Father of France

Chapter 116 Rapid Progress

"It's nothing. My sister is truly a hidden talent." Koman's intelligence once again prevailed. "Japan's surrender is just around the corner. I'm glad that the great United States possesses such powerful weapons, which strengthens its ability to maintain world peace."

Koeman's words were absolutely sincere, without a single falsehood. If there were even the slightest falsehood, I would let the Yellowstone volcano erupt and destroy the world.

Or perhaps the Haitians staged a maritime survival showdown, joined the United States, and took root within its borders.

With Japan's surrender not far off, I wonder how far the French Expeditionary Force's return to the Far East has progressed.
Koeman didn't care about the value of French Indochina. It wasn't that French Indochina had no value, but rather that he didn't care about territory he couldn't hold onto. No matter how valuable it was, it wasn't French, so its value was zero.

If you count on your fingers, the only valuable thing in French Indochina is probably the local Catholic population, which is less than 8%, or about three million people. It seems that the Catholic population is still Wu Dinh Diem's ​​base.

However, if France needs this group of people, Koeman, for the sake of stability in Algeria, certainly cannot leave Wu Dinh Diem with such a reliable group, because France also needs them.

Previously, Corman calculated that France currently has about five million people available for use, excluding new immigrants, which is still some distance from the eight million Arabs in Algeria.

If we add the two million people in French Indochina, then the two are almost evenly matched.

France's colonies were second only to Britain in size, but far fewer in population. After all, France possessed India, the jewel of the British Empire and a future great power.

French Indochina was the most densely populated of the French colonies, with a population of less than 30 million. Vietnam accounted for 90% of that population. Vietnam had an overwhelming advantage over Cambodia and Laos. It is no wonder that after France withdrew from Southeast Asia, Vietnam wanted to unify French Indochina and become a regional power.

Introducing immigrants could cause instability in Algeria, but this risk is negligible compared to Algeria's independence.

As for whether Southeast Asian Catholics will be unruly? There's no need to worry. People from other regions might pose this threat, but Southeast Asia has historically been the sewer for East Asian powers.

Southeast Asia is surrounded by two centers of civilization, one being Confucianism and the other Hinduism. Neither of these civilizations seems like the kind that would cause trouble.

Therefore, the risks of introducing Catholic populations from French Indochina are entirely manageable, and they may even serve as model immigrants, similar to Chinese Americans.

Besides the Catholic population, there are over one million Chinese in Vietnam. Even if there is some overlap between the Chinese and Catholic populations, the overlap is not significant.

The Chinese population can also be absorbed by France. If everything goes smoothly, an environment can be created in Algeria where the Arab and Berber populations, who are peaceful Christians, make up no more than 50 percent of the population.

This is actually similar to the situation in Lebanon right after World War II, but there are also differences. After all, Algeria is considered an overseas province of France. Once such conditions are met, the French central government in Paris will try to eliminate the influence of the Church of Peace.

Therefore, once the final piece of the puzzle—French Indochina—is in place, the possibility of Algerian independence will decrease significantly.

Ava Gardner, an American woman, could not possibly understand Corman's dedication to his country. She asked a question but got no answer, so she stopped there.

"Honey, you're such a clothes hanger, you look so handsome in a men's shirt." After looking her up and down, Koman didn't hold back his praise. Since they were already in this relationship, he naturally wanted to give her enough emotional value. "Actually, I've always kept you in my heart."

“I put you in there too.” Ava Gardner made a suggestive remark without warning, saying something similar but with a completely different meaning.

Although Ava Gardner doesn't deny that the man has been incredibly kind to her these past few days, she still wasn't mentally prepared for such a short-term transnational romance.

Pierre, who was in the same army as Coman, arrived at The Tavern. His comrade was warmly received by Vanderbilt III. The fact that a national procurement team was staying at the Vanderbilt family estate was an opportunity for the family to demonstrate its value.

The Vanderbilt family is not what it used to be, and now it must rely on outsiders to demonstrate its value in uniting the people.

Like Corman, Pierre visited many army equipment companies, mainly in the armored forces sector, including the introduction of Jeeps and Dodge WC series trucks, and a large number of surplus Sherman tanks and their variants.

"These things." Koeman looked embarrassed after hearing this, his face practically screaming "I don't like them." They were just a pile of junk. "We must quickly restore our fighting strength. The integration of German technology will take time, but some colonies have already started to revolt. Even in the military operations of the Far East colonies, weapons and equipment from before 1940 are inadequate. The diffusion of technology in recent years has become very obvious."

