The American government found itself in quite an awkward position at this time.
They realized that the situation had spiraled out of their control. As soon as the United Kingdom interfered with any state, that state would remain neutral during the war, or even cut off its connection with the federal government outright.
Although only a few states had held independence referendums, this did not mean the other states still in the Federation were loyal.
The problem was, the American government did not have a good solution. With most of the Military already deployed to the front line to fight the Allied Army, the American government also lacked sufficient troops to prevent these states from defecting.
What’s more, what could the American government really do? If they were to put pressure on those states that maintained neutrality, it was very likely that these states would not return to America’s embrace, but would instead contact the nations behind the Allied Army immediately for their support in holding independence referendums.
Especially after the complete annihilation of the Pacific Squadron, the majority of the American People and states had lost hope in the war; they firmly believed that the American Government could not achieve victory in this conflict.
At this time, the United States was not yet the global superpower. Facing setbacks, Americans also thought of retreating.
The United States’ only chance at a comeback, the navy, had already lost a portion of its ships. Could they really expect the hastily recruited army to make a difference?
President Hoover, looking at the frontline reports, fell into deep thought, for the reports had made it clear that out of the several hundred thousand American troops, even less than ten thousand could be considered reliable.
The majority of the troops, despite their vast numbers, were but cannon fodder, with their only purpose being to delay the Enemy’s advances.
But what could they do?
The command of the army was with the Headquarters of the army, and as the highest leader of the United States, President Hoover could only issue general orders to the army.
Under the current circumstances, President Hoover was also at a loss, and compared to the frenzied actions a few months ago, all he could do now was sigh, as if accepting his fate.
Just because President Hoover was quiet didn’t mean everything was calm inside the American government.
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In fact, before the collapse of a building, the activity inside is the most intense.
However, Arthur at this time didn’t care about the turmoil within the American government. For Arthur, since the course of the war was already determined, the most important thing was obviously to arrange for the management of territories post-war.
Arthur paid quite a bit of attention to Hawaii and Alaska State, the two territories soon to join Australasia.
Nevertheless, there was disagreement within the government regarding the handling of these two lands.
One side believed that these two states should become new Colonies, to be slowly integrated into the Native Land over a long period.
But another side felt that while Hawaii’s strategic location could justify its inclusion, Alaska State was too remote; whether as a Colony or for future integration, it seemed somewhat unnecessary.
There was even a faction that proposed prompting the independence of Alaska, arguing that Australasia had no use for Alaska, and that managing it across the entire Pacific Ocean would be difficult.
Arthur, of course, took notice of these differing opinions and naturally did not mock any viewpoints due to the era’s limitations.
If not for the knowledge from later generations, Arthur would not have known about the rich mineral resources beneath the surface of Alaska State.
Of course, despite the disagreements, there had to be a relatively unified consensus on how to deal with these two regions.
Ultimately, the decision was that Hawaii would join the Kingdom of Australasia as an Australasian state, while Alaska State would become a Royal Territory, directly managed by the royal family.
To make Alaska a Royal Territory, Arthur indeed expended considerable effort. Although he could have accomplished this on the strength of his own Power of Arthur, doing so would have been too autocratic and not beneficial for future Monarchs.
Eventually, by relinquishing parts of the Royal Territory, Arthur transformed the entirety of Alaska State into the Alaska Royal Territory, which became the fourth area to fall directly under the royal family after the territories in the Western Pacific, the South Pacific Ocean, and the Persian Gulf Territory.
As for the former Royal Territories, some islands were incorporated into Timor State and some into Java State.
All the newly occupied islands in the Pacific Islands outside of Alaska and the State of Hawaii were merged into either the South Pacific Territory or the Western Pacific Territory.
These widespread islands will become the Kingdom of Australasia’s First Defense Line to the east, as well as claim a vast expanse of sea territory, rich with oceanic resources; it implied that the fishing industry would become one of the economic pillars of Australasia, with jobs for fishermen becoming greatly sought after.
After conquering the entirety of Oceania, most of the Pacific Ocean would become the territorial waters of Australasia.
This was quite an exaggeration. Needless to mention the ocean’s natural bounty, this also indicated that the future fishing industry would become one of the economic mainstays of Australasia, and fishermen would emerge as a popular profession.
After minor administrative changes, Arthur also reviewed the development progress of Java State and Sumatra Island.
It had been three years since Java State and Sumatra Island were incorporated into Australasia. During these three years, relocation of the Indigenous Peoples and transportation of immigrants had been the main work in these two areas.
