Father of France

Chapter 47 When in dire straits, one must learn from each other.

Among the great nobles of Turin, there was another noble family that rose to prominence in modern times. According to the United States, they were industrial capitalists; according to European monarchies, they were industrial nobles.

That's the Agnelli family, who control Fiat. The stamping presses dismantled from the Fiat factory should be arriving in France soon.

When the current head of the Agnelli family appeared, Coman looked at him with apparent composure and went straight to the point, saying, "Mr. Agnelli is aware of the current strength of the Italian Communist Party. The French army currently controls several major regions in the northwest. I think Mr. Agnelli has a basis for cooperation with France."

Koeman's ideas depend on who the last person he sees is; he could be a modernist, an internationalist comrade of the Italian Communist Party, or even a friend of a capitalist.

Agnelli gave the young French soldier before him a deep look, and without the slightest hint of panic, said, "A junior officer can talk about these things?"

"Whether something is low-level or not depends on how much profit it can bring, not just on empty talk," Coman replied casually. "The Agnelli family rose to prominence after establishing themselves in the automotive industry, and I believe they weren't harassed by those old nobles back then, were they?"

Although it is not yet complete, the fall of mainland France is an opportunity to reshuffle the deck. As long as Coman does not make an irreparable mistake like treason, he will have a place in either the Fifth Republic or the Third Reich.

Having already seized the opportunity to rise from major to general, is it possible to go back to major from general?
Different approaches are needed for families in different industries. After an in-depth conversation with Agnelli, the dialogue between the Fournetti family in the financial industry, the Alfieri family in the diplomatic system, and the Valentino family, the large landowners, took up an entire day.

That evening, Koman appeared at the command post to send a routine telegram to report that everything was alright. At this moment, it was a time for power to be used by one's father; it would be foolish not to use such a connection.

The tank tracks that were plunging down the Ardennes had not yet stopped, while the French army remained peaceful, formulating plans to attack the Saar region.

For a seasoned general, eliminating interference from other countries' armies is a piece of cake. As long as the French army occupies the pre-planned positions for attacking the Saar region, neither the British nor the American forces will be able to intervene.

Koeman's close ties to religion and nobility are for fishing, in order to gain access to the Catholic Democratic Party, a party within the Kingdom of Italy today.

The current Catholic Democratic Party is actually just an ordinary party that was reorganized a year ago. It is still unremarkable in Italian politics and does not have the kind of dominance that comes with a single party or a large party with a small influence.

Based on future developments, the Catholic Democratic Party would struggle for another two years, unable to gain an advantage over the Italian Communist Party and the Socialist Party, among other left-wing groups. It wasn't until 1947, when the United States passed the Marshall Plan and established a strategy of supporting Western European countries in resisting the Soviet Union, that the Catholic Democratic Party was able to merge with other political forces and suppress the Italian Communist Party.

At that time, the Catholic Democratic Party was far from being a match for the Italian Communist Party in terms of strength. The United States' position as a world hegemon came rather opportunistically; as a new world hegemon, its own pool of talent was unable to accurately assess the traditional imperialist powers of Europe.

Therefore, when the war ended in 1945, the consensus in the United States was that the traditional imperialist powers of Western Europe did not need support and were strong enough to resist the Soviet Union on their own.

The United States could have simply maintained free trade and reaped the benefits without any additional expenditure. However, it was clear that the imperialist powers, having survived two world wars, were a thing of the past. Their post-war reconstruction was so weak that they couldn't even differentiate themselves from the relatively unknown countries in Eastern Europe. That's why the United States began injecting funds through the Marshall Plan; otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to achieve a significant economic gap, and Europe would have truly become a communist bloc.

The Catholic Democratic Party's niche is occupied by religion, big capitalists, and aristocrats, and its current strength is only average. Therefore, Koeman doesn't need to actively seek out the Catholic Democratic Party. By simply securing the party's base, the Catholic Democratic Party will come to him on its own.

While the news coverage in Paris and the Ardennes was enthusiastic, the French military and political establishment remained largely unchanged, with the most obvious example being the First Army Commander, Dracon.

General Dragon was usually regarded as a conservative general who rarely expressed his opinions before others did, but this time he took the initiative to approach de Gaulle, saying, "As a soldier, I should not comment on foreign affairs, but France should take the initiative, whether in the Mediterranean or in the Latin countries."

"Isn't your genius in Turin?" de Gaulle smiled and replied, "It seems he has given us a thorough report on the latest situation in Italy. Perhaps we should send a high-ranking civil servant to the occupied territories to take a look; we can't leave every problem to the military."

“That’s for the best,” Admiral Dracon said with a sigh of relief. “We are at a very critical juncture. The British, American, and Soviet order is unstoppable, and France must find its place.”

De Gaulle nodded solemnly. By now, many in the French leadership were well aware of this situation. Although they could band together with the British for mutual support, who knew if the British were reliable? Based on his own experience in exile in London, the British were not the only problem; maintaining their own independence was also highly questionable.

At the Italian Communist Party Congress, Coman listened to First Secretary Togliatti's praise of the Soviet model. Like the French Communist Party's top leader, Togliatti had also returned from exile in Moscow to Sicily to organize an armed uprising.

The main supporters of the Italian Communist Party are in southern Italy, but the differences between northern and southern Italy are still quite significant, and the Italian Communist Party cannot ignore the core area of ​​northern Italy.

So after Turin and Genoa were liberated with the help of the French army, Togliatti arrived immediately.

"Sir, is this an Italian conference or a Soviet conference?" Lefevere couldn't help but ask, puzzled by Togliatti's admiration for the Soviet model.

“That’s not important. There are also discussions about the Five-Year Plan in Paris,” Koeman replied quietly. “The methods are similar. The Soviets can use the same reason that we can’t.”

Koeman was actually planning to do something similar to the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (COMECON). There's a saying that goes, "When you're poor, you join the COMECON; when you're rich, you join the Marshall Plan."

Are we just going to waste two more years doing nothing, waiting for the Americans to figure things out before descending in the guise of a savior?

"Long live!" During their conversation, something Togliatti said caused the entire hall to erupt in cheers. Many delegates clapped loudly, and Koeman clapped along, his mind blank. Fortunately, there were many people in the hall, and no one noticed that there were a few French soldiers pretending to be proletarians in the corner.

(End of this chapter)