Father of France

Chapter 226 Northern Route Project
Christians, including Maronites and Orthodox Christians, have already emigrated, but there are still 70,000 to 80,000 Muslims from various sects who served in the French army. Is that a large number? I believe Israel can handle it.

Koeman didn't have any special feelings for Syria, but he knew that people like him who had no heart were a minority.

For many Maronites, Syria is where they have lived their entire lives, and even though they have left, they cannot erase the important memories of a long period of their lives.

Under the influence of this group, France may not be very friendly towards Israel, which is very different from France in another world.

The formation of Israel was influenced by the corrupt hands of almost every major power, except for Chiang Kai-shek, who was involved in the civil war. Even Britain's attitude is highly questionable.

Aside from the United States and the Soviet Union, France was actually the main supporter of Israel in its early days, providing a large amount of weaponry and equipment to the Israeli armed forces.

The Suez Canal War was also fought with France bringing Israel into the fold, forming a three-nation coalition against Egypt.

However, because soldiers from French Syria have already occupied a large number of positions in the French army and overseas departments, France's attitude towards Israel may not be so close, and it will always have to be mindful of certain factors.

"I'm not taking a boat; it's so far, I don't know how long it will take to get there," Ava Gardner said, packing her things and whining to express her reluctance to leave.

"Can't you speak properly?" Koman looked helplessly at the woman in front of him. Look at that femme fatale's face, look at that exaggerated height, she doesn't look like a delicate woman at all.

“I don’t even wear high heels at home.” Ava Gardner put on a wronged and submissive look, like a wronged little wife.

This behavior, which subverted Koeman's image, showed absolutely no sincerity. Changing the subject, the future lifelong president said, "Martin brought the Madagascar leaders who participated in this uprising back to Paris. Please convey my message: the Palestinian territories are about to become independent. The Foreign Legion's defenses in the Golan Heights were carefully repaired by us… and also…"

There is no doubt that the partition of Palestine will turn the region into a powder keg.

That was not a barren place, but rather the most fertile land on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean. Otherwise, would the Crusaders have established a kingdom there?

Thanks to the textbook-perfect governance of the Ottoman Empire, the population of the modern Arab world is smaller than it was a thousand years ago, making it arguably the greatest contributor to Europe's subjugation of the Arab world.

In the agricultural era, one could tell which regions were truly prosperous by looking at their local population. Palestine was the core of the British colonies on the eastern Mediterranean coast, with a population exceeding that of Transjordan.

This wealthy region has attracted the attention of not only Israel, but also all of Palestine's neighboring countries, including but not limited to Jordan, Egypt, and Syria.

Therefore, the claim that the influx of Palestinian refugees has caused instability in neighboring countries and that the Palestinians are simply ungrateful is unfounded.

Because these countries, like Israel, want to annex Palestine. Since they want to annex, they must bear all the consequences. Why would they like to annex land when refugees are flooding in?

Of the countries surrounding Israel, Egypt is the strongest, Syria has the best geographical advantage, but only Jordan is truly a place that could kill Israel. Compared to the northern and southern borders, the border between Israel and Jordan is far too vast for Israel's population to even see.

Therefore, during the Cold War, the West, especially the United States, was constantly trying to prevent a revolution in the Kingdom of Jordan. A feudal Jordan was much safer than a Jordan after a revolution.

Once Jordan becomes a republic, the longest front in Israel's three-front war will be exposed.

It was precisely because the Palestinian region was not barren, but rather had favorable local conditions, that it became the core of British influence there; otherwise, it would have been a French colony.

For the same reason, before the Syrian and Lebanese campaigns, the French Foreign Legion's proposal to build a defensive line in the Golan Heights was approved. Compared to the British troops in Iraq, the British troops in Palestine were not only closer but also in greater danger.

The Golan Heights defense line was ineffective at the time because the British troops came from the direction of Jordan and Iraq, but now this defense line is very useful.

Even from the perspective of being prepared for the worst, this defensive line should be utilized. Just because Syria has 70,000 to 80,000 soldiers who participated in world wars doesn't mean that the Middle East war will definitely be won once it starts.

In fact, given the status of Arab countries, it would have been too easy for the United States and the Soviet Union to intervene; a draw would have been considered a victory.

As for Britain and France, even if they were unwilling to support the Jews, circumstances dictated their actions, and their strength was inferior to that of the US and the Soviet Union, so they wouldn't offer much assistance. This meant that after Eva Gardner returned to Paris, she needed to remind Martin that many French soldiers were maintaining contact with Syrian troops, which could be seen as France doing something last for its former colony.

