"The Germans also announced a-for-tat expansion of the army by 500,000, they have a relatively mature reserve mechanism, and the time for the formation of these 500,000 soldiers should be much shorter than the time required by Russia." Minister Andrew replied.

Although the size of the German army was not large compared to that of the Russians, the combat effectiveness of the German army was far greater than that of the Russian army.

It is no exaggeration to say that even if Russia had an army of 1.5 million, it could never be an opponent of Germany.

It is precisely because of the terrifying combat effectiveness of the German army that after Germany announces the expansion of the army, I am afraid that the expansion of the French and British troops will not be far away.

Sure enough, Foreign Minister Andrew continued: "Soon after the Germans announced a 500,000 expansion, the French announced a 450,000 expansion. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the French seem to be already seeking to increase the number of standing and reserve troops by amending the military service law to increase compulsory military service from two to three years. Judging from occasional news from the French parliament, the French government may also want to relax the entry age to win more reservists. ”

After the German army expanded by 500,000, the most nervous and feared should probably be the French.

After all, apart from the British Empire, France and Germany currently have the deepest hatred. What's more, the recent Moroccan crisis caused Germany to lose face in front of the world, and all this was caused by France's toughness.

Arthur rubbed his brows lightly and asked, "Presumably, the other countries of the two major military groups should also follow suit to expand their armies, right?" What a grand event! ”

"That's right, Your Majesty. Although the Italians were still at war, this did not prevent their government from announcing a high-profile expansion of 300,000 troops. Moreover, the Italians also released the news that the number of naval forces will also be expanded by 30,000, and a total of at least three dreadnoughts will be built in the next five years. Foreign Secretary Andrew replied with a respectful face.

Compared to the barely acceptable navy of the Italians, Italy's army is really too much for the major European powers to pay attention to.

Of course, this is not without purpose. The war between Italy and Ethiopia more than ten years ago made the Italian army a laughing stock of European countries at that time.

Italy's 17,000-strong army suffered 11,000 casualties and 4,000 prisoners in the war. Ethiopia's army suffered only 4,000 to 5,000 dead and 6,000 to 10,000 wounded.

Bismarck, the famous iron-blooded prime minister, once commented: "They came to the African continent with a mouth full of cavities but a great appetite." ”

In fact, it can also be seen from the current war between Italy and the Ottoman Turkish Empire that the weapons and equipment of the Italian army are indeed good, but the combat capability is another matter.

"What about Austria-Hungary? As Germany's staunchest ally, they should have a plan to expand their army. Arthur asked, slightly curious.

Of the three Allied powers, Germany's combat effectiveness is unquestionable. In addition to Germany, the Austro-Hungarian army was able to stand on the stage.

Of course, this does not exclude the fact that there were quite a few Germans in the Austro-Hungarian army.

Austria-Hungary also claimed to expand its army by 300,000. It is said that the Viennese government had been arguing with the Hungarians for a long time for the sake of these 300,000 troops. If nothing else, one of the two new Austro-Hungarian dreadnoughts was to be named after Budapest, although the Hungarian government was responsible for most of the cost of the dreadnought. ”

When it comes to Austria-Hungary, this country is a little different from the vast majority of countries in Europe.

The Austro-Hungarian Empire was a dual monarchy, and the entire empire consisted mainly of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary.

Because the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary had their own governments, the union between the two countries was not so close.

Although the capital of the empire was in Vienna, the government of the Kingdom of Hungary had autonomy within Hungary.

Had it not been for the Viennese government's promise to name one of the dreadnoughts Budapest, the capital of the Kingdom of Hungary, the proposal to expand the army by 300,000 would not have been so easy to agree to.

At least in terms of the budget of the 300,000 troops, the Hungarians were outright rejected.

Thinking of this, Arthur also had to agree with the greatness of the Austro-Hungarian Emperor Franz.

To unite these two countries that were not closely united, and to maintain the status of great powers for so many years, is enough to see the prestige and status of Emperor Franz in these two countries.

In fact, it was also true that Emperor Franz had unparalleled prestige and status in both countries. But the bad news is that after the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand, the original heir to Emperor Franz, in Sarajevo, there was no more recognised heir to the empire.

This indirectly led to the disintegration of the Austro-Hungarian Empire after World War I, which divided a powerful power into several smaller states.

The lessons of the Austro-Hungarian Empire also taught Arthur how important it was to unite a country closely, which is why Arthur trumpeted the concept of the Australasian nation within Australasia.

