Chapter 253: Chapter 232: Going to Portuguese Timor (Thanks to Brother Gu Gu Gu Wan for the 100,000 coins)

On August 15, 1907, as the initial results of the war in Odalasia were first announced to the world, Europe was shocked and the world paid close attention.

The reason was simple: although Portugal only had three colonies in Asia with a total population of just under one million.

These three colonies were located in South Asia, East Asia, and Southeast Asia, with more than 6,000 soldiers stationed there.

According to the results received by Australasia, they had conquered and occupied these three colonies in just four or five days, a pace that was somewhat insane.

According to their own report, Australasia dispatched a total of 36,000 troops from the First and Second Divisions and transported them across the ocean using a large number of transport ships, while the navy provided protection.

If it was just a matter of casualty ratio, the casualty count of Australasia’s 30,000-plus army was just under 200, and the death toll was even less than 30.

On the Portuguese side, nearly 1,000 Portuguese soldiers were captured, and the combined number of Portuguese and native soldiers killed reached more than 3,000.

The real reason for the total of less than 6,000 people between the two sides was the large-scale collapse and escape of native soldiers during the war.

These natives and Portuguese were not united, and when faced with imminent death, their brief training could not suppress their fear, leading to their panic and collapse.

The casualty ratio between Australasia and Portugal reached a terrifying 1:100, even if not counting native soldiers, a pure comparison between the two army casualty ratio showed a terrifying 1:40.

According to Australasia, they used a new weapon, the airship, in the war, dropping numerous shells from overhead the Portuguese, which accounts for the gaping disparity in the casualty ratios of both sides.

Europe had also studied airships, and after a brief analysis by the great powers, they indeed believed that Australasia used airships to drop shells.

As long as the climate at the time was suitable, airships could indeed become a weapon for dropping shells.

This also confirmed the plans for various European countries to research airships, including Britain, France, and Germany. Each power allocated research funds to develop more advanced airships and explore their roles in war.

The two countries most affected by this report were undoubtedly Australasia itself and the Kingdom of Portugal.

Australasia, of course, was the sole victor in this report, not only occupying Portugal’s three colonies in Asia but also capturing a large number of Portuguese soldiers, taking the initiative in the war.

For the Portuguese, however, this news was like a bolt from the blue, striking every Portuguese person in the head.

In just a few days since the war started, all three colonies in Asia had already been lost.

If this continued for just a few more months, wouldn’t the Australasians march all the way to Portugal?

The Portuguese people began to feel angry and panicked, and some Portuguese media began to question the government about the authenticity of the Australasian reports.

If this report was, indeed, true, the Portuguese would have to consider whether they can win the war.

After losing all three colonies in Asia, they had already lost their foothold in Asia, and even their African colonies could be at risk.

For Portugal, these are their only colonies, and if their African colonies are also occupied, the Kingdom of Portugal would fall into the ranks of lesser European countries.

Faced with questions from the Portuguese media and people, the Portuguese government had no idea how to handle it so, it could only report to King Carlos I.

Having received the inquiries from his men, King Carlos I was also very troubled.

His government was as resolute as it was frantic now.

For Portugal at the moment, even losing the three colonies in Asia was a pain the country could not bear.

It was Carlos I’s panic that led the Portuguese government to respond ambiguously to the questions from the people, using many vague words and even inconsistent statements in some places.

Although only a small number of Portuguese people were still in the dark, some smart people had already started to realize that even if what Australasia said was not entirely true, it probably wasn’t far off.

As a result, there were several demonstrations in Portugal demanding that the government reveal the truth and retake the three colonies in Asia.

In order to quell the domestic protests, Carlos I had no choice but to step forward and publicly promise the people that, in addition to the previously deployed 40,000 troops, at least another 40,000 would be mobilized from African colonies, for a total of 80,000 to retake the Asian colonies and ensure the safety of all Portuguese people in Asia.

The mobilization of the forty thousand troops in Portugal’s previous battle plan had not been completed, and the enlistment of the forty thousand African indigenous army further prolonged the assembly time of the military.

