Chapter 297: Chapter 262: Queen Mary is pregnant

The most significant impact of the formation of the Allies and the complete opposition to the Central Powers on the European situation actually came from the small and medium-sized countries surrounding these two military blocs.

As the competition between the two sides became clear, these small and medium-sized countries also faced a question: which side to choose, or whether to remain neutral.

Such a decision was not easy to make, as both sides had a dominant superpower and were composed of three powerful nations.

This would result in a huge war that could easily affect the whole of Europe if both sides were to engage in combat, and no European country could easily escape unscathed.

Could remaining a neutral country truly avoid this extraordinary war?

Since September 1908, the arms race between the two major military blocs had escalated, but the main participating countries were still Britain and Germany.

Once Germany surpassed the British in dreadnoughts, Britain immediately revised its shipbuilding plan, accelerating the construction of the three planned Bellerophon-class battleships, and issued an order to the shipyards responsible for the construction of these battleships to complete them by the end of March 1909 and conduct sea trials.

It didn’t stop there, the construction plan of the improved St Vincent-class battleship was also accelerated.

According to Britain’s original construction plan, the earliest completion time for the three St Vincent-class battleships would not be until next May, and the remaining two would not be completed until March or April the following year.

However, Germany’s catch-up had alarmed the British, and they specifically ordered the three St Vincent-class battleships to be completed by the end of 1909 and be added to the naval fleet by mid-to-late July 1910.

This meant that from this September, the British Empire would complete at least six dreadnoughts over the course of more than a year, consolidating its superiority as the world’s leading naval power.

Compared to the pace of shipbuilding in Australasia, the speed of the British Empire’s naval construction was astonishing, but this was still just the tip of the iceberg for the British Empire’s naval shipbuilding industry.

In addition to building dreadnoughts, the British Empire also planned to equip its domestic army with a new round of weaponry, with the obsolete weapons being deployed to colonial forces.

This was no small expense, but it was not too much for the financially powerful British Empire.

It is worth noting that the British Empire’s military spending was the highest among the great powers; its spending reached a staggering 589.2 million pounds last year.

Ranked second is the German Empire with military spending at 548.9 million pounds. Russia, which appears less developed, is ranked third with military spending at 532.8 million pounds.

Meanwhile, France, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and the Kingdom of Italy ranked fourth, fifth, and sixth, and their military spending totaled 455 million pounds, 211.3 million pounds, and 185.7 million pounds, respectively.

The high military spending of the major powers in the military domain represented a peak in the confrontation between the two European military blocs, with the arms race causing military expenditure to escalate.

But this was not the peak of military spending for the countries. Historically, after the outbreak of war, their military spending increased several times.

Take the German Empire in 1918, which had the highest military spending in the world. In that year, the German Empire’s military expenditure reached a staggering 350 billion German marks, equivalent to 17.5 billion pounds, which also explains why the war brought enormous pain to European countries.

Apart from the high military spending, the cost of the war this year was enough to drag down any country.

As a defeated country, it was no surprise that Germany faced 500,000 marks worth of bread after the war, as long periods of warfare and high military spending had already caused rapid depreciation of the country’s currency.

In addition to the exploitation of other countries after the war and the exploitation of their own capitalists, the seeds of hatred grew in the hearts of the German people.

Compared to the high military spending of the major powers, the military spending of geographically remote Australasia is quite meager.

In 1907, Australasia’s military expenditure amounted to just over 4 million pounds. Even this year, with the start of the shipbuilding plan, total expenditure will not exceed 8 million pounds.

From this perspective, it is evident that there is still a significant gap between Australasia and the major European countries. The population and economic situation in Australasia are still far behind those of European nations, which is also a limitation for Australasia to become a powerful country.

As Christmas 1908 approached, Christmas was an extremely important holiday for Western countries, and Australasia also had a three-day national holiday for Christmas.

Sydney Palace was well prepared for Christmas, with the trees and flowers in the surrounding square heavily decorated, and even the statues in front of the palace bathed in sunlight and shining brightly.

Of course, Arthur didn’t care too much about these matters, as more important news was waiting for Arthur’s attention at the moment.

After two and a half years of effort, Queen Mary’s pregnancy was finally showing some signs of progression.

The day before Christmas, Arthur received a report from the royal personal hospital’s doctor that Queen Mary might be pregnant!

This was good news for Arthur, the royal family, and even the entire Australasian government and country.

