Father of France

Chapter 180 Britain in a Dilemma

After a period of discussion, deliberation, and communication, the armies of Britain, France, and the Netherlands decided to launch a military operation against the Republic of Indonesia in early 1947; the general direction had been set.

This was also the result of Koeman's insistence on resolving the European problems as much as possible while Chiang Kai-shek was still alive, the key being that Chiang Kai-shek couldn't hold on for long.

Getting back to the main point, the Netherlands was relatively easy to talk to. The Netherlands was not a strong country, and it was already fortunate to have the help of Britain and France. It was in favor of France's proposal.

Britain's attitude was more complex. Due to its attachment to the glorious past of the British Empire and its greater room for maneuver when facing the United States and the Soviet Union, Britain helped France occupy French Indochina and the Netherlands occupy the Dutch East Indies after the war, which can be regarded as making an outstanding contribution to the unity of the old European imperial powers.

When news of France's troop increase came, Britain's first reaction was one of unease, citing economic issues. Britain was facing the same problems as France, and even the independence of British India was now open to discussion.

In fact, Prime Minister Attlee is considering withdrawing British troops from the East Indies.

As for the Netherlands' desire to regain control of the East Indies, let the Dutch army work on its own; the British army can at most provide some naval and air force bases in Malaya to play an assisting role.

But at this moment, the French, who had only sent a token force of over 10,000 troops, suddenly became enthusiastic and expressed their intention to send more troops to the Dutch East Indies to help the Netherlands regain control of the colony.

This was seen as a usurpation by Britain. Although Britain and France were two great colonial empires, there were still significant differences between them. France's last close relationship with Britain was during the Napoleonic era. Since then, France has been subordinate to Britain for most of its history. Even France's permanent seat on the Security Council was primarily supported by Britain.

Before the undisputed leader among the colonial powers could even speak, France suddenly got excited and, having just stabilized the situation in French Indochina, wanted to send troops to assist the Netherlands. Where does this place the largest colonial empire, Britain, in the first place?
This presents a dilemma for the Attlee government. While the Labour government, anxious to save money, certainly wants to withdraw troops, it faces a psychological hurdle that is difficult to overcome.

At this time, the British government was undergoing a psychological shift, having come to realize that the future belonged to the United States and the Soviet Union. Therefore, making concessions to the United States and the Soviet Union on certain issues was not difficult.

But France is a different issue; handing over leadership of a region to France is still unacceptable.

The problem is that the Netherlands is quite willing to comply. If Britain chooses to back down, the Netherlands, now longing for the East Indies, might choose to follow France's lead.

The more proactive France was in this matter, the more uneasy the British government felt. The Attlee government found itself in a difficult situation, experiencing firsthand the feelings of the Suez Canal War.

That's right, it's the same feeling as the Suez Canal War. Why do I say that? Because the Suez Canal War seems to have started because Nasser nationalized the Suez Canal, which damaged British interests and led to the war. However, France played an even bigger role than Britain in actually causing the war to break out.

When the Eden government first contacted France, it did not intend to resolve the issue through war. In the early stages, it simply discussed with France what to do and whether to jointly put pressure on Egypt.

France's response to Eden's government was initially a pleasant surprise, but later turned into a shock. France firmly supported Britain's tough stance on Egypt, and was even tougher than Eden, willing to launch a war for it.

France did this because the French government at the time was facing the Algerian War of Independence, and Egyptian President Nasser considered himself the leader of the Arab world and had been supporting the Algerian resistance.

When France learned that Britain was considering taking a hard line over the Suez Canal, it firmly supported this idea, aiming to resolve once and for all the source of support for the Algerians, namely the Nasser regime in Egypt.

The British were initially prepared to negotiate, but with France's firm support, the situation quickly escalated into a point where war was inevitable.

The military action plans being formulated now serve the same purpose. Britain is preparing to withdraw from the East Indies, but France is getting more involved.

This situation is similar to that of the Suez Canal War. France has so sincerely sent troops and taken on the risks, it would be completely unreasonable for Britain to leave without saying a word.

After several rounds of negotiations, the British side was too embarrassed to say they wanted to leave, and with the Dutch side completely siding with France, the military operation plan was finally finalized.

Preparations for the formation of the coalition have begun, and this matter has inevitably come to the attention of the United States. Once different countries unite, secrecy becomes virtually meaningless. Washington has learned of the movements of the old-line imperialist powers in Europe and has therefore begun discussions.