Before boarding the plane, Ava Gardner asked Corman to take care of her film crew and protect their safety, as French Indochina was not currently at war, but that didn't mean it was absolutely safe.

“Especially Taylor,” Ava Gardner said reluctantly, carrying her suitcase.

"Understood." Coman frowned slightly. Who? Was it that Taylor? The third British treasure after Garson and Vivien Leigh?

France's obsession with collecting "intelligence tax" will not subside because of the war. In fact, the fashion world in Paris has already begun to discuss how to revitalize France's luxury goods industry. Dior's "New Look" collection launched this year, with its extremely feminine designs of full bust, slender waist, and voluminous skirts, has completely subverted the simple and masculine clothing style of the wartime era and redefined the elegant dream of women in the postwar era.

This is not only a fashion revolution, but is also seen as a national event to revitalize French cultural and economic confidence.

So, apart from the fact that the French Communist Party was ousted from the government by the Socialist Party, the French luxury goods industry has indeed begun to recover. Chanel saw the disappearance of political threats and the recovery of the luxury goods industry, so returning to France to start a second business was a wise choice.

However, despite the deteriorating relationship between the French Communist Party and the Socialist Party, it is a reality that the left-wing forces in French politics still hold an advantage. The People's Republican Movement is ultimately a party, and it is not as reassuring as the army.

Chanel was unaware that Krohmann had already made a killing in the Eastern superpower and was no novice when it came to luxury goods. When Ava Gardner first met Chanel in Paris, the shimmering brocade handkerchief she was holding caught Chanel's attention.

Although Ava Gardner's physical condition remained the same, her clothing had changed during her time in Saigon, showing some differences.

"Luxury goods are an industry in which France can establish influence in the North American market with less investment and the fastest pace. Once this influence is solidified, it is more useful than British technology."

Ava Gardner adopted an elegant sitting posture. "The war is over, the world is changing, and women must be able to breathe, walk, and live. I believe that Coco Chanel's preparation for her comeback was to reaffirm this point."

Chanel nodded, unable to help but marvel at Ava Gardner's beauty.

She didn't know that the woman in front of her didn't come from a good background and had made her way in the world entirely through external advantages. Her transformation came from the wealth that Corman had bestowed upon her, which gave her an air of nobility. In addition, she had done a lot of charity work, and the woman she was now was completely different from the one who had just left the United States.

“I agree with you,” Chanel said, regaining her composure. “We used to serve only one percent of our top clients, but now the middle class in America is rising. Last month, my American friends asked me if we could produce some less expensive perfumes, scarves, or even… pre-sewn garment samples. They say there are countless women who yearn to touch a bit of the Parisian dream.”

"America's glory will continue for a long time." Ava Gardner, not a second-generation immigrant, unconsciously puffed out her chest, her confidence almost bursting, upon hearing Chanel's optimism about America. "If we can let tens of thousands of women own 'Chanel,' it won't damage the brand; on the contrary, it will make the name even more resounding. Perhaps, in the future, luxury goods will no longer be just a physical object, but a brand. People will subconsciously believe that the Chanel brand is high-end, which is a more beautiful dream than the past when it only served the upper class."

The first meeting was a complete success. After having dinner at Admiral Dragon's residence, Ava Gardner returned to Hugo Street with two assistants. "Catherine, please arrange an appointment for me with Captain Martin of the Military Police Headquarters tomorrow. Your boss has something to discuss with him."

“Ms. Ava, I’ll make preparations for tomorrow’s meeting right away.” Catherine tossed her classic, custom-made Germanic blonde hair to the Führer and answered crisply, still maintaining the demeanor of a soldier who had served in the concentration camp.

Koman became rich through the White Tiger Oilfield, so he can start his grand blueprint for having everything he dreams of. Putting aside the difficult ones, some projects are not difficult except for money.

The first phase of the Sahara Atlantic Railway project was not particularly difficult; it simply involved connecting the existing railways in Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia.

After hearing this, Martin leaned back strategically, thinking to himself that what was bound to happen would happen eventually. He couldn't help but say to Ava Gardner, "This is at least tens of billions or even hundreds of billions of francs in investment. Ms. Ava, aren't you going to try to dissuade her?"

“How could I have that ability? When I first met him, he said that he didn’t care about money. I thought he was just bragging. Who knew that a man would tell a woman the truth on the first date?”

Ava Gardner, her face full of evasiveness, said, "He said that ilmenite has been found and that the railway connection between the two protectorates should be completed as soon as possible."

The two protectorates are Morocco to the west of the overseas department and Tunisia to the east. There are now tens of thousands of French troops stationed in both protectorates.

Because protectorates were not colonies, France maintained a larger military presence than its French African colonies.

(End of this chapter)