With an heir, it can be proved that the dynasty can continue. Nowadays, as the monarch’s power is so high in Australasia, officials are also afraid that the royal power will fall into others’ hands, causing the hardships of the country in recent years to be in vain.

Arthur attaches great importance to his possible first son or daughter. Not only did he accompany Queen Mary from the moment he received the news, but he also gathered all the famous doctors of Australasia, stationed at the Royal Personal Hospital for Queen Mary’s recuperation.

In fact, under Arthur’s efforts, the Royal Personal Hospital has long become the most advanced hospital in Australasia with the most top medical talents.

But it is better to be well-prepared for such things, so Arthur even planned to recruit experts from major European hospitals at a high salary since there was plenty of money anyways.

Arthur did not order such good news to be concealed either. The spread of this news can also increase the government’s confidence in their work, and they don’t have to worry that their contributions to the country will be forgotten by the rulers after Arthur.

On Christmas Day, Arthur received congratulations from various European countries.

Russia and Germany were the fastest, after all, Queen Mary came from the Russian Monarchy, and Emperor William II of Germany was Arthur’s cousin, and the diplomatic relation between Germany and Australasia was very good.

Not only Russia and Germany, many European powers and small and medium-sized countries, including the British Empire, also sent congratulations to Australasia.

This includes the countries controlled by the members of the Saxe-Coburg-Gotha Dynasty, as well as other small and medium-sized European monarchies.

After all, this is still the era of monarchism. For the complex relations of European royal families, perhaps Arthur can indeed have connections with most European monarchies.

For his possible first son or daughter, Arthur had high expectations.

Various strict traditional elite noble educations, coupled with further training, are inevitable.

As a son or daughter of a king, the little one in Queen Mary’s belly is likely to have only two or three years of good days, before entering strict education.

Australasia has a good development environment and timing, and Arthur is confident in developing it into a top power.

However, the succession of the country should be treated cautiously afterwards. In order to ensure the development of the country and the continuity of the royal family, it is necessary to cultivate a capable successor for oneself and the nation.

Even if not the successor, Arthur’s offspring also represent the dignity and prestige of the royal family, which means they cannot be wasted.

On Christmas Day, Arthur spent a warm day with his family, and officials were very tactful not to disturb Arthur.

But starting from the second day of Christmas, blessings and congratulations from various officials came one after another. If Arthur hadn’t been lazy and let Butler Kent take care of unified responses, he would have been in a congratulatory atmosphere all day.

Ever since Butler Kent learned of the news, his entire demeanor has been beaming with joy. The fact that Arthur has an heir is the best news for Butler Kent, and this news is even more exciting than Arthur becoming the King of Australasia.

Queen Mary has also become the protected animal of the royal family. Not only is Princess Louise always with her, but more than ten maids also serve her at all times, allowing Queen Mary to avoid any fatigue.

In celebration, Arthur specially instructed the Royal Relief Committee to provide at least two pounds of mutton and ten pounds of grain to adult citizens with an annual income of no more than 20 Australian dollars on Christmas Day. As for underage citizens, they were provided with one pound of mutton and one liter of milk.

Currently, there are very few people in Australasia with an annual income of no more than 20 Australian dollars, and even with a population of over 7 million, there are at most 800,000 people with an income not exceeding 20 Australian dollars.

Many of these people are elderly people with no work capability. Even if the whole country’s underage citizens are included, the total cost of this initiative is not expected to exceed 5 million Australian dollars.

For Arthur, with an annual income exceeding 40 million Australian dollars, 5 million Australian dollars is just a drop in the bucket. In terms of maintaining his reputation and support, Arthur is very generous.

Arthur’s actions naturally aroused the goodwill of many Australasians. Even if they were not the beneficiaries of this initiative, hearing about the reaction also made them feel grateful.

If it weren’t for Arthur, they know they would not have their current lives. Faced with such a benevolent and loving monarch, what else can they do besides maintaining gratitude and loyalty?

Although there is no accurate number for Arthur’s popularity in Australasia, if anyone dares to say something bad about him on the streets of Australasia, they may face the wrath of the people.

If the words become more serious, it could not even be guaranteed whether they could safely leave Australasia alive.

If there are really radical elements, they are all like shrinking turtles.

Arthur’s reputation among the people is no joke, and the people don’t mind sending anyone ill-advised to see God for His forgiveness.

After the Christmas holidays, what could be clearly felt, was the joyful atmosphere of Australasia, and the efficiency of the government’s work has improved a lot.

At this time, Australasia can be said to be united, and with no worries, they are making their own efforts and contributions to the rise of Australasia.