Chapter 243: Asset Expansion
The military of Australasia plans to expand with one regular division and two colonial divisions, and their division commanders will naturally need to be selected from the existing military forces.
Fortunately, the two deputy commanders of the First and Second Divisions had achieved notable success in the war, making them eligible for promotion to brigadier general to command the two newly established divisions.
The deputy commander of the Third Division will then be assigned to the remaining colonial division, and the commanders of the three new divisions will have been chosen.
As for the newly formed artillery regiment and infantry regiment of the Guard Division, it is highly likely that the deputy commanders of the Guard Division will be tasked with commanding these regiments as well.
In fact, the deputy commanders of the First, Second, and Third Divisions find the position of regiment commander in the Guard Division more attractive than those of the colonial divisions.
The reason is simple: the Guard Division is Arthur's core force. It not only enjoys superior weapons, equipment, and ammunition compared to regular divisions, but its logistical support and welfare systems are also significantly better.
For example, currently the per capita income in Australasia is around 41 Australian dollars. According to regulations, the salary of a regular soldier in a regular division barely exceeds this level, generally reaching 43 to 45 Australian dollars. Even with some holiday benefits and allowances, their annual income does not exceed 50 Australian dollars.
In contrast, a regular soldier in the Guard Division earns 48 Australian dollars, which is almost the total sum of a regular division soldier's salary, benefits, and allowances.
Moreover, soldiers in the Guard Division hold a much higher status than those in regular divisions. Every soldier from the Guard Division is carefully selected from the regular divisions.
This decoration ceremony also led to the promotion of two major generals, two brigadier generals, three colonels, two lieutenant colonels, and four majors in the army. There were also many promotions among non-commissioned officers and junior officers, further enriching the ranks of lower-level officers in the army.
More importantly, taking advantage of this ceremony, Australasia also officially welcomed three new nobles.
The first was former Prime Minister Evan, who had worked tirelessly for the government. After serving the Australasia government for seven years, Arthur granted Evan the title of Sir, making him a true noble recognized by the Australasia government and royal family.
From now on, the former Prime Minister Evan could be addressed as Sir Evan, as a true aristocrat in Australasia, even though the title of Sir has no land and cannot be inherited. It is simply an honorary noble title.
Even so, this still represents the threshold of nobility, and in a country like Australasia, where there are no other aristocrats except for the royal family, the title of Sir is currently considered a true nobility.
Although the title does not come with land, a Sir still receives an annual income that is at least three times the average annual income of Australasians (medals bring about ten times that amount).
Along with former Prime Minister Evan, the commanders of the First and Second Divisions were also granted the title of Sir. Of course, the reason why Generals Silvio Lonnie Rodlin and Fritz Lena were granted the title of Sir is that Arthur wanted to quickly elevate the recognition of military merit in Australasia. He wanted the people of Australasia to understand that he would never treat his meritorious officers unfairly.
After all, following the next war, soldiers in Australasia would be motivated by titles, honors, medals, rewards, ranks, and many other generous incentives, pushing the military to move forward.
This is one of the benefits of a monarchy: a monarch can bestow nobility on those who have been recognized, and this system serves as a ladder for commoners to reach higher levels of society, which naturally causes widespread excitement and fervor.
However, Arthur is very strict when it comes to granting noble titles. Although Australasia has been developed for more than seven years, this is only the first time that nobility has been granted, and it is restricted to honorary titles like Sir.
In the future, the nobility of Australasia will surely become a significant force, but Arthur will be very strict in selecting future nobles.
Apart from those who have made significant contributions to the country, anyone wishing to become a noble must rely on military merit.
As for true hereditary nobility titles such as barons and earls, aside from a war that risks the fate of the nation, they can only be earned through seniority and contributions.
On November 7, 1907, accompanied by government officials, Arthur visited the newly constructed Timor Reservoir in New South Wales.
Due to Australasia's unique climate, many regions of the Australian continent face water scarcity. Fortunately, the current population of Australasia is not too large, and even though industrial water demand has risen rapidly, there have not yet been major water supply issues.
However, this remains a hidden danger. Several years ago, Arthur had ordered the construction of large reservoirs in suitable areas to meet future water demands as the population grows.
These reservoirs are categorized into industrial water reservoirs and civilian water reservoirs, depending on their geographical location and size.
Industrial water reservoirs supply water to factories and industrial zones to meet the water demands of the industrial sector. Civilian water reservoirs serve various purposes, from daily water usage to supporting agriculture, livestock, and even the burgeoning electric power industry, all of which require substantial water resources.
Although electric power generation is not directly related to water use, it utilizes the difference in water levels between reservoirs, driving water turbines to generate electricity.
Currently, Australasia still predominantly relies on thermal power for electricity generation, and hydropower is still in the testing phase.
The reason for this is that Australasia has an abundant coal resource, and unlike other countries, it does not face the problem of resource scarcity—this phrase doesn't even exist in Australasia's dictionary.
The reservoir Arthur was inspecting, located at the Timor River in New South Wales, was designed to address the water needs of both New South Wales and the Sydney area. It also features hydropower facilities, making it Australasia's first hydropower station.
When the Energy Research Laboratory was established, the electricity standards for Australasia had already been set, with a voltage of 220 volts, and industrial electricity standards were also established.
As a result, Australasia now has a relatively comprehensive electricity system, with electric lights and electricity gradually becoming part of the lives of everyday people.
Arthur's Sydney Palace is definitely one of the most well-equipped palaces in terms of electricity.
Currently, various types of crystal chandeliers made of sculpted crystal can be seen inside the palace, with colorful lights illuminating the evenings beautifully.
