Father of France

Chapter 39 Bokassa's Idol
A day later, Koman's company recruited guides in the capital city of Aosta, a border town with a predominantly French-speaking population that makes up one-third of Valle d'Aosta's population.

At this time, the French Fifth Army was still advancing into Italy, but the smoke of battle in Aosta had cleared, and Koeman's company took over from the garrison of the Fifth Mountain Division, taking full control of the order in Aosta.

The police station in the town and the Fifth Mountain Division are also recruiting guides. The rugged mountainous environment of Valle d'Aosta will definitely require the cooperation of locals. Fortunately, there are quite a few French speakers here, and recruiting them as guides will be more beneficial for the next offensive.

Koman found a strong and capable man in his forties to be his guide. The man was very familiar with the local environment and asked him to show him around. Bokassa was also with Koman.

"Coman, the vanguard of the 5th Mountain Division is approaching Piedmont," Martin told Coman, sharing the latest battle information.

Koman listened very carefully. Valle d'Aosta reportedly has a population of only 100,000 and an area of ​​about 3,000 square kilometers. In his previous life, the forestry bureau's jurisdiction covered 4,000 square kilometers.

Piedmont is completely different. While Valle d'Aosta is a border crossing, Piedmont is the heart of Italy, and its capital, Turin, is a major Italian city.

"The mountain division's progress is quite fast." Koeman thought the pace of advance was quite good. Of course, it was also because Valle d'Aosta was too small. Although the terrain was very treacherous, it was not surprising that it was quickly occupied in the face of an attack by more than 100,000 French troops.

Northern Italy has the natural barrier of the Alps, but for Germany, the most valuable and important area to defend is the border between Italy and Austria.

The key task for the German army on the Italian front is currently to defend its homeland, including Austria. Therefore, if the French-Italian border is deemed to be a losing proposition, the German army's deployment will be adjusted.

Aosta seemed unaffected by the war. In just a few days, the residents of Aosta had resumed their daily routines. The last time they were so open-minded was when the Parisians saw the German troops parading at the Eiffel Tower.

Martin, unaware of Koeman's thoughts, continued, "We've recruited a hundred bilingual military and police personnel, and operations here have resumed. I think we should sweep through the Italian-speaking settlements in Valle d'Aosta."

“One hundred? That’s not enough at all.” Koeman shook his head and explained, “Aosta’s bilingual population is a valuable asset. Libya is now occupied by us and the British. We occupied the west, and before we occupied Libya, there were 100,000 Italian immigrants there, making up 10 percent of Libya’s total population. We also need enough people who are fluent in French and Italian to help us manage the Italian immigrants in North Africa. We can never have too many.”

Italy's colonial policy was similar to that of France, but different from that of Britain. What they had in common was that they carried out population colonization in the late stages of the colonial period.

France created a French-speaking community of over a million people in Algeria, and Italy followed suit. This policy was strengthened after Mussolini came to power, with the goal of making Libya "Italy's fourth coast."

Isn't that a coincidence? Algeria is also known as a natural extension of French territory in the Mediterranean. Latin countries do share many similarities in certain areas.

Seeing Martin standing still, Koeman knew he had to give a precise number and not be ambiguous. "So, we only sent two battalions. We'll also recruit 1,600 men in Aosta. One battalion will be responsible for guiding the attacking force, and the other battalion will stay in Aosta, waiting for the attacking force to send the Italian-speaking residents of Valle da Aosta to North Africa, where this battalion will take over their management."

As the two were talking, Bokassa emerged from a tavern, carrying two wooden cups filled with beer, and said as he walked, "I didn't expect this place to be so unaffected by the war."

“Indeed, the terrain is rugged and the population is sparse,” Koeman agreed, holding his wooden cup. He felt the environment here must be similar to Switzerland. “It’s all mountains, and the resources aren’t plentiful. Even if we annex it, what use will it be?” Martin said with a helpless smile, having failed to see any value in the area.

"How could it be useless? Not an inch of territory is superfluous. France was this big before the war, and it is still this big after the war. Wasn't the war fought for nothing?"

After finishing his speech, Koeman took a sip of beer and muttered contentedly, "It provides a great place for people to escape the summer heat and ski in the winter, so that Italians don't have to suffer when they travel."

This is the last chance to annex territory, and Corman must seize this opportunity so that he can have a place in future French textbooks.

Martin turned to recruit bilingual military and police personnel, and Koeman did not waste any time either, taking his comrades and Bokassa directly to the city hall. The previous governor of Aosta had already fled, and the only one who had not fled was a former symbolic French-speaking official named Tetolin.

"Come in with me," Koeman said to Bokassa, who was following him, and strode into the city hall with his head held high, carrying a French document in his hand. The city hall was not grand, but rather rather simple.

When the door was pushed open, Trenning stared in astonishment at the uninvited guests, wondering what Koman's purpose was. "What do you want?"

“Mr. Trenning, you have long been marginalized, and I am here to help you.” Koeman took out the documents concerning the Valle d’Aosta referendum and its annexation by France, and even thoughtfully opened them for him, giving him the treatment of Zhao Kuangyin donning the imperial robe. “The turning point of history is now before you. I will not mention the French factor, nor the long-term unfair treatment of Valle d’Aosta. To be honest, in just over twenty years, Europe has experienced two world wars, and the punishment for the defeated nations this time is absolutely unprecedented.”

"Germany and Italy may be completely deindustrialized, their territories divided and occupied, and placed under strict military control. Do you want your hometown residents to face such consequences?"

Koeman was lying, of course; this was the treatment Germany was receiving, not Italy.

Ultimately, he didn't think it was because Italy was good at choosing sides, but simply because Italy's fighting strength was reassuring. If they were as capable of causing trouble as the Germans, would the Allies have let Italy off the hook?
Terenlin's face was full of "I don't understand, but I'm very shocked" expressions. He was completely unprepared for the sudden appearance of the document and stammered, "Is this...? That's a bit fast."

"A bit too fast?" Koeman's smile faded, and he informed in a serious tone, "Does Mr. Trenlin think that annexing France is inappropriate?"

Bokassa, standing behind Coman, looked at Coman's back with a reverent gaze. What is the guiding light of life? This is it. A true man should be like this...

"What I mean is that we should hold a referendum." Trenning felt his head was spinning, clearly due to the shock, but he couldn't directly object.

The room remained quiet for a long time, so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Suddenly, Koman laughed and said, "I thought it was something serious. Just sign the papers first, we'll notify you tomorrow, and the referendum will be held the day after."

(End of this chapter)