After all, Australasia is also a combination of Australia and New Zealand, and if we don't try to bring them together now, if there is a conflict between the two regions in the future, it is very likely that the whole country will be divided.

"What about the UK? Doesn't Britain have plans to expand its army in terms of the army? Minister Andrew mentions all the great powers of the European continent, except the British Empire, which is currently the most powerful country.

Arthur couldn't help but wonder, did Britain only focus on the development of the navy and directly abandon the expansion of the army?

"At present, there is no news of the expansion of the British army, but the British government has taken too big a step in the navy, and I am afraid that the army will not expand too much." Minister Andrew shook his head.

In response to the Germans' frenzied plans for naval expansion, British Admiral Winston Churchill said that the Germans would build one capital warship and the British would build two.

Even if the British Empire is currently the most powerful country in the world and has the largest number of colonies, it cannot withstand such horrific attrition.

Moreover, Britain was originally a country dominated by sea power, and the expansion of the army was basically very small, and it would not be too big.

After learning about the expansion plans of the major European countries, Arthur nodded, looked at the cabinet government, and asked with a smile: "What do you think of the current situation?" Should Australasia expand its military power, or should it hide for the time being and wait for the situation in Europe to develop? ”

"Your Majesty, after the expansion of the army, I think it is necessary for us to expand the size of the navy to a certain extent, at least at the level of six dreadnoughts and three battle cruisers. For small and medium-sized warships and submarines, I think we should also have a certain expansion, so that we can ensure the security of the entire Australasian sea, and also sit back and watch the development of Europe. After hearing Arthur's inquiry, Defense Minister Raul immediately said impatiently.

For a more radical military man, there is nothing more exciting than the military power of his own country.

The army and navy will develop together and eventually maintain the level of the last powers, which is also Minister Raul's expectation of Australasia's military power.

"Do anyone else have any opinions?" Arthur smiled and nodded, but did not agree with Minister Raul, and instead looked at the others.

"Your Majesty, I think the most important thing for Australasia at present is to develop its own industry and economy. Even if our military strength is at the level of the great powers, our industrial and economic development is still at a certain level compared to the great powers. What's more, the situation in Europe is not clear now, and the confrontation between the two major military blocs is very serious. If Australasia has the strength of a great power at this time, it will only involve Australasia in this military conflict, which will be harmful to our development. After a moment of silence, the Minister of Industry, Pierre, said.

While Arthur wanted someone to stand up and contradict Minister Raul's views, there were only a few people who could stand up and contradict Minister Raul.

First of all, it is not appropriate for the Crown Secretary Hunt, the Archbishop and the Chancellor, including Kent, to stand up and refute Minister Raul's views.

After all, they have a relatively close relationship with Arthur, which is equivalent to Arthur's close ministers.

If they come forward to refute it openly, it is easy to think that it is Arthur's instructions. Even if the Cabinet government agrees with Minister Raul, it will look at Arthur's face against it.

But what Arthur needs is a cabinet government with a proper mindset of his own, so that he can provide more and more appropriate advice to Arthur.

If only one echo worm is used, then the role of the cabinet government will be greatly reduced.

"Do you have any other opinions?" Arthur still smiled and nodded, his eyes still looking at the others.

When there was no response, Arthur continued: "Since there is no unifying idea, it is better for the entire cabinet government to vote by a show of hands. ”

The crowd had no problem with a show of hands, and at Arthur's behest, they began to support their more optimistic proposal.

In the final vote, there were a total of eight votes in favor of continued development, and four votes in favor of military expansion.

Arthur nodded and said with a smile: "Then according to the results of the vote, at least for two years, the main purpose of Australasia is still development, and the dispute in Europe has nothing to do with us for the time being." ”

With Arthur's final decision, the dispute that arose in the cabinet government was resolved.

In fact, it can be seen from the orders of the Royal Shipyard that Arthur has no plans to expand the navy at least for two or three years.

After all, counting the naval orders of Russia and Chile, the Royal Shipyards were relatively busy around 1914.

Even if the Ministry of Defence announces a new naval expansion plan, the Royal Dockyards will not have the spare capacity to build the navy in order to complete the previous order.

3000 words for the third update, ask for a monthly pass, ask for support!

Today, 10,000/10,000 have been changed, ask for a monthly pass, ask for support!

(End of chapter)