On March 27th, 1913, before Arthur''s eyes, Minister Grey and Prime Minister Kent signed the treaty, formally representing the conclusion and implementation of the British-Australian Treaty that had been negotiated for over a month.


    This was aprehensive agreement covering diplomacy, economy, and military cooperation, with Austrsia officially bing an ally of the British and joining the ranks of the Allied Powers.


    The signing of the Anglo-Australian Treaty caused quite a sensation in both Austrsia and Europe on that day.


    It also meant that Austrsia would officially join the Allied Powers, bringing the number of Powers in the alliance to four, ahead of the three in the Central Powers.


    Although Austrsia''s status as a great power has only been acknowledged by European governments and media in recent years and still facespetition from ind nations,


    no one can deny Austrsia''s status as a great power - even if it is the eighth power, it is still much stronger than non-great powers.


    If we look at the strengths of the Allies and the Central Powers on-paper, the advantage of the Allies is even greater.


    Both Italy and Austrsia are bottom-ranking great powers, and to some extent, Austrsia''s military strength is even stronger than Italy''s (mainly reflected in the army, with bnced naval forces).


    Russia is also stronger than the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Combined, the British and French powers surpass Germany''s.


    Additionally, with the advantage ofnd area and poption, the scales of war seem to be tipping in favor of the Allies.


    On the day Austrsia announced its signing of the treaty with Britain, William II sent a telegram to Arthur inquiring about the situation.


    During the reign of Edward VII, Arthur''s rtionship with William II was undeniably better.


    However, the rtionship between the two countries is not sustained by Arthur''s personal connections. For Austrsia, joining the Allies brings more benefits and status, enabling it to be one of the top five powers.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    But if Austrsia joins the Central Powers, it would have no hope of victory unless it exhausts itsst drop of blood and shows its true cards.


    For both Arthur and Austrsia, it is uneptable to exhaust their potential and resources for Germany''s victory.


    Therefore, joining the Allies was the best oue, at least for Arthur and Austrsia.


    Although it may seem immoral given the rtionship between Arthur and William II, the development of the nation is like this, regardless of the individuals involved.


    In response to William II''s inquiry, Arthur could only exin that the majority of the British poption wanted the alliance.


    However, Arthur also assured William II that Austrsia would not use any illegal weapons in the war.


    Many illegal weapons were used in World War I. Both sides constantly devised new tactics in their quest for victory.


    Aside from the Maxim heavy machine gun, one of the deadliest weapons of World War I, there were also chemical weapons and methrowers, which struck fear into every soldier.


    Chemical weapons, with their various types of poisonous gas, caused soldiers to go blind, suffocate, be infected, or even die.


    The seemingly less destructive methrower inflicted cruel damage when it was used. Although they couldn''t break through sturdy fortresses, their extremely high temperatures could enter through loopholes and venttion holes, causing painful burns to enemies at close range.


    Those unfortunate enough could even be roasted alive by the methrower, a much crueler death than other methods.


    Even if someone was lucky and further away from the loophole, they could still suffocate or be dehydrated due to the quick consumption of oxygen and moisture caused by the high temperature.


    Furthermore, the high temperatures could ignite ammunition and shells inside the fortress, making it a close encounter with death for those without any shelter within.


    Although Austrsia''s joining of the Allies made them potential enemies with Germany in terms of position,


    the rtionship between Arthur and William II did not change significantly, and the two were still able to converse happily via telegram.


    However, as a top-ranking monarch, William II had his pride and would not try to retain Arthur, considering his actions were a form of betrayal.


    In William II''s view, victory on the battlefield should serve as proof to Arthur that the British-French alliance was just a shell, unable to withstand the might of the German Empire''s forces.


    It must be said that many Germans were somewhat arrogant during this period.


    Since the founding of the German Empire was based on the defeat of then Western European hegemon France, the feeling of facing a former defeated foe when confronting France and Ennd now made the German military and many high-ranking officials increasingly confident, not taking the French army seriously.


    The news of Austrsia joining the Allies also caused a stir domestically.


    The supportive poption naturally consists of immigrants from Britain and Russia. Due to the proportion of British immigrants and the high growth rate of Russian immigrants in recent years, thebined total of both British and Russian immigrants ounts for more than 85% of Austrsia''s total poption.


    Therefore, from the perspective of the people of Austrsia, joining the Allies was the general will of the people.


    As for the German poption, which ounts for less than 10%, they naturally did not want to see this happen.