Father of France

Chapter 222 Distributing Pay at the Training Ground
This is also a kind of winning strategy, the foundation of which is strength. France, at least for now, is still considered strong and in a superior position compared to French Indochina.

The strategy of superiors guiding subordinates is common in interactions between nations. In some cases, superiors don't even need to deliberately guide subordinates; subordinates will naturally come to them.

Vietnam and the Eastern power are obvious examples, and their attitudes toward Japan are many times more serious than those of the Eastern power in the 1990s.

This can even happen between different cultures, provided you are truly powerful and recognized.

Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, and with the growing strength of the major Eastern power in the 21st century, some previously non-mainstream viewpoints in Central Asian countries are gaining increasing influence. Kyrgyz people claim a long-standing relationship with this Eastern power, citing reasons such as their ancestors being descendants of the followers of Han Dynasty general Li Ling after his surrender, and Li Bai having a Turkic wife, etc.

The Tajiks, on the other hand, claimed that they fought alongside the great Eastern power during the Tang Dynasty, appearing as staunch allies of the Tang army, suggesting that the Tajiks knew little about An Lushan.

This was definitely a non-mainstream view during the Soviet era, but now that the great Eastern power has become strong, this view, even if it has not yet become mainstream, can be openly discussed.

In reality, Kyrgyzstan speaks a Turkic language, while Tajiks speak a Persian language; neither has much connection to the major Eastern power.

On the contrary, Türkiye, a country that claims to be the legitimate successor of the Turkic people, has little to do with the Turks; it's just a group of locals who converted to a different religion.

In the historical perspectives of non-Eastern powers, the Turks are considered descendants of the Xiongnu. However, ancient historical records of Eastern powers also mention that the Turks were a separate branch of the Xiongnu.

As a result, the Turks claimed that the Huns were their ancestors, and the Mongols also claimed that the Huns were their ancestors. It is unclear whether the Mongols or the Turks are more authentic.

Koeman had previously thought that if one day the great Eastern power could be undeniably and widely recognized as far surpassing the United States, perhaps people of Asian descent in Latin America could find common ground with the great Eastern power.

Even if the ancestors of Native Americans, the North Asians, left Eurasia at least 10,000 years ago.

In fact, Latin America has a rather heavy historical mission. It has been regarded by European countries as the last bastion of Christians and may also be a future reserve base for people of Asian descent in terms of racial issues.

Historical variables are constantly emerging. While France is still in power in French Indochina and can still present itself as a leader, the immigration work cannot be delayed for even a day.

Conversely, if someone is not powerful enough but has already started to act like someone in a position of authority, they will ultimately only make a fool of themselves. There are examples of this, such as Koeman, who just came from this country.

India has been trying to use Indian culture as a lever to project an image of superiority in the surrounding region, but no one is buying it.

Moreover, it seems that Modi has no way to find new growth points. Under his leadership, India has privatized the state-owned enterprises of the Congress Party during the Cold War. There are no more state-owned enterprises for him to sell to raise money, and the internal motivation has been extinguished.

India's internal resources are completely depleted if it wants to maintain its prominence; it depends on how much the West can influence it externally. However, after the air war, India's value in political maneuvering has been greatly reduced.

At least Trump has lost interest in winning over India, and for India, the situation will become even more severe in the future.

While campaigning for the immigrants, Koman finally fed Ava Gardner with a French long stick and began the cleanup work for this military operation. As a reward for his service, he instructed Bokassa to inform the 4th Division of the Vietnamese National Army to assemble at the drill ground a week later, without the need for armor.

Even if they wanted to bring weapons, they didn't have the means. Koman had sold all the light and heavy weapons and equipment of this division to Ali Khan, and they would have to wait some time to re-equip themselves.

History has repeatedly proven the importance of full pay, and Corman certainly wouldn't make a mistake on this. In the suppression of the Madagascar uprising, the French forces suffered more than 3,000 casualties, with more than 800 killed in action. In terms of numbers, this was perfectly acceptable, and the largest uprising since the war was quelled in less than three months.

When Ava Gardner changed into men's clothing, Coman was immediately struck by her appearance. "I remember a star who was on par with Garbo, who always seemed to wear men's clothes."

“Marlene Dietrich was certainly a very unique senior,” Ava Gardner said, buttoning up her shirt and deliberately showing off her beautiful neck. “Many women like this style too. Do you like this style as well?”

"I don't care whether I'm a man or a woman in my mind." As a representative of European progressivism and a proud Frenchman, Corman certainly didn't care about feudal dregs. "As long as I'm a woman physically, that's fine."

“You’re not picky about food.” Ava Gardner was delighted to see her man return, and aside from eating baguettes, she finally had time to start asking all sorts of questions.

