Father of France

Chapter 12 Bad Things Can Turn into Good Things
Admiral Dragon paused for a moment, then shook his head with a wry smile. "The idea is indeed good, but if we were to implement it..."

"It's too difficult. I wish we could have accomplished it during World War I, even if it meant trading the Rhineland. Back then, there was no interference from the United States."

Koeman also knew that although Sardinia had few resources and products, its location was extremely important, and even now, occupied by the French, annexation would be very difficult. Neither Britain nor the United States would agree to it, as it involved control of the western Mediterranean.

Even if they don't annex Corsica, since France retains sovereignty over the island, France still naturally has influence over the western Mediterranean. But if they annex Sardinia as well, it will be a done deal.

Koeman shifted his gaze from Corsica to the Franco-Italian border and asked, "Is there a French-speaking region there?"

“Valle d’Aosta is the French-speaking region,” Admiral Dracon replied, pointing to northwestern Italy.

“Then annex this place,” Koeman replied decisively. “We must create a fait accompli before the end of the World War. Our troops used to relocate all the Italian-speaking population and then hold a referendum to create a fait accompli. The area doesn’t seem that big, so it shouldn’t provoke a strong reaction from those two suspicious allies. There’s also the Saar region in Germany.”

Koeman pointed to the Franco-German border. France's agricultural conditions are undoubtedly excellent, second to none in Europe, but what about the raw materials for industrial development? In any case, if France didn't still have some influence in Africa in the 21st century, it simply couldn't compare with Germany, which had a superior industrial base, based solely on its own domestic conditions.

Compared to the Saar region, Valle d'Aosta is less difficult. In Koeman's memory, although Italy demonstrated its ability to choose sides during World War II, it was by no means unscathed; Italy also ceded territory.

Yugoslavia did not give the United States any face after the war and did not return the land to Italy, which shows that the United States' face is only useful in Western Europe.

The Italian territory occupied by Yugoslavia included most of the Istrian Peninsula (except Trieste), Zadar in Dalmatia, and some islands, totaling approximately 5,000 square kilometers.

In comparison, Valle d'Aosta already had a French-speaking population, an area of ​​just over 3,000 square kilometers, and a population of only 100,000, making it relatively easy to manage. Does this mean that France is inferior to Yugoslavia?
"Valle da Aosta, Sardinia, and the Saar region?" Admiral Dragon's gaze swept over the three regions as he weighed his options. "Taking even two of them would be a huge win..."

“But if we want to advance three things at the same time, we’ll lift the roof and someone will open the door for us,” Koeman added. “The Saar region is actually easy to deal with. Once Germany is defeated, it will face hostility from all of Europe. We started relocating the population from the moment we occupied the Saar region. We can’t let these Germans stay in the Saar region. We will replace the population of the Saar region through population exchange.”

Koeman recalls that in the Saarland referendum, a third of the population chose the French option, although it is undeniable that more than 60 percent of the population still wanted to return to West Germany.

However, this also shows that France is not without any foundation. If it had a clear purpose and worked hard from the beginning, it would not have been impossible to separate the Saar region from West Germany.

They chatted about the post-war borders, and the father and son talked about their daily lives in Syria for a year since General Dragon left. Koman mainly asked about the current war situation. After all, he was still in Syria with poor communication, and his understanding of the war situation was mostly based on guesswork. He couldn't always go to General Fontaine to ask questions; he still needed to be aware of the boundaries.

After waiting and waiting, Admiral Dragon, facing Corman who showed no interest in his personal life, spoke up, "You've seen Adile's situation, I really am..."

“He made a mistake that all men make.” Koman tried to justify his adoptive father. “It’s not like he cheated on his wife. I can’t judge such things. Como seems a little bothered by it. I’ll talk to him about it.”

Koman's younger brother is still young, only ten years old now, let alone two years ago. It's perfectly normal for him to be hostile towards this woman who broke up his family.

At this point, Coman remembered that he had been talking with Admiral Dragon in the study for quite a while. He told his father to rest for a while, opened the door and came out. Como was still standing at the door, with a hint of dissatisfaction on his face.

