Father of France

Chapter 1 Good Morning Syria

In August, in Damascus, Syria, the air was thick with the smell of dust and gunpowder.

A rhythmic military whistle sounded outside the window, and the boy on the bed opened his eyes and got up.

He got up and dressed in one smooth motion, and washed up in front of the mirror. Coman-Liansovar-Dragon ignored the military whistle in one ear and out the other, not only because it was a Saturday, but also because he had already lived a second life, where what he saw was what he got, and his mindset was mature.

I have no obsession with my past life as Koman. Without someone to help me reach the clouds, I couldn't have done it myself. If I had any ability at all, I wouldn't be completely without it!
The name Coman sounds somewhat Germanic, but he is indeed French and came to live in French Syria with his father, who served in the Foreign Legion.

Although Koeman's father was an officer, his rank was not high. He was still a major by the end of the French campaign, and later a lieutenant colonel, but it was Vichy France that promoted him.

I walked out of the room with water droplets on my face. There were still handprints from last night on the wall inside the bed, a mosquito was swatted on the wall, and a few mosquitoes had escaped through the open window.

"Have you heard? The Mosquito Emperor has fallen." (Shutting his voice) "What? Who did it?" (Surprised) "He was killed by a palm strike that reached out from above the clouds. His appearance was not visible."

"Good morning, Syria." Koman, dressed in military uniform, walked out of the barracks with ease, accompanied by two peers. Although they were in military uniform, their eyes clearly showed the same innocent and naive look as students.

He wandered through the narrow alleyways of Damascus's Old City. Behind him, the sunlight was fragmented by the towering stone walls, casting dappled shadows. His boots echoed dully on the ancient cobblestones.

Koman, who has lived a second life, may not have the same perspective as her peers, but she can't be a loner, can she?
Real society isn't a blockbuster movie; there's no such thing as individual heroism. The world war isn't over yet, but... it'll be soon.

"It's been a month since the Normandy landings, and I wonder when Paris will be liberated," Martin said softly to Koeman's left. "Although we've prepared ourselves mentally, we're still a little apprehensive about going to the battlefield."

As soon as he finished speaking, Alan, who was walking side by side with him, couldn't help but say, "Didn't they say yesterday that they were heading inland? The liberation of Paris should be coming soon, but I guess we still have to set off."

At this point, Alan looked at Coman, who was half a step ahead, and asked, "Coman, what do you think?"

"Germany's defeat is a foregone conclusion. If we don't go to the battlefield, it will be too late." Koeman continued walking without looking back. "Now is the time to reap the rewards. If we avoid going to the battlefield because of a little risk, we won't have this opportunity to get promoted quickly after the war ends."

“Indeed, but the Damascus Agreement?” As soon as Martin finished speaking, Alan waved his hand, signaling him to stop talking.

"The matter has been settled." Koeman said as he walked, still looking ahead. "The locals knew about it long before General de Gaulle came to Damascus, but it's not all bad. Otherwise, we wouldn't have been able to mobilize so many people to join the army."

This is a long story, but it's actually not that long. To put it simply, France was utterly defeated by the Germans in the Battle of France, and de Gaulle fled to London to continue the resistance, but what could he do? He had no one to command.

In the early days of Free France, things were indeed very difficult. Many French officers and soldiers who had retreated to Britain defected after learning that the Vichy government had surrendered.

When Germany swept across Europe, de Gaulle had only a few thousand French soldiers supporting his continued resistance, barely more than his father, Lieutenant Colonel Corman, the Foreign Legion commander. De Gaulle was outnumbered; most French had already conceded defeat, and he was considered a puppet of the British. Worse still, he had more than one puppet: in the Central African Republic, there was General Giraud, highly regarded by the Americans. Giraud held a higher rank than de Gaulle and had excellent relations with the United States.

At that time, de Gaulle dared to make any promises, such as publicly declaring that Syria would be allowed to gain independence after the war. The Damascus Agreement was a product of de Gaulle's visit to Damascus in 1942.

De Gaulle came to Damascus primarily to seek assistance, even though the French Syrian colony was smaller in area than French Africa and its natural conditions were incomparable to those of French Indochina.

Africa, especially Algeria, is the main base of the French Foreign Legion. As for Syria, there is only a foreign legion of 2,000 men. Although it is a foreign legion, the commander is still French. Koeman's father was the commander of this unit.

In the Syrian-Lebanese campaign of 1941, Henri Fernand Denz, the French commander under Vichy France, resisted the combined British and French forces.

At the time, Coman's father was building a defensive line in the Golan Heights, but the British army did not attack from the direction of Palestine, so they returned to Damascus.

As the Anglo-French allied forces approached Damascus, after much deliberation, Coleman's father mustered his courage and, at a military conference, roared for the French commander, Henry, to get out of there.

Then came the Casablanca Conference, and before that, facing the advantage of General Giraud, who was supported by the United States, de Gaulle traveled from London to Damascus. The 30,000 French troops in French Syria became de Gaulle's main support force.

While Koman was still thinking about the changes he could bring to the world, he heard a prayer. He immediately recognized the direction and realized it was a church holding Mass.

"In the name of Your Son Jesus Christ, before all angels and saints, we beseech You to hear the vows of Your servants. Grant us the strength to overcome the ungodly..."

Listening to the prayers of Mass, Koman continued walking without stopping. The Syrian governor's mansion came into view. The three of them stopped in front of the guards, and Koman turned around and instructed, "Wait here for a moment."

For France, a country whose homeland was occupied, the World War was also an opportunity for internal reshuffling. It should be noted that the future French president, Pompidou, was just a French trade negotiator who was stranded in Britain, and Marshal Leclerc, who later named the French main battle tank, was only a captain before the war.

After giving the order, Koman went directly into the governor's mansion. A young woman of about sixteen or seventeen with exotic features appeared. Koman greeted her politely, "Madame Famaty, is General Fontaine here?"

"Coman, you've worked hard in the military camp." Famati, who was the same age as Coman, was very enthusiastic and invited him in, leading the way. "I knew you would come on the weekend, so I'll take you there."

"It seems that the relationship between the lady and General Fontaine is progressing very well." Koman followed behind, trying to make conversation by asking about the relationship between the older man and the younger woman.

　My skill level has probably dropped significantly, so I'm understandably uneasy. I won't be boxing or talking about religion, at least not in public.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)