The Rise Of Australasia-Chapter 1093 - 819: Occupation of the Rhineland

The French were naturally overjoyed at the South Slavic Kingdom's initiative to side with them.

Overall, not only could South Slavia allow the French to have another ally to contain Italy, but it could also help the French gain an advantage in the Mediterranean Sea.

After all, South Slavia is also a Mediterranean coastal country and just happens to be in a position to encircle Italy from both the east and the west along with the French.

If the South Slavic Kingdom could join the Franco-Austrian alliance, then the Austrian Empire would be able to withdraw part of its army to defend against Germany, and the pressure of the German army facing France would not be so great.

The ecstatic French immediately signed a Mediterranean defense agreement with South Slavia, tying South Slavia to their own chariot of war.

The French valued the fighting capability of the South Slavic army even more. The armies of the Balkan States were all very strong, generally at a first or second-tier European level.

Especially Serbia, the predecessor of South Slavia, once caused the Austro-Hungarian Empire a lot of trouble.

At that time, the Austro-Hungarian Empire was not as weak as it is now; it was a force that could punch Italy and step on the Tsardom of Russia.

The news of the South Slavic Kingdom signing an agreement with France undoubtedly poured oil on the fire of the opposition between the two major European military blocs.

The involvement of small and medium-sized countries also led the two major European military blocs to set their sights on other European nations.

In the competition to win over these European small and medium nations, the Franco-Austrian alliance and the German-Italian agreement were fighting over them like a diplomatic war.

It is worth mentioning that Spain, as one of the stronger non-great power countries in Europe, was also a target both major military blocs were eager to woo.

But domestic order in Spain was not stable. It had only been two years since the fall of the Spanish Kingdom, and the ensuing Spanish Republic was not as wonderful as Spaniards had imagined.

Within the Republic, Spain's political scene was polarized. It wasn't just ordinary polarization; the contradictions between the leftist and right-wing opposition were very intense.

The Spanish left was passionate about class struggle, land revolution, and the implementation of regional autonomy. They hoped to strike down the Church and Royalist Party's influence, making Spain a truly free and democratic republic.

The Spanish right-wing political parties, due to their fierce contradictions with the left, opposed everything the left stood for.

If the initial polarization of Spain was a contradiction created by ideology, then the current polarization is a different choice created by contradictions.

Right-wing parties might not necessarily support the right, but because left-wing parties support the left, they are deemed right-wing parties.

It's like if my enemy likes peace, then I am determined to start a war.

If the left thinks something is right, the right thinks it's incorrect. If the right thinks something is right, the left thinks it's incorrect.

Beyond that, Spain had other political forces such as the anarchist National Workers' Alliance and the Iberian Anarchist Federation.

There was also the Carlos Faction that had troubled the Spanish Kingdom for a long time, as well as the Falange Party born from the influence of Germany and Italy.

If you add in the Monarchist Party, which still harbored fantasies about monarchy, then Spain's internal situation could truly be described as a complete mess.

It's no exaggeration to say that Spain at this moment was even more chaotic than the Balkans before World War I. If the Balkans were a keg of gunpowder ready to be ignited, Spain was a hand grenade with its pin pulled, ready to explode upon impact.

Unfortunately, the major military alliances' courting of the smaller nations fostered an even more chaotic situation in Spain.

Without the intervention of the great powers, it might have taken some time for the Spanish bomb to explode.

But once the great powers intervened, the timing of the bomb's explosion would be advanced.

At this time, the Spanish Republic was ruled by a relatively conservative right-wing government. This was a good thing for Spain because more conservative parties might not contribute much to the country but at least could prevent Spain from exploding at a slight provocation.

However, the frequent protests caused by the contradictions between left and right within Spain, and the discord between members of the left and right turning from brawls into gunfights, had already sealed Spain's fate—it was headed for a civil war.

At this time, Arthur was already intimately familiar with the situation in Spain, because in early January, the engagement ceremony of Princess Anna Miller and Prince Juan was scheduled, and therefore, the family of Alfonso XIII had not chosen to leave Australasia.

During this period, Arthur had preliminarily come to understand the chaotic situation inside Spain and the major political forces through Alfonso XIII.

In their conversations, Alfonso XIII also tentatively revealed his aspiration for the throne, to which Arthur made no commitment.

A somewhat disappointed Alfonso XIII finally understood Arthur's attitude when he heard the meaningful question Arthur posed, "Alfonso, which child is Prince Juan among your children?"

