In addition to Sydney being the capital of New South Wales, the largest colony at that time, Sydney also had one of the largest ports at that time, Sydney Port, which was more suitable for economic development and also suitable for attracting immigrants.

But now, Sydney's proximity to the sea has also been exposed. Until Australasia's navy was raised, Sydney's security was not so reliable.

Coupled with the problems exposed by Sydney's crazy population expansion, there are gradually more voices in the Australasian government calling for the capital to be moved.

Moving the capital is not new to a country, and when encountering economic, political, military, environmental and other problems, moving the capital has become an effective and inevitable solution.

Take the United States as an example, the capital of the United States is not in the most developed city, New York, but in Washington, D.C., which has a small population and is relatively less developed.

For Australasia, having the capital in a south-east coastal city like Sydney has the disadvantage of neglecting the development of inland and western cities.

Australasia is actually plain, and there is also the Murray River, the only river in Australia.

Theoretically, the Murray Delta has even higher development potential than southeastern Australasia, and is relatively safe due to its inland location.

The region is also a barren place for Australasia, sparsely populated and economically underdeveloped.

This area is the most suitable area if the capital is moved, but it is also the most troublesome.

It's like building a new city, and it means that the Australasian government will spend decades building a new city in the area.

But the benefits are also clear. It is home to Australia's largest river and is located in the Central Plains of Australia, so the potential for development is huge.

If the area is well developed, it could accommodate tens of millions of people along the Murray River alone.

This means that one Australian region alone can accommodate at least 100 million people. Together with New Zealand New Guinea and its colonies, Australasia can accommodate at least 200 million people, which is exactly what it needs to become a superpower.

Arthur from later generations knew that although the Australian region had more than 7 million square kilometers of Guangmao land, in later generations, for various reasons, there was very little land that could really be used, and Australia's population was generally distributed in the coastal area and the southeast.

You must know that Australia's vast central plains have been completely Gobi and desertified in later generations.

More than 100 years ago, the central plains, especially the Murray River Valley, are not without the possibility of saving.

If this area can really be developed into a growable, habitable area, it will be a good thing for Australasia, and it will be a good thing for Arthur.

The Murray River basin alone can support tens of millions of people, and if you add the Darling River valley in the north, it can feed tens of millions of people.

Coupled with the defensive island chain formed by the outer colonies and archipelagos of Australasia, the status of Australasia's top power was basically established.

However, although the advantages of moving the capital outweigh the disadvantages, there are also voices within the government from time to time requesting the relocation of the capital.

For the current Australasia, it is not suitable for the time being to move the capital with great fanfare.

For one, Sydney's population of more than one million people will definitely not want the government to move the capital. After all, the gap between the capital and non-capital cities is still very large, as the capital, Sydney's convenience in development is undoubted, which is the reason why Sydney can quickly surpass Melbourne as the first city in Australasia with a population of more than one million.

If it loses its status as the capital, Sydney will not necessarily be overtaken by Melbourne, but it will certainly be lower than it is now.

Second, the relocation of the capital is not something that can be implemented immediately after the decision is made. The site selection and construction of the new city, including the construction of the future government residence, the construction of the new royal palace, etc., requires not only a lot of time, but also a lot of money.

In addition, Arthur felt that the war in Europe was not far off, so before the end of World War I, Australasia would not move the capital, and Arthur had no plans to move the capital for the time being.

Instead of spending government funds on changing a capital, it should be used to produce more weapons and equipment to make greater profits in the war.

When Australasia has made enough money in this war, and there is no threat of war and foreign enemies, it will not be too late to announce the relocation of the capital with great fanfare.

Taking advantage of the great fame brought by winning the war, when the time comes, the people choose to move the capital, and even if the people are unwilling, no one will jump out and directly oppose it.

However, although there are no plans to move the capital for the time being, the investigation of the vicinity of the Murray River can already be carried out.

Even if the area doesn't become the capital in the future, it's a land worth developing.

You know, the soil in the Murray River basin has not suffered much damage. Except for a few areas that have been Gobiized, most areas are still lush grasslands and forests, which are of great development value.

As long as the problem of hare, which is already rampant, can be properly addressed, this area will be the breadbasket of the future of Australasia, one of the most developed and populous regions of the future.

