Chapter 79 German Aid Arrives
On April 1, 1901, while Arthur's military reform was in full swing, a fleet grandly arrived at Sydney Harbor. Each warship and transport vessel flew the black, white, and red tricolor flag of the German Empire.
This fleet was escorting the first batch of aid from the German Empire, which included equipment, documents, funds, and personnel totaling fifty million pounds.
It had to be acknowledged that Germany placed great importance on this aid and acted swiftly. While there was still no news from Britain regarding its own assistance, Germany had already prepared and delivered the first batch, complete with a naval escort to Sydney.
To show his regard for this aid, Arthur appeared at the harbor alongside Prime Minister Evan to welcome the German delegation, headed by Crown Prince Wilhelm.
"Prince Arthur, it's been a long time!" Crown Prince Wilhelm said with a smile as he disembarked, walking over to greet Arthur, who was also smiling as he approached.
"Indeed, Your Highness. I didn't expect you to be the one personally delivering the supplies. I thought it would be a general or a minister from Germany," Arthur replied with a smile.
"It was supposed to be someone from the Foreign Ministry, but because of how seriously my father takes Australia, he sent me to handle it instead," Wilhelm explained, still smiling.
"This is Prime Minister Evan, Your Highness. Since you've come all the way to Australia, take a couple of days to enjoy yourself. Although Australia isn't nearly as prosperous as Berlin, it still has many beautiful sights," Arthur said cheerfully, without dwelling on why Kaiser Wilhelm II had sent his son personally.
"Your Highness," Prime Minister Evan said respectfully, bowing slightly after Arthur introduced him.
"Mm," Crown Prince Wilhelm nodded casually. Catching a glimpse of the ongoing unloading of supplies on the ship, he smiled and said, "Prince Arthur, Prime Minister Evan—this is the first batch of assistance from Germany to Australia. It includes one billion marks, 140 industrial experts, the production lines for Gew 98 rifles and artillery, and the design documents for the Braunschweig-class battleship. These experts will develop a detailed and reliable industrial plan tailored to Australia's specific conditions. As for the defense manufacturing equipment and blueprints, you may allocate them as you see fit. But I must add, Prince Arthur—the design documents for the Braunschweig-class battleship are extremely important to Germany. We hope Australia will maintain strict confidentiality for at least twenty years."
Unlike other support materials, the Braunschweig-class battleship blueprints were guarded by over a hundred elite German soldiers, with protocols to destroy them in emergencies.
Such is the importance of a warship's blueprints—they detail the full layout of the vessel and clearly identify its weakest points through diagrams and annotations.
If these were to fall into enemy hands, it would be equivalent to handing over one's lifeline, instantly shifting the balance of war.
"Of course, Your Highness. Australia has neither reason nor intention to leak those blueprints. The friendship between Australia and Germany is far more valuable than any warship design," Arthur replied with a smile.
And he wasn't wrong. Before the outbreak of World War I, the German Empire was undoubtedly the second-strongest global power, boasting the world's best army and the second-largest navy.
Maintaining friendly relations with the German Empire was far more important than a blueprint—especially one that would be obsolete within a few years.
Germany still had many resources Arthur had yet to tap into, and until then, he had no intention of damaging the friendly ties between the two nations.
"Hahaha, of course I believe you, Your Highness! Not just me—my father trusts Australia as well. It's just that this blueprint is of such critical importance, he asked me to emphasize it once more," Wilhelm laughed, letting the topic go.
Aside from the 140 industrial experts and one billion marks in funding, the rest of the aid materials were difficult to count and might take hours to inventory.
Naturally, Arthur and the others weren't going to just stand around waiting. At Arthur's invitation, Crown Prince Wilhelm accompanied him to Arthur's wine estate.
The Duke Arthur Wine Estate had been under development for more than nine months. In that time, both the planted grape seeds and mature grapevines had taken root, and the first batch of mature vines had already borne fruit and undergone harvesting and winemaking.
As a beverage highly favored by Western aristocracy, a private wine estate was one of the standard symbols of noble status.
Crown Prince Wilhelm, as the heir to the German Empire, naturally had his own private wine estate.
However, the estates of Western nobles were never as extravagant as Arthur's, which spanned a vast stretch of cultivated land.
Typically, a noble's private vineyard might cover just over a dozen hectares. Even the larger estates of high-ranking nobles seldom exceeded several dozen to a hundred hectares.
Arthur's vineyard, by contrast, covered a staggering 300 hectares—about three square kilometers.
To put that into perspective, there are two countries in the modern world with less land area than that. Aside from the unique religious center of Vatican City, the southern European city-state of Monaco only covers about two square kilometers—about 0.5 of which is reclaimed land.
Such an enormous wine estate was already comparable in size to a small town in Europe.
Naturally, its scale aroused Wilhelm's curiosity and surprise.
But considering Australia's vast land and sparse population, Wilhelm quickly made peace with the extravagance.
"Arthur, when will your first batch of wine be ready? The climate around here seems well-suited for grape cultivation. Perhaps it will yield excellent wine," Wilhelm said with a smile.
When it comes to famous European wines, France is naturally the most renowned producer.
French wines have even monopolized much of the European aristocratic market and remain some of the most highly sought-after wines among nobles.
Though the German Empire had many vineyards of its own, the quality and quantity of its wines fell short of France's, limiting its reach mostly to the domestic market.
"The first batch of wine has already been produced, Your Highness. Your timing is perfect—it was completed not long ago, just in time for a tasting," Arthur said with a smile.
Serving guests with one's private wine had always been a tradition among Western nobles. Though Arthur's estate had only just been completed and had not yet secured a place in the wine market,
he had already tasted the freshly produced wine. It preserved the rich aroma of the grapes while adding subtle fruity and sweet notes—a particularly unique flavor.
Although its output and reputation couldn't compare to the long-established wine brands of Europe, Arthur believed the flavor of his estate's wine didn't fall short in comparison.
In fact, even in modern times, Australia is one of the world's top five wine producers.
While it may be slightly inferior in quality to wines from Spain, Italy, or France, it remains one of the most distinguished wine regions globally.
(End of Chapter)
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