American Strategic Deception Bureau

　The French army currently deployed in Dahomey numbered only 150 men, spread across three bases. More than half of them were civilians, making their presence more symbolic than practical. If local armed forces launched a siege, the French force would not be able to hold out for long, and it would be impossible for them to hold out until reinforcements arrived.

　As a result, these French troops had to abandon their base and a small amount of heavy equipment, and retreat to the French Embassy in Dahomey with light weapons, setting up tents in the embassy yard to temporarily live there until Paris could get them back from Africa through diplomatic mediation.

　To make matters worse, the day after Major Kérékou launched the mutiny, Cameroon's Ahidjo government also encountered a mutiny. A group of young military officers massacred the presidential palace, killed President Ahmadou Ahidjo, who was known as the "spiritual Frenchman", and set up a "National Salvation Committee" to temporarily govern.

　After this "National Salvation Committee" came to power, it also contacted the US military while issuing an order to expel the French.

　Compared to Dahomey, the French troops stationed in Cameroon were significantly larger, numbering over 3,000. Therefore, the French commander in Cameroon immediately contacted the surviving ministers of the Ahidjo government and accepted their "invitation" to send troops to quell the rebellion on behalf of the "legitimate government."

　However, the 3,000 French troops were bombed by the US Navy Air Force just as they began their operation, suffering heavy losses in vehicles and personnel.

　Next, their base came under missile fire from the sea. Cameroon's National Salvation Committee's coup forces then destroyed the French base's runway with rockets, preventing French aircraft from taking off to engage the enemy and forcing them to be blasted to pieces on the ground.

　In this way, the remaining French strongholds in the Gulf of Guinea were paralyzed in a very short period of time.

　What’s even more terrible is that when the French fleet had just passed through the Strait of Gibraltar, an American fleet had already sailed to the waters off Dakar and blockaded the port - the last supply line for the French troops stationed in Africa was thus cut off!

　It is obvious that the French Navy is unable to break the blockade of the US fleet, and does not even have the courage to fight a decisive battle with the US Navy in the Atlantic.

　From Chad to Senegal and then to Cameroon, the 40,000 to 50,000 French troops scattered across a vast land of millions of square kilometers could only rely on the little reserve supplies they had to deal with the endless sieges of various black rebel forces and the frequent "accidental bombings" by the US Air Force and Naval Aviation.

　When the news reached Paris, the atmosphere in the Elysee Palace became increasingly depressed and solemn, while the National Assembly and the Senate were filled with curses.

　The Foreign Minister rushed to London in an attempt to coordinate Britain and France's stance on the United States, but he achieved nothing and returned disappointed.

　On the other hand, the Netherlands and Belgium, which had been tricked by the United States into sending troops to aid Sweden against the Soviet Union, woke up as soon as the truth of the crisis was exposed and quickly withdrew their own reinforcements from Sweden, leaving the Nordic lion to bear the brunt of the polar bear's giant paw.

　In the next few days, the French fleet that arrived in the waters of Dakar confronted the American fleet that blockaded the port of Dakar.

　Friction and conflict soon erupted between the two sides. The French fleet attempted to escort two merchant ships loaded with supplies into the harbor to sustain the already low-staffed French Foreign Legion, but the US Navy sunk the merchant ships. This was a complete loss of face for France.

　For a time, the political atmosphere in Paris became more tense and violent, and the speeches of parliamentary representatives became more inflammatory than each other.

　Filled with righteous indignation, Parisian citizens began taking to the streets holding signs and banners, shouting patriotic slogans, beating up American tourists, robbing branches of American companies in Paris, and setting fire to American-brand cars on the streets, filling the entire city with black smoke and chaos.

　Even more troubling, this spontaneous popular uprising severely undermined the French government's quarantine measures—at a time when a superflu was raging! Over the next few days, the epidemic in Paris, which had been easing somewhat, spiraled out of control again. Funeral homes and crematoriums in Paris, which had just had a break, were once again operating in a frenzied overload, burning bodies to death...

　Although the domestic and international situation was so desperate, President Pompidou of the Elysee Palace was still reluctant to surrender to the United States.

　Because he also knew that the Nixon administration was in a bad situation. Anti-war movements across the United States were already surging. Although the international community did not support France's continued exploitation and plunder,

　But we do not support the United States' colonial sphere of influence in Africa, nor do we support the United States' wanton launching of overseas wars without any bottom line.

　The pressure from the international to the domestic level would eventually be transmitted to the White House, making Nixon feel the pressure and resistance, and even being forced to abandon military action.

