The Rise of Australasia

Chapter 787 -587: Father-Son Q&A_1

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If there were a map of Europe, it would be clear that Finland leads Latvia and Estonia in both land area and population, making it the strongest of the three countries seeking a Monarch.

Logically, Britain and France should have fiercely contended for Finland, and Australasia shouldn’t have stood a chance at dominating the Finnish throne.

But in reality, the exact opposite was true. It was because of the fierce competition between Britain and France that both countries lost the opportunity to dominate Finland.

Neither nation wanted to see the other control Finland, and thus Australasia, far removed from Europe, became the beneficiary of their dispute.

With Latvia and Estonia being divided relatively evenly between Britain and France, Finland was left to Australasia, a move that Britain and France were quite comfortable with.

It was for this reason that Arthur ultimately gained the decisive power over the Duchy of Finland, and Australasia secured the chance to influence Finland.

However, the control of Baltic Sea coastal nations by Britain, France, and Australia was especially uncomfortable for Nicholas II who had just begun to recover from recent events.

As is well-known, Russia had two sea outlets essential for its survival in Europe: one through the Northern Baltic Sea, and the other through the Southern Black Sea.

There is no need to delve into the Black Sea as it opens to the vast Mediterranean Sea, and beyond it lies the St. Petersburg Strait, which imposed significant restrictions on Russia’s Black Sea Fleet.

The infiltration of Britain, France, and Australia into the Baltic Sea also meant a significant reduction in Russia’s competiveness there.

If before World War I Russia was an uncontrollable powerful Power, now it was a mid-level Power within the sphere of influence of Britain, France, and Australia.

This was perhaps the intention of Britain and France. Compared with a Russia that posed a major threat, even if it became a problem now, Britain and France could handle it adequately.

Upon learning that he was about to become the Grand Duke of Finland, Dmitry entered a busy preparation phase.

Although it was a small country’s duchy and had the support of Australasia, the development of the nation still required Dmitry’s personal commitment.

The path of development for Australasia was not suited for Finland, as each country possesses different geographical locations, mineral resources, and population conditions.

Even differences in time could cause two otherwise similar countries to diverge in their paths of development.

Dmitry understood this and knew that Finland could only emulate Australasia, but not copy it in entirety.

After reaching an agreement, Dmitry’s ascension to the new Grand Duke of Finland was inevitable.

On October 23, 1923, after a period of preparation, Dmitry set out for Finland from Australasia with a small entourage.

Even Queen Mary, who had long remained secluded in the Royal Palace, came in person to see off her brother, bringing with her blessings.

The bond between the siblings was not to be underestimated. Queen Mary specifically gifted Dmitry several chefs and servants to ensure he would have a caring and reliable service upon arrival in Finland.

Fortunately, Dmitry already had a family, making his journey to Finland far from a solitary one.

Before Dmitry’s departure, Arthur promised with a smile to find an opportunity to take Queen Mary and the rest of the family on an official diplomatic visit to Finland.

Dmitry, in turn, responded very seriously, promising to welcome them in person upon Arthur’s arrival.

To ensure Dmitry’s safety in Finland, at Queen Mary’s behest, Arthur lent Dmitry a guard of about ten Royal guards, tasked with protecting his safety.

Moreover, the Military was deployed to escort Dmitry all the way to Finland, a grand gesture that served both as a mark of respect for Dmitry and a veiled threat to the Finnish government.

The Government of Finland wasn’t foolish; the European Royal Family Union Declaration was not a joke. Regardless, competition between royal and governmental Power is allowed, but the Prime Minister must never pose a threat to the King’s personal safety.

Europe could not afford another regicide. This was something Arthur would not tolerate, and neither would the European royal family.

It’s not just a matter of small Finland; every Monarchical country’s government must carefully consider, even where Monarchism has ceased to exist, the security of these former Monarchs must be ensured.

Although Arthur acted quickly, the efficiency of Britain and France was equally impressive.

Before November even arrived, both Britain and France had confirmed their candidates.

Nevertheless, there was some time before their Coronation Ceremonies, and the most pressing matter for them was to secure their thrones.

After Dmitry’s departure for Finland, Queen Mary was very concerned for her only brother.

However, on the day before Christmas, Queen Mary received a Telegram from Dmitry indicating that he had safely arrived in Finland and was warmly welcomed by the Finnish government, which allowed her to breathe a sigh of relief.

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Arthur was very concerned about Finland, which Dmitry was about to take control of, for it might be the nation in Europe with the best relationship with Australasia.

For this reason, as Dmitry headed to Finland, Arthur appointed the first Australasian ambassador to Finland, Benno Schmidt, to accompany Dmitry on his journey there.

Even before Dmitry’s departure, the Government of Finland had issued a public announcement declaring, after long periods of national elections and verification, the selection of Prince Dmitry of Russia Nation as the new Grand Duke of Finland.

