Father of France

Chapter 192 Forced Buying and Selling
It is clear that the French and British have different approaches to overseas interests. The British seem to be backing down, while the French are determined to stick to their guns. Currently, the Dutch attitude is closer to that of the French.

“Cities covering the countryside is certainly difficult,” General Gallini began, trying to smooth things over. “But it’s a matter of principle. If we agree to any of the colonies’ conditions, our overseas interests will suffer terrible losses, which will in turn disrupt domestic order. We still need overseas territories to make up for our domestic losses.”

France has already taken the initiative to launch military action, so what is there for Britain and the Netherlands to back down from?

On his very first day in Jakarta, Koman made a deep impression on several key figures in the coalition command. General Christian initially wanted to reprimand him, but upon seeing General Galini's behavior, he frowned slightly, realizing that things were not so simple and that he must have some powerful connections.

After General Galleny instructed Koman to familiarize himself with the work, General Christian asked, "Whose relative is this?"

“The Chief of the General Staff’s son,” General Galeni replied with a smile. “There are plenty of commanders in the French First Army right now. Many of the Syrian Foreign Legion members have taken on key positions after the war, so they can’t be treated like ordinary young officers.”

“I knew it. It seems that Paris is indeed inclined to take a harsh approach to the restoration of order in the colonies,” General Christian nodded.

"That's for sure, and it doesn't look like it will change because of a change of government."

General Galleny replied firmly, then changed the subject, saying, "Although he is not old, we must admit that he has a point. It is not that we do not respect the British Empire, but the future role of European countries depends on the choices we make today. You have never experienced the fall of your homeland, and because of the presence of Commonwealth countries like Canada and Australia, you may not be able to fully understand the Paris government's insistence."

If it weren't for its overseas colonies, France would have been doomed in World War II.

When General de Gaulle was almost at his wit's end, General Dragon, who was serving in Syria, and the Maronite group that later enthusiastically joined the army, greatly boosted the confidence of the Free French movement.

In the later stages of the war, de Gaulle repeatedly emphasized that France was a country with more than 10 million square kilometers and a population of over 100 million, a statement that fully included both the French mainland and its colonies.

Besides the Syrian army, which later evolved into the French First Army, French Africa also played a crucial role at key moments.

The first to respond to de Gaulle's call were the French colonies in equatorial Africa: Chad, Cameroon, French Congo, and Ubangi-Shari.

These regions successively declared their accession to Free France in the latter half of 1940, providing de Gaulle with his first substantial territory, administrative system, and manpower.

This vast territory became a strategic rear and testing ground for Free France in its early days, greatly enhancing de Gaulle's position in negotiations with Britain and the United States, making him more than just a symbolic figure.

If equatorial Africa weren't so vast and unable to offer much military assistance, there might still be a number of French military commanders serving in equatorial Africa playing a significant role in the French military today.

Without Ava Gardner holding him back, Koman was highly efficient, immediately assigning Wu Dinh Chu the task of visiting the Vietnamese National Army to provide morale support. He told the Vietnamese National Army soldiers that all the spoils of this operation would be guaranteed by the military court and distributed fairly to every soldier who participated in the operation. Anything that could not be taken could be exchanged for cash.

This tactic is very effective for groups with little ideological foundation. Don't believe it? Have you forgotten the Ming army, whose military strength was unmatched? This tactic of the Qing Dynasty really worked.

Although the Vietnamese National Army is composed of Catholics, it has been less than a year since its formation. It is difficult to say that religious ideology has been ingrained in them and turned them into berserkers. Therefore, practical motivation is still more effective.

Moreover, even the Crusaders, who were full of religious slogans, were not hesitant to plunder during the Crusades, so there is no contradiction.

If Koeman strictly treats the Vietnamese National Army as a disciplined force, then since it's all just a dream anyway, why not go even further and use the Catholics as if they were Soviets?

Provoking the Vietnamese National Army with supplies would be a devastating blow to most ordinary Indonesians in West Java, but that doesn't matter.

"I will definitely tell every fighter who is willing to fight for the French Federation that France treats everyone equally." Wu Tingchu did not express any opinion on Koeman's hint, only saying that he would convey it truthfully.

That's enough! After handing over the task to Wu Tingchu, the aftereffects of dozens of hours on the boat finally kicked in for Koman, and he slept soundly on his first day in Jakarta.

A day later, after slowly waking up, Corman immediately instructed Lefevere to send invitations to wealthy Chinese in Jakarta. "Not accepting the invitation is tantamount to making an enemy of France. I want to do business with them, and this time it's mandatory. But they might not necessarily lose out."

