Chapter 926 Environmental Governance Department
The gradual control of desertification around Lake Eyre has brought bad news, that is, the test of the new artillery shells and bullets can no longer be carried out in the desert east of Lake Eyre.
This small desert has long been improved by the environmental management department, and even afforestation has begun.
If the test is carried out in such a place, it will obviously cause trouble for the people in the environmental management department.
After a brief discussion, Arthur decided to put the test site in the desert north of Lake Eyre. Anyway, the distance is not too far, and it can be reached in more than two hours by car.
After several twists and turns, everyone finally arrived at the desert north of Lake Eyre and officially started the test of artillery shells and bullets.
Real people must not be used for the test, so fat cattle and sheep were used to simulate the human body.
The first thing to be tested is the new bullet. Whether shooting cattle or sheep, the new bullet can cause more obvious damage.
It looks like a small bullet hole on the front, but the damage caused to the back after the bullet fragments fly out from the back is amazing.
Although the long distance may cause bullet fragments to remain in the body, it is basically impossible to rescue this level of injury even if surgery is performed in time.
As long as the bullet hits the middle of the human body, the damage caused by the fragments after the bullet breaks can quickly destroy the important organs of the human body.
Even with the technology of later generations, it is not easy to save the wounded, let alone now nearly a hundred years ago.
To sum up in one sentence, as long as you are hit head-on by this kind of bullet, death may be the best result. Because serious injuries will only be a torture of wanting to die but not being able to die, after a few days of torture, you will still face the end of death.
After the new bullet was tested, Arthur was also very interested in the new bomb.
Unlike bullets, this new bomb is just an idea, and it can even be used in the design of missiles and other artillery shells.
It is nothing more than the external large bomb providing power and the internal small bomb providing lethality.
In this test, a total of two sizes of bombs were detonated, namely a medium bomb with 5,200 small cast iron bombs inside and a large bomb with 12,200 small cast iron bombs inside.
Just as Andrick expected, some standard helmets were tied to the cattle and sheep on land, and the thickness of these helmets was about 1 mm to 3 mm.
Helmets of this thickness are basically the mainstream helmets in European countries, including the army helmets used by Britain and Germany.
Helmets of this thickness weigh about 3 kg to 5 kg, which can not only ensure that soldiers are not injured by grenades, but also ensure that the pressure on the top of the soldiers' heads is not too great.
If the helmet is heavier, it will cause strain on the soldiers' necks after wearing it for a long time, and it is not conducive to combat at times.
Facing helmets that are only a little more than one millimeter, the effects of the two new bombs are very significant.
Although the small cast iron bombs scattered after the explosion are solid and will not produce any explosion. But the power of such a heavy sharp iron block falling from a high altitude is naturally not to be underestimated.
The damage of high-altitude objects is well known. This kind of iron guy with a sharper head is not comparable to ordinary high-altitude objects.
What's more, these small bombs will definitely explode in the air at a height of more than dozens of floors. According to the height of about three meters per floor in the back room, even if it is a 30-story building, it is only about 100 meters.
But these bombs exploded thousands of meters above the ground, and the small cast iron bombs scattered hundreds of meters or even thousands of meters around, covering this area.
The falling bombs can directly penetrate the bodies of cattle and sheep, even with the coverage of helmets, the outcome is still the same.
Such power is already quite terrible. If it is facing the enemy's army, only a few such bombs can cause thousands of casualties to the enemy's army.
And how much does such a bomb cost? It's just some small iron blocks with strange shapes and bombs powered by the outside, and the cost is even less than a real bomb.
After seeing the power of this new bomb, Arthur is more looking forward to cluster bombs with similar principles.
More importantly, this principle can also be applied to missiles, whether it is attacking any target on land, sea or air, it can definitely create unexpected gains.
After returning to Fort St. Arthur again, Arthur affirmed Andrick's research on new bombs and bullets, and asked Andrick to start producing these bombs and bullets immediately, and study the cluster bomb model mentioned by Arthur.
As a reward for Andrick and other researchers, each of them can receive at least 5,000 Australian dollars in financial rewards, as well as detailed credits for their contributions to the project research.
In addition, Arthur added 2 million Australian dollars in research and development funds to the new bomb and bullet research and development department, so that Andrick can rest assured to study the new bombs mentioned by Arthur.
These bombs and bullets can effectively kill the enemy's vitality whether they are used in the war with the island countries or in the European battlefield.
More importantly, after learning that Australasia is using these weapons in large quantities, Germany and the island countries will definitely not give up, and will also invest a lot of money in related research.
After the European battlefield countries generally used such lethal bullets and bombs, Arthur's expected consumption of the manpower of European countries officially began.
Since it was decided to consume the manpower of European countries, Arthur must hope that the casualties of these countries would generally reach more than 10 million.
Although such an idea is somewhat immoral, if it is based on the interests of Australasia, Arthur's guilt will be relieved a lot.
After returning to the palace to rest for a few days, Arthur called the head of the environmental governance department to ask about Australasia's achievements in environmental governance.
The environmental governance department is under the cabinet and directly under the management of the State Council. The level is far lower than the main departments of the cabinet.
It has been more than 30 years since the establishment of the country, and the territorial scope has also ranked among the top in the world. It is no exaggeration to say that looking at the world, there are not many countries that can challenge Australasia in terms of territory. Britain and France must also count their colonies.
But so far, the country has only 10 real cabinet departments, and the business of some departments is bloated.
Previously, the House of Representatives also mentioned the reform of the cabinet departments, adding several new departments to share the pressure of these departments, and refining the areas managed by each department.
