Father of France

Chapter 256 The Pig's Tactics
With General Zhu An's return from Paris, a new transformation began in the overseas provinces. If the original military control was rather vague, it was now filled with much more content.

The census doesn't require Koeman to inject his own biases; he only needs to adjust the proportions after the statistics are completed. However, cultural identification must be explained on the spot, and the Hakka, Berber, Arab, and Black cultural groups must be identified.

The first three are identified by culture, while the last one, the Black community, must be identified by bloodline, so it is not necessary to stick to the same set of standards.

In any case, this identification work has never used the same set of standards. Many groups that are nominally of the same ethnicity do not actually know that they are of the same ethnicity. The identification work is a mess, and there is only one standard, which is to maximize France's current interests.

Koeman outlined several tendencies: the Berber culture, being the earliest culture in the overseas departments, should be protected to some extent; the Black people, being a vulnerable group, should also be protected; the Haqqas, being French citizens, should be protected as an alliance of interests; and the only unfortunate ones were the Arabs.

From a cultural perspective, the pro-French Haqs will be France's first target, forming an alliance of interests to jointly deal with anti-French forces. As for the Berbers and Blacks, France's short-term goal is to keep these two groups out of the picture. How to deal with them will be a matter for after the Arabs submit.

"Notify the sheikhs of Hakis that we will have a talk in Algiers in three days," Koman instructed his deputy, who had become the commander of the Algiers gendarmerie battalion.

From the moment Koeman first met the deputy battalion commander and learned his name, he decided to groom him carefully. The name Lucar sounded reassuring; perhaps he would become a good right-hand man in the future.

"Commander, you've only just taken office. Isn't it a bit too hasty?" Rugal, facing a battalion commander ten years his junior, didn't harbor any resentment but was simply offering a well-intentioned reminder.

“That’s why I have to achieve something to live up to this appointment.” Koeman’s tone shifted, and he began to complain, “Everyone knows the importance of overseas provinces. Whether it’s the northern or southern Mediterranean, it’s all France. It’s of great significance and relates to France’s future status as a world power. Overseas provinces are related to France’s control over the African continent. Even if we couldn’t send a tiger, we should have sent a dog. In the end, we sent a pig.”

Lucar pursed his lips, listening to Koman's long-winded speech with an awkward yet polite smile. "But a pig also corresponds to the taboo of the Arabs. In wars throughout history, the tactics of pigs have been successfully used by people time and time again. When attacked, it will lean its rear against the wall, making it impossible for you to grab its tail. Eventually, you will be helpless against it. If you are not careful, its sharp teeth will bite you and it will not let go once it has bitten you."

"The battalion commander is right." This was the first time Lucar had ever heard such a ridiculous tactical theory. His mind was suddenly enlightened. As for whether he thought it was just absurd nonsense or utter rubbish, no one knew.

“It’s still early today, let’s go and take a look at the Jewish community.” A strange look flashed in Coman’s eyes as he said, “The British mandate is about to expire, and I wonder if the Jews in the overseas provinces will return to their promised land. Jews are smart and hardworking, and it would be a loss for France if they left.”

When you really have nothing to say, you should praise the other party's history and culture. This works for most countries, except for those like the United States.

He recalled that the Jewish population in Israel was roughly distributed as follows: nearly 50% came from Eastern Europe, 30% from Asia, and a little over 10% from Africa. Therefore, the Jews in Algeria would eventually emigrate.

So, do the Jews in Israel also come from Western European countries and the United States? Of course they do, and together they make up about three percent of the total population. If we only refer to the United States, it's less than one percent.

Zionism might fool Jews in less fortunate countries, but Jews in America aren't that stupid. They're willing to pay money, but they absolutely won't go to Israel themselves.

Algiers, as France's largest city in North Africa, naturally has a Jewish community, located in the old town of Kasbah. Since Coman had just arrived in Algiers and was not yet familiar with this center of North Africa, he asked Lucard to take him on a tour, taking advantage of the fact that there were still Jews in the overseas departments, since they would not be seen again in the future, whether due to immigration or other reasons.

The old town's urban development isn't very good. In fact, the settlements planned by the Maronite immigrants from overseas provinces look much more spacious and brighter than this old town.

The Jewish community here blends seamlessly into its surroundings. Stone houses rise one after another, their balconies almost touching, casting dappled shadows on the streets. The synagogues are hidden among these ordinary alleyways, their exteriors unassuming, but their interiors are adorned with exquisite Jewish lampstands and Hebrew inscriptions, serving as bastions of the community's ancient spiritual beliefs.

