Father of France

Chapter 61 Koeman is going back home

Britain's postwar state of confusion was no less than that of the Qing Dynasty after the Opium War, and perhaps even more so. The struggle and bewilderment of a world empire between the British Isles was something that Corman, not being an absolute authority, could not truly empathize with.

Although both were colonial empires, Britain and France were different. After the British Industrial Revolution, France was defeated by Britain. The best places in the agricultural era were occupied by Spain and Portugal. France colonized later than the two powers of the Iberian Peninsula.

France had colonies with superior industrial resources, but it couldn't compete with Britain for them.

Although its colonies are now second only to Britain, and will surpass Britain to become the largest colonial empire after British India gains independence, it is undeniable that they are all peripheral assets.

Even in Africa, the best places are mostly English-speaking, but the benefits became apparent after the wave of colonial independence began.

The independent forces in the French colonies were far less culturally advanced than those in the British colonies, but the British colonies had better conditions.
Favorable conditions inevitably lead to a higher level of civilization and stronger resistance. Britain could only adopt a strategy of ruling without governing. When Britain was the world's number one power, this saved on the cost of governance. However, as Britain declined, it backfired and eroded British rule.

The British, with nothing better to do, would excavate and excavate ancient ruins all over the world. France, on the other hand, was better at destroying colonial civilizations.

Moreover, France's colonies were relatively close, separated only by the Mediterranean Sea, requiring much less projection power. At such a close distance, the lack of a powerful navy was no longer important.

On this day at the POW camp, Koman had a drink with two NKVD officers on surveillance duty. After getting a little tipsy, they stopped and started chatting about life after the war.

"I believe your first five-year plan after the war will be a great success." Koeman recalled that the Soviet Union was the first European country to abolish rationing, faster than both Britain and France, especially Britain.

From the very beginning of the post-war period, Britain was in a state of madness. By the time Britain completely abolished the rationing system, the Korean War was already over.

“I hope your sincere wishes come true.” Sokolova accepted Koman’s wishes wholeheartedly and went further, saying, “Trade cooperation between the two countries will help us complete the reconstruction work as soon as possible.”

Koman saw the two out of the dormitory. The charcoal fire in the grill had long since gone out. After letting the smoke linger for a while to make sure that the unfortunate thing of carbon monoxide poisoning wouldn't happen to them, he finally started to rest.

Although he was always wary of falling into the Russian woman's trap, Koman's attitude towards the two, especially Sokolova, was still very good during his inspection of the POW camp, mainly because the other party could speak French, and he couldn't just not talk to her.

Koeman expressed no objection to the arduous labor of the German prisoners of war, stating that the three-year-old workers of the British Industrial Revolution endured far more strenuous labor than these German prisoners.

"Considering the damage Germany inflicted on the Soviet Union, you have been quite merciful," Koeman said, also playing the role of political commissar to ease the Soviets' anxieties.

“Lieutenant Koman claims to speak four languages; it would be even better if he spoke Russian as well,” Sokolova said tentatively, having already heard Koman boast about his extensive knowledge of both Western and Eastern cultures and his fluency in four languages.

"I don't have an environment where I can use Russian. I just need to know a few phrases like 'keep or not,'" Koman said eloquently. This answer made the Russian female officer blush and couldn't help but glare at Koman.

Is this so-called precaution against the Soviet Union using honey traps really such a double standard—being cautious on their own while flirting with others? On January 12th, the Soviet Red Army concentrated 22,000 artillery pieces for several hours of saturation bombardment of German lines, destroying fortifications and communications. Zhukov's 1st Belorussian Front broke through from the Magnushev bridgehead, while Konev's 1st Ukrainian Front attacked from the Sandomezh bridgehead.

Having fought four years of the Great Patriotic War, the Soviet Red Army truly lived up to its reputation as the world's strongest army of the time. The German army was simply unable to resist it. Ten days after the start of the battle, the Soviet vanguard was only seventy kilometers away from Berlin, the German capital.

In the winter of 1941, the German vanguard claimed to have seen the red star on the Kremlin tower. Four years later, the two countries were in completely opposite situations.

Behind the Soviet offensive forces were German troops trapped on the Courland Peninsula, completely cut off from their homeland and surrounded by the Soviet Red Army.

In a German prisoner-of-war camp in Tashkent, Soviet guards were excitedly shouting something to the group of prisoners. The prisoners, gathered together, were ragged, their faces blank, and their eyes vacant.

"Looks like there's good news." Seeing that something was up, Koman's instinct to jump on the bandwagon made him come over and ask Sokolova what had happened.

"The great Soviet Red Army liberated Auschwitz on January 27th, and that comrade is informing the prisoners of war of this news," Sokolova replied proudly.

After listening, Koman nodded, pondered for a moment, and said, "Comrade Sokolova, and Comrade Pavlov, thank you for your hospitality during this time. I have seen what I wanted to see and learned many methods that can be used in France. I really don't know how to thank you enough."

Pavlov, who was two steps away, walked over after hearing this and asked with a questioning look, "Lieutenant Koman, what's going on?"

"I'm leaving now, returning to Moscow and then going home," Koeman replied decisively. "If we are able to meet again in the future, I will certainly repay the two of you for your help during this time."

"So fast?" Pavlov was surprised. He exchanged a glance with Sokolova and explained, "It's faster than we expected, so we're surprised. We thought you wouldn't return home until after the war."

Koeman gave the two men a deep look, a half-smile on his face, and said, “The Soviet Red Army on the Eastern Front is already close to Berlin, the German capital. At most a month later, the Allied forces on the Western Front will launch a full-scale offensive. Otherwise, the credit for destroying Germany will be entirely taken by the Soviet Union, which is unacceptable to Britain and the United States. In the final moments of this large-scale offensive, as a French soldier, this will also be my final battle, so I cannot stay in the Soviet Union any longer.”

The war is about to end, and the post-war period will be the crucial moment that determines the future of France.

Sokolova's red lips parted slightly as she softly said, "While I don't accept all of Lieutenant Koman's way of thinking, this quality of honesty..."

Sokolova, who was not even qualified to be described with adjectives, froze on the spot, which shows how well Koman portrayed himself as a reactionary who never hid his thoughts.

After two days and two nights, Koman returned to Moscow and went back to the embassy to contact his home country to prepare for his return journey. As for the two NKVD officers who had accompanied him for the past month, it was obvious that they were writing reports.

(End of this chapter)