The Rise Of Australasia

Chapter 743 - 557: The End of the Ireland War

In all honesty, while Arthur anticipated improvements in air conditioning and refrigerators, his expectations were far from the advancements of the future.

Although 100 years may not seem like a long time, the progress human beings have made in technology during this period is quite dramatic. Explore more stories at empire

However, if the improved air conditioners and washing machines could facilitate the lives of people in Australasia, this would surely be good news.

Aside from household appliances, Australasia has been at the forefront of the world in terms of vehicles, tanks, airplanes, and engines. It wouldn’t be an overstatement to say that it is one of the greatest beneficiaries of electrification.

Although Australasia was established much later than the electrical revolution, it turned out to be one of the best performing countries during the revolution.

Although it received considerable assistance from the United Kingdom and Germany, Australasia undoubtedly represents a typical success story of a nation seizing opportunities to catch up rapidly.

Looking at automobile sales data, the worldwide car ownership is hovering around 19 million, out of which over 14.5 million vehicles are Australasia’s Benz Automobiles.

How incredible is that? At least 76% of all vehicles worldwide are produced by the Benz factory.

Although many national car companies are trying to catch up, there are not many that pose a real threat to Benz. Most of them are merely challengers, and Benz’s position is still very firm.

Even after the release of the next generation of Benz cars, it is expected that Benz’s sales will see a significant increase.

Despite the overall decline in worldwide car sales, Benz remains a huge moneymaker for Arthur, generating annual profits that are among the highest of all his businesses.

Even though the global economy is growing, a decrease in car sales is inevitable.

If it weren’t for the fact that famous car companies are backed by their respective countries, car sales may decrease even further.

For instance, the United States has been vigorously supporting its local car companies, Ford and General Motors. This has caused a surge in sales for these companies in a short period of time.

Of course, even with the support of the United States, these companies still cannot pose a significant threat to Benz in the short term.

After all, Benz Automobiles have been on the market for over a decade, creating record-breaking sales figures and becoming well-known to most people worldwide.

Such recognition and prevalence are something that other car companies cannot match, and this is a major challenge they still need to overcome, besides technological research and development.

As time moved into August 1921, the long-lasting Irish civil war finally came to an end.

Ever since the entire Ireland came under military control on May 17, the Irish Republican Army (IRA) had been in a state of chaos and tension, but could do nothing about it.

Because of the successful propaganda campaign, no country openly supported Irish independence, which gave the British confidence to implement military control in Ireland.

The British first established a parliament in Northern Ireland, won over the Republicans there, and undermined the unity of the IRA.

Then, they undertook a full-scale cleanup of the IRA in southern Ireland. Rewards were given to those who provided information, and severe punishment was meted out to any Irish person found harboring the IRA.

If the Americans become desperate and launch a full-scale war in the Philippines, without the support of the British, Arthur would truly be unsure whether to join this all-out war.

Engaging in a fight could lead to a war of attrition with no clear borders or obvious victory; but not fighting would mean the gratuitous loss of the Philippines, a potential sphere of influence, posing a minor setback to the development of Australasia.

The strategic position of the Philippines is quite important, as it not only has the capability to eradicate American bases on the west coast of the Pacific, but it also serves as a frontline base against the Island Nation.

If World War II unfolds as it did historically, Australasia, as a part of the forces against Germany, will inevitably have to contend with the Island Nation.

Despite the various disadvantages faced by the Island Nation, its military strength is something that deserves attention.

If the Philippines can defend against the Island Nation’s advances from within its own borders, it would certainly be advantageous for Australasia.

Even if the Filipinos were a little more forceful, the war between Australasia and the Island Nation could potentially transform into a war between the Island Nation and the Filipinos themselves, and Australasia would only need to supply the Philippines with arms to keep the Island Nation at bay.

Without the Philippines, Australasia would surely suffer heavy casualties in the face of the Island Nation’s attack.

Powerful countries always nurture their own allies and usually let these allies do their bidding rather than getting directly involved themselves.

Arthur naturally had such a notion. The present Philippines and the current Dutch East Indies were all within the ambit of his plans.

As countries neighboring Australasia, these two regions with a large number of indigenous people were too troublesome to occupy, requiring the expulsion of all natives.

Compared to occupation, assisting an ally who has friendly relations with oneself is a more suitable choice.

Moreover, due to the proximity to Australasia, these regions are naturally within its sphere of influence, and the influence of other countries is far less than that of Australasia.

As long as it can fully control the economy and military of these regions, it is equivalent to fully controlling these regions.

Training them into loyal henchmen, fighting battles north and south for Australasia, is much more preferable than deploying large-scale Australasian troops.

Although these indigenous armies may not be strong, they benefit from their large population.

The current population of the Dutch East Indies should exceed 32 million, and that of the Philippines should exceed 10 million, which means they should be able to field at least 4 million troops.

The data from later generations is even more exaggerated. With populations in the hundreds of millions, these two countries could jointly provide a human force at least in the tens of millions.

The exact number of tens of millions of soldiers is not important. After all, any war that would cause Australasia to deploy tens of millions of soldiers would undoubtedly be a super-war on par with a world war.

In the event of a super-war following World War II, several countries could control nuclear weapons at any time, potentially turning the war into a battle to exterminate humanity.

Such wars are taken very seriously by all countries, and unless there is no other option, they generally do not occur.

Regardless, Australasia’s control over the Dutch East Indies and the Philippines would be like gaining two junior partners who could provide millions of troops and also serve as a dumping ground for goods during peacetime, a deal that would be profitable however one looks at it.

Moreover, the geographical locations of these two regions could help defend the northern part of Australasia, guarding against possible attacks from the north by the United States and the Island Nation.