Chapter 6: Mobilizing the Army

Rather than a belated birthday gift, it is better to say that it is just a symbolic compensation given to Arthur under the threat of Queen Victoria and the satisfaction of achieving his goal.

Arthur's 17th birthday is on January 13. Although influenced by Duke Arthur, he and his family celebrated this birthday quietly without any celebration or party.

But this does not mean that the British royal family headed by Queen Victoria and Prince Edward did not know about it.

On the contrary, as the crown prince who was named Prince of Wales at a young age, Prince Edward has cultivated a lot of power of his own for a long time. Although it is not worth mentioning to Queen Victoria, it is definitely not that he does not even know Arthur's birthday.

But no matter what, the 50 million pounds given by Prince Edward is real, and Arthur will naturally not refuse it.

Although 30 million pounds of this came from a loan from the Bank of London, most of the shares of the Bank of London are in the hands of Prince Edward, so this 30 million is actually equivalent to a gift.

In this way, Arthur's funds will soon reach 137 million pounds. In terms of personal property alone, Arthur is confident that he can enter the top five in the world.

Without paying attention to Arthur's reaction, Prince Edward finally breathed a sigh of relief after seeing Queen Victoria's satisfied expression.

The prince understood that although he seemed to be the first heir to the throne, as long as Queen Victoria announced the abolition of her status as the crown prince, most British people and politicians would definitely agree with it.

Never underestimate the status of Queen Victoria in the hearts of British civilians. The supreme status of Queen Victoria in the hearts of various kingdoms is an indispensable condition for the integration of Britain into a huge United Kingdom.

"Arthur, you should have become the supreme duke of the British Empire, but I will not stop you from going to remote Australia. As your grandmother, I have nothing to give you, so I will give you a compensation of 100 million pounds and industrial equipment worth 50 million pounds." Queen Victoria touched Arthur's head and said.

"Australia is a remote area after all. Let's not talk about education and medical conditions. The infrastructure is very backward and very unstable." Queen Victoria said slowly: "The money I gave you is not for you to have fun, but for you to use this money and these industrial equipment to develop Australia's infrastructure and medical care, education, and industry. It is for yourself and for all Australians, isn't it?"

"I understand, grandmother. Now that I have become the Duke of Australia, I will make the development of the whole of Australia my lifelong goal." Arthur nodded and said solemnly.

"That's good. Although we are traveling together this time, you are going to Australia and I am going to New Zealand. Grandma can't watch you and protect you all the time. You have to go on your own in the future." Queen Victoria continued to instruct.

"On behalf of the British royal family, I will give you a 2,000-man Royal Guard. Their families will also follow you to Australia. Arthur, if you can't stand it, go to New Zealand to find your grandmother, don't force yourself."

Queen Victoria's seemingly nagging words warmed Arthur's heart like the warm sun in spring.

It has been more than five months since I came to this world, and Queen Victoria is one of the few people who treats me sincerely.

March 4, 1900.

The fleet, which had been prepared for more than half a month, set off, but the size of the fleet was expanded again this time, and the accompanying guards were as high as 4,000 people, half of whom belonged to Arthur personally.

Speaking of the Royal Guards, also known as the Royal Guards Division, it is a private army that belongs only to the British royal family, and its history has been hundreds of years.

Each guard is an elite carefully selected from the British army, and is far better than the ordinary British army in daily training and discipline.

Although the Royal Navy of the British Empire is famous all over the world, the British army is not famous.

But in fact, the combat effectiveness of the regular British army can also rank among the top three in Europe. Except for being slightly inferior to the German and French armies, both the quality of soldiers and weapons and equipment are ahead of the armies of other European countries.

The Royal Guards Division, which was carefully selected from the British Army, was as powerful as the German elite army.

The Royal Guards Division, which consisted of five infantry regiments, two cavalry regiments and one reserve regiment, was actually an important means for the British royal family to maintain its rule.

The departure of the fleet was welcomed by a large number of London citizens. Even until the fleet had left, the enthusiastic crowd stayed in the port for a long time and was reluctant to leave.

On March 14, after a ten-day voyage, the fleet arrived at the Suez Canal, which is the busiest waterway in the world now and in the future.

The Suez Canal connects East Africa with India, Southeast Asia and other regions, and is regarded by Britain as an important means to control India.

It is precisely because of this that since the British Empire took control of the Suez Canal, it has stationed heavy troops in the Suez Canal to protect this very important waterway.

The guards on the canal learned the news of Queen Victoria's imminent arrival very early, and had already lined up in the canal in advance to welcome her.

Arthur also felt the admiration and respect of the British people of this era for Queen Victoria. This was not only the pride and pride of all British people for the achievements of the British Empire, but also the recognition of the queen who had been in charge of the empire for decades.

After reviewing the canal garrison with Queen Victoria, the fleet set out again, this time to India.

Queen Victoria's journey this time may not be as simple as recuperation. Although the purpose of the journey is very clear, it still needs to stop at the Suez Canal, India and Australia respectively, and then arrive at the Isle of Wight in New Zealand.

The three stops chosen by Queen Victoria all have special meanings. Needless to say, Australia is Arthur's future territory. Queen Victoria's choice to stop in Australia is not without the intention of deterring local forces.

The Suez Canal and India are strategic areas that cannot be lost for the British Empire.

Britain's rise is half due to the technological leadership brought about by the Industrial Revolution, and half is due to the large amount of land, population and cheap resources brought by external colonization.

India, in particular, not only has an inexhaustible labor force and a large number of excellent ports, but also has rich crop output, and is known as the jewel in the crown.

For the British Empire, the importance of British India is far greater than that of all other colonies.

Second update, please support!