Father of France

Chapter 96 Humanitarian Considerations
As for Algeria's talent shortage in education and industry, it was already decided that the solution would come from the defeated Axis powers.

The provisional government convened experts from various industries to specifically analyze and research the most effective and economical looting strategies.

These generals had come to terms with it; since plundering was unavoidable, they might as well make it look as respectable as possible.

According to an unidentified lieutenant in Yugoslavia, similar to the plundering in German-occupied territories, monetary policy could be used.

As for the currency, you can even use francs directly. Anyway, the Imperial Mark is now less valuable than toilet paper. The franc doesn't need to defeat the pound or the dollar; it only needs to defeat the Imperial Mark.

During this brief period of welfare for defeated nations, France didn't need to do anything else but print money. They didn't need to care about the Germans' opinions. With the Reichsmark as a safety net, the Germans wouldn't even notice; they would only think it was their own problem.

French soldiers could each carry a stack of French currency and go on shopping sprees wherever they went. Since the money came so easily, they were happy to spend it as well.

They don't even care about the quality of the goods or the price; the only thing that restrains their frenzied shopping spree is the amount of transportation capacity they each have.

The Imperial Mark's immense purchasing power did not bring about market prosperity, because the money they spent came from the printing press.

In essence, they exchanged a pile of paper whose value depends on credit for the real fruits of the Germans' labor, because money is not obtained through equivalent exchange. This kind of purchase is actually a form of plunder.

If this were done, it would be very serious for Germany. There is still some social accumulation in Germany, but economic production has been interrupted by the war, and the production of these goods has basically stopped.

Therefore, France used its currency to buy up the inventory left over from before. Without external replenishment and recovery, no one can suppress this man-made inflation.

There are also the costs of stationing troops in Germany, which must be resolved by the German people. The division of the occupied territories in Germany is still under discussion, but compared to another world where only the UK, the US, and the USSR had their occupation territories divided, France later managed to secure its own occupation zone.

At the very beginning of the world that Koeman lived in, France received its due share through the contributions of the French army in the counter-offensive in Germany.

However, this is all that de Gaulle can achieve so far. Although the French army has made contributions, it is, frankly speaking, insufficient compared to the efforts of Britain, the United States, and the Soviet Union in the war against Germany.

The Soviet Union suffered heavy casualties but annihilated 80 percent of Germany's manpower.

The United States played a crucial role in defeating Germany by leveraging its world-leading industrial capacity.

Britain, thanks to the great Prime Minister Churchill, demonstrated the resolute courage to disregard tomorrow, and in terms of fiscal expenditure, Britain was almost on par with the Soviet Union.

Britain was only much better off than the Soviet Union in terms of casualties, while their financial expenditures were almost equal.

Although the colonies serve as a safety net, the bulk of the burden will inevitably fall on the less than 50 million citizens of the UK, and Britain will certainly pay a huge price for this in the future.

Compared to these countries, France, though having delivered a more satisfactory result than the rest of the world, would be unworthy of expecting anything like the Potsdam Conference. Even someone as thick-skinned as Koeman would think it's unworthy. Having a French-occupied zone is already a good thing; one cannot expect more.

Austrians quickly adapted to living in the presence of the occupying forces. The city residents detained by the Allies were resettled in a few undamaged neighborhoods, with only a designated area set aside for citizens to allocate their own housing.

Many people got a job with the occupying forces, who did need a lot of extra labor to do jobs that were not suitable for soldiers.

However, this action did not earn the gratitude of the Austrians. The occupying forces could still see hatred in the eyes of the Austrians from time to time. To make the Germans submit, a long period of suppression would be needed. At least for now, apart from military suppression, other methods are not very effective.

Austria and Germany share the same language and culture, and most of the people in Austria and Germany were united in their hatred of the enemy and participated in the war. It is conceivable that those who survived would not let go of their hatred for a long time, and might even pass on these blood debts to their descendants.

However, Koeman didn't care about that; just like the old story of Germany breaking free of its chains after World War I, it wouldn't happen again.

Once a generation passes, no one will remember the past, just as Americans won't remember Louis XVI. Humans are naturally forgetful of what they've learned.

“We can never let our guard down with Germans; beneath their compliant exterior lies a rebellious spirit,” Koeman whispered to Alan. “Then why are you dating a German?” Alan asked, unconvinced, accusing Koeman of double standards. “I just don’t understand, can’t you find a woman you like in France?”

