The Rise of Australasia

But there are as many as ten countries demanding reparations, the total amount of which is astronomical in nature.

Even if the countries showed leniency towards Germany with certain reductions, the amount would not be lower than the countries' actual losses.

Germany, as developed as it was, did not have the ability to repay the six great powers and many Balkan states for their expenses in the war, let alone considering Germany's current domestic situation not being particularly favorable.

Germany will definitely repay the compensation, but the exact amount they can repay is uncertain.

For Australasia, using the not necessarily fully collectible compensation to repay its foreign debt, which it has already obtained, is absolutely not a loss.

Especially if the German compensation can be used to repay the United States' debt, it would be equivalent to Australasia getting 2 billion US dollars for free.

Prime Minister Kent, who received the mission from Arthur, hurried to Europe by warship after a few days of preparation.

This time, Prime Minister Kent took a battle cruiser, which was much faster than a typical battleship and, since it was not wartime, there was no need to worry about enemy ship harassment.

If he had taken a super dreadnought, the journey to Europe might have taken a month. However, by taking a battle cruiser, he could arrive in Europe in about 25 days.

Arthur ordered the royal financial group to freely distribute supplies to the people, allowing them to better spend their Christmas this year in celebration of the victory of this war.

Some canned and meat products originally intended for transport to Europe were generously distributed to the public, as the war had ended.

Meanwhile, preparations were underway for the rewards and graces for the combat soldiers, as well as for all those who contributed to the war in the country.

After Christmas, when all Australasian troops returned to the country, Arthur would hold a grand celebration ceremony, honoring those who had contributed to the cause.

This war is a good time to rapidly expand the aristocratic class of Australasia.

Assuming no unforeseen circumstances, after the enfeoffment ceremony, Australasia will have a batch of new nobles to strengthen the aristocracy of the entire country.

In addition, Arthur will not be stingy with the three major medals and various other rewards, and the royal financial group has prepared as much as twenty million Australian dollars to reward these soldiers. Additionally, a sum of money will be paid to the families of all deceased soldiers as a pension.

Since aircraft and tanks have already made their appearances in the war, the designers who have researched aircraft and tank designs will also receive their deserved rewards during the enfeoffment ceremony.

Arthur values soldiers and scientific researchers the most, so they are the ones most likely to be awarded hereditary titles.

The aristocratic ranks in Australasia and the United Kingdom have some differences, but overall they are basically similar.

The lowest rank of the nobility is the honorary title of Sir, followed by the Baron at the bottom of the true nobility, then Viscount, Earl, Duke, and finally the King at the top.

In Britain, the Marquess's position is actually very awkward. Initially, it referred to the Earls near Wales, but eventually evolved into a rank above Earl and below Duke.

However, the number of Marquesses in Britain is small, making them the least visible among the British five-tier aristocratic ranks.

Australasia's aristocratic ranks directly incorporate Marquesses into Earls. After all, Australasian nobles are all modern nobles, that is, they only have titles without territories.

These modern nobles obtain their benefits by joining the Nobleman United Consortium, which is controlled by the royal court and pays dividends to all nobles annually.

Although there are no territories of their own, the nobles would receive some castles and manor houses to ensure that the modern nobility in Australasia can enjoy a luxurious life. Ȑα₦ŏβĚS̩

By creating the Nobility United Consortium, these nobles can better tie themselves to the royal court, binding their interests more closely with those of the royal family.

The status of these modern nobles comes entirely from the king and the royal family, and their income sources come from the Nobleman United Consortium controlled by the royal family.

In this way, the modern nobility of Australasia cannot betray the royal family, let alone betray Arthur.

Due to historical reasons, Australasia has too few nobles.

In order to consolidate his own position and that of the royal family, Arthur will have to ennoble at least a few hundred more in this enfeoffment and continue to increase their numbers by several hundred more during the next few decades to secure the power and status of the next generation of rulers, or even those longer term, of the Australasian royal family.

Through the recent days of the Ministry of Defense's statistics on casualties among the soldiers, Arthur finally obtained the total number and specific list of Australasian casualties in the war.

Almost all of the regular Australasian soldiers went to the battlefield through the army's rotation system, effectively training their fighting capabilities and exposing them to real combat.

Of course, casualties were unavoidable, especially given that each division had to hold out for at least six months.

Australasia's two guard divisions and four regular divisions had more than 100,000 main forces. The total number of casualties exceeded 25,000, and the number of deaths exceeded 8,000, which could still be considered acceptable.

What accounted for the larger casualties were the indigenous armies numbering more than 100,000. In the front and back, Australasia transported more than 80 colonial divisions to Europe, close to 1.6 million indigenous troops.

The number of casualties among these indigenous troops reached as high as 900,000, and the number of deaths exceeded 400,000, making Australasia one of the countries with the heaviest casualties. The total number of casualties even exceeded that of Italy.

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