The Rise Of Australasia - Chapter 66

Chapter 66: Chapter 66: Christmas Warship Visit

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Arthur and William H’s negotiations went very smoothly, taking less than three hours to determine the framework of the aid treaty, including the purchase of important technologies in military industry.

No matter what William Il’s purpose is, this treaty is only beneficial for Australia, with no drawbacks.

With the help of Germany and assistance from the United Kingdom, Australia’s economy and industry will enter a period of explosive growth.

Although the signing of the aid treaty is accompanied by some agreements on military matters, the good news is that William II does not explicitly require Australia to join a future war.

Australia only needs to provide resource support to Germany within six months after the outbreak of the war and take the opportunity to harass France’s major colonies.

For Arthur, this is completely acceptable. Without directly getting mired in the quagmire of war, causing more intense conflicts in Europe is not harmful to Australia.

After all, war often creates many wealth opportunities. Australia’s military industry, supported by Britain and Germany, will naturally be more acceptable to both countries.

Given the choice, the same standard equipment is more familiar and has higher combat effectiveness than different equipment.

December 19,1900, the second day after talks between Arthur and William II.

After the two monarchs confirmed the framework of the treaty, officials also began to finalize the details of the contract.

Since the general framework has been determined, the negotiations progress quickly. The more difficult issues have already been resolved by Arthur and William II, and officials from both countries only need to discuss the types of assistance and specific amounts.

However, it still took about five days to fully negotiate the massive aid plan, which includes up to 75 million pounds in funds, various advanced technologies, and outstanding workers.

Luckily for Australia, William II decided to conclude the treaty negotiations before Christmas, so on December 23, the day before Christmas Eve, some contentious issues were quickly resolved by officials from both countries by Germany’s compromise.

This was the only way, and for the two countries that genuinely want to conclude a treaty, the aid-provider Germany had to make some concessions.

December 24,1900, Berlin, Germany.

Just before Christmas Eve, Germany and Australia finally agreed on all the details of the treaty and printed the officially signed treaty by both monarchs, which went into effect.

The official name of the treaty is the “German-Australian Berlin Agreement on Assistance and Cooperation,” abbreviated as the “Berlin Agreement.”

Since the agreement contains parts about military operations and diplomatic support during wartime, considering both sides, only part of the content of this agreement will be disclosed, and other cooperation plans will not be revealed.

Under the media’s spotlight, William II and Arthur held up their respective copies of the treaty and smiled for a group photo.

After the political resolution was completed, Arthur and the diplomatic visiting team spent the remaining few days for rest and entertainment.

After a short Christmas vacation, Arthur had to prepare to return to Australia to attend the government’s annual report meeting and New Year’s plan meeting.

Having been away from Australia for almost two months, most of the time was spent on the sea journey.

Arthur actually missed his manor in Australia and the freedom it brought.

In order to make up for the previous lack of hospitality, William II specifically held a grand banquet on Christmas Eve, inviting Arthur and all members of the diplomatic visiting group to attend.

Of course, holding a banquet on Christmas Eve was a tradition. However, taking advantage of the banquet to get acquainted with many German nobles and upper echelon figures was very beneficial for the short-term development of Australia.

Thanks to William H’s strong recommendation, Arthur attracted a lot of attention at the Christmas Eve banquet.

Especially as a duke with real power and a direct grandson of the late Queen Victoria, Arthur was already quite famous.

Many nobles wanted to establish an alliance with Arthur through marriage, but they were all rejected by him.

Arthur enjoyed his current free life and did not want to get married so soon. Of course, perhaps he also did not want to be too close with Germany.

After all, following World War I, German nobility would be overthrown, and regardless of the Hohenzollern family or various dukes and earls, they would eventually lose their titles of nobility and become ordinary wealthy people.

However, Arthur did not refuse to establish good relationships with them.

Including traditional military industry families such as Culver Company and Mauser Company, Arthur sought to attract them all.

When Germany failed, it might not be impossible to win over these military-industrial enterprises and attract some talent to join Australia.

After the Christmas Eve grand banquet, the Christmas vacation quickly followed.

As a traditional Christian holiday, the German Empire took a break on this day, which also included William II.

However, to entertain Arthur, William II specifically invited him to visit a Brunswick-class battleship and get a taste of the strength of the German navy.

It must be said that compared to this massive battleship, Australia’s small warships were simply insignificant.

At the time, battleships were the most powerful warships and represented the mainstream naval power of countries around the world. Battleships, in terms of their size and combat capabilities, showcased a nation’s strong navy.

Even in 1900, there were not many countries in the world that possessed battleships, with fewer than twenty.

Among them, even fewer countries had the ability to produce battleships. Aside from a few major powers, hardly any country could master battleship construction technology, even for those that had already fallen behind in that era.

Many regional countries dreamed of owning battleships. The Ottoman Empire once eagerly sought to acquire two battleships, going so far as to launch a large-scale national fundraising campaign, attracting the enthusiasm and donations of people all over the country. This shows just how important battleships were to these countries in this era.

Britain’s delay in delivering these two battleships also played a significant role in Ottoman Turkey’s decision to join Germany in World War I.

After all, these were two battleships that caused a nationwide sensation. Britain’s delay in delivering them, and even blatant refusal, angered both the Turkish higher authorities and the public.

In this era, a battleship brought a huge boost to a navy’s combat capabilities.

Currently, the Australian navy was hardly worth mentioning. But with just one battleship of active service quality from the major powers, Australia’s navy would directly rank among the top thirty in the world..