Father of France

Chapter 97 The General's Promise

“Then let’s begin now,” General Fontaine readily agreed. He had little affection for the colony and was also quite busy.

French Syria was nominally a French colony, but it was surrounded by British colonies, and the Lebanon-Syria War a few years earlier had further exacerbated its British infiltration.

Let alone Fang Dan, even for Koman, besides being valuable for immigration, the only value he has left is for learning a foreign language.

His English was passable, a result of his long-term contact with the British office in Damascus. Now that the provisional government had fulfilled its promise, General Fontaine didn't waste a moment and released the news that the First Army and Christian families would be emigrating.

This news immediately caused a huge reaction. Wasn't this precisely the reason why various Syrian Christian denominations were so eager to join the army?
"The Near East, the Far East, North Africa." Coman yawned, his face relaxed, as if he were on vacation in the Alps. Even after the war, France was still very active.

It can be said that France is much more proactive than Britain in safeguarding its national interests, which may be the difference between a continental country and an island nation.

Of course, the most important issue is the Algerian problem. If France can retain Algeria, it will be a country spanning the Mediterranean.

With this territory, France could say it's a land of three million square kilometers, or a country of fifteen million square kilometers, and both would be equally plausible.

Algeria, if it were a wall, could block France's control over the African continent; if it were a bridge, it could also greatly strengthen France's control over Africa.

France was not unaware of this, and it wouldn't have fought in Algeria for over a decade, leading to a situation where even De Gaulle, after recognizing Algeria's independence, faced betrayal from his allies who wanted to stage a military coup to eliminate him.

Koeman now knows that the bill on military control in Algeria has been passed, along with the immigration plan for Christian communities in the Middle East. The purpose is not hard to guess: North Africa’s overseas provinces are being protected at all costs.

Indeed, this was the case. The provisional government had already mobilized troops to North Africa. Koeman knew that although France had also stationed troops in Germany after the war, the largest overseas military presence was actually in Algeria.

France didn't really believe the Soviet Union intended to do anything to Europe, but it was particularly convinced that Algeria was an integral part of France.

The flames of war had spread, leaving Constantinople in ruins. The once bustling markets were now nothing but rubble, and people fled in all directions, seeking safe haven. Houses were destroyed, and many were forced to flee to the relatively safer countryside.

On their escape route, many people witnessed the cruelty and suffering brought by war with blank stares, and their hearts were deeply shaken.

Compared to Britain, France found it easier to make the decision to use force. Before the arrival of French troops who had just ended the World War, the Foreign Legion, French forces in Morocco and western Libya had already been deployed to the front lines, and northeastern Algeria was designated as a war zone.

Senegalese indigenous infantry and mobile gendarmerie conducted village-by-village clearing operations and pursued the insurgents. Morocco's North African indigenous infantry were also deployed to suppress fellow believers, but these troops did not mutiny.

Air force machine guns strafed the gathered crowd, while naval fleet artillery fire covered the area—the "Digue-Trouan," "Tiger," "Watchtower," and "Hunter 91," anchored in Boujye Bay, bombarded the mountains from a distance, with shells falling on the shantytowns of the rebellious tribes and the armed groups entrenched on the ridges, attempting to storm the colonial outposts.

Even the Jerusalem Regiment of the Youth Division received orders to go to North Africa. However, most of the Jerusalem Regiment's mission was not to fight, but to establish military courts and build a judicial system to support Algeria's military administration.

Koeman felt that at this point, the only difference between the Young Division and the Gestapo was their names.

He also had the daughter of the Gestapo leader in his arms. Gudrun Himmler did not like this kind of contact. Although Koeman had taken good care of her during this time and the two were on the same page, Koeman was ultimately French and she absolutely could not be with the enemy.

Although Gudrun Himmler had heard some of the theories of ethnic integration that Koeman had instilled in her, and although they sounded reasonable, they could not challenge the racial superiority theory in her mind in such a short time.

But circumstances were beyond her control. Koman repeatedly assured her that he would only hug her and not penetrate her. Coupled with the care he had given her during this time, it was still somewhat touching for a girl who had been captured while on the run, though not much.

Koeman didn't get carried away. He would never do such things as long as someone was around. It had nothing to do with respecting women. If others saw it and Gudrun Himmler's identity was exposed in the future, he could simply pretend he knew nothing.

At this point, he cannot protect such an important person whose identity is so sensitive.

The main task is still to break through the ice in the hearts of the little dragon riders, but fortunately the two do have a lot in common and both believe in the theory of social activism.

