Chapter 198: Exchange of Interests
On July 25, 1905, the third day after Arthur's arrival in Berlin, after resting for a day and a half, Kaiser Wilhelm II and Arthur began the official talks about the German-Australian relationship.
Compared to the insufficiently cooperative alliance between the British Empire and Japan, the cooperation between Germany and Australia seemed much closer.
Arthur and Wilhelm II discussed the cooperation between Australia and Germany and reached a proposal to further deepen their collaboration.
This proposal mainly focused on army training. Since the formation of the Federation with New Zealand, Australia had increasingly needed a strong army to protect the security of both Australia and New Zealand.
Of course, stabilizing domestic order was also a very important factor. A powerful military would serve as a strong guarantee for both the Australian government and the royal family.
Wilhelm II had no objections and immediately promised to send some elite soldiers and officers from the German Army to help train Australia's military.
Although this would make Australia's army more loyal to Germany, Australia had no conflicts with Germany, so it was not a problem.
Apart from military training, Arthur also represented the Australian government to sign a new cooperation treaty with the German Empire, represented by Wilhelm II.
Australia's industrial sector was too superficial. Not only did it lack basic industries, but it was also unable to produce sophisticated machinery. Often, it had to rely on imports from Europe, which was not a sustainable solution. Arthur decided to introduce a more complete industrial system from Germany and set a goal to help Australia's industry develop in a more scientific and systematic way within at least ten years.
After these cooperation plans were discussed, Wilhelm II suddenly shifted the topic to the issue of the Australia-New Zealand Federation.
"Arthur, do you plan to let the Australia-New Zealand Federation continue to exist indefinitely?" Wilhelm II's sudden question caught Arthur off guard for a moment.
"The union of Australia and New Zealand is quite rare, and the population structure of the two regions is very similar. They can certainly exist permanently as a federal nation," Arthur explained.
Although the federation was not perfect, the combined strength of Australia and New Zealand was much stronger than Australia's individual power.
After uniting, Australia and New Zealand had already become the dominant power in Oceania and had started to influence other islands in the region.
Arthur could say that if it weren't for the tight control of the Pacific islands by the British and French, the ownership of these islands would have likely transferred to Australia.
"No, I don't mean that, Arthur. I believe that Australia and New Zealand can exist in a more favorable way, not like the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which is a dual-nation state," Wilhelm II laughed and explained.
The name of the Austro-Hungarian Empire was actually a combination of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary, which reflected the political structure of two strong countries united. The result of this union was quite successful, creating a powerful empire.
But that was as far as it could go. The complex ethnic distribution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire did not have a dominant ethnic group, and both Austria and Hungary had their own independent governments, which made it hard for the empire's orders to be executed effectively.
The enormous empire had been united by Emperor Franz's great prestige, but after his death, it led to the dissolution of the empire.
Arthur immediately understood Wilhelm II's deeper meaning and asked, "Cousin, you mean...?"
Wilhelm II smiled and nodded. "Oceania needs a completely unified nation. It could even influence East Asia and the Far East. But doing so would also mean that Australia would be involved in the world stage. In the future, Australia will no longer be able to develop quietly without the approval of the major powers."
A unified Oceania would inevitably exert more influence on the outside world. The northern part of Oceania was close to Southeast Asia and East Asia, and the northwest and India were just separated by the Indian Ocean.
This meant that such an Australia could face suspicion from the British Empire, especially since India's importance to the British Empire was well known.
"Would Germany be willing to support Australia's full unification? Does this benefit Germany?" Arthur asked.
Wilhelm II's attitude made Arthur see hope for the unification of Australia and New Zealand into one nation, but what was Germany's reason for supporting Australia's unification? Was it merely because of the good relationship between Germany and Austria?
