Father of France

Chapter 215 My Friend Ali Khan

Admiral Dragon felt that Coman should be given a warning, since the results had been good so far, but the process had become more and more dangerous each time.

So far, there have been four incidents involving life and safety, including the Damascus night, in which the French command in Syria was targeted.

This is easy to fool; given the greater good chosen by the Allies and the Axis powers, there's no possibility of settling scores later.

The second was the great victory in Marseille. The youth division, wielding French batons, skillfully divided the area and extinguished the protests that were still brewing. Although there were quite a few wounded, few died.

Moreover, the French Communist Party at the time had a legitimate reason to deploy its own armed forces, which gave it a reasonable and legal justification for deploying the gendarmerie.

These two things are relatively easy to deal with, but with the arrival of postwar peace, especially after Coman left France, in the first half of this year alone, a cage policy was adopted on Java Island to deliberately create famine. Although it was for the purpose of filling the trade gap between France and the Soviet Union, it can be said that the initial intention was good.

The enormous death toll was already making Admiral Dragon feel he couldn't handle it anymore.

Before the bodies on Java Island had even fully decomposed, Koman returned directly to Saigon, using sweet words to deceive the Vietnamese National Army, and traveled thousands of miles to Madagascar, where he directly halved the population of the second largest ethnic group, with the death toll exceeding 400,000.

The current immigration recommendations and the sale of weapons and equipment to provide compensation are all aftereffects of the Madagascar riots.

Cleaning up the mess was clearly not something a promoted major could do; it required a general and the Chief of the Army General Staff to handle.

While French India was still dealing with the issue of compensation for the victims of the recent crackdown on the Madagascar riots, the sudden appearance of the French left the Maharaja, the largest princely state of Hyderabad, in a state of great anxiety and panic.

The British are all about killing and no about burying, and now they are in such a hurry to withdraw from the subcontinent that it is almost equivalent to abandoning the many princely states on the subcontinent. Ali Khan made efforts, but he could not persuade the shrewd British.

At this time, the French, who had a very low presence on the subcontinent, suddenly appeared. More than three months ago, a large number of French troops arrived on the subcontinent. As a princely state of more than 200,000 square kilometers with the power of life and death, Ali Khan was certainly aware of that.

Unexpectedly, three months later, the French troops that had been resupplying at the port east of Hyderabad returned and reportedly successfully suppressed the uprising across the ocean.

Upon hearing this news, Ali Khan was filled with mixed emotions. It was all imperialism; compared to the French, the British had no sense of responsibility whatsoever.

"Please have the French come here." After listening to Ilhan's report, Ali Khan remained silent for a long time before speaking, having already made his decision.

Ali Khan grabbed a rifle, the icy touch traveling from his palm straight to his heart.

He knew that what he held in his hands was not just a weapon, but the last straw that the princely states were trying to grasp in the face of the covetous gaze of the Indian Federation, even if that straw came from another empire that was fading away.

In comparison, the South Indian National Congress is slightly less powerful, and some Hindus are preparing to act as the partition of India and Pakistan approaches. However, the situation remains under Ali Khan's control.

However, for his own safety, Coman still brought a lot of people with him, even though French India was not far from Hyderabad. If we go back two hundred years, Hyderabad was once part of French India.

Before the Seven Years' War, the then French Governor-General of India, Doubray, had successfully controlled the area between Hyderabad and Cape Comorin with his French troops. However, the ambitious British officer Robert Clyffe later arrived in India and shattered Doubray's dream of "establishing a French-dominated India".

After the defeat in the war and the subsequent failure of peace negotiations, Dubreuil was recalled to France.

Koman traveled upstream along the Krishna River into Hyderabad, which was the safest route, avoiding any disturbances along the way.

This method can also be used for the sale of light weapons; it just depends on whether Ali Khan can figure it out.

Despite trying to avoid contact, Koman and his group were spotted by several Indians when they switched from waterways to land. However, these Indians soon noticed the presence of the princely state's army.

The soldiers suddenly stood up and slowly walked up to the few ordinary people who had caught a glimpse of the Heavenly Palace. Their tall figures completely obscured their view. The people had never realized how tall the soldiers, with their backs straight, were, and they felt an unprecedented aura emanating from them. They immediately felt tense.

“Perhaps you have a poor background, and a poor faith.” A commander pressed down hard on the shoulders of one of the unfortunate men. The man who was grabbed felt a tightness in his chest, unable to exhale, and his face turned red.

The others watched in horror, wanting to stop it, but were met with a cold glance from the other soldiers, who saw their ferocity like that of wild beasts, and immediately dared not speak.

