The Rise Of Australasia

Chapter 221: Chapter 208: The Focus of the Banquet

Arthur’s words came as a surprise to many nobles and officials from various countries and further fueled the enthusiasm of the cheering Australasian crowd.

Is a fleet consisting of two battleships, five large main warships, ten medium cruisers, and dozens of small warships considered powerful?

This level is only about half of the current Island Nation’s fleet size and could only rank in the world’s top 15 at best.

But what if these two battleships are the latest dreadnought-class vessels? Currently, only the British Empire truly possesses dreadnought-class battleships, and only a handful of countries have planned budgets, designs, and production for dreadnoughts.

If the warships Australasia is planning to build are dreadnought class, then the strength of this fleet could reach the world’s top ten.

Especially in the Indian Ocean and the Western Pacific, the strength of this Australasian fleet is not to be underestimated.

For the people of Australasia, nothing is more exciting than their country truly possessing main battleships.

Only after truly possessing battleships can the Australasian navy step into the limelight and be recognized by other countries in the world.

Amid the astonishment of foreign officials and the cheers of the audience, Arthur’s coronation ceremony officially came to an end.

At the final moment of the coronation ceremony, the flag on the square was also replaced with the already selected flag of the Kingdom of Australasia.

More than one country is interested in Australasia’s naval plans, particularly those with interests on the western coast of the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean.

If the two battleships Australasia is planning to build are of the dreadnought class, they should consider adjusting their foreign policies towards Australasia.

However, after the coronation, Arthur went straight back to Sydney Palace. Even with many questions, these nobles and officials had no choice but to wait until the evening banquet to ask privately.

After the announcement of Australasia’s naval construction plan, the German Empire and the Tsardom of Russia were the happiest.

Germany’s interests in the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific are not extensive, and the closest to Australasia is the German New Guinea Colony.

But this land is not that important; William II even sees it as a means to win over Australasia.

The Tsardom of Russia is the same. After Arthur and Grand Duchess Mary’s engagement, the Tsardom of Russia and Australasia evolved into de facto allies.

Also, as Russia’s interest areas are in the Far East, far away from Australasia, conflicts between the two countries would hardly arise.

Under such circumstances, Australasia’s possession of a stronger naval force is actually good news for the Tsardom of Russia.

Of course, Arthur returned directly to Sydney Palace not for any special reason. Princess Louise was in charge of organizing the evening banquet, and Arthur only needed to appear as the protagonist of the evening.

Actually, Arthur saw Grand Duchess Mary. Yes, because the children of Tsar Nicholas II were too young, the Russian representative sent was Duke Sergei.

When she heard about the trip to Australasia, Grand Duchess Mary wanted to come as well. Nicholas II wanted to foster a relationship between the two, so he added Grand Duchess Mary’s name to the delegation’s list.

Seeing Grand Duchess Mary again after more than a year, Arthur’s mood was quite good.

After choosing Grand Duchess Mary, Arthur straightened his attitude, treated her as the future Queen of Australasia – his wife – and made efforts to cultivate their feelings for one another.

One year later, Grand Duchess Mary was 18, the perfect age.

In fact, Duke Sergei brought Grand Duchess Mary to Australasia this time to accomplish an important task, which was to finalize the wedding date of Arthur and Grand Duchess Mary.

Now that Arthur was 23 years old and Grand Duchess Mary was 18, it was time to advance the close union between Russia and Australasia!

Of course, the specific wedding date and various procedures were left to Princess Louise and Hunter to negotiate and organize. Arthur had no time to direct the wedding process.

Naturally, Princess Louise would not let Arthur interfere, as he did not know much about the traditional Western nobility weddings.

However, since the establishment of the Kingdom of Australasia, the king’s wedding would certainly be much more lavish than expected.

For this, Arthur had prepared a large amount of funds and materials, and the Guards could also make an appearance during the wedding to showcase the luxury and power of the Australasian royal family.

Of course, Arthur’s current mission was to get along well with Grand Duchess Mary, adding some romance to their marriage rather than just a simple political alliance.

With this in mind, Arthur took Grand Duchess Mary on a tour of almost the entire Sydney Palace, visited the garden and lake in front of the palace, and saw the monument Arthur prepared for the future heroes of Australasia, as well as the statues at the front gate of the palace.

The statues of Queen Victoria and Arthur have been completed.

Next to Arthur’s statue, there was already a prepared platform to begin carving the statue of Grand Duchess Mary.

Of course, the actual carving would have to wait until after the wedding when Grand Duchess Mary truly becomes the Queen of the Kingdom of Australasia. Then, she would leave her statue as the queen.