Chapter 209 The focus of the banquet

Arthur's words shocked the nobles and officials of many countries, and also made the Australasian crowd cheer even more enthusiastically.

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

This level is only about half of the current size of the island nation's fleet, and it can only reach the top fifteen levels in the world.

But what if both battleships are the latest dreadnought class? At present, the only country that truly owns dreadnought-class battleships is the British Empire, and there are only a few countries that have plans to invest budgets in designing and producing dreadnoughts.

If the warships to be produced in Australasia belong to the dreadnought class, then the strength of this warship can even reach the top ten in the world.

Especially near the Indian Ocean and the Western Pacific, the strength of the Australasian fleet cannot be underestimated.

For Australasians, there is nothing more exciting than the country's true ownership of its main warship, the battleship.

Only after truly possessing battleships can the Australasian navy be able to get on the stage and be recognized by other countries in the world.

Amid the surprise of foreign officials and the cheers of the people in the audience, Arthur's coronation ceremony officially ended.

The flag in the square was also replaced at the last moment of the coronation ceremony with the chosen flag of the Kingdom of Australasia.

More than one country has an interest in Australasia's naval program, particularly those with interests on the western coast of the Indian and Pacific Oceans.

If the two battleships to be built in Australasia are of the dreadnought class, then they should also consider how to adjust their foreign policy towards Australasia.

However, after the coronation ceremony, Arthur went straight back to Sydney Palace. Even if these nobles and officials had many questions, they could only wait until the evening banquet to ask them privately.

After the announcement of Australasia's naval construction plan, the happiest people were actually the German Empire and the Tsarist Russian Empire.

Germany does not have many interests on the west coast of the Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean. Closer to Australasia, there is even only the German colony of New Guinea.

But this land is really not that important, and even William II saw it as a means to win over Australasia.

The same was true for the Russian Empire. After Arthur and Archduchess Mary entered into an engagement, the Russian Empire and Australasia evolved into de facto allies.

In addition, the area of ​​interest of the Tsarist Empire was located in the Far East, which was too far away from Australasia, so it was naturally impossible for the two countries to conflict.

Under such circumstances, Australasia has a more powerful navy, which is a good thing for the Russian Empire.

Of course, it is not important for Arthur to return directly to the Sydney Palace. Princess Louise will also take care of the evening banquet. Arthur only needs to make a shining debut as the protagonist in the evening.

In fact, it was Arthur who saw Archduchess Mary. Yes, because the heirs of Tsar Nicholas II were too young, the representative sent by Russia this time was Grand Duke Sergei.

After hearing that they were going to Australasia, Archduchess Mary also wanted to come. Nicholas II just wanted to cultivate the relationship between the two, so he also added the name of Archduchess Mary to the list of delegations.

Arthur was still in a very good mood after seeing Archduchess Mary again after more than a year.

After choosing Archduchess Mary, Arthur corrected his attitude and officially regarded Archduchess Mary as the future queen of Australasia and his wife, and worked hard to cultivate feelings.

A year later, Archduchess Mary was already eighteen years old, which was her best age.

In fact, Grand Duke Sergei and Grand Duchess Mary came to Australasia this time to complete one more important thing, which was to agree on the specific wedding time of Arthur and Grand Duchess Mary.

Arthur is now twenty-three years old, and Archduchess Mary is already eighteen years old. Since they are almost the same age, it is time to promote the close union between Russia and Australasia!

Of course, the specific time and various procedures of the wedding were left to Princess Louise and Hunter to discuss and manage. Arthur did not have the time to direct the wedding process.

Of course, Princess Louise would not let Arthur interfere. After all, Arthur didn't know much about the traditional weddings of Western nobles.

But now that the Kingdom of Australasia has been established, the king's wedding must be much more luxurious than imagined.

Arthur has also prepared a large amount of funds and supplies for this, and even the Guards can be dispatched during the wedding to show the luxury and power of the Australasian royal family.

Of course, Arthur's current task is to establish a good relationship with Archduchess Mary and make their marriage more of a love affair rather than a simple political marriage.

To this end, Arthur took Archduchess Mary to visit almost the entire Sydney Palace, visited the gardens and lakes in front of the Sydney Palace, and also saw the monuments that Arthur had prepared for future heroes of Australasia, as well as the monuments in front of the palace. statue.

At present, the statues of Queen Victoria and Arthur have been completed.

Next to the statue of Arthur, there is also a platform that has been prepared, and the statue of Archduchess Mary will soon be carved.

Of course, the real start of carving will have to wait until after the wedding. When Archduchess Mary truly becomes the queen of the Kingdom of Australasia, she will leave her own statue as the queen.

Listening to Arthur talking about the purpose of various constructions in Sydney Palace, and then imagining that her statue would be erected next to Arthur, Grand Duchess Mary had to admit that she was very moved.

Women, when they are excited, they will have all kinds of wonderful guesses about some things in the future. Especially when it comes to weddings, Archduchess Mary also has many dream scenes.

For this reason, Arthur Tongtong waved his hand and allowed Archduchess Mary to do whatever she wanted and participate in the wedding arrangements to her heart's content.

