Negotiations with Wilhelm II went well, which made Arthur's already terrible mood because Queen Victoria was critically ill.

Seeing that Queen Victoria can't hold out for a few days, no matter how deep the relationship between Arthur and Queen Victoria is, they have to think about the future of Australia.

After losing the patronage and support of Queen Victoria, he basically lost the support from the British.

Although Crown Prince Edward has a good relationship with Arthur on the surface, he will definitely not bother to help Arthur and Australia rise.

Arthur certainly has the handle of Crown Prince Edward, but if such a handle is made public, not only will Crown Prince Edward's status and prestige be greatly impacted, but even the status of the British monarch and aristocracy, as well as the status of monarchs in various countries around the world.

Born in the British royal family, to a certain extent, Arthur is a member of the British royal family.

If the position of the British royal family is severely affected, Arthur's legal status in Australia may also be affected.

After all, while the monarchy is still the dominant rule in Europe, in reality, the democratic and liberal currents have had a huge impact on the monarchy.

It is more appropriate to use these evidence and levers to obtain sufficient benefits from Crown Prince Edward than to make them public.

But on the other hand, after obtaining enough benefits, Arthur will naturally go against Crown Prince Edward, although it will not break with the British Empire, but at least during the reign of Prince Edward, it is impossible for Australia to cooperate closely with the British Empire.

After achieving their more satisfactory goals, William II and Arthur were in a happy mood, so the already beautiful and moving scenery of the Isle of Wight was even more outstanding in the eyes of the two.

"Arthur, what do you think of the current situation in Europe? Now that the confrontation in Europe has become clear, are you more optimistic about our Triple Alliance or the so-called Franco-Russian military agreement in St. Petersburg? On the way back to the manor, William II suddenly asked Arthur.

"The situation in Europe?" Arthur was stunned for a moment, but continued to answer: "Judging from the current confrontation, I think the strength of the two major military blocs is almost equal, France and Russia have a large land area and population, while Germany has a strong army and advanced industry. I think that if a short war breaks out, the advantage is in Germany. But if the war lasts for a long time, the advantage will gradually shift to the Franco-Russian side. ”

This is actually the answer in the original history, although Germany fought bravely in the early stage, but after the war turned into a war of attrition, it was completely inferior to Britain, France, and Russia, the three countries with a large number of people.

Especially in the event that the sea transport routes were disrupted, Germany, even with its large industry, would be stagnant due to a lack of raw materials.

"Hahaha, Arthur, you underestimate one thing, and that is the strength of the great Junker nobility and the German army. No matter how large the land area of France and Russia was, it would never be able to withstand the frantic attack of the German army. Once the war broke out, all the German troops were confident that they would quickly capture Paris and end the war, just like the last Franco-Prussian War," Wilhelm II laughed and directly overturned Arthur's views.

The war that Wilhelm II referred to was the battle for the founding of the German Empire, that is, the famous Franco-Prussian War.

The Franco-Prussian War began with a French initiation, and it took less than two months for Napoleon III to surrender with his army.

Even though the revolution broke out in France and continued to resist Prussia, the Prussian army still captured Paris in a series of overwhelming attacks, forcing the French government at that time to sign a humiliating peace treaty.

This war directly crushed the Second French Empire, leading to a revolution in France and the establishment of the French Third Republic.

It also recaptured the Alsace and Lorraine regions with rich coal resources originally occupied by France, and forced France to pay a large amount of reparations, resulting in France lagging behind other powers during the Second Industrial Revolution, losing its hegemony in Central and Western Europe, and being overtaken by Germany.

This is why Wilhelm II was confident, the German army had stormed Paris decades earlier, so why not achieve this great feat now that Germany is even stronger?

It can be said that because of his physical defects since childhood, Wilhelm II had an inferiority complex and conceited character.

And because he single-handedly kicked the iron-blooded Prime Minister Bismarck out of German politics, Wilhelm II gained a huge voice in German politics.

All the Germans were imagining the defeat of France in a short time after the war began, but who would have thought that the war would last for years and bring down the invincible German Empire?

"Cousin William, maybe you're right. However, France and Russia are both hegemonic powers, but the Central Powers, in addition to Germany, can barely match the strength of Austria-Hungary. I'm not very optimistic about Italy, Italy and Austria-Hungary have a direct conflict in the region, and although it is overshadowed by a larger conflict with France, who can guarantee that France will not back down in exchange for Italy's defection? Arthur said with a smile.

Reminding Wilhelm II is not an indication that Arthur wants to support the Allies, and that a more aggressive Europe would be good for Australia.

The situation in World War I will become clear until the United States decides to join World War I, and before that, the two major military blocs will have their own victories and defeats, and the war will be relatively balanced.

So why can't this person who stir up the situation be Australia? Given Australia ten years to develop, Arthur was confident that it would build a good industrial system and even have the ability to directly influence World War I.

The status of a neutral country and a victorious country in the post-war period is very different, especially in the First World War, there were a lot of money-making schemes, these old powers have been sucking blood for hundreds of years, why can't Australia be allowed to suck blood for a while?

"Perhaps, Arthur. But we didn't expect anything from Italy, they just needed to remain neutral in the war and not fall to the side of France and Russia, so that Germany would have the confidence to defeat France in a short time and end the war once and for all. ”

For an obsessive man with extreme conceit and extreme self-confidence, Wilhelm II could not have been persuaded by Arthur so easily.

Of course, Arthur did not think about persuading William II to do anything, and now it is more important for Arthur and Australia to obtain benefits from the two major military groups to make Australia develop rapidly.