Rise of Australia

Chapter 228 Fisherman Conflict
If the first two cabinets focused on domestic development, then starting from the third cabinet, Australia will also develop international influence, looking abroad to seek more power and influence.

In July 1907, with the cooperation of many Australasian artists and composers, the national anthem of the Kingdom of Australasia "Australasia, Onward!" " was officially born.

Although it is somewhat similar in name to the original historical Australian national anthem, the content is completely different.

Historically, Australia's national anthem represented the ease and beauty of Australia at that time, away from war and chaos.

The national anthem of Australasia, while praising the merits of the royal family and Arthur, encourages Australasians to work together to promote Australasia to the top of the world.

The national anthem is divided into two versions, one is a pure music version, which is used to play music on solemn occasions of the country.

The version with lyrics is used for occasions such as National Day. Both versions have a common easter egg, which is at the end of the music, Arthur himself shouted: "Australasia, go forward!"

Such an anthem was very much in line with Arthur's purpose of bringing all Australasians together and fostering their national consciousness and national cohesion.

When such national anthems and music are played on solemn occasions, how many hearts of patriotism and nationalists will be aroused?

Especially when the national anthem is over and Arthur's own slogan is played, I am afraid that many Australasians can't help shouting.

July 1907, Timor Sea, northern Australasia.

The Timor Sea connects the three countries and is an important transportation point in northern Australasia.

This area is not only rich in oil and natural gas, but also one of the areas in northern Australasia with natural fishing grounds.

This also leads to the fact that this area is often filled with fishermen from three countries. Normally, fishermen from different regions and countries are basically irrelevant to each other. The fishermen of the Dutch East India are located in the northwest, and the fishermen of Portuguese Timor are located in the northeast. , while Australasian fishermen are located to the south.

But as the southern hemisphere enters winter (the season in the southern hemisphere is opposite to that in the northern hemisphere, and it is winter in the southern hemisphere from June to August), the position of the natural fishing ground here will also shift, generally speaking, it will shift a certain distance north.

Of course, the specific deviation depends on the movement of fish schools, and these fish schools are not restricted by people, which also causes fishermen around the Timor Sea to be affected to a certain extent every year.

According to the previous situation, it is generally the fishermen in Australasia who suffer more.After all, after the fishing ground is shifted to the north, it will be geographically closer to the Dutch East Indies and Portuguese Timor.

But since the last pirate incident, the national pride of Australasians has been mobilized, and the recognition of the royal family and the country has become higher.

The previous Australasian fishermen did their duty, and even if the catch of fish would decrease, they would basically not get too close to the waters of other countries.

But now that winter has entered, Australasian fishermen have also gradually spread further north, crossing Cartier Island and Ashmore Reef in northwestern Australasia, and coming to the former exclusive area of ​​​​the Dutch and Portuguese.

Such arbitrariness naturally aroused dissatisfaction among some Dutch and Portuguese.

Everyone is a fisherman who lives in the surrounding area, and usually they don’t care about their duties, but now that their fishing area is occupied, isn’t this just a disguised way of cutting off people’s wealth?

For fishermen, the daily fish catch maintains their livelihood and is also the most fundamental means of their survival.

Some people may be able to hold back, but there are also some people with hot tempers among these people, so they almost just copy the guys and start doing it.

The initial momentum could be contained, but this simple conflict has gradually evolved into a conflict between fishermen from three countries in the area.

It would be fine if it was a larger fishing boat, as it could guarantee my own peace.

Especially for small fishing boats, not only will their own fishing be damaged by fishing boats from other countries, but some vicious attacks have even occurred.

No matter how the Dutch East Indies and Portuguese Timor reacted, a series of fisherman conflicts attracted the great attention of the Australasian government.

The government also held an emergency meeting to discuss how to deal with these conflicts.

Soon, Arthur conveyed his order, asking the government to call on the fishermen to exercise restraint as much as possible, but secretly supported more immigrants to go further north of the Timor Sea.

Common people may not understand such intentions, but the smart people in the government have already seen through it.

Although the fishermen were kept restraint on the surface, they secretly sent more immigrants to occupy the fishing areas further north, with the purpose of arousing the anger of the Dutch and Portuguese.

If the Dutch and the Portuguese had initiated the conflict, Australasia would have more options at its disposal.

On July 1907, 7, the first conflict between fishermen officially broke out.

The cause of the incident was that the fishermen of Portuguese Timor were dissatisfied with the unaffected rich harvest of the Australasian fishermen, so they became jealous and provoked the Australasian fishing boats privately.

After suffering to no avail, the Australasian fishermen finally decided to fight back with words and actions.

Because of the emotional conflict between the two sides, the Portuguese finally became angry and chose to use fishing boats to ram them, and after the fishing boats approached, they attacked Australasian fishermen with earthen guns.

The Australasian who was attacked was seriously injured. Although his life was not in danger, he also required costly medical treatment and may even become disabled.

After the successful attack, the Portuguese robbed the Australasian fishermen of their harvest and left insulting words before they swaggered away.

In the end, the seriously injured fisherman was found by the Australasian patrol fleet, and he was lucky enough to save his life.

