas, Arthur received a report from the doctor of the royal private hospital that Queen Mary might be pregnant!
This is good news for Arthur, the royal family and even the entire Australasia government and country.
Only when the monarch has a successor can the dynasty continue. Now that the monarchy in Australasia has such high power, officials are also afraid that the royal power will fall into the hands of others, and the country's years of hard work will go to waste.
Arthur attaches great importance to his possible eldest son or daughter. Not only did he accompany Queen Mary from the moment he received the news, he also summoned all the famous doctors in Australasia to sit in the Royal Private Hospital for Queen Mary's recuperation.
In fact, with Arthur's efforts, the Royal Private Hospital has long become the most advanced hospital in Australasia with the most top medical talents.
But it is better to be prepared for such things. Arthur has even begun to plan to hire experts from major European hospitals at high salaries. Anyway, there is no place to spend too much money.
For such good news, Arthur did not order to conceal it. Spreading such news can also increase the confidence of the government's work, and they don't have to worry that after Arthur, their contributions to the country will be forgotten by the rulers.
On Christmas Day, Arthur received congratulations from various European countries.
Among them, Russia and Germany are the fastest. After all, Queen Mary was born in the Russian royal family, and Kaiser Wilhelm II and Arthur are cousins. Germany and Australasia also have very good diplomatic relations.
Not only Russia and Germany, but also many European powers and small and medium-sized countries, including the British Empire, have sent congratulations to Australasia.
These include countries controlled by members of the Saxe-Coburg-Gotha dynasty, as well as other small and medium-sized European monarchies.
After all, this is still an era of monarchy. For the European royal families with complicated relationships, perhaps Arthur can really be related to most European monarchies.
Arthur has high expectations for his possible eldest son or daughter.
Various strict traditional elite aristocratic education, coupled with deeper training, is inevitable.
As the son or daughter of a king, the little guy in Queen Mary's belly is estimated to have only two to three years of good days, and then he will enter a rigorous education.
Australasia has a good development environment and opportunity, and Arthur is confident that it will develop into a top power.
But the succession of the country must be cautious. For the development of the country and the continuation of the royal family, it is very necessary to cultivate a capable heir for oneself and the country.
Even if they are not heirs, Arthur's descendants represent the dignity and reputation of the royal family, which also means that they cannot become waste.
Arthur and his family spent a warm Christmas day, and the officials were very tactful and did not disturb Arthur.
But from the second day of Christmas, various officials' blessings and congratulations came in an endless stream. If Arthur was not lazy and asked Butler Kent to come out and reply uniformly, I am afraid that this day would have to be in an environment of congratulations.
Since learning the news, Butler Kent has been in a smiling state. Arthur's successor is the best good news for Butler Kent. This news is even more exciting than Arthur becoming the king of Australasia.
Queen Mary has also completely become a protected animal of the royal family. Not only is Princess Louise always with her, but there are also more than a dozen maids waiting at any time to help Queen Mary avoid any fatigue.
To celebrate, Arthur specifically signaled the Royal Relief Committee to provide at least two kilograms of mutton and ten kilograms of food for free on Christmas Day to adult citizens with an annual income of no more than 20 Australian dollars. As for minors, one kilogram of mutton and one liter of milk are provided uniformly.
At present, there are very few people in Australasia with an annual income of no more than 20 Australian dollars. Even if we look at the country's population of more than 7 million, there are less than 800,000 people with an annual income of no more than 20 Australian dollars.
Many of these are elderly people who are unable to work. Even if we add minors across the country, it is estimated that the cost this time will not exceed 5 million Australian dollars.
5 million Australian dollars is just a drop in the bucket for Arthur, who has an annual income of more than 40 million Australian dollars. In the face of maintaining his reputation and support, Arthur is still very generous.
Arthur's behavior naturally aroused the favor of many Australians. Even if they were not the audience of this event, they heard about this event with some gratitude.
If it weren't for Arthur, they knew they wouldn't have their current life at all. Facing such a kind and loving monarch, what else can they do besides being grateful and loyal?
Although there is no accurate number for Arthur's support in Australasia, if anyone dares to say something bad about Arthur on the streets of Australasia, he will probably be glared at by everyone.
If the words are more serious, I am afraid that whether you can walk out of Australasia alive is not guaranteed.
If there are really radical elements, they are all like turtles.
Arthur's reputation among the people is not a joke. If there are really blind guys, the people don't mind sending him to see God and letting God forgive him.
After the Christmas holiday, it can be clearly felt that the atmosphere in Australasia has become joyful, and the government's work efficiency has become much more effective.
At this time, Australasia can be regarded as united from top to bottom. Without any worries, they will make their own efforts and contributions for the rise of Australasia.
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