Chapter 278: An Unexpected Harvest
Although the possibility of war breaking out in Europe at this time was small, neither the cabinet government nor Arthur dared to bet on that slim chance.
Assessing the current situation and making preparations in advance was the first thing Australasia needed to do.
However, from a national interest perspective, Arthur did not wish to see World War I start just yet.
After all, if the war broke out, countries would naturally impose restrictions on the movement of people out of their borders. At that point, it would be difficult for Australasia to attract more immigrants.
This meant that during the lead-up to and the duration of the war, the number of immigrants to Australasia would surely decrease significantly.
This was an inevitable situation, as most civilians did not want war. During times of war, those choosing to emigrate would be numerous. But if these immigrants were allowed to leave freely, it could result in a greater loss of population. This would be highly detrimental to a country involved in a war. Therefore, such outflows of people must be curtailed from the very beginning.
As the monarch of the world's most powerful nation at the time, the grandeur of King Edward VII's funeral was unimaginable.
In fact, it was as grand as expected. If Arthur recalled correctly, historically, Edward VII's funeral had been attended by nine European monarchs, five crown princes, over forty royal nobles, seven queens, and many aristocrats. It was the largest royal gathering in history.
This was also the pinnacle of aristocratic gatherings. After World War I, the power of monarchies was greatly reduced, and the influence of aristocrats also diminished, with monarchies and nobles gradually leaving the political stage in many countries.
Such a grand aristocratic gathering was something Arthur definitely had to attend. Of course, as a member of the British royal family, Arthur could not miss Edward VII's funeral.
After all, Arthur was Edward VII's nephew by blood, and the direct grandson of Queen Victoria.
After making the necessary arrangements and briefing the government, Arthur, along with Prime Minister Walter, Foreign Minister Andrew, and a diplomatic team, boarded the Australasia battleship and set sail for London.
Naturally, there were other ships accompanying them. Two more battleships followed, along with more than ten escort ships and a large supply convoy.
Although this left Australasia's coastline vulnerable, Arthur was confident that no nation would attempt a landing on Australasia's shores at this time.
The only capable countries in the region were perhaps the island nations and the United States, but both were far away and had no desire to provoke the great powers of Europe.
By bringing three battleships, Arthur not only wanted to demonstrate Australasia's naval strength but also showcase the country's shipbuilding capabilities, hoping to secure some battleship orders from the European powers and monarchies.
A single battleship could bring Arthur nearly 1.4 million Australian dollars in pure profit. Two battleship orders from foreign countries would be enough for Arthur to build another battleship.
Such a profitable deal, even with no shortage of funds, was something Arthur felt was worth pursuing.
Currently, there was fierce competition among European countries in the shipbuilding industry. Many nations wanted dreadnoughts but lacked the ability to build them.
The countries in Europe capable of building dreadnoughts were mostly busy constructing their own fleets.
This presented an opportunity for Australasia to secure some dreadnought orders from Europe, which was one of the reasons Arthur had brought along the Foreign Minister.
The Foreign Ministry was skilled in negotiation, and perhaps they could secure more dreadnought orders, which would benefit both the royal family and the government.
Currently, only the British Empire, the German Empire, the Russian Empire, and the Kingdom of Australasia truly had dreadnoughts.
Countries such as Italy and the United States had plans or were in the process of constructing them.
As for nations with the capacity to export dreadnoughts, only the British Empire, the German Empire, and Australasia were capable.
However, the naval competition between the British Empire and the German Empire was intense, with both countries so focused on their own battleship construction that they did not have the time or resources to build ships for other countries.
Although a dreadnought could earn them hundreds of thousands, or even millions, of pounds in profit, in the face of national competition, such profits were relatively insignificant.
During Arthur's voyage to London, the British government had already officially notified the world's nations, signaling that the political situation was gradually stabilizing.
Although King Edward VII passed away on May 6, his funeral was scheduled for mid-June to give sufficient time for countries to prepare and attend.
For countries like Australasia, which were far from Britain, and with Arthur's important role, the funeral had to be slightly delayed.
Fortunately, they were aboard the fastest dreadnought, and the journey from Australasia to London only took a little over twenty days.
Had they traveled aboard older-style battleships or naval vessels, it would have taken at least a month to reach London.
Of course, if they had boarded the currently under-construction battlecruisers, the journey might have been shortened by a few days.
Unfortunately, battlecruisers were still in the construction phase and would not be ready for deployment until the end of the year.
By early June, the Australasia fleet had officially arrived at London's harbor.
The atmosphere in London was already very solemn, with much less laughter on the streets of Britain, showing that Edward VII had been greatly respected by the British people.
