Father of France

Chapter 179 The Printing Press Starts Up
After the military plan was finalized, the ideological work also needed to be addressed, because Vietnam's Catholic armed plan was based on the previous Maronite sect in Syria, and therefore had many Crusader characteristics.

Even positions that don't exist in the First Army Group exist in the Vietnamese National Army, such as the military chaplain.

Military chaplains address the ideological issues of troops, playing a role similar to that of political commissars. However, the impact of such religious positions in the military is also evident.

Don't assume that Christians are all worldly. In fact, nearly a thousand years ago, Christians and Muslims were in completely opposite circumstances. Muslims were studying science, while the Papacy was organizing the Crusades.

If two religions are both monotheistic, and one religious group is used as the backbone to arm an army, then the outcome of their entry into the territory of another religion is almost predictable.

Koman also took the time to visit a Vietnamese National Army camp. By sheer coincidence, there was a chaplain spreading the Hadith, while the Vietnamese National Army soldiers listened to the Hadith and gestured with their hands to indicate the cross.

Koeman called over a Vietnamese translator. After listening to the translation, he raised an eyebrow and said, “God desires that we put on the full armor of God, so that we may be able to stand against the devil’s schemes. Therefore, stand firm, girding yourselves with the belt of truth, and the breastplate of righteousness, and the prepared shoes of the gospel of peace. In addition, take up the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

Lefebvre was shocked by Coman's words and said, "Sir, if you were to dedicate yourself to the religious field, perhaps you could also find a place as a cardinal."

"Cardinal? Can you become one just by instigating holy wars?" Coman tilted his head and smiled at Lefebvre. "But what is certain is that the Vietnamese National Army is ideologically resolute. As for their combat effectiveness, it still needs to be tested in actual combat to see if they can pass this test."

The number of armed Vietnamese Catholics is expanding because Catholics in the north are migrating south, and France has taken control of major and medium-sized cities in North Vietnam, establishing a preliminary order.

Although the Viet Minh had many supporters, the French army, frankly speaking, was not capable of completely eradicating the Viet Minh at the moment, but it was still able to bring about basic order.

The French army could not eliminate the Viet Minh, but it successfully forced the Viet Minh forces underground, which was its objective.

At least in terms of morale, the Vietnamese National Army has passed the test. As for combat effectiveness, let the blood of the Indonesian people act as a catalyst to promote their growth.

Seeing Lefevere looking around as if nothing had happened, Koeman stared at the smile that appeared on the other man's lips, and finally, he was seen.

“Sir.” Lefebvre stood tall and met Coman’s gaze directly, instinctively sensing that Coman had something to say.

This guess was absolutely correct. Koeman then sought Lefebvre's opinion, "With the start of military operations, our military police will also be involved. This is a good opportunity. If you get involved, things will go much smoother in the future. Do you understand what I mean?"

"The commander has assigned me to accompany the Indonesian Expeditionary Force to Java as part of the supervisory team," Lefevere assured him after hearing the order. "I am willing to undertake this mission."

"The supervisory team is being too blunt. There's really nothing to supervise. They just oversee the expeditionary force to complete the combat missions they are supposed to accomplish."

Koeman then shifted his tone, saying, "The Vietnamese National Army has a very strong religious character, and they might do things that are understandable from a religious perspective, but would be seized upon if escalated. You have to be flexible in dealing with these things and prevent similar incidents from spreading to other countries. Since Vietnamese Catholics have been incorporated into a group recognized by France, our military courts must take a protective stance."

Koeman had no hope for the discipline of the Vietnamese National Army troops that were preparing to reinforce Indonesia. He argued that the French army itself was not a disciplined force, as were the armies of most countries.

Not to mention the Vietnamese National Army, which had a distinctly religious character from the very beginning of its armed forces.

Coman could vaguely sense that after the military operation began, something similar to what happened during the Crusades would occur. He sent Lefebvre for two purposes: first, of course, to accumulate experience, and second, to clean up the mess that might occur.

As long as they could secure enough food from the Javanese market, these trivial matters of military discipline were hardly worth worrying about. Lefebvre indicated he understood, and Koeman breathed a sigh of relief at his lack of moral principles, saying, "It's reassuring to have such an attitude."

After leaving the Vietnamese National Army camp, Koman continued to attend to other matters, laying the groundwork for the next operation.

The Chinese community, having long served as a reliable partner in the Saigon rice trading center, should have contributed their efforts from the outset of the French military operation. They should have assigned a group of people to establish a rice trading center in Jakarta to assist in controlling Java Island on the food front, which would have been crucial for fulfilling the mission entrusted to them by Paris.

As the saying goes, fortune favors the bold. For the rice merchants on the Saigon embankment, it was not difficult to agree to this task despite the risks. Soon, families such as the Guo, Li, and Bao families all agreed, indicating that they would send people to accompany the French army and establish a rice trading center after the Allied forces took control of Jakarta.

