Chapter 310: National Day Speech
For light weapons experts like Browning, Arthur naturally placed significant trust and importance on him. As long as Browning directed all the funds toward weapon development, what was the problem with having no cap on funding? After all, the research and development of weapons wouldn't cost hundreds of thousands of Australian dollars a year. If it could lead to Australasia obtaining extremely advanced light weapons, it would be worth much more than those hundreds of thousands.
It's important to note that light weapons aren't just limited to pistols and submachine guns. Rifles, light machine guns, and heavy machine guns are all included in the light weapon category. If Browning makes good use of the resources, the light weapon improvements and developments for Australasia over the next 20 years will be assured, keeping the country at the forefront of military technology.
The heavy weapons like tanks and aircraft also rely on heavy machine guns, which are critical sources of firepower. The development of machine guns, therefore, is vital for weapons like tanks and aircraft, as the performance of these machine guns directly impacts their combat capabilities and is one of their most effective means of attack.
Although Browning had a holiday for nearly half a month, Arthur, seeing his eagerness to work, still assigned him a few tasks. Of course, these were just preliminary tasks, and Browning would begin full-scale weapons development after the National Day holiday.
Australasia's arms industry had plenty of talent, but experts with a reputation as big as Browning's were rare. As the saying goes, "The capable do more work." Since Browning had built such a significant reputation in history, it was clear that his abilities were extraordinary.
As the Chief Expert for Light Weapons at the Royal Military Factory, Arthur assigned Browning the task of developing submachine guns, pistols, light and heavy machine guns. Browning would need to quickly familiarize himself with the current technologies of these three weapons and make improvements based on his expertise.
Rifles were not included in this task—not because Browning didn't know rifles, but because Australasia already possessed excellent rifles in the form of the Gew-98 and Lee-Enfield rifles. These two weapons were sufficient for at least the next 20 or 30 years, and there were no plans for new designs in this area.
Of course, if Browning could make further improvements to these rifles, Arthur would have no reason to refuse.
After a pleasant conversation that lasted several hours, Arthur handed Browning a check for 100,000 Australian dollars, allowing him to settle his residence and bring his family to Australasia. The meeting ended on a high note.
100,000 Australian dollars was equivalent to 50,000 British pounds, a fortune for Browning, even though he had once been the Chief Firearms Designer at the Belgian state armaments factory. Due to the poor business at the Belgian factory, even Browning's salary as the chief designer never exceeded 2,000 pounds per year. This check for 100,000 Australian dollars was nearly the equivalent of Browning's salary for 25 years in Belgium, showing Arthur's sincerity.
With 100,000 Australian dollars in hand, Browning could buy a good property or a standalone villa in any city in Australasia, or even fully purchase some small and medium-sized businesses. This was more than enough to become a capitalist.
Browning was stunned by Arthur's generosity and deeply grateful. As the King of Australasia, Arthur's respect and high regard for him made Browning feel a strong sense of loyalty, motivating him to work hard to fulfill Arthur's requests.
Browning was determined to complete the tasks Arthur had assigned to him, and at the very least, improve and upgrade some of Australasia's weapons over the next few years.
Time passed quickly, and soon it was January 10th, the National Day of Australasia.
This year's National Day was especially grand. While there were no parades, the usual National Day activities were all in place, and rumors were circulating that Arthur and the royal family would be attending, attracting a large crowd.
More importantly, it was the first time that Arthur's children, Prince William and Princess Anna, would be publicly seen, drawing a significant media presence from both within the country and Europe. Many European newspapers also came in hopes of reporting on Arthur and the royal family.
In both Australasia and some European countries, Arthur was well-liked by the public, especially in the United Kingdom and Russia, where Prince William and Princess Anna, being blood relatives of the British and Russian royal families, were of significant interest.
It is even worth mentioning that Arthur himself had a claim to the British throne, though it was far down the line. As Arthur's children, Prince William and Princess Anna also held claims to the British throne, though theoretically, it was highly unlikely that they would ever ascend. Nevertheless, having such a claim symbolized the closeness of their connection to the British royal family.
The National Day flag-raising ceremony was different from other times, as the flag was raised at sunrise, making the time for the ceremony different each year but generally around 6 a.m.
As it was summer in Australasia, the sun rose earlier. When the national flag flew proudly in the bright blue sky, Arthur began his speech.
