Father of France

Chapter 205 Ethnic Feud Template
"What are you doing? I'm an AFP reporter." As Koeman stepped out of the military camp, he heard a cry of grievance no less loud than that of President Han. The person in question was being pushed and shoved by two military police officers.

The order to expel all journalists from Madagascar was jointly issued by the Governor-General of Madagascar and the French Expeditionary Force Command, and this order is irrevocable.

Koeman bypassed the protesting AFP reporter directly. What time is it to waste on verbal sparring at a time like this?

"Come with me to headquarters." After a day of rest, Koeman got into work mode and dragged Bokassa out of another military camp. "Look around and learn more. It will be of great help to your future military or political career. Do you plan to be a low-ranking officer for the rest of your life? Napoleon said that a soldier who doesn't want to be a general is not a good soldier."

Bokassa has always respected Koeman, not to mention that Koeman mentioned his idol Napoleon, so what more can be said? Regardless of his purpose, just follow him.

The arrival of reinforcements brought heavy weapons, ample ammunition, and fresh troops. The atmosphere in the city instantly changed. The previous tension and sense of isolation were replaced by a new, more aggressive determination.

The atmosphere in the capital changed with the arrival of reinforcements; the bewilderment disappeared from the faces of the defenders and shifted to the faces of the local citizens of Antananarivo…

Compared to the white faces in the French army, the yellow faces of the Vietnamese seemed more acceptable. Moreover, many locals had already heard the rumors spread by Coman and, out of simple feelings, were more inclined to believe the Vietnamese. It's true that ignorance is bliss.

If they were indeed in a certain region, historically, the people of the Austronesian Islands of Madagascar would most likely have faced actions such as being forced to relocate their herds to new settlements or being subject to land reforms.

Starting today, the French troops in the capital Antananarivo will be on the move forward, which is somewhat similar to India's forward policy. As long as our soldiers stand tall with pride, the enemy will collapse without a fight.

But that's not the case; France is far more decisive than Britain in taking strong action.

The objective of the first phase of the advance operation is to control the entrances to the Central Plateau and the East Coast Plain, reducing the possibility of insurgents infiltrating the Central Plateau. If insurgent forces have already entered, a clearing operation will be carried out first. Major General Padua will integrate troops from Africa and French Indochina to accomplish this task.

Koeman visited Governor Paul Audi at the Governor's Palace and presented him with a reconstruction plan that, while it may seem like a pipe dream now, would inevitably be implemented if the suppression succeeded. The plan included infrastructure and educational facilities, the most important of which was the University of Madagascar.

If France was never targeting any particular country in the matter of colonial development, then Madagascar currently has no universities, and anyone wishing to receive higher education must go to Paris.

Currently, primary education in Madagascar largely depends on priests, and one of the leaders of this riot was a priest who served as a spiritual leader.

"The initial plan was to establish agriculture, mining, and mechanical repair as the core disciplines of the new university after the riots."

After meeting the governor, Coman explained at length, "First of all, we certainly cannot train science and engineering students here. As for the humanities, the humanities are also very harmful. There are always some people who have learned a little bit and think they have received higher education. They can't suppress their feelings of being underappreciated and have unrealistic fantasies about the world."

Seeing Governor Paul Audie nod in approval, Corman continued, "Therefore, neither STEM nor humanities subjects are within the scope of the education system. We can teach some practical things. So the positioning of this university is a vocational and technical school, which is something that Madagascar is currently lacking for a considerable period of time. At the same time, it poses little threat to the French Federation and the Madagascar Federation plan."

Koeman hadn't forgotten about minerals, because he remembered that Madagascar had a rare ilmenite deposit, which, although not as good as the Panzhihua iron ore, was still considered quite good in the world.

The plan to connect the French African colonies to the Sahara Atlantic Railway would require rails that would withstand the dual challenges of Atlantic winds and Sahara heatwaves, placing exceptionally high demands on the rails.

There are many types of iron ore in the world, such as hematite with high purity and pyrite with high sulfur content, but none of them are the best choice for railway tracks.

The best material for making railway tracks is ilmenite. Apart from the Panzhihua iron ore mine, there are very few of these ore deposits in the world. Rails made from ilmenite are much harder than ordinary rails and have a lifespan two to four times longer.

The 21st-century American railways are already distorted and bumpy. If they used these kinds of tracks, they might still be running well, and there wouldn't be so many news reports of train derailments.