　Now it has become a competition of wills between Paris and Washington. It depends on which side will give up first!

　However, President Pompidou soon discovered that he was the loser who could not withstand the pressure first.

　Because, the bad news that subsequently reached Paris was the last straw that broke the camel's back: "Burj al-Rami is finished! Our troops stationed in Chad are completely wiped out! Gaddafi dropped a supercharged atomic bomb in Burj al-Rami!"

　Atomic bomb?! Is this going to start a nuclear war in Africa? Oh no!

　When President Pompidou learned about this, he collapsed completely, and all the energy and spirit he had been holding on to disappeared without a trace.

　He took off his glasses, wiped them with a cloth, then sighed deeply and instructed his secretary, "It seems that the time has come when we have no choice but to bow our heads...Okay, the Americans have won. Connect me to the White House presidential hotline. I want to have a good talk with Nixon. At least we have to let France keep Dakar..."

　Author's words: PS: The present Republic of Benin, formerly known as Dahomey, was the source of goods for the slave trade during the Age of Exploration. The local black monarch brought a group of very capable female warriors with him. Their main daily routine was to fight and kill everywhere, capture other black people as slaves, and sell them to Europeans to be trafficked to America to get rich.

　Therefore, Europeans recorded this place as the "Slave Coast": there were lively black people everywhere, but ready-made black slaves had to be imported from Dahomey.

　But this became somewhat notorious in the 20th century. After all, the Kingdom of Dahomey was an accomplice of the white people in capturing black slaves, which didn't sound very respectable.

　The new government then researched history and discovered that the ancient Kingdom of Dahomey only occupied one-third of the country's current area. The remaining two-thirds of the land was dotted with many other small nations before the arrival of the colonists. Among them was a small nation called Benin that rarely sold slaves.

　So, Dahomey was renamed Benin in 1975.

　Chapter 601: The End of the French African Colonial Empire

　In short, the atomic bomb dropped by the Libyan madman Gaddafi on the battlefield in Chad ultimately led to the collapse of the French African colonial empire.

　On April 25, 1971, after a two-hour phone call with US President Nixon, French President Pompidou issued a statement announcing that the French government would comply with the requests of the African people and withdraw all French troops stationed in West Africa within 30 days. At the same time, it would abolish the CFA franc and agree to allow African countries such as Gabon, Dahomey, and Cameroon to dismiss French advisers in their governments to achieve further "decolonization."

　As soon as the news came out, the franc exchange rate fell sharply. Within just one week, the exchange rate between the franc and the US dollar fell by as much as 50%.

　When the Paris nuclear bomb exploded, those French "patriots" who were still hiding their francs and didn't want to exchange them for foreign currency rushed to the banks to try to withdraw their money - pounds would be best, but if they didn't have pounds, Dutch guilders would also be good, and even Italian lira and Spanish peseta were not out of the question...

　The entire European financial market was in a state of panic, and was on high alert. It was shocked by the American boss's reckless behavior and was losing money.

　The humiliation of this defeat without a fight sparked a flurry of brawls between left-wing and right-wing groups on the streets of Paris. Left-wing groups accused the right-wing groups of fawning over the US and yielding to its power, ultimately leading to the loss of French overseas influence. Right-wing groups accused the left-wing groups of stabbing the government and interfering in the war, leading to France's disastrous defeat in Africa. In short, they were constantly trying to accuse each other of being traitors.

　It would have been fine if they had merely exchanged verbal rebukes and shifted the blame, but the French, with their long-standing tradition of direct action, immediately engulfed the streets of Paris in a hail of Molotov cocktails and stones, a blaze of fire and blood. Left and right clashed, with groups fighting in shifts, looting shops and robbing panicked foreign tourists. The police were soon overwhelmed.

　Not to mention a bunch of crazy radical politicians who took the opportunity to take to the streets and stage all sorts of shows – some burned the American flag, smashed the Statue of Liberty, shouted at the US Embassy and threw garbage, taped pictures of President Nixon to wooden boards, and some wore replica Napoleonic-era military uniforms and practiced target shooting with hunting rifles…

　There were all kinds of performance art, which was amazing to watch, but no one volunteered to join the army and go to Africa to fight against the Americans and black uncles.

　In addition, a group of robbers who came from nowhere took advantage of the chaos to loot the famous Champs-Elysées and even carried away a beautiful female salesperson.

　With Paris engulfed in chaos, President Pompidou had no choice but to call in the army to "maintain law and order." But the question is, are the Parisians just ordinary citizens? They've been fighting the army on the streets for nearly two hundred years, and they're no longer afraid of it!