"What...what are you going to do?" The man who was grabbed tried to stand up by holding onto the table, but he lost his balance and sat down on the ground.

"I won't do anything." The commander serving the monarch seemed to have just finished eating, wiping the curry stains from the corner of his mouth, and suddenly laughed. "Anyway, you're all going to die." Ali Khan's palace, though distinctive, was not luxurious, and compared to his wealth, it was utterly insignificant. Koman had come with sincerity, and it was up to him whether this deal could be reached.

But Coman didn't expect that Ali Khan would give him such a huge shock on their first meeting: "France can act as the protector of Hyderabad. Since the British are definitely leaving, Hyderabad can exist as a protectorate of France. Isn't this what you French people have been dreaming of?"

Koeman felt that the other party was clearly grasping at straws in desperation. Listen to what they said, is it reasonable?

If it were for the vast territory of British India, which spans nearly two million square kilometers, France would certainly give it a try.

There is no doubt about this, but the combined area of ​​French India and its several colonies was only a little over 500 square kilometers.

Even if France was much more determined to defend its colonies than the British, it was still not worthwhile to kill off the Indians who wanted independence for such a small amount of land.

"Your Majesty, if you were France, would you do this?" Coman tried to suppress the look in his eyes that suggested he was looking at an unreliable target, but his meaning was already very clear.

He came all this way just for the money, but he absolutely doesn't want to jeopardize his future career. How is this any different from Zhao Kuo encountering Bai Qi right after leaving the beginner's village?
"So what can you do? Sell some weapons, rifles, bullets, and some cars and artillery, and you'll get fifteen million dollars from me? Or four million pounds?" Ali Khan's interest waned considerably. He wasn't trying to overturn the table, but he also needed to protect his own interests.

“These weapons are meant to give the Great Khan a chance to protect his property. I took the initiative because it was profitable, but for the Great Khan, it’s not like that.”

Koman saw through the other party's bluff at a glance. If Ali Khan wanted, he could continue to waste time and drag it out.

Anyway, August 15th is the day India and Pakistan gained independence. Coman simply missed out on a deal; there will be losses, but they are definitely manageable. Conversely, it's not the same for Grand Prince Ali Khan.

If Ali Khan's Hyderabad were annexed, the loss would not be easily made up for. He certainly possessed a vast amount of gold bars and ingots, as well as a huge quantity of jewels, including emeralds, rubies, and pearls.

But compared to all of Hyderabad's land, including its mineral resources, railways, and banks, only a small portion would be preserved if it were truly swallowed up.

What could Ali Khan take with him? Gold and banknotes, but he couldn't take fixed assets with him; on the contrary, he had to liquidate them.

“You French people aren’t as good at talking as the British,” Ali Khan said, opening his mouth but ultimately concluding in a calm tone.

"But the French are far more responsible than the British, though not all of them," Coman added as a final touch.

During the Algerian War, France did not bring all its supporters back to its homeland. There were probably between 100,000 and 200,000 Muslim supporters who were later purged in Algeria.

However, France also brought back most of its people. It just goes to show that when something like this happens, no matter how strict the measures are, it's never possible to achieve perfection.

Regardless, France did have a stance; unlike the British, they didn't just abandon their responsibilities and run away. They might let others off the hook, but they didn't leave a way out for someone like Ali Khan.

If Coman were the supreme authority in Britain, he certainly wouldn't forget Ali Khan. If this deal solves a problem for Coman, he would protect Ali Khan for life just for this favor alone.

“These weapons lists alone are far from enough. What else can France provide?” Ali Khan seemed to have figured it out as well; he didn’t actually have high demands for material goods.

But even if it's not high, it's no longer a matter of money; it involves the legacy of his ancestors, and his reign may come to an end.

Koeman was no longer sleepy. "Not enough, huh?" he said. "Actually, France has a batch of fighter jets that can be sold for 900 ounces each. This could help Hyderabad establish a foundation for asymmetric warfare."

The fighter planes that Koeman was referring to were actually pre-war French fighter planes, roughly on par with the British Spitfire, with a total of about a thousand, but after four years of war, only a little over a hundred were recovered.

However, after the liberation of mainland France, it was not possible to use only British and American fighter jets, so several models of fighter jets were put back into production for a period of time.

This type of aircraft, which is neither new nor old and will soon be replaced by jet fighters, can be sold at cost price. Koeman remembers that France still had several hundred of them, including those that were put into production.

Since Ali Khan is in need now, Koman has nothing to say. As long as he pays, Ali Khan will be Koman's best friend from now on.

(End of this chapter)