Chapter 197 Trip
to Europe What surprised Arthur was that Australia was actually involved in the "German-Russian Alliance Treaty" that almost changed the world structure before World War I. What Arthur didn't expect was that this treaty It was not like the repeated setbacks in history, but the negotiations went very smoothly, and Nicholas II also established a relatively good relationship with William II.
But no matter what, this trip to Europe is inevitable. If Australia wants to seek more benefits in the future World War I, or even gain more international status after the war, it must have frequent contacts with Europe to prove the close relationship between Australia and Europe that come from the same origin.
On June 9, 1905, after receiving Wilhelm II's invitation to visit Germany, Arthur readily agreed, and the next day he took some of his entourage and bodyguards with him on a convoy organized by the navy, and embarked on a visit to Germany. , or even a trip across Europe.
Of course, in order not to disappoint the British in Arthur and ruin the goodwill that Arthur had worked so hard to build in the UK for a long time, Arthur went to Europe this time under the name of a visit to Europe, and the itinerary also covered the UK, Germany, and Russia. , lasting at least four months.
Of course, after deducting the more than two months required for the round trip, Arthur's stay in the three countries would not exceed half a month.
Although the other two countries visited, one has become the main rival of the British Empire, and the other is a long-standing rival of the British Empire.
But Kaiser Wilhelm II and Arthur were related and had a pretty good personal relationship. As for Russia, although they are not close relatives, Nicholas II married Queen Victoria's favorite granddaughter, and Nicholas II was also Arthur's cousin-in-law.
Moreover, Russia has achieved good arms trade cooperation with Australia in previous wars. As the ruler of Australia, it is normal for Arthur to visit Russia, which has good cooperation at the national level.
In order to express his recognition of Britain and satisfy the British vanity, Arthur chose the British Empire as his first stop and stayed in Britain for half a month.
From his arrival in London on July 3 to his departure on July 19, Arthur returned to Buckingham Palace for a few days, visited several of Queen Victoria's previous estates, and spent some time in front of Queen Victoria's mausoleum. .
In any case, Queen Victoria owes at least 90% of the credit for Arthur to have everything he has now.
At least to Arthur, Queen Victoria was a kind and kind grandmother, the warmth that Arthur felt during the most difficult times.
Arthur's not-so-deliberate move once again won the favor of many British people. Although Queen Victoria has been dead for more than five years, this does not mean that the British will forget Queen Victoria's contribution and the glory of Britain in the Victorian era.
Now Britain has ushered in its biggest challenger, which also makes many British people miss the time when they had no opponents.
Arthur's reappearance reminded many British people of the glory of the Victorian era and the great monarch who once represented the British royal family.
At the same time, many British people began to pay attention to the situation in Australia. As the grandson that Queen Victoria paid close attention to before her death, Arthur also gained a lot of attention from the British. Arthur and Australia's names were also popular in major British newspapers.
It was a year and a half ago that Arthur and Australia's names last appeared in major British newspapers.
After the British learned that Australia had formed a federation with New Zealand, most people's reaction was only blessing and recognition.
After all, this was a will made by Queen Victoria before. Even if it was made much earlier, the result would not change.
After learning that Arthur's first stop was the British Empire, the British became even more satisfied with this independent duke who was separated from the British royal family.
Even though Arthur will later visit Britain's biggest rival, Germany, and its long-standing rival, Russia, the first stop is Britain, isn't it?
During this more than half a month, Arthur also visited major shipyards and automobile factories in the British Empire.
As the world's largest power and the largest navy, Australia sends hundreds of naval academy and more than a dozen shipyard experts to the British Empire every year to study and learn from the British Empire's advanced experience and knowledge in shipbuilding and navy.
Australians and the British have the same roots, and coupled with Queen Victoria's will, these Australian naval soldiers and shipbuilding experts will learn a lot of knowledge in the UK, and the British will teach them everything they have.
These preparations are for Australia to equip dreadnoughts in the future. Australia must not only have the ability to produce dreadnoughts on its own, but also must have enough soldiers to operate the dreadnoughts after they are launched.
Sending naval soldiers to study now can speed up the formation process of the navy to the greatest extent, and also more effectively improve the combat effectiveness of the navy.
These naval soldiers and experts were flattered by Arthur's arrival. A large number of these people are actually descendants of the previous generation of British immigrants in Australia.
These people can be said to be born and raised in Australia, and their recognition of Australia is higher than that of ordinary immigrants.
