The Rise Of Australasia-Chapter 1121 - 839: George in Critical Condition 5

Chapter 1121: Chapter 839: George in Critical Condition 5

In the vast Mediterranean Sea, a fleet was slowly sailing across the waters. The waves on the Mediterranean were modest, and in the distance, the azure sea merged with the deep blue sky, creating a scene of splendid beauty.

This fleet was transporting a portion of Spain’s gold to Australasia, completing the second phase of the agreement between Spain and Australasia, which was to transfer the Spanish gold to Australasia.

Of course, it was impossible for the trade between the two parties to be settled in a single transaction. Australasia could not possibly provide Spain with a large quantity of weapons and equipment all at once, and Spain was also unlikely to hand over all of its gold to Australasia in one go.

Sailing in the Mediterranean, the Australasian fleet remained highly vigilant.

The fleet was transporting 50 tons of gold, accounting for about one-tenth of Spain’s total gold reserves. The total value was enormous.

The actual worth of 500 tons of gold was equivalent to 515 million Australian dollars. Even one-tenth of that amount was valued at 51.5 million Australian dollars, which was almost one-ninth of Australasia’s annual fiscal revenue.

Naturally, the Australasian fleet was on guard against the Italian Fleet in the Mediterranean. The real value of these 50 tons of gold was enough to finance 5 main battleships, with a potential value far exceeding that of 5 main battleships.

If the Italian Army really decided to take a gamble and deploy all their warships against the gold-carrying fleet, the transport fleet might not necessarily be a match for the Italian navy.

Of course, such a possibility was exceedingly slim. Italy had already chosen to back down and was very unlikely to change its mind in the short term, unless they were already prepared for war.

The good news was that the fleet saw no trace of any Italian fleet while passing from west to east across the entire Mediterranean.

This at least proved one thing: Italy had no immediate plans to offend Australasia, and Europe would not face a comprehensive war for the time being.

After crossing the Suez Canal in the southeastern Mediterranean, then through the narrow and lengthy Red Sea and the Mandeb Strait, the fleet finally arrived in the Indian Ocean.

This also signified that the transport fleet was completely safe. In the Indian Ocean, escorted by both the British and Australasian fleets, safety was assured.

Upon successfully arriving in Australasia, the gold was transported to the Royal Bank’s headquarters at Saint Arthur Castle and was stored in the heavily guarded Royal Gold Vault.

This Gold Vault was planned concurrently with the construction of Saint Arthur Castle and was considered one of the most heavily guarded areas in all of Australasia.

As the largest bank in the Empire, the Royal Bank stored not only currency and gold but also other high-value items in the Royal Gold Vault. The vault was protected by an entire guard detail, with over 300 guards working round the clock to patrol inside and outside the vault and its vicinity.

It could be said that without Arthur’s permission, not even a fly could enter the Gold Vault. The vicinity of the vault was surrounded by multiple layers of specially made steel plates, and even an army would need several hours to breach it.

In Australasia, aside from the palace, nowhere was more secure than the Royal Gold Vault.

The vault contained not only the Royal Bank’s currency and gold but also the precious belongings of the government and a large number of Royal Bank customers.

Australasia currently possessed over 1,900 tons of gold reserves, with the vast majority stored in the Royal Gold Vault.

The importance of the Royal Gold Vault was evident, and even with Arthur’s permission, multiple layers of procedures and several inspections were required for entry.

As time reached July 1935, Arthur finally understood why the British had remained so quiet about the Spanish Civil War.

King George V of Britain, who had ruled over the British Empire for 25 years and led the nation to victory in World War I, was now at death’s door, with little time left to live.

This was not an alarmist statement but news announced by the British Empire to the outside world.

As an ally of the British Empire, Australasia naturally was among the first batch of countries to receive the news.

When Arthur heard that King George V was terminally ill, he was not particularly surprised.

The last time Arthur saw King George V, he had noticed that his health was not good. Born on June 3, 1865, George V was a full 23 years older than Arthur.

Although they were of the same generation, George V was now 70 years old, a true senior citizen.

Taking over the throne at the age of 55 and ruling the British Empire for 25 years, George V had enjoyed a relatively long life.

But the bad news was that George V had inherited the throne from Edward VII. Moreover, not long after he took over Britain, the British Empire faced one of the largest wars in human history, named the European Super War—World War I.

Although the British Empire had successfully won the Great War, some of George V’s concessions during the war had completevely cost him control over the government.

The Victorian Era’s glory effectively ended with George V’s succession, and the majesty of the British Empire was being continually challenged.

Along with the news of George V’s critical illness, a handwritten letter from George V himself arrived in Australasia.

