Mid-April, Australasia, Timor, Dili City.

It's a very humble department store, and after the flu faded away, the traffic in the department store became much thinner.

The sign hanging outside the store is completely different from the other stores, but it doesn't seem to bring anything to the store.

Wow!

There was footsteps in the distance, and the boss heard the sound, only to see the police from Dili City trotting forward, shouting at the boss: "Nick! Nick! Someone is looking for you, come out quickly! ”

"What's wrong? Mr. Policeman. Australasian law stipulates that you must cooperate when questioned by the police, which made Nick quickly walk out of the store and ask in confusion.

"Nick." The policeman blurted out, and then felt that something was wrong, and quickly changed his words and said, "Mr. Nick, someone is looking for you." ”

Before Nick could continue to ask, the people behind him also quickly arrived, dressed in palace guard clothes, walked up to Nick, and asked seriously and gently, "Is it Mr. Nick Franck?" ”

"Yes, you are?" Nick was slightly stunned and nodded mechanically.

"On behalf of His Majesty the King, I declare to you that for your selfless dedication during the flu period and your great contribution to the tens of thousands of people in Dili City, Your Majesty has decided to award you the Order of the State, and I invite you to attend the award ceremony on a date." The guard pulled out an invitation letter, which clearly recorded the time and place of the ceremony, and on the back was printed Nick Frank's own words.

Nick was stunned again, took the invitation from the guard like a machine, lowered his head and watched quietly, forgetting to raise his head for a while.

"Is this what Your Majesty gave me?" It took about a few minutes before Nick reacted and asked in disbelief.

"Of course, sir. This letter of invitation to all those who have been honoured is from the royal palace and may not be copied by anyone. You can bring your family to the award ceremony as scheduled to thank you for your contributions to the country and the royal family during the flu! "When the guards had finished informing them, they lined up and returned.

It's not that I don't want to talk a little more, but there are many people who have contributed to the country during the flu, and all invitations should be distributed to these people before the award ceremony.

Meritorious service will be rewarded, and mistakes will be punished, this is Arthur's firm statecraft. The flu was definitely one of the toughest times in Australasia, and even had to quarantine across the country, locking down all the cities.

Altruistic shopkeepers like Nick have sprung up during the flu. They not only implemented Arthur's strategy of prohibiting price increases during the flu period, but even took the initiative to reduce prices in the face of the elderly, reflecting their selfless care and kindness to their compatriots.

After investigating that these people were not deliberately putting on a show, Arthur immediately decided to reward them, or award them medals, or knighthoods. In short, we must not chill the hearts of those who have made meritorious contributions.

This also confirms Arthur's words at the time that commoners can also become nobles by virtue of their contributions to the country.

Whether it is awarded a medal or a knighthood, it is an incomparable honor for an ordinary civilian.

Even the most obtainable national medal can be reported by major newspapers, become a hotly debated hero among the people, and be admired by all neighbors and friends around him.

On April 30, 1919, the Australasian Honours Ceremony officially began.

Less than a year after the last ceremony, Australasia has a second ceremony.

However, the onlookers did not have any dissatisfaction or boredom, but were full of expectations for the upcoming award ceremony.

It is said that it is a ceremony to award the medal, and more bluntly, it should be a ceremony for all those who have made meritorious contributions.

The number of people who received knighthoods was very small, only a few people. The number of people who received the medal is not very large, and the total number of people is only about a dozen.

But in addition to this, there are hundreds of people who have also contributed to the flu. Their merits may not be great enough to receive titles and medals, but they have also made no small contribution to the country, and they deserve a part of the reward.

Naturally, they will also participate in this reward ceremony, and also receive verbal encouragement and financial rewards from Arthur.

At 10 o'clock in the afternoon, the award ceremony was officially held in the congested Sydney Palace Square.

Arthur stepped forward slowly, first scanning all the people around before he slowly said, "All my people, it is a pleasure to be with you at such a time to reward these heroes during the flu. ”

"Influenza is a terrible disaster that has affected all mankind, and its impact on the world is enormous. Most people are unable to protect themselves from such a disaster, but there are always people who have stepped forward. ”

"Today's reward is for the heroes who have contributed to all Australasian people in the face of the flu, regardless of their own safety and their own interests."

