The Rise Of Australasia - Chapter 181: Briefcase and Edward VII

If the predictions made by some newspapers about New Zealand’s economy in the coming years caused unease and fear among New Zealanders, then Arthur and Australia behind him were considered the last straw for them.

The officer who delivered the speech seized on this point, boldly comparing the British Empire and Australia, and finally drew a disturbing conclusion: that it would be more promising, or more suitable, for New Zealand to join Australia rather than continue under the rule of the British Empire.

What’s disturbing is not the conclusion itself, but the impact it could have on the situation in New Zealand.

After all, New Zealand is still under the rule of the British Empire. Although the governor is Arthur, the Duke of Australia, it only fuels the imagination of New Zealanders.

Not many rational New Zealanders have seriously considered breaking away from the rule of the British Empire and embracing Australia.

It’s not that they don’t expect anything from Australia, but the British Empire is still the first of the great powers, and New Zealand remains an autonomous colony of the empire.

Wouldn’t that make New Zealand like a mistress of the British Empire, secretly stealing away the empire’s son, Australia?

Of course, there’s also the fact that New Zealand is independent of Australia, considered one of Australia’s children…

Hmm? This seems a bit messy.

Anyway, the current situation is like this. If New Zealand wants to join Australia, it must first get past the British Empire.

However, invariably, for every rationalist faction, there is an extremist faction, or those with more radical ideas who are not so rational.

This speech caused quite a stir in that Alliance Party member’s hometown, and with not inconsiderable influence there, many people showed their support, thus expanding the number of supporters for the conclusion.

Like a wildfire on the prairie, in just under a week, this conclusion spread widely in the North Island of New Zealand, even reaching the northern regions of the South Island, and is continuing to spread like wildfire.

Rationalists are still in the minority, especially in this era when the public is easily influenced and ignorant.

Starting on December 25th, major cities across New Zealand saw protests, demanding a referendum be held to let all New Zealanders decide their country’s fate.

The flames of protest spread from Oakland, the largest city in the north of New Zealand, all the way to Christchurch on the South Island, which is currently the most developed and elite area in New Zealand, including the North Island.

The number of protesters grew, and even some workers rebuilding New Zealand’s West Coast gradually started living a life of working on reconstruction during the day and joining protests at night.

The attitude of the New Zealand colonial government and the Houses of Parliament towards these nationwide protests is rather ambiguous, neither agreeing nor opposing.

However, the colonial government can’t really be blamed – with Arthur, the governor, not speaking out, what right do ordinary officials have to stop the protests?

So would Arthur stop it?

The answer is no. Although the protests happened earlier than Arthur had anticipated, it doesn’t mean he would miss such a great opportunity to merge New Zealand.

However, to keep a low profile and to avoid making the British think that he had anything to do with the protests, Arthur announced that he would not participate in New Zealand’s unrest and instead let the elected House of Commons and the New Zealand colonial government deal with the crisis.

On December 29, 1903, just as 1903 was about to end, the events in New Zealand caused quite a stir in Europe.

After all, one of the protagonists of this incident was the British Empire, the strongest country in the world today. The whole incident seemed like an internal strife in the British Empire, and all European nations were watching and mocking the British Empire, as well as waiting for the British Empire’s response to this incident.

Meanwhile, David Martins Simons, the Duke of Australia’s supervisor of European affairs, successively visited the German Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and the Russian Empire. Although the purpose of Chief David’s visit to these three countries is not known to the people, judging from his performance after leaving these three countries, it seems that his purpose has been achieved.

On January 1, 1904, Chief David went to the United Kingdom to meet with Edward VII, the reigning monarch of the British Empire and one of the protagonists of this incident in New Zealand.

Edward VII’s initial expression was not very good, after all, the British Empire was the criticized party in this incident. Even if Edward VII had already anticipated that New Zealand would leave the British Empire, leaving in such a way was not very dignified.

Chief David had anticipated this and respectfully presented three handwritten letters and a seemingly secure new-style briefcase.

The fact that David’s schedule in Europe was no secret, and Edward VII naturally knew where these three handwritten letters came from and what they said.

Therefore, what Edward was actually curious about was this briefcase, but when he opened this briefcase, or after seeing what was inside the briefcase, he regretted it a bit.

“How did you get this stuff?” Edward VII’s face changed constantly, sometimes gloomy, sometimes shocked, and mixed with what seemed like fear and regret.

“Your Highness entrusted it to me, Your Majesty. Your Highness told me that when Your Majesty sees the contents of the briefcase, you will understand how important it is to maintain a friendship with Australia,” Chief David said calmly.

Edward VII’s reaction undoubtedly proved how important the contents of the briefcase were, but as a loyal servant and subordinate, Chief David also knew very well that curiosity could indeed kill a person.

Don’t ask what shouldn’t be asked, don’t do what shouldn’t be done. This is the principle that Chief David has summed up over the years, and he has been practicing it throughout his life.

“Hmph! Good! What else did Arthur tell you?” Edward VII nodded vigorously, his face pale.

“His Highness said that the current situation in New Zealand is inevitable, but the typhoon has only accelerated it by more than ten years. His Highness hopes that the British Empire can support the referendum in New Zealand. No matter the result, it will be satisfactory for the people of New Zealand,” Chief David began.

Edward VII stared at Chief David for a long time, and Chief David remained calm, as if there was nothing in front of him.

In the end, Edward VII conceded, slammed the documents on the table, and said, “Tell Arthur he won. The British Empire will support the decision of the New Zealand people. But also convey a message for me, I hope that this document is the only one in the world, and he is also a member of the royal family of the British Empire. He should understand the importance of the royal family’s reputation.”

This document was Queen Victoria’s last trump card for Arthur, and also Edward VII’s biggest evidence of guilt.

If this document were to be made public, the damage it would cause to Edward VII personally and the British royal family would be irreparable, and it might even lead to a decline in British royal power.

This is something neither Edward VII nor Arthur would like to see, and one of the reasons why Arthur did not disclose this document.

Now that this document has finally come in handy, it is justified in Queen Victoria’s painstaking effort to collect these documents and entrusted them to Arthur.

After obtaining Edward VII’s promise, Chief David sensibly left the British Empire.

Although people are not clear about what exactly Edward VII and Chief David talked about, judging from Chief David’s relaxed look when he left and the numerous broken pieces of furniture discarded by Buckingham Palace, there seemed to be some demolition happening in Edward VII’s office after Chief David left.