The Rise Of Australasia

Chapter 192: Chapter 186: A Completely Different War

Time came to May 1904.

The issuance of the new currency was very successful. Although only a little over a week had passed, more than two million pounds worth of new currency, that is, Australian dollars, had been circulated.

This currency issuance was carried out nationwide in a unified manner, allowing people to freely choose their own salary payment methods, and both the pound and Australian dollar became one of the recognized payment methods of the Federation.

Within Australia, many people have chosen to receive their salaries in Australian dollars.

They have great trust in the current government and Arthur, and naturally recognize the new currency issued by the royal family.

Even within Australia, many collectors have emerged, as they firmly believe that the limited number of commemorative currencies may have collectible value in the future, something the current pound does not have.

According to the news currently received from various royal banks of the Federation, approximately one million Australian dollars, thirteen million shillings, and forty-two million pennies have been exchanged, and half of them are now in circulation in the market.

This is good news for Australia, the New Zealand Federation, and Arthur.

The Federation can now preliminarily break away from the economic control of the British Empire and have its own new currency.

As for Arthur and the royal family, these currencies are issued by the royal bank, which means that the national financial power is currently in the hands of the royal family, an important means of consolidating royal power.

With financial power, military power, and popular support all in Arthur’s hands, as long as Arthur is in power for a day, there will be no forces or individuals with the power to challenge the royal family within the Federation.

Compared with the political figures in Australia, the war in the Far East is much more fierce than in history.

Due to Arthur’s indirect intervention, both sides in the war have more advanced weapons and equipment, including large-scale lethal artillery and heavy machine guns. Both the Russian Empire and the Island Nation have equipped more of them.

After the previous Battle of Port Arthur, the sea has resumed a brief calm for the Island Nation.

Major General Makarov maintained his plan, with occasional sightings of warships departing from Port Arthur, performing covert missions.

The tranquility of the ocean also means the cruelty on land.

Since March 21, 1904, when the First Army of the Island Nation landed in Nampo, Korea, the Island Nation’s land forces remained relatively inactive.

The main reason for this was that the Island Nation’s army was waiting for the navy’s action – only when the navy had an advantage and used its powerful ship guns could the fortress of Port Arthur be threatened.

But the development of the situation was beyond the Island Nation’s expectations, as the naval battle did not achieve victory and, in fact, the Island Nation failed in the naval battle.

But the war on land could not stop, as maintaining such an army scale was a huge consumption for both sides.

In mid-April, the First Army of the Island Nation arrived in the northern part of the Korean Peninsula.

On the opposite side, responsible for defense was the East Manchuria Command of the Russian Empire, led by Commander Zasulich.

There were about 30,000 soldiers in the Island Nation’s First Army, and nearly 20,000 in the East Manchuria Command.

Just looking at the simple attack and defense advantages, the Russian Empire seemed to have the upper hand. However, as soon as Zasulich arrived at the front, the Russian Empire did nothing for a month and a half: they neither strengthened defensive works nor deployed their forces orderly on the frontlines, leaving them without any countermeasures against enemies.

The only defensive work they had was a long trench, without even a bit of camouflage.

About half of the reserve forces were stationed ten kilometers away, and the artillery positions were completely exposed to the enemy.

Not to mention how such a “talent” secured the high positions of Commander of the East Manchuria Command and Major General of the Russian Empire, this situation was a gift to the Island Nation’s army.

After preparing for more than ten days, the Island Nation launched an attack, attempting to encircle the 20,000-strong army by outflanking the enemy’s left rear.

On the second day, both sides engaged in fierce battle in the nearby area, with the Russian Empire sluggishly resisting the Island Nation’s attack with artillery and counterattacks.

However, due to the Island Nation’s troop advantage and the Russian army’s poor defensive positions, as well as the exposed artillery, the Island Nation’s artillery fire suppressed the Russian artillery, and the islanders successfully attacked the positions on the same day.

Concerned about being encircled, Russian Commander Zasulich quickly ordered a retreat to the rear.

However, by the time it retreated, the East Siberian 11th Infantry Regiment was already deep in the encirclement of the Island Nation’s army, and several attempts to break out had failed, eventually ending in total annihilation.

However, this infantry regiment was not without achievements. Although it had not been equipped with Australian artillery, it was fortuitously assigned two heavy machine guns.

After unsuccessful attempts to break out, the East Siberian 11th Infantry Regiment chose to hold its ground resolutely, eventually sacrificing its entire force in exchange for more than 6,000 casualties for the Island Nation’s army.

This was the first land battle between the Russian Empire and the Island Nation, with the Russian Empire suffering a great defeat and the Island Nation achieving a bitter victory.

Of the 20,000-strong Dongman Detachment led by Zasulich, only about 12,000 managed to successfully retreat.

In the offensive, the First Army of the Island Nation, with 30,000 troops, lost more than 5,000 men, and suffered another 6,000 casualties during the siege of the Russian East Siberian 11th Infantry Regiment, reducing the number of combatants to 18,000.

