Chapter 233: Heading to Portuguese Timor
On August 15, 1907, as Australasia's initial battle results were released to the outside world, the war caused surprise among Europeans and gained global attention.
The reason was simple: Although Portugal's colonies in Asia were only three in total, with a combined population of less than a million, these three colonies were located in South Asia, East Asia, and Southeast Asia, with over 6,000 soldiers stationed there.
According to the battle report released by Australasia, they managed to occupy and take control of these three colonies in just four to five days, which seemed almost impossible.
From Australasia's own battle report, a total of 36,000 soldiers from the First and Second Divisions were deployed, using numerous transport ships to cross the oceans with the navy providing protection.
Looking at the battle loss ratio alone, the results were staggering. Australasia's army of over 30,000 suffered less than 200 casualties, with fewer than 30 deaths.
On the other hand, the Portuguese army had nearly 1,000 soldiers captured, and the number of Portuguese and indigenous soldiers killed exceeded 3,000.
The reason the total casualties were fewer than 6,000 was due to the large number of indigenous soldiers who fled during the war.
These indigenous soldiers were not aligned with the Portuguese, and when faced with imminent death, the brief training they received was unable to suppress their fear, leading to panic and flight.
The battle loss ratio between Australasia and Portugal reached a terrifying 1:100, and even without considering the indigenous soldiers, the loss ratio between the two armies alone was still a shocking 1:40.
According to Australasia, they used a new weapon, airships, which dropped bombs from above the Portuguese positions, explaining the massive difference in battle loss ratios.
Europe had been studying airships as well, and after a brief analysis, the major powers believed the claim that Australasia had used airships to drop bombs.
If the weather conditions were right, airships could indeed serve as weapons for dropping bombs.
This strengthened the resolve of European countries to continue studying airships, with major powers such as the UK, France, and Germany each contributing funds to research more advanced airships and explore their potential uses in warfare.
The two countries most impacted by this report were undoubtedly Australasia and the Kingdom of Portugal.
For Australasia, as the sole victor of the battle, the report not only confirmed the occupation of Portugal's three colonies in Asia, but also the capture of a large number of Portuguese soldiers, giving them a significant advantage in the war.
For Portugal, the report was like a thunderclap, striking all the Portuguese people.
In just a few days after the war began, all three of their colonies in Asia had been lost.
If this continued for a few more months, would the Australasians end up attacking mainland Portugal?
The Portuguese began to feel both anger and panic. Many Portuguese media outlets started questioning the government, asking whether the battle report from Australasia was true.
If the report was indeed true, the Portuguese would have to consider whether they could still win this war.
With the loss of the three Asian colonies, Portugal had lost its foothold in Asia, and even their colonies in Africa might be at risk.
At this point, Portugal's colonies were already few, and if their African colonies were taken, Portugal would truly fall into the ranks of second-rate European countries.
The Portuguese government was unsure how to respond to these questions from the media and public. Therefore, they reported the issue to King Carlos I.
After receiving inquiries from his subordinates, King Carlos I was also greatly troubled.
Although there was still no news from the three Asian colonies, the telegrams sent to those colonies had gone unanswered, indicating that the reports from Australasia were most likely accurate.
However, even if the news was true, King Carlos I did not dare to openly admit the situation.
Portugal's government had been so determined, and now King Carlos I was in a state of panic.
For Portugal, even the loss of three Asian colonies was a pain the country could not bear.
This panic led to the government's response to the public's questions being filled with uncertainty, using many ambiguous terms, and even contradicting itself in some places.
Although a small number of Portuguese people were still in denial, some smarter individuals had already begun to understand that, even if Australasia's reports were not entirely accurate, they couldn't be far from the truth.
As a result, there were several protests in Portugal demanding that the government release the truth and retake the three lost Asian colonies.
To calm the domestic unrest, King Carlos I had no choice but to publicly promise the people that, based on the previous mobilization of 40,000 troops, he would now mobilize at least another 40,000 soldiers from Portugal's African colonies, bringing the total to 80,000 troops to reclaim the lost Asian colonies and ensure the safety of all Portuguese citizens in Asia.