Thanks to the increase in per capita income, the people of Australasia are now familiar with electric lights.
Most of Australasia's industries have been established in recent years, and all of them use modern industrial equipment, meaning that the country requires a massive amount of electricity, unlike the British Empire, which still uses steam-powered equipment from the industrial revolution.
Currently, several states in Australasia have established a variety of thermal power plants to supply electricity to major cities.
Even Portuguese Timor has plans to build a small thermal power plant, but it will likely take until next year to complete.
The area with the most advanced electricity supply, of course, is the Capital Territory where Sydney is located.
The Capital Territory has two thermal power plants: one large power plant dedicated to supplying the industrial zone and one medium-sized power plant for residential electricity.
The Timor Hydroelectric Station is the first step in Australasia's exploration of hydropower.
Currently, streetlights in major cities have been replaced with electric streetlights, a challenge for the electricity system but not an overwhelming burden.
Australasia's electricity system is managed by the National Power Corporation and the Electricity Research Laboratory.
The National Power Corporation is jointly owned by the royal family and the government, with the government holding 50.01% and the royal family holding 49.99%.
The Electricity Research Laboratory is fully controlled by the royal family as part of the royal consortium.
After years of effort, the royal consortium has grown into a giant, controlling Australasia's finances, industry, military, shipbuilding, mining, electricity, oil, investment, pharmaceuticals, and food sectors.
It can be said that, even without Arthur's military power and prestige, the industries controlled by the royal consortium alone are enough to solidify the position of the royal family in Australasia.
This is one of the trump cards Arthur has left for his descendants. Even if future rulers lose their military power, as long as they do not make reckless moves, they will still be able to maintain real power.
As long as future successors focus on maintaining their popularity among the people and continue to manage the royal consortium, the royal family of Australasia will not lose its position.
Of course, there is another reason why Arthur came to inspect the Timor Hydroelectric Station.
The large reservoir where the Timor Hydroelectric Station is located provides water for the Capital Territory and some cities in New South Wales. It is part of a broader plan to solve Australasia's water resource problems.
Currently, the government plans to build at least ten large reservoirs like Timor Reservoir. Together with smaller reservoirs, these will be more than enough to meet the water needs of Australasia's 40 million population.
Australasia's current population is only 7 million, so there is still a long way to go before reaching 40 million.
After inspecting the reservoir, Arthur swiftly headed to the military factory to observe the testing of the improved MA-96 Maxim machine gun, the MA-107 Maxim heavy machine gun.
After eleven years, the military factory finally made some improvements to the Maxim machine gun, increasing its output frequency slightly and reducing its weight, making it easier for logistics.
More importantly, the slightly smaller Maxim heavy machine gun could be better mounted on speedboats and airplanes as primary weapons.
Since Arthur began tank research, the military lab has also been working on weapons for future tanks.
Future tanks will need to be equipped with a cannon and a heavy machine gun to meet Arthur's expectations for high firepower.
Imagine the scene on the battlefield when tanks, fully armored and equipped with cannons and machine guns, face enemy infantry and cavalry charges. When enemy cavalry try to strike the tanks with cold weapons, they will realize the transformation brought by technology is utterly overwhelming.
This scenario has already been seen in history during World War II when Poland's cavalry, after performing well in World War I, faced German tanks and realized how fragile life was before technology.
Due to the two wars, the military factory has expanded significantly and entered a profitable stage.
Australasia now has a certain reputation in East Asia and South Asia, and weapons produced by Australasia are gradually being exported to these regions.
In fact, Russia and Australasia remain the largest customers of weapons sales.
The Far Eastern military of Russia, due to logistical transport issues, has continued to rely on the weapons produced by Australasia, which are high-quality, German-made replicas, with no need to get involved with Russia.
While Australasia doesn't require too many weapons domestically, ammunition and artillery consumption is considerable.
With the army expansion underway, these orders will keep the arms factories busy for some time.
The arms factories and shipyards, once a financial burden, have now transformed into profitable enterprises.
The shipyards' profitability needs no further explanation. Just from the Russian orders alone, they earned nearly a million pounds. With domestic orders from Australasia, the shipyard has expanded significantly, and construction has never ceased.
Of course, the most profitable asset of Arthur's is still Benz Motors.
Although Arthur hasn't paid much attention to the automotive factory's income for a while, the factory's monthly revenue is still regularly transferred to the royal bank for Kent's review.
Arthur was shocked when he found out just how much the company was earning.
Benz Motors' sales may not be as dramatic as their initial release, but it has entered a stable phase. Currently, no other car manufacturer in the world can compete with Benz Motors, not even Ford.
In just four years, the Benz One has sold over 2 million units, with Australasia's factories contributing one-sixth of the total sales, which amounts to a profit of 20 million pounds.
This means that the sale of Benz cars has brought Arthur a total of 76.21 million pounds, which is equivalent to 154.22 million Australian dollars.
To put this into perspective, the shipbuilding budget for Australasia's navy to enter the world's top ten is just 20 million Australian dollars.
If all this wealth were invested into the navy, Australasia could easily build a navy ranking in the world's top three.
To put it simply, the current value of Arthur's personal assets is enough to rival entire nations.
Arthur's personal wealth stands at over 300 million pounds, with 100 million pounds lent to the government, and half of his assets in real estate. Even so, he still has more than 100 million pounds in liquid assets.
Additionally, the royal consortium generates nearly 17 million pounds in after-tax income annually for Arthur, a rate even higher than the government's revenue.
Arthur's wealth contributes 3 million pounds in taxes to the Australasia government annually, and with overall economic growth, the government's fiscal revenue could reach
30 million Australian dollars this year.
(End of Chapter)
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