The Rise of Australasia

The northern coast of the United Arab Emirates to the southern coast of Kuwait in the Sutton Persian Gulf Coast is still under the control of the Ottoman Empire.

However, compared to the more northern Mesopotamian Plain, this area has a sparse population and is not as strategically important.

On this piece of land, over 100,000 square kilometers in size, the Ottoman Empire's armed forces are pitifully weak, consisting mostly of poorly-trained new troops or militias.

It is impossible to rely on these people to resist the invasion of Australasia. In less than a week, the Australasian Army had arrived at the Kuwait Emirate, a colony already occupied by Britain.

Receiving the news that the Australasian Army was approaching, the British Commissioner in Kuwait and the Emir of Kuwait had prepared a large amount of supplies for the Australasian Army to replenish.

Although only a week had passed since the landing in Qatar, it was impossible to replenish without adequate supplies.

Following Brigadier General Kent's orders, the expeditionary force resupplied in Kuwait City, giving even native soldiers a taste of fruits and fresh beef and mutton that they hadn't had in a long time.

Of course, more importantly, there was replenishment of weapons, equipment, and shells. Surviving equipment, including clothing, military boots, helmets, as well as much-needed medical supplies, were extensively replenished for the upcoming battle.

According to the agreement with the British side, half of these supplies were provided by Britain and half by Australasia.

On July 27, the Australasian Expeditionary Force set off again to conquer the Mesopotamian Plain to the north, occupying important grain-producing lands for the Ottoman Empire.

The Mesopotamian Plain has an abundant population and is also one of the few large grain-producing areas in the Ottoman Empire.

This is the area of modern-day Iraq and is currently an important rear area of the Ottoman Empire.

From the perspective of oil, Iraq also has abundant petroleum resources, and the land area of this region is huge, possessing the vast Mesopotamian Plain. Explore stories on m,v l'-.net

But precisely because it is a plain area with too many indigenous populations, it is more difficult to rule than the Sutton Persian Gulf Coast.

The best choice is to exchange for the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, and Kuwait through the British Empire's interests.

In this way, a colonial rule can be established along the Persian Gulf coast from the UAE to Kuwait, controlling more than half of the coastal Mediterranean oil and thus controlling world oil prices.

The combined population of these territories is less than that of a single Iraqi region, although the small population and slow economic development mean there won't be much potential for development.

The most critical aspect for Arthur in this region is oil. A smaller population is actually an advantage; there will be fewer rebellions, and it is ideal to turn the area into a new Royal Territory and establish the Royal Oil Company.

Although Kuwait and Qatar are still under British control, Arthur does not plan to spit out the Sutton Persian Gulf Coast either.

From the north of Qatar to the south of Kuwait, although most of the Australasian Expeditionary Force has already left, under Arthur's orders, Commander Martin left the Colonial Division One to guard and temporarily manage the order of the region. Ṙä₦𝖔₿Êṩ

Although Colonial Division One is currently understaffed, with a total of only about 15,000 people, there is no problem in guarding the area, as the Persian Gulf is connected to the Indian Ocean and can receive supplies from Australasia at any time.

The potential enemy of Colonial Division One might be the Rashid Emirate, as the Ottoman Empire no longer has the strength to launch an offensive in this region.

These natives are no match for the enemy and can be defended with just a few machine guns.

Soon after the fall of Constantinople, the combined forces of Britain, France, and Russia arrived in this ancient city and maintained order in Constantinople along with a small number of Australasian troops.

Why were Britain, France, and Russia so quick in their actions? It is because Constantinople's location is crucial, being a bottleneck for the Russian Black Sea to reach the Mediterranean.

Because the strait between Constantinople and the opposite shore is relatively narrow, this has led to the city's coastal defense guns being able to cover the entire strait at any time.

Previously, it was precisely because the Ottoman Empire controlled this strait that the Russians could hardly receive material support from the Mediterranean.

Now, with control of Constantinople, numerous British and French fleets poured into the Black Sea, providing Russia with extensive material and military support, giving it the courage to resist on the front lines.

Of course, it is the reliance on British and French material support that makes it impossible for Russia to occupy Constantinople alone, and Britain and France would never agree to it.

Therefore, the best solution is for the Four Great Powers of the Allies to jointly control Constantinople. There is no room for retreat in this matter, and eventually, Constantinople will most likely be returned to the Ottoman Empire or handed over to a new country.

After the fall of Constantinople, hundreds of thousands of Balkan soldiers who had besieged the city crossed to the other side and began attacking the Little Asia Peninsula.

This increased the pressure on the Ottoman Empire once more, as the number of enemies from the Allies on various fronts now exceeded a million, which the current Ottoman Empire simply could not bear.