But because the proposal was not mature at the time, Arthur did not agree and it has been delayed until now.
The UK, which has a similar system to Australasia, has more than 20 cabinet departments, while Australasia has less than half of the British, which has proved the problem.
Of course, the reorganization of the cabinet departments must be voted on by the House of Representatives and discussed in detail.
Because this also represents a reform of the cabinet power, the number of cabinet members may increase.
The Minister of Environmental Governance is Angel Fernandez, and his brother is Melbourne Mayor Tasman Fernandez.
The Fernandez family enjoys a considerable reputation in Australasia. Both Angel brothers have won the title of knight, and their father, Toth Fernandez, who once served in the Guards, has won the title of baron.
The title of baron can be inherited, which means that as long as the Fernandez family does not make mistakes, there will be at least one baron in the family.
However, according to the performance of the Angel brothers in politics, at the age of more than 30, with a little effort and mixed capital, it is not too difficult to fight for another baron title.
This is how noble families accumulate. At least in Australasia, where the noble heritage is not rich, the Fernandez family is already considered to be a relatively successful one among many new nobles.
Old Fernandez won the title of baron, and both sons also have the hope of winning the title of baron. This can be regarded as a successor, which is much better than some noble families whose descendants have not yet grown up.
Thanks to the teachings of old Fernandez to his two sons, the loyalty of the Fernandez brothers to the royal family is beyond doubt.
After meeting Arthur, Angel respectfully performed a noble salute to Arthur, which was reasonable with his title of knight.
If you are not a noble, you are not qualified to perform a noble salute to Arthur.
"Your Majesty, Angel Fernandez is at your service!" Angel looked at Arthur with respect and enthusiasm.
"Okay, Angel, this is not a formal meeting, it's just a private meeting between us, no need to be so formal." Arthur smiled, and he still had a good impression of the two Fernandez brothers.
"As you command, Your Majesty." Angel nodded respectfully again, but his action showed that he was not relaxed at all.
"I came to you to ask about our environmental governance. The forest over Lake El should be the result of your department, right?" Arthur was very patient and kind to Angel, an official who was both capable and very loyal.
Of course, loyalty was the stepping stone to attract Arthur. After all, the entire country has a population of more than 40 million, and there are many capable talents.
"Yes, Your Majesty. Because the Lake Eyre Canal has effectively improved the ecological environment around Lake Eyre, we plan to build a sand-proof forest in the middle of the two rivers leading to Lake Eyre to completely block land desertification west of the sand-proof forest.
If the plan is successful, millions of square kilometers of land east of the Lake Eyre Canal can be preserved, and we will no longer have scarce land resources." Angel nodded and laid out the plan of his department.
"It's a very good idea. Who proposed the sand-proof forest plan?" Arthur nodded with a smile, and was quite satisfied with the sand-proof forest plan.
The Lake Eyre Canal brought a lot of seawater to Lake Eyre. Although plants cannot grow around Lake Eyre due to high salt content, more than ten kilometers away, water infiltration allows land to be planted.
After all, Lake Eyre is originally a saltwater lake. Taking all factors into consideration, the Lake Eyre Canal has basically not damaged the ecology of Lake Eyre. The canal plan is completely beneficial and harmless.
"It was my idea, Your Majesty." Angel said truthfully: "Tall trees can block the advance of wind and sand, and the two rivers leading to Lake El already have water sources, which also provides an opportunity for us to build a sand forest."
"It's a very good idea, Angel." Arthur nodded again with satisfaction, and liked Angel even more.
For such a capable subordinate, Arthur naturally wanted to train him: "Does the environmental management department have any new plans now?"
"Your Majesty, we plan to build a large number of forest areas around Lake Eyre, Lake Torrens, Lake Gairdner and Lake Frome, forming a real protection line with the Diamantina River in the north.
If it succeeds, it may be possible to save the Great Artesian Basin and prevent the Simpson Desert from expanding eastward." After careful consideration for a moment, Angel told all the next plans discussed by his department.
"This should be a big project, right?" Arthur asked curiously, "How much is the estimated fiscal budget of your department?"
"At least 30 million Australian dollars." Angel said cautiously.
This is a huge financial expenditure for any cabinet department. Not to mention that Angel's environmental governance department is only a small department under the cabinet, it is an astronomical figure that dare not be thought of.
"However, this plan will take at least five years to implement, and the estimated annual fiscal budget required is only about 6 million." Angel was afraid that Arthur would be dissatisfied with the huge fiscal budget, so he hurriedly explained.
"This budget is quite reasonable. It seems that your environmental management department has actually investigated the situation when making the plan." Arthur smiled and nodded, not complaining about the 30 million Australian dollars budget.
I am very optimistic about your plan. Tell Prime Minister Raul that I have approved the 30 million Australian dollars budget for five years, but I hope to see good results in five years. "Arthur smiled and planned to give Angel a chance.
"Yes, Your Majesty. "Hearing that Arthur agreed to his financial budget application, Angel nodded excitedly and responded to Arthur's words very forcefully.
Hearing Angel's forceful response, Arthur nodded with satisfaction.
To be honest, the environment here does require a very high cost, and Arthur doesn't mind giving Angel a chance to let him use his abilities.
But the premise of all this is that Angel has a certain degree of confidence in his abilities. If Arthur provides funds and Angel has no confidence, then Arthur has to consider whether his funds are valuable.
Cultivating talents is important, but the premise is that talents must have sufficient abilities. Although Arthur still has a good impression of the Fernandez family, this is not a reason for Arthur to be overly biased towards them.