The Rise Of Australasia

William's engagement ceremony added a touch of color to the world, but the excitement quickly died down.

People marveled at the lavish scale and grandeur of the royal engagement, but life had to go on, and no one believed the royal family should be denied such enjoyment.

Yet in November 1929, the global situation became turbulent again.

The outbreak of unrest was in Portugal, and it was caused by the country's brutal dictatorship.

It must be said that Arthur had a hand in and influence on this matter. Besides showcasing the prestige of the Australasian royal family, William's engagement ceremony also displayed the grandeur and splendor of the Saxe-Coburg-Gotha Family.

The royal families of both the United Kingdom and Australia are descended from this family, which has been heralded as the greatest family of the early 20th century.

Such a title naturally had an impact on Portugal, swaying some of its more neutral forces.

On one side was the family recently called the greatest, while on the other, a dictator widely resented by the public, causing a clear division within Portugal.

One side consisted of the current dictators with vested interests, while the other side consisted of those seeking to overthrow the dictatorship.

Within this second faction, the Monarchist Party, unquestionably the most powerful, sought to reestablish monarchy and restore the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Portugal.

When it came to his own power, Antonio Salazar was naturally unwilling to back down easily.

Upon discovering the Democratic Party's ordinary interactions with Manuel II's forces, Antonio Salazar could not contain his rage. He launched an aggressive crackdown on the Democratic Party.

As the second largest political party in Portugal, the Democratic Party still had a significant number of members. The brutal suppression directly led to a loss of over one-third of its members, igniting the flames of war within Portugal.

Realizing this was the perfect opportunity, Manuel II immediately commanded the Monarchist Party in Portugal to wage war, sparking the country's civil war.

With strong support from Australasia and endorsement from the Saxe-Coburg-Gotha Family, Manuel II's confidence soared. He even believed that he could win the war before Christmas.

In fact, the situation was not much different from what Manuel II had anticipated. Of course, this was not due to the strength of the Portuguese Monarchist Party, but rather the anger and dissatisfaction of the Portuguese public towards the dictatorship of Antonio Salazar.

If forced to choose between two poisons, the Portuguese people would naturally choose the lesser evil, which to them was Manuel II.

Yes, in the eyes of the Portuguese at the time, both Manuel II and Antonio Salazar were like two doses of poison, neither being the best choice for Portugal.

Speaking of Portugal's geographical location, it is situated at the westernmost edge of the European Continent, with its only neighboring European nation being Spain.

However, after entering the maritime era, Portugal's location remained significant. Firstly, Portugal could serve as a hub for communication with Africa, and it was also a key transit station for British trade routes.

Secondly, Portugal's location could pose a substantial threat to France.

The British had already taken control of the Strait of Gibraltar, a critical passage from the Mediterranean Sea to the Atlantic Ocean.
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Add to this the Suez Canal; essentially, the British could blockade the entire Mediterranean Sea, leaving the French Mediterranean fleet trapped.

But the French had more than just the Mediterranean Sea; their northern coastline bordered the English Channel, with the vast Atlantic Ocean to the west.

If it were possible to use Portugal to block the French's access to the Atlantic Ocean, the impact on France would undoubtedly be immense.

This is why the British Government ultimately decided to support Portugal. It took all of King George V's effort to persuade the government to support Manuel II during the civil war.

Of course, for this reason, King George V also had to relinquish many interests, effectively making a trade with the government.

Backed by the support of two major Powers, Britain and Australasia, Manuel II was swiftly able to ascend to the throne of Portugal.

On December 21st, 1929, more than a decade later, Manuel proudly proclaimed the restoration, re-establishing the Saxe-Coburg-Gotha Dynasty in Portugal and immediately declaring the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Kingdom Government of Portugal and both Britain and Australasia.

In exchange for this benefit, the Kingdom Government of Portugal announced that it would lease the islands of São Tomé and Príncipe to Australasia for a period of twenty years.

Any shrewd observer knew this was an exchange of interests between the two countries, but no nation could object to such a swap of benefits.

After all, this was considered normal in the global context, with each party getting what they needed and the outcome being favorable to both countries.

Having resolved the matters in Portugal, Arthur could finally rest easy, at least for the moment.

The increasing number of Monarchical countries was also beneficial for the stability of Australasia's future monarchy.

Although Arthur's prestige and status in Australasia reached unprecedented heights, Queen Victoria once held an exalted position and authority within the United Kingdom as well.