It's just that Gudrun Himmler openly believed it, while Koman believed it in his heart but wouldn't say it aloud. "When you encounter Allied soldiers, you absolutely cannot show the same arrogance as at the beginning, otherwise others will feel that there is something wrong with your identity." Koman spoke very slowly, still speaking one word at a time in simple conversations.

Himmler's mother and daughter were indeed inconspicuous in appearance. Two women on the run could easily be overlooked. If Koeman hadn't known what Gudrun Himmler looked like, he wouldn't have found them so easily.

But compared to her mother Margaret, Goodlong had much more flaws. The girl was young and had never suffered any losses, nor did she know how to pretend.

Koeman successfully stripped Gudrun Himmler of his arrogance during this period. He no longer seemed like someone who was clearly on the run; any soldier could tell that Gudrun Himmler had something wrong with him.

"Thank you, you're a good person. Why are you taking such good care of me?" Gudrun Himmler thought to himself, a rare kind of person among the French.

"Can't I like you?" Koman was dressed in a lieutenant's uniform. He was not going to be mute. Gudron Himmler couldn't read minds. How could he expect the other person to sense his thoughts if he didn't speak?

“You’re French.” Gudrun Himmler almost reverted to his former condescending manner, but considering his current situation, a direct refusal might not be appropriate. “You should at least be a general, right? That’s definitely not possible now.”

Gudrun Himmler felt she had set a rather difficult condition. Although she did not know the French military ranks, she did know that Corman was a lieutenant, a far cry from being a general.

“Okay, if it were in France, it would be a little easier. In our country, there’s a military rank called Brigadier General.” Coman seemed unaffected, answering as easily as deciding what to eat for dinner.

Gudron Himmler looked at the confident Coman and scoffed, "How long will it take you? If you do it at fifty, I don't know if I can even keep going until then."

“You’re not even sixteen yet, are you? Ten years. Anything longer, and I’ll consider it a lie.” Koman’s face was full of solemn promise. “That’s a time that’s worth waiting for. Do you dare to promise me that?”

Gudrun Himmler gave Koeman a meaningful look, thinking he must be crazy to make such a demand, and more importantly, for the other party to agree to it.

Koeman arranged a house for Gudrun Himmler and her mother, Margaret, which was relatively good compared to the other Germans incarcerated. This ensured a stable environment for the two during this period of social turmoil.

After dropping Gudrun Himmler off at his lodgings, Koman turned and left to return to the interception station. Alan glanced up at Koman, then continued looking down at the accounts. "Back from your romance? Got some time for a report."

"My comrade, don't put it so harshly. It's just an internal contradiction among the people." Koman sensed Alan's sarcastic tone and sat down leisurely to listen attentively.

"Five generals, twenty-seven colonels, and eighteen squad leaders, district heads, officials, or civil servants. Only those with Swiss bank accounts are counted."

Alan quickly replied, "The total number of accounts exceeds 15 million Swiss francs. Our workload has increased significantly since three days ago, but the situation is still much better than that of our brother forces on the Yugoslav border. In addition to these suspects who are colluding with Swiss banks, we have intercepted a total of 45 kilograms of gold and nearly 500 watches. We haven't counted the jewelry and the like."

"Great results! When will the money be withdrawn from the Swiss bank?" Koeman asked with great satisfaction, confirming that choosing this location was absolutely the right decision.

"We were preparing to send someone to take the person to the Swiss bank to withdraw the money, but we never expected the Swiss to be so stubborn. They refused to accept the evidence we provided if we didn't bring the person with us."

Alan frowned and said that he also had a new understanding of this neutral country in World War II, which was quite tough.

"As expected." Koeman thought to himself that the goblins in Zurich were not to be underestimated, otherwise the British would not always be able to break through their defenses. "Arrange for ten people to be in a group, and report our current needs. We may need the help of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Oh, and there's one more thing I can help with while I'm at it. I have a friend living in Switzerland, so I can say hello to him."

Alain raised an eyebrow at Corman, waiting for her reply. He didn't wait in vain. "Ms. Chanel is currently living in Switzerland. Tell her that Corman's promise is still valid, and we can discuss it in detail after the election."

“No problem, I’ll go to Switzerland. Lefevere will continue to help you here,” Alan said enthusiastically. “I’ve never been to Switzerland before, so I can broaden my horizons.”

As the largest financial market and gold exchange in Europe outside of London, it naturally aroused Alan's great interest, and he couldn't wait to get there.

Compared to intercepting Germans to steal their goods, Martin's tobacco sales were booming. He had already amassed a large amount of physical assets and now lacked a channel to sell them.

(End of this chapter)