The Rise Of Australasia
Chapter 494: Chapter 391: Probing Each Other

Although the deal is profitable for Australasia, the French have ulterior motives behind it.

Although the Kiergaran Archipelago is located in the southern part of the Indian Ocean, it is still in the Indian Ocean.

If Australasia gains this region, it will not only be closer to South Africa but also expand its influence in the Indian Ocean Region.

For the British Empire, which regards the Indian Ocean and India as off-limits, the question is whether they can accept it.

In other words, France's actions are suspected of provoking a rift between Australasia and the United Kingdom.

As for why France provokes a rift between Australasia and the United Kingdom, the reason is quite simple.

The Four Great Powers of the Allies seem to be united, but they are only focused on dealing with Germany. For now, Germany has already shown signs of decline, making the division of post-war interests an important issue as well. At least, some advance planning is needed.

For the French, the top priorities after the war are to retake the Alsace and Lorraine Region and to occupy some of Germany's territory. The ultimate goal is to become the dominant power not just in Europe, but also in the world.

However, such actions will certainly not be allowed by the British. It's worth noting that France is a neighbor just across the English Channel.

In any case, the British will absolutely not allow the French to grow and become the new hegemony on the European Continent.

It is also a sign that the relationship between Britain and France is questionable after the war.

If the French want to achieve their strategic goals, it becomes crucial for them to win over allies within the Allies.

Among the remaining two Allies members other than Britain and France, Russia has exposed too many shortcomings in the war and has suffered tremendous losses.

Even if they win the war in the future, it will take some time to recover their economy and stability, instead of challenging Britain and France for gains.

Based on this understanding, it is impossible to convince Russians unequivocally to support France in acquiring more territories after the war.

The only other great power left in the Allies is Australasia.

Although Australasia looks weak at the moment, it is still a colonial power and destined not to be consumed too much by this war.

However, with the development of the Australasian navy, after the war, Australasia will definitely become a great power with a certain voice.

Even if Australasia does not support France, their attempt to drive a wedge between Australasia and Britain and cause Australasia not to firmly support Britain is the French plan and intention.

The Kiergaran Archipelago is closer to Africa and can serve as an excellent naval base, as well as a breakthrough point for Australasia in the Indian Ocean.

Arthur has plans for this as well because the region is very close to Madagascar and South Africa. If the Kiergaran Archipelago is acquired, it may even be possible to take over France's Madagascar and smoothly transform Australasia into a nation spanning three continents: Africa, Asia, and Oceania.

Additionally, by occupying more land and spheres of influence in the southern hemisphere, Australasia can also claim more territories in Antarctica.

Although there is currently no technology and method to exploit Antarctica, claiming a large area in advance still has benefits considering the abundant resources present there.

Not to mention, from the Kiergaran Archipelago to the easternmost South Pacific Islands, Australasia's sphere of influence will cover more than half of Antarctica.

As long as the guns of Australasia are strong, more than half of Antarctica will belong to Australasia.

However, despite having ideas, Arthur's way of dealing with things is not to agree directly.

"Mr. Cret, I admit you are indeed right. But the barren land of the Kiergaran is not of much use to us," Arthur shook his head, rejecting the proposal of the French Ambassador Cret.

"Your Majesty, if your country is willing to continue providing combat troops, I can represent the government in agreeing that your country will take away more industrial equipment and technology from Germany after the war. We will not oppose your country's poaching of talent from Germany," Seeing Arthur had refused, Cret hurriedly continued.

There is already a preliminary draft on the distribution of post-war benefits within the Allies, with the proportion of each country being allocated already determined.

In exchange for the continued support of Australasia's military reinforcements, the French are staking a lot in accepting fewer industrial equipment and technologies.

Regarding the issue of poaching German talent, both Britain and France are not really interested in that, including attracting most of Germany's talent.

Among other things, the war has been so fierce that Germany has caused hundreds of thousands of casualties among British and French troops and vice versa.

The deep hatred between the countries does not need to be mentioned, but it is a profound hate.

Some talents may have family members who have joined the army and were killed by the British and French forces.

Under these circumstances, except for some particularly outstanding talents who can change industries, Britain and France dare not brazenly poach talent from Germany.

Russians might have ideas, but Russia can't even manage itself now, let alone absorb such German talents after the war, which would cause even greater chaos in their country.

As a result, there's no country within the Allies competing with Australasia for German talent, and most German talent will fall into Australasian hands.