The ignorant people of Finland knew nothing of the actual situation and believed that he was the best monarch that the government had painstakingly chosen, expressing their support for the decision one after another.

Although Prince Dmitry came from the Russian Monarchy, Finland had long since achieved autonomous status under Russia Nation, and their aversion to the former Tsarist Russia was not so deep.

Moreover, the government had propagated that Prince Dmitry had no affiliation with the previous Tsar’s rule, so the people of Finland would not develop any aversion toward their new Grand Duke.

With the arrival of Dmitry’s second telegram, the time for his Coronation Ceremony was set, and it was scheduled for the middle of the following year, 1924.

In response to Dmitry’s personal invitation, Arthur also decided to visit Europe to see for himself, not only to attend Dmitry’s Coronation Ceremony but also to return to the European Nations after many years.

Dmitry was much thrilled to receive Arthur’s personal commitment to attend the Coronation Ceremony, which caused the government of Finland to place great emphasis on their new Grand Duke.

Without saying anything else, the mere act of inviting Arthur to personally attend the Coronation Ceremony was already evidence of the importance Arthur placed on his brother-in-law.

As the monarch of a Powerful Nation, the Government of Finland dared not take him lightly, and the interim Finnish Prime Minister Nicholas John Fitzgerald, who had originally planned to compete for power, hurriedly decided to expand the scale of Dmitry’s Coronation Ceremony.

Nicholas John Fitzgerald was no fool. Competing with Dmitry merely amounted to internal squabbles within the Finnish government, and Arthur might not care much.

But inadvertently causing dissatisfaction to Arthur, the discontent of a ruling monarch of a Powerful Nation, could destabilize the small government of Finland.

He did indeed seek to vie for more power, but it had to be under the premise that his personal safety was secured.

To offend a powerful Power over a minor role as Prime Minister was not something Nicholas John Fitzgerald felt he had the audacity to do.

Without Dmitry’s involvement, this year’s Christmas seemed even more subdued.

However, fortunately, the little tykes had also grown up a bit, with the eldest, William and Anna, reaching the age of 14 and appearing quite mature.

At the Christmas banquet, Arthur suddenly had a whim and decided to use the Russian peace negotiations as a test for the princes.

Of course, the main focus was on Arthur’s eldest son, William. The second son, Peter, was only eight years old and the youngest, George, was even younger at four years old, making the test rather difficult for them.

Hearing Arthur’s question about the current European situation, the little tykes all pretended to be deep in thought, pondered for a while, and then William was the first to say, “Father, I think the peace in Russia Nation is beneficial for us.”

Hearing William’s answer, Arthur didn’t rush to judge but asked with a smile, “Why do you say that, William?”

"Father, after Russia Nation was divided into several parts, the threat to all the Powers has decreased. Secondly, there are still disputes within the current Russia Nation, and the peace between the two largest countries will not last for long. We can still earn a lot from the Civil War within Russia Nation,” William explained.

Queen Mary listened undisturbed by the conversation; following the death of her father and stepfather, Australasia had become her home, and her emotional ties to Russia Nation were no longer as profound.

After all, her family was now entirely in Australasia. Queen Mary was naturally a clever woman, and she understood well on which side a wise queen should stand when it came to matters of great national importance.

Arthur nodded slightly, satisfied, and continued to look at William, asking, “Then William, analyze the impact of Russia Nation’s peace on the European situation for me.”

William nodded solemnly as though responding to a teacher’s question and answered seriously, “The British and French are both reaching out to the Baltic Sea, which indicates that Britain and France may erupt into some conflict. At the same time, winning over Russia Nation has become very important, which is also an opportunity for Russia Nation.

But neither Britain nor France would like to see Russia Nation seize such a chance. I believe that if Russia Nation firmly chooses one side, then the other side of Britain-France will seek to support the newly emerged Larasia to counterbalance the threat posed by Russia Nation. Even supporting Soviet Russia to rekindle the Civil War within Russia Nation is a possibility,” William speculated.

Arthur nodded, quite content with William’s comprehensive answer.

The truth was indeed as such; although Russia Nation now had the chance to develop, achieving the status of a Top power was no longer possible.

Even if the Russians had ambitions, any side in the methods could always support Poland and another Russia Nation, which would be a heavy blow to both the current Nicholas II and Tsarist Russia.

The independence of many small countries had also made the European situation even more complicated. If one merely looked at Europe, it could be construed as comprising a British faction, a French faction, and a neutral faction.

The competition between Britain and France had become overt, and plenty of issues existed in the region of Eastern Europe.

Although it was impossible for a massive war like the previous to erupt, minor conflicts were certain to exist, and Europe’s situation could never be peaceful.

How to derive more benefit from the current European situation was also the most worthy question for now in Australasia to ponder.

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