Chapter 43: Emperor Wilhelm II of Germany

After hearing Arthur's well-organized plan for the development of Australia, Queen Victoria nodded with satisfaction and began to eat her lunch.

Perhaps because she was in a good mood, Queen Victoria managed to finish most of the mashed potatoes that she normally wouldn't have been able to eat, and even drank most of the juice.

After a simple lunch, everyone gathered around Queen Victoria again to chat with her.

Perhaps the happiest thing in life is to be able to stay with one's loved ones until the very end. At least now, Queen Victoria's face was full of smiles, no longer the sickly look she had before.

In the afternoon, another distinguished figure arrived on the island, Emperor Wilhelm II of the German Empire.

Although Germany was currently in competition with Britain and both sides were involved in military alliances against each other, in reality, the relationship between Wilhelm II and Queen Victoria was not very tense, and could even be considered affectionate.

It was actually the Crown Prince Edward, who had gradually taken control of political affairs, whose relationship with Wilhelm II had become increasingly strained.

Arthur also had the opportunity to see his cousin. It has to be said that the relationships between European aristocrats are really complex, and Arthur's network of relationships can even connect to half of Europe.

Due to the large number of nobles and officials who came to visit Queen Victoria, Arthur could only chat with her for a while at the beginning, and then had to wander around the Isle of Wight.

Although the Isle of Wight is only about four square kilometers in size, it is a beautiful island with an active volcano. The most attractive feature of the Isle of Wight is the hot springs and fountains that can be seen everywhere. Lying in a warm and comfortable hot spring, and seeing the beautiful scenery around, it can involuntarily relax and immerse in the beautiful scenery.

However, Arthur was not in the mood to soak in hot springs right now, so he just walked around the Isle of Wight alone.

The reason why he did not bring guards was because after Queen Victoria moved in, there were two thousand Royal Guards stationed on the island.

In addition to heavy guards at the estate, there were also many guards patrolling the island, so there was no need to worry about security on the island.

The middle of the Isle of Wight was shrouded in smoke because the active volcano was still accumulating energy, waiting for the next eruption.

Since Queen Victoria and Prince Albert lived on the island of Wight, this volcanic island has experienced dozens of eruptions, although each eruption has not caused serious harm to the island, volcanic eruptions still occur quite frequently.

"Arthur, are you interested in this volcano?" Suddenly, a strange voice entered Arthur's ear, and he turned around to see William II, whom he had only met for the first time this afternoon.

"What? Don't you recognize me? I'm your cousin, William." William II chuckled and cleverly came to Arthur's left side, leaning on the railing as well.

"Your Majesty, the German Emperor." Arthur saluted.

"Don't be so distant, Arthur. I'm your cousin, you can call me Cousin William." William II patted Arthur's shoulder with his right hand and said with a smile, "By the way, we haven't had a chance to properly meet each other yet, so it's only with an opportunity like this that we can finally meet."

Cousin? Arthur suddenly remembered a certain lady, and shuddered.

"I deeply regret what happened to Uncle Arthur before. Due to the busy domestic affairs at the time, I missed Uncle Arthur's funeral. I hope you don't mind, Arthur." William II very discreetly turned his body slightly, so as to better cover his left arm.

"It's okay, Cousin William. As a monarch, domestic affairs take precedence over everything else." Arthur nodded.

"Arthur, what do you think of Germany?" William II suddenly asked.

"Germany? The German people are a great nation, and Germany is a great country. Although the time of unification was short, it has already become a powerful country that combines industry, military, and economy. The gap between Germany and the old powers is almost negligible, except for colonialism." Arthur spoke honestly.

It must be admitted that the time of the unification of the German Empire was indeed very short, but it did grow into a powerful country that integrates industry, economy, and military in such a short time.

Germany's industrial strength is well-known, with steel production ranking among the top three in the world. Although it cannot compare with the strongest industrial power, the United States, it has surpassed the United Kingdom to a small extent.

In terms of military strength, the German army is undoubtedly the world's number one army, and its navy is also catching up with the United Kingdom. Its overall military strength is definitely among the top two in the world.

Looking at the old powers, France, although it has vast colonies that provide continuous nourishment, has fallen behind both economically and industrially, compared to the United Kingdom and Germany.

If all of France's colonies were transferred to Germany, then Germany would have a good chance of directly challenging the world's number one power.

This is also the reason why Germany and France have erupted in direct conflict. France has been declining day by day, but it still holds onto the vast colonial empire that makes it the world's second power.

Although Germany's power is strong, its colonial range is very backward among the powers. Even the total value of its colonies is not as high as the Dutch colonies in Southeast Asia.

Under these circumstances, it is normal for Germans to be dissatisfied with colonial division and their old neighbor, France.

"Haha." Hearing Arthur's sincere words, William II smiled and said, "You're right. What Germany currently lacks is the foundation and market brought by a large number of colonies. However, most of the world's colonies are occupied by the United Kingdom and France. The United Kingdom is alright, as the world's number one power, it's only natural for them to occupy so many colonies. But France is already declining, and it no longer has the qualifications to enjoy so many colonies alone. Why not join our camp against the old powers, Arthur? Australia's geographical location is very important and can cause a significant impact on France's African and Asian colonies. If you are willing, Germany can provide you with complete industrial equipment and a large number of immigrants, helping you establish a perfect industrial system within a few years and quickly become an industrial power."

At this time, Australia was still part of the British Empire, so it doesn't matter much to say that.