　So, faced with the French army's attempt to clear the area, the martially virtuous Parisians unanimously cursed the army for not daring to go to Africa to fight. Instead, they came to the capital to oppress their fellow citizens, completely shameless. Then they continued to throw Molotov cocktails, set off firecrackers, and even set cars on fire.

　The French army had to use the same strength they had used to suppress the Paris Commune, fighting with the citizens for more than a month before they could barely restore order in Paris.

　However, no matter how the French military, police and people mingled in the streets of Paris, the struggle was difficult.

　Solve the problem.

　France's colonial sphere of influence in Africa came to an end the moment President Pompidou called the White House to admit defeat.

　As France surrendered, the new governments of West African coastal countries such as Gabon and Cameroon established after the coup immediately began to plunder their old masters. On the one hand, they confiscated French assets in the country without compensation and expelled the remaining French troops and civilian officials. On the other hand, they signed new military protection agreements and cooperative investment and development agreements with the United States. In other words, they directly handed over the French bases in their countries to the newly arrived American troops.

　Only Major Kerekou, who launched a military coup in Dahomey, declared that he would take the "socialist path", chose to raise the red flag in Dahomey, and was independent, refusing to invite the US military to station there. The Pentagon was busy taking over other territories and could not take care of this small country for the time being, so it let it go.

　Compared with the West African coastal countries that have been pressed at their doorstep by US aircraft carriers and Marines, and have already decided in their hearts to change sides after comparing the strength of the United States and France, countries such as Mali, Niger, Upper Volta (Burkina Faso) in the inland Sahara Desert generally do not want the French colonists to leave - just like the Central Asian countries that were reluctant to see the Soviet Union disappear when it collapsed.

　Because the borders of these countries were drawn arbitrarily by the colonizers. Historically, they often belonged to many different states and tribes, but were forced together by Europeans during the colonial era. They had different religions and languages, so the cohesion of their citizens naturally approached zero.

　If the French colonists were still there, then relying on the conquerors' majesty and coercion, perhaps they could still maintain the dignity of a country.

　But if the French leave, this country that was forcibly established will fall apart almost instantly!

　Those government troops, which were generally reorganized from puppet troops, were mostly inferior to the local armed forces of various opposition forces in terms of morale and fighting spirit!

　After all, one is a worker who fights purely for money and is often owed wages, while the other is a volunteer soldier who fights for his family!

　If this is the case, then once the French leave, the black ruling classes of various countries will soon find that their orders cannot be issued from the capital.

　The lower-class blacks, whose only concerns are family and tribe, may not feel much about the country's further division. But the upper-class "Mangosteen people," who have returned from studying in Paris, are black-skinned and white-hearted. They strongly hope to inherit the legacy of French colonialism in its entirety, rather than allowing it to revert to its historical state.

　Just like Nehru at the time of India's independence, he not only wanted to inherit a complete Greater India rather than the partition of India and Pakistan, but he even wanted to take over Burma, which was also placed under Indian colonial administration by British Whitehall - completely disregarding whether his martial virtue was sufficient.

　But the arm can't twist the thigh. Since the more powerful American imperialism wants to drive the French gentlemen out, the French gentlemen have also proved that they are just a vegetarian salad without sauce - all vegetables, so simple that they don't even have the courage to fight a war, so they just handed Africa to the United States.

　Then, these local elites with black skin and white hearts who returned from studying in Paris could only give up their attachment to the spiritual homeland of France with tears, and instead began to scramble to confiscate France's assets in various countries, with an ugly and messy manner.

　Although these technologically advanced modern mines, pits, and primary processing enterprises are largely beyond the reach of Africans with little experience in prenatal education, and will likely ultimately be sold to American consortiums, at least they can still profit from the ins and outs.

　Next, in Chad, which had just been hit by an atomic bomb, as the capital, Fort Lamy (N'Djamena), was reduced to ashes under the mushroom cloud of the nuclear explosion, the Arab rebels in northern Chad completely destroyed the French-backed Tombalbaye regime and became the new masters of this desert country.

　However, the country's largest and most modern city has turned into a radioactive wasteland. Chad is expected to degenerate into a tribal alliance in the future, and it is unlikely to even be able to piece together a decent national state - but no matter what, at least the French were driven away.

　As the chief sponsor of the rebels who provided money, manpower, troops and nuclear bombs, Libya's dictator Gaddafi finally got the spoils he wanted after spending a lot of money - the Azou region on the border between the two countries, a disputed area between Libya and Chad for many years.

　The Aouzou region is a narrow strip of land on the border between Chad and Libya, with a width of about 100 kilometers and an area of ​​11.4 square kilometers.