However, strategically speaking, the ultimate beneficiary of this war was still the Island Nation. Zasulich’s retreat directly opened the Eastern Gate of the Far East to the Island Nation.

After a brief rest, the First Army of Island Nation immediately advanced into the far eastern inland.

At the same time, in early May.

Approximately 40,000 troops of the Island Nation’s Second Army set off fully equipped and landed at Pizzaro Nest on the Liaodong Peninsula, intending to capture Port Arthur from north to south.

The reason why the Island Nation attaches great importance to Port Arthur is that the port’s geographical location is of crucial importance.

As long as the Russian Empire continues to control Port Arthur, the Pacific Squadron can threaten the sea lanes of the island nation army that has already landed at any time.

Moreover, if the Pacific Squadron ventures all, it could completely cut off the logistics supply lines between the Island Nation’s homeland and the landing troops.

What can an army without logistics do? Apart from mutiny, they can only be captured or starved to death.

The defense force north of Port Arthur was the Russian Empire’s Fourth Infantry Division, commanded by General Fawkes.

The Fourth Infantry Division had a scale of 18,000 troops, possessing more than 150 artillery pieces and twenty heavy machine guns.

General Makarov also understood the importance of Port Arthur, and at his suggestion, Governor of the Far East Alexeyev provided some of the equipment purchased from Australia to the Fourth Infantry Division.

This has led to the current extravagant equipment of the Fourth Infantry Division, where everyone is armed with the German-made Gew98 Rifle and has more than twenty CA-1 machine guns, fifteen 105mm howitzers, and other guns.

In mid-May, the Island Nation’s Second Army and the Russian Fourth Infantry Division successfully encountered each other and quickly engaged in battle.

Whether it was firepower or the scale of troops, the Island Nation’s Second Army had an ample advantage.

Major General Augustine Walters thought the same way. As the commander of the Second Army, he seemed to have seen the opportunity to attack Port Arthur, so he ordered all four divisions to press on, intending to quickly resolve the defensive forces in the northern part of Port Arthur.

At the beginning of the battle, the Island Nation’s artillery successfully suppressed the artillery of the Russian Empire.

The soldiers of the Island Nation also approached the Fourth Infantry Division very smoothly. The troops on both sides were even able to see each other’s ferocious faces and smoke-dust-laden hair.

“Fire at full force!”

With General Fawkes’s command, the guns from Australia fired successfully. Under the guidance of the CA-1 machine gun, the Russian artillery regained its advantage, and consecutive shell explosions occurred in the Island Nation’s troops, causing heavy casualties among the islanders.

“Damn it! Where did these Russians get so many guns? Such concentrated firepower must come from at least a thousand guns.” In the distance on the battlefield, Major General Augustine Walters stared at the exploding artillery fire in horror, asking in disbelief.

Unfortunately, no one could answer his question, as none of the islanders had ever seen such dense artillery fire, and no one even thought to order the withdrawal of the army quickly.

Actually, this is normal since the current fully automatic technology is basically only used for firearms, with machine guns being the best example of fully automatic technology.

At present, only France and Australia have mastered the technology of automatic artillery, and at most Germany as well.

However, France is an ally of the Russian Empire, and Germany supports the Russian Empire’s expansion in the Far East. As for Australia, it goes without saying that without Arthur’s orders, it would not export any domestically-produced weapons.

Currently, Germany’s public weapons arsenal does not have the option of automatic artillery, and all the weapons imported by the Island Nation come from the technology of the Krub Factory, with 75mm and 105mm howitzers.

All these guns have one thing in common: they are relatively slow to fire. Within a minute, at most, they can fire less than ten shells.

However, the firing rate of the CA-1 machine gun reached a terrifying sixty rounds per minute, which is a difference of six or seven times.

It was precisely because of the crazy bombardment from the CA-1 machine gun that Major General Augustine Walters had the illusion that the Russian army opposite had thousands of artillery guns.

By the time Major General Augustine Walters reacted, it was too late. At the moment, in order to resolve the battle quickly, the Island Nation’s army had rushed forward, with very close gaps between the troops.

This allowed the CA-1 machine gun to play a significant role. Although its relative power was not so great, each shell was enough to cause varying degrees of damage to enemies within five meters.

Moreover, each round of the CA-1 machine gun fires multiple shells, and many island nation soldiers were hit by multiple shells before they could react.

The war ended in the sound of the Pacific Squadron’s ship guns. Unlike the original history, the Pacific Squadron was still able to maintain parity with the United Fleet, so the Island Nation’s army did not receive naval gun support, but instead, the Russian army received naval gun support from the Pacific Squadron.

Ship guns, especially those on firepower-dependent battleships, have large calibers of over 200 millimeters and in some cases reach a terrifying 300 millimeters.

Such large-caliber guns are a scourge for infantry, and many can only watch as the front black spot grows larger and larger before being engulfed in the white smoke.

General Makarov unleashed all his anger from the last naval battle this time. This time, a total of two battleships were dispatched, firing over one hundred naval shells.