Father of France

Chapter 60 Britain is not trustworthy

“That’s a funny joke.” Sokolova’s eyes sparkled as she looked at Koman with a meaningful gaze.

"Today I'll be staying in the guards' quarters at the POW camp," Koman said calmly. "I want to experience the daily routine of a POW camp."

Pavlov raised an eyebrow. This was another unexpected gain besides Koman's straightforwardness. "Lieutenant Koman's thinking is truly admirable."

"It's just a guard's quarters," Koeman thought to himself. He'd even lived in one. "Only by experiencing it firsthand can you truly appreciate the value of freedom, isn't it?"

Central Asia was the traditional nomadic region of the Soviet Union, and it is now a time of war, but beef and mutton are still quite common.

This is similar to how Pakistan and the Eastern superpower are both in the 21st century. Pakistan is a poorer country than India, yet the price of beef and mutton in Pakistan is relatively higher per capita and lower in price than in the Eastern superpower. This is purely a natural result.

Both were during wartime, but the wartime situation in the Soviet Union and the wartime in the Eastern superpower was certainly different. During the War of Resistance Against Japan, it was unclear what rank of officer was allowed to drink alcohol.

Meanwhile, in the Soviet Union, which was also engaged in the war against Germany, Pavlov took out two bottles of vodka. The three of them lit a stove in the guard's barracks, opened the window to let in smoke, and Koman kept muttering as he skewered meat, "You two are in for a treat. I never did this for my comrades when I was in France."

"Thank you so much." Sokolova was the French translator assigned by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and she was the main person through whom Koman and Pavlov communicated.

On this quiet night, German prisoners of war, who had spent the day clearing land, were shivering in the cold, drafty concentration camp.

While the conditions in Koeman's area weren't much better, they were worlds apart from the situation of the German prisoners of war.

"I didn't expect Lieutenant Koman to have this kind of skill. I wonder if it tastes the same as what we have here in our country." Pavlov and his colleague each took the meat skewers that Koman handed them, tasted them, and Pavlov opened a bottle of vodka and poured a glass for Koman.

"Thank you." Koman felt that one drink shouldn't be enough to get him drunk, and the Soviet officer meant well, so he didn't refuse.

Koman was quite pleased with himself, calmly conversing with the two Soviet officers in the firelight, saying, "I'll just have a drink."

"It seems Lieutenant Koman isn't a particularly good drinker," Pavlov chuckled, clearly more talkative than usual after the vodka had taken its toll.

“I’m afraid that if I drink too much, I might give you any leverage in a country like yours that you should be wary of.” As Koman spoke, he turned to look at Sokolova, who was enjoying a skewer of meat, his meaning clear.

"You mean I'll take this opportunity to sleep with you and then use it to blackmail you into becoming a spy in France?" Sokolova paused slightly, almost laughing at Koman's wild imagination. Did he even realize how shameless that idea was?
“You might not do that, but it’s not wrong for me to be cautious.” Koman thought to himself, “Have you Soviets been using honey traps less often? It’s just a routine tactic.” “That’s my concern. So I can be frank with you. No need to think. If you want to know anything, just ask. We’re all allies now, and I won’t hide anything from you.”

"So you're saying you don't even like me?" Sokolova couldn't help but say, seeing the defensiveness on Koman's face. "Or maybe you've seen too many beautiful women in France."

“There are not as many beautiful women in France as in the Soviet Union.” Koeman hesitated for a moment before adding, “The Soviet Union probably had the most. I’m an honest person and I wouldn’t lie about this kind of thing. There’s no need for me to.”

Koeman felt there might be something wrong with him. He had acted so formally in France, but in another country he had let his guard down. If this happened to anyone else, they would definitely be labeled a natural traitor. However, there must be a reason for his behavior, something that could be forgiven, something that occurred within the context of the circumstances.

He left his homeland alone to come to a country to study its policies for the future of France. Everything he did was filled with huge sacrifices, the most crucial of which was the even greater sacrifice, such as having in-depth exchanges with Russian women while still having to be on guard.

Thinking about it that way, the sacrifice becomes even greater.

"To be honest, could you tell me what happened on the streets of Marseille?" Pavlov had already received the investigation report from his superiors, and after reading it, his opinion of Koeman worsened, though he didn't show it.

"After the suppression of the French Communist Party in Marseille, I went to Italy with the attacking troops and even attended the Italian Communist Party's congress in Turin, where I caught a glimpse of Togliatti from afar." Koman looked directly into Pavlov's eyes and said, "I've told you what you wanted to know. Now, could you tell me about the Soviet Union's policy of ethnic migration?"

Pavlov opened his mouth. Stalin's ethnic migration had already begun and was still underway. He felt there was nothing wrong with the policy, but the person in front of him was French, and he didn't want to talk about it.

This is why Koeman was so quiet in France; sometimes he had to succumb to the French environment and suppress his mischievous tendencies. Things were much better in Italy, and now he's in the Soviet Union, which is even better.

Koeman took a sip of vodka, a mocking expression on his face. Sokolova felt she had to say something at this moment: "France has not performed well in this war."

"It's more than bad, but there's nothing we can do. With two million French troops surrounded, where would France find the manpower to mobilize its population?" Coman replied dismissively. "And then there's our neighbor Britain, a country we've suspected for centuries. If France shows any sign of seizing European hegemony, they'll jump in. But then again..."

This "but" caught Sokolova's attention, and she couldn't help but ask, "But what's wrong?"

"But it will be your turn soon," Koeman said with a smile. "After the war, the Soviet Union will become a European power, and Britain will use the same tactics it used on France on the Soviet Union."

“The Soviet Union is not something Britain can contend with,” Pavlov coldly corrected. “This country is no longer the former British Empire.”

"And then there's the United States. Britain will definitely use the rapport of sharing the same language to get the United States to inherit Britain's offshore balancing strategy. The United States is located in the Americas, and normally it cannot compete with the powers in Eurasia, so it is naturally possible for it to inherit British policies."

At this point, Coman changed the subject, "As for whether Britain will do it, as a friendly neighbor that has bled each other dry for hundreds of years, I know Britain like a farmer knows about excrement, they will definitely do it."

"If global hegemony had to be shared by two countries, which would Britain choose? I doubt either of you would think Britain would choose the Soviet Union, would you? Once Germany was defeated, a break between the United States and the Soviet Union was inevitable, and I can say with absolute certainty that Britain's hostility towards the Soviet Union was greater than that of the United States. Thirty years ago, the Allied forces, led by Britain, intervened in the Soviet revolution; surely they haven't forgotten that so quickly?"

Koeman knew this would definitely be reported to Pavlov or Sokolova. He didn't mean anything by it; he just wanted to annoy Britain, nothing more.

Britain is a potential rival for France's future influence in Western Europe, and it is weaker than the Soviet Union in terms of strength. Such a hypothetical enemy is so suitable that it may be the first time since Napoleon that France has the potential to completely defeat it.

What did Coman do wrong? He was just firing flares at the retreating British.

(End of this chapter)