Chapter 219: The Famine in East Asia and the International Students
At this point, Albert Einstein was still a second-level technician at the Swiss Patent Office in Bern. Although he had gained some recognition in the field of physics in Europe due to recently receiving the Victoria Prize in Physics, his status in Switzerland was not particularly high due to his age.
At least, as a second-level technician, Einstein was unable to access some of the top laboratories. However, if he worked for Australasia, he would not only immediately become the president of the Australian Physical Society but also gain access to all the physical research facilities in Australasia. He would be offered the position of Honorary Professor in the Physics Department at the National University of Australasia, a level of recognition far beyond his current status.
Albert Einstein, originally from Germany, had lived in Germany, Italy, and Switzerland. His loyalty to any particular country was not very strong. He chose to become a Swiss citizen primarily because of Switzerland's status as a neutral country, hoping to work in a peaceful, war-free environment.
Because of this, when Einstein received Arthur's invitation, he was not weighed down by nationalistic concerns. He took his time to seriously evaluate the pros and cons of staying in Australia.
For a top-tier scientist like Einstein, money was usually not the most important factor. After all, with his Victoria Prize, Einstein had already secured substantial rewards and recognition, making him even less concerned with financial compensation.
What mattered more to Einstein was the working environment and the extent to which his research needs could be met.
From what he could see, Australasia's academic field might not be as developed as Switzerland's, but at least the research facilities and funding were more than sufficient, and he wouldn't have to worry about external disturbances.
Ultimately, after Arthur's persuasion and inducements, Einstein agreed to stay in Australasia, initially as a temporary resident and Honorary Professor at the National University.
Although he did not immediately become a citizen of Australasia, that was only a matter of time.
Arthur generously promised Einstein at least 200,000 Australian dollars in annual research funding and offered to help him build his own research team.
Aside from some of the more important research, Einstein would retain full ownership of his theoretical work.
Einstein's arrival not only added a renowned physicist to Australasia but also gave the country a mentor to train future physicists. With Einstein serving as the Honorary Professor in the Physics Department at the National University, Australasia's academic field was now poised to be at the forefront of global research.
In February 1907, after the first funds from the Russian Empire arrived, the Royal Sydney Shipyard began construction on the Russian orders.
The massive keel of the two dreadnoughts was laid, attracting a large number of media from both domestic and international outlets. Arthur also attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the two dreadnoughts.
Although these two ships were being built for Russia, they were made using all the technology that Australasia had mastered. All the workers and experts involved in the construction were also from Australasia.
This marked a significant moment in Australasia's naval history; the country had truly reached world-class standards in the construction of dreadnoughts.
Alongside Arthur at the ceremony was the Russian ambassador to Australasia. Following the royal marriage between Russia and Australasia, the connection between the two countries had become stronger. Various products from Australasia began flooding the Russian market, and Russia began sending large numbers of agricultural workers to Australasia.
These two dreadnoughts were named Petropavlovsk and Poltava by the Russians. The names coincidentally mirrored the names of the first class of Russian dreadnoughts, the Gangut-class battleships. The coincidence was not lost on anyone involved.
Due to their displacement of 20,910 tons, it would take quite a while to lay the keel for these two battleships.
After the ceremony, all media personnel, both domestic and foreign, were asked to leave. The Royal Shipyard would become a military zone, and no unauthorized personnel would be allowed near the ships until they had launched.
In fact, the construction time for the dreadnoughts wasn't particularly long. What took longer was the sea trials and testing after they were launched.
The British Dreadnought battleship, employing numerous new technologies, was completed in just four months, showcasing the immense industrial scale and efficiency of the British Empire.
Australasia's construction process would take much longer. According to experts, Petropavlovsk was expected to undergo sea trials by the end of the year, and Poltava was expected to follow in early the next year.
If all went well, both battleships were expected to be delivered in the second half of 1908, by the end of the year.
In mid-February, after over a month of site selection, the Royal Military Academy of Australasia finally decided to establish its location in the western suburbs of the capital territory.
This site would host the Army and Air Force Academies. The Navy Academy would be located closer to the Sydney port, as naval training could not be separated from ships, and ship training was closely tied to the sea and ports.
In order to give the Royal Military Academy greater scale and prestige, Arthur decided to go all out and sought military experts and professors from Europe and the Americas to join the academy.
Because the construction of the Royal Military Academy would take at least a year, the aviation training institutions temporarily stayed at the aviation laboratory to continue training pilots.
By now, Arthur had already handpicked several hundred excellent soldiers from the military who were suitable to become pilots, assigning them the honorable and challenging task of mastering aircraft operation as quickly as possible.
There were now more than 800 people undergoing pilot training. Once they fully mastered flying, Australasia would have its first batch of air force officers.
Also in February, East Asia was struck by severe famine caused by pests, malaria, acid rain, and other natural disasters.
The great powers began selling rice and flour at exorbitant prices in these disaster-stricken areas, making enormous profits in the process.
Arthur strongly condemned this behavior, ordering grain depots across Australasia to send a large amount of food to East Asia, joining the great powers in this effort.
On the surface, Arthur took action, publicly announcing that 100 tons of grain would be donated to the affected people for free.
However, Arthur could not guarantee how much of that grain would actually reach the hands of the suffering people.
Australasia's action immediately earned the gratitude of the affected people. After all, the Westerners were seen as superior, and few foreign countries, like Australasia, showed such compassion.
With their long history of oppression, many people developed an intense admiration for foreign powers, particularly those that offered aid.
Even those who did not have such an admiration had no choice but to lower their heads before these foreign powers.
To Arthur's surprise, his small act of kindness made many of the disaster-stricken people think more favorably of Australasia.
They began to place their hopes for change in a country like Australia, believing that only by adopting advanced systems and technologies could they overcome the crises faced by their country and people.
It could be said that the oppressed people were easily swayed. If they had known that Australasia had sent tens of thousands of tons of grain to the affected areas, with only the 100 tons being free and the rest sold at several times the usual price, their mood would have changed dramatically.
From February to March, the natural disasters and famine in East Asia provided a prime opportunity for the great powers to exploit.
According to businesses set up in East Asia, within just a month, Australasia earned several times its usual profits from food exports and even garnered some goodwill from the affected people.
Arthur thought the impact of the famine would end there. However, in March, an unexpected group of guests arrived—a group of students from the Qing Dynasty, requesting that Australasia open its universities to allow some Qing students to study there.
Given the interests of the Qing Dynasty, government officials did not dare to make a decision and passed the matter to Arthur.
At this time, most of the students from the Qing Dynasty were wealthy landlords and officials. The poor citizens, for whom even daily meals were a struggle, could not afford to study abroad.
These wealthy students were seeking knowledge, not just a means to survive.
Fearing that Australasia might reject their request, they offered generous terms. Besides paying for all their expenses in Australasia, each student would also pay a tuition fee of 1,000 Australian dollars per year.
At the current exchange rate, 1,000 Australian dollars equated to about 3,500 taels of silver, indicating that these were all influential figures.
Arthur agreed to their request but imposed certain conditions. The most important of these was that they must respect Australasia's rule and not engage in any illegal or criminal activities. If any student was found engaging in such activities, they would not only face compensation but could also be held accountable by the Australasian government.
Arthur's agreement to their request was, in fact, a strategy to cultivate talent that would be aligned with Australasia's interests. If these individuals rose to higher positions or gained more rights and status in their own country, they could help draw their nation closer to Australasia, ultimately benefiting Australasia even further.
(End of Chapter)
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