Although Russia has agreed to continue the war, its diplomatic relations are complex.
On one hand, Russia, after receiving massive aid from Britain and France, did not withdraw its frontline troops.
On the other hand, Germany and Russia are maintaining some contact, and there seems to be the possibility of a peace treaty between Germany and Russia.
Now that the war has reached this point, both the Allies and the Central Powers are exhausted.
Almost 20 million soldiers have been involved in the war on both sides, and the casualty numbers have soared after the Battle of Verdun and the Battle of the Somme.
According to the current situation revealed by various countries, the total casualty figures in World War I have reached nearly 12 million, with over 5 million confirmed deaths.
This casualty figure is exaggerated. Europe's great powers had not even deployed 5 million combined soldiers before the war began, which now represents a quarter of the total fighting force.
What this implies is that Europe's pre-war elite troops have been basically depleted, and most of the armies participating in the war are now hastily conscripted after the outbreak of the conflict.
Russia was the first country to experience civil unrest due to the war, but it will not be the last.
At present, the war has had a significant impact on Europe, with the extension of working hours, the reduction of material distribution, and the conscription of many adult men, making a growing number of Europeans increasingly disgusted with this war.
As early as six months ago, Germany put forward a comprehensive peace proposal. But Germany is currently the country with the most occupied territories and the most gains, so Britain and France would naturally not accept ending the war on these terms.
Therefore, the hope for peace talks ended, and the ongoing Russian unrest has given the Germans another chance to engage in frequent contact with the Russians.
In fact, diplomatic activities during the war are not limited to these. Outside of Europe, the island nations of Asia and the United States on the other side of the Atlantic are closely following this war.
Historically, the United States has competed with the island nations during World War I for control of the Pacific and Far East, causing intense conflicts between them.
However, now all of these territories have been essentially taken over by Australasia, and there are no longer any conflicts between the United States and the island nations.
Even the US-Japanese Alliance Treaty, signed a few years ago, seemed to be aimed at jointly confronting Australasia and occupying the Far East and the Pacific Islands.
Regrettably, the relationship between Australasia and the major powers of the Allied Nations has remained very close, and the small US-Japanese Alliance can hardly oppose the Allied Nations as a whole, both during and after the war.
Unlike the intrigues with the island nations over the German colonies in East Asia, the Americans clearly have greater ambitions.
When World War I first broke out, President Wilson of the United States declared America's strict neutrality. But this was not to keep the United States out of the war or away from international affairs.
According to President Wilson's own words, this was to preserve sufficient strength during the early stages of the war, and assume the role of arbitrator in deciding the outcome of the war during the latter stages.
Obviously, rather than participating actively in the war, the Americans would prefer to preserve their strength, join the winning side with minimal casualties, and ultimately emerge victorious in this war.
Australasians did not suffer from such circumstances. Even before the outbreak of the war, they were encouraged to stockpile a year's supply of food.
The Australasian government opened up grain reserves twice for each household, allowing most Australasian families to stockpile nearly a thousand catties of grain.
Moreover, the strategic grain reserves of the Australasian government exceeded 6 million tons, enough for all Australasians to live for more than a year and a half without any food production.
With the highly developed animal husbandry in Australasia, there was no food crisis for Australasians, and the daily food and calorie intake before and after the war did not decline, and even increased in terms of meat consumption.
It was precisely because of the abundant food production and excellent animal husbandry in Australasia that it was the only warring country that did not implement a system of material rationing.
Although food prices did rise after the war broke out, they remained at a reasonable figure, a number sufficient for all Australasians to afford food, under the control of the royal financial group.
Moreover, the Royal Relief Committee had not stopped working during the war, still providing free food and medical supplies to low-income and no-income individuals.
Australasians can proudly declare that they are undoubtedly the best of all participating countries.
Of course, despite living well, Arthur had no intention of flaunting their good life, and their external image remained simple.
In order to better familiarize the public with the royal family and increase their goodwill towards the royal family, the Royal Film Production Studio made a movie about the Australasian royal family, which included Arthur's entire day of work and the royal family's clothing, food, housing, and transportation.
In this film, similar to a promotional video, the food of Arthur and the royal family was very simple. Breakfast consisted of a slice of bread and a glass of milk, with a vegetable soup.
Lunch was a steak, mashed potatoes, and a grilled sausage, accompanied by a glass of red wine from the winery.
Dinner was even simpler with a Spanish-style fried rice, a light stir-fried vegetable dish, and some fruits.
While their life was slightly better than that of the common people, it was still on a similar level.
If the people of Australasia wanted to live more luxuriously, they could have the same diet as Arthur.
That was also what Arthur wanted to portray: the simplicity and frugality of the royal family. When people saw that their food was not much different from that of the royal family, even if the war affected them, their dissatisfaction would dissipate.
However, the common people obviously did not know that the chefs in the palace were different from those outside, and the food they made also had essential differences.
For example, the steak that Arthur ate was selected from the best meat and cooked precisely to the second, with seasonings from all over the world and exquisite craftsmanship. In later generations, it would be a luxury item.
Of course, frugality and simplicity were not the only things on display. After the outbreak of the war, royal family members did not travel ostentatiously, did not visit any Australian streets and shops, and did not purchase any luxury items.
In the eyes of the people, the royal family's clothing, food, housing, and transportation became simple, which made the people love the royal family even more. After all, it was rare for nobles to share hardships with the people, let alone Arthur, who gave out massive funds every year to help the poor.
Although they did not buy a lot of clothing and luxury items openly, in private, the royal family's personal tailors and jewelers made bespoke clothes and jewelry for all royal family members every year.
For all the members of the European royal families, bespoke items were the best. The cost of any bespoke gown of Arthur exceeded 10,000 Australian dollars, not to mention the actual price after considering the time cost and labor cost.