　On the eve of World War II, Libya was an Italian colony and Chad was a French colony.

　In the turbulent diplomatic game before the war, in order to win over Italy's Mussolini and prevent him from turning to Germany's Hitler, the French government signed a territorial exchange agreement with Italy in 1935, ceding the Aouzou region in northern Chad to Mussolini as a gift.

　However, before the procedures for ceding land were completed in the parliaments of both countries, World War II broke out and Germany began to blitz Poland.

　Italy subsequently joined the Axis powers and went to war with Britain and France, and France's "bribe" to Italy to cede the Auzoud region came to nothing.

　After the war, Libya and Chad both nominally gained independence. However, because their independence was incomplete, they remained under the deep control of European countries. Revolutions broke out in both countries, but the revolution in Chad remained at a stalemate, while Colonel Gaddafi achieved success in Libya.

　Therefore, in order to further expand the territory

　In order to make a name for himself, Gaddafi dug out the agreement in which France ceded the Aouzou region from the archives. Coincidentally, a geological exploration team from Europe discovered rich uranium mines in the desolate Aouzou region.

　Gaddafi, who was looking to develop his country's nuclear program, was overjoyed upon hearing the news and immediately laid claim to the Azou region. "You French ceded this land to Italy thirty years ago. Shouldn't I, Gaddafi, inherit it now? What a waste to give it to the Africans!"

　You don't want to give me the land? If you don't, I'll beat you into submission with the butt of my rifle!

　After such a tortuous war, Libya finally gained control of the once barren and deserted Aouzou region, now rich in resources and highly coveted. The Arab uprising in northern Chad also disbanded and returned home – a world in which only the French suffered!

　Although Chad's north-south conflict remains intense and the country remains fragmented, at least decolonization has been accomplished, right?

　Author's words: PS: Huawei has started selling machines bundled with deepseek. Each machine costs 150 million and can be used by 192 people. A company only needs to buy a few machines.

　Chapter 602: Nixon Shock! (More Updates, Please Vote)

　During the great collapse of France's African colonial empire, the most tragic scene occurred in Dakar, the capital of Senegal.

　Previously, Senegalese government troops, trained by French instructors and flown in by French Foreign Legion, had finally defeated pro-American rebels and secured the capital, Dakar. But now they were about to hand over the city and government to the rebels they had just defeated without firing a single shot.

　- Although French President Pompidou took the initiative to call US President Nixon and admitted defeat, he still tried to keep Dakar in the Republic of Senegal, the former capital of the French West African colony and the last and most tenacious bridgehead of France's colonial power in Africa.

　But faced with Nixon, who refused to give in and insisted on France's complete withdrawal from the African continent, Paris finally had no choice but to give up Dakar in tears, and by the way, gave up the French military base in Djibouti far away in East Africa, and only retained a military presence in small islands such as Comoros in the Indian Ocean.

　As a result, the French withdrawal from Dakar became, unsurprisingly, a scene of grand tragedy and turmoil.

　Dakar, located on the Atlantic coast of West Africa, on the southern edge of the Sahara Desert and at the westernmost tip of the Sahel steppe, offers the most convenient connection between West Africa and Europe, and is the closest point on the African continent to the Americas. During the Age of Exploration, it was a key point on the Atlantic shipping route.

　As early as the 17th century, during the reign of Louis XIV, the "Sun King," Dakar served as a supply depot and slave trading port for the French East India Company. From the Bourbon dynasty to the later French Republic, Dakar was heavily invested in building and establishing a colonial base.

　In 1855, France built West Africa's first railway in Dakar, and in 1861, it began constructing a modern deep-water port there. During World War II, Dakar became a core French stronghold in Africa, culminating in a bloody civil war between the Free French led by Charles de Gaulle and the Vichy French, which had surrendered to Germany.

　After World War II, France expanded and renovated the port in Dakar, built an airport and a series of industrial facilities, allowing Dakar to have many light industries such as textiles, shoemaking, beverages, and cigarettes. It can be said that a huge amount of money was invested in building this city, making it the pearl of the Sahara Desert.

　Well, or rather the "early steam cyber version" of Night City.

　Even though Senegal gained nominal independence in the 1960s, French troops remain and French influence is deeply entrenched.

　Otherwise, the Dakar Rally, which attracts 500 million people every year, would not be held in this city.

　Therefore, in Dakar, there are not only a large number of dark-skinned African "spiritual French", but also 50,000 French expatriates working and living here.

