The Rise Of Australasia - Chapter 1049

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Chapter 1049: Chapter 784: Verdun Meat Grinder South America Edition

France and the United Kingdom faced a series of problems that made the mid-year of 1931 anything but peaceful.

Of course, with their respective backers in South America embroiled in chaos, the war between Paraguay and Bolivia became a fair one-on-one fight once again.

In terms of territory and population, Bolivia had a significant advantage. However, Bolivia’s early focus on purchasing tanks and airplanes for weapons and equipment proved to be of little use in the Northern Chaco region.

On the other hand, Paraguay, with its large number of light weapons, could maintain a firepower advantage in the Northern Chaco area.

Especially various types of machine guns were like killing gods in the Northern Chaco region—a few machine guns could defend a position and delay the enemy’s advance beyond the frontline.

At this time, the remaining spectator, Australasia, became quite important. Australasia’s stance not only determined the speed at which Britain and France could resolve their domestic issues but also who would gain the upper hand in the war in South America.

Having already cooperated with the British, Arthur’s goal remained to help Paraguay win the war and gain a share of the benefits for Australasia.

As for whether Britain or France would be the first to resolve their issues, that was not something Arthur needed to consider.

That said, the problems currently faced by Britain and France, though prickly, were definitely not insoluble.

It’s merely a matter of how long it would take Britain and France and how much it would affect their colonial reign (scope of influence).

For Arthur, this might even be good news. Only when problems arise in India would the British realize the seriousness of the issue.

They would compromise with Australasia in other areas to prevent India from slipping out of their control.

After all, Arthur had no interest in India, so naturally, it was perfect for him to get the land and benefits he wanted by helping the British stabilize their rule in India.

Having successfully diverted British attention to India, the Frenchmen also dared not take chances and sent their fleet to the southern coast of the United States with an unmistakable threat.

In addition to threatening Mexico, the French government contacted the government of the Lone Star Republic and agreed to conduct a naval exercise off the southern coast of the United States, with both navies participating.

Furthermore, France offered an interest-free loan to the Lone Star Republic and privately promised that, if they won the war in South America, half of the petroleum in the Upper Chaco region would be handed over to ExxonMobil for extraction, securing the support of the Lone Star Republic, including ExxonMobil.

The situation with Britain, however, was actually more troublesome. India’s territory and population far exceeded those of the Lone Star Republic, and the problems it could cause were definitely not comparable to those of a small Mexico.

After receiving weapons and equipment supported by France, Prabhati initiated an armed rebellion in India behind Gandhi’s back.

Because the British were completely unprepared at first, Prabhati’s armed rebellion successfully attacked several small Indian towns and took over their Police stations and armories.

When the news of Prabhati’s armed uprising reached the higher echelons, it immediately provoked widespread fury among the British.

The British had resolutely chosen to suppress Gandhi’s non-violent Protests with armed force, let alone an armed rebellion like Prabhati’s.

With a command from the Governor of India, the Indian stationed forces mobilized, directing their target at Prabhati.

Since Prabhati was a significant member of the Congress Party, the Indian government declared the party illegal outright and issued warrants for many Congress members, including Gandhi.

What Gandhi had not expected was that his two non-violent Protests, which attracted thousands of Indian People to support his actions, had not succeeded in getting him on the Indian government’s wanted list.

But it was Prabhati’s one armed rebellion that led most Congress Party members, including himself, to be “honorably” listed.

The good news was that Prabhati’s armed forces only numbered less than ten thousand, and the impact they had was confined to just a few small towns in India.

As long as it could be controlled in time and the armed uprising was kept within certain limits, it would not damage the entire British rule over India.

The bad news, however, was that Prabhati’s armed rebellion seemed to have started something, paving a new path for other forces in India.

Even if Prabhati’s rebellion could be quelled, the British had to worry about uprisings from other forces in India.

It could be said that since Prabhati’s armed rebellion, the difficulty of British rule in India had again escalated.

Even without any surprises, the time of India’s independence might come sooner.

With Bolivia’s full mobilization, in terms of army numbers, Bolivia had already gained the advantage.

To help Paraguay win this war, Australasia sent a military exchange group numbering less than 100 people, but all were outstanding young Officers from Australasian military academies, either graduates or about to graduate.

The purpose of sending these individuals to Paraguay, aside from helping Paraguay win the war, was also because Arthur wanted to train Australasia’s young Officers.

Although through over thirty years of effort, Australasia’s military academies had become world-renowned. Every year, they train numerous outstanding Officers who are well-known both domestically and internationally.

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