Although Australasia also participated in the war against Germany and suffered casualties on both sides.

After all, Australasia had a good relationship with Germany in the first place, and as long as they shift their mutual hatred to the indigenous peoples, they can perfectly absorb these German talents.

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Anyway, the majority of the Australasian Expeditionary Force is indeed made up of native armies. Those natives who participated in the war have made contributions to Australasia, and they might be repatriated to Southeast Asia and other regions.

As for the remaining indigenous peoples in Australasia, they can only serve as the scapegoats for those natives who participated in the war, bearing the hatred of the German descendants for the Australasians.

Arthur finally nodded his head, agreeing with Cret's opinion.

Arthur's participation in the First World War was to gain more interests after the war, pushing Australasia to the top of the great powers.

The most attractive interest distribution after the war is naturally Germany's numerous factories, equipment, and skilled workers, as well as a large number of talents.

Germany has achieved outstanding results in the past decades, cultivating a large number of talents in education, medical care, scientific research, and other fields, even if there were hundreds of thousands or millions of them.

Add to that Germany's powerful industry, countless factories, and millions of workers.

If a part of German industrial equipment, industrial technology, and skilled workers can be absorbed, the national foundation of Australasia will advance a great step, and there is even hope of surpassing a country like Italy in the aftermath of the war.

If before the First World War, Australasia was competing with Italy and the Island Nation for the position of the rear great power, then after the First World War, Australasia will compete with the United States, aiming to be in the top three among the great powers.

Good news is that, due to Australasia's support for the Allies, the United States has not benefited much from the current war.

When signing the covenant, Arthur specifically pointed out that Australasia would be the main provider of materials to the Allies.

Before Australasia's material scarcity, the Allies cannot import bulk materials from non-Allied countries, as this is the payback to their ally.

This also resulted in almost all arms trade within the Allies being carried out among the Four Great Powers, and since the war began, the United States has not received any orders for armaments from Europe.

Germans have no plans to buy weapons for the time being, since the war has not lasted long and the domestic resources are barely adequate.

Under such circumstances, Germans naturally trust their own factory-produced weapons more than buying them from the distant United States.

Moreover, the Atlantic Ocean is already blockaded by the Allies. It is difficult for Germans to buy resources and weapons from overseas, and it's better to count on their allies to contribute something.

"Gentlemen, since you have made such concessions in terms of interests, Australasia naturally will not dampen the enthusiasm of her allies. Rest assured, 200,000 reinforcements will arrive in Europe by April and join the battle against Germany.

If you can guarantee that Australasia can have priority in selecting German industrial equipment and technology after the war, then I can guarantee that at least 500,000 native troops will be sent to the European battlefield every year, and we will fight the enemy with all our national strength." Arthur smiled and looked at the two ambassadors.

Winston and Cret exchanged glances but did not agree to Arthur's request.

However, Arthur felt that there was still a possibility of implementing it. The relationship between Britain and France is currently showing that both sides are cautious about their defenses, and neither wants the other to reap Germany's achievements after the war and thus stabilize their dominance.

The French want to become the dominant power in Europe after the war, while the British want to stabilize their dominant position and naturally cannot agree to the excessive expansion of the French.

This will also lead to eventual problems between Britain and France, although the current enemy is Germany, and Germany's strength is far greater than the rift between Britain and France. Hence, their relationship remains stable for now.

If Britain and France continue to compete, Australasia could indeed benefit as a fisherman.

After all, neither party wants the other to gain too much benefit, so they might as well give all the benefits to Australasia, with Britain and France retaining their current positions apart from some territories.

If Arthur proposed such a request, the representatives of Britain and France would have been outraged.

Arthur's request is tantamount to allowing Australasia to take advantage of the huge price paid by Britain and France for victory in the war.

Although Britain is not willing to see France become the dominant power in Europe after the war, and threaten its own position.

Britain presumably doesn't want to see Australasia rise quickly either, taking advantage of its superior geographical position to become a new major problem for the British Empire.

For the British, France and Australasia are their own allies. Since they are allies, they cannot be too strong.

France regains its lost territories of Alsace and Lorraine and some compensation in colonies is enough. As for Australasia, gaining some German colonies and industrial facilities and having the strength to compete with the United States is enough.

As for the biggest interests, of course, the British themselves should control them. If they cannot ensure their dominant position in the world remains unshaken after the war, there would be no need for the war for the British.