Father of France

Chapter 202 Login Without War

Seeing the more than two thousand chefs gathered by wealthy Chinese, Koman realized for the first time that any profession can be quite terrifying when there are a large number of people.

"If that's still not enough, we'll have to find a way to hire some people from the Philippines," Guo Cheng explained. "We have some friends there, and things are going quite well for them."

"That crappy place in the Philippines can't develop. It just doesn't stop you Chinese from becoming rich," Coman muttered with a look of disdain.

"What? That country seems to be the richest in Asia right now, how could it not be?" Guo Cheng was too embarrassed to say directly why it couldn't develop.

Now that he's on a French ship, constantly praising another country would imply a lack of loyalty to France.

"The Philippines experiences an average of twenty typhoons a year, almost one every two weeks. During typhoon season, normal production can be disrupted for two or three months. How can they become wealthy?" Coman said nonchalantly. "One-tenth of the Philippines' wealth is lost in typhoons every year. This is unbearable for ordinary people. Small farmers are reduced to abject poverty. Can you solve that?"

Human-caused damage can usually be resolved, but how do we deal with losses caused by nature?

Have you not heard that even divine intervention cannot overcome destiny? Compared to the Philippines, Malaya and Indonesia are paradise, and they are not far away. Why do other countries choose to invest in the Philippines instead of their neighboring countries?

Now it was Guo Cheng's turn to think deeply. Koman turned and went to the camp of the 4th Division of the Vietnamese National Army. In the past few days, the French Indochina Governor's Office had been releasing news that the Vietnamese National Army troops on Java Island had made a fortune.

This isn't entirely a lie. Once the military operation in West Java ends, it will be time to divide the spoils, and how much each of them gets will depend on how much these modern-day Crusaders loot.

The timing of this announcement was intended to reduce the Vietnamese people's resistance to the mobilization of the National Army. After all, Emperor Bao Dai had been restored to the throne, and nominally, the feelings of the subjects of the Kingdom of Vietnam should always be taken into account.

To reduce resistance, on the one hand, they released information that the Vietnamese troops on Java Island had made a fortune and were about to return. On the other hand, they also released a limited amount of truthful information, namely, the news of the riots in Madagascar, emphasizing the fact that Madagascar is an African island.

Koeman has a pretty good grasp of the Vietnamese mentality of the distinction between Chinese and barbarians that they learned from them. In ancient times, it was like saying, "I may not be able to defeat the great Eastern powers, but I can defeat the natives of Southeast Asia."

This mentality, after colonization, could easily evolve into the mindset of "we can't beat France, but we can't beat you either."
The Vietnamese people's actions on Java Island greatly boosted Koman's confidence. They looked down on the Malays, so they wouldn't take Africa seriously, nor would they think there would be any danger in suppressing a group of black people. If danger did occur, they would blame themselves for being incompetent, for not even being able to handle black people.

After several days of observation, Koeman also inquired with the French advisors of the 4th Division. These French advisors all indicated that the Vietnamese officers and soldiers of the 4th Division did not show any psychological fluctuations and did not show any tension about France's conscription of its troops to Africa to suppress the riots.

On the dock, squads of North African colonial infantrymen from French Indochina were dragging their heavy leather boots onto the gangplank of the transport ship. Most of them came from the Kaberi Mountains of Algeria, their faces etched with deep weariness by the alternating North African sun and the rainy season of Indochina.

After the Algerian soldiers boarded the ship, it was the turn of the Vietnamese National Army officers and soldiers, and finally the French Foreign Legion members who had been conscripted.

The smoke of battle in French Indochina had not yet completely dissipated from their gun barrels when they were about to head to another completely unfamiliar island—Madagascar.

Meanwhile, in the Dakar barracks, the atmosphere was equally tense, as soldiers of the Senegalese sniper regiment, awaiting orders, received their extra ammunition rations. A salty Atlantic breeze swept across the parade ground.

A French officer's voice, broadcast over a loudspeaker, rallied the troops about to depart: "Soldiers! In Madagascar, barbaric rebels are slaughtering citizens loyal to France. You are the pride of the empire, the sword of civilization! The Republic needs you to demonstrate your strength and restore order!"

The situation was no different in the port of Algiers, where armored vehicles of the Foreign Legion were being hoisted into the cargo hold of a transport ship with heavy metallic clanging.

These outlaws, bankrupts, and fugitives from all over Europe were now united under the legion's white caps. They were told they were to carry out a swift pacification mission.

Among the troops boarding the ship was a small contingent from the French Youth Division, but one of them was an acquaintance of Coman.

Admiral Dragon did not have a full grasp of the situation in Madagascar at the time, but he could not directly stop Corman from joining in. So he wanted to find a familiar comrade of Corman so that they could support each other. That's how Martin was arranged to come over.

Coman's first stop was French India, where the French Indochina expeditionary force would stay for a period of time, partly for resupply and partly to wait for the French forces in the Mediterranean. This was because the French forces in the Mediterranean were divided into two parts, Senegal and the overseas provinces of Algeria. After the French forces in the two places met, they would stop in Djibouti for further resupply after crossing the Suez Canal.

