The Rise Of Australasia

The French government's attitude effectively represented that of the Franco-British alliance. And Italy's attitude also confirmed the stance of the German-Italian cooperation.

Within a few days of Italy's public support for Spain, Germany also announced its support for Spain with a batch of weapons and equipment, including long guns.

Furthermore, the German government declared that it would not prohibit its citizens from voluntarily participating in the war in Spain. However, at the same time, the German government also assured that Germany would not join the Spanish Civil War.

Of course, such statements could perhaps deceive the ordinary people but they would definitely not fool the upper echelons of various countries.

What did the war represent for countries like Germany and Italy? It represented an excellent opportunity for military training.

Especially for Germany, since the end of World War I, almost 20 years had passed without participating in any substantial war.

The attacks on the United States could be counted, but at that time the German military was very complex, and those forces had long been disbanded.

The current German military, mostly composed of new recruits, urgently needed an opportunity to train the domestic new soldiers.

For the German government, the suddenly erupted Spanish war was their best opportunity for military training.

Within a few days of the German government's public declaration, specifically on October 17th, 1934, a large number of German "civilians" quietly left Germany and headed to Spain.

It's worth mentioning that these supposedly ordinary German citizens had barely arrived in Spain when they mysteriously received a batch of weapons and equipment and, as volunteers under the banner of Germania, joined the Spanish Civil War.

Although the number of the Spanish Expeditionary Forces sent by Germany and Italy wasn't large—about 30,000 overall from both countries—the various supplies that Germany and Italy supported the Spanish Nationalist forces with maintained a balance in the Spanish Civil War.

You should know that Spain's original navy was still in the hands of the Republic. The Spanish Republic, in possession of such a significant naval force, could only manage a stalemate against the rebels, which clearly proved the importance Germany and Italy placed on this military training opportunity.

That is to say, Germany and Italy did not have immediate intentions to start a major war, otherwise, once the Italian navy approached Spain, the Spanish Republic would immediately be at a disadvantage.

"Your Majesty, based on our estimates, as long as the current scale of the war is maintained, the Spanish Civil War will last at least 1 to 2 years.

But all this depends on the extent of support Germany and Italy provide to Spain.

If their so-called volunteer forces increase in scale again, it is very likely that the Spanish Nationalist forces will gain advantage in the civil war and become Spain's new legitimate government within a year," Rick Jones, head of the Military Intelligence Bureau in Australasia, solemnly briefed everyone at a Cabinet Meeting.

"Your Majesty, why don't we also dispatch volunteers? The Spanish Civil War is a rare opportunity for military training for us. Clearly, Germany and Italy are treating Spain as a training ground. They may send even more soldiers to further enhance their army's combat effectiveness," Defense Minister Thomas excitedly stood up, suggesting to Arthur.

Arthur rubbed his brow and rejected Minister Thomas' suggestion, saying, "The behavior of Germany and Italy, showing such disregard for Spanish public opinion, has already fallen out of favor in terms of public sentiment.

Moreover, Europe has Britain and France, and they have not taken any action—why should we join the fray? Our main task at present is to guard against the Island Nation as our enemy.

As for the affairs in Spain, let Britain and France worry about them. If the French do not take any action, they will probably suffer greatly in the future."

If France remains inactive, it is tantamount to allowing the German and Italian militaries to grow stronger unchecked.

Germany's 400,000-strong army, which includes 250,000 new recruits, is also France's current advantage. But once a part of these troops finishes their training, even France's 600,000-strong army may not be a match for Germany's 400,000 soldiers.

What's more, if Spain joins the German and Italian agreement, the pressure France faces on land will be even more severe.

The British must see this as well. Although the British are primarily focused on a policy of regional balance, it is clear that Germany and Italy have been growing stronger.

"However, although we can't interfere directly in the civil war like Germany and Italy, our arms trade can still continue with any country," Arthur continued, "Moreover, all military factories within the Australasia Scope can now take action. A major European war is not far away, and we need to reserve enough weapons and strategic supplies for the nation before this war.

All military factories and medical enterprises should produce at full capacity, storing all the produced materials in our strategic warehouses. If things go as expected, the supplies we have prepared in advance will play a crucial role in the future war."