In their daily lives, Jewish housewives and their Muslim neighbors might select fresh fruits and vegetables from the same vendor, and their current relationship is relatively harmonious.

This is not surprising, as the relationship between Jews and Arabs was actually quite good before the establishment of Israel.

It was only after the establishment of Israel that relations between Jews and Arabs deteriorated sharply, with Jews beginning to migrate to Israel, as life would certainly not be easy for them if they remained in Arab countries.

When Coman arrived, he could even hear prayers coming from the synagogue, and couldn't help but mutter, "They're quite devout. I wonder what it will be like a month from now."

Rucard didn't answer the question, only saying, "The conditions in this community are rather basic. There's actually another community besides this one, which is much newer." "Just take a look, let's go back." Coleman was only there to broaden his horizons, not to invest any real interest. "A month ago, I placed a group of artisans in Algiers. Their housing needs must be prioritized. These are talents France needs, and they must be properly resettled. There might be even more immigrants coming in the future. Establishing a Chinatown, or even developing the entire city, is necessary."

"Do they also want to emigrate to the colonies in the Indochina Peninsula?" Rugal pondered for a moment, as if he had guessed the purpose, "to dilute the proportion of Arabs."

"That's one reason," Coman replied vaguely. He couldn't very well say that French Indochina couldn't be protected by France's strength; it would be too embarrassing to say it out loud.

Koeman's attitude toward overseas provinces can be summarized as follows: anyone but Arabs will do. If absolutely necessary, not only Chinese, but even the Black population, which is just over 5%, could be increased to 10% or 20%. Is Britain good at stirring up trouble? He might not be any worse at stirring things up than Britain.

"Should we go take a look?" Lucar asked as he drove. "We've settled them in the West District, and the immigrants are quite settled, although some are reluctant to interact with other residents."

"That's just how Chinese people are, so secretive. As long as they don't interfere with our work, they're considered good immigrants." Koeman really wanted to tell Rugal not to wait until it's too late to appreciate what you have.

As the dominant position of the Eastern superpower in controlling the world through English-speaking means begins to challenge the Chinese community, the Five Eyes alliance has consciously begun to open up to Indian immigration to counteract this trend.

The Indo-Pacific strategy has only been around for about ten years. With the increase in Indian immigration, the Five Eyes alliance has discovered that Indians haven't contributed much, and are mostly causing trouble. They've even spread the caste system to the Five Eyes alliance.

This strategy was proposed by the Japanese, but Japan itself has stayed far away for the past ten years, just watching the Five Eyes alliance open up immigration, and making the Five Eyes alliance bear the cost of all this.

However, with the rise of a female prime minister, Japan also opened its doors to Indian immigrants.

……

Fortunately, France speaks French. When Koman thought of Indians, he felt that black people were not beyond saving. At least since black people's minds were empty, France could try to instill French ideas in them.

As for Indians, their minds are already full of Hinduism, so trying to instill it in them is already a bad idea.

The only powerful and influential nation that India can overcome is its northern neighbor, the Eastern Power. The Eastern Power advocates the Non-Aligned Movement, but India is the recognized leader of the Non-Aligned Movement. The diplomatic isolation of the Eastern Power after its establishment was broken with the help of Nehru. The Eastern Power has never been a member of the Non-Aligned Movement.

India's initial idea was simple: it believed that the great Eastern power had come to assist it.

The Group of 77, representing the Southern Bloc in the 21st century, did not include the major Eastern power. Like the Non-Aligned Movement, it was forced to join. In order to include the major Eastern power, the Group of 77 became the Group of 77 plus one.

Both of these international organizations are places that the major Eastern power is trying to squeeze into, replacing India's niche.

The Mediterranean Railway project is still progressing amid the workers' hard work. The five million copies of Soviet classics and the famous children's primer "100,000 Whys" that Koman brought this time are being distributed to universities as free textbooks, and the rest are being distributed directly to the public.

Koman even translated it himself, producing a Chinese version. He had already decided when he was collecting artisans that his attitude towards this group of Chinese was to be absolutely different and to simply provide them with bilingual education.

If you truly become a "banana" (yellow on the outside, white on the inside), luxury goods that fall under the category of handicrafts will no longer fetch a high price.

Three days passed quickly, and most of the Khazan sheikhs, having received invitations, came to Algiers to inquire about the Frenchmen's true intentions.

(End of this chapter)