“Of course you can, there are plenty of beautiful women out there, but... you wouldn’t understand even if I told you,” Koman sighed. “It also depends on whether you have common ground.”

To be honest, he and Gudrun Himmler really had a lot in common, even more so than some of his comrades. This was much more important than just being good-looking.

"Common language? You have to look up a German dictionary to talk to her." Alan muttered with a "don't kid me" look, "There must be another reason. I know you well enough... You would never get involved with a German without a reason."

"It seems like a lot of French soldiers are getting involved with German women these days, including a large number of them," Koeman said dismissively. "Why can't I?"

Because someone spread a wave of anxiety among the French army, which is actually true that many French women were exiled to Algeria and that there were many illegitimate children born to Germans.

There's a sentiment in the military that we should retaliate against Germany, making German men feel twice as much pain as French men.

It just so happens that there are indeed far more women than men among the youth population in Germany at that time, so combinations of French soldiers and German women have emerged, and the number of them is very large.

Some people say this is a good deed, as many German women never get married and desperately need a man to protect them.

Koeman spread these disrespectful remarks about women from a critical perspective, but the fact is that men actually bought into it and recognized that men were playing a role in protecting women.

So what could Koeman do? He meant well and promoted Franco-German unity, because only when Franco-Germany are united can Europe be united.

The Austrian-Yugoslav border was already overcrowded, and the column continued its march in the rain. Soldier Milan led the way, using his dagger to cut through the brambles blocking his path. Four years earlier, he had fought the Germans in the same forest as a captain in the Royal Army, commanding a company of Serbian soldiers. Now, he was lurking in his own country like a poacher—how ironic.

A body lay in a clearing in the woods, dressed in a familiar Serbian military uniform, with the Chetnik eagle insignia pinned to his chest. The deceased was young, no more than twenty years old, and had been shot in the back of the head—a typical method of execution.

As dusk fell, they reached the edge of the forest. Through the thinning foliage, they could see the winding Mur River ahead, its surface gleaming a steely gray in the rain. Across the river lay Austria, and freedom—at least in theory.

They waited in the riverside bushes until nightfall. Occasionally, flashlight beams would sweep across the opposite bank—perhaps British patrols, perhaps Frenchmen; no one could be sure. Milan planned to swim across at the narrowest point, where the current was swift but only thirty meters wide.

The news of Yugoslav refugees crossing the border into Austria was immediately noticed by the occupying forces. Although Koeman was on the Swiss side of the border, he still heard about it. How big is Austria? The French-occupied territory was even smaller; they would know everything at the slightest sign of trouble.

“There are almost a thousand people. They are former royal troops, pro-German and pro-Italian armed forces, and their families. They are afraid of Tito’s retaliation.” Alan was already used to Koman’s hands-off management style and could only suppress his helplessness. “What’s certain is that most of the refugees haven’t arrived yet. I don’t know what to do.”

"Don't know what to do? Of course, we'll take them in." Koeman said nonchalantly. "This isn't our country, it's Austria. Taking them in doesn't cost anything. At worst, they'll end up in the Rhine camp. They're all Axis war criminals anyway, although the British might not see it that way."

Britain initially supported the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, but Chetnik couldn't defeat Tito, so Britain eventually gave up. It could be said that Britain, acting on tradition, once again betrayed a scapegoat.

On the other hand, Britain has betrayed many countries, and France has a lot of experience being betrayed, so there's nothing to be surprised about.

“We’ll take in some of them first, then pass the problem on to the British.” Koeman explained the history between Britain and the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. “It’s impossible to expect the British to take responsibility. We need to set a stage for the British so that everyone knows that the British have abandoned the armed forces they once supported.”

Koeman certainly wanted to immigrate these people directly to Algeria, but he couldn't just bring them there. He needed the British to perform a performance of selling their wares first, so that France could more easily absorb these people from a humanitarian perspective.

In Marseille, the largest city in southern France, large numbers of soldiers are boarding ships to cross the Mediterranean to a new battlefield. The soldiers are in high spirits; even the fierce Germans have fallen. How much more trouble can some armed tribal tribes cause?

In the Syrian capital, Foreign Ministry official Mondoloni was discussing with General Fontaine, "That's right. The overseas departments have vast lands and are an excellent place to settle immigrants. Moreover, they are very suitable for the army to play a role. General de Gaulle expects the Marlonites to defend the sacred land of France."

(End of this chapter)