"Arthur, I don't want to hide anything. Currently, our negotiations with Russia are in the final stages, and the German-Russian alliance is about to become a reality. But Russia does not fully trust Germany's support for its Far East policy. Australia is a key part of Germany's support for Russia's Far East policy," Wilhelm II paused for a moment, then explained, "Russia wants to understand Australia's stance, and Arthur, you might even decide the outcome of the German-Russian negotiations."
Arthur nodded. If this was the case, then Germany's decision to further support Australia made sense.
Arthur hadn't expected that Australia was so crucial to the German-Russian negotiations, even influencing their outcome and the situation in Europe.
Normally, these matters would be considered core secrets of Germany and should not be shared so freely with Arthur.
But with Arthur heading to Russia, he would inevitably learn the progress and process of the German-Russian negotiations. By then, Arthur would fully understand Australia's importance in those negotiations and its influence on Europe's situation.
Therefore, Wilhelm II had no intention of hiding anything, and being open with Arthur would likely win him Arthur's favor.
Moreover, after several contacts, Wilhelm II had come to understand that Arthur was an ambitious man, not an ordinary young man.
Australia's policy during the Russo-Japanese War, which was drastically different from Britain's, confirmed Wilhelm II's perspective.
Germany could provide more technical assistance and support Australia's unification with New Zealand, and Wilhelm II was being so forthright about it.
As for the British Empire, if Australia and New Zealand merged into a new kingdom, it would mean that Australia and New Zealand would completely separate from the British Empire's control.
Arthur would become the king of the new kingdom, rather than a duke who separated from the British Empire.
The British Empire would lose sovereignty over Australia, and aside from their shared bloodline, Britain and Australia would go down different paths.
If Queen Victoria were still the British ruler, Wilhelm II believed the British Empire would agree to Australia and New Zealand's merger. Queen Victoria would even personally bless Arthur and attend his new coronation ceremony.
But unfortunately, the current British ruler was Edward VII, a miserly and selfish man.
At least in Wilhelm II's view, this could be seen from the limited aid the British Empire had given Australia.
Wilhelm II was confident that Arthur would choose Germany. From both a personal relationship and national interest standpoint, Germany could offer Australia far more than the British Empire.
"If it's just weapons and industrial products, Australia would of course be willing to trade with Russia. But Australia's military is still very weak, and we have no plans to personally engage in conflicts worldwide," Arthur thought for a while and replied.
What did the merger of Australia and New Zealand represent? It meant that Arthur would personally establish a new kingdom and become its first ruler.
While being a duke and a king were only one level apart, the prestige and honor brought by a royal title could not be easily described by words.
Even if this new kingdom didn't have sufficient legal grounds, as long as it was recognized by the majority of the world's great powers, who would oppose it?
Once enough time passed and people were influenced gradually, everyone would accept the new country and naturally accept Arthur as its new king.
As long as Australia did not directly participate in conflicts, Arthur was willing to accept Germany's terms.
After all, Germany's offer was based on real benefits, which would speed up Australia's industrial and technological development.
There was nothing more tempting to Arthur than making Australia stronger. In this turbulent time, the country he ruled having greater strength was the key to maintaining his position.
"Of course, Arthur. In the end, this is still a European dispute, and Australia is far away in Oceania. There is no need for us to participate directly. If the German-Russian alliance comes to fruition, the powerful German army can quickly flatten Paris and the Palace of Versailles. If that day comes, I will host a grand celebration at Versailles to let the whole world be moved by the strength of the German Empire!" Wilhelm II said with a smile.
Wilhelm II's initial intention to win over Australia was to have it harass France's colonies during the war, tying down part of France's energy.
But if the German-Russian alliance succeeded, Germany wouldn't have to worry about the Eastern Front, focusing all its main forces on the Western Front to defeat the French army.
This would greatly reduce Germany's logistical pressures, and Wilhelm II's dream of hosting a celebration in Versailles would become a real possibility.
Therefore, whether Australia participated in the war or not didn't matter much. Wilhelm II had full confidence in the German army, believing it could easily overpower the French forces on the front lines.
(End of Chapter)
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