After Arthur delivered a speech to the crowd and comforted and encouraged all the soldiers and experts, he embarked on his journey to Germany.
Arthur's trip to Europe this time will experience a total of three European powers.
Whether it is the United Kingdom, Germany or Russia, they are all currently one of the hegemons in Europe, and they have obvious advantages compared with other countries.
The only European country that can compare with these three countries is France, which has just concluded the Entente with Britain.
But France is a republic, and Australia has no interest in France.
In addition, Australia and France's old enemy Germany have a good relationship, so France is not Arthur's target for this trip, and Arthur has no intention of winning over and making peace with France.
France was one of the countries most affected by the two world wars. From the former European overlord, the arrogant Napoleonic Empire, to a country that was ridiculed that its flag could be quickly turned into a symbol of surrender - the white flag, it only took the French just over a hundred years.
Especially in World War I and World War II, France went from desperate resistance to rapid surrender in only twenty or thirty years. As the saying goes, you can never capture Paris before the French surrender. But it can also be seen from this sentence how huge the consumption of France was in World War I.
If the Germans after World War I generally had a desire for revenge, then the French after World War I generally had a fear of war.
What is even more outrageous is that in order to replace the large population lost due to the war, France introduced a large number of black people into its colonies.
This will also cause the number of black French people to skyrocket in the future, and even dye France, which has excellent white blood, into black.
France is still France for French people, but France is no longer France for white people.
On July 23, Arthur successfully arrived in Berlin, the capital of the German Empire.
The last time he came to Berlin was the last time, and Arthur couldn't even remember it after so long.
But Arthur could still feel the changes in Berlin.
With the sales of Benz One around the world, vehicles throughout Europe and America have become very common.
Especially in Berlin, the capital of the German Empire, cars had become very common.
Because there are so many states in the German region, there are countless local nobles of all kinds. These nobles all have one thing in common, that is, they are very rich.
With the sales of cars all over the world, owning a more luxurious car has become one of the ways to show aristocratic heritage.
Of course, Benz Automobile Factory actually also undertakes car modifications, which are not limited to interior and exterior decoration, but also more luxurious materials. It can also comprehensively upgrade the configuration and protection capabilities of the car body.
Arthur's arrival has attracted the attention of Germany. Of course, it cannot be ruled out that the reason why Germany-Russia negotiations are currently in great need of Australia's participation.
William II specially prepared a guard of honor and welcome music for Arthur, and many Germans lined the road to greet him.
Regardless of whether these Germans came voluntarily, at least judging from the size of the honor guard and the treatment they received, William II already regarded Arthur as the leader of an important country.
Seeing William II again, Arthur found that William II was obviously in a good mood. He was also very happy to see Arthur and greeted him with a smile.
"Long time no see, Arthur!" William II said first.
"Long time no see, His Majesty the Kaiser." Arthur responded.
"Let's go. I've prepared a welcome banquet for you at the Berlin Palace. Take a good rest first and let's talk about business another day." William II said with a smile.
The current negotiations between Germany and Russia are going very smoothly, but what is lacking is Australia's shareholder style.
When Arthur arrived in Europe this time, the happiest person was William II. Because he saw the hope of the German-Russian alliance, and saw the future of the German Empire becoming the new world hegemon after getting rid of the troubles on the Eastern Front, concentrating its main force on the Western Front, and quickly solving France.
Arthur gladly accepted. The current long-distance transportation method across the sea is still only by boat.
But most current ships are relatively slow, and even short journeys take longer.
It even takes over a month to travel from Australia to Europe, and several days to travel from the UK to Germany.
In addition, there were relatively few entertainment facilities in this era, and there were no TV programs or novelties.
Arthur spent most of his time on the ship receiving lessons from private teachers to ensure that Arthur's knowledge in politics, psychology, history, military and other aspects was sufficient.
Of course, military knowledge cannot be discussed on paper. Arthur also clearly understands this. Therefore, Australia's military is basically managed by dedicated people who Arthur trusts enough. Arthur will basically not take command personally.
Arthur did not want to experience the embarrassment of an amateur leading an expert. Wrong leadership would make the soldiers lose confidence in their rulers and commanders.
This is also the reason why Arthur frequently sends students to major European military academies. Arthur wants to use these military academies to cultivate Australia's own military talents to meet the shortage of high-end military talents in Australia.
At present, this action has been very effective. Australia already has the first batch of graduates from the European Military Academy, and they have already entered the army to hold important positions.
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(End of chapter)