The Rise of Australasia

Chapter 795 -595: Education Cooperation_1

If under normal circumstances, the coronation ceremony of a monarch of a small country with only a million level population wouldn’t attract the attention of the powerful nations.

However, this time is different, the ceremony is a result of an agreement between Britain, France, and Australia. To show mutual importance, powerful nations from Britain, France, and Australia will send significant representatives to participate in the coronation ceremonies of the monarchs of Finland, Estonia, and Latvia, taking the ceremony to the highest level.

Because of the involvement of the three powerful nations, the Government of Finland also attaches great importance to Dmitry’s coronation, even using a significant part of the fiscal budget to host the ceremony.

Although the overall scale is negligible to the powerful nations, for Finland with only a population of 3 million, being able to use both the Navy and Army for the coronation ceremony is tantamount to draining its resources.

Fortunately, the aid from Australasia brought Finland a substantial amount of funds, and Arthur also gifted Dmitry several Benz Automobiles, barely embellishing the ceremony’s facade.

Having observed the entire coronation as a bystander, Arthur met with the spirited Dmitry again and started the discussion as rulers of their respective countries.

"Share your thoughts, Dmitry. How do you feel now? Do you sense a bit more responsibility than before?” Arthur asked with a smile.

"Yes.” Dmitry nodded gravely, saying with some palpable pressure, “The Baltic coast is flanked by the two big countries of Russia and Germany, as well as competitive nations like Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Poland. Currently, all Finland can do is maintain peace and neutrality, and strive to survive amidst the gaps of major powers.”

Arthur nodded and comfortingly said, “The situation isn’t that terrible. Currently, the strengths of the two powers on the Baltic coast have been greatly diminished, and there is no real superpower. Plus, with British and French involvement, the Baltic situation won’t be too chaotic.”

Dmitry nodded and then asked on a whim, “Your Majesty, can we purchase a production line for military aircraft? If Finland could equip a considerable number of aircraft, it would not only protect our national security but also allow for border patrols.”

Not refusing Dmitry’s request, Arthur smiled and said, “Based on Finland’s situation, equipping about ten first-generation military aircraft would be sufficient. Having too many aircraft wouldn’t be good for the country; currently, no country poses a threat to Finland, and the peace of the Baltic coast must not be disturbed.”

While equipping aircraft indeed can greatly enhance a country’s military power, this also depends on the country’s comprehensive strength and economic level.

Even the most basic first-generation military aircraft, after various technological breakthroughs, still cost upwards of 10,000 Australian Dollars.

Additionally, the expenses of training pilots, along with daily training and maintenance costs of the aircraft, would represent a significant expenditure for the economically distressed Finland.

Moreover, with Finland already beginning some construction projects, Dmitry’s hopes of obtaining certain funds from the government to arm aircraft would likely not be straightforward.

In the end, compared to the Grand Duchy of Finland, Dmitry is actually an outsider. Especially for the fully-formed Government of Finland, Dmitry is seen as the one vying for power, and a figure that many Finnish politicians are wary of.

What Dmitry needs now is to consolidate his image and secure the loyalty of some native Finnish forces.

Only with the recognition of the Finns and some political forces, does Dmitry have the capital to contend for the Finnish throne.

Otherwise, Dmitry’s rule over Finland would be like a rootless duckweed, easily replaceable or destroyed.

This is also why many European monarchical countries quickly became republics, often because elected monarchs failed to gain public approval.

In this regard, Ferdinand of Bulgaria did quite well. Although not viewed favorably when elected as the Grand Duke, Ferdinand managed to do well in the early part of his political career, earning public favor and approval.

However, historically, Ferdinand did not do well in the later part of his political career. Bulgaria’s choices in two wars led the country into an abyss and caused Ferdinand, after decades of hard work, to lose his throne.

This is undoubtedly the greatest danger facing a prominent monarch. The country’s policies will be linked to the monarch, and the success or failure of these policies also concerns the monarch’s status.

"I understand,” Dmitry nodded, then put forth his request, “Could Finland and Australasia co-establish a University? It would be best to establish relevant cooperation, with Finland sending hundreds of international students to Australasia every year to learn more advanced concepts and technology.”

