Chapter 277 The Fall of the Old King

As time enters April, Australasia also welcomes the late autumn of the Southern Hemisphere. New 𝗑.𝖼𝗈𝗆

To be honest, when Arthur came to Australasia from the UK, he did not adapt well to the completely opposite seasons in the southern and northern hemispheres of Australasia.

While in the northern hemisphere, it happens to be the coldest season in the southern hemisphere.

But the good news is that Arthur can still experience snow during the British summer, but not much.

As the head of a country, Arthur's life is noble and luxurious, but also boring and boring.

First of all, there are too many national affairs, and there are many things that the government cannot decide, and Arthur needs to be consulted.

Secondly, there are various construction projects in the country, as well as many more important things, which Arthur also needs to inspect from time to time.

Arthur's popularity and support among the people is very good. He basically gives a speech every Christmas, which is spread throughout the country through newspapers.

In addition to these, inspections of the army, weekly cabinet meetings, reports from each colony, the development of major enterprises of the royal consortium, etc., all require Arthur to understand after a period of time.

After all, how can a monarch manage and coordinate a large country if he doesn't know much about the development of his army, government territories, and businesses?

Time entered May, just as Industry Minister Pierre was reporting to Arthur on the current construction status of the Leonora Industrial Base in Arthur's office, the Kent steward hurried over and said: "Your Majesty! There is big news in the UK. .”

Minister Pierre was very sensible and quickly said that he would come back to report another day and left in a hurry.

After seeing Minister Pierre leave, Steward Kent came up and said, "Your Majesty, according to the news given to us by the British royal family, King Edward just passed away today."

Arthur stood up immediately, then sat down immediately, his expression returned to his natural state, showing a serious look, and asked: "Is the news accurate? Why did Uncle Edward pass away suddenly?"

"It's a telegram sent directly to us by the British royal family. The news is basically correct. As for the reason for King Edward's death, the British royal family has not disclosed it yet." Kent Butler replied.

"Let the navy prepare the fleet, and at the same time notify Foreign Minister Pierre to immediately form a visiting delegation and set off for Britain tomorrow." Arthur immediately gave the order without any hesitation.

Even though the relationship with Edward VII was not good, on the surface, they were still uncle and nephew with a good relationship.

What's more, Arthur's support among the British people is very high. Naturally, he can't do stupid things to ruin the goodwill of the British at this time.

After all, the support of the British is still very important to Australasia. With Arthur's status in the hearts of the British, it is impossible for the British government to be hostile to Australasia.

Although in terms of national interests, these are not important. But these politicians are not fools, and no one will stand out and be hated and cursed by the British people.

At present, the news of the death of Edward VII should only be known to the royal families of some relatively powerful monarchy countries, and the British government has not announced it to the outside world.

This is normal. After all, the transfer of power to any monarch may cause turmoil to the country and society.

For a country like Britain, which has a large number of colonies and is united by multiple kingdoms, the stability of the country and the calmness of the situation are the most important.

For Arthur, the death of Edward VII was not necessarily bad news, but it was not entirely good news.

The death of Edward VII also officially marked the end of the Victorian era. This also means that Queen Victoria's remaining prestige has become less and less. As time goes by, Arthur's status in the hearts of the British people will gradually decline and become less important.

What's more, starting from the next King of the United Kingdom, George V, the power of the British monarch is not that great, and it cannot suppress formal groups and organizations large and small in the United Kingdom. new

As far as history is concerned, George V does not have the means of Queen Victoria and Edward VII. This is why during World War I, in order to stabilize the status of the royal family, the British royal family had to abandon the Saxe-Coburg-Gotha dynasty. , changed his last name to Windsor.

Although this is euphemistically called to comply with public opinion, when a majestic king of a country has to change his surname for the sake of public opinion, doesn't it mean that the power of the royal family and the monarch has declined?

If the people are very supportive of the British royal family, then the hatred should be directed towards Germany, not against the royal family who came to the UK from Germany hundreds of years ago and has become an out-and-out British person except for their surname.

You must know that changing a surname is not only related to the dignity of the royal family, but also related to the honor and history of a family.

As the monarch of the most powerful country in the world, George V's behavior of changing his family name actually symbolizes the decline of the British monarchy and the power of the British royal family.