Pierre noticed Coman's hesitation and could only explain in detail, "The United States has a large inventory at reasonable prices, making it a necessary choice for us now."

“I understand.” Although Coman was reluctant, he knew that the French army was in a period of transition, and while independence was important, it would take time to achieve.

France suffered heavy losses in World War II, and its military industry, infrastructure, and military equipment urgently needed to be restored and modernized.

Despite France's own strong military technology foundation, seeking American aid and technology transfer became the quickest way to rebuild a modern army capable of coping with the uncertain post-war situation.

Pierre told Corman that the army and navy were not in much trouble, but the French air force was completely lagging behind. This time, the air force representatives had more interests than the army and navy combined, and wanted bombers, fighters and transport planes. The procurement cost should be more than twice the total cost of the army and navy combined.

"From our perspective as soldiers, it's really embarrassing to be in this situation." Koeman's smile was tinged with bitterness. Although Britain and France are always referred to as old-line imperialist powers, only those who are in the midst of it understand that post-World War II Britain and France are not on the same level at all.

This also shows how difficult it was for de Gaulle to take ten years to integrate the strengths of both France and Britain, as the two countries started from completely different foundations.

"Corman, eat something." Ava Gardner brought out a plate of oysters and placed it in front of Corman, who was her husband's equal.

“Lieutenant Coleman, what’s this?” Pierre wanted to maintain the dignity of a French soldier, but he was shocked when he saw Eva Gardner’s face. He couldn’t very well lie and say that she was unattractive, could he?
“My new friend, I’m pursuing her but haven’t succeeded yet,” Coman said, making the expression of a shy little boy.

Hearing Koman's words, Ava Gardner couldn't help but think to herself, "You've done everything a boyfriend can do, and in so many different ways, how can it be that you failed?"

But she couldn't expose Koman's hypocrisy. She could only pinch Koman's back in anger, then sway away, determined to make this sanctimonious soldier explain himself properly that night.

“We’re here to inspect the arms sales project.” Pierre was clearly envious, adopting a righteous and stern demeanor as he said, “What if they’re spies sent by the Americans? Here to find out our bottom line and gain an advantage in future negotiations? That’s all very possible.”

"We don't just have the right to inspect, but also the right to set prices?" Koeman looked at Pierre strangely. Did the two of them, both from the army, receive the same information?
If Koeman knew that his comrade was consumed by jealousy because of Ava Gardner, he would definitely turn against him. Someone who covets his possession should never be allowed to live.

He fought for so many benefits for French soldiers, including the military protection law and the women's rights movement, yet some soldiers are still not satisfied.

Many things can only be done once and cannot be repeated. Nagasaki quickly made Hiroshima a has-been, and the American media's coverage of the second atomic bomb's actual use in combat was no longer comparable to what it had been before.

The question for Americans now is: when will Japan surrender?

At this very moment, Vanderbilt III, who was in charge of organizing art exhibitions, including the Picasso exhibition, at the Metropolitan Exhibition Center in New York, finally made his move, delivering a powerful blow to the Vanderbilt family before their social fall.

The New York Times' art column featured the exhibition on its front page, reporting that nearly a third of the more than eighty works on display had never been shown to the public in the United States before, including early drawings from private collections, rare sculptures, and draft manuscripts from the period when Guernica was created eight years ago.

Meanwhile, reports indicate that tickets for the first day of the exhibition sold out within ten minutes of going on sale, with many tickets ending up in the hands of scalpers waiting to be sold at higher prices.

"No wonder it's the most developed capitalist country in the world; there are scalpers in modern times?" Koeman had seen his share of ups and downs, but art was still a blind spot in his knowledge.

"This happens a lot, doesn't it happen a lot in France?" Ava Gardner asked, somewhat puzzled. Wasn't this standard procedure? Nevertheless, she stepped forward to inquire, "Are representatives from several French companies coming together?"

“It will be a little later. If the exhibition is a huge success, we will take the opportunity to hold a fashion show.” Koman took Ava Gardner’s hand in return, looking very affectionate. “Ava, I will definitely help you. I will do anything you want.”

“You talk like you’re the emperor of the French Empire.” Ava Gardner rolled her eyes at Coman and whispered, “Only I would believe you like this. If anyone else heard a lieutenant talking like that, they would send you to a mental hospital.”

(End of this chapter)