The Rise Of Australasia

Chapter 720 - 542: International Students and Asian Faces

Amid global turmoil, the stable and calm Australasia was indeed the most unique.

This made Australasia attractive to a large number of foreign immigrants, as well as international students from all over the world, presenting a scene of a place where people from every nation visited.

As the Western power closest to Asia, Australasia naturally drew the attention of many backward Asian countries, which took Australasia as a role model and a reference target for learning.

Of course, the term "Western power" here does not just refer to its geographical connotation, but to those highly developed countries under the European system that espouse Western values.

However, it’s worth mentioning that the Earth is spherical and there is no absolute delineation between east and west. If the Pacific Ocean were used as a reference, Asia would be in the west, and the Americas would be to the east of the Pacific.

There are various benefits to taking Australasia as a reference and learning target.

Firstly, being the Western power nearest to Asia, Australasia’s proximity in terms of travel distance, as compared to European and American countries, saves a considerable amount of time and money spent on travel.

Secondly, Australasia’s stable environment prevents the need to worry about the economic difficulties and civil wars faced by European countries.

Moreover, Australasia’s development has arguably made it among the most elite countries. However, 20 years ago, Australasia was a collection of colonies; although not backward, the comparison to its status and capabilities today is rather stark.

Australasia’s ability to achieve a significant increase in national power and comprehensive capabilities in just 20 years is an attractive prospect for certain countries and intellectuals.

Arthur looked at the data on international students reported by the Department of Education. Since the end of the war in 1917, the scale of international students in Australasia has been growing dramatically.

In 1917, Australasia had a total of 781 international students, which increased to 1,077 in 1918.

In both the subsequent years of 1919 and 1920, the scale of international students rose to 1,540 and 1,922 respectively.

Of nearly 2,000 international students, only less than one-fifth were from Europe and America, totaling approximately 370.

The remaining nearly 1,600 international students all came from Asia, which indirectly demonstrated the degree of Australasia’s appeal to Asian countries.

It is worth noting that even for the powerful isles, hundreds of students come to study in Australasia every year.

However, students from these isles receive no preferential treatment in Australasia. Like other international students, they neither qualify for scholarships nor financial aid.

"Speaking of the islanders, doesn’t it seem like Australasia might be our potential ally? There can’t be two tigers on one mountain. With both the islanders and Australasia present as powers in the Western Pacific, trouble is bound to break out sooner or later.

If we could secure Australasia’s assistance, our development could become much easier, " the last quiet one spoke, seemingly having uncovered something.

"It’s not that simple. After defeating the islanders, wouldn’t we then become one of the two tigers? Unless we are willing to play second fiddle, there would inevitably be friction with Australasia. Besides, these people aren’t so charitable. If we want Australasia to help us, we’d likely have to give up some flesh," one of the elder men said, shaking his head and sighing at his own concerns.

"Why complicate matters? Life is more than just violence, and we don’t have ambitions to rule the world, so we should just focus on our own development. Anyway, gentlemen, before we resist outsiders, we need to settle our own affairs, we have a long way to go!"

The men’s conversation soon ended, and they began observing the surrounding Australasian industrial area.

Even though they visited this modern industrial site every week, they wished they could memorize every detail. They wanted to learn as much as possible from the industrially developed region, with the hope that it might help them avoid making mistakes.

On the way back to school, the men flagged down a taxi and climbed inside.

Upon confirming that the driver didn’t understand their language, they began to chat more freely, "Can you figure out how the brains of these Westerners work? How can this metal heap move so fast! If we got these things at home, wouldn’t commuting be so convenient?"

"Aren’t you being too narrow-minded? Such a handy thing and all you think about is using it to get around? What if it were used for transporting grain and soldiers, isn’t that the so-called ’quickness is a great asset in war’?"

"Forget about these cars, a comprehensive railway system would make both commutes and the transportation of grain and soldiers far more convenient. However, with cars needing highways and trains requiring railroads, the costs involved would be significant," another voiced his opinion.

"If such convenience could be acquired by spending more, it’s absolutely worth it. This is the technology of the Westerners. Gentlemen, isn’t it ironic that the supposedly glorious Great Qing Dynasty, in its contempt for Western gadgets, failed to realize that such inventions could alter national patterns?

We have been leading the world for thousands of years, and in the end, we were beaten by the Qing Dynasty that only lasted a few hundred years," the oldest person in the group sighed, deeply affected by his experiences in the now-extinct Qing Dynasty era.

"Gentlemen, we still have a lot to learn. From aircraft artillery to screw tools, the Westerners are far ahead of us. I heard that during the last big war, the Western powers deployed advanced weapons like airplanes and tanks - too bad we couldn’t get a close look. If we had such weapons, wouldn’t the revival of our country be unquestionable?" the elder soliloquized.

"Well, we just need to learn one thing at a time! If the Westerners could progress step by step, why couldn’t we? Even if no countries were willing to help us, we certainly could still develop industry and build airplanes and tanks!" the burly man retorted confidently.

"Hahaha, well said! It was my mistake to doubt our abilities. Aren’t we learning bit by bit? Everyone, let’s put more effort into it, we just need to bring the knowledge of Australasia back to our country, then we can build our own airplanes and tanks! I refuse to believe that even after we work hard for decades, we would still be inferior to those islanders!

When it comes to defeating them, it certainly would be more satisfying using our own artillery. When that time comes, I won’t say anything else, but I’d desire to kill at least a hundred of them, and then my life would be worthwhile," he roared.

The industrial area was not far from the school, so everyone quickly returned to their respective schools, yet they managed to unanimously set a time for their next meeting.