The Rise Of Australasia

Chapter 228: 213: The Wedding Begins

Chapter 228: Chapter 213: The Wedding Begins

Besides aviation, various industries in Australasia witnessed a few significant changes.

Firstly, regarding the tractor Arthur mentioned earlier, Benz Car Factory has produced a sample, which is running very stably at the moment.

Looking solely at the agricultural field, it can speed up the growth of Australasian agriculture and substantially reduce human labor investments in agriculture in Australasia.

Of course, to Arthur, the most critical aspect of this tractor lies in its military performance.

Arthur specially transferred a portion of personnel from the Benz Car Factory, added experts from the military industry, and formed yet another essential research lab in Australasia, the Australasia Mechanical Research Lab.

Yes, Arthur’s aim is clear, that is to start researching military machinery, which is akin to armored vehicles like tanks and war chariots.

Of course, to prevent attracting attention and scrutiny from the powerful nations, the Australasia Mechanical Research Lab remains a civilian research lab studying tractors on the surface.

Of course, since the tractor has gone through the experimental phase, it definitely cannot be left idle.

Arthur ordered the Mechanical Research Lab to start producing a few tractors, firstly to carry out pilot experiments, ensuring its positive impact on the agricultural field.

Secondly, to enhance the capabilities of the personnel in the Mechanical Research Lab, training them to produce this type of machinery proficiently, laying a strong foundation for the birth of future tanks and war chariots.

There is another event worth mentioning; after several years of research by German experts and the military factory, the M1897 model 75mm cannon has also been improved and upgraded to a 105mm semi-automatic cannon.

This cannon absorbs all the hard work of German and Australasian military factory experts and is also one of the semi-automatic cannons with the largest caliber to date.

This cannon is named GA1906 Model 105mm Semi-Automatic Cannon, capable of firing twelve shells per minute.

The previous French 75 Miss also received a decent upgrade, with an increased firing speed from 15 rounds to 20 rounds per minute.

With the birth of the GA-1906 model 105mm semi-automatic cannon technology, Australasia currently owns three kinds of semi-automatic cannons of different calibers, specifically 37mm, 75mm, and 105mm.

These three cannons can basically adapt to various situations faced by the Australian Army, and they are also the most equipped cannons in the Australian Army.

Ever since the number of land forces exceeded sixty thousand, Australasia’s yearly military expenditure has seen a substantial increase.

Just the salary for these sixty thousand soldiers is close to 2.4 million Australian dollars. Adding the various expenses required for soldiers’ training, along with the cost of maintaining the navy, Australasia’s current yearly military expenditure is around 3 million Australian dollars.

Of course, all the expenses of the Guards are paid by the royal family, which is the real reason why Australia’s military expenditure has not exceeded 3 million Australian dollars.

In fact, the growth of per capita annual income brings not only the increase of military expenditure but also the increase of the Kingdom Government’s fiscal revenue.

However, to demonstrate his perspective on the wedding, Arthur decided to deploy the Guards, and the First Guards Infantry Division would be responsible for escorting Grand Duchess Mary from the Tsardom of Russia to Sydney Harbor.

The Cavalry Corps, on the other hand, were entrusted with the task of welcoming the party from Sydney Harbour to Sydney Palace.

Upon hearing this, Tsar Nicholas II decided to further elevate the scale of this wedding. For this purpose, Nicholas II planned to dispatch nearly half of his fleet, the escort for Grand Duchess Mary would consist of at least two battleships, accompanied by about ten medium and small warships.

Australia’s preparations were far beyond this.

With Benz and Disel’s expedited research, a more lavish car was finally created for Arthur and Grand Duchess Mary to ride in on the wedding day.

The cost of this luxury car exceeded 3,000 Australian dollars, not only significantly reducing the rumbling sound of the engine, but also giving its look and design an upgrade.

Another goal of Nicholas II to augment the wedding scale was to take this opportunity to exhibit the remnants of Russia’s power to the world.

After the defeat in the Russo-Japanese War, some countries started to cast doubt on Russia’s might, treating it like an old man on the turn of the day, far from its glorious days as the overpowering force in Europe.

Such speculation was unacceptable to Nicholas II, hence he decided to use this wedding as an opportunity to show the world the current prowess of Russia.

The preparation for this wedding lasted for more than a month. Under the elaborate arrangements during this period, Sydney Palace also donned a new look, instilling a more festive color everywhere.

To embody the spirit of a nationwide celebration, Arthur announced via the Royal Assistance Committee that on his wedding day, all Australasian citizens can receive a bag of flour, 5kg of mutton, a liter of milk, and other supplies from their local government.

Of course, the specific regulations vary from place to place, but they are largely similar, hence there won’t be a great disparity.

The Australasians are most enthusiastic about such welfare policies. No amount of talk can match tangible benefits. Although the value of these goods is not high, they are available to every Australasian, highlighting fairness and justice.

On December 27, 1906, after more than a month of urgent preparation, Australasia finally welcomed Arthur’s wedding.

This wedding was also a focal point of attention among the common Europeans over the preceding month.

The expenditure on this wedding could be regarded as one of the most costly in royal weddings, with the unusual protagonists being Arthur of the British Royal Family and Mary of the Russian Royal House.

Furthermore, considering the amicable ties between Arthur and Germany, the nations monitoring this wedding even included top powers like the British Empire and the German Empire.

In this span of more than a month, Mary has become the object of envy for the high-born ladies of Europe.

This is, after all, a lavish wedding costing millions of Australian dollars, which translates into over a million pounds.

Added to that the sundry other expenses, the total cost can almost amount to a dreadnought.

Moreover, given the heat and attention this wedding stirred up worldwide, even some well-engaged ladies regretted that they were not the ones marrying Arthur.