"My people, I am very glad to be here with all of you on this special day. January 10th each year is a special day for Australasia. We have gone through the colonial era, from colonies to a unified nation, and from a nation to a kingdom. The royal family and government have always been committed to creating a peaceful and prosperous society, so that all people of Australasia do not have to worry about hunger, poverty, war, or oppression."
"Until now, we have achieved significant results, and we are still striving for our ultimate goal. As you may already know, while Australasia is a peaceful and stable country, there is still much war and crisis around the world. As the King of Australasia, I am committed to keeping us out of war, hoping that all of my people can live peaceful and happy lives."
"But at the same time, we must make some preparations. We do not wish for war, but if any nation or force dares to infringe on the interests of Australasia and its people, our entire military will not hesitate to fight back. Let us unite in this great country, fight for our highest dream—the rise of Australasia, so that our nation will be remembered by the world, and the people of Australasia will stand at the peak of the world!"
As expected, Arthur's speech was met with enthusiastic applause from the people of Australasia. When the continuous cheers and claps filled the air, Arthur knew that he had prepared his people for the possibility of war.
After all, Australasia was a country in Oceania, and the upcoming World War I was a European conflict. If preparations weren't made in advance, it wouldn't be easy to rally the peaceful people of Australasia to support a military alliance in Europe.
After all, war always brings casualties, losses, and sacrifices.
If Australasia joined the war, there would inevitably be military casualties, the consumption of materials, and the loss of funds. Although there would be reparations and benefits after a victory, the people wouldn't enjoy these benefits immediately. More importantly, these benefits would be in the distant future.
Behind Arthur, Prince William and Princess Anna stood quietly by Queen Mary's side. When they saw the enthusiastic applause from the people, they joined in clapping as well, enjoying the moment.
Arthur smiled as he watched his two children. If nothing else, this would likely be the last time they could enjoy such moments.
As the only prince and princess of Australasia, Prince William and Princess Anna would begin their noble education from the age of three. Even Anna, as the second in line to the throne, would undergo various training in aristocratic etiquette and cultivate different hobbies from a young age.
Prince William, as the first in line to the throne and the only prince, would face even more demanding education. Until the age of six, his training had been relatively light, consisting mostly of etiquette, basic languages, and thought education. But from six onward, he would be immersed in history, politics, psychology, economics, and other subjects to prepare him to be a worthy heir and king.
Especially in a monarchical system like that of Australasia, Arthur placed great importance on the education of his successor.
William would learn the official language of Australasia, English, as well as French, Russian (Queen Mary's mother tongue), and German—the language of Australasia's third largest ethnic group. These were just the basic languages required for his education.
Besides those, languages such as Dutch and Spanish would also be taught, even if just for basic conversational skills.
Subjects like history, politics, economics, and psychology were essential for a ruler in an autocratic nation. Without understanding these subjects, a ruler could easily be misled by their subordinates and unable to formulate meaningful improvements for the country.
Though it seemed like a small subject, history played a critical role. By learning from past great monarchs, a ruler could aspire to become a great monarch themselves.
Arthur's plan was to eventually transform Australasia into a constitutional monarchy if the heir's education didn't go as planned. However, even under a constitutional monarchy, Arthur intended to ensure future monarchs could still have the power to govern effectively.
Arthur glanced at his two children, William and Anna, who were happily clapping, knowing that at least they wouldn't become rulers of a fallen nation under his guidance.
After Arthur's speech, it was followed by the government's report on the past year's work. This was a tradition in Australasia since National Day fell at the beginning of the year, making it a time to publicly report on the previous year's government progress.
While most of the audience was composed of the people of Australasia, many foreign tourists and media were also present. Therefore, some details were kept confidential, but basic information such as industrial growth, economic expansion, agricultural development, education, healthcare, and transportation projects were shared with the public.
Arthur, seated comfortably, listened to Prime Minister Kent's report, but his gaze frequently drifted to his children, smiling.
The National Day festivities lasted several hours, starting at six in the morning and wrapping up around ten. Even after the official events ended, many Sydney residents chose to stay behind. Soon, the screening of The Dream of Australasia would begin in the Sydney Square. Although the movie hadn't started yet, the buzz surrounding it had been building for a long time. This film, which Arthur had participated in and was central to the identity of the Australasia people, drew a crowd eager to be part of the historic screening.
(End of Chapter)
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