For a country, the geographical area of the plain is the one with the greatest development potential and the most needed by a country.

Plains can be used not only for urban agglomerations, but also for livestock farming, grain production and industrial areas.

In addition, the construction of transportation in the plain area is easier, and the laying of roads and railways is relatively simple.

In the mountains and hills of the southeast, tunnels and bridges need to be considered when laying railways and roads.

However, the plains only need to be paved with their eyes closed, which can not only greatly save manpower and materials, but also save a lot of time.

On January 17, 1914, Arthur, who had been looking at the geographical map of Australasia for a long time, finally gave his own order to send a geological survey team to the Murray River Valley.

If it is determined that this area is suitable for development and has great potential for development, then Arthur would not mind relocating the capital to this area and develop Australasia's own plain.

If the potential for development is not so great, for the sake of the face of this one of the few plains in Australasia, it can also put some effort into developing the area after the First World War.

Of course, if the development potential of this area is not too great, apart from enacting some policies to hinder desertification and Gobi in this area, Arthur's desire to develop this area is not too high.

The survey of the geographical environment is a big project, not only to explore the geographical environment of this area, but also to explore the mineral resources and freshwater resources of this area, whether it is suitable for the development of agriculture, animal husbandry and other economic industries.

No matter how fast the progress of the survey team is, it will take at least two or three months to get a more complete report.

Of course, Arthur is not in a hurry about this, in addition to waiting patiently for news from the geological survey team, Arthur currently has other important things to do, such as the Royal Agricultural Machinery Factory.

The Royal Agricultural Machinery Factory, ostensibly the largest tractor manufacturer in Australasia, is actually engaged in research on tanks.

After the development of the first-generation tank four years ago, after a long period of exploration and experimentation, the second-generation tank in Australasia has also been successfully released.

The study of the first generation of tanks was rudimentary, and the first generation of tanks was born after the addition of designs such as weapons, steel plates and ammunition compartments on the basis of the tractor.

Although it has been revised many times since then, the design of such a tank is very rudimentary, not only does it look ugly, but it is also often problematic.

It is no exaggeration to say that the first-generation tanks broke down every tens of kilometers, which was a great test of the ability of modern tankers to repair tanks.

Although most of them are minor problems and can be put on the road again after simple repairs, the frequency of problems with the first generation tanks is too high.

And the second-generation tank, Arthur had high hopes.

Because, the second-generation tank is a newly designed tank, not only the shape is very different from the first-generation tank, but even the performance data and so on, the gap is not half a star.

At the first glance of Arthur's second-generation tank, he instantly abandoned the design of the first-generation tank.

For no other reason, the second-generation tank, in Arthur's opinion, was a truly more modern tank.

Even if you don't look at the performance data of the second-generation tank, from the perspective of appearance alone, the second-generation tank is enough to kill the first-generation tank in seconds.

The second-generation tank was named the 14-year Tank by Arthur, or the T-14 tank for short.

According to the design of the Royal Agricultural Machinery Plant, the T-14 tank was divided into two models, the basic T-14 tank and the T-14A tank.

Let's start with the T-14 tank, which is the base version of the second-generation tank. Slightly larger than the first-generation tank, it accommodated a crew of five people: a driver, a commander, a gunner, a machine gunner, and a loader.

The T-14 tank, armed with a GA1902-75 mm semi-automatic gun and a MA-107 Maxim heavy machine gun, was incomprehensible in terms of firepower.

The upper muzzle can be rotated freely, and theoretically can freely attack enemies in 360 degrees.

And under the muzzle, a heavy machine gun was erected, which was oriented in a fixed direction and could only attack the enemy in front of the tank.

In addition to the upgrade in terms of firepower, the T-14 tank was covered with 21 mm steel armor, which significantly increased the protection of the tank.

The Royal Agricultural Machinery Factory also thoughtfully equipped the tank with an air conditioner, which allows the tank soldiers to adjust the temperature inside the tank at will, without worrying about the temperature problems suffered in summer and winter battles.

Of course, the increased firepower and armor also made this tank weigh a full 14.6 tons, such a big guy is absolutely a giant on the battlefield, and the weight alone is enough to crush all enemies.

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

(End of chapter)