Father of France

Chapter 193 The Art of Dealing

“What if we disagree? This is Dutch territory, and the French cannot overstep their bounds,” said Lin Shengdi, the head of the Lin family, after glancing at everyone’s faces.

"Overstepping one's bounds? That's a very apt description." Koman stared at the other party with a smile and said affirmatively. He gently pulled the waist knife on the table, and a bright light flashed so brightly that it was blinding. He suddenly sighed to himself, "What can I do but use this waist knife from the Imperial Workshop to cut off the heads of everyone in the Lin family and uphold the reputation of Indonesian Chinese for not being afraid of powerful forces?"

“Sir, that’s not what the Lin family meant.” Chen Xingyuan quickly stood up and said anxiously, “He’s just impulsive. China and France were allies who fought side by side in the World War. We have a good relationship with the Guo family in Saigon. We’ve taken good care of Guo Li since he came.”

Koman listened to Chen Xingyuan's words with a smile that didn't fade. He didn't interrupt him in a hurry, and only after listening to him from beginning to end did he say, "Look, I just told the truth, why such a big reaction? Can't you just take it as a joke? Maybe nothing will happen."

This time, Koman's words were not interrupted. There was silence everywhere, clearly because the glint of light from the blade had touched the softest spot in their hearts.

The Chinese, who were wealthy but powerless, had always been in this situation in Southeast Asian countries. When faced with a large number of local indigenous people, the colonists had to introduce a force that could support them, but they could not let that force get out of control.

If we don't introduce them, we'll have to face the resistance of the natives on our own; if we do introduce them, we'll have to control them to prevent them from taking over our territory.

Sometimes, when conflicts become too great, they are used as a sacrificial lamb to alleviate the tension. Could we directly support a Chinese-led regime?

Firstly, this was a Dutch colony, and the French could intervene under the guise of helping, as they are doing now. However, if it came to dividing the East Indies, that was beyond France's capabilities.

Britain had a better foundation than France because the British Malayan colony was nearby.

But even Britain couldn't succeed. The 30 million indigenous people of Java are only half the population of Indonesia, and the total population of the East Indies is at least 70 million. Considering the population base of the Chinese...
It's impossible for hundreds of thousands of Chinese to establish a country under the noses of 30 million Vietnamese. But what if it were an island with a population of over 30 million? Wouldn't that be even more difficult?

"Actually, I personally sympathize with the situation of the Chinese, especially those in the East Indies, who have to face a huge Muslim population. We European countries have a relatively good understanding of Muslims. Given the population of Chinese in Indonesia, armed confrontation is simply impossible, and peaceful coexistence is intolerable to Muslims. So what are you going to do?"

The Ottoman Empire almost strangled Europe back then. If it weren't for the persistent efforts of Imperial Russia, it wouldn't have taken long to deal with the Ottoman Empire alone. After all, European countries were not very united, especially France.

There are only two countries in Southeast Asia that do not have anti-Chinese policies, or strictly speaking, only one. Thailand also had some anti-Chinese policies, but they were not as intense. The only country that did not introduce restrictive policies and directly granted Chinese citizenship is the Philippines.

Muslims have rarely suffered losses in the post-war world. Apart from being unable to defeat Israel, only India and Pakistan have been suppressed by India's sheer size.

After much thought, what dealt a major blow to Muslims was the fall of the Sultanate of Zanzibar, where the ruling Arab class was purged by Black people.

Zanzibar is also an island. Is its environment similar to that of Java?
Arabs, who are in an absolute minority, are no match for Black people who have a numerical advantage. How can Chinese people stand up to Indonesian Muslims?

It's important to understand that in the agricultural era, Muslims were the fastest-rising and most aggressively expanding civilization. Among the three major religions, they appeared the latest, yet their spread was the most significant.

Koman believes that for the Chinese in Indonesia, whether they use the most stubborn Confucian classics, the Four Books and Five Classics, or the systems established by general military groups, such as the Eight Great Pillars of Guanzhong, the Touxia Military Prefectures of the Liao Dynasty, the Meng'an Mouke of the Jin Dynasty, or the more recent Eight Banners, none of them are effective.

The Quran is a legendary book that can supposedly transport a group of primitive people directly to the Middle Ages. These military systems, which are mostly influenced by northern ethnic groups, can only be roughly countered even when combined with the Four Books and Five Classics.

So the question returns to its origin: can Indonesian Chinese compete with Malays, whose population is twice that of Vietnamese? Even the smaller Javanese are not something the local Chinese can compete with.

"Actually, I could have just robbed you outright, but I'm already exercising maximum restraint by sitting down with you to discuss business." Koeman's words were full of assertiveness. "Don't you agree?"

