Chapter Two: The Conscription

Fermati sighed softly. Since she was the same age as Corman, she didn’t think much before confiding, “He’s just like that. With such a big age gap, shouldn’t he be a bit kinder to me…”
Let’s pretend he didn’t ask! Corman pondered deeply and began to suspect the problem lay with himself.

The current commander of the French forces in Syria, General Fontane, was also a French officer from the Foreign Legion. Another detail was that Fontane had fought in the First World War. That in itself was nothing unusual, but the issue was that Fontane had enlisted at the outbreak of the White Feather Movement, just as he reached adulthood.

Unlike Corman’s father, Fontane was pressured into joining the army by the White Feather Movement, which had spread from Britain to French society. Although a soldier, Fontane harbored a distaste for war, and this influenced his view of women—somewhat negative, to put it mildly.

Corman happened to learn of this and, eager to demonstrate his mastery of the Way of the Sword, spoke to Fontane about the White Feather Movement and the future of similar movements. This only worsened Fontane’s attitude toward women.

As for Fermati, clearly an Arab woman of equal status to Fontane’s wife, she was a product of desire.

To be fair, Corman was young—only fourteen in 1941—so he had no idea of Fontane’s past involving the White Feather Movement. He had spoken casually, but Fontane had taken it to heart.

Familiar with the Governor’s office, Corman entered Fontane’s office directly, under Fermati’s watchful gaze, and saw the French commander of Syria himself. “General Fontane.”

“Oh, Corman the First has arrived,” Fontane said, his stern face relaxing into a smile. “Calling me ‘General’ is too formal; you’re no stranger.”

“It’s more proper to use titles at work,” Corman replied with a hint of youthful spirit. “I was young and foolish before; don’t take my nonsense seriously.”

Since their acquaintance began with the White Feather Movement, Fontane regarded Corman as an amusing junior, and inevitably offered the customary elder’s encouragement: “What dreams do you have? What will you do in the future?”

At the time, Corman believed he was living a second life, brimming with swordsmanship skill but with no outlet, so he voiced a dream no one believed: he longed to be emperor.

Hence, the moniker “Corman the First” began to emerge from General Fontane’s mouth.

General Fontane held the rank of Brigadier General. Just three years prior, he had been a Major in Vichy France. Because metropolitan France had fallen, promotions were disrupted; the Free French Forces under De Gaulle were still figuring out the promotion system, and many advances were irregular.

“What general? Just lucky,” Fontane said, shaking his head. If not for De Gaulle’s difficult position dealing with Admiral Giraud, and the coup by some French officers during the British assault on Syria, he might have retired or remained a captain, losing even his major rank in Vichy France.

After the coup during a military meeting, the French forces in Syria became staunch supporters of De Gaulle. Bolstered by this support, De Gaulle attended the Casablanca Conference, defeated Admiral Giraud, and secured leadership of the French Resistance.

Even now, Fontane, a soldier who disliked war, was still amazed he had become a general. At least, unlike in the First World War, he did not have to fight on the front lines anymore—and that was enough.

Though Fontane shunned battle, he knew Corman was different. The young man was eager to join the fight and seemed to view a world war as a great opportunity.

Of course, chaos was a ladder. Corman understood that if he didn’t join in now, it would soon be too late. Germany’s defeat was certain, and this was the time to strike the fallen foe hard.

Fontane smiled wryly, “You’re going to the front with your division? The whole unit is practically children. No one would believe a colony could mobilize to this extent.”

“Well, Syria was once the destination of the Crusades,” Corman said with a faint smile. “With the right methods, its potential can be unleashed.”

France’s colonial holdings in the Middle East were small compared to Africa and Indochina, but Syria had the advantage of lying on the eastern Mediterranean coast—the very goal of the Crusaders.

Thus, Syria, along with Lebanon and Palestine, harbored a sizable Christian population.

Among these Christians, the largest group was the Maronites. Saint Maron himself was born in France, and the spiritual leader of the Maronite Christians hailed from there as well. This provided France a foothold in ruling Syria.

With the outbreak of war, these Maronite Christians became a potential source of recruits.

Having come to Damascus with his father, Corman was hardly idle these past years. Despite his youth, his intellect was sharp, and he reasoned that to conquer a nation, one must first erase its history. From the moment he arrived in Damascus, he set about this task.

Objectively, Middle Eastern Christians were a minority, naturally distrusted by the majority faith. Upon arriving in Damascus, Corman began spreading the idea that the French Christians in Syria were descendants of Crusaders—perhaps even of the Knights Templar. The Maronites believed this wholeheartedly.

The Knights Templar were also formed by the French, and Jerusalem and its surroundings—including Syria—were French colonies. The Christians, including the Maronites, readily accepted this narrative: the colonizers were French, and so were they. They were French too.

There is no such thing as a naturally warlike race. Take the great eastern powers, for example. Qi’s army was Zhe soldiers; Chang’s artillery troops were also Zhe soldiers. The “orthodox” troops met two criteria: being from Zhejiang province and belonging to the Whampoa faction.

If you consider status, Chang was far more formidable in his era than Qi Jiguang, yet both commanded Zhe troops. Why the difference in combat effectiveness? The answer lies not in the soldiers but in their leadership.

As for Corman’s ancestral homeland, a land of mountains and rivers, he had never heard of a historically strong army until the Solon soldiers appeared during the Qing dynasty.

He did not believe the Solon soldiers were born special warriors. In the agricultural age, no matter where in a country, hardship was universal; everyone endured similar suffering and toil.

So where was the difference? It was Qianlong who convinced the Solon people they were born warriors. In truth, Qianlong was masterful at psychological manipulation, constantly telling the Solon they were superhumans. The Solon believed it, and thus began their conquests of the desert, southern wild mountains, and the Tibetan Plateau.

The French Christians in Syria, centered on the Maronites, accepted the idea that they were not colonized but French themselves. Subconsciously, as descendants of the Crusaders, they believed they were warriors by birth. When the time came to enlist, if they did not liberate France, they would be betraying their ancestors.

The principle was much like the White Feather Movement—only Corman had given it a different name.