Does it matter which child Prince Juan is to Alfonso XIII? Of course, it matters, and it matters a great deal.

For ordinary people, achieving equal distribution is difficult enough, let alone in a royal family where there is only one crown and one heir to the throne.

According to the prevalent primogeniture succession system in European countries, Prince Juan, being the third son of Alfonso XIII, would not be entitled to the inheritance of the throne.

This also represented one thing, that even if Arthur painstakingly helped Alfonso XIII regain the throne, the heir to the Spanish throne would not be the Prince Juan whom Arthur wished to see.

Understanding this, Alfonso XIII knew that to gain Arthur's support for a restoration, he had to make Prince Juan the heir to the throne.

What would be the most effective way to do this? Of course, it was to have the other two sons renounce their rights to the throne.

Although this was somewhat unfair to the other two sons, for the sake of the whole family, Alfonso XIII still decided to proceed, to exchange for a possible opportunity for restoration.

However, Alfonso XIII could not bluntly tell Arthur that he would have his two sons renounce their right to succession.

Such matters were not honorable, and discussing them openly would only add to ridicule. Besides, this outcome, although desired by Arthur, was not what Arthur wanted to hear.

Therefore, Alfonso XIII could only go about this task quietly and ensure that Arthur "accidentally" learned of it, to prove this matter had nothing to do with Arthur.

Arthur was unaware of the complex thoughts in Alfonso XIII's mind at the time. Even if he knew, Arthur did not care too much.

After all, Australasia would not help Alfonso XIII without reason, let alone support the re-establishment of Monarchism in the then-chaotic Spain.

In Arthur's mind, even if he were to implement Alfonso XIII's plan for restoration, it would definitely be after the Spanish Civil War.

At this time, the Spanish people had not completely given up on the Republic, and the strength of the left and right political parties was also very formidable. Australasia had no reason to waste manpower and resources on Spain.

Arthur understood that such a situation in Spain was bound to erupt into a civil war. Civil war would not only consume the strength of the left and right political parties, but also lead the Spanish people to become disillusioned with the Republic.

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Moreover, because Arthur was clear on what ideology the rising political party after the civil war would belong to, he naturally would not prevent Spain's civil war at such a time.

Only after the Spanish people had experienced everything and suddenly realized the beauty of Monarchism, would they support the restoration of Alfonso XIII.

Before the European people could adapt to the chaotic situation, Europe became even more chaotic.

In March 1934, Germany, after careful preparation, dispatched an army of about thirty thousand men from its central region towards the west and entered the Rhineland demilitarized zone, which had been designated after World War I.

This had a profound impact on Germany and Europe, and even the world. The Rhineland demilitarized zone was one of the greatest restrictions imposed on Germany by the entire Allies.

The demilitarized zone was located in the western part of Germany, which was the most important industrial area and also had considerable mineral resources.

As the German Army stepped back into the Rhineland, it signified a provocation to the post-World War I world order and also indicated that Germany did not recognize the treaty signed after World War I.

No one knew the thoughts of the man with the small mustache at the time, but they were certainly outrageous.

Before Britain and France could react, the German Foreign Minister summoned the envoys of the United Kingdom, France, and Italy to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and handed them a notification abrogating the Rhineland demilitarized zone.

Yes, it was a notification.

Especially for the British and French envoys, by the time they received this notification, the German Army had already been stationed in the demilitarized zone for over two hours.

Facing Germany's provocative actions, the envoys of the Britain-France Two Nations were very angry but felt helpless.

They were only regular envoys, with no authority to declare war on Germany directly.

Even their appropriate responses had to be decided after communication with their home governments. They had no right to take any stance that might provoke a war.

And Italy, which had relevant agreements with Germany, was clearly well aware of Germany's actions in occupying the Rhineland demilitarized zone.

The Italian envoy overtly supported Germany's actions, claiming that what Germany did was legitimate, exercising sovereignty over its own national territory.

Facing the collusion between Germany and Italy, the British and French Foreign Ministers had no words, expressing their anger as they transmitted all contents of this notification back to their countries.

Also transmitted back to the British and French governments was a new contract proposed by the German Foreign Affairs Department.

This contract completely overturned the post-World War I restrictions imposed on Germany by the Allies, and likewise abolished the regulations of the Rhineland demilitarized zone.

It could be said that, according to the new contract proposed by the Germans, Germany was to become a truly unrestricted Power, not the well-known defeated country from World War I.