"Understood, sir. I'll have Borlang inform them." Lefebvre, after arriving in Jakarta, strictly followed Koeman's instructions before his departure, using the rice trading center established by wealthy Chinese in the embankment to establish contact with the wealthy Chinese in the Dutch colony. However, because he himself didn't speak Mandarin, the results were always slightly less effective.

But he still accomplished a lot, just not as much as Koeman had hoped. Lefevere was incompetent, and Koeman had to step in this time.

Although Lefevere did not meet Koeman's expectations, which led to his superior coming in person, he still gained an understanding of the wealthy Chinese in Jakarta, and Borlang was ordered to send out invitations without missing anyone.

Soon, the wealthy Chinese in these Dutch colonies all agreed to attend the banquet.

The invited wealthy Chinese are all very influential. Huang Jiaqi’s family business, Jianyuan Company, is one of the largest sugar giants in Southeast Asia, with businesses spanning international trade and finance.

The Zhang family operates a car import and distribution business on Java Island, and also has interests in banking and insurance.

The Guo family holds a significant position in the tobacco industry in East Java, and their companies have amassed considerable wealth through tobacco exports.

The Wu family owns extensive plantations in Sumatra and Java, and their businesses maintain close ties with international markets through rubber and coffee exports. The Chen family amassed wealth through banking and land investments.

The heads of these families either came out directly, or, since the first generation of leaders had passed away, families that adopted a collective decision-making approach sent important representatives to attend the invitation from Koeman to the Grand Indian Hotel, the most famous hotel in the Dutch East Indies.

The hotel features soaring arcades and low-rise buildings in an elaborate Art Deco style. It is surrounded by a large courtyard with a manicured lawn and palm trees in the center, where guests can enjoy afternoon tea in the shade.

Spacious arcades are essential, with waiters in white uniforms serving gin or chilled beer as they move about.

The Grand Indian Hotel was not only popular with the local upper class, but also with Dutch colonial officials, who dressed men in white linen suits and women in elegant dresses.

The atmosphere at the Indian Grand Hotel was different today. After these wealthy Chinese entered, they noticed a group of soldiers in military uniforms and wearing masks. These people were, of course, Captain Komanko's own company.

Only half a company. Previously, due to Lefevere's progress, he had separated a portion of the company members to assist Lefevere, the new judge. Borran was one of them.

But the remaining half-company of over a hundred military policemen, at least Koman wasn't driven by adventurism, were enough to protect their own safety.

When Ava Gardner returned to the United States this time, she mentioned that she wanted to customize a Cadillac armored car for him, but it's unclear when it will arrive.

Upon arriving at the private room where Koman was, the man was holding a waist knife he had brought from Saigon. Seeing several well-dressed Chinese faces enter, Koman knew that his guests had arrived and nodded, saying, "Please sit down. The food will be served shortly, let's eat and chat."

These prominent Jakarta Chinese looked at each other, suppressing their doubts, and took their seats. At this moment, Koman, who had finished admiring the craftsman's hard work, put his knife aside and quickly scanned the group, saying, "Guo Li of the Rice Trading Center is a member of the Guo family of Di'an. He was ordered to establish the Rice Trading Center in Jakarta. I believe everyone knows this. Thank you for your cooperation."

"This... sir," Chen Xingyuan asked, "I wonder what brings you here today?"

“It’s not a big deal. From what we understand, you all started out on plantations. Although you’re now scattered across various industries, you still retain a lot of land, so you all have records of transactions after the rice trading center was established.” As Coman spoke, he took out an account book containing records of rice transactions by these Chinese families.

He tossed the accounts onto the table and, looking at the Chinese tycoons with their varied expressions, said in a tone that revealed his true intentions, “I want you to sell all your agricultural products to France, and at the same time, use your business networks to buy up as much grain as possible and put it into the rice trading center. This is not something I’m discussing with you; it’s something you must do.”

"Is this an attempt to force a sale?" The head of the Lin family almost slammed his fist on the table, but he held back. The other party seemed even more vicious than the Dutch.

Koeman replied with a knowing look, "Yes, that's my purpose, but you might not necessarily lose out. I'll give you francs. Right now, France isn't lacking funds, but rather resources. If you can temporarily address France's needs, once we've finished our work and things are settled, your francs will have value."

For example, could we invest in French colonies? What's the point of always staying in the East Indies where the political situation is still quite unstable?

(End of this chapter)