Father of France

Chapter 139 Saigon
Although both are left-wing parties, the Socialist Party and the French Communist Party are not without their contradictions. In this situation, the instability of the parliamentary system might actually be a good thing.

De Gaulle would not step into politics when most people still generally supported a parliamentary system. Therefore, he did not show any enthusiasm for politics when the People's Republican Movement members came to him, and continued to live his life away from politics.

The French Communist Party and the Socialist Party have already devised a plan, which remains a secret to ordinary French people, but not to a small group of well-informed individuals.

The members of the People's Republican Movement were restless, and the overseas provinces in North Africa were not idle either. General Juan had already heard about the plan and realized that what Koeman had said earlier was definitely not unfounded.

It must have been Admiral Dragon, who was far away in Paris, who first learned of the situation, which is why North Africa was prepared.

In fact, the preparations that the North African overseas provinces need to make are far more than these. Preparations for French Indochina are also a headache for General Zhu An.

The French expeditionary force has returned to French Indochina. The current situation is that the French have regained control of the southern part of Vietnam, but the northern part of Vietnam remains under the control of their northern neighbor.

The French army's top priority now is to retake North Vietnam. To this end, they must prepare for two things: one is diplomatic negotiations, which goes without saying.

Another aspect is war preparation. Algiers is the location of the headquarters of the French Foreign Legion, which has always been an indispensable part of France's foreign military operations.

It's fair to say that Algiers cannot remain uninvolved in any French military action. France now faces the challenge of reclaiming control of North Vietnam from the world's most populous nation. This premise alone means that achieving this goal through minor skirmishes is not feasible.

The French army certainly did not want to clash with the enemy's overwhelming manpower advantage, but they had to take it seriously no matter what, or they would be underestimated.

When Corman inspected the prison ward, he saw prisoners of war working so hard on their sewing machines that sparks flew. Wasn't that also to replenish the supplies for the French army in French Indochina? Otherwise, why would they be using green fabric in the North African environment?
He visited the French military headquarters in Constantine once again, bringing with him supplies needed by 50,000 French troops, including uniforms, tents, and boots suitable for Southeast Asia, and reported on the difficulties they faced.

"The timber shortage is severe, and the local area is also undergoing reconstruction, so it is impossible for them to provide us with enough supplies."

After waiting for a long time, Koman appeared before General Zhuan. "As things stand, there are three places that can provide timber: imports from the Soviet Union, and given the current economic strength of our own country, the timber allocated to overseas provinces is barely enough. We have to find our own way."

Imports from the Soviet Union required trade, and it was impossible to import without exporting, otherwise the trade would be unbalanced.

The fact that the government is now preparing to devalue the franc demonstrates the severity of the fiscal problem. France has now returned to a parliamentary system, and the excessive allocation to North Africa will likely lead to a fiscal deficit that could influence the parties that made this decision.

Although the French Communist Party and the Socialist coalition is considered very stable in parliament, this stability is just right, with the two parties holding just over 50 percent of the seats.

If any member of parliament were to harbor disloyal thoughts while serving in one's own camp, the alliance would be thrown into turmoil.

Therefore, although the left-wing alliance appears to be in control of the overall situation, if an unexpected event occurs where something that weighs a thousand kilograms instead of four ounces is weighed, the collapse could happen in an instant.

The French Communist Party was not a party willing to sacrifice everything for revolution. Both the Socialist Party and the French Communist Party held anti-colonial positions in theory and criticized the oppressive nature of the colonial system. They tended to replace the old colonial relationship with the French Union, a concept more moderate than the empire, and advocated that each colony enjoy a certain degree of autonomy and representation within this union.

Now that they had seized power, they had to tone down their previous anti-colonial rhetoric, and the core policy remained maintaining French sovereignty in Indochina. French Indochina, as a crucial source of raw materials, was politically and economically unimaginable.

If we maintain our previous anti-colonial stance, from the perspective of basic patriotic education, many people may consider us unpatriotic.

This is a problem faced by Marxist political parties in many countries. Class is indeed greater than ethnicity, but most people don't feel it. Nationalism is more concrete and easier for people to understand.

