Chapter 209: The Focus of the Banquet
Arthur's words startled many of the nobles and officials from various countries, and the cheers from the people of Australasia grew even more enthusiastic.
Two battleships, five large capital ships, ten medium-sized cruisers, and dozens of small warships—how powerful is this fleet?
This level of naval power is only about half of the current strength of the Island nation's fleet, which would only rank around the top fifteen globally if calculated.
But what if these two battleships are of the latest Dreadnought class? Currently, the only country with Dreadnought-class battleships is the British Empire, and only a few countries have plans and budgets to design and produce Dreadnought-class ships.
If Australasia is to produce Dreadnought-class battleships, their naval strength would easily place them among the top ten in the world.
Especially in the Indian Ocean and the Western Pacific, the strength of Australasia's fleet cannot be underestimated.
For the people of Australasia, there is nothing more exciting than the country actually possessing capital ships like battleships.
With real battleships, Australasia's navy could take center stage and be recognized by other nations.
Amidst the astonishment of foreign officials and the cheers of the crowd, Arthur's coronation ceremony officially came to an end.
At the very last moment of the ceremony, the flags in the square were replaced with the newly chosen flag of the Kingdom of Australasia.
Not just one nation, but several, were keen on Australasia's naval plans, particularly those with interests in the Indian Ocean and the Pacific coast.
If the two battleships that Australasia was about to build were indeed Dreadnought-class, these nations would need to reconsider their diplomatic strategies with Australasia.
However, after the coronation ceremony, Arthur headed straight back to Sydney Palace. Although many nobles and officials had questions, they would have to wait until the evening banquet to privately inquire.
After the announcement of Australasia's shipbuilding plans, the happiest nations were the German Empire and the Russian Empire.
Germany's interests in the Indian Ocean and the Western Pacific were minimal, with only the German New Guinea colony relatively close to Australasia.
However, this land was not that important and was mainly seen as a means to win over Australasia.
The Russian Empire was in a similar situation. After Arthur's engagement to Grand Duchess Mary, the Russian Empire and Australasia effectively became allies.
Furthermore, with the Russian Empire's interests lying in the Far East, too far from Australasia, there was little chance for conflict between the two nations.
In such a situation, the strengthening of Australasia's navy was actually a good thing for the Russian Empire.
Of course, Arthur's return to Sydney Palace wasn't due to any urgent matters. Princess Louise had already taken charge of the evening's banquet arrangements, and Arthur's role was simply to make a grand entrance.
The real reason Arthur headed back was to meet with Grand Duchess Mary. Yes, due to the youth of Tsar Nicholas II's heirs, the Russian delegation was led by Grand Duke Sergey.
Upon hearing of the trip to Australasia, Grand Duchess Mary had also decided to accompany the delegation. Tsar Nicholas II had intended to help foster the relationship between them, so her name was included in the list of delegates.
After a year and more, seeing Grand Duchess Mary again put Arthur in an excellent mood.
Having chosen her as his fiancée, Arthur was now determined to treat her as the future Queen of Australasia, his wife, and to actively cultivate their relationship.
Now, over a year later, Grand Duchess Mary was eighteen, the perfect age.
In fact, Grand Duke Sergey's purpose for bringing Grand Duchess Mary to Australasia was also to finalize the exact date for their wedding.
Arthur was now twenty-three, and Grand Duchess Mary was eighteen, so it was the perfect time to push forward the close union between Russia and Australasia.
Of course, the specific wedding date and arrangements were left to Princess Louise and Hunter to decide, as Arthur had no time to manage the details of the wedding.
Princess Louise would certainly not let Arthur interfere, given his lack of knowledge about traditional Western noble weddings.
However, now that the Kingdom of Australasia had been established, the king's wedding would certainly be more extravagant than expected.
Arthur had already prepared substantial funds and resources for the event, and even the Royal Guard could be called upon to showcase the grandeur and power of the Australasia monarchy.
At this moment, Arthur's primary task was to build a genuine emotional connection with Grand Duchess Mary, making their union more than just a political one.
To this end, Arthur took Grand Duchess Mary on a tour of nearly the entire Sydney Palace, showing her the gardens and lakes in front of the palace, as well as the monuments prepared for Australasia's future heroes and the statues in front of the palace gates.
Currently, statues of Queen Victoria and Arthur had already been completed.
Next to Arthur's statue, a platform had been prepared for the upcoming statue of Grand Duchess Mary, which would be sculpted after their wedding.
Listening to Arthur explain the various purposes of the Sydney Palace's construction, and imagining her statue placed beside Arthur's, Grand Duchess Mary couldn't help but feel deeply moved.