After several generations of succession, hadn't King George V's power also been significantly reduced? If George V hadn't decisively abandoned the Saxe-Coburg-Gotha surname during World War I, it might have been questionable whether the British Royal Family could have remained stable.

This also represents a simple truth, that while the throne can be inherited, respect and reputation cannot.

To ensure the continuance of the monarchy in Australasia, it was essential to maintain the monarchical systems of other countries, so that Australasia wouldn't become a unique case on a global scale.

Turning his attention back to domestic affairs, Arthur began to inspect projects that had been initiated under the eight-year construction plan.

First and foremost, the Lake Eyre Canal project, which related to the ecological environment of central Australia, was of paramount importance to Arthur.

This was a bold decision by Arthur, an unprecedented endeavor. If successful, the Great Basin would be reinvigorated, and Australasia would gain millions of square kilometers of fertile land.

However, if it failed, such a project that consumed the labor of over 150,000 people and considerable capital would also be a blow to Arthur's reputation.

Although the setback wouldn't be devastating, it would still have a significant impact on Arthur's subsequent strategies.

The Lake Eyre Canal project had been underway since February this year, and ten months had already passed.

As part of the canal plan connecting North Lake Eyre to south, the canal was less than ten kilometers long and had been essentially completed within these ten months.

However, because the other two sections of the canal were much longer, construction was expected to take at least five years, even with the mobilization of additional labor and resources on a full-scale effort.

Arthur paid close attention to this project, personally supervising it. Once the canal between the two lakes was completed, Arthur personally arrived at the site to inspect the work, making sure everything was proceeding according to plan before he could ease his mind.

The good news was that there was no lack of labor for the Lake Eyre Canal construction plan.

As the project was strongly advocated by Arthur and because people understood that the purpose of the canal was to restore the ecological environment of central Australia, a large number of volunteers eagerly participated in the construction of the Lake Eyre Canal.

The recruitment sites were almost overflowing every day, with many individuals willing to join the canal construction plan, even for a lower wage.

Originally, the Lake Eyre Canal construction plan intended to employ only 150,000 workers, mostly recruited from the United States.

Unexpectedly, the enthusiasm of the native peoples of Australasia exceeded predictions, with the number of workers already nearing 250,000.

Although this increased the financial cost of building the canal, a higher number of workers would naturally reduce the time needed for construction.

Since there were three canals, it meant that construction could occur simultaneously on all three, thus shortening the total construction time.

Apart from the canal connecting the two Lake Eyres which had already been completed, the canals between Lake Eyre South and Lake Torrens, as well as between Lake Torrens and Spencer Gulf, had both been constructed to over one-fifth of their planned extent.

If the entire Lake Eyre Canal project could be completed within five years, it would be a positive achievement for Arthur, even if it meant shouldering some additional expenses.

Beyond the progress of the Lake Eyre Canal, another major infrastructure project was more than halfway completed – the construction of airports in key areas nationwide.

In fact, airports at the current time bore considerable differences from those in the later market. After all, there was a 100-year gap, and the concept of airports from both eras were entirely different.

The existing airports only required flat runways for take-off and landing, with other facilities being quite rudimentary.

Since an airplane at the time could only accommodate about ten passengers, there was no need for spacious waiting areas for passengers, and therefore the size and construction difficulty of airports were not as significant.

The first cities to construct airports, of course, were key urban areas such as Saint Arthur Castle, Sydney, Melbourne, capitals of the states, and large cities with populations exceeding 500,000.

To promote exchange between the regions of Australia and New Zealand, both the State of New Zealand and North New Zealand State constructed several airports.

Besides, airports were also to be established in all colonies to facilitate communication between the Native Land and the colonies.

Apart from these relatively common civil airports, even simpler military airfields had already spread throughout the nation of Australasia.

The requirements for constructing military airfields were simpler: just level the ground to ensure that the takeoff and landing of aircraft weren't bumpy.

As opposed to the comfort demanded by civil aircraft, the greatest requirements for military transport planes were transport efficiency followed by speed.

As for safety, meeting the acceptable standard was enough. Most military aircraft were not destined for long service lives; during wars, these relatively fragile high-tech products were hugely susceptible to damage.

Rather than focusing on the safety of military aircraft, it was more important to consider whether they could carry more supplies and evade enemy fire.