　But now, fearing brutal retaliation from the rebels, the French expatriates in Dakar, high-ranking officials of the former comprador government, and ordinary wealthy businessmen and the middle class all desperately wanted to follow the retreating French army and seek refuge in mainland France.

　For a time, the docks and airports in Dakar were crowded with people of different skin colors, carrying large and small bags, but all looking anxious.

　Although Dakar's local civil aviation and shipping companies have tried their best to increase flights, the price of boat and plane tickets from Dakar to mainland France has suddenly increased fivefold, and there is still no demand for tickets - just like any scene of colonial collapse.

　What is even more speechless is that Senegal’s neighbor, Gambia, the future “universe kingdom” on the Internet, has also taken advantage of the situation to provoke territorial disputes against Senegal, trying to take advantage of the decline of French colonial power and tear off a piece of meat - regardless of whether its teeth are good enough.

　In short, the Dakar Rally, which originally started in 1977, is likely to be stillborn and disappear without a trace in this dimension.

　At the same time, the UN General Assembly adopted a non-binding resolution condemning both French colonial activities and US military action in Africa, though France had already surrendered its colonial sphere of influence in West Africa to the Nixon administration.

　Therefore, the US representative proudly declared at the UN General Assembly:

　There's no need to worry; this "little conflict between free nations" is over. The United States is sending troops to Africa to uphold the universal values ​​of human rights, freedom, equality, and respect for sovereignty. With the dismantling of the old colonial empires, the people of West Africa will soon be able to completely shake off the shackles of the colonial era and usher in a new era of democracy and freedom.

　Other UN representatives attending the meeting: some rolled their eyes, some raised their middle fingers.

　U Thant, the UN Secretary-General from Myanmar, sarcastically said, "The American understanding of freedom, democracy, and human rights seems to be completely different from that of any normal person on earth. This action (of plundering colonies by force) is completely unacceptable and absurd to the extreme."

　Of course, from an objective point of view, the change of the sovereign power in West Africa from France to the United States is indeed a certain progress for the local black people.

　After all, France, which had long since moved away from the real economy and engaged in financialization and was known as "usurious imperialism", has always been very dishonorable in the management and construction of "real industries" such as colonies. It is no exaggeration to say that it is so greedy that it completely disregards its manners.

　Even after African nations nominally gained independence, France signed agreements with them, declaring the right to any mineral resources found on their soil. France was to train its military, control key infrastructure like water, electricity, and energy, and control its banking sector. Independent former French African colonies were required to deposit 50% of their foreign exchange reserves in France, and their currency was to be printed and stamped by France. Even agriculture and industry were subject to French "guidance"—and, as you can imagine, this "guidance" was inherently biased in favor of France.

　Seriously, what kind of independence is this? In terms of independence, it's even worse than the Indian princely states during the British Empire!

　Even the British Empire knew how to share power and benefits with the indigenous elite, allowing some Indian kings to accumulate considerable wealth during the colonial period, creating a group of world-class tycoons. But what about the French? They were simply desperate to squeeze the blood out of the African natives!

　When it comes to France's colonial plunder of African countries, the most representative case is Niger's uranium mines.

　As a small country with a limited territory, Niger's uranium reserves rank among the top five in the world, with proven reserves of 42 tons. The Imolaren mine in Agadez, northern Niger, is one of the largest uranium deposits in the world.

　Originally, relying solely on uranium exports, the people of Niger should not have had any major problems in getting enough food and clothing, if not getting rich.

　But France not only monopolized the sale of uranium in Niger, but also deprived the Niger government of its bargaining power over uranium.

　France first imposed a monopoly on the sale of Niger's uranium, forcing Niger to forbid private uranium purchases and prioritize supplying all uranium to France. Even if there was any surplus, it had to apply to and obtain approval from France before it could be sold. France, however, would rather see excess Niger uranium ore gather dust in warehouses than allow the Niger government to sell it.

　In addition, all minerals in Niger belong to France, and the Niger government cannot introduce companies from other countries to open mines.

　If you think this is excessive enough, then you have obviously underestimated the oppression of French capitalism: when France purchased uranium ore from Niger, it never followed the international market price, but rather an ultra-low price set by itself.

　How low is this price? When the international market price of uranium ore is 100 euros per kilogram, France only offers 6 euros per kilogram!

　——I can only say that I really admire the French imagination and lack of bottom line in exploitation. Compared with this, the Chinese landlords who spend a small amount and take in a large amount, and the lenders who give out nine and return thirteen, seem too generous.

　This is why Niger exports over 4,000 tons of uranium every year, yet its people remain impoverished and the government runs deficits year after year.