Father of France

Chapter 224 Building Dreams
In his telegram, Corman emphasized the need to ensure that the Chinese do not assimilate into the local community, to maintain Chinese language and character education while also providing French language education, and to make the local Malagasy people aware that the Chinese are a group of immigrants promoted by France.

The Governor-General's Office of Madagascar should start with education to prevent any potential integration.

This also benefits the fact that, apart from the French army, the Chinese have no other means of ensuring their safety. Only in this way will France feel comfortable entrusting economic power to Chinese immigrants.

If this condition cannot be met, then the Chinese should not expect economic control over an island of 600,000 square kilometers. Koman would not open his heart to a group without a reason; he would only do so if there is something to gain.

With the support of French agricultural technology and through the Chinese community, Madagascar's society was gradually improved.

Not only should the Chinese community in Madagascar rely on the French army for security, but the entire country of Madagascar should also be politically and economically dependent on France.

The immigrant fleet was still sailing in the Indian Ocean, and Corman had already telegraphed Paris, making clear arrangements for the future lives of this batch of immigrants.

Ava Gardner took the crew out to film on location, and Koman would take Bokassa around to broaden his horizons and gain administrative experience for the tyrant. He also took time to send the second batch of immigrants to the port.

Bokassa had been by Koeman's side for quite some time, and he secretly envied her greatly. She had such a beautiful woman by her side, and she maintained a great deal of enthusiasm for both military and political matters. What was even more admirable was that Koeman always seemed to have a way of solving problems.

On a personal level, Bokassa could still feel that Koeman did not discriminate against his skin color, which is different from many French people. Koeman was able to treat people of different skin colors and cultures equally.

"The commander has high expectations for the Saigon ethnic group." Bokassa came out of the port and followed Corman to the Gu Family Restaurant for dinner. Seeing Corman chatting calmly with the lobby waiter, he remarked, "Do many French people think that Asian yellow people are superior to African black people?"

After speaking, Bokassa stared intently at Coman's expression. He wouldn't have dared to do that with any other French officer, but he had become familiar with him over time.

“I don’t have a different attitude towards a group just because of what they look like. I look at whether they have value. If they have no value and they cause trouble, like the Bantu people on the east coast of Madagascar, I will make plans against them.”

Koeman replied with a smile, "The problem of Black people does exist, but it can also be attributed in part to natural conditions. Your hometown is the most obvious example. The difficulty of civilization development in the Congo River basin is one of the highest on our planet."

There are always some overconfident fools who happen to play a stat-boosting game and think they're incredibly skilled.

It's quite normal that groups from the Nile and Mesopotamian regions were able to take the lead in early human civilizations. The arid desert climate is the best natural environment for isolating infectious diseases, making it easy for populations to accumulate.

Therefore, the lower Nile and Mesopotamia were very favorable for the development of early civilizations. Floods were not too severe, making it easy to accumulate a sufficient population to develop civilizations.

Beyond the Nile and Mesopotamian regions, the next major rivers to advance were the Yellow River, Indus River, and Ganges River basins, which were also major rivers that could be conquered in the agricultural era.

Both the great Eastern powers and the powerful nations that have made a name for themselves initially established themselves on a relatively easy river; for the former, it was the Indus River, and for the latter, it was the Yellow River.

However, the difficulties faced by ancient India were somewhat less than those faced by the great Eastern powers. The Ganges was not much more difficult than the Indus River, while the Yangtze River was far more difficult than the Yellow River. I've only ever heard about managing the Yellow River in TV dramas, but as for managing the Yangtze River? What an obscure term! Only the People's Republic of China has been able to truly manage the Yangtze River in a meaningful way.

The existence of the Yangtze River is similar to that of an enhanced version of the Mississippi River. With the development of industry, there is a possibility of its management and even utilization. The difference in rainfall between the two rivers during the dry season and the rainy season is not too exaggerated.

Aside from these major rivers, the remaining two are completely discontinuous. Bokassa's hometown is one of them, the Congo River, which has a flow rate 1.5 times that of the Yangtze River and is the most turbulent river in the world.

The Congo River flows through the Congo Plateau, which is composed of Cambrian rock formations. The river channel was carved out of these rock formations, making the Congo River the deepest river in the world and known for its rapid currents.

The fish populations on both sides of the river are different, and the direct impression is similar to that of Tiger Leaping Gorge stretched for thousands of kilometers.

What difference is there between this and Zhao Kuo encountering Bai Qi after leaving the beginner village?
As for the Amazon River, which is truly the first major river with no clear congestion, it is composed of 20,000 tributaries, equivalent to 70% of the land area of ​​this great Eastern country. With eight Yangtze Rivers and 120 Yellow Rivers flowing through it at the same time, isn't it normal for a group of primitive tribes to live there?

