At the end of 1905, two major events took place, the first was that Norway became an independent country, and the then Danish prince Karl was chosen as king, as King Haakon VII of Norway.

This also represented the formal dissolution of the Swedish and Norwegian alliance, and the fact that a sub-powerful country in the north of the European continent officially became two third-rate countries.

The second incident took place on October 2 at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in England.

On this day, the construction of the famous battleship Dreadnought officially began, and it took only four months to successfully launch and begin testing.

Although the subsequent test phase lasted for more than a year, it cannot be denied how this battleship, which was built in only four months, had an impact on the future world naval pattern and warship system.

At the end of 1905, the federal governments of Australia and New Zealand convened a summary meeting to report to Arthur on the achievements and actions of the federal government over the past year.

The first is the demographic situation of the Federation. After the merger of Australia and New Zealand, the total population of the Commonwealth at that time had exceeded 5 million, very close to 6 million.

By the end of 1905, the total population of the Federation of Australia and New Zealand had exceeded 6.2 million, of which the total population of Australia was as high as 5.03 million, the total population of New Zealand was about 1.14 million, and the total population of New Guinea was in the early 30,000s.

In terms of industry, the industrial development of the Commonwealth of Australia and New Zealand is also very rapid, and the total steel production has even exceeded 1.5 million tons.

Among them, the Federation's steel output officially exceeded 500,000 tons, reaching a gratifying 513,200 tons.

Iron production is also close to one million tons, which is already able to meet the various steel needs of Australia and New Zealand within the Commonwealth, and has even been exported to Southeast Asia in small quantities.

It is worth mentioning that Australia's programme to introduce indigenous populations in the Dutch East Indies and to enforce Aboriginal labour throughout the country has been very successful.

This is also due to the widespread racism of European immigrants, and the formation of the White Australia policy and philosophy in Europe, so that all federal citizens are very supportive of the oppression of these indigenous people, and no one is cruel to the oppression of indigenous people.

Of course, Australians would never say that. The development of the country often gives rise to some more dangerous jobs, which are basically done by indigenous people in Australia, which greatly reduces the casualties of Australian workers.

Isn't it true that Australians are able to have a better and better life at present, and a considerable part of it is created by these indigenous people who give their lives?

So far, the Australian National University has successfully graduated three batches of students, creating nearly 2,000 outstanding university students for Australia.

There is no doubt about the gold content of university degrees in this era, and these 2,000 people will also become the backbone of the development of various industries in Australia, and may even become the top force.

Australia's transport industry has also progressed rapidly over the past few years. The first is the roads needed for daily transport, and Australia has completed the connections between all cities, and roads have been taken to smaller villages and facilities.

In terms of railways, after two years of development, Australia has completed a single-track rail connection from Perth, the capital of Western Australia, to Adelaide, the capital of South Australia.

This also means that a single line of industrial rail has been completed across Australia, allowing Australians to travel from Perth, the capital of Western Australia, to any of the five states and capital cities of the capital territory of mainland Australia, such as Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, Newcastle and Brisbane.

Although Tasmania does not have access to railways, Tasmania's road system is the most developed of any state in Australia.

In order to cater for the mood of the new New Zealanders, the federal government also planned a railway in the South Island and the North Island of New Zealand.

However, New Zealand's previous railways were very developed, and these two railways were said to be under construction, but in fact they were more about repairs and re-commissioning.

Another fast-growing is the per capita income of the Commonwealth of Australia and New Zealand. At the end of 1905, the per capita annual income of the Commonwealth of Australia and New Zealand was about thirty-nine Australian dollars, or nineteen.5 pounds sterling.

This income level has more than tripled compared to Australia five years ago, which is enough to see how rapidly Australia has grown in the past five years.

At this meeting, Arthur also proposed the idea of forming a new kingdom to observe the attitude of the cabinet members.

Judging by the reaction of the cabinet members, Arthur was still very satisfied. All the Cabinet members supported the formation of a united kingdom that would better unite Australia and New Zealand.

In fact, the establishment of the New Kingdom had already won the support of the German Empire and the Tsarist Empire, and Austria-Hungary, as a hardcore ally of the German Empire, would definitely not oppose it.

Under the premise that Arthur has the handle, Edward VII will definitely not object, but will make a decision based on the reaction of the international community.

France is not a monarchy, and their attitude Arthur doesn't care. Most of the other monarchies in Europe are friendly with Britain, Germany, and Russia, and if the three most powerful monarchies do not stand up against it, the monarchies of Europe will not oppose it.

Now that the issues have been resolved, Arthur has decided not to hesitate any longer and officially start discussions about the establishment of a new kingdom.