Arthur naturally wouldn’t refuse such a request; after all, Finland sending international students to Australasia also serves as an outreach to Australasia.

These students, upon returning to Finland, would surely be relied upon heavily, and most would become pro-Australasian due to their influence from Australasia.

Indeed, if Australasia didn’t care about its reputation, it could essentially brainwash these students to serve the purposes of sending spies.

With support from Australasia in the future, these returning students might even take up high positions in the Finnish government.

This is also one of the ways that the Powers control a small country, by brainwashing international students and sending spies to infiltrate the enemy’s upper echelons directly.

Of course, there is also the subtle and gradual control of the economy, influencing various aspects of production and so forth.

When the Powers have control over the economy of a small or medium-sized country, that country becomes dependent on the support of the Powers.

No matter the means, it can deepen the influence of the Powers over small and medium-sized countries.

For Arthur, deepening cooperation with Finland was also beneficial for Australasia.

"The matter of establishing a university can be handled by the Ministry of Education, and I have no objections. As for sending international students, that’s only natural. It should have been mentioned in our previous agreement, right?” Arthur said, his gaze loaded with meaning as he looked towards Dmitry.

Seeing his motive exposed, Dmitry was not embarrassed but smiled and said, “Yes, but I still wanted to discuss it with Your Majesty. After all, Finland needs to send a variety of international students, including those in military, economy, politics, and culture.”

The majority of students going to Australasia to study major in material sciences and economics, medicine, and such; while there are military students, the scale is not large.

This is because Australasia has a special regulation: all military academy graduates must serve in the military for two years, with no exceptions for international students either.

This means that military academy graduates who studied as international students are required to serve in the Australasia Army. Although they gain more practical abilities in the Australasia Army, they are also influenced by the various ideologies taught by the Australasia Army.

It is out of concern for factors like these that European Nations don’t send many military students to Australasia; most of them still come from Asia.

After all, there are many military academies to choose from in Europe, and many Powers have a lot of well-known military schools, even countries like Spain and Italy have their fair share of noteworthy military schools.

The options for Asian countries are, however, rather limited. Even the most powerful nation in Asia, the Island Nation, needs to send students abroad, not to mention the more visibly backward other countries.

Especially in terms of military philosophy, Asian countries generally choose European and American military institutions to learn advanced Western military command concepts and to enhance their own command capabilities.

Due to its rapid rise in the past few decades, Australasia still remains a popular choice for international students from Asian countries.

Moreover, the fighting capability of the Australasia Army had already been proven in previous wars, almost on par with the German Army in direct charges and far surpassing the Austro-Hungarian Empire Army.

Such performances naturally exceeded many U.S. military institutions, making the Royal Military Academy in Sydney particularly popular among those military students.

Although the international students need to serve in the Australasia Army for two years after graduation, many who returned to their home countries after service had indeed maintained a decent military discipline; many of them had become senior officers in their own countries and were highly trusted by their rulers.

Even the Island Nation had a certain number of military students studying in Australasia, although nowhere near the number it sends to the United States.

These students underwent extreme ideological indoctrination in Australasia; in the Island Nation, they belonged to the pro-Australasia faction, opposing the alliance between the Island Nation and the United States.

Besides the Island Nation and a certain East Asian country, the Philippines is now the country that sends the most military students to Australasia.

As a country already under the control of Australasia, the Philippines is relatively compliant, and the number of its students in Australasia had already breached 700.

Graduating from Australasia, these students were bound to receive attention from the Philippine Government and would gradually move up into the upper echelons of various departments in the Philippines.

This was inevitable, determined both by the degree of control that Australasia had over the Philippines and by the level of education these individuals acquired in Australasia.

Hearing Dmitry’s request, Arthur cheerfully agreed, saying with a smile, “Considering Finland’s special circumstances, we can waive the two-year service requirement for military students. Students from all disciplines can be sent, and I hope that under your leadership and rule, Finland will rapidly develop into a strong European Nation.”

Military students could help Dmitry better control the Military, and Arthur decided to lift the two-year service requirement to allow Finland’s military students to return home faster.

There was no detriment to Australia in this; it would only accelerate Dmitry’s control over Finland. Why would he not agree to it?

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