However, the mobilization of the initial 40,000 troops was still incomplete, and now, with the additional 40,000 soldiers from Africa, the time required to assemble the troops had been extended again.
Even though King Carlos I urged the military repeatedly, the Portuguese military could only give a vague response, promising to have the first group of troops ready to board the transport ships by September at the latest.
Arthur was unaware of the various events unfolding in Portugal. By this time, he had already boarded a ship heading north to visit the soldiers of the First Division stationed in Portuguese Timor.
Although the offensives of the three divisions had gone smoothly and there had been minimal casualties, the necessary visit was still required to express the royal family's and Arthur's attention and concern for the soldiers.
After receiving word that Arthur was coming to inspect the troops, General Silvio Lonni Rodlin had already cleaned up Dili and confiscated a large number of weapons throughout the city.
All usable firearms were added to the weapons confiscation list.
Because he was still uneasy, General Silvio Lonni Rodlin planned to have all the Portuguese soldiers escorted out of the city on the day Arthur arrived.
The time soon came on August 17th, the day Arthur officially arrived in Portuguese Timor.
General Silvio Lonni Rodlin and the soldiers of the First Division stood proudly outside Dili's port early in the morning.
In fact, the capitals of these colonies had a similar characteristic: they were located near the coast or were port cities.
This was because, during the colonial era, Europeans preferred to establish bases near the coast to facilitate the transportation of supplies and communication.
These coastal bases, after long-term development, became the colonies' cities, and the first-established bases usually developed the fastest, eventually becoming the colonial capitals.
Dili was a typical port city. Although it wasn't very large, it had a proper port and was home to a very small naval fleet.
The so-called navy consisted of a few small warships, with tonnage ranging from tens to 100 tons. After the First Division occupied Dili, this small naval fleet quickly surrendered to General Silvio Lonni Rodlin.
Of course, General Silvio Lonni Rodlin would never deny that the presence of several medium-sized Australasian warships outside the port also played a role in the swift surrender of the small naval fleet.
In any case, the Portuguese soldiers were cooperative.
When Arthur set foot on Dili's land, Australasia's national anthem, "Australasia, Forward!" slowly began to play at the port.
Arthur was somewhat surprised, as the First Division didn't have a military band. The fact that the national anthem was played so smoothly must have been the work of the musicians living in Dili.
"Your Majesty!"
General Silvio Lonni Rodlin quickly approached and respectfully saluted Arthur.
The soldiers of the First Division quickly followed suit, and the scene was nothing short of spectacular.
"General Silvio, excellent work! After this war is over, I will personally award you and your soldiers medals in Sydney!" Arthur said with a smile.
General Silvio Lonni Rodlin had successfully completed the mission Arthur had given him before the war. Not only had he greatly minimized Australasian casualties, but he had also successfully achieved the objective of occupying Portuguese Timor.
"It was my duty, Your Majesty. For Australasia!" General Silvio Lonni Rodlin quickly responded.
"Soldiers, I am proud of you. Continue to hold on, and after this war, you will all be heroes of Australasia. I will hold a celebration ceremony after the war, where all those who made outstanding contributions in the war will be awarded medals. Those with major contributions will even receive titles and land! At the same time, let us have a moment of silence for all the Australasian soldiers who sacrificed their lives in this war. The names of all the fallen soldiers will be engraved on the Hero Memorial in the Sydney Palace Square, and their names will be forever remembered by the royal family and all the people of Australasia!" Arthur looked at all the soldiers, offering his encouragement.
In addition to granting medals, titles, and land to the heroes, the names of all the fallen Australasian soldiers would also be engraved on the Hero Memorial.
Because the Hero Memorial was located in the square of the Sydney Palace, it would be visible to all Australians during major national events.
For those fallen soldiers, this would be a form of honor, ensuring they would never be forgotten, and their contributions would always be remembered by the people of Australasia.
To accommodate as many names as possible, the Hero Memorial was built to be very tall, with the capacity to engrave more than 100,000 names.
However, before the war began, no names had yet been engraved.
If everything went as planned, the names of those sacrificed Australasian soldiers would be the first to be engraved, and they would be placed in the most visible spots.
(End of Chapter)
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