Western countries attach the most importance to legal principles, even the once invincible Napoleon, when he was called emperor, he had to say that he would become the emperor of the French.

And there are only two orthodox thrones in Europe, namely the Holy Roman Empire, which inherited from the Western Roman Empire, and the Eastern Roman Empire.

But since the decline of the two empires, there have been many European monarchs who have used various names to claim the title of emperor.

For example, Queen Victoria, who is known as the emperor of India, the Tsar, who claimed to have inherited the jurisprudence of Eastern Rome, the Austrian Empire, which was founded from the former Holy Roman Emperor, and the German Empire, which stepped on the throne of the French.

It can be seen that for the current European system, jurisprudence is important, but strength can also override jurisprudence.

But having said that, there has to be a statement. After all, the establishment of a new kingdom also has to be announced to the public, and there must always be a reasonable statement.

First, the formation of a unified kingdom requires a jurisprudence that encompasses all regions.

In fact, there is a certain legal reason for the name Australia, because New Zealand belonged to the Australian colony before, and it seems reasonable to establish an Australian kingdom to rule the current Australia and New Zealand.

But it can't be denied that New Zealand has been independent for decades, and New Zealanders are gradually showing that they are different from Australians.

At this point, it's a bit difficult to integrate New Zealanders into the Australian community and make them Australians again.

But things are not without a solution. As early as 1756, the French scholar Brusse published a book called "Histoire des navigations aux terres australes", which divided Australia, New Zealand and the adjacent Pacific islands in the Oceania region into a region and named it Australasia.

Topographically, Australasia includes mainland Australia, Tasmania, New Zealand and Melanesia, and even the neighbouring islands of New Guinea and northeastern Australia.

The scope of Australasia perfectly encompasses the current sphere of Australian domination, and there are basically no countries in conflict with Australasian jurisprudence in this interval.

This also means that it is legal and justifiable to establish an Australasian kingdom to rule all areas within Australasia.

As it happens, a new name would also avoid disputes between Australia and New Zealand, allowing both Australians and New Zealanders to integrate into the new country and mix into a new people, the Australasian people.

In fact, the name Australasia was used for a period of time after the independence of Australia and New Zealand.

For example, from 1905 to 1913, Australia and New Zealand merged to compete together under the name Australasia, including the two Olympic Games in 1908 and 1912.

From this point of view, it is also possible to see the attitude of the people of Australia and New Zealand towards the union of each other.

Because the ethnic composition is almost the same, basically immigrants from Britain and Europe, the gap between ethnic groups is not that big.

Coupled with Arthur's current high level of support and prestige in Australia and New Zealand, it is no illusion that the newly formed nation will be widely supported.

The meeting continued into the evening, and the cabinet members were still discussing it vigorously.

Actually, this is normal. When a new kingdom is formed, it means that the federal government that was originally short-lived will be replaced, and a unified royal government will be formed.

This also has to take into account the survival of the Principality of Australia and the Principality of New Zealand, as well as the system of the future Crown Government.

These were at stake in the interests of these officials, and were the reason why they were able to negotiate the evening to no avail.

But there are still many more important things to be determined, such as the name of the newly formed kingdom is Australasia, the capital of the kingdom is still Sydney, the capital of the capital territory, and the current administrative area of Australia will not undergo much change.

If a unified Crown is formed, the departure of the Principality of Australia and the Principality of New Zealand is also a serious problem.

In the end, Arthur made the decision to ban the government of the Principality of Australia and the government of the Principality of New Zealand after the establishment of the government of the Kingdom of Australasia.

Later, the six states of Australia, as well as the two states of North New Zealand and South New Zealand in the Capital Territory, were all directly under the unified administration of the Royal Government.

The original Federal House of Representatives and the Royal House will also be renamed the House of Representatives and the Royal House of the Kingdom of Australasia.

This will greatly strengthen the union of Australia and New Zealand, and turn Australia and New Zealand into a unified kingdom once and for all.

Arthur dared to do so precisely because he controlled the government of the Principality of Australia and the Principality of New Zealand, and had good prestige and support in both countries.

As long as Australians and New Zealanders don't object, even if some officials disagree, they will definitely not be able to make a splash.

Over the next few days, Arthur summoned cabinet officials from the Principality of Australia and key officials from the Principality of New Zealand to discuss the retention of officials from the two principalities after the establishment of the kingdom.

Australia is the foundation of the new kingdom, and Australia's current Cabinet Government will also be the first cabinet government of the Kingdom.

The question now is whether the Principality of New Zealand government officials will stay or not. Some of them were transferred to the state governments of the two states of New Zealand, while others were transferred to the Crown.

