The Rise Of Australasia

Chapter 946: 705: The Planning of Hawaii and Alaska

Chapter 946: Chapter 705: The Planning of Hawaii and Alaska

The American government found itself in quite an awkward position at this time.

They realized that the situation had spiraled out of their control. As soon as the United Kingdom interfered with any state, that state would remain neutral during the war, or even cut off its connection with the federal government outright.

Although only a few states had held independence referendums, this did not mean the other states still in the Federation were loyal.

The problem was, the American government did not have a good solution. With most of the Military already deployed to the front line to fight the Allied Army, the American government also lacked sufficient troops to prevent these states from defecting.

What’s more, what could the American government really do? If they were to put pressure on those states that maintained neutrality, it was very likely that these states would not return to America’s embrace, but would instead contact the nations behind the Allied Army immediately for their support in holding independence referendums.

Especially after the complete annihilation of the Pacific Squadron, the majority of the American People and states had lost hope in the war; they firmly believed that the American Government could not achieve victory in this conflict.

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At this time, the United States was not yet the global superpower. Facing setbacks, Americans also thought of retreating.

The United States’ only chance at a comeback, the navy, had already lost a portion of its ships. Could they really expect the hastily recruited army to make a difference?

President Hoover, looking at the frontline reports, fell into deep thought, for the reports had made it clear that out of the several hundred thousand American troops, even less than ten thousand could be considered reliable.

The majority of the troops, despite their vast numbers, were but cannon fodder, with their only purpose being to delay the Enemy’s advances.

But what could they do?

The command of the army was with the Headquarters of the army, and as the highest leader of the United States, President Hoover could only issue general orders to the army.

Under the current circumstances, President Hoover was also at a loss, and compared to the frenzied actions a few months ago, all he could do now was sigh, as if accepting his fate.

Just because President Hoover was quiet didn’t mean everything was calm inside the American government.

In fact, before the collapse of a building, the activity inside is the most intense.

However, Arthur at this time didn’t care about the turmoil within the American government. For Arthur, since the course of the war was already determined, the most important thing was obviously to arrange for the management of territories post-war.

Arthur paid quite a bit of attention to Hawaii and Alaska State, the two territories soon to join Australasia.

Nevertheless, there was disagreement within the government regarding the handling of these two lands.

One side believed that these two states should become new Colonies, to be slowly integrated into the Native Land over a long period.

But another side felt that while Hawaii’s strategic location could justify its inclusion, Alaska State was too remote; whether as a Colony or for future integration, it seemed somewhat unnecessary.

There was even a faction that proposed prompting the independence of Alaska, arguing that Australasia had no use for Alaska, and that managing it across the entire Pacific Ocean would be difficult.

Arthur named this narrow sea outlet Hollandrah Lubrus, meaning the land of sacred rebirth.

Hollandrah Lubrus has now become the largest city on Kalimantan Island, with a total population that has broken through 2 million, making it an absolute megacity on a global scale.

Of course, if one were to compare the level of advancement, this city is naturally far from being at par with those in Europe, America, and Australia.

But what Arthur intended was not to westernize these indigenous people. The primary purpose of sequestering the indigenous people on Kalimantan Island is to make them play their role during times of war.

The strategy of overwhelming numbers remains effective at least for the next few decades. After a few decades, the developed Kalimantan Federation could also become an effective market for Australasia, with the revenue from dumping industrial products alone being enough to help Australasia weather any crisis.

The Philippines also plays a similar role. However, the Philippines is somewhat more advanced than Kalimantan.

After several years of development, the population of the Philippines has also approached 13 million and is still rising.

It is expected that in the event of war, Kalimantan and the Philippines could provide Australasia with at least 2 million combat troops.

And if pushed further, the number of troops could even be increased to more than 3 million, which is also the reason why Arthur currently fears no wars.

Even if it were just 3 million cannon fodder, when employed in the battlefield, they could last for at least a year.

Together with an equal number of elite Australasian troops, there is now no country that can intimidate us, and this forms the backbone of Australasia’s future dominance in the world.

Of course, the current Kalimantan only refers to the Southern Kalimantan occupied by the Netherlands. The North, including Brunei, Sarawak, and the North Borneo Protectorate Ridge, is all British territory.

Arthur naturally has plans for these lands as well. Not to mention the millions of indigenous people living on these lands, just the lands themselves are enough to double the number of indigenous people on Kalimantan Island.

A fully integrated Kalimantan Island can support hundreds of millions of indigenous people without any issues, which will become Australasia’s most reliable overseas market.

Other markets may fluctuate, but Kalimantan Island, right on our doorstep, will not see any changes.

If the hundreds of millions of indigenous people could provide just one Australian dollar’s worth of value each per year, the total would also amount to hundreds of millions of Australian dollars in revenue.

If this figure could be doubled, there would be sufficient funds to support Australasia’s various construction projects for the next few decades.

Of course, as the elderly population on Kalimantan Island grows, the ruler of the Sultanate must inevitably be someone Arthur can trust.

Muhammad has been doing very well so far; he understands who the true master of the country is and has taken no action beyond Arthur’s expectations.

This is hardly surprising. A close look at Arthur’s distribution map of indigenous people on Kalimantan Island shows that such a political division has ensured that Kalimantan Island cannot escape Arthur’s control.

In particular, the ruling area of Sultan Mohammed is surrounded by all other sultanates of indigenous people.

If Muhammad harbored any rebellious thoughts, he would probably be attacked by all the sultanates even before he could act, especially under Arthur’s generous bounty.

After all, for those sultans, Arthur has not harmed their interests. Muhammad, however, is like a sword hanging over their heads.