While nominally the United States desperately wanted these European colonial powers to leave, Chiang Kai-shek's civil war had its own implications. From French Indochina to the Dutch East Indies, the US observed a rapid expansion of Soviet influence. Colonial powers should leave, but newly independent nations couldn't be allowed to become Soviet supporters. Meanwhile, the Dutch ally was urgently appealing for help, its elegant wording barely concealing its anxiety, emphasizing the necessary maintenance of the colonial order in the East Indies to resist the threat of Soviet ideological infiltration.

On the other side was a newly decoded telegram from the young consul stationed in Jakarta, which described the smoke-filled villages on Java Island and the simple yet resolute resistance of Indonesian Republican soldiers.

This is by no means a simple choice. After more than a year, the camaraderie between the US and the Soviet Union, forged in the struggle alongside each other, has been exhausted, and confrontations have emerged between their respective supporters in Iran, Greece, and East Asia.

Colonial states that still retain some strength can help the United States share the burden within their respective regions.

Britain, France, and the Netherlands comprised almost half of the countries that still retain colonies today, with Britain and France being the strongest among them, and thus of great value to the United States in its efforts to consolidate power.

The Pentagon staff pounded on the table. Britain, France, and the Netherlands were the cornerstones of American security, and they couldn't afford to embarrass them at this time, or they would be handing Southeast Asia over to Moscow.

But the Indonesian leader Sukarno's nationalist rhetoric is gaining increasing sympathy in Asia.

Isn't the United States itself born from colonial rule? How hypocritical it must seem in a newly emerging, decolonized world to openly support an old empire in suppressing another war of independence.

At this point, some voices argue that the United States can remain silent, as making a clear statement would offend people. However, if it wants to please everyone, its stance is like a mixed cocktail, trying to satisfy all tastes but leaving everyone feeling unsatisfied.

In that case, whatever we do will be wrong. It would be better to pretend we don't know anything about it and let Britain, France, and the Netherlands deal with it themselves, and then decide how to respond based on how things unfold.

Radio waves traveled back and forth through the atmosphere, vividly demonstrating the alliances and rivalries at this moment. Corman also packed up 600,000 tons of rice from Saigon and Bangkok and shipped them to Europe, indicating that France was still sincere in adhering to the trade with the Soviet Union. In addition, given the agricultural conditions in France, there was no possibility of a supply shortage in the short term.

On several occasions, Corman couldn't help but criticize Lefevere, saying, "Perhaps we should have just stood by and watched the food shortages in the Netherlands and Italy from the beginning. Maybe our work was so good that it led the Paris government to make a mistake in judgment."

By the end of the year, French Indochina wasn't all about the tense preparations for war. There was some good news: five billion brand-new francs had arrived in Saigon. Of course, these francs wouldn't be put into circulation; they were specifically intended for the Dutch East Indies, to emulate the currency war between Japan and Chiang Kai-shek.

But Coman was still very interested in seeing up close what a stunning sight it would be to see five billion francs all together. The franc is unique in the world of banknotes, with its design full of the charm of oil painting and art, and its history has been passed down continuously.

The franc and its French banknotes often attract people with their vibrant and colorful oil painting style.

Many of the currencies also feature colonial elements; for example, the 1,000 franc note depicts African faces, while the 10,000 franc note features North African scenery. A neatly arranged set of 5 billion francs is quite impressive.

Koeman also found a bit of a billionaire's feeling, and it seemed that he should take away the gold temporarily stored in India before British India gained independence.

Ava Gardner returned to Saigon before Christmas, looking travel-worn and clearly having made a great trip. Accompanying her were female bodyguards arranged by Koman for security, as well as some artisans. The return of the femme fatale excited Koman.

“I’ve already got a taste of what it’s like to be a lonely old person.” Koman picked up Ava Gardner and spun her around, his voice full of resentment. After calming down, he asked, “How was it? What did you see?”

“This country is very desolate. I have a feeling that apart from the large number of people, there is almost nothing to see.” Ava Gardner shook her head slightly. “You can’t even see a single tree along the train route.”

"Ah, that's how agricultural societies are; they're incredibly destructive to the environment," Koman nodded. The order of firewood, rice, oil, and salt was definitely logical; the rest were all about eating, while heating came first. This ranking clearly prioritized heating over eating.

When the People's Republic of China was founded, the forest coverage rate within the country had dropped to 8 percent, including the forest areas in Northeast China and Yunnan and Guizhou in Southwest China.

In densely populated areas like North China and the Jiangnan region, barren landscapes have long been commonplace, and what Ava Gardner saw was a widespread phenomenon.

(End of this chapter)