Even if the Amazon River doesn't flow violently, no industrialized country could manage it if it just flowed slowly. Building a river channel is just a pipe dream.

If you throw any ethnic group into the Amazon basin, they will remain primitive tribes for many years. They can't even be proud of being the smartest and most hardworking people in the world unless a country can replace the Amazon River with a steel-reinforced channel. Even if they succeed, it would only turn the Amazon into the Congo River.

After hearing Koeman compare his hometown to the others, Bokassa felt a chill in his heart. He was stunned for a long time before saying, "It seems that no matter how hard I try, my hometown will never change."

“That’s not necessarily true. The Congo River’s main tributary is in Central Africa, so we can still try. Martin is investigating the Lake Chad system, so maybe he can find a way.” Coman quickly reassured him, as the future tyrant couldn’t be discouraged so early. “The Ubangi River is certainly difficult for France as well, but we can still give it a try. Don’t lose heart.”

The Ubangi River's flow is only equivalent to that of the Pearl River, making it much easier to deal with than the Congo River, which is essentially a reinforced version of the Yangtze.

Koman wouldn't dare attempt to go up the Congo River or the Amazon River, but he might as well give it a try on the Ubangi River, which is of a similar level.

But ownership must be clearly defined, just like the Sahara Atlantic Railway, which must be owned by France, as it was a major project for France to maintain its military presence in French Africa.

If Martin, who was diligently conducting research, actually knew about the massive construction project in Koeman's mind, his heart would leap out of his chest. Is it really that serious? And he really dares to dream.

What is there to be afraid of? Koeman is determined to leave his mark on this world. He's not just boasting about Eva Gardner; he genuinely has this idea and will try his best to put it into practice.

Diverting water from the Ubangi River, a major tributary of the Niger and Congo Rivers, into Lake Chad to prevent this important lake in French Africa from drying up is something France can do given its current control over French Africa.

As the main colonial power in French Equatorial Africa and French West Africa, France controls both the Niger and Ubangi rivers. There is no need to worry about the influence of downstream countries. First of all, both rivers have abundant flow and there will be no downstream drying up.

The only difficulty was France itself, which is why Corman had previously told Martin to investigate the Lake Chad system, but he didn't even tell his comrade-in-arms who had come out of Syria with him why.

Koman is indeed quite wealthy, mainly because the White Tiger oil field in the Mekong Basin has already started producing oil, with an estimated annual output of over five million tons. Although the initial output was not as high as he reported, isn't this just the beginning?

From then on, he could accumulate a lot of wealth every month through this.

Water and electricity are the best channels for controlling a country in modern society. If this project can be started, even if the French African countries become independent, they will not be able to escape the grasp of France.

Spending money this way is worthwhile, much more useful than putting it in a bank to earn interest. This project can also strengthen the ties between French troops in Africa and soldiers in the colonies.

Koman was so engrossed in his delusions that he would have started construction right now if Martin's investigation hadn't yet reached a definite conclusion.

In the remote port of Tuamasina, despite initial cleanup, the air still stubbornly retained the lingering smells of gunpowder, coke, and blood diluted by the sea breeze. But today, a new group of guests arrived: a rusty old transport ship, like a weary beast, slowly docked at the still-unrepaired main pier.

Behind them were several cargo ships that had also traveled a long distance. These ships were not carrying cargo or soldiers, but people.

The deck was crowded with men, women, and children, their faces sallow and their eyes blank. Most of them were dressed as farmers, wearing tattered, simple clothes, which seemed out of place against the bright, blinding sunlight and scarlet earth of Madagascar.

They clutched tightly to their meager belongings tied with straw ropes—perhaps just an iron pot, a few changes of clothes, or a packet of seeds from their hometown.

The French colonial officials who arrived at the port to greet them watched as the crowds from the ship stepped onto the long-lost land. Through the loudspeaker, they harshly shouted: "Disembark in an orderly fashion! Assemble in your assigned areas! The French Republic has given you new land, a new beginning! Forget your past hardships and displacement; this will be your new home!"

The men held their wives' hands, cradled their children, listened to the shouts of the French officials, and looked at the distant hills that had been repeatedly plowed by artillery fire and were just beginning to grow sparse weeds.

The French Governor's Palace in Saigon and wealthy members of the Chinese upper class repeatedly promised that the allocated land, preferential taxes, and a quiet life were the reasons why most people came to Madagascar.

Now that the French have reaffirmed their belief, many people are relieved. The future is here, and things aren't so bad after all. They will build their dreams for the future with their own hands on this new land.

(End of this chapter)