"No matter where we come from, we all have a common identity, which is that of glorious Australasians. And these heroes who have made sacrifices and sacrifices for their compatriots also deserve to be duly rewarded and honored as they deserve. ”

"I announce that the award ceremony has officially begun, please welcome these heroes to the stage with applause!"

In a warm applause, a small number of people walked up to the stage with smiles and pride, and stood in front of the stage with their heads held high in the eyes of envy and admiration.

"I declare that the award to Henry. and three other people were awarded the Victorian Medal of Remembrance, and knighthood was awarded to them. It is expected that they will be able to contribute more to the country and the royal family in their new capacity, and abide by their responsibilities as nobles. Arthur said with a smile.

"Honour Nick and other Australasian National Medals for your great contribution to the country during the pandemic. You are a role model for all Australasian people and a source of pride for your family, children and friends. ”

At the same time, the contributions made during the flu period will be commended, and certain financial rewards will be awarded. It is because of you heroes that the country has survived this flu unscathed. ”

With Arthur's announcement, everyone in front of the stage also received their short swords, medals, or financial awards.

Even those with the least incentives can get a financial reward of more than $50 and get a cheque with a smile on their faces.

In fact, this is also normal, after all, to be able to commend in front of so many people, it must be a person with sufficient contributions to be able to come to power.

For those who contribute less, the state or city government will give them a commendation, and they will receive fewer rewards, but they are definitely better than nothing.

"Although the impact of the flu is gradually receding, it is still not certain that this flu is over. Citizens, regardless of whether there will be a new wave of the flu, I hope that you can be like these heroes to stand up for our great country in times of national crisis. ”

"Australasia is a great country, and it's great because of you brave people. Let us build the country with the greatest faith, witness the great rise of Australasia together, and let Australasia go to the top of the world! ”

At the end of the bounty, Arthur exhorted all civilians and revealed speculation that the flu might not be over yet.

Speaking of this flu, it is indeed a little weird.

From the first case in March 1918, the flu spread very quickly.

The real death toll began in August and raged around the world for four months.

At a time when people around the world are in a state of extreme panic, the flu that has threatened the world seems to have disappeared overnight.

Although it is not such an exaggeration, the lethality of the flu is already gradually decreasing, and the number of people infected with the flu is decreasing like crazy.

By the end of April this year, the number of confirmed cases of influenza in Europe, the United States and Australasia was very small, and only regions like Africa and India still had traces of influenza epidemics.

This is also a normal result, after all, Africa and India are relatively backward in medical care, and because most of the area is colonized, those colonial countries will not spend a lot of money to buy drugs for these natives.

Naturally, the people of the colonies would not have had enough money to go to the doctor, and in such a situation, it was unlikely that the flu would disappear quickly in these areas.

The sudden appearance and abrupt disappearance of the flu made the conclusion that the flu was manipulated by the public again.

The U.S. government has also accepted its fate and no longer refutes the conclusion that the flu is manipulative, and is to shift the blame for the flu as much as possible to the chemical plant in Kansas, to be precise, the consortium behind the chemical plant.

There is no way to do this, after all, letting the government of a country take the blame will directly plunge the country into the abyss.

If only a part of the consortium is to blame, there is still room for things to turn around. Even if the U.S. government can't escape its regulatory responsibilities, at least its reputation is not so bad, and the hostility of countries is not so serious.

Although the flu has disappeared, if Arthur remembers correctly, there will still be an outbreak of the flu this year or next year.

Although the third wave of influenza is not as severe as the second wave, the fatality rate is also not low, and precautions must be taken.

This is also the reason why Arthur has publicly stated that the flu is not over yet. Until the end of the flu is fully declared, the major quarantine sites in Australasia must be retained in preparation for a possible third wave of flu in the future.

The absence of a third flu is good news, but if there is, it is important to be prepared.

With Arthur's huge popularity in Australasia, it can still be quite useful to ask the public to prepare for a possible third wave of influenza in public.

At least people are not unprepared in the face of a possible resurgence of the flu, and it is not wrong to always have some disinfectant and masks.

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

The cold is not good yet, let's watch two shifts today! The limbs are a little sore, the throat is sore, it won't be Sanyang, right?

Also, I wish you all a happy Tanabata Festival!

(End of chapter)