Cabinet ministers often complain about the lack of manpower in their departments, and it is an opportunity to expand the number of people in each department and strengthen the administrative efficiency of the government.

As government officials discussed the future of the royal government, the year 1906 quickly came.

10 January 1906, Commonwealth of Australia and New Zealand, Capital Territory, Sydney, in front of Sydney Palace.

Although the main body of the Sydney Palace behind it has not yet been built, the gardens and plazas in front of it have been able to be put into use.

As the largest square in Australia at present, Arthur also immediately decided to hold the new year's National Day event in this square.

The square in front of the previous government building could only accommodate less than 20,000 people, but now the Sydney Palace Square can accommodate more than three times.

A few weeks ago, there were rumors that something big was going to happen on this National Day, which made many people outside the ACT determined to come to the event.

Although the venue is much larger than before, it is still full of people, and it is even difficult to walk an inch.

This newly built square, the first time to host an important event at the national level, has already withstood the maximum amount it is expected to be able to accommodate, if not more.

Fortunately, the construction of Sydney Palace is a key project in Australia, and various supervision and supervision are also very strict, so naturally there will be no tofu slag project.

In addition, the various building materials required for the construction of the Sydney Palace are carefully selected, and even the materials purchased from major countries and regions around the world are also reliable.

At about eight o'clock in the morning, Arthur's motorcade slowly approached under the protection of a group of guards, and then stopped in front of the parade platform.

Arthur stepped out of the car, followed by important officials from the Cabinet Government and the two Duchy Governments.

Walking smoothly on the parade platform, the normal National Day flag raising and speech did not begin.

Arthur walked over to the megaphone, first surveyed everyone in the audience, and then spoke slowly, "All my Australians, all New Zealanders, it is a pleasure to meet you at such a solemn time. ”

"The union of Australians and New Zealanders has been going on for more than a year and our federation is doing well. This is something that all Australians and New Zealanders can find out about it, and life is better for all. ”

Speaking of which, there were bursts of cheers and applause from the audience, representing that Arthur was right.

After a moment's wait, Arthur continued, "Now, I have decided that it is time for us to unite even closer!" Australians and New Zealanders will be indistinguishable from each other, and we will live together in a new country. ”

As he spoke, Arthur also looked at the reaction of the crowd in the stands, and then continued: "I have decided to merge Australia and New Zealand to form a new kingdom called Australasia!" From now on, we are all citizens of Australasia, and we are all great Australasian people. Long live Australasia! ”

"Long live Australasia!"

"Long live His Royal Highness the Duke!"

The crowd shouted for a while, and then someone gradually reacted to what Arthur said.

If the kingdom has already been formed, then Arthur will also change from His Royal Highness the Duke to His Majesty the King?

As a result, the cheers and shouts on the field gradually changed to "Long live Australasia!" "Long live Your Majesty!"

Although there was some surprise at the beginning of the kingdom, it quickly turned into joy and excitement.

The cheering lasted for a long time, and even affected the progress of the following activities.

But no one cared about that, not even Arthur and the government officials.

When the sky over the square had fallen silent, Arthur continued: "As your King, I will continue to protect all my people, the Australasian people, who are all Australians and New Zealanders. It is the dream of the country, the government, the royal family and all Australasian people to rise and prosper and all Australasian people to the top of the world. I hope that all Australians and New Zealanders will unite and work hard for our new kingdom, for our new country, to achieve our great dream of rising and prospering together. Long live Australasia! ”

In order to make the new kingdom more stable, it was necessary to subsume all Australians and New Zealanders into the new Australasian sphere.

This is also the reason why Arthur has repeatedly stated the concept of Australasian at this time, and the concept of Australasian through Arthur's mouth is also more acceptable to Australians and New Zealanders.

In the cheers and shouts of the crowd, the next National Day activities were also successfully carried out.

For reasons why the flag of the kingdom has not yet been determined, the flag of the Commonwealth of Australia and New Zealand, as well as the flag of the royal family, is currently flying above the square.

It is believed that after the government releases the call for national flags to the people, the national flag design of the Kingdom of Australasia will soon have an answer.

The Victoria and the Australian Daily were also quick to act, and shortly after the National Day event ended, the two newspapers published all of Arthur's speeches on the National Day, along with a proclamation on the establishment of the Kingdom of Astrala.

Of course, Arthur's actions were much more than that, and on the international front, Arthur officially notified all countries and invited the major powers and important countries to send diplomatic ambassadors to each other.

5,000 words 2-in-1 chapter, ask for support!

(End of chapter)