Things have been going quite smoothly so far. Especially after the economic crisis erupted, Australasia has attracted a large number of immigrants, many of whom have come to Java State and Sumatra State.
The majority of the indigenous people in these two states have already been relocated to Kalimantan Island, and the remaining indigenous populations are expected to complete their relocation within a year.
Of course, what’s more important is that the rubber industry parks on Java Island have all resumed production. The rubber industry of Australasia is capable of generating tens of millions of Australian dollars in net profits each year, which also leads to a steady increase in the government’s fiscal revenue.
The population of Java Island has already exceeded 900,000, while Sumatra Island also has around 500,000.
The nativization of these two islands was also completed not long ago, and they have now both become directly administered areas of Australasia.
Speaking of these two islands, the situation on Kalimantan Island definitely cannot be forgotten.
The Kalimantan Federation has been established in partnership with the Sultanate for three years, and its development has been quite smooth so far.
While the transportation of indigenous people inevitably led to casualties, and these people also required a considerable period to adapt to their new areas, overall, the process has been very successful. There are at least 20 million indigenous people on Kalimantan Island now, and the construction of the Kalimantan Federation is progressing rapidly.
Muhammad naturally became the first Sultan of the Kalimantan Federation, which also afforded his territory a narrow sea outlet.
It is worth mentioning that the capital of the Great Sultanate was named at Muhammad’s request by Arthur.
Arthur named this narrow sea outlet Hollandrah Lubrus, meaning the land of sacred rebirth.
Hollandrah Lubrus has now become the largest city on Kalimantan Island, with a total population that has broken through 2 million, making it an absolute megacity on a global scale.
Of course, if one were to compare the level of advancement, this city is naturally far from being at par with those in Europe, America, and Australia.
But what Arthur intended was not to westernize these indigenous people. The primary purpose of sequestering the indigenous people on Kalimantan Island is to make them play their role during times of war.
The strategy of overwhelming numbers remains effective at least for the next few decades. After a few decades, the developed Kalimantan Federation could also become an effective market for Australasia, with the revenue from dumping industrial products alone being enough to help Australasia weather any crisis.
The Philippines also plays a similar role. However, the Philippines is somewhat more advanced than Kalimantan.
After several years of development, the population of the Philippines has also approached 13 million and is still rising.
It is expected that in the event of war, Kalimantan and the Philippines could provide Australasia with at least 2 million combat troops.
And if pushed further, the number of troops could even be increased to more than 3 million, which is also the reason why Arthur currently fears no wars.
Even if it were just 3 million cannon fodder, when employed in the battlefield, they could last for at least a year.
Together with an equal number of elite Australasian troops, there is now no country that can intimidate us, and this forms the backbone of Australasia’s future dominance in the world.
Of course, the current Kalimantan only refers to the Southern Kalimantan occupied by the Netherlands. The North, including Brunei, Sarawak, and the North Borneo Protectorate Ridge, is all British territory.
Arthur naturally has plans for these lands as well. Not to mention the millions of indigenous people living on these lands, just the lands themselves are enough to double the number of indigenous people on Kalimantan Island.
A fully integrated Kalimantan Island can support hundreds of millions of indigenous people without any issues, which will become Australasia’s most reliable overseas market.
Other markets may fluctuate, but Kalimantan Island, right on our doorstep, will not see any changes.
If the hundreds of millions of indigenous people could provide just one Australian dollar’s worth of value each per year, the total would also amount to hundreds of millions of Australian dollars in revenue.
If this figure could be doubled, there would be sufficient funds to support Australasia’s various construction projects for the next few decades.
Of course, as the elderly population on Kalimantan Island grows, the ruler of the Sultanate must inevitably be someone Arthur can trust.
Muhammad has been doing very well so far; he understands who the true master of the country is and has taken no action beyond Arthur’s expectations.
This is hardly surprising. A close look at Arthur’s distribution map of indigenous people on Kalimantan Island shows that such a political division has ensured that Kalimantan Island cannot escape Arthur’s control.
In particular, the ruling area of Sultan Mohammed is surrounded by all other sultanates of indigenous people.
If Muhammad harbored any rebellious thoughts, he would probably be attacked by all the sultanates even before he could act, especially under Arthur’s generous bounty.
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After all, for those sultans, Arthur has not harmed their interests. Muhammad, however, is like a sword hanging over their heads.