Father of France

Chapter 66 and the French Communist Party's Basic Base

“You’re overthinking it, Martin,” Coleman interrupted Martin’s reverie. Although he thought so, he absolutely couldn’t admit it.

It is certain that once these war illegitimate children are successfully raised by the army, they will become the absolute backbone of the French army for some time to come.

If it were a military government, these children would be the most loyal supporters, because they lacked parents and it was the state that rescued them from social discrimination.

But now is not the time to mess with these illegitimate children. If it were a system like the Soviet Union, everything would develop naturally in the future.

However, France is a parliamentary republic, and the custody of these children is still uncertain. If there is an opportunity after the war, we can try to seize custody of these illegitimate children. For now, we can only hand them over to the French Children's Relief Committee.

After putting an end to his comrades' wild speculations, Koeman added, "However, it's still worth keeping an eye on the operation of this child rescue committee. Once the infant mortality rate exceeds the average level of social statistics, it means that the committee has not fulfilled its responsibilities, and many things will be easier to discuss."

When the waitress at the Stroganov restaurant brought the food, Koman complimented her appearance in his few flirtatious Russian phrases. The 16th arrondissement of Paris was the main residential area for exiled nobles of Imperial Russia; ordinary exiled Russians did not live there. The Russian women were quite pleasing to the eye.

"I'm going to buy a house here someday," Coman said, reluctantly turning his gaze away from the Russian girl's swaying hips.

Martin and Alain exchanged a glance. It wasn't that they were surprised that Corman was interested in women, but rather that they felt Corman's words were a bit like a Western worshipper. He always talked about his loyalty to France, but this was the real story?
Don't these two comrades think that they've been saying it all along? Doesn't that prove anything?

In the final peaceful moments, the French Youth Division, besides undergoing reorganization and receiving combat weapons, was busy arranging for the last group of heavily pregnant women.

Koeman took it very seriously. He didn't stay in Paris for long before leaving, only to learn from Alain that the reputation of the youth division was now utterly ruined.

Originally a unit composed of young people from French Syria, with little connection to mainland France, their actions were scrutinized closely.

The young teacher believed he had a clear conscience when he was purging the criminals, but he was also viewed maliciously by some affected groups, especially because he did not budge on the issue of illegitimate children in Germany.

However, Koeman believes this situation can be reversed. The traitors and their relatives are ultimately a minority, and since the general election has not yet started, there is no need to worry about certain political parties jumping out to say something about leniency and forgiveness for the sake of votes.

By granting amnesty to pregnant women and properly handling the issue of illegitimate children in Germany, the previous malicious remarks can be mitigated.

Koman also visited a maternity sanctuary in Paris to observe the mental state of the pregnant women up close. They were in pretty good spirits. I believe these pregnant women also know that they have been pardoned because of the babies in their wombs.

"We still need to get Division Commander Duval to issue an order. I'm afraid my comrades will bring some of the Middle Eastern influences with them."

Koman whispered to Alan beside him, "The mainstream religions in the Middle East know all too well about women who have affairs. Although the Youth Master is composed of Maronite and Greek Orthodox Christians, it's hard to guarantee that he won't be influenced by living in the Middle East for a long time."

If these pregnant women in France were in the Middle East, they would be unthinkable; even if not all of them, many would certainly have been stoned.

If something like this were to happen, the reputation of the Young Pioneers wouldn't just be ruined; they could be expelled from the organization, let alone have their public image turned around. Even if French men are dissatisfied with the various provocative actions of women's rights movements since World War I, they won't allow a final solution to emerge. It's common knowledge that maintaining stability is costly for men; Koeman doesn't have time to deal with this kind of problem. He's busy looting Germany, not arguing with ordinary people.

The Paris City Hall's Judicial Purification Committee, and General Duval, the division commander whom Corman had been longing for, were indeed facing this problem at this very moment, as they had come to him for help.

The top figure of the French Communist Party, Torres, was righteously questioning, "Why does the Judicial Purification Committee use different standards in the process of law enforcement? Why grant amnesty to pregnant women now, but resolutely resist amnesty to women who have given birth to German illegitimate children? Aren't they victims? I have already learned from Rabiot that the Young Division is firmly opposed. General Duval, please give an explanation."

Rabiot was the civilian representative of the Judicial Purification Committee, while General Duval was a military representative who was placed in the interim government due to the need for military enforcement capabilities.

General Duval was naturally moved by Torres's righteous words, but he was already prepared for this controversy of double standards in law enforcement, as he was a scapegoat who was only allowed to become a division commander. No matter how reasonable Torres's words were, they were useless.

The inconsistent enforcement standards applied to pregnant women who haven't given birth and women who have already given birth are intentional.

“The abandonment of a large number of illegitimate children is not a problem of the Youth Division, but a problem of society as a whole.” After General Duval waited until Torres’s voice had subsided a bit, he first shifted the blame for the less important issue, and then asked in return, “Is it the responsibility of the Youth Division that many men in families do not accept children who are not their own? Why doesn’t Mr. Torres dare to say that there is a problem with French society?”

The responsibility does indeed lie with Corman. Without him, France would have only had 20,000 French women's clothes stolen. But with Corman emerging, over 200,000 non-biological children were identified.

But Duval, at the age of fifty-nine, was tasked with this very mission as commander of the Youth Division; he had to stand in front of Corman and protect Admiral Dragon's son.

Having shirked responsibility for the illegitimate child, General Duval's next explanation was exactly what Dorez wanted to hear: "As for pregnant women who haven't given birth and women who have, the Young Division has its own reasons."

"What reason is there for such inconsistent law enforcement standards for the same group? It's rare not only in France, but all over the world." Dorez considered himself a normal person, and he couldn't understand this double standard.

General Duval took a sip of water and slowly explained, “To protect the marriages of soldiers, we have investigated the lives of soldiers during the 1940 campaign. Some wounded soldiers were in very difficult circumstances. They went to the battlefield for their country, but faced hardship and the regret of not being able to start a family. Not counting those who could be recovered, there were more than 50,000 wounded who could not be recovered. Their marriage issues were not only a concern for the two million French soldiers in 1940, but also for the soldiers of the five army groups now.”

In response to the already accepted explanation from Torres, General Duval explained, "I will not hide my intentions toward these women. Excluding the current pregnant women, if the remaining women are willing to marry disabled veterans, then nothing will happen. If they are not willing to form families with disabled veterans, then they can only go to the Sahara to plant trees. Tomorrow I will give an interview to Le Figaro. I think this approach is correct and I am willing to accept public scrutiny."

The French Communist Party has one million members, but including the two million French soldiers in 1940, even considering many cases of duplicate service, the French military has over three million personnel. Let's see whose base is larger.

General Duval kept his word and gave an interview to Le Figaro the next day, explaining the reasons for this double standard in law enforcement.

"This is the first time I've seen a division commander so handsome." Koeman read the front page headline of Le Figaro. French feminism always forces men to go to the battlefield, not even sparing ten-year-old boys. Now they should know that the war is related to them.

　The initial review process is much stricter than the previous two-and-a-half-year review.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)