In this letter, George V clearly expressed his concerns about his two sons and requested that Arthur fulfill the agreement they had previously made to help stabilize the British throne in the future.

After all, George V was a wise man. Although his son, Crown Prince Edward, had not behaved too outrageously to that point, he was ultimately ill-suited to be the monarch of Britain.

The current position of the British Royal Family is not as stable as it was during the Victorian Era. If Prince Edward continues to wreak havoc, it may even trigger a wave of revolutions within the British Empire and potentially lead to the overthrow of the British Royal Family.

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King George V pinned his hopes on Arthur not only because Arthur is a member of the British Royal Family, but also because Australasia is a close ally of Britain and poses no significant threat to Britain in Europe.

Would you help stabilize the throne for the British Royal Family? Of course.

The British Empire, being the most powerful country, retaining its monarchical political system is good news for all monarchies around the World.

For monarchism itself, the more countries that maintain a monarchy, the more stable the ideology of monarchism will be.

Secondly, a monarchical Britain, compared to a Democratic Republic, is obviously a closer ally to Arthur.

Moreover, the current British Royal Family and Arthur are, after all, one family. Although King George V changed the surname of the British Royal Family, both royal families share common ancestors in Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.

Beyond that, helping Britain stabilize the throne is tantamount to helping Britain stabilize its Domestic political order.

Europe is becoming increasingly chaotic, and war could break out at any time.

For Arthur, a internally stable Britain is more capable of playing the role of a major country opposed to Germany.

On the premise that one cannot be certain of the French, the stronger Britain is, the easier it will be for Australasia to succeed in its European strategies.

Clearly, King George V’s critical illness has garnered considerable attention from the British Government.

The death of a monarch who still commands respect among the civilian population would be a severe blow to the British.

Looking now at the heir to George V, the infamous Prince Edward within the European royal family circles, his reputation is not even bad, it is downright terrible.

Leaving aside the unconfirmed scandalous rumors about Prince Edward, the list of his confirmed mistresses alone already numbers about ten.

Though most of these affairs were consensual, they have caused substantial damage to the reputation of the royal family.

The People are not willing to see a prince, entangled in salacious news stories, become their Monarch. What’s more fatal is that Prince Edward’s relationship with the Church of England is not on good terms.

Back in 1928, King George V gifted Belvedere Castle in Berkshire to Prince Edward as a residence.

King George V’s initial intention was to give Edward, as Crown Prince, his own private residence and greater personal space.

But unexpectedly, Prince Edward’s use of his private space far exceeded George V’s imagination.

In just a few short years, Prince Edward had several affairs with married women, including notable individuals such as Freda Dudley Ward, the Countess of Furness, and Wallis Simpson.

Yes, that very Wallis Simpson, the woman central to the infamous love-over-kingdom scandal, and Prince Edward’s favorite mistress.

Why mention Mrs. Simpson specifically?

Because at the time, Wallis Simpson was twice married and still wed. During her affair with Prince Edward, Mrs. Simpson had not divorced her husband Ernest Simpson, with whom she shared a loving relationship.

However, not long after Mrs. Simpson became involved with Prince Edward, she divorced Ernest and devoted herself to becoming Prince Edward’s mistress.

The thing that soured the relationship between King George V and Prince Edward was that after Mrs. Simpson’s divorce, Prince Edward had proposed to marry Mrs. Simpson to his father, George V.

This was utterly unacceptable to George V. Setting aside the emphasis on lineage and nobility by the European nobility.

Even if Mrs. Simpson had been born into European nobility, her history of two marriages would prevent her from becoming a future Crown Princess of the British Empire.

After all, the Crown Princess is to be the future Queen. Allowing such a woman to become the future Queen of Britain would be a massive blow to the prestige of the entire British Royal Family.

King George V’s stern rejection was not taken seriously by Prince Edward. Although his idea to marry Mrs. Simpson was firmly interrupted, Prince Edward continued to maintain close relations with her.

It was after this incident that George V completely lost faith in Prince Edward and began to reconsider the succession to the throne, his vision starting to lean toward Prince Edward’s brother, Prince Albert, who is also known as George VI.

However, with just King George V alone, it was impossible to change the laws of British succession or to force Prince Albert onto the throne.

This is why King George V sought Arthur’s help. Though he couldn’t alter the fact that Prince Edward would succeed as King, George V believed Prince Edward’s reign would be temporary.

Once King, Prince Edward’s ambitions would be magnified exponentially.

In time, with George V’s restraint gone, the licentious Prince Edward would undoubtedly face opposition from the Cabinet and Church, possibly even igniting a succession crisis.