Now, with a timber shortage in the North African overseas provinces and the government unwilling to relinquish its Soviet import quota, the only option left is to find a solution from the colonies.

The only way to supplement the current urban construction in the overseas provinces is to either bear the costs themselves, but Koman estimates that the forest coverage in North Africa is barely even five percent. It's practically a vivid representation of a black-and-white photograph of a major Eastern country before liberation. The major Eastern country at least has eight percent forest coverage, while this overseas province is literally a barren wasteland.

Unable to solve the problem itself, and with no assistance available from the mainland, the timber shortage had to be addressed by other colonies, and the French colonies were indeed able to solve this problem.

Both French Equatorial Africa and French Indochina have high forest coverage. On the surface, French Equatorial Africa is closer, but its infrastructure is so bad that there are few places in the world that can be better off. Normal means simply cannot transport goods out of there.

Transporting goods via the Congo River might be a solution, but the Congo River? It's one of the most dangerous rivers in the world, far more turbulent than you can imagine.

Due to the terrain, a series of waterfalls, canyons, and rapids have been created, the most famous of which is Livingstone Falls.

This is not a single waterfall, but a huge group of rapids and waterfalls consisting of thirty-two streams, stretching for about 350 kilometers.

The water here is swift and turbulent, with dense rocks, making it completely impassable and a natural barrier to shipping.

Due to its enormous volume of water and steep canyon terrain downstream, the Congo River reaches astonishing depths in some sections. In its lower canyon section, the depth exceeds 220 meters, making it the deepest river in the world. This extremely deep channel accommodates massive volumes of water flowing at high speeds.

The Congo River's rapids even lead to different fish species existing on both banks simultaneously, meaning that fish in the same river can never reach the other side. Timber from French Equatorial Africa simply cannot be transported out.

Apart from French Equatorial Africa, the only remaining option is to resolve the gap through French Indochina.

"I request permission to escort this batch of essential supplies to Saigon, and at the same time work with my comrades there to resolve this issue," Koeman submitted his request to General Juan.

“You are indeed very suitable.” General Zhuan agreed, considering that Koman’s family background could facilitate cooperation between the French forces in the two regions. Otherwise, the overseas provinces’ greening efforts, which relied mainly on wild grass, would have to be halted.

Before Corman completes this task, the only way to stop construction is for Paris to address its immediate problems. Paris can handle small-scale issues, but when it comes to rebuilding for ten million people, the Parisian government will face serious consequences if it tries to resolve the issue itself, as the local citizens who hold the power of votes will not be trifled with.

It took Corman twenty-three days to travel from Constantine to Saigon, finally arriving at Algeria, which was generally considered France's most important colony. Algeria was an overseas department and not part of the colonies.

Saigon is the heartland of French immigrants. Currently, there are fewer than 50,000 French immigrants in French Indochina, most of whom live in Saigon.

Saigon is also the central city of the French army in South Vietnam and Cambodia at present, and the area north of Thuan Hoa is not yet under French control.

The Liberty Asia docked at Saigon port, and Corman, carrying supplies for 50,000 French troops, concluded his 23-day voyage and entered the "Paris of the East." Saigon's center was bustling, with tree-lined boulevards comparable to the Champs-Élysées, elegant villas, and cafes, all exuding European charm. The city center was orderly and well-organized.

The city boasts a variety of establishments, including casual cafes, French bakeries, high-end fashion boutiques, and dance halls. Saigon's upper class lives alongside French immigrants, enjoying French cuisine, jazz music, and social gatherings.

But outside the city center? That's another world altogether. In many old Hong Kong movies, the French Concession and the Chinese Concession in Shanghai are pretty much what Coman saw in Saigon.

"Captain Corman, that's the Chinese embankment area over there, a very vibrant place." The French military officer who came to greet Corman pointed to a cluster of people in the distance and introduced, "They control many economic lifelines, and many of our needs are provided by the Chinese."

“I understand. Aren’t we all outsiders?” Koman replied, turning his gaze away. “With this flexible group, I don’t think it will be too difficult for us to solve the problems in the overseas provinces. If there’s an opportunity, and I mean if it’s not dangerous, I’d like to take a trip to the Embankment District to see if our assistance is reliable.”

(End of this chapter)