“That’s right.” Chen Xingyuan knew that Koeman’s words were unpleasant to hear, but what could he say? Wasn’t this the truth?

"Given the current situation in Java, we could easily wipe you all out and then pin the blame on the Republic of Indonesia. We don't even need to do that; just take action and then keep quiet, and nobody will know you ever existed," Koman said in a tone that suggested, "Go ahead and jump off buildings, I'll admit defeat if it gets media coverage." Honesty is always so hurtful; even the dishes that had been served suddenly lost their flavor. Amidst the mixed emotions, everyone overheard Koman's conversation with the waiter: "Give me a new pair of chopsticks, please..."

"Sir, how do you want us to cooperate?" Chen Xingyuan seemed to have been turned on by these words. This Frenchman knew the Chinese very well and was definitely not just inviting them over for intimidation. Since he wanted their cooperation, as the old saying goes, "A wise man submits to circumstances."

"If you had said that earlier, we wouldn't have made the atmosphere so tense."

Koeman finally took the knife off the table and said thoughtfully, "I'll give you three billion francs. All the businesses under your families will be taken over by the rice trading center, all agricultural products will be directly handed over, and other businesses unrelated to agriculture will be operated by France for six months. After that, they will be returned to you. In other words, I'm using three billion francs to buy the operating rights of your six companies for six months, giving you a six-month break."

“Actually, I could achieve the same result without paying a single franc, but considering the business dealings between the Chinese families in French Indochina and the East Indies, I always have to give my friends in French Indochina an explanation and can’t be too harsh on their own people.”

"Actually, I am quite easy to talk to, as the Guo, Li, and Bao families in Saigon all know. It's just that I don't like others to haggle with me when negotiating."

In a gentle, conversational tone, Koeman explained his predicament in using three billion francs newly printed in Paris to secure six months of operating rights from six major Indonesian families.

Three billion francs is no small sum. Coman isn't someone who wants the goods but doesn't want to pay. If he comes to do business honestly, no one can do anything to him.

Just as several wealthy Chinese were weighing their options, Koman waved his hand, and Borlang had already taken out the prepared Chinese and French contracts. Koman waved his hand dismissively, "Eating is important. Let's put it aside for now. We'll sign the contracts after we finish eating with our distinguished guests."

The dishes have all been served. Coman is a frugal person. How could a banquet at Hongmen not be held?

With a smile, he extended an invitation to the heads of several Chinese families, saying, "I believe you won't run away halfway like Liu Bang did. I'll have to have the military court invite you again, which is quite troublesome."

To ensure a resounding victory in these negotiations, even during this period of material scarcity, Koeman prepared French red wine to liven things up. "French red wine is very nourishing," he said, "everyone should have some. Coming to a new place and meeting a new group of friends reminds me of the joy I felt when I first arrived in Saigon. If you don't go out and explore, you'll never know how vast the world is. This is an important way to broaden your horizons and gain experience. Actually, these words also apply to you. Being confined to the boundaries of a colony is extremely risky. Travel more and see more; you'll see how vast the world is!"

Regardless of what these people were thinking, Corman casually displayed the French national motto: liberty, equality, and fraternity. He treated everyone fairly, provided they were obedient.

After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, and Koman had finished displaying his warmth, he stood up unsteadily, using the knife beside him as a crutch, and slammed it heavily on the table. "My friends, it's time to sign the authorization agreement."

Koman smiled and held a decorative item in his hand, looking at them with a refined and approachable demeanor.

The harmonious atmosphere among them was contagious, and the heads of the Lin, Huang, and Wu families all picked up their pens and signed contracts that were destined to be extremely important in the history of their families' development.

After everyone left, looking dejected, Borland reappeared and said, "Sir, are we really going to give them three billion francs? We can save that."

Hearing the regretful tone in your voice, as if you could have just robbed us outright, Koeman's expression turned serious again. "Read more finance books. We can print francs anytime. These families' businesses are mostly fixed assets, and we can't move them from Java. Why bother with something so thankless? They can invest their francs in places that value the franc."

It was essentially the same as outright robbery, but the fact that they gave away 3 billion francs would be a crucial step in building trust in France in the future, and all they had to give up was a little paper and ink.

"No one knows more about trading than me. I should write an autobiography called The Art of Trading."

Koeman picked up the six authorization contracts, blew on them lightly, and then leisurely got up and walked away, saying, "The Netherlands has ruled Indonesia for so many years, there must be Christian residential areas here. Find one of suitable size that can be dealt with quickly. You give directions to our comrades. Before military operations, we must have a legitimate reason for them. Don't make it seem like we're here to fight a religious war when the other side clearly attacked first."

(End of this chapter)