Countries that were closer, like Portugal, Norway, Denmark, Spain, and Belgium, had already arrived by May.
However, King Carlos I of Portugal did not look favorably upon Arthur. After all, Australasia had recently taken Portuguese Timor as a colony, which naturally caused some tension.
Of course, national interests were not the primary reason for King Carlos's hostility. The main issue was that Arthur had manipulated European public opinion, turning Carlos into a figure of ridicule and even the target of mockery by many European aristocrats.
When a monarch's status and dignity are severely undermined, it's understandable why Carlos harbored such animosity toward Arthur.
Arthur found it somewhat amusing. He didn't mind King Carlos's dislike of him, especially since Portugal was a third-rate European country and lacked the influence that even Australasia now possessed.
Moreover, had it not been for Arthur's influence over the Portuguese situation, King Carlos I might have ended up like history's version of him—assassinated along with his heir, and the current King of Portugal might have been Manuel II. The Portuguese royal family might have come close to extinction.
Queen Victoria was known as the grandmother of European royalty, and as the eldest son of Queen Victoria, Edward naturally became the uncle of European royalty.
Edward VII enjoyed high prestige within European royal families, and his funeral attracted the participation of most European monarchs and royal families.
Although King Carlos I was somewhat hostile toward Arthur, on British soil, Manuel had no choice but to play the humble role.
Moreover, Arthur and Wilhelm II were talking and laughing together, demonstrating the good relationship between them. With so many European royalty and aristocrats present, Wilhelm II chose to stay close to Arthur, indicating that their bond was strong.
At such a critical moment, if King Carlos I were to cause trouble, it would be a foolish move.
It's worth noting that Tsar Nicholas II did not attend the funeral. It wasn't because he had any issues with Edward VII, as Russia and Britain had long reached a compromise and were part of the Triple Entente with France, so they could not afford to disrespect Britain at such a time.
However, because Tsar Nicholas II's son, Alexei, was suffering from hemophilia and had recently experienced a flare-up, Nicholas II had to stay by his son's side and could not attend the funeral.
Hemophilia was considered a taboo disease among European royals, often referred to as "the royal disease" since many members of European royal families were affected by it.
In fact, the origin of hemophilia in European royal families could theoretically be traced back to Queen Victoria.
A significant number of her children had hemophilia, and as European royal families intermarried, the disease spread across various royal families.
The good news for Arthur was that neither he nor Duke Old Arthur had hemophilia, which was also why the Duke of Old Arthur lived a long life in history.
As for Tsarevich Alexei's hemophilia, it seemed to have been "cured" by a pseudo-mystic, though Arthur did not know the details. In any case, Arthur had no immediate role to play in that matter and preferred to focus on the current benefits and affairs.
By mid-June, the farewell ceremony for Edward VII began.
The scale of the ceremony, its grandeur, and the number of participants set a new world record.
Of course, at this time, the term "world record" did not yet exist, but the various news outlets and records would forever memorialize this event.
Ten kings rode horses alongside the funeral procession, accompanied by hundreds of thousands of British citizens to bid farewell to Edward VII.
Arthur was among these ten kings and held a relatively prominent position.
Although Australasia's strength was not enough to place him among the top ten monarchs, as a member of the British royal family, Arthur naturally had closer ties and thus gained a more prominent position in the procession.
Outwardly, Arthur appeared deeply saddened by Edward VII's death. After all, maintaining good relations with both the British government and the British people was important, and as a competent monarch, a little bit of required pretense was necessary.
From the response of the British public, it was clear that Arthur's pretense was highly successful. Many British citizens recalled Queen Victoria's last words to Arthur before her death, and numerous British media outlets praised Arthur as a compassionate monarch who valued family, loved his people, and was charitable.
All sorts of flattering terms were used in the media reports about Arthur, and these were printed and sold throughout the British Empire.
At this moment, praising Arthur became politically correct. After all, the British public was very satisfied with Arthur, and if newspapers and media outlets took the opposite view, they would risk losing market share and sales.
Indeed, the exaggerated praise from the media and newspapers made many unsuspecting British citizens even more fond of Arthur. This, in turn, increased his support and favorability among the British public, allowing Arthur to make a significant public appearance once again.
Arthur had originally worried that with the end of the Victorian era, the British people might slowly forget him. However, with this unexpected event, the British people grew even more fond of him. Some even spontaneously visited the gravesite of Old Duke Arthur and the assassination site to pay tribute to the loving son of Queen Victoria and the kind-hearted Duke of the British Empire.
(End of Chapter)
Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.
Read 30 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Kira1997