Father of France

Chapter 16 I want to investigate Chanel
The High Court dealt with high-ranking officials of Vichy France and well-known traitors, while civil servants, writers, and ordinary French citizens who collaborated with the German occupying forces were handed over to the Judicial Purification Committee.

It is certain that the latter group far outnumbers the former; this is beyond doubt.

The French Youth Division was naturally responsible for dealing with this group of French traitors, who were certainly far more numerous than the former, including their arrest and interrogation. The High Court could not possibly try everyone in detail; ordinary people were not qualified. This was an institution established to deal with high-ranking officials like Pétain.

"Although the Youth Division was mentally prepared for the upcoming mission, interference was foreseeable." Major General Duval was very clear about his own position. This kind of thing that offended people was definitely not going to be smooth sailing. Otherwise, how could it have happened to him, who was already fifty-eight years old?
Therefore, Duval had already anticipated that the work of this judicial purification committee would offend many people. "Your Excellency General de Gaulle, I must obtain several conditions. First, we will certainly face a future counter-offensive and retribution issue. In order to avoid such risks, I hope to obtain a commitment."

"Please speak." De Gaulle was not entirely unaware of the potential conflicts of interest involved in this kind of work, so he patiently waited for General Duval's request.

“Once the trial is over, the convicts must be stripped of their right to vote and to be elected. Two generations of them must be barred from government jobs, including those in state-owned enterprises. Otherwise, they will inevitably harbor resentment towards the current purge of French traitors and question the correctness of rebuilding French cohesion.”

This was naturally added by Admiral Dragon's genius son. At this moment, Corman, who was on his way to Paris by train, felt a kind of causal force enveloping his entire body.

De Gaulle fell into deep thought. If it was merely a matter of depriving criminals of their political rights, that would be understandable and not difficult at all.

But France, which prides itself on being a pioneer of the modern republican system, is depriving two generations of their political rights? Is this something France, which prides itself on liberty, equality, and fraternity, would do?
Little did de Gaulle know that this was the wisdom that Koman had drawn from the Far East. If the Soviet Union had such strict standards, then Koman, with his background as a working-class man, would never have been able to climb to the top of the Soviet Union.
After much deliberation, de Gaulle finally made up his mind. Although this violated the spirit of the French, modern France had never been occupied by a country for four years, and he had to vent his anger.

De Gaulle lived during the transition period between the Third and Fourth Republics. In this brief period, history granted him the greatest power since Napoleon. As the liberator of France, De Gaulle's power was limitless.

"Then let's do it this way." After a long silence, de Gaulle finally gave his answer, even if it went against the spirit of republican France.

The train from Marseille finally stopped at Paris station. The six-hour journey wasn't long, but it was enough to dampen the passengers' spirits. Even in Koeman's company, many people had never taken a train before.

The sight of this group of soldiers wearing black masks exiting the station drew attention, with some train station passengers watching them with curiosity.

"This is Paris?" Martin exclaimed, his tone carrying a hint of pilgrimage, as if he had arrived at a promised land of the soul.

"It doesn't seem to have been too badly damaged by the war," Coleman muttered, not surprised by Martin's attitude; Paris has always been a well-known city.

It could even be said that Paris's reputation far surpasses its actual strength, which may also be related to its status as a revolutionary base area.

Don't forget that before Koman left Syria, he met with two spiritual leaders of Arab pacifism, both of whom had studied in Paris.

There's no rush. Corman actually has no impression of Paris. His family isn't some kind of elite family, otherwise he wouldn't have served in Dragoon for so many years to only become a major. A major isn't a low rank; he certainly has more status than the average Frenchman.

However, if we're talking about being part of the national interest group, among the two million French soldiers captured by Germany, there were at least a thousand majors. According to his father, Dracon, his family probably lived in Lorraine a hundred years ago, just like a group of comrades-in-arms—a real-life example of a country bumpkin visiting a grand mansion.

When I arrived at the Eiffel Tower, I didn't have a camera in my hand, so I couldn't even take a picture.

"We can only hope to rob the Germans." Seeing his comrades' disappointment, Koeman blurted out, trying to shift the blame: when in doubt, just say Germany.

Soon, the Judicial Purification Committee was established, co-led by another Secretary-General and General Duval, marking the official establishment of a department for the campaign to purge French traitors.

Koman's company was officially assigned to the Youth Division. On the way to the Judicial Purification Committee, Koman paused in front of a building with the number 404 and muttered, "If I had a choice, I would set up the Judicial Purification Committee here."

It wouldn't normally be easy for a warrant officer to travel to the headquarters of the Judicial Purification Committee, but with his connections, he needed to get some information from Major General Duval, such as the scope of their authority and their bottom line.

It's definitely not fair to just grab someone off the street and arrest them just because they're accused of being a traitor; that's far too frivolous.

General Duval would not have been appointed commander of the Youth Division and placed in charge of the Judicial Purification Committee if he had not accepted the role of a clear-cut traitor.

Now that the Judicial Purification Commission has been established, General Duval is still at a loss as to where to make a breakthrough.

When Coman met General Duval, his direct superior was still at a loss, wondering whether to bring back the colonial methods.

“I think we definitely need to mobilize the masses.” Upon hearing that General Duval had this idea, Coman quickly stopped him, as colonies and the homeland are completely different. “In addition to mobilizing the masses to provide information on the evidence of traitors, we also need to find a breakthrough from the German prisoners of war we currently have. Of course, I don’t know how many German occupying army prisoners of war there are or whether they are involved in this kind of intelligence. This is just a suggestion.”

"It looks like it'll be very difficult." General Duval smiled helplessly. It seemed this job wasn't something that could be done simply by being prepared to take the blame. "Corman, are you staying here or going on assignment?"

General Duval was very kind to Coman and quickly received a response: "I want to investigate Chanel."

General Duval looked bewildered. He didn't know what Chanel was, but it sounded like a woman's name. Was there a huge female traitor in France?
"It may not be accurate, it's just an investigation," Koeman replied with a smile. Whether it's true or not depends on his judgment; whatever he decides is what he decides.

　My power as president is unlimited.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)