The Rise Of Australasia

This naval shipbuilding order, regardless of how much of a sensation it caused around the world, was indeed a genuine boost to the spirits of the Australasian people.

After all, this was still an era of strong ships and powerful guns. While the people might not have much concept of the size of the army, they did pay great attention to the size and strength of the navy they possessed.

Why was the British Empire the undisputed world superpower? Wasn't it because of a navy that could crush the second and third largest navies in the world?

As for the British Empire's weak army, it was kindly overlooked by the people of other nations. After all, Britain was an island country, and the navy was the first line of defense for the native land.

What could other countries do with their powerful armies? As long as they couldn't defeat the British navy, they had no chance of landing on British soil.

Of course, there was another way to land in Britain, which was through the use of transport planes to drop paratroopers.

In terms of the development of the air force, this was also one of the themes of the arms race between Britain and France.

The Frenchmen knew they could no longer catch up with Britain in terms of navy, so they focused more on building submarines that could threaten merchant ships.

After all, submarines operated underwater and, as long as they were careful, they would generally go undetected by the fleet.

When submarines launched their attacks, they became the nightmare of merchant ships and small warships. During World War I, Germany used submarines to sink a large number of British merchant ships, and the French aimed to emulate the Germans in developing submarines.

The British were naturally aware of their shortcomings in the air force and would not sit idly by and let the French air power exceed their own.

Not only did the British deploy a large number of airplanes on their aircraft carriers, but they also formed their own air force, extensively developing and building new types of airplanes to strengthen domestic air defense.

Arthur had no control over, and temporarily no desire to concern himself with, the British and French competition.

Upon reflection, the massive naval and air force build-up by Britain and France had its advantages. If Germany were to start a war in the future, the arms race between Britain and France would provide both countries with a large stock of military equipment, which could be key to their victory over Germany.

On the other hand, if Britain and France grew weary of war, began to drastically cut military preparation, and indulged in the sweet dream of world prosperity, Arthur would then worry about whether anyone would be able to stop Germany in the future.

After all, only Europe had the ability to stop Germany, and Australasia was too far away to be of any consequence.

If Britain and France could not withstand the German assault before Australasian support arrived, Arthur could only sigh in resignation and watch the Germans unify Europe.

However, such a scenario was highly unlikely, even nearly impossible.

After all, the homelands of both Britain and France were in Europe, and they certainly did not wish to see Germany unify Europe. Especially Britain, which pursued a policy of balance, would definitely resist the German onslaught wholeheartedly.

This was also what Arthur wanted to see. Only when the powerful British were sufficiently worn down would there be a chance for his Australasia to take over Britain's position.

The National Day on January 10th was quite ordinary. Arthur let William replace him in donating funds to the people, to purchase supplies for the low-income groups.

This was also a good opportunity for William to build prestige. At least compared to the previous years, the people had begun to recognize and understand their Crown Prince and grow familiar with the future helmsman of their country.

Based on the information Arthur had at hand, the people were very satisfied with William.

Under Arthur's education, William might not be outstanding, but he was certainly a qualified heir to the throne.

If he could just maintain the foundation that had been established, Arthur would be largely satisfied. After all, for the long peace to come, a ruler who knows the big picture and maintains stability would be more suitable for Australasia than an ambitious monarch bent on expansion.

After National Day, it was the height of summer in Australasia, and Arthur decided to head to Sydney to escape the heat and also take the opportunity to visit the scenic cities in the southeast.

The seasons in the Southern Hemisphere are the complete opposite of those in the Northern Hemisphere. It is January now, and while the Northern Hemisphere is in the depths of winter, the Southern Hemisphere is experiencing hot summer days.

Of course, Australasia is not located in the tropics, and most of the area has a rather warm and comfortable climate, at least not too hot.

It is the stark contrast in seasons that is one of the reasons why Australasia attracts so many tourists.

Just imagine, when your own region is in the cold winter, there's a place with a warm and comfortable summer. Isn't that tempting?

Together with the beautiful island scenery of Australasia, a large number of tourists from Europe and even a significant number of Asians are attracted. Read exclusive adventures at My Virtual Library Empire

After all, there are many wealthy people around the world. Regardless of whether a country is strong or not, the birth of a rich elite cannot be stopped.

This is an inevitability in human society. If there are relatively poor people, there will naturally be relatively affluent upper echelons.

Famous tourist spots include the Golden Coast and Hawaii, as well as the many islands of the Pacific Ocean, which are all sought after by these tourists.

