Father of France

Chapter 25 The Sun King's Legacy
The fact that the Bastille, such a symbolic place, was able to be reopened must have been partly due to the fact that it provided a place to imprison French collaborators, but the main reason was the suggestion given by General Duval's... warrant officer subordinate.

After all, it's a well-known tourist attraction, so restarting it from the perspective of recycling isn't unreasonable.

As Operation Market Garden officially commences, Koeman sets off for the Bastille. People's joys and sorrows are not shared. British and American paratroopers face the relentless attacks of the German army, while he is here to expose French traitors. Everyone has a bright future.

Koeman didn't sense any of the gloomy or terrifying atmosphere found in the literary works. Was the Bastille just a simple building in his eyes? Not at all.

Indeed, some sounds, which can be described as screams, were heard. As the old saying goes, the two greatest institutions for cultivating men are the army and the prison. Although it took two lifetimes and both were somewhat questionable, Koman has now gathered both, so he has not lived in vain.

Koman ignored the minor noises, but they were all valuable assets in a man's life. What was all that fuss about?
Once a move is made, there's no going back. Did he really send these people to be traitors? Couldn't he have been a little smarter?

"Don't use overly direct methods. I believe there are many ways to achieve a fair outcome that can withstand the test of the French people without harming the body." Koeman's footsteps echoed through the corridor, almost a tangible image of a smiling man wielding a large stick. "You've gone too far. Who will go to the Sahara to plant trees in the future? Think about it, doesn't that make sense?"

"How's the case closure rate?" With a hint of pity remaining, Koman squinted in the sunlight streaming down his face in the corridor. If anyone saw this, who wouldn't say he was a sunny young man?
"Ha!" Alain suddenly burst into laughter, short and abrupt, before stopping abruptly. "Of course it's one hundred percent. Even members of the French militia didn't show much resistance. But I found that the traitors in the arts all confessed without much effort."

The French militia was an armed force formed by pro-German individuals in Vichy France. Its main tasks were to dismantle anti-German forces and hunt down Jews.

"I'm not surprised at all that there are traitors in the arts and culture scene; they're just a bunch of people who kowtow and throw punches." Koeman chuckled sarcastically, dismissively adding, "As for the French militia, they're just a bunch of brainless victims, one too smart and the other too brainless. It's worth noting the officials in Vichy France; not all of them are incompetent."

Alan didn't reply, and sure enough, he heard Koeman explain, "Many of the families of Vichy French officials are very wealthy. We only have law enforcement power; the power of trial is in the hands of the High Court. So, we might be able to clear ourselves of suspicion by using wealth and connections. After all, which country isn't a society based on personal connections? Let's create a separate file for these people. Did Martin die from smoking in the cigarette factory? We never even see him. Let him compile the file."

Koeman recalled that Mitterrand had been an official of Vichy France, and after the war, he cleared his name and became the President of France.

Just as Koeman said, since the power of trial does not lie with the Judicial Purification Committee, they only have the power of enforcement. Therefore, unless he finds Mitterrand now and kills him directly, he may still have to watch as the other party clears his name.

“We should make good use of our law enforcement powers. We don’t care whether the High Court rules or not,” Coman said as he thought. “We should build relationships with some politicians. Having dirt on them is the best. Now is an opportunity.”

This may be unfair to some at the bottom, such as members of pro-German French militia organizations, but what fairness is there in the world? It's not like he made these idiots become traitors.

“Those Vichy officials really got off easy.” Although Alain understood this, he was not a native Frenchman and could not empathize with this kind of collusion for personal gain.

“It’s not cheap. There’s always a price to pay, though the price may come at any time,” Koeman replied with a chuckle. “If they were loyal enough, would they be locked up here right now?”

When loyalty reaches a certain level, even if your boss is difficult to get along with, you can still escape a disaster at a critical moment.

Koman recalled an example: in the non-human education version of the map of the Qing Empire, there was a feudal lord who was tacitly acknowledged by the Qing court until the end of the Qing Dynasty. This feudal lord was the King of Hami.

On some maps, the Hami Kingdom's territory is depicted in a different color than the Qing Dynasty's borders, clearly indicating it was a state within a state. It's well known that the Qing Dynasty famously concluded that "when a country is in trouble, chaos ensues," and their modus operandi was to treat all ethnic groups that dared to resist equally.

As a result, even after the fall of the Qing Dynasty and the reign of Emperor Qianlong, a politically energetic and energetic emperor, the Hami King was able to survive. What other reason could there be but loyalty?

According to the Qing Dynasty's style, even a single act of disrespect would result in a counterattack and retribution. The fact that a political animal like Emperor Qianlong could evade such attacks for sixty years shows that he was no ordinary feudal lord; he could even dodge heavy blows.

Many of the Vichy French officials currently imprisoned will eventually regain their freedom, and the best among them will even be able to return to politics. So keeping this evidence against them might be useful in the future.

In the political arena, the military certainly still needs a spokesperson. Although the Fourth French Republic, like the Third Republic, experienced frequent changes of government due to de Gaulle's concerns about the French Communist Party's actions, and also had an excessively powerful military, this was not necessarily a bad thing for Corman, who was a soldier.

Corman had originally wanted to meet with the artists at the Bastille, but the guards at the Bastille informed him that Chanel had arrived, so he had to temporarily put aside his attempt to meet the French literary giants.

A sheltered open space is more suitable for a meeting; otherwise, if Chanel were to go indoors and hear her comrades from the Youth Division promoting prisoners, it would frighten this elegant old lady.

With the investigation report on Chanel in hand, Corman appeared, holding the investigation report of the Judicial Purification Committee. Chanel was over sixty years old, and the years had left their mark on her face, but one could still vaguely see the shadow of her youth.

“Ms. Chanel, you are very bold to come back after receiving the notice.” A hint of admiration flashed across Koman’s face as he flipped through the investigation report. “You have a very complex network of connections, including British politicians and nobles, and mistresses who are also in the Gestapo. In terms of manipulating emotions, many women may have something to learn from you.”

"Since you're willing to contact me by letter, I wonder what kind of help I can offer?" Chanel had seen it all and wasn't intimidated by the young man before her.

"That's very bad," Koeman frowned slightly and asked, "Do you think your complicated network of connections can save you if I want to deal with you? What if I kill you on the spot?"

"What I mean is, what help can I offer?" Chanel gasped, realizing that she was indeed old and faded, and that she would never have faced this situation in the past.

“Then we can talk. Now that postwar reconstruction has begun, we believe that Ms. Chanel’s connections can help us accomplish some things.”

Koman wasn't planning to do anything to the old lady. If he really wanted to make things difficult, he would have sent someone to Chanel's place to kill her. He just wanted to talk to Chanel and make money, which wasn't shameful.

If it weren't for the fact that the luxury goods industry is not easy to cultivate and that it is the legacy of the Sun King, he certainly wouldn't have paid any attention to the other party.

　What happened to the phrase "France, a man's paradise" from my profile?

　　
　
(End of this chapter)