Chapter 342: The Four Major Powers of the Entente
At this time, the relationship between Britain, France, and Russia in the Entente was not yet as close as it would become during the war. Each of these countries had different progress in their preparations for war.
Australasia, at this point, requested to have command over its own troops, and Minister Grey had no objections. Given the current situation, even if the war broke out, Britain, France, and Russia would only be cooperating in the battle, and it was unlikely that they would place their armies under the command of another nation. In this case, it was only natural for Australasia to demand the independence of its military command, as no country would willingly surrender the command of its army to another, as that would be equivalent to surrendering control over its military's fate.
As for military expenses, Prime Minister Kent's proposal led to some modifications by Minister Grey. Once Australasia's troops set sail for Europe, the British government would cover half of the soldiers' salaries and bear all operational expenses during their time in Europe. This meant that Australasia's troops could engage in battle upon arriving in Europe without hesitation, with the financially capable British backing them up. The Australasia government would only need to provide half of the soldiers' additional salaries, which would fulfill both training and the British requirement to send troops.
However, the British were not providing this aid without conditions. Minister Grey also put forward a new request: once the European war began, Australasia's combat troops in Europe must maintain a scale of at least 200,000 soldiers. If casualties reduced this number, Australasia would need to continue sending troops to Europe to ensure the force remained at a minimum of 200,000.
This meant that Australasia would likely need to mobilize at least 500,000 troops to meet Britain's demands. However, Minister Grey did not specify the exact number of Australasia's main fighting forces. Arthur accepted this condition, since it would be necessary to reduce the number of indigenous troops after the war to avoid potential ethnic issues in the future.
The decrease in the indigenous population would create manpower challenges, but most physical labor done by the indigenous could be gradually replaced with machinery. Additionally, Australasia's population was steadily increasing. If World War I broke out as it did in history, the population of Australasia could exceed 13.5 million before the war. By 1920, it could surpass 20 million, alleviating the manpower issue.
Even after the war, with the influx of immigrants, Australasia could potentially have over 30 to 40 million people and become a top military power, ranking among the top five in comprehensive strength.
Aside from military agreements, another important issue discussed in the negotiations was the division of post-war benefits. This was a topic that could never be avoided. While the Central Powers, like Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy, sought to break the old colonial order—Germany gaining more colonies, Austria-Hungary expanding in the Balkans, and Italy acquiring new territories—the Entente Powers also had their own goals.
While the Entente's original purpose was to resist German expansion, the victors would inevitably seek significant benefits to compensate for the military costs and sacrifices of war. Britain, France, and Russia had several options to expand by either taking over colonies or gaining new territories from the Central Powers.
However, Australasia was different. Located in the remote South Pacific, its only immediate neighboring territory controlled by the Central Powers was German New Guinea. But this area certainly wouldn't satisfy Australasia's ambitions. Arthur's agreement to send large numbers of combat troops was not for the purpose of immediately acquiring this territory when the war started.
Apart from German New Guinea, other territories near Australasia were British and French Pacific islands or the Dutch East Indies in the north. However, the Dutch Empire was already too weak compared to Australasia, and Australasia didn't need any other nation's support to gain any desired land in the Dutch East Indies. To meet Australasia's desires, Britain and France would have to make some concessions regarding the Pacific islands.
Particularly close to Australasia were the British Solomon Islands, French New Caledonia, the joint British-French New Hebrides, British Fiji, French Wallis and Futuna, British Gilbert and Ellis Islands, British Tokelau Islands, and British Phoenix Islands. These islands were not far from Australasia and were critical to its defense, while being far removed from the British and French homelands.
The acquisition of these islands was crucial for Australasia, as they formed important defensive positions in the Southwest Pacific. With these islands, Australasia could establish a solid defensive line in the Pacific, backed by numerous coastal guns, powerful warships, and an air force. This would prevent any enemies from approaching Australasia's mainland.
The British and French would have to decide whether to relinquish these territories in exchange for having Australasia fully on their side in the war. Minister Grey and the British government had anticipated this demand. Given Australasia's past expansion in Southeast Asia, Arthur's ambitions were not small, and it was expected that Australasia would request these islands.
As the British Empire's control over these Pacific islands had weakened since Australasia separated from it, the islands had become less important to the British. Since the islands were also partly French territory, even with the strong alliance between Britain and France, Britain could not unilaterally make decisions for France.
However, in principle, Minister Grey agreed to Australasia's request. After the war began, Britain would transfer control of the aforementioned islands to Australasia in exchange for Australasia's direct involvement in the war.
Furthermore, since Australasia and Germany would be in a state of war after Australasia joined, German New Guinea would become a war prize for Australasia, and the nation would have the opportunity to seize it immediately once the war broke out.
Regarding the French islands in Oceania, Minister Grey also promised to mediate and negotiate with France to have them agree to transfer the islands to Australasia. France, whose core colonies were in Africa, likely wouldn't oppose this. France would gain support from Australasia's hundreds of thousands of troops, minimizing their losses, and after the war, France could potentially take land from Germany, which was far more important than Oceania's islands.
On the day Australasia made its demands, Minister Grey sent a telegram to the British government and requested immediate discussions with France to reach a consensus on the transfer of these islands.
Several days later, on March 19, Minister Grey received a reply from the British government. As expected, neither Britain nor France placed too much importance on these islands, and both agreed to transfer them to Australasia in exchange for Australasia's direct participation in the war.
France was particularly interested in Australasia's promise to send 250,000 troops and even invited Australasia to the 1913 Entente Powers meeting.
Since its inception in 1911, the Entente Powers meeting had become an annual tradition. The purpose was to discuss strategies for the inevitable war and how to handle the situation once it broke out.
By now, it was clear to all major European powers that the European war could not be avoided. The amount of money spent by these countries in their military preparations was staggering, and many were already facing financial problems. The only way to resolve the situation was through a decisive victory, which would boost national morale and provide the necessary funds through war reparations.
"Only war can end the current situation," was a sentiment echoed by many high-ranking military officials in Europe.
As the decision to join the Entente Powers was already made, the next major step was to attend the Entente meeting, which Arthur agreed to.
The first Entente Powers meeting had taken place in London, the core of the Entente. The 1912 meeting was held in Paris, to highlight France's central role in resisting Germany. By tradition, the 1913 meeting was scheduled to take place in Saint Petersburg, Russia, which was the third major power in the Entente.
In addition to attending the meeting, Arthur also planned to visit Britain, France, and Russia to strengthen relationships with these nations, securing more benefits in the upcoming war. Although his relations with Russia had always been good, Arthur also recognized the importance of maintaining a strong relationship with Britain and France, particularly in case Russia faltered during the war.
Having gained favor with the Entente Powers, Arthur aimed to leverage Australasia's status as one of the four great powers of the Entente to secure more advantages for his country.
(End of Chapter)
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