Father of France

Chapter 146 Axis Allied Forces

The telegram from the British to Dashanliu stated that the Indonesian Communist Party was holding its first congress since Indonesia's independence in Cirebon, West Java, demanding that the government stop disarming people's organizations and establish independent trade unions and farmers' associations.

During the congress, armed clashes broke out between the Communist Party of Indonesia's Red Militia and the army supporting Sukarno.

After reading it, Dassanliu said with a solemn expression, "There is still the Indonesian Communist Party in Indonesia. It seems that the red wave has spread all over the world."

“General Dachanliu, please don’t say that.” Coman coughed. The current government in Paris is a left-wing government composed of the Socialist Party and the French Communist Party. What Dachanliu is saying now is very politically incorrect.

Koeman reminded Dashanliu to watch his words, otherwise the current government might find out and make things difficult for him. "What are the British's intentions?"

"The war is not going well, and they hope we will send troops to strengthen European unity," Dassault replied without hesitation. "What other purpose could they have? But we also have our own problems."

Dachanliu meant that France didn't even control northern French Indochina, and simply didn't have time to scratch someone else's itch when it was already riddled with problems itself.

"The situation in Indonesia was similar to that in French Indochina. When the Japanese knew that defeat was inevitable, they wanted to completely destroy the order in Southeast Asia, with the aim of not letting others prosper if they themselves did not prosper. This was the case with the Greater East Asia Liberation War that Japan promoted in the later stages of the war."

Koeman analyzed Japan's attempt to drag old European colonial empires into the mess, saying, "I heard that last year, some Japanese troops in Indonesia helped local armed groups fight against the British troops who landed there."

“We also have Japanese prisoners of war. Originally, I just wanted to use the Japanese prisoners of war to cut timber and solve the timber shortage for the reconstruction of the overseas provinces, but since the Japanese are so willing to cause trouble.”

Koeman's voice grew colder as he said, "Anyway, French Indochina isn't short of labor. It's not a bad idea to spare some Japanese prisoners of war and let them redeem themselves. Aren't the Japanese supporting independence movements to cause us trouble? We'll just shatter Japan's anti-colonial filter. There are quite a few Germans and Italians in the foreign legion that just arrived in French Indochina. The Axis powers are all here now."

"We only need to use a very small number of regular troops to supervise the battle, send the prisoners of Germany, Italy and Japan to Indonesia, and those bastards from the Hirakawa faction also need combat experience, so we can learn from the Indonesians. This way we can save costs, and we won't feel bad even if the losses are too great."

If it were just about sending troops, squeezing out France wouldn't be a problem. However, at least a portion of the military expenses would have to be borne by the British and Dutch, because Britain's purpose in sending troops to Indonesia was clearly to protect its own interests.

Although French Indochina was also in Southeast Asia, Southeast Asia is very large. The British Malayan colony was the one that directly faced the Indonesian threat and was also an inseparable part of Greater Indonesia in the words of some Indonesian nationalists, such as Sukarno-Deng. The integrity of Indonesia was divided by Britain and the Netherlands, which led to the current division of Indonesia.

This has no direct connection to France; France can remain uninvolved, but Britain cannot.

British Malaya is one of the few remaining British colonies with a small population, abundant land, and relatively rich resources. In addition, its strategic location is very important. If Coman had supreme authority, Malaya would be the cornerstone of the British Empire's ability to maintain its global empire.

Even after the Labour Party came to power, Prime Minister Attlee still valued British Malaya. Immediately after Japan's surrender, Prime Minister Attlee's Labour cabinet formally approved the "Malaysia Policy Directive Draft".

The core content of the draft is: first, to unite the various princely states more closely in the interest of Britain and jointly build a strong Malayan federation; second, to strip the sultans of the various Malayan princely states of their sovereignty, so that they would completely lose their ruling power over Malaya.

Britain was heavily reliant on raw materials from Malaya and encouraged the development of its plantation industry, particularly in rubber and tin mining. These were important sources of foreign exchange earnings for Britain's exports to the United States.

The French army is also facing a heavy workload. Sending troops under the pretext of maintaining European unity is not out of the question, but it cannot create a financial burden on France. If Britain can solve this problem, then there will be no obstacle to sending troops to help.

After listening to Coman's analysis, Dachsil nodded in agreement, saying, "That's true. Europe has a complete order in Southeast Asia, and France certainly won't back down if it can help."

"Sending out some armed forces is just the beginning. Before we take back North Vietnam, we also need to purge all the various forces in South Vietnam." Koman's actions against the Pingchuan faction were just the start.

During World War II, the Japanese army established guerrilla training camps in Cambodia to cultivate anti-French forces, recruiting many Vietnamese. Vietnamese who had experienced unusual upward mobility during the Japanese occupation, especially those in politics and the military, had to be screened.