Koman then recounted his campaigns across two continents and one ocean over the past few months, and Ava Gardner displayed her overflowing emotions, clinging to Koman's arm as if she couldn't bear to be apart from him.

This woman is becoming increasingly fragrant with the aroma of tea, it's hard to tell if that's a good thing or a bad thing. "I made a fortune in South Asia, and now I can realize one of my ideas. I can open a few real universities in the overseas provinces." Koman whistled softly, preparing to unleash his talents in the overseas provinces, where the universities he establishes will become the top science and engineering institutions in half of Africa in the future.

"The university you want to open? What's different about it?" Ava Gardner didn't ask about Koman's gains in South Asia this time. This man had already given her enough. However, she was very interested in the university in the man's eyes. She instinctively felt that the university Koman was running must be extraordinary.

"A purely science and engineering university, where everything is based on grades. In a science and engineering university, if you know something, you know it; if you don't, there's nothing that can be done. All other disciplines will be cut." Koeman explained his initial plan, expressing high hopes for the future of these universities.

The new university will naturally follow the Harbin Institute of Technology and Northwestern Polytechnical University model. As for humanities, France will naturally handle it domestically, so there's no need to worry. France is a renowned literary powerhouse.

Of course, France is not weak in science and engineering, but it is not very strong in application. Moreover, given France's large population, it has fewer talented people than countries with larger populations.

Koeman never believed that any nation could be superior, producing more talent with a smaller population, unless it was a worthless master's degree, which was essentially cheating.

The new science and engineering universities must cover the entire French-speaking country, even if the proportion of black talent in Africa may be very low.

Even if it's just about becoming a skilled technician, it would be a great step forward for French African countries. Education must never exclude Black people, otherwise French African countries will only become a burden on France.

While the humanities were not entirely marginal in France, their importance was such that open academic discrimination was not allowed. After the war, who among the Allies went after Germany's literary figures? Weren't they all after Germany's science and engineering talents?
Universities specializing in science and engineering have many advantages; the overall atmosphere is generally more pragmatic, rigorous, and efficiency-oriented. They focus more on "how to solve problems" and reduce unnecessary empty talk and boasting.

In a good STEM university, most of your classmates and teachers are logical, tech-savvy, and curious "doers." In this environment, it's easy to find partners to work on projects, participate in competitions, and exchange ideas, forming a high-quality social circle.

When alumni of top science and engineering universities are spread across major technology giants and research institutions, providing valuable insider referrals and career guidance, the atmosphere of the entire country will be influenced and changed.

Another advantage, which Koeman dared not mention to Ava Gardner, was that the male-to-female ratio at STEM universities was extremely high.

Koeman had no faith in Western women's rights, but she couldn't restrict women's education like Middle Eastern countries did, preventing women from taking center stage in national politics.

But if it were like 21st-century European countries, where a group of women served as defense ministers and presidents, Koeman wouldn't be able to get past his psychological barrier. After thinking about it for a long time, science and engineering became a solution.

Unlike general comprehensive universities, science and engineering universities, represented by Harbin Institute of Technology and Northwestern Polytechnical University, seem to be naturally less popular with women. Perhaps it is because women are unwilling to endure the hardships of science and engineering. In any case, the male-to-female ratio in these universities is extremely high.

Since all races are equal, there is no reason why French women would particularly like STEM fields. Doesn't this naturally shield them from interference from the feminist movement?

Moreover, citing national development as a reason, it is believed that feminist organizations cannot shake the national development concept centered on scientific development, which can largely solve the problem of European and American feminism encroaching on the core of national politics.

Ava Gardner didn't need to know this thought hidden deep within her heart.

A few days later, Koman had made initial progress in resolving Ava Gardner's resentment about not having a man for a long time.

Good news also came from Jakarta: the remaining five billion francs that had been used to address the trade deficit with the Soviet Union and invested in French Indochina and the Dutch East Indies were being returned.

The remaining funds will be distributed by the French Indochina Gendarmerie to the 4th Division of the Vietnamese National Army, which participated in the suppression of the Madagascar riots, through formal notification from the Gendarmerie Command, and they will assemble at the drill ground...

Issuing francs is making money for the country. The dollars from the Marshall Plan have not yet arrived, and the real exchange rate of the franc is still very high. Issuing francs to the troops participating in the war at the nominal exchange rate is equivalent to solving a problem for France.

The key is to make Vietnamese people believe in the value of the franc. Fortunately, this is not a problem. Fiat currency is essentially based on credit, and even if the franc has low credit, it is still higher than the Vietnamese currency.

Vietnam has the national currency as a moral benchmark for comparison, so the franc seems alright, doesn't it?

Based on the current monthly salary in Saigon, Coman, surrounded by military police, arrived at the 4th Division's camp with one billion francs. He insisted on distributing the money openly, just like General Quan Xiaojiang, accurately handing the money to each soldier.

(End of this chapter)