The Rise Of Australasia

Chapter 798 - 598: Reflection on the World Situation_1

"It can be fully committed to real combat," Arthur said with a smile.

The true reason for Arthur’s trip, bringing along one of the R108 battleships, was to showcase the real combat capability of the Australasian Navy to the outside world.

The Islanders claim their Nagato Battleship is the strongest active battleship. I wonder what they will think now that the Australasian R108 battleship has made an appearance?

Hearing that the Australasian battleship could be committed to combat, King George V nodded with satisfaction and said with a smile, "Then try to end the wars in Central America and the Philippines by mid-year, so that the people of these two regions can welcome peace in the second half of the year."

From the perspective of controlling the Panama Canal, there’s no doubt that the sooner actions are taken, the more effective they will be.

The Panama Canal is crucial for the convenience of communication between the United States’ East and West Coasts and, to put it more seriously, could even impact the development of the US economy.@@@@

If Britain completely blockades the Panama Canal, the exchange between the US East and West Coasts will be delayed by half a month, and the cost in time and manpower paid for this is immeasurable.

There’s another important piece of news that after controlling Central America, the North and South of the United States is essentially surrounded by British power, making the native land of the United States not so secure anymore.

Canada to the north is not the junior partner of the United States that it is in later generations. Present Canada is a member of the British Empire and is very much recognizing of the British rule.

Together with the friction between the southern United States and Mexico, as well as the Central American countries controlled by Britain, this forms a comprehensive encirclement of the US from the North and South, which is quite a deterrent.

It must be acknowledged that the current threat posed by the United States to both countries is still too great. If considering Industry, economy, and Population alone, the threat from the United States is not weaker than that of the former German Empire.

Fortunately, the current United States still has a fatal weakness, which is that its Military force is not strong. Furthermore, its poor international reputation significantly limits America’s global status and influence.

If this event can be handled well, it could completely confine the United States to North America, lightening the pressure the United States brings to both countries.

After discussing how to deal with the United States, both Arthur’s and King George V’s mood visibly improved, and this made the luncheon end quickly amidst everyone’s laughter and talk.

Arthur had left most of the diplomatic visit matters to the officers accompanying him, while he himself took Queen Mary and a few little ones and began to play in the streets of London.

As the largest Urban City in the World, London’s development and prosperity go without saying. It had been over a decade since my last visit to London, and this made me notice some changes between the London I remembered and the London of today.

For Arthur, being able to witness this era firsthand and see the development of the world’s largest city was indeed significant.

Just like how Arthur witnessed Australasia emerge from the merging of Australia and New Zealand, step by step from a Colony into a power, this significance was extraordinary for a person and worth commemorating.

Although this era had its downsides, for human history, it was indispensable, a history worth remembering.

Arthur didn’t have high demands. If later generations frequently mentioned his name when talking about the history he experienced firsthand, that would be enough for him.