For Arthur, the king of a country, this matter is really not troublesome, and it may just cost more money.

But with the Benz Automobile Factory making a lot of money every day, Arthur said that these expenses are really just a drop in the bucket.

After brushing up the favorability of Archduchess Mary, Arthur also focused on the upcoming banquet.

Eight o'clock in the evening, Ballroom No. 1, Sydney Palace.

This is the largest banquet hall in Sydney Palace, and it is also a place carefully designed by Arthur to hold large banquets.

This banquet hall can accommodate up to six hundred people for banquets, and has exclusive servants and maids.

The time has not yet reached eight o'clock, and there are already many foreign guests and officials from Australasia, drinking red wine carefully prepared by Australasia, and forming small groups to communicate.

Most of the wine at the banquet was red wine produced in Arthur's private winery, containing the unique flavor of Australasia.

After several years of development, Arthur's private winery has gradually become famous in the aristocratic circle. Whether it is high-end red wine or low-end red wine, it has a certain market.

Especially in Australasia, Arthur's winery occupies almost the majority of the market, which has also generated a lot of profits and income.

The red wines at the banquet were all limited edition wines produced in 1901 and 1902. Because the production was not high at that time, the price also increased.

The price of a single bottle of these red wines is at least more than 500 Australian dollars, and some even exceed thousands of Australian dollars.

Coupled with the various delicacies and snacks carefully prepared by more than a dozen chefs, Arthur's expenditure on this banquet started at least 200,000 Australian dollars.

As Arthur entered the banquet hall, the noise in the banquet hall also stopped abruptly. All eyes were on Arthur, because he was the irreplaceable protagonist tonight.

"Congratulations to you, Arthur, and congratulations to Australasia for gaining the status you deserve." Crown Prince William walked up first and congratulated Arthur with a smile.

As a contemporary of Arthur, Crown Prince William established a relatively good relationship with Arthur during Arthur's visit to Germany, and the relationship between the two was also very familiar.

"Thank you." Arthur hugged Crown Prince William closely and was very satisfied with Crown Prince William's arrival.

The fact that Germany can send royal personnel of the crown prince level to Australasia is enough to show that Germany currently attaches great importance to Australasia.

After all, the Crown Prince is the next German Emperor. Except for the monarchs and princes of some important countries, there are not many people who can let Crown Prince William go to congratulate him in person.

After Crown Prince William, Grand Duke Sergei also stepped forward and congratulated Arthur with a smile.

As the de facto guardian of Archduchess Mary, he was very satisfied with Arthur.

As the king of Australasia, Arthur managed this newly united country in an orderly manner, and the potential currently displayed by Australasia is also visible to the naked eye.

More importantly, Arthur had the noble bloodline of being born into a European royal family, but he was not as promiscuous and extravagant as most European nobles.

It has been several days since Grand Duke Sergei arrived in Australasia, and he has not heard any rumors about Arthur's private life. It is enough to show that Arthur still puts national affairs first, and not ordinary nobles can compare with him. of.

After Grand Duke Sergei, Arthur deliberately took a few steps forward and started a conversation with Prince George of England.

In fact, Prince George is also 41 years old. At least when he stands with Prince William, Arthur and others, he seems a little out of place.

In fact, this was indeed the case. Because they were not of the same age, Arthur and Prince George had nothing to talk about. After accepting the blessing, Arthur simply thanked him and ended the conversation.

If it were not for taking care of the mood of the British people, Arthur would not even have any intention of getting close to Prince George.

It is worth mentioning that the surname of the British royal family is still Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, a luxurious family from Germany.

This family has successively ruled the Principality of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, the Kingdom of Belgium, the Kingdom of Portugal, the Kingdom of Bulgaria, the British Empire and now the Kingdom of Australasia. It is one of the families with the longest history and the largest number of countries in Europe. one.

Europeans also attach great importance to such families. When many small countries independently choose their monarchs, they often choose princes from luxurious families.

However, the Saxe-Coburg-Gotha family was not so prominent after World War I. First of all, in order to appease the British people who were dissatisfied with Germany, the then British King George V decided to abandon the German surname of the British royal family and changed the surname of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha to the British-style Windsor, which became famous in later generations. The House of Windsor.

Portugal and Bulgaria successively converted to republics, and the family also lost the right to rule these countries.

Finally, the Saxe-Coburg-Gotha family also lost the origin of its name, the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, and the family's glory was no longer as dazzling as in the past.

But before that, Saxe-Coburg Gotha is still one of the most prominent families in Europe. It can also allow Arthur and Australasia to gain more European support and win the favor of more European royal families.

After George V, representatives from great powers such as Austria-Hungary, Italy and the United States also came forward to congratulate him.

As if they were unaware of the treaty and marriage between Australasia and Russia, the island nation still congratulated Arthur very respectfully.

After representatives from these powerful countries came forward to congratulate them, it was the turn of representatives from non-powerful countries to speak.

This is actually the mainstream in the world: weak countries have no diplomacy. If the country's strength is not recognized by others, then the dispatched diplomatic representatives can only wait until others have finished speaking before they are qualified to speak.