Even with King Carlos urging multiple times, the Portuguese military could only give a relatively vague answer, promising to get the first batch of troops on the transport fleet as soon as possible before September.

Arthur was not aware of the various incidents happening in Portugal, as he was currently aboard a ship, heading north to visit the soldiers of the First Division at the Portuguese Timor.

Although each of the three branches had a smooth offensive with minimal casualties.

However, the necessary consolation still had to be there, at least to express the importance and concern of the royal family and Arthur for these soldiers.

After receiving the news that Arthur would be coming to inspect the troops, General Silvio Lonnie Rodlin had already cleaned up Dili early on and had a large-scale disarmament within the city.

As long as the firearms were still usable, they were all included in this round of weapons hunt.

Due to safety concerns, General Silvio Lonnie Rodlin planned to have all the Portuguese civilians in the city moved out under supervision on the day Arthur arrived.

Time soon came to August 17th, the day Arthur officially arrived at the Portuguese Timor.

General Silvio Lonnie Rodlin and the soldiers of the First Division had already been standing tall and proud outside Dili Harbor early on.

Actually, most of the colonial capital cities shared a common feature, which was that they were close to the coastline, or simply a port city.

This was because during the colonial period, Europeans often liked to establish outposts near the coast for convenient transportation and logistics.

These coastal outposts, after a long development, formed the cities of various sizes in the colonies, and usually, the first established outposts developed the fastest and then evolved into the capital of the colony.

Dili was a typical port city. Although the city’s scale was not large, it had the necessary port infrastructure and was even stationed with a small navy.

Calling it a navy was actually a stretch, as they were small warships. The tonnage of these warships was generally between several dozen and a hundred tons. After the First Division occupied Dili, this small-scale navy also sensibly surrendered to General Silvio Lonnie Rodlin.

Of course, General Silvio Lonnie Rodlin would not deny that a few of the Australasian medium-sized warships outside the harbor also played a part in the swift surrender of this small navy.

Anyway, these Portuguese were quite sensible.

As Arthur stepped onto the land of Dili, the Australasian national anthem “Australasia, Forward!” slowly played in the harbor.

Arthur was somewhat surprised, after all, the First Division was not equipped with a military band, and being able to play the Australasian national anthem so smoothly and gracefully must have been the work of musicians living in Dili.

“Your Majesty!”

General Silvio Lonnie Rodlin quickly stepped forward and saluted Arthur respectfully.

The soldiers of the First Division behind him also promptly saluted, making for an imposing scene.

“General Silvio, well done! After this war is over, I will personally award you and the soldiers at Sydney!” Arthur said with a smile.

General Silvio Lonnie Rodlin beautifully accomplished the mission Arthur assigned to him before departing, significantly reducing the casualties of the Australasian army and successfully capturing the Portuguese Timor.

“It’s my duty, Your Majesty. For Australasia!” General Silvio Lonnie Rodlin quickly replied.

“Soldiers, I am proud of you. Keep persisting, and after this war, you will all be the heroes of Australasia. I will hold a celebration ceremony after the war to award medals and rewards to those who have made outstanding contributions in the war. Those who made significant contributions may even receive titles and land! And for all the Australasians who have sacrificed in the war, let us observe a moment of silence. The names of all the fallen soldiers will be inscribed on the Hero Monument in Sydney Palace Square, their names will be remembered by all Australasians, later generations, and the Kingdom!” Arthur looked at the soldiers and encouraged them.

In addition to granting medals, titles, and land as rewards for the heroes, the names of the sacrificed Australasian soldiers would also be inscribed on the Hero Monument.

Because the Hero Monument is located in Sydney Palace Square, it will be seen and remembered by the Australasians during national major events.

This would be an honor for the sacrificed soldiers at least, as their contributions would be forever remembered by all the people of Australasia.

In order to inscribe more names, the Australasian Hero Monument was built very tall, with an estimated capacity to engrave more than about ten thousand names.

However, until the war, no names had been inscribed on the Hero Monument.

If nothing unexpected, the fallen soldiers of Australasia would be the first batch, and their names were going to be engraved in the most conspicuous position.