On August 3, 1915, after the Australasian Army had been rampant in the Mesopotamian Plain for several days, the Ottoman Empire could no longer bear it and contacted representatives from Britain, France, Russia, and Australasia to begin peace negotiations.

Given the current development of the war, maintaining the vast Ottoman Empire after the war would be difficult, let alone preserving its main territories. Retaining the Turkish region would already be considered a blessing.

Negotiations with the Ottoman Empire are far slower than those with Bulgaria, as Bulgaria's involvement in the war is not as extensive amongst the powerful nations. Russia, separated by Romania, finds it unrealistic to expect benefits from Bulgaria.

However, the situation is different for the Ottoman Empire. The empire is adjacent to Russia and the United Kingdom, and Australasia also has its interests.

Although France has no significant interests nearby, it will naturally not be left out as Britain, Australia, and Russia divide their spoils.

Moreover, the Allies have invested millions of troops in the Ottoman Empire. If they cannot take a hefty sum from the empire, wouldn't this deal be considered a loss?

On August 5, 1915, a temporary ceasefire was declared among nations in the Ottoman Empire, as peace talks with the empire approached.

Of course, this is only a temporary ceasefire. If the Ottoman Empire cannot offer a satisfactory price to the Allies, the war is likely to intensify.

On August 11th, unilateral peace talks between the Allies and the Ottoman Empire were held in Constantinople.

Constantinople, known as Istanbul by the Ottoman Empire, is its capital.

However, long before Istanbul was besieged, the Ottoman Empire had already moved its capital to Ankara on the Little Asia Peninsula.

As the Ottoman Empire's representatives looked at the familiar city, the traces of war devastation forced bitter smiles on their faces. Facing the pressure from the Allies, they had no choice but to bow their heads repeatedly.

The Allies unanimously agreed to the Ottoman Empire's request for peace, but each country also had demands for compensation from the empire.

First and foremost were the demands for land. The Russians sought expansion in the Caucasus region, the British sought expansion in the Middle East, and Australasia desired a colony along the Persian Gulf coast.

Even the French, who had few demands, requested a portion of land across from French Somalia.

The agreement of the Ottoman Empire is not important, as even if it disagreed, the Allied forces could still obtain the land they wanted.

The problem is that the Allies must unite, and the countries cannot have conflicts over territorial claims, as a piece of land can only be divided among one country.

The only country without conflict is Russia. No other neighboring countries, except for Iran's Qajar dynasty, will compete with Russia for the Caucasus region.

Issues arise concerning the territories claimed by Britain, France, and Australasia.

The area the French want, located across from French Somalia, happens to border the British Aden Protectorate.

This area is equivalent to the future territory of Yemen, with the western portion occupied by the Ottoman Empire and the eastern portion being the British Aden Protectorate and some indigenous countries under British control.

However, the French are not so eager for the region, and the British quickly use the offer of more military support to gain French approval, allowing Britain to monopolize the entire Yemen region.

On top of that, the British also claim sovereignty over the Kingdom of Mecca Emir, further encircling the entire Arabian Peninsula with British-controlled territory and expanding the area of the British Empire.

In the Persian Gulf, Australasia wants the coastal area of Rashid Emirate and wishes to obtain the Mesopotamian outlet to the sea.

The British expansion along the Persian Gulf is not extensive, mainly because the majority of the land in the region is already under British control, leaving little room for expansion.

However, the British Empire is equally interested in the Mesopotamian Plain's outlet to the sea.

On a smaller scale, this area can control the future Ottoman Empire's outlet to the Indian Ocean. On a larger scale, the outlet will encroach on the entire Mesopotamian Plain, and could even be used to control the Ottoman Empire.

After all, following the division of its territory, the Ottoman Empire's sphere of influence would be limited to future Turkey, Iraq, Syria, Israel, Lebanon, and Jordan regions, significantly shrinking its reach.

Compared to the Saudi Persian Gulf coast, Australasia is not interested in the Iraqi Persian Gulf coast.

However, by claiming this region, Arthur can use it to trade with the British for other areas he wants, such as Qatar and Bahrain.

From the map, the British Empire already controls the Truce Nations, which serve as the outlet to the Persian Gulf coast.

In other words, the British Empire can fully control the Persian Gulf coast through the Truce Nations, reducing the importance of Qatar and Bahrain.

After all, the combined area of Qatar and Bahrain is just over 10,000 square kilometers, lacking mineral resources and possessing limited development value and potential.

However, the outlet of the Mesopotamian Plain offers a more abundant population and is an excellent grain-producing region. In comparison to Qatar and Bahrain, this area's resources are much richer, and its development potential is undoubtedly greater.

Only after the British also claimed the Mesopotamian Plain's outlet to the sea did Australasia's diplomats breathe a sigh of relief, preparing to begin private negotiations with the British representative.

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