Father of France

Chapter 62 The German Conspiracy
It was already the end of January, and the war was about to end. Koeman was eager to return home. After refusing to fly, he took the train to Odessa, then a ship along the Black Sea and Mediterranean route, landing again in Marseille. It was ten days later when he finally returned to Paris.

Without delay, Koman went straight to the Judicial Purification Committee and reappeared before Division Commander Duval. "Commander, Koman is here to report."

"Please sit down. I heard you went to Italy with the troops." General Duval gestured for Coleman to sit down and asked with great interest, "Did you just return to Paris? Did you visit your father? Madame Adile gave birth to a girl. You have a sister now."

“We can go back tonight.” Koeman didn’t respond to the question about having another family member. Instead, he took out a diary from his pocket and handed it over. “I went to Moscow with the Foreign Minister to check on the progress of the Soviet Union’s reconstruction, the construction sites using German prisoners of war, and the process of some ethnic migrations. I believe these records will be helpful to France in the near future.”

While they were talking, Koman took out his diary and introduced what he had gained during this period: "The Soviet Union has been using prisoners of war on a large scale to participate in postwar reconstruction. Through observation and learning, I have accumulated some experience, which I hope can help the country. I wonder how the situation is back home in the past three months."

Since returning to Paris in September to purge French traitors, three or four months have passed. Koeman, finding the process too long, pushed Alan to take the fall while he went to serve Italy. He really doesn't know where things are at now.

"How's it going? There's been a wave of divorces," Duval commented helplessly. "Including suspected illegitimate children and those not biologically related identified through the national blood bank program, the number is 228,000. The Ministry of the Interior has been extremely busy lately."

"It seems that French women are still very loyal." Koeman was not being sarcastic. First, if the estimated illegitimate children with Germans are excluded, then there are only more than 20,000 people who have committed adultery.

He felt the number was acceptable and well within a reasonable range.

Duval didn't know if Koeman was being sarcastic, but this time, the reason for establishing a national blood bank did indeed cause a huge uproar among the public.

Duval also revealed a major current case, the cultural aggression case, which claims that Germany is using the issue of male-female relationships to undermine French social consensus.

"The Germans are shameless!" Corman roared in anger, denouncing the Germans' despicable and shameless behavior in front of his superiors, accusing them of undermining French unity through a bloodless war.

It's as if he didn't personally fabricate the injustice. In fact, he didn't. He merely gave Alan some guidance. It was his comrade-in-arms who fabricated the case, and it had nothing to do with him, the outstanding young man who went to the Soviet Union for research.

"This was only recently exposed. Not to mention my long service in the colonies, even officials on the mainland are shocked. However, some voices point out that the evidence seems insufficient, and it cannot be determined whether the Germans had such a plan." General Duval shook his head slightly, thinking to himself that the people on the European continent really know how to play the game.

"Once we conquer Germany, we'll find the evidence." Koeman showed no remorse, already convinced that the matter was related to Germany. He could simply go to Germany and find a couple of unlucky scapegoats to take the blame.

Koeman had just returned to Paris and wasn't in a hurry to understand the specifics of the matter. He said, "See you tomorrow, Alain." He stayed at the Judicial Purification Committee until the evening. General Dragon, who had already learned of Koeman's return, arrived in a jeep to pick him up and take him home. The two sat in the back of the jeep without saying a word until they arrived home, at which point they got out of the car one after the other.

"You have a younger sister now." Admiral Dragon finally spoke, his gaze towards Koman quite complex, perhaps tinged with embarrassment or guilt.

“More family members, that’s a good thing.” Koman yawned, showing his fatigue from the journey home, and tilted his head to ask, “Judging by the time, I should be discharged from the hospital. Do you want me to say something?” Without waiting for Admiral Dragon’s reply, Koman followed him inside and saw Adile holding the baby. His smile instantly lit up, and he made faces at the little girl in her swaddling clothes. He didn’t seem to mind Admiral Dragon’s young wife at all, saying, “The little girl is very pretty and will bring joy to this family.”

"Thank you." Adila knew that in this family, Koman's attitude carried no less weight than that of men of equal status to her and her husband. She was quite afraid of this stepson, even though Koman was always smiling.

“There’s nothing to thank me for. Father should thank you.” Koeman waved his hand, then looked at General Dragon. “I heard in Moscow that the Soviet army has already entered German territory and is only seventy kilometers away from Berlin. The western front shouldn’t have to wait much longer.”

"Come upstairs with me," Admiral Dragon said succinctly, heading straight for the study upstairs. Soon, a map of Europe was spread out on the table.

Compared to the Soviet forces on the eastern front, which had advanced 500 kilometers westward in the past month, the western front had remained almost unchanged, or perhaps with minor alterations that were not visible on the map.

"The Allied Command has also given a reply. They expect to launch a full-scale attack on the Ziegfeld Line early next month." General Dragon finished speaking and pointed to the Saar district. "Our objective is still the Saar district. We plan to use forty divisions to launch a strong attack on the Saar district."

The Saarland should have fallen into the hands of the Allies more than two months ago, around the same time the Ardennes Offensive broke out.

However, the French side was occupying the position without actually doing anything, amassing a large number of combat troops on the pre-arranged positions for attacking the Saar region, but showing no intention of launching an attack.

This battle, which should have been a major achievement for General Patton, was thwarted by the French, resulting in the Saar region still being in German hands.

"The old plan from the Saar campaign in 1939?" Corman asked, listening to General Dragon's explanation and sensing its similarity to the Saar campaign deployment in the early stages of World War II.

General Dragon nodded, confirming it was indeed an old plan. "Forty divisions, almost the entire force of the First and Second Armies. Tassini and I will coordinate. It will certainly not be exactly the same as the previous battles; many things are different now. Mobile warfare is encouraged in the military."

"I don't think that's a good idea," Koeman said, scoffing. Facing an enemy stronger than themselves, mobile warfare? The Maginot Line might not necessarily be a mistake.

But now the Maginot Line has become a joke, and even if he doesn't understand, he can't say it. He forced himself to stay alert and asked, "When will our Youth Division follow the attacking forces?"

“Take care of things back home,” General Dragon replied. “I have faith in the fighting spirit of the Youth Division, but only in terms of willpower.”

"I came back to deal with domestic issues." Koeman, making no attempt to hide his desire for power through his father, added, "Can the exile to Algeria begin?"

(End of this chapter)