The Rise of Australia

Chapter 367 T-14 Tank and T-14A Tank

When Sydney was chosen as the capital, in addition to being the capital of New South Wales, the largest colony at the time, Sydney also had one of the largest ports at the time. The Sydney Port was more suitable for economic development and also suitable for attracting immigrants.

But now, the shortcomings of Sydney's proximity to the sea have been exposed. Until Australasia's navy increases in size, Sydney's security is not that reliable.

Coupled with the problems exposed by Sydney's crazy population expansion, there are gradually more voices within the Australasian government requesting to move the capital.

Moving the capital is not unfamiliar to a country. When it encounters economic, political, military, environmental and other problems, moving the capital has become an effective and inevitable solution.

Take the United States as an example. The capital of the United States is not New York, the most developed city, but Washington, which has a small population and is relatively underdeveloped.

For Australasia, another disadvantage of setting the capital in a southeastern coastal city like Sydney is that the development of inland and western cities is ignored.

Australasia actually has plains and the Murray River, the only river in Australia.

Theoretically, the development potential of the Murray River Delta is even higher than that of southeastern Australasia, and because it is located inland, it is relatively safe.

This area is also a deserted land for Australasia, sparsely populated and economically underdeveloped.

If the capital is moved, this area is the most suitable area, but it is also the most troublesome.

This is no different than building a new city, and it also means that the Australasian government will spend decades building a new city in this area.

But the benefits are also very obvious. It has the largest river in Australia and is located in the central plains of Australia, with huge development potential.

If this area is developed well, tens of millions of people can live here along the Murray River alone.

This also means that a single Australian region can accommodate a population of at least more than 100 million people. Coupled with New Zealand, New Guinea and various colonies, Australasia can accommodate at least 200 million people, which is exactly the population requirement to become a superpower.

Arthur, who came from later generations, knew that although Australia has more than 7 million square kilometers of Guangmao land, in later generations, due to various reasons, there is very little land that can actually be utilized, and Australia's population is also generally distributed along the coast. region and southeast.

You know, the vast central plains of Australia have been completely transformed into Gobi deserts in later generations.

More than 100 years ago now, this central plain, especially the Murray River Basin, was not without the possibility of saving.

If this area can really be developed into a plantable and habitable area, this will be a good thing for Australasia and a good thing for Arthur.

The Murray River Basin alone can support tens of millions of people, and if combined with the Darling River Basin in the north, it can support tens of millions more people.

Coupled with the defensive island chain formed by Australasia's outer colonies and islands, Australasia's status as a top power has basically been established.

However, although the advantages of moving the capital outweigh the disadvantages, there are also voices within the government requesting to move the capital from time to time.

For the current Australasia, it is not suitable for the high-profile relocation of the capital for the time being.

First of all, Sydney's population of over one million people is definitely not willing for the government to move the capital. After all, the gap between the capital and non-capital cities is still huge. As the capital, Sydney’s convenience in development is undoubtedly the reason why Sydney can quickly surpass Melbourne and become the first city in Australasia with a population of more than one million.

If it loses its status as the capital, Sydney may not necessarily be surpassed by Melbourne, but its status will definitely decline compared to its current status.

Secondly, relocating the capital cannot be implemented immediately after being decided. The site selection and construction of a new city, including the construction of future government residences, the construction of new palaces, etc., not only require a lot of time, but also a lot of money.

In addition, Arthur felt that the European War was not far away. Therefore, Australasia would not move its capital until the end of World War I, and Arthur had no plans to move its capital for the time being.

Instead of using government funds to change the capital, it would be better to use them to produce more weapons and equipment and make greater profits in the war.

When Australasia has made enough money from this war, and there is no threat of war or foreign enemies, it will not be too late to announce the relocation of the capital with great fanfare.

Taking advantage of the huge fame brought by winning the war, if the time comes to move the capital, no matter how unwilling the people are, no one will jump out to directly oppose it.

However, although there are no plans to move the capital for the time being, the investigation around the Murray River can already begin.

Even if this area does not become the location of the capital in the future, it is still a piece of land completely worthy of development.

You know, the soil in the current Murray River Basin has not suffered much damage. Except for a few areas that have been transformed into Gobi deserts, most areas are still lush grasslands and forests, with great development value.