"Interested in going for a walk?" Koman extended the invitation, looking down at his brother, and added, "I'll give you this one chance." "Bro..." Koman paused suddenly as if remembering what he had just been corrected, and said, "Brother, I'll go for a walk with you."

Coman nodded. That's good. Actually, it's not that difficult to get along. Where we go isn't important. The main thing is that we can talk since we haven't seen each other for a year. From Como's perspective, he can understand. His father, as a soldier, may not be a genius or a famous general. In fact, as of now, General Dragon has been fighting for a year and can only be described as average.

The Allied impression of General Dragon was that he was easy to communicate with and cooperate with, but he lacked combat achievements, and Italy was not considered a strong opponent. General Dragon's combat record was not particularly impressive.

Even so, it was enough to make the rank of general well-deserved; he hadn't won much, but he hadn't lost much either.

Koeman thought this was good. Montgomery, the most famous desert rat in the British army, seemed to have a rather average record. At least he was not qualified to stand among the marshals of the Soviet Union and Germany. If Montgomery could do it, why couldn't his father?

Even if Dracon was just a conventional soldier, he was indeed the commander of the French First Army Group, so naturally he didn't have much time to spend with Como. Como often saw Adile, and Coman wasn't home either. The ten-year-old child was bound to be affected.

The two brothers walked one in front of the other. Como followed behind his older brother, knowing that his brother had a habit of facing the sun directly or with his back to it. He didn't know where this habit came from, but he thought it was very cool. The sunlight was like melted butter smeared on the ancient stone buildings, and the surrounding bay had fine white sand and emerald green water.

"The scenery at this spot is nice." Koman found a rock of suitable size and sat down, pointing to the empty seat next to him for his younger brother to sit in. After gazing into the distance for a while, he asked, "Still messing around with Adile?"

“Brother, this woman isn’t part of our family.” Como opened his mouth and muttered, “I can’t accept this woman. I miss Mother.”

"You mean I don't want Mother?" Koman comforted his brother, who was looking downcast. "Theoretically, we all hope to be with one person for life, but fate doesn't follow our will. In any case, given Adile's current situation, we will definitely have a younger brother or sister, who will also be Father's child."

"If this younger brother or sister is born, will the father be completely biased towards her and her child?" Como asked this question with a serious expression.

"No." Koman chuckled, glancing up at the sky. That's right, it was a world of world war, not a female-oriented fictional world. She explained, "If I didn't exist, you, a ten-year-old, might indeed have a very difficult time. Fighting with a young stepmother and her child could cause significant damage to the family. But you have an older brother, so that won't happen. I'll be eighteen when her child is born, and by the time her child reaches adulthood, I'll be in my prime. There won't be any of those disgusting, ridiculous stories in popular novels."

“I was wrong, brother, you will definitely solve this problem.” Como said with his head down. “Father trusts you the most. You have been the pride of people since you were a child. You could read before you could walk.”

"To live one more year, right?" Koeman suddenly wondered if he should put aside his own family ties for the greater good. If he didn't demonstrate his academic excellence, would he be able to successfully communicate with Admiral Dragon at his age? Dragon followed Vichy France; without him, this family wouldn't be where it is today.
"I'll stay in Sardinia for two days until I resupply, then I'll head back to the mainland," Coman said, stretching and looking refreshed. "This wonderful world is waiting for me to conquer."

There are indeed some dramatic family issues, but they are definitely not insurmountable. Cuomo is simply too young to think things through.

During their two days in Sardinia, Corman played the part of a loving father and son with Admiral Dragon. Admiral Dragon then asked Corman his purpose: "What do you plan to do when we get back?"

"We, the youth division, are, to put it bluntly, a supervisory team." Koman made no attempt to hide his thoughts. "When a country is in a state of chaos for a long time, it will develop what the Soviet Union called class solidification. The fall of the homeland was indeed a tragedy, but if we can make up for some of it, we can turn it into a good thing. The purge of traitors can also evolve into a movement to break down class solidification."

(End of this chapter)