Chapter 224: Establishment of the Patrol System
The Imperial Guard soldiers re-equipped themselves and joined the landing force.
Although the national fiscal income was still in deficit, the annual military expenditure was substantial and increasing each year.
Of course, this could be attributed to Arthur's attitude toward military training. Arthur believed that excellent soldiers were forged with bullets and extensive training. Therefore, whether it was the Imperial Guard or the National Defense Army, the daily ammunition consumption for training was high, with each soldier firing at least thirty rounds per day.
From the Imperial Guard soldiers' equipment, it was clear to see the luxury of the Australasia military. This time, each soldier was equipped with multiple spare magazines, grenades, and pistols.
Though it increased the load on each soldier, for the well-trained Imperial Guard soldiers, these were just part of their routine.
The Australasia army's method of advancement was extravagant. Any area suspected of harboring pirates was bombarded with several grenades in quick succession.
This left the pirates with no capacity to resist. Their muskets could only cause damage at close range, and the reloading time was also long.
As a result, when the surviving pirates managed to fire a shot, unsure of whether they had caused any casualties, they were already facing the overwhelming firepower of the Australasia army, including grenade bombardments.
With such a powerful firepower coverage, it wasn't just these pirates with poor equipment and training that couldn't withstand it, even regular military forces from European countries wouldn't have been able to endure it.
Seeing that resistance was hopeless, the pirates mostly hoped to hide until the attackers left the island.
Perhaps some of them regretted looting Australasia's merchant ships, but no one was going to give them a second chance. They would have to pay the price for provoking Australasia.
The operation lasted until dawn. After ensuring that there were no survivors left on the islands, Minister Kent gave the order for all the fleets to return.
On April 9, 1907, in Sydney Port, Australasia.
News of Minister Kent's successful mission had already reached Australasia. Arthur and the Australasia government quickly made the announcement to share the good news.
All the Australasians who had been following the pirate looting incident cheered for the military's victory.
Many people had already gathered spontaneously at Sydney Port, preparing to welcome their brave army, the army that could truly protect their safety.
To express the importance placed on this action, Arthur came to Sydney Port before the fleet's return, waiting with government officials.
Soon, the fleet approached Sydney Port and docked at the pier.
Under the protection of soldiers, over a dozen Australasians who had been captured were relieved to return to the port.
"Your Majesty!"
Seeing Arthur and the government officials waiting on the dock, these survivors immediately came forward, respectfully and fervently bowing.
They knew full well that only Arthur could mobilize the army on such a large scale in Australasia.
In other words, their survival and return to Australasia were completely due to Arthur's decision to mobilize the army for their rescue.
For those who had narrowly escaped death, their feelings toward Arthur had become fanatic. They had become his most loyal followers.
Arthur smiled and nodded, his gentle expression to these people was like a warm embrace from God.
"Your Majesty, the mission has been successfully completed. All pirates have been executed, and their strongholds have been destroyed. There were no casualties during the operation, except for the consumption of some weapons and ammunition," Minister Kent reported respectfully.
Arthur nodded again but didn't look at Minister Kent. Instead, he looked at the crowd gathered at the port.
"People of Australasia, this pirate looting incident has served as a wake-up call for the entire nation. Our control over the surrounding seas is far too little, which allowed this pirate attack to happen before our eyes. Fortunately, our actions were not too late, and we were able to successfully rescue all the captured citizens. My loyal soldiers are the protectors of the people and will do whatever it takes to defend the safety of all Australasians," Arthur said in a serious tone.
"Long live Your Majesty!"
"Long live Australasia!"
"Long live the Kingdom!"
The people cheered with all their might, offering the best response to Arthur.
"But we cannot act out of ignorance. I announce that the government will dispatch more fleets to form various patrol teams to protect the safety of all our people on important shipping lanes. No nation or force shall attack vessels flying the flag of Australasia, or else it will be seen as a threat to Australasia and an act of war. My army and I will use real actions to demonstrate that the kingdom will always protect its citizens," Arthur declared solemnly.
This pirate incident had given Australasia the perfect excuse to openly dispatch various patrol fleets to control the surrounding seas.
Including the inland seas of the Dutch East Indies, controlled by the Netherlands, which would now become a target for Australasia's naval patrols.
There was no way around it. The Dutch East Indies had pirates within, and these pirates had conveniently attacked Australasia's merchant ships. Wasn't this a perfect excuse to bring the problem to a head?
Arthur wasn't concerned about the Netherlands' response. As long as no other major powers were involved, the Netherlands was no longer Australasia's rival in Southeast Asia.
In fact, if a few more years passed and Australasia's warships began to be deployed in large numbers, the Netherlands wouldn't even qualify as a competitor to Australasia.
All of Arthur's decisions in the port were published in two official Australasia newspapers the next day.
While Australasia's domestic excitement was undeniable, these decisions caused quite a stir in Europe as well.
Of course, the most difficult to accept was undoubtedly the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The best part of Australasia was located in the southeastern part of the Australian continent and the North Island of New Zealand.