When a woman is touched, she can imagine all sorts of beautiful scenarios for the future, especially regarding the wedding. Grand Duchess Mary had many dreamlike scenes in mind for her wedding day.
To accommodate her wishes, Arthur casually waved his hand, allowing Grand Duchess Mary to have full freedom in participating in the wedding arrangements.
For a monarch like Arthur, this wasn't a big deal; it would just require more funds.
But with his wealth from the Benz automobile factory, Arthur considered such expenses negligible.
Having won Grand Duchess Mary's affection, Arthur turned his attention to the upcoming banquet.
At 8 p.m., the No. 1 Banquet Hall at Sydney Palace.
This was the largest banquet hall at Sydney Palace, specially designed by Arthur for hosting large banquets.
The hall could accommodate up to 600 people and was equipped with exclusive servants and maids.
Even before 8 p.m., many foreign guests and officials from Australasia were already inside, drinking wine carefully prepared by Australasia, forming small groups to chat with one another.
Most of the wine served at the banquet came from Arthur's private vineyard, infused with the unique flavors of Australasia.
After several years of development, Arthur's private vineyard had gained a reputation within the nobility, and both high-end and low-end wines had found their market.
Particularly within Australasia, Arthur's vineyard controlled nearly the entire market, generating considerable profit and income.
The wine at the banquet was limited edition from the 1901 and 1902 harvests, which were produced in limited quantities, making them even more expensive.
Each bottle of wine was priced at least 500 Australian dollars, with some even exceeding 1,000 Australian dollars.
With over a dozen chefs preparing various exquisite dishes and snacks, Arthur's expenses for the banquet were estimated to be at least 200,000 Australian dollars.
As Arthur entered the banquet hall, the noisy chatter stopped immediately. Everyone's attention turned to Arthur, the undisputed star of the evening.
"Congratulations, Arthur, and congratulations to Australasia for achieving the status you deserve," Crown Prince Wilhelm of Germany was the first to step forward, smiling as he congratulated Arthur.
Being of similar age to Arthur, Crown Prince Wilhelm had formed a good relationship with him during Arthur's visit to Germany, and the two were quite familiar with one another.
"Thank you." Arthur embraced Crown Prince Wilhelm warmly, clearly pleased with his arrival.
The fact that Germany had sent a royal representative at the level of the crown prince showed just how much importance the German Empire placed on Australasia.
After Crown Prince Wilhelm, Grand Duke Sergey also stepped forward, smiling as he congratulated Arthur.
As the actual guardian of Grand Duchess Mary, Grand Duke Sergey was very satisfied with Arthur.
As the King of Australasia, Arthur had managed this newly united country with great skill, and Australasia's potential was now clearly visible.
What was more important was that Arthur had noble European royal blood, but unlike most of Europe's aristocrats, he was not excessive in his pleasures and indulgences.
Having been in Australasia for several days, Grand Duke Sergey had not heard any rumors about Arthur's private life, which showed that Arthur focused on state matters rather than engaging in the behavior typical of ordinary noble sons.
After Grand Duke Sergey, Arthur stepped forward to engage in a brief conversation with Prince George of the United Kingdom.
In reality, Prince George was already 41 years old, which made him seem slightly out of place when standing with Arthur and Crown Prince Wilhelm, who were closer in age.
Indeed, since they were not of the same age, Arthur and Prince George didn't have much to discuss. After exchanging pleasantries and receiving his congratulations, the conversation ended quickly.
If it weren't for considering the sentiments of the British public, Arthur wouldn't have bothered to approach Prince George.
It is worth noting that the British royal family still carried the surname Sachsen-Coburg-Gotha, a luxurious German family.
This family had ruled over the Duchy of Sachsen-Coburg-Gotha, the Kingdom of Belgium, the Kingdom of Portugal, the Kingdom of Bulgaria, the British Empire, and now the Kingdom of Australasia. It was one of the oldest and most widely ruling families in European history.
Such a family was highly valued by Europeans, and many smaller nations, when choosing a monarch, often selected a prince from this prestigious family.
However, after World War I, the Sachsen-Coburg-Gotha family's influence waned. In an effort to appease the anti-German sentiment in Britain, King George V decided to change the royal surname to Windsor, establishing the now-famous House of Windsor.
After the departure of Crown Prince Wilhelm, representatives from Austria-Hungary, Italy, and the United States also came forward to offer their congratulations.
Even the Island nation, seemingly unaware of Australasia's treaty with Russia and its impending union, still politely congratulated Arthur.