As the saying goes, unfed troops never move. Although there is still some time before a large-scale European war breaks out, it is necessary to produce enough weapons and medical supplies in advance.

Especially medical supplies, which are consumed in large quantities during wars and are very important for every country.

Especially antibiotics that include penicillin are a major focus of drug production in Australasia.

The upcoming war would result in a multitude of wounded, and for these casualties, the timely use of antibiotic medications would be crucial to saving their own lives.

This also means that in future wars, the price of antibiotics like penicillin could very well see an increase.

As the nation that first discovered and manufactured penicillin, Australasia must also take the lead. Whether for use by its own people or military, or for selling to other countries at a higher price, it would be a profitable move for Australasia.

Before the outbreak of war, when the major factories had not yet switched to military production, was also when the production of penicillin was at its peak.

Indeed, Arthur was not mistaken. In this Spanish Civil War, it was actually not easy for Australasia to pick a side.

After all, Arthur's ultimate goal was to restore his relative by marriage, the deposed King Alfonso XIII of Spain, back to the throne.

That meant that even if Australasia could not earn the support of the Spanish people, it at least had to avoid antagonizing them.

Otherwise, even if the restored Spanish royal family managed to regain power, they would still need the support of the Spanish people, or the Kingdom of Spain's situation would continue to be as chaotic and fragmented as it was now.

The civil war presented, in fact, an opportunity for Alfonso XIII.

The original Spanish Republic government was already unpopular. This devastating civil war would only exacerbate the public's dissatisfaction with the government.

While the people loved Spain the country, it did not mean that all Spaniards loved the current Spanish government.

Only if the public lost trust in the existing government could Australasia hope to restore Alfonso XIII to the throne with the support of the Spanish people.

As for the other side in the Spanish Civil War, the Spanish Phalanx ruled by Franco, Arthur actually did not take them seriously.

Even if they won the civil war, they still would not be able to govern Spain. Furthermore, since the Spanish Phalanx was allied with Germany and Italy, this already meant they were destined to fail because Australasia was on their side.

While it seems like a Franco-Australian conflict against German-Italian forces now, if a large-scale war truly broke out in Europe, most countries would join the faction against German-Italian forces.

Considering the achievements of Germany and Italy so far, their allies are actually few, easily counted on one hand.

If Russia Country joined the faction opposing Germany, Arthur was 100% confident of winning this war. Even without Russia Country, as long as Australasia could deal with the Island Nation sooner, Arthur still had a 90% confidence of resolving this conflict.

The insane push for the military industry to climb the technology tree during the 20 years since the end of World War I was not without results.

With a comprehensive lead over Germany and Italy in tanks, airplanes, warships, missile technology, and other areas, the chances of winning the war were significant.

For Arthur, the only uncertainty now was how Australasia would eventually end this war.

What Arthur wanted, of course, was to minimize casualties by all means possible. Letting Britain and France face off against Germany in the early stages, and having the Philippines and Kalimantan whittle down the Island Nation's population was Arthur's initial plan.

The more severe the depletion between Britain and France and Germany, the better it was for Arthur. But there was an uncontrollable factor, which was Russia Country's radically transformed ideology.

For Arthur, the biggest challenge for Australasia in becoming the world's superpower was not the current superpower Britain, but the recently unified nation of Russia Country.

Russia Country's vast territory and the largest population among the Powers (not counting Colonies) undoubtedly held tremendous potential.

After the extinction of the Tsarist Government, the new Russia Country had nothing to do with decay. A reborn Russia Country posed a tremendous threat to the world.

Arthur did not wish his meticulous arrangements to end up benefiting someone else as their dowry. For Arthur, the problem that had to be solved was ensuring that, after the depletion of Britain and France's strength, the Russians could not remain unscathed.

The ideal outcome would naturally be, just like in history, for Germany and Russia Country to engage in a super-war in Europe. Regardless of the outcome, as long as both parties suffered heavy casualties in this war, it would align with Arthur's expectations.

Even better, if possible, would be to collaborate with British and French forces to slightly undermine Russia Country, making the Russians the main force against Germany. That would be the best scenario.