"Remember to say you're Catholic," Coman reminded him. The things the French army did this time to replenish the Soviet Union's supplies were not worth publicizing.

If it's truly impossible to conceal the truth, try to make one group bear the bad reputation, and don't drag the entire French Indochina into it.

This military operation, centered on controlling food supplies on Java Island and completely eradicating resistance from the Republic of Indonesia, will undoubtedly be extremely bloody. Koeman had already hinted at this when speaking to Lefevere; the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse would inevitably descend, and all participants must be mentally prepared for the resulting humanitarian catastrophe.

Even so, such blatant robbery was too unseemly. Therefore, after inspecting the Vietnamese National Army and communicating with Chinese rice merchants, the last thing Corman did was to ask the Paris government for money.

They want 5 billion francs in cash, but not to increase military spending, which is necessary. This money is for purchasing rice from Java.

The franc is not the dollar; it's so easy to export the dollar.

The purpose of designing the Bretton Woods system was to encourage the flow of dollars out of the United States and into the world, bringing the United States unlimited wealth and control in the great cycle of international trade.

Numerous economic reconstruction programs, including those of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, were implemented. More importantly, the outflow of US dollars also included direct overseas investment by American multinational corporations. This surging tide of overseas investment in US dollars swept through the capital-scarce post-war world, conquering territory and acquiring assets.

The property Ava Gardner bought on Rue Hugo in Paris, even when converted to US dollars, shocked this high-paid star, let alone the national-level outflow of US dollars, which is directed towards the entire Western European country.

The same applies during wartime. To finance the Korean War, the United States did not adopt traditional methods such as significantly increasing taxes, but instead relied more on printing money.

Because of the US dollar's unique status as the world's reserve currency, the United States no longer needed to borrow heavily from the US like the British Empire did in World War I and World War II when it was waging the Korean War. Instead, the Federal Reserve stepped in to monetize the national debt, injecting US dollar paper money into the world economy, and then doing everything it could to default on the debt.

The US has been most effective at this, but other countries are not necessarily incapable of doing the same thing. For France, the current intervention in the Republic of Indonesia is tantamount to a war.

Japan once tried to use the printing of legal tender to deal with Chiang Kai-shek, but Chiang Kai-shek responded by turning the printing press on and defeating Japan. This proves that Chiang Kai-shek was far more ruthless than the Japanese.

Even a powerful country like Japan can do this to agricultural countries. Although France is not a financial hegemon like Britain and the United States, its reputation as a usurious imperialist country is far more profound than Japan's.

Koeman had already anticipated that Java would rise to prominence after this military operation, but he still chose to help Paris by spending French resources to win the favor of the Soviet Union. His morality had long been forgotten, and he naturally didn't care about such international perceptions.

He simply finished out the core of the military operation and the accompanying economic plunder plan, and sent it to General Dassanliu, saying, "We don't care whether the Netherlands can restore its rule. We treat the East Indies as a disposable commodity. Therefore, we need 5 billion francs in cash to quickly establish a rice center with francs as the core after occupying Jakarta. No matter what Britain and the Netherlands say, we will persist."

"If we do that, the Dutch effort to recover the East Indies will fail prematurely," General Dassanio remarked after hearing Koeman's explanation.

No wonder Koeman insisted on waiting until the military operation began before issuing operational objectives, keeping it a secret from both Britain and the Netherlands.

If the British and Dutch knew France's true intentions, no matter how much France talked about imperialist unity, it would be useless.

"Like us, the Dutch did not have any supporting groups to help maintain their rule, which is unlike the British. Of course, this issue is also very complicated. Now British India is also seeking independence, so the indirect rule of the British may not be correct."

Koeman replied casually, "To be able to put five billion francs into Java is already the greatest act of kindness."

France could have just robbed them outright, but this time they actually asked for money, which is the last shred of compassion they've preserved.

After receiving General Dachanliu's approval, the military operation and economic plunder plan were sent directly to the Army General Staff in Paris, where the Chief of the Army General Staff, General Dracon, handed it over to Prime Minister Georges Pitoure.

This time, General Dragon found no trace of Koman in the plan. Crucially, Koman had never demonstrated this kind of talent before. Objectively speaking, the Chief of the Army General Staff had done a commendation of a capable person without regard to personal connections in front of the Prime Minister.

The idea of ​​converting the French francs held within France into foreign francs easily appealed to Prime Minister Georges Pitoull. He would not have risked signing the trade agreement with the Soviet Union if he had not faced financial pressure.

Now that the decision had been made, and French Indochina had indicated that it was indeed facing difficulties and was prepared to sacrifice the Dutch East Indies, George Pidul could no longer consider the feelings of the Dutch.

The franc printing presses in Paris were up and running, and the printing plants were working overtime to support the great New Economic Policy, producing enough banknotes for the French army in French Indochina in the Far East.

In the last month of 1946, France, French Indochina, and the French army were all engaged in final preparations to help the Dutch reclaim the East Indies and defend the glory of old European imperialism.

(End of this chapter)