Father of France

Chapter 161 Vietnam's Second Greatest Enemy

“We cannot allow French Indochina to become independent under the influence of that Viet Minh leader.” After a brief moment of thought, George Pidul made his decision and shared his thoughts with Finance Minister Schuman.

"What's wrong, George?" As the second-in-command of the People's Republican Movement and serving as Minister of Finance, Schumann had no idea that what he was about to say was closely related to him.

"Our country has a huge energy shortage, with an annual oil demand of over ten million tons, right?"

Seeing Schumann nod, George Pidul continued, "Oil-producing areas are either in the hands of the British or the Americans. Syria's oil production is low and it is still in the process of independence. The annual demand gap is 10 million tons, which requires 70 to 80 million US dollars to import energy."

As Finance Minister, Schuman was aware of France's current financial situation. If it were just a problem with the francs, it could be overcome, but other countries had no reason to foot the bill for France.

This situation was particularly acute when France was short of foreign exchange due to the devastation of war, and when it traded with the United States, which had not been affected by the war.

In fact, almost all European countries have this problem. If France's dollar reserves continue to be depleted at the current rate, they will consume $100 million per month and be completely depleted in five months.

If France runs out of US dollars, it will have to use its gold reserves to balance the books, and either option will be painful for the French government.

The main categories of imports causing the dollar shortage are food, energy, and industrial equipment.

In terms of food, French Indochina recently sent 500,000 tons of rice. Although this is not the traditional staple food of the French, in order to save dollars, the People's Republic Movement had no choice but to publicly advocate a balanced diet and promote a series of benefits of eating rice.

Energy is also a major source of France's foreign exchange reserves losses, mainly due to the trade deficit caused by oil imports. This is caused by the United States, which is now the world's largest oil producer.

The third major category is industrial equipment. While the first two categories can be addressed, importing industrial equipment is an unavoidable expense. Given the state of affairs in Europe, there is simply no comparable alternative to the United States.

It can be said that every one of France's current financial problems is closely related to the United States. The Soviet Union could only provide limited assistance for the first two issues, and had no way to help with the third one.

So when Georges Pidul asked Schuman to keep it a secret and then informed him of the oil discovery in the waters off French Indochina, he immediately understood why Georges Pidul had turned against him and his attitude softened. "We were unwilling to go back on our word under pressure from the Socialist Party and the French Communist Party, but we really had no other choice now."

“We cannot allow French Indochina to become independent, at least not until we are free from the effects of the war, even if it means we are drawn into another war,” George Pidul said with a sigh.

Even if another war breaks out, George Pidul may not change his mind.

If war breaks out, France will face financial pressure, but this financial pressure will be in francs.

However, if France were to agree to Ho Chi Minh's conditions, it would face a major food and energy shortage.

By then, the fiscal problems that will arise will not be solvable by the franc, but will lead to a standstill in trade between France and the United States due to the depletion of the dollar, a cost that France cannot afford.

If Koeman were to analyze this de facto dependence, it would be like the US-China relationship in the 21st century: productivity forces France to hold dollar reserves, and a crisis will occur once the dollar supply decreases.

France is now in a more difficult situation than either China or the United States in the 21st century. The Eastern power has no choice but to accept the US dollar simply because it cannot find an alternative currency for international trade settlements.

However, the productivity of this major Eastern power surpasses that of the United States, giving it its own advantages and preventing it from being at a disadvantage.

But what about France? Not only is the franc not much stronger than the yuan, but it can only accept the dollar for trade. And can France even compare to the United States in terms of productivity?
It is now 1946, just one year after the end of World War II. The United States has an unprecedented level of industrial production capacity, accounting for fifty percent of the world's total by a single country.

This is an unprecedented proportion, unmatched by any other country, signifying the absolute dominance of the US economy globally.

The Eastern superpower could ensure normal trade and keep Russia from internal turmoil during wartime. The United States was even better at this time, having no real competitor.

The People's Republican Movement government abruptly changed its stance on the French Indochina issue, choosing to align itself with the military and civil servant groups who were already uninterested in negotiations. This caught the Socialist Party and the French Communist Party completely off guard, leaving them wondering why Georges Pitoure had made such a dramatic shift.

However, Georges Pitoure did not directly answer the questions from both parties, because he also knew that the modern oil discoveries in Saigon had American influence. Moreover, the oil field with an annual output of tens of millions of tons had only just been discovered, and offshore oil extraction was also beyond France's capabilities. Since extraction was still in its infancy, the reasons for persuading the French Communist Party and the Socialist Party were insufficient, so it was better to keep it from them.

