Chapter 202: Engagement and Return
The news that Arthur had chosen Grand Duchess Mary was quickly spread to Tsar Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra. Both were very pleased with this outcome, believing that this was yet another beautiful union between European royal families.
At least from the current perspective, the alliance between Australia and Russia shared common interests. Russia needed more support in the Far East, while Australia required a great power-level ally and needed to limit the potential rise of its future enemy—the island nation.
After marrying into the Russian royal family, Australia would also be able to accept immigrants from Russia. After excluding revolutionaries and dangerous elements, Russians, who had long lived under Tsarist autocracy, were more suited to become Australian residents. Their acceptance of autocracy would be higher than that of other European immigrants.
On August 15, 1905, after only a few brief interactions and meetings with Grand Duchess Mary, Arthur held an engagement ceremony in St. Petersburg.
During these few days, Arthur had also sent a telegram home to seek his mother Princess Louise's opinion. Princess Louise naturally had no objections and even urged Arthur to hurry up and get engaged.
Although only members of the Russian and Australian royal families attended the engagement, and only a few high-ranking Russian officials had the privilege of attending, the event still caused quite a stir across Europe. This was another great union between the Romanov family and the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.
For the Russian Empire, the engagement also carried a certain symbolic significance, drawing the attention of some of the Russian population to the main figures of the engagement, and some of the protest parades even diminished in size.
Arthur's excellent reputation among the British public also brought attention to the engagement, with many British citizens sending their heartfelt congratulations.
Although Russia and Britain's relationship was not ideal at the moment, these small conflicts could be momentarily forgotten in the face of Arthur's engagement.
Taking advantage of the momentum from the engagement, Arthur, representing Australia, also successfully negotiated many close cooperations with the Russian Empire, including introducing more immigrants, strengthening trade between both sides, and boosting the import and export of resources.
Thanks to the good relationship with the Russian Empire, Australia was able to access part of the Far Eastern market and establish some modest interests.
The issue that Arthur focused most on was immigration. As of 1905, the population of the Russian Empire reached 143.98 million, making it a true population giant.
Due to its large population, Russia was not particularly concerned with casualties in war, which earned it the nickname of the "European bulldozer."
Though Russia's weaponry was generally outdated, the constant influx of people allowed its army to remain powerful.
Russian immigrants had many advantages. Not only could they adapt to monarchical autocracy, but they were also hardworking and enduring.
Russians were known for their toughness, and the military they formed was strong and unafraid of death. The domestic unrest in Russia was largely due to prolonged oppression and the excessive exploitation of the lower class by the ruling elite.
This kind of unrest was unlikely to happen in Australia, which is why the country would remain stable after accepting Russian immigrants.
Moreover, with Arthur's marriage into the Russian royal family, the relationship between Australians and Russians would become closer, and Russians would become one of the most loyal immigrant groups to the Australian royal family, alongside the British.
Of course, this was assuming that revolutionary or riotous elements were excluded. Arthur would not accept dangerous agitators. The Australian royal family would ensure the interests of the common people, who were expected to work hard and maintain order.
The Russian government maintained an indifferent attitude toward Australia's request for immigrants. With such a large population, sending people abroad would alleviate some of Russia's burden.
If it weren't for Australia's limited capacity, the Russian government would have wanted to sign an immigration agreement with Australia for at least 500,000 immigrants per year.
Russia's population growth consistently ranged from one to two million per year, sometimes even exceeding three million.
In 1800, Russia's total population was only around 35 million. By 1900, it had surged to a terrifying 132 million—almost a fourfold increase.
What was even more impressive was that from 1900 to 1916, in just sixteen years, Russia's population had increased by about 51 million, with annual growth reaching over 3.1 million.
This type of population problem was something that smaller countries like Australia couldn't even imagine.
Russia's annual population growth was equivalent to more than half of Australia's population. In an era where war advantages were often determined by numbers, more people meant more advantages and manpower to expend.
The immigration treaty that Arthur signed was not excessively ambitious. The treaty officially began upon signing, and the number of immigrants would be based on Australia's capacity for transportation.