Of course, whether others want to hear what you say and whether they are willing to listen is another matter.

After receiving everyone's blessings, more than an hour had passed.

Arthur also signaled for everyone to enjoy the banquet, and the scene once again returned to the original bustle.

Such a banquet is a good opportunity for everyone to establish diplomatic relations. Representatives and nobles from various countries have their own social circles, and they also try their best to make friends with people who are useful to them.

As today's protagonist, Arthur's every move naturally attracts the attention of many people.

However, Arthur mainly talked with people from powerful countries such as Crown Prince William today. It was not so easy for nobles and officials from other countries to talk.

The Australasian shipbuilding plan has attracted the attention of many great powers. They are very curious as to whether the two battleships in the Australasian shipbuilding plan are dreadnoughts.

You know, there are currently only three countries that have made it clear that they want to start building dreadnoughts, and only six that have plans to build them.

During such a period of time, any country that possesses dreadnoughts can experience earth-shaking changes in its naval strength.

This is also the reason why these countries are concerned about the Australasian shipbuilding plan. Australasia, which has two dreadnoughts, has a naval strength that is even comparable to that of the island nation, which has five old battleships.

The reason why Arthur chose to publicly announce Australasia's shipbuilding plan within ten years was to expand Australasia's international influence.

Therefore, when Arthur faced the inquiries from representatives of these countries, he very directly admitted that the two battleships in the Australasian shipbuilding plan were both advanced warships of the dreadnought level.

Arthur even said very mysteriously that the other three of the five main battleships in the Australasian shipbuilding plan are also above the old battleships and below the dreadnoughts, and are powerful warships developed by Australasia itself.

Based on this calculation, Australasia's battleships will most likely reach five, and at least two of them will be powerful battleships of the dreadnought class.

This also means that after the completion of Australasia's shipbuilding plan, the level of naval strength will rise to the top ten in the world.

Such strength is enough to attract the attention of some countries, especially along the Indian Ocean and Pacific coasts.

The influence that Australasia can have in these two regions will even be comparable to that of the great powers.

At least except for the British Empire, few countries can guarantee that the strength of their squadrons in these two areas can reach the strength of the Australasian fleet.

Of course, in addition to being somewhat surprised by Australasia's huge naval construction plan, representatives from various countries are also very interested in the two main warships in the Australasia construction plan.

The first type of main battleship is a powerful battleship of the dreadnought level, and the second type of main battleship is also an advanced warship with higher combat power than older battleships.

Currently, there are only a few dreadnought designs in the world. Australasia's two warship designs have directly brought Australasia's progress in this area to the forefront of the world.

Of course, the country that is most curious about the specific data and performance of the two warships in Australasia should be the British Empire and the island nation.

There is no other reason. The British Empire has a lot of interests on both the Indian Ocean coast and the west coast of the Pacific. India, which is very important to the British Empire, is not far from Australasia.

Under such circumstances, the British Empire urgently needs to assess the future naval strength of Australasia in order to make better diplomatic decisions.

Although the island country is relatively far away from Australasia, the island country's enemy in the Far East, the Russian Empire, has established a relatively good relationship with Australasia, and the two sides have even reached a marriage alliance.

This also means that Russia is very likely to receive a large amount of assistance from Australasia in future wars, including support from warships.

In this way, it is very necessary for the island country to understand the specific data and performance of the two Australasian warships to prepare for the possibility of Australasian-produced warships appearing in the Russian fleet in the future.

In fact, Russia has really become interested in Australasia's dreadnought design.

Historically, the Russian dreadnought was a warship designed with the help of the British Empire and based on the Italian Dante-class dreadnought.

But judging from the current situation, it is basically impossible to get the British Empire to help Russia design dreadnoughts.

France, Russia's current ally, does not have a production plan for a dreadnought, let alone help Russia with its design and production.

Russia may be able to get help from Germany, but the price may be the complete severance of the Franco-Russian alliance, which Russia cannot accept in a short time.

As a result, Russia has no hope of designing and producing dreadnoughts in a short time. This is unacceptable to Nicholas II, who has always regarded his country as a top power.

In fact, the Tsarist Empire did not pay much in the last Russo-Japanese War, and did not even pay any compensation.

This also resulted in the Tsarist Russian Empire not being as severely weakened as it had been in history. After receiving additional financial assistance from Germany, the Tsarist Russian Empire had even regained some of its vitality.

In addition, we have temporarily reached a neutrality treaty with Germany, so we don't have to worry so much about the impact on the western border, and we can have more troops to assess domestic crises.

This has led to the fact that the current Tsarist Empire does have some funds and has a very strong interest in the most powerful warship currently, the dreadnought.

It's just that Russia's own ability to design warships is too poor. Without the help of other countries, it is basically impossible to realize its own production.

However, Britain, France, and Germany were unable to help the Russian Empire due to various reasons. If the United States wanted to reach out to the other side of the Pacific, it was naturally impossible to help the Russian Empire, the overlord of the Far East.

At present, the only country that can allow the Russian Empire to obtain dreadnoughts seems to be Australasia.

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