Finally, they would meet in the northern waters of Madagascar to form an expeditionary force to land in Madagascar. Alternatively, they might not meet and instead act independently.

The arrival of the French expeditionary force on the Indian subcontinent was, in the past, given the importance Britain placed on British India, enough for their presence on the South Asian subcontinent without prior notification to cause diplomatic friction.

But with the independence movement in British India in full swing, Mountbatten clearly didn't have the energy to pay attention to the French actions. He himself wanted to extricate himself, so he asked the Secretary General of the Governor's Office about the French's purpose. Upon learning that it was because of the Madagascar uprising and that France needed to resupply through French India, he stopped worrying about it.

"It's even hotter here than in Saigon." Comand had just set foot on French India and his immediate impression was of the South Asian temperature. No wonder high temperatures in India in the 21st century are always in the news, and if the monsoon is not on time for even a few days, a large-scale drought will break out.

In his view, the situation in the Indochina Peninsula was much better than that in the South Asian subcontinent. Was British India, the jewel of the British Empire, simply a place with a lot of cattle and horses?
Even though French India has a pleasant environment, the humid and hot air is still so oppressive that it's hard to breathe. Even in the shady mountains and fields, the grass hidden in the shade of the trees is filled with wisps of heat.

“It’s even hotter here than back home.” Bokassa is now being taken by Koeman back to the familiar African region of Madagascar to demonstrate his loyalty to France.

“There’s a giant wall blocking the way to the north, and the heat is trapped inside. But it’s too far to take you there.” Although Koman also felt stuffy, he still wrapped himself up tightly.

This is a form of self-protection in unfamiliar geographical environments. Species vary slightly from region to region; otherwise, why would miasma appear so often in ancient records?

French Indochina and the Indian subcontinent aren't exactly close, so even if you don't fall ill, a minor bout of diarrhea is hardly worth the trouble.

Not far away, several Chinese groups in French Indochina had cargo ships, originally used for transporting rice, docked. The French expeditionary force wouldn't stay here long; they would depart again in two days.

"All troops are strictly prohibited from leaving French India. India is currently seeking independence, so avoid contact with the locals," Koeman ordered, waving his hand. "Minimize contact with the people of this land."

A similar scene unfolded in Djibouti, in the Horn of Africa, where a massive military transport ship, like a weary steel behemoth, slowly docked. Its hull still bore the marks of the Indian Ocean's waves, and its deck was crowded with soldiers, mostly from Algeria and Senegal. They wore khaki short-sleeved uniforms stained with salt and sweat from their long voyage, almost swallowed by Djibouti's suffocating heat.

"Attention everyone! Disembark in batches according to your unit order. Entering the city is strictly prohibited! Repeat: Entering the city is strictly prohibited!"

Sweating profusely, Senegalese soldiers lined up to receive clean drinking water from logistics officers.

Several foreign legion officers gathered around a makeshift table in the shade of the harbor. Maps were spread out on the table, and they exchanged information quickly and in hushed tones in a mix of French, German, and other languages.

Intelligence officers at the Djibouti garrison are updating them on the latest situation in the eastern theater of Madagascar—the rebels' area of ​​operation, the terrain challenges, and… the “special authorization” for the crackdown.

"The General Staff's operational plan is to land on the northwest coast of Madagascar, advance into the central plateau, and suppress the rebels on the east coast for concentrated disposal," said a colonel and several other unit commanders. "We will establish a stable order there and wait for the troops from French Indochina to arrive before commencing military operations."

"This is unexpected. We thought they would land on the east coast, since the rebels are mainly based there. If they land from the northwest, the environment will be a major challenge."

Commanders from several units shared their opinions and discussed the upcoming military operation. "It looks like we'll have to go ahead first. I thought we'd have to join up with the troops in French Indochina first."

"We have no supply depots along the way, so it's best not to trouble the British with that. Therefore, a detachment must arrive first. Manda Bay is our final destination."

In the nearby port area, fuel replenishment and ammunition transport are proceeding in an orderly manner. Desert soldiers from North Africa, forest hunters from West Africa, and professional soldiers from Europe are briefly gathered at this scorching spot on the shores of the Red Sea.

As the last batch of supplies was swallowed up by the ship, the sharp whistle sounded again, and the soldiers lined up again, silently returning to the steel warship.

The fleet moved at a solemn and slow pace, breaking the once calm sea and leaving countless long and pale contrails behind it.

After a long voyage, the fleet finally arrived at the sea off Manda Bay. The long voyage was a great test of the soldiers' willpower. There were no flags waving, no radio noise, only the deep roar of steam turbines.

Major General Padua gazed at the dark green, gradually becoming clearer coastline in the distance. "Notify all units to prepare for landing."

The orders were passed on silently. In the crowded hold of the transport ship, Algerian infantrymen, Senegalese snipers, and soldiers of the Foreign Legion began a final check of their rifles and gear.

On the morning of April 20, 18,000 expeditionary soldiers from overseas provinces and Senegal, speaking French, Italian, German, and of various skin colors, landed at Mandabe, a port in northwestern Madagascar. There was no roar of battleship main guns, and even the rifles in the soldiers' hands barely fired.

(End of this chapter)