But at this point, Schumann spoke up, saying, "If our government does this, it could cause political turmoil and create a huge opposition. It would be best if French Indochina could solve this problem itself."

“It looks like we need General Dachanliu’s help.” George Pidul immediately understood and displayed his very skillful political maneuvering: shifting the blame.

At the French Indochina Governor-General's Office, Coman was beginning to feel that he was somewhat distant from being the chief of a military tribunal and more like a military attaché in a colonial government. However, he had only come temporarily at the beginning because of a timber shortage in the three overseas provinces of Algeria.

Although I was happy to have Ava Gardner, I always felt that something was going to happen.

Sure enough, thanks to the communication within the military, General Dachanliu quickly learned of the Paris Ministry of Defense's expectations of the French Indochina troops, and also received reassurance from the Army General Staff.

The expectations and reassurances for General Dassanio have been received. Taking the blame isn't out of the question, since he has always opposed the rash and irresponsible independence of French Indochina. However, the question of how to take the blame hasn't been decided yet.

When Coman arrived, General Dachanliu was troubled by the question of how to sabotage the negotiations in Paris.

Upon learning of General Tashanliu's predicament, Koman pondered for a moment and said, "We can adjust the administrative structure of French Indochina, which is currently a unified administrative structure. Based on the Viet Minh's propaganda and the historical evolution of Vietnamese nationalism, we can determine that the Vietnamese have ambitions to annex the relatively weak Laos and Cambodia, which is something we should guard against. In order to prevent the Viet Minh's power from expanding further, I suggest that we immediately take policy adjustments."

As Koeman spoke, he walked to the map of French Indochina on the wall and declared, “We declare that the three countries of French Indochina, Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia have equal administrative status. They are three parallel geographical units under the administration of the French Indochina Governor-General, with no distinction in rank. This will thwart Ho Chi Minh’s territorial ambitions toward Laos and Cambodia. This will be beneficial for any potential confrontations to come, and it will also make it easier to contain the Viet Minh’s momentum.”

What kind of strategically vital location is there? That's just a matter of small national territory. If the three French Indochina countries were a single political entity, would the central Hue region of Vietnam be so easily cut off?

Of course not, because Vietnam's territory would no longer be dumbbell-shaped, and its vulnerable central region would cease to exist.

However, if Laos and Cambodia were to become independent, central Vietnam would be a constant source of concern for the country.

The most pressing need to disrupt the Paris negotiations is for Koeman to immediately elevate the administrative levels of Laos and Cambodia, clearly defining French Indochina as three regions of equal status, so that in the event of future independence, they would be three distinct countries.

This would also be approved by the royal families of Cambodia and Laos, and the political party affiliation of the Viet Minh poses a threat to the royal families of both countries.

“This is perfectly reasonable. If the Viet Minh reacts strongly, it will be irrefutable proof that France intends to annex Laos and Cambodia. In the eyes of the Laotians and Cambodians, France’s existence is to protect the independence of the two nations.” As the second biggest enemy on Vietnam’s path to regional power, Koeman is now sparing no effort.

Two thousand years of mortal enmity stand right in the north of Vietnam, and he dares not claim to be number one.

After listening, Dachanliu said with satisfaction, "This is an acknowledgment that France will exist in a new way. Just as a gardener prunes overly lush branches to allow the tree to grow better—of course, the tree will still be rooted in French soil. We have invited representatives from both royal families to Saigon. This is a cause for celebration that we cannot celebrate alone."

“Sharing joy is worse than enjoying it alone. The general’s consideration is very thoughtful.” Koman replied with his head held high. “Then I will have the secretariat inform Phnom Penh and Vientiane.”

Leaving General Dassanio's office, Koman's smug, commanding demeanor vanished; he was better suited to keeping his achievements hidden.

Although he successfully established the independence of the two countries ahead of schedule, he would not be complacent about his achievements, especially not let the Viet Minh know about it.

This was nothing short of a Munich conspiracy for the Viet Minh, who were negotiating in Paris.

Koeman almost forgot that France also played a role in the Munich Agreement. It's just that the photo of Prime Minister Chamberlain is so famous that people have forgotten that France is also a member of the pillar of historical shame.

Ho Chi Minh suddenly felt that the negotiations had become much more difficult, but he didn't know the source of the difficulty. He secretly complained to Vo Nguyen Giap, "It seems that the People's Republican Movement government is not very sincere in its appeals to us. But we must fight to the end."

(End of this chapter)