For these areas to reach Europe or East Asia, they had to pass through the Dutch East Indies, either traveling west through the Strait of Malacca and the Indian Ocean to Europe, or heading north to East Asia.
This meant that part of the seas under Dutch control in the East Indies was now under the surveillance of Australasia's naval patrols. If left unchecked, it was equivalent to leaving the gateway open for Australasia.
But how could they stop it? It was practically impossible for the Netherlands to use its own power.
While the Netherlands had more than 100,000 soldiers, only 50,000 were stationed in the Dutch East Indies. Whether in training or equipment, they couldn't compare to Australasia's army.
Considering population and industrial scale, Australasia had already surpassed the Netherlands, and the proximity of operations only amplified the Netherlands' small advantage.
The Netherlands' ability to hold onto the Dutch East Indies was mainly due to support from other European powers.
But Australasia had an even stronger position. Not only did it have good relations with the German Empire, but it had also formed a family and political alliance with the Russian Empire.
As for Britain, Australasia itself was a merger of two British colonies, and the ruler came from the British royal family. Unless it was a matter of national survival, there was virtually no chance of a serious fallout between Australasia and Britain.
Even with the well-known tension over the briefcase incident, King Edward VII still had a favorable view of Arthur, and thus Britain wasn't likely to intervene in this matter.
In addition to Britain and Germany, France was caught in a dilemma between Britain and Russia, and it had no extra energy to deal with other issues at the moment.
Russia, having just formed a marriage alliance with Australasia, was in no position to support the Netherlands.
As for the rest of the major powers, Austria-Hungary, being Germany's subordinate, would follow Germany's neutrality, while Italy, with minimal influence in Southeast Asia and Oceania, was unlikely to oppose Australasia on behalf of the Netherlands.
In the end, after exhausting all diplomatic avenues, the Netherlands had no choice but to turn a blind eye and accept Australasia's patrol plan.
The Dutch had consoled themselves by saying, "This is just a patrol plan born out of anger due to the pirate looting. Once the influence of the pirate incident fades, such a large-scale patrol plan will naturally cease to exist."
What the Dutch didn't expect was that Arthur not only made the patrol a regular operation but, a few years later, added battleships and numerous medium-sized warships, turning half the Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean, as well as the seas of the Dutch East Indies, into Australasia's patrol zones.
This greatly increased Australasia's influence in these areas, and even some indigenous forces in the Dutch East Indies began to approach Australasia.
They had no choice. The fate of the Boram Mongondo Kingdom was a stark warning. Because they offended Australasia, the ruling class of the Boram Mongondo Kingdom was nearly wiped out, and their land was divided among the Sultanates of Mandan and Ruu in the south.
More importantly, after two massacres in the Dutch East Indies, both the Dutch East Indies Governor and the Kingdom of the Netherlands had no response.
What did this represent? It showed that even the Dutch feared the military might of Australasia, which was why they remained silent.
Since the Dutch feared it, the indigenous forces who had been forced to submit to the Dutch East Indies understood who the country they couldn't offend was.
Arthur's actions were swift. Starting from mid-April, Australasia's navy began frequent patrols along its coast and the northern seas.
Although this would increase material consumption, especially coal and oil, Australasia had abundant coal reserves and several large oil fields, so there was no need to worry about these issues.
With the fleet patrolling and providing protection, no issues arose for Australasia's merchant ships. Even the indigenous fishing tribes and their boats would avoid Australasia's merchant ships, fearing they would attract trouble.
Arthur also held a ceremony within the Imperial Guard, recognizing the soldiers who participated in the rescue mission.
Though no medals were directly awarded, verbal commendations were given, and each soldier was rewarded with one thousand Australian dollars, earning enthusiastic and loyal gazes from the soldiers.
What Arthur didn't expect was that this large-scale naval and military operation not only earned him and the government more intense admiration from the Australasians but also gained favor from many Europeans.
After all, there weren't many monarchs like Arthur who truly cared about the lives and deaths of ordinary people. Moreover, with his tax reduction policies and welfare initiatives, the appeal of Australasia as a destination for immigration had grown significantly.
Starting from May 1907, it was evident that more and more people were migrating to Australasia, choosing to become permanent residents.
Compared to 1906, the number of immigrants had increased by over 30%, marking a significant increase.
Australasia now had a yearly immigrant intake of 400,000 people. If this growth rate continued, it meant the population would increase by more than 120,000 this year alone.
With the encouragement of birth policies, it was highly likely that the population of Australasia would exceed 7 million before the arrival of 1908.
Of course, the influx of immigrants posed a challenge for Arthur. Most of these immigrants wanted to settle in large cities like Sydney and Melbourne, unwilling to move to Western Australia or South Australia.
This was not an ideal situation, as Western and South Australia had vast mineral resources and required sufficient population and labor to exploit them.
Additionally, with the large influx of immigrants, cities like Sydney and Melbourne faced issues with insufficient planning, causing some chaos in urban development.
In the end, Arthur introduced a policy offering 50% more land allocation for those willing to move to the western regions or smaller cities, which somewhat alleviated the issue.
(End of Chapter)
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