The whole thing started, of course, with the official word from Australasia, and it was published in the Victorian and Australasian daily newspapers.

But how real the specific details of the matter are, perhaps only those who have really experienced the conflict know.

But in any case, this conflict, which seems to only be the victims of Australasians, has indeed aroused public outrage among Australasians.

In addition, Arthur mobilized a lot of public opinion, and David, the head of European affairs of the royal family, paved the way for public opinion in Europe. In this conflict, most people in Europe are on the side of Australasia.

Although the Portuguese government made an explanation, and the Portuguese media also published the Portuguese official statement on the process of the conflict, they still couldn't resist the photos released by Australasia.

After the Australasian government took out the scene photos of the incident, all the explanations given by the Portuguese were sophistry in the eyes of others.

In fact, the outcome of the conflict was not much different from the Australasian statement, but the process was a bit farther away.

The so-called fishermen in this conflict were actually intelligence officers from the Royal Security Intelligence Service.

After repeated provocations by intelligence personnel, the Portuguese fishermen became angry from embarrassment.

But the result Arthur wanted was achieved, and the European people also saw the explanation and real photos of the incident, who cares about the real process of the incident.

In other words, because of the real photos and the fact that Australasia is a victim, the public is generally more willing to believe in Australasia's statement.

Ordinary people are very easy to guide at any time.Public opinion has also become the best weapon to attack individuals and forces. As long as the support of public opinion is obtained, then what is right is also wrong, and what is wrong is also right.

On July 1907, 7, after successfully rescuing the injured "fisherman" and getting the "real" conflict from his mouth, Arthur was "very furious" and publicly stated that he would let the Portuguese The injured fishermen and all the people have an explanation.

On July 1907, 7, the Australasian government formally issued a circular to Portuguese Timor and the Kingdom of Portugal, demanding that Portuguese Timor hand over the murderers who attacked Australasian fishermen, and to all those affected by the conflict Australasian fishermen pay compensation.

At the same time, the three countries surrounding the Timor Sea should jointly delineate specific spheres of influence to avoid more conflicts.

In fact, Australasia's requirements are not high, at least from the perspective of Europeans who think of themselves as "neutral".

Since the Portuguese did something wrong, it is also appropriate to pay compensation.

It is perfectly normal for the three countries to divide their own detailed spheres of influence, which can indeed avoid more conflicts.

But the problem is complicated. In order to win the public opinion war, Portugal declared the fishermen innocent in the country, and domestic parties also mobilized public opinion, saying that the country should support the fishermen of Portuguese Timor.

It has only been a few days since the incident, and asking Portugal to hand over the fishermen directly, isn't it a direct slap in the face of the Portuguese government?
Of course, at the national level, losing face is not an important thing.

The difficulty lies in the fact that the current situation in Portugal is not stable, and the domestic revolution has already begun to appear.

The previous public opinion made most Portuguese support the fishermen of their own country. If the government hastily handed over the fishermen, what would the Portuguese think?
Are the fishermen really doing it wrong?Or is it because the government is incompetent and has to wrong good people?
The current situation in Portugal is very unstable, and all this depends on the high-pressure policy of the contemporary King Carlos I.

Carlos I was a relatively autocratic monarch, but the Kingdom of Portugal had already established a dual constitutional monarchy during the civil war decades ago.

The high-pressure policy adopted by Carlos I in Portugal and the severe suppression of revolutionary activities made many Portuguese republicans very dissatisfied.

To what extent are you dissatisfied?In the original real history, Carlos I was assassinated by republican radicals a year later, and his son Manuel II had just ascended the throne for two years before a revolution broke out and he was deposed by the Portuguese.

This also means that the rule life of the Portuguese Braganza dynasty is only three years, and the ups and downs within the king can be imagined.

It was precisely because of the turbulent political environment in the country that Carlos I was a little uncertain.

Backing down to the Australasians was a good quick fix to the conflict, and while it was bad for the country, it didn't really cost much.

It's just that the angry Portuguese people may join the revolutionary party and decide to overthrow the government because of their dissatisfaction.

This is unacceptable to Carlos I. In order to maintain the monarchy of the Kingdom of Portugal, and similarly, in order to protect his own status, Carlos I directly rejected the option of retreat.

The national government should be tougher and use real actions to protect the interests of its own citizens. At the same time, it can win the hearts of the common people and increase the support of the monarchy in Portugal. This is a plan that Carlos I has decided for a long time.

For this reason, Carlos I consulted many confidants, and finally unanimously decided to express Portugal's firm attitude to Australasia, which is to protect the interests of the people and never back down!
In fact, Carlos I also sent someone to secretly inquire about the attitude of the British.

After receiving the hint from the British that they would unite with France and mediate under certain circumstances, Carlos I strengthened his tough attitude towards Australasia.

In Carlos I's view, Australasia was just a country that had just gained independence from the colonies, and the country's development relied heavily on resources and support from Europe.

Even if Portugal cannot compete with Australasia in Southeast Asia, Australasia will surely retreat after Britain and France intervene.

As long as you can overcome the first wave of public opinion and let yourself and the government gain the reputation of being tough to protect the people, then there will be more diplomatic means in the future.

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(End of this chapter)