Titanium vanadium ore is extremely rare among iron ore, so Coman had to settle for ilmenite, which he happened to remember had in Madagascar. In the 21st century, because Madagascar's ilmenite reserves are small, and Europe and America have long since moved beyond the era of railway construction, they wouldn't invest heavily in it.

As for countries that need to build railways, such as those in Africa across the strait, African countries do not have the capacity on their own, and expecting help from Europe and the United States is simply wishful thinking. They have always been in a state of having railways but not being able to use them.

But now, in order to strengthen control over French Africa, the Sahara-Atlantic Railway is a necessary means, and Corman must find the most suitable iron ore to help complete this project. Otherwise, what is the point of him sending Martin to find prospectors to bring here?
Besides agriculture and mining, mechanical repair can also be taught to the locals in Madagascar; the knowledge is real and can be acquired through learning. However, this knowledge is unlikely to pose a threat to France.

At best, such courses will produce a group of skilled workers, comparable to factories in rural Pakistani workshops, where low-tech items can be made by hand. But how long they can be used, and whether using them will be life-threatening, no one knows.

These small, handcrafted workshops mostly only repair damaged products, such as refurbishing scrapped cars. They don't occupy the same niche as the industrial goods dumped by France.

Koeman is now like a superb doctor, using a scalpel to cut out the most critical parts, opening up some disciplines and industries that seem useful and can improve lives, but whose ceilings are not very high, to Madagascar.

These are all based on reference points. The postwar industrial support provided by the United States to Germany and Japan was essentially a more advanced version of this approach. While German and Japanese industries appeared strong and relatively complete, they simply couldn't function without the United States.

Germany is in a relatively good position, as it can learn from the strengths of other European Community countries and circumvent restrictions in many areas.

As for Japan, it is completely fighting alone. Without the authorization and market of the United States, coupled with the positive role of the US military stationed in Japan, as long as the United States feels threatened, it is much easier to deal with than in Europe.

After a detailed explanation, Governor Paul Audie said with great approval, "This is a very good solution after the riots. Of course, our first priority now is to deal with the rioters."

“That’s for sure.” Koman asked, looking all ears. “The expeditionary force has just arrived, and the order to advance with the strategy of controlling the central highlands and confining the uprising to the east coast has been issued. However, some information about the uprising is still unclear. Our initial plan is to win over the Austronesians and purge the Bantu people on the east coast.”

“This may be difficult, because the leaders of the rioting forces happen to be mostly Austronesians,” Governor Paul Audi said helplessly.

"A group of high-ranking South Islanders led a Bantu uprising on the East Coast?" Koman's expression was quite amused upon hearing this answer. He only knew that there had been such an uprising in Madagascar in 1947, but he did not expect the story to be so dramatic.

Did the Austronesians, as the leadership, lead the Bantu-led uprising against French colonialism? Yet the vast majority of Austronesians living in the Central Highlands did not participate.

If this were in another region, it would be Nehru going to the Indus River Valley and leading a group of Muslims in an armed uprising, while the Hindus stood by and did nothing.
Governor Paul Audi had the documents in the Governor's Office brought out, and upon reviewing them, Coman found it to be true. The rioters' top political leader, Lavo Arhangi, his deputy, Joseph Lasetta, and their spiritual leader, Father Rasamba, were all Austronesian. Only one other deputy was a Bantu. And the most interesting part was that the frontline commander of the rioters' armed forces was a Beczio from the south.

This group consists of four political leaders and one military leader. The political leaders are three Austronesians and one Bantu, while the only military leader is neither of the two ethnic groups.

"Excellent! This is the foundation for an ethnic feud." Coman quickly glanced at the documents provided by the Governor's Office, his face beaming with delight. "This perfectly aligns with our plan to win over the Austronesians and purge the Bantu. It couldn't be better. In the process of suppressing the rioters, the Austronesians must be deeply involved. This way, the Bantu, who suffer heavy losses, might become suspicious of the Austronesians who led the riot. Now, all we need to do is create the conditions for an ethnic feud. I wonder if there are any political leaders who are willing to cooperate with France and push things forward."

A brand new conspiracy theory emerged in my mind: a small group of ambitious Austronesian men were inciting the Bantu people to rebel against the French order.

If this is accomplished, France can directly blame the deaths caused by the repression on the Austronesians, the largest single ethnic group in Madagascar. As for the leaders of the independence movement who led the uprising, they can expect to be infamous for eternity.

"This is a magnificent stage, and what kind of drama will unfold depends on how France dictates it," Corman said confidently to Bokassa as they left the Governor's Palace. "This experience has been invaluable for both of us, so learn from it."

(End of this chapter)