It wasn't about launching a major offensive like against the Hirakawa faction, but it was definitely about removing these individuals, who might have been supported by Japan, from the ruling apparatus of French Indochina. Koeman ultimately suggested sending two battalions of the Foreign Legion first. Two battalions weren't a large force; if there were no significant risks, the number could be increased later. This wouldn't provoke resentment from the domestic left-wing government, and Japanese prisoners of war could later be sent to the battlefield to personally destroy the seeds of conflict left behind by the Japanese before their defeat.

Dachanliu agreed, but on his own condition: Britain must promise to solve France's tin shortage problem. Although France was not as advanced as Britain in cutting-edge fields, it was on par with Britain in most industrial sectors.

There are only a few sources of tin ore in the world, and the tin mines in British Malaya are the most suitable. If we trade with the United States, it will put pressure on foreign exchange reserves.

Food and beverage cans, chemical drums, bottle caps, toy packaging, etc. These are very traditional but still crucial applications of tin.

There are also automotive coatings, electroplating, conductive coatings on glass, flame retardants, and ceramic glazes. It can be said that they are used in all aspects. However, the French colonies still had shortcomings and were far less self-sufficient than the British colonies.

If Britain could open up some of its tin mining quotas to trade with France, France's weakness would be greatly reduced. This would at least alleviate some of the foreign exchange shortage. It's better to avoid importing from the US if possible, otherwise, France will be constantly at the mercy of the US.

If Britain agreed, it would be much easier for Dachanliu to persuade the left-wing government in Paris, because this was indeed France's weakness, and it was unacceptable to stifle the country's normal needs in the name of so-called progress.

"Lefebvre, invite Mr. Li. Tell him we're waiting for him at the Gu family's restaurant," Coman instructed Lefebvre as he left the governor's mansion.

Koman appeared at Gu Qing's restaurant again, this time to fulfill his promise, or rather, to fulfill his promise ahead of schedule.

Before sending the craftsmen into Chang Gong's territory to find the artisans that Koman needed and successfully returning, Koman planned to first deliver the benefits to Gu Qing.

“Since Mr. Gu can open the largest hotel on the embankment, I have a task that is perfect for you,” Coman said directly, stating his purpose. “This would be a good thing for you.”

Gu Qing sat down in front of Koman with surprise and asked curiously, "Sir, I can't accept this reward without having done anything right. The overseas Chinese team I sent out hasn't returned yet..."

“I’m going to outsource some of the logistics to you,” Koeman said, waving his hand dismissively. “We have a military operation in the East Indies, and the troops we send out can’t go hungry. This is an opportunity for you.”

Gu Qing was about to stand up when she heard this, but when she saw Koman waving his hand, she quickly sat down and said with a look of joy, "Sir, I really can't believe it. You are so kind to me. I feel like I'm dreaming. I don't know how such a good thing could happen to me."

"I believe in the principle of equivalent exchange." Koeman thought to himself that he was only trying to save money and had completely regarded French Indochina as the end of a dynasty. Under the premise of no future, he naturally adhered to the concept of speed, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness, which would not normally exist. "Actually, French cuisine is not bad, but our European eating habits, although we do not reject rice, are definitely not as sophisticated as yours. Take rice, for example. The military's logistical support can only say that it is edible. This requires people who can cook the local ingredients well. You Chinese are the most suitable."

Koeman believes that the biggest characteristic of Chinese cuisine is that, because the Chinese population has been too large for a long time, it is necessary to make food from the most edible ingredients possible. It is a cuisine that was born from a long period of hunger.

Famine certainly occurs in Europe, such as France, but because the population is not large, there is no prolonged and intense survival crisis.

Therefore, the range of ingredients covered by French cuisine is certainly not wide enough. Many things that were only available to Europeans during famines have long been commonly prepared in Chinese cuisine.

If French Indochina decides to send troops to Indonesia to demonstrate European unity, it would obviously be more cost-effective to use local supplies than to continue supplying French baguettes to Saigon. Furthermore, Japanese prisoners of war are also East Asians, and their dietary habits are rice-based rather than wheat-based; these factors must also be considered.

With this in mind, Koeman didn't hide France's desire for European unity while also avoiding significant financial losses. "Mr. Li's Hirakawa faction was also involved in this operation, and some Japanese prisoners of war will be released. Their food supplies will be provided to you. Now that the war is over, I hope Mr. Gu won't let past grudges negatively impact France's military operations. If you want revenge, most of the Japanese prisoners of war's food supplies from the French Indochina Forestry Administration will also be provided to you, but it can't interfere with work efficiency."

One thing at a time, Koeman laid out the arrangements for the various factions that had been largely dealt with, as if slicing a cake.

"Sir, Mr. Li has arrived." As Lefebvre spoke, Li Wenhua's figure appeared behind him.

(End of this chapter)