Of course, because of major urban cities like Sydney and Melbourne being located on the coast, they also attract a fair number of tourists.

Summer, after all, is enticing, and the scenery in summer is far more beautiful than in winter.

Especially in Australasia, as long as one doesn't overindulge, there's basically no need to worry about sunburn.

That kind of carefree play on the soft sand, enjoying the refreshing breeze, and then admiring the eye-catching beauty of the beach, is a true embodiment of the summer season.

Some people who know how to spot a business opportunity have begun selling their homemade chilled beverages on the beach.

With the progress of technology, making ice is quite easy, including the long-established two kinds of cola, which are also quite popular in Australasia.

Of course, in Australasia, Pepsi is certainly the most famous. This beverage company, which Arthur acquired during the economic crisis, quickly moved its headquarters to Australasia and focused on selling cola drinks.

In the summer, drinking a glass of chilled Pepsi not only relieves the day's heat and fatigue but also brings a moment of pleasant mood, making it the first choice for many people.

However, before Arthur could begin to enjoy his Pepsi, a troublesome issue found its way to him.

It wasn't anything fresh, still concerning the problem of Australian wild rabbits.

One has to admit, the breeding speed of rabbits is truly terrifying. Casually breeding a few rabbits, as long as there are no major issues, will yield hundreds of rabbits the following year.

Despite the various policies implemented by the government, Australian wild rabbits maintained a relatively high level, thanks to their potential to increase tenfold or more annually.

Even though the growth in rabbit numbers wasn't as exaggerated as before, such a vast number of wild rabbits still caused significant environmental damage to the central regions of Australia.

The problem Arthur encountered was the abundance of wild rabbits found in the Great Basin and the Mure River Plains.

In fact, regarding rabbit control, the government had even proposed using medication to exterminate them forcefully.

But Arthur, who was clear about historical developments, decisively rejected such a proposal. In history, Australia did indeed eradicate rabbits with medication, and at least 90% of the rabbits were killed.

The issue, however, is that there will always be rabbits that survive the poison and develop corresponding antibodies, which, over time with breeding, means all Australian rabbits will possess the same antibodies.

The result of poisoning led to wild rabbits becoming completely inedible, and people also lost interest in hunting them.

At least for now, caught wild rabbits can be consumed personally or sold to canning factories.

Various food factories would process the rabbits into canned products and then sell them at suitable prices to Europe and the United States.

Under Arthur's leadership and call, the people of Australasia gradually shifted from not eating wild rabbits to slowly accepting them as food.

Although not extremely popular, eating them occasionally was entirely without issue.

However, the Western method of preparing rabbit is quite simple. Either roast it simply and then sprinkle appropriate seasoning, or cut it into pieces and turn it into a dish.

Due to the lack of spices, rabbit meat does not taste that delicious. But there was no helping it, as the heavily spiced cooking style does not suit Australasians, and Arthur couldn't possibly force the promotion of other cuisines.

Therefore, these canned products could only be exported abroad or distributed as nearby food aid for the needy lower class of people.

For someone truly without food, these meat products are the best food, regardless of the taste of the rabbit meat.

Arthur found himself in a dilemma about the control of Australian rabbits. He had thought of every possible method and surely couldn't resort to the desperate measure of using medication.

Just as Arthur was grappling with a headache, William suddenly spoke up, offering his suggestion, "Father, I have a method that may effectively solve the problem of overwhelming Australian wild rabbits."

"What method?" Arthur inquired, quite interested.

If the issue that had troubled the Australian government for many years could be solved with William's method, then it would be enough to prove William's capability.

"Right now, the public's interest in hunting wild rabbits is high, but our methods of consuming rabbit meat are few, which in turn reduces their interest in the meat.

Why don't we look for ways to increase the ways to use rabbit meat? For example, create a food festival focusing on rabbit meat, reward the public for their inventive uses of wild rabbit meat, and find the best way to consume rabbit meat that suits Australasians.

Besides, we could organize large-scale hunting of wild rabbits by the military, which would also serve as training for the soldiers' marksmanship.

Caught wild rabbits could be donated in the name of the royal family and yourself to the poor classes at home and abroad, enhancing your prestige as well as that of the royal family.

In this way, although we may have to spend a little money, at least we won't let the rabbits overpopulate, and we can effectively reduce their numbers while training the military and increase the public's interest in rabbit meat," William said excitedly.