What this meant was that Australia could bring in as many Russian immigrants as it had the resources to transport each year.
Of course, immigration couldn't be rushed. Based on Arthur's estimate, starting from 1905, the number of Russian immigrants coming to Australia would not exceed 100,000 in any given year, with an average of 40,000 to 50,000 immigrants each year over the next three years.
This was because Russian immigrants needed to be carefully screened. Any potential revolutionaries or chaotic elements that could affect Australia's stability needed to be excluded beforehand.
Naturally, this task would fall to the Royal Security Intelligence Bureau under Bartie Crouch.
The Royal Security Intelligence Bureau had been established for more than three years, and the original personnel selected from the military were now very proficient in intelligence work.
Of course, the bureau's expansion over the past three years had not stopped, but intelligence personnel needed to undergo more thorough background checks and loyalty tests before they could be employed at the Royal Security Intelligence Bureau.
As of now, the Royal Security Intelligence Bureau had over 500 personnel, though the most elite core members were still the 100 or so individuals selected from the military.
Currently, the Royal Security Intelligence Bureau had dispatched over 100 intelligence officers to major regions around the world. These officers lived in other countries under various identities, providing the Bureau with intelligence.
However, the primary focus of the Royal Security Intelligence Bureau's work remained in Australia and New Zealand. Over 200 intelligence officers were stationed in these two regions to gather all the intelligence related to Australia and New Zealand for both the Bureau and Arthur. They also monitored all officials and political parties in the regions, allowing them to detect potential instability early.
Compared to the stir caused in Europe, the engagement caused an even bigger sensation in Australia.
After all, one of the main figures in the engagement was their beloved Duke Arthur, and the other was a powerful princess from the Russian Empire—the Grand Duchess Mary.
Such a powerful union greatly pleased the Australian people, who all sent their blessings.
If not for the persuasion of Australian government officials, the people might have even organized spontaneous parades to celebrate and offer their greater blessings and cheers to Arthur.
It could be said that the act of parading to express one's thoughts had deeply embedded itself in the minds of Europeans.
Whether expressing dissatisfaction or excitement, a parade had become the foremost action Europeans could think of.
Due to Arthur's good reputation in Australia and New Zealand, many residents in both regions paid close attention to the engagement. Some even created many fictional versions of the engagement.
Some claimed Arthur and Grand Duchess Mary had fallen in love at first sight and decided to be together forever, while others had various interpretations, all of which spread widely.
The Australian government even sent a telegram to Arthur, asking if the domestic rumors surrounding the engagement should be limited.
After all, this affected the monarch's prestige, and entertainment gossip could sometimes go off track.
Though Arthur did not agree to restrict such news, he instructed the Victoria News and the Australian Daily to publicly report the engagement in order to quell the increasingly outlandish rumors.
The good news was that Arthur's reputation was solid, and most of the gossip was positive and filled with blessings, with no negative or slanderous emotions.
On August 29, 1905, after spending more than half a month in Russia, Arthur finally began his journey back to Australia.
This European trip had taken over two months, and with the time needed for the return journey, it perfectly matched the planned four-month itinerary.
This trip had turned out differently than Arthur had expected. Not only had negotiations with Germany and Russia gone smoothly, but he had also signed further immigration agreements.
It could be anticipated that in the next few years, Australia's immigration numbers would see a significant increase, with Russian immigrants becoming the mainstay of Australia's immigrant population.
Apart from immigration and the engagement, Arthur was also looking forward to the technical assistance in basic industry that had been negotiated with Germany.
Currently, Australia's industrial situation was rather specialized, with the steel industry and certain manufacturing sectors already developed to a certain scale.
However, other sectors of basic industry, and industries that Australia currently didn't need, were still weak, and without strong assistance, these industries might take a long time to develop.
In contrast to Australia, Germany's basic industries were very strong and virtually without weakness. This support from Germany in basic industries would allow Australia to experience significant growth.
With the right encouraging policies, Australia might be able to overcome its weaknesses in basic industries in just a few years.
(End of Chapter)
Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.
Read 30 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Kira1997