As long as the overrun hare problem in Australasia can be properly solved, this area will be the future breadbasket of Australasia and one of the most developed and populated areas in the future.

For a country, geographical areas such as plains have the greatest potential for development and are what a country needs most.

Plains can not only be used to build urban agglomerations, but also livestock areas, food production areas, industrial areas, etc.

Moreover, transportation construction in plain areas is easier, and the laying of roads and railways is relatively simple.

Like the mountains and hills in the southeast, when laying railways and roads, tunnels and bridges also need to be considered.

But plain roads only need to be laid with eyes closed, which can not only save a lot of manpower and materials, but also save a lot of time.

On January 17, 1914, Arthur, who had been looking at the geographical map of Australasia for a long time, finally issued his order to dispatch a geographical survey team to the Murray River Basin.

If it is determined that this area is suitable for development and has huge development potential, then Arthur would not mind moving the capital here to develop Australasia's own plains.

If the development potential is not so great, considering that this is one of the few plains in Australasia, some energy can be invested in developing this area after World War I.

Of course, if the development potential of this area is not too great, Arthur's desire to develop this area is not too high, except for promulgating some policies to hinder desertification and Gobiification in this area.

The survey of the geographical environment is a large project. It not only needs to explore the geographical environment of this area, but also explores the mineral resources and fresh water resources of this area, and whether it is suitable for the development of agriculture, animal husbandry and other economic industries.

No matter how fast the geographical survey team progresses, it will take at least two or three months to obtain a relatively complete report.

Of course, Arthur is not in a hurry about this. In addition to patiently waiting for news from the geographical survey team, Arthur currently has other important things, such as the Royal Agricultural Machinery Factory.

The Royal Agricultural Machinery Factory is ostensibly the largest tractor manufacturer in Australasia, but it is actually also engaged in research on tanks.

Since the first-generation tank was developed four years ago, after a long period of exploration and experimentation, Australasia's second-generation tank has also been successfully released.

The research on the first generation tank was very rudimentary. On the basis of the tractor, after adding weapons, steel plates, ammunition compartments and other designs, the first generation tank was born.

Although it has been modified many times since then, this tank design is still very crude. Not only does it look ugly, but it also often causes problems.

It is no exaggeration to say that the first-generation tanks will break down every tens of kilometers they travel, which is a great test of the ability of contemporary tank soldiers to repair tanks.

Although most of them are just minor problems and can be put on the road again after simple repairs, the frequency of problems with the first-generation tanks that cannot stand up is too high.

As for the second-generation tanks, Arthur had high hopes.

Because the second-generation tank is a newly designed tank. Not only is the shape very different from the first-generation tank, but even the performance data, etc., are not even the slightest difference.

The first time Arthur saw the second-generation tank, he immediately abandoned the design of the first-generation tank.

There is no other reason. In Arthur's opinion, the second-generation tank is a truly more modern tank.

Even if you don't look at the performance data of the second-generation tank that is much ahead, from the appearance alone, the second-generation tank is enough to kill the first-generation tank in an instant.

The second-generation tank was named the 14-year-old Tank by Arthur, or T-14 tank for short.

According to the design of the Royal Agricultural Machinery Factory, the T-14 tank is divided into two models, namely the basic T-14 tank and the T-14A tank.

Let’s talk about the T-14 tank first, which is the basic version of the second-generation tank. Slightly larger than the first-generation tank, it accommodates five crew members, including a driver, a commander, a gunner, a machine gunner, and a loader.

The T-14 tank is equipped with a GA1902-75mm semi-automatic cannon and an MA-107 Maxim heavy machine gun, which is unmatched in terms of firepower.

The upper muzzle can rotate freely, and theoretically can freely attack enemies in 360 degrees.

Under the muzzle, a heavy machine gun was set up with a fixed direction and could only attack enemies in front of the tank.

In addition to the upgrade in firepower, the T-14 tank is also covered with 21 mm steel armor, which greatly improves the tank's protective capabilities.

The Royal Agricultural Machinery Factory also thoughtfully equipped the tank with an air conditioner, which allows tank soldiers to adjust the temperature inside the tank as they wish, without having to worry about the temperature problems encountered in summer and winter operations.

Of course, the enhanced firepower and armor have also increased the weight of this tank to a full 14.6 tons. Such a big guy is definitely a giant on the battlefield, and its weight alone is enough to crush all enemies.

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