If the monarch during World War I had been Queen Victoria, then there would have been absolutely no royal family in the UK changing their surnames.

new

Unfortunately, there are not many great monarchs like Queen Victoria, and the last glory of the Victorian era is coming to an end.

It is worth mentioning that Arthur was also born in the British royal family and was a direct descendant of the British royal family.

If the British royal family continues to change their surnames in the future, as history has, will Arthur admit it?

Arthur shook his head secretly, rejecting the idea. There is no force in Australasia that has the power to ask Arthur to change his surname, and Arthur has no intention of changing his surname.

Anyway, the relationship between the British royal family after George V and Arthur was not that close. There was no need for Arthur to change his name to follow the British, but he would lose face.

After asking Steward Kent to inform the Navy and Minister Andrew, Arthur returned to the bedroom of the palace and said goodbye to Queen Mary with an apologetic look.

Originally, after the last tour, Arthur promised Queen Mary that he would not leave the palace frequently for at least two years to ensure that William and Anna could see their father at any time.

Unexpectedly, Arthur would have to break the contract in less than half a year.

But there was nothing that could be done about it. Queen Mary understood this very well and even comforted Arthur with a smile, reassuring Arthur that there would be no problems with her and Princess Louise in the palace.

Of course, before departure, Arthur still needs to hold a cabinet meeting to arrange the government's work after he leaves Australasia.

The death of Edward VII was also a big trouble for the British Empire, an old empire.

Although Arthur did not have a good impression of Edward VII, he had to admit that this old man with a disorderly private life did have some ability in handling government affairs.

Although the British Empire is currently the world's largest power, it has the world's largest navy and the world's third largest industry.

But the current internal situation of the British Empire is already very bad. There are not only class contradictions, but also political contradictions and partisanship.

At present, the two major parties in the British Empire, the Liberal Party and the Conservative Party, are the main forces in the political struggle.

Prime Minister Asquith, the leader of the Liberal Party, has completed many reforms in the British Empire and gained considerable popularity. The Liberal Party is currently the ruling party in the British Empire.

But the problem is that King Edward VII, who supported the reform, has passed away. Whether the Liberal Party can continue to be the ruling party depends on the opinions of King George.

In other words, King George, who is about to succeed to the throne, is very important to the future political trend of the British Empire.

If King George chooses the Liberal Party, the political struggle in the British Empire may be delayed or temporarily eliminated.

But if King George chooses the Conservative Party, which is hostile to the Liberal Party, then the battle for reform between the Liberal Party and the Conservative Party is about to begin.

But the good news is that for a country as powerful as the British Empire, the struggle between political parties is not so draining on the country.

In other words, the consumption of the struggle between political parties is only a drop in the bucket for the British Empire and will not affect the status and strength of the British Empire.

But there is a problem, all this is without the involvement of foreign powers. If Germany or other countries want to take the opportunity to cause trouble, it may make the already chaotic British political arena even more chaotic.

But all this has little to do with Arthur. Australasia's current international influence is not great, and no country has any thoughts on Australasia for the time being.

After all, if you have thoughts about Australasia at this point in time, you are facing a lineup of the three major powers: Britain, Germany, and Russia.

To go deeper, Britain can attract France, and Germany can attract the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Doesn’t this mean that if you have any thoughts about Australasia, you may face the common condemnation of the five major European powers, Britain, Germany, France, Russia and Austria?

In today's world, no country can withstand the joint pressure of these five countries. This also means that Australasia will be relatively safe for a long time, at least when other countries and forces rise. Before.

Arthur convened a cabinet meeting, firstly to ask the cabinet about its views on the current situation in Britain and Europe, and secondly, to make the cabinet fully prepared for the possible outbreak of a European war.

Although the first war in history would not break out until a few years later, Arthur did not dare to rely solely on history.

In case a certain country loses its mind, it directly launches a war at such a moment. As the saying goes, a single move can affect the whole body, and the whole European war will start immediately. If Australasia is not prepared, won't Australasia miss out on many benefits in vain?

Arthur's first order was to keep the Ministry of Industry ready. If there is a trend in European countries to start fighting, then the production of major factories can be increased accordingly.

Strategic materials such as medical care, food, materials, equipment, weapons, ammunition, etc. can then be transported to Europe in large quantities in exchange for more benefits.

The second update of 3000 words, please support and vote for me!

Today, it is 10,000 per day and has been updated to 7200/10000.