The Rise of Australasia

Upon examining the map of Australasia, it becomes clear that the Philippines are like a nail hammered into the Southeast Asian region, making it a forward outpost for the United States on the western coast of the Pacific Ocean, threatening East Asia and Australia.

Arthur is keenly aware of the principle that one mountain cannot contain two tigers and naturally wouldn’t allow the United States to have an outpost in the Southeast Asian region to counterbalance Australasia.

Putting it lightly, the Philippines is a transit station and supply point for U.S. warships, and a springboard on the western coast of the Pacific Ocean for the United States.

If stated more gravely, once the United States possesses more powerful airplanes, they could even fly from the Philippines, threatening Australia’s colonies and native lands.

If in the future, every country had mastery of missiles, the United States would only need to deploy mid-range missiles in the Philippine region to easily threaten Australasia, which is something Arthur doesn’t want to see.

The good news is that the American control over the Philippines is not so stable at present. Even before the Spanish-American War, Filipinos had established the first Republic of the Philippines, but it was forcibly annexed by the United States due to the war, and the Republic subsequently disintegrated.

However, this does not mean that the dream of Filipino independence will be crushed. On August 29, 1916, the United States Congress passed the Philippine Autonomy Act, turning the Philippines into a vassal state with the right to self-government.

The Philippines also held elections during this period, established the Philippine Senate, and gradually gained some power.

As the reputation of the Americans deteriorated due to the influenza, the then American government even prepared for war, which led to a further decline of American control in the Philippines, and the Philippine Senate saw hope for independence.

In February this year, a Philippine delegation went to the United States for lobbying to gain American approval for Philippine independence but was rejected by the United States Congress.

Although peaceful means to achieve independence have been rejected, it doesn’t mean that the Filipinos would accept their fate.

In fact, according to intelligence personnel who had already been placed in the Philippines, the Philippine Senate had even prepared for independence, but launching a war against the powerful United States made the Philippine government hesitate and dared not provoke a confrontation for the sake of independence.

Given the current situation, this should be the best opportunity to provoke Philippine independence. If British and French power support can be obtained, Philippine independence is inevitable, and the Americans can do nothing to stop it.

After the independence, the Philippines is closest to Australasia, and it is relatively easy for Australasia to fully infiltrate this country.

Although Arthur didn’t have much regard for the Filipinos, if they were cultivated as a backup market and vassal state to resist risks, it would still be acceptable.

If a war breaks out with the island nation in the future, Filipinos could serve as cannon fodder on the frontline to fight against the islanders, exchanging lives in a mutually destructive manner which would be fair to both parties.

Under Arthur’s orders, a large number of intelligence personnel from the Royal Security Intelligence Agency went to the Philippines, preparing to give the Americans some trouble.

Philippines, Manila, a luxurious villa.

This is a recently built luxury villa, mainly inhabited by dignitaries from the upper echelons of the Philippines and is the center of this autonomous nation and the gathering area for members of the Senate.

Knock, knock, knock!

At 9 o’clock in the evening, when all ordinary people had finished dinner and were preparing for rest, a knock on the door of a villa suddenly echoed, sounding very heavy in the silent night.

Without any hesitation, Manuel Quison got up to open the door.

If he guessed correctly, the other members of the Senate were just about to arrive. After the United States blatantly refused the Philippines’ request for independence, the Philippine Senate held a large-scale meeting almost every once in a while, and private gatherings among the members of different factions became even more frequent.

"Who are you?" Manuel Quison was about to greet them but realized that he didn’t know the people outside the door. They were all dressed in black, and it looked like they were up to no good.

Without any greeting, the visitors pulled out the handgun and gently pressed it against Manuel’s forehead, whispering, "Let’s talk inside."

Bang!

As the door closed, Manuel’s heart skipped a beat. This meant that no one would discover his predicament in the silent night unless he risked his life to scream loudly, but the muzzles of the enemies’ guns were not to be trifled with either. ＲâℕÔＢĚᶊ

Perhaps there was a slim chance of hope, but at this moment, Manuel would rather not have that glimmer of hope because that hope was his wife and daughter on the second floor.

Watching Manuel’s worried gaze occasionally darting to the second floor, the intelligence personnel were almost amused by his charade.

With a signal, several intelligence personnel rushed upstairs with guns, obviously having some knowledge of Manuel’s family situation.

"No, you can’t do this." Seeing the two intelligence personnel running upstairs with guns, Manuel’s face turned pale at this point, regretting that he had inadvertently revealed his weakness.

"Are you Mr. Manuel Quison?" The intelligence personnel carefully scrutinized Manuel’s appearance, and after confirming there were no problems, they asked.

"I am. If you were sent by the Americans, please let go of my wife and daughter. I am willing to pay any price," Manuel nodded with a pale face, having lost any hope of surviving.

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