After all the representatives from the great powers had finished offering their congratulations, it was finally time for the representatives of the lesser nations to speak.
This was a common occurrence in the world; the weak have no diplomacy. If a country's power is not recognized by others, its diplomatic representatives can only speak after all the others have finished.
Of course, whether or not anyone wanted to listen to their words was another matter.
After receiving all the congratulations, over an hour had passed.
Arthur signaled for everyone to enjoy the banquet, and the atmosphere once again returned to its original buzz.
This banquet was a great opportunity for everyone to establish diplomatic relations, and representatives and nobles from various countries quickly formed their own social circles, trying to make useful connections.
As the protagonist of the evening, Arthur naturally attracted much attention with every move.
However, Arthur's primary focus that evening was to converse with representatives from the great powers, so it wasn't easy for other country's nobles and officials to strike up a conversation.
Australasia's shipbuilding plans had drawn attention from many great powers, who were eager to know whether the two battleships being built would indeed be Dreadnought-class ships.
It should be noted that currently, only three countries have openly declared plans to build Dreadnoughts, with just six countries having shipbuilding plans in place.
At this moment, any country possessing Dreadnoughts would see their naval power undergo a massive transformation.
This was why so many nations were keen to learn about Australasia's shipbuilding plans, particularly the two Dreadnought-class battleships, as it meant that Australasia's naval strength could rival that of the Island nation's fleet, which had five old battleships.
Arthur's decision to announce Australasia's shipbuilding plans in public was meant to increase the kingdom's influence internationally.
Thus, when asked about the ships, Arthur openly acknowledged that the two battleships in Australasia's shipbuilding plan were, in fact, advanced Dreadnought-class ships.
He even mysteriously added that the three other main battleships in the plan, though not Dreadnoughts, would be powerful ships designed and built by Australasia, surpassing old battleships but falling short of Dreadnoughts.
This meant that Australasia was very likely to have five battleships, at least two of which would be Dreadnought-class ships, placing their naval strength within the world's top ten.
Such strength was enough to draw the attention of several countries, especially those with interests in the Indian Ocean and the Pacific coast.
The influence Australasia could exert in these regions would even rival that of the great powers.
At least, apart from the British Empire, no other country could guarantee that its naval fleet in these regions would surpass the strength of Australasia's.
Naturally, besides being surprised by Australasia's ambitious naval plans, representatives from various countries were very curious about the two main battleships.
The first is the Dreadnought-class ship, and the second is another advanced battleship, superior to the older battleships.
At present, only a few countries worldwide have Dreadnought-class designs, and Australasia's two types of warships were advancing quickly, placing them among the leaders in this regard.
Of course, the countries most eager to learn more about the data and performance of Australasia's two warships were the British Empire and the Island nation.
The British Empire had extensive interests along the Indian Ocean and the Western Pacific coasts, and India, a crucial area for Britain, was not far from Australasia.
In this case, the British Empire urgently needed to assess Australasia's future naval strength in order to make better diplomatic decisions.
As for the Island nation, although distant, it had already formed a good relationship with Australasia, especially after the marriage treaty with Russia.
This meant that Russia might receive substantial aid from Australasia in future wars, possibly including naval support.
Therefore, the Island nation was very eager to learn the specific data and performance of Australasia's two warships, in case Russian fleets—supported by Australasia—might one day pose a threat.
In fact, Russia had already shown interest in Australasia's Dreadnought designs.
Historically, Russia's Dreadnought was built with British assistance, using Italy's Dante-class design as a foundation.
But now, getting help from the British Empire for Dreadnoughts was practically impossible.
Russia's current ally, France, also had no plans to build Dreadnoughts, let alone assist in their design and production.
Although Russia might receive help from Germany, it would come at the cost of severing the Franco-Russian alliance, something Russia couldn't afford at the moment.
Thus, Russia had no immediate hope of designing and building Dreadnoughts, which was unacceptable to Tsar Nicholas II, who had always seen Russia as one of the top great powers.
In fact, Russia's relatively light losses in the Russo-Japanese War and additional German financial support had revived the Russian Empire.
Now, with a temporary neutrality agreement with Germany, Russia could focus more on internal crises, with a stronger military presence.
This meant that Russia now had some funds, and the Russian Empire was indeed very interested in the Dreadnoughts.
But Russia's ability to design warships was far too weak, and without help from other countries, it would be nearly impossible for them to produce their own.
With the British, French, and Germans all unlikely to help, and the United States looking to expand in the Pacific, the only country that might provide Russia with the Dreadnoughts seemed to be Australasia.
(End of Chapter)
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