Chapter 37: Bokassa

The consequences of this incident were self-evident. The Marseille riots were originally supposed to occur two years later, but now? As Koman had anticipated, a crackdown was inevitable.

Marseille, the largest city in southern France, was located in the southeast and would certainly serve as the staging ground for the offensive against Italy. It was impossible to allow such a vital location to harbor the existence of the French Communist Party’s armed organizations. Although the French Communist Party possessed 250,000 armed personnel, they were scattered throughout France, whereas there were currently eight combat divisions surrounding Marseille. If Koman did not handle this, the casualties caused by other units would only be higher.

"Corporal Bokassa, shall we ask how to dispose of the bodies?" Not far away, a dark-skinned soldier saluted his superior and inquired.

Hearing this name, Koman turned his head toward the common exchange between superior and subordinate. He reached out and called, "You two, come over here."

The two soldiers paused in their tracks. Nearby French African soldiers also stood frozen, silently watching the scene. Bokassa, having been summoned, could only walk up to the two men who had their faces obscured, swallow hard, and ask, "Sir, is there something you need?"

"Your name is Bokassa? Where were you born? When did you enlist?" Koman looked at Bokassa’s face. It was truly a racial gift—he had to wear a mask to commit evil deeds, and he had grown so accustomed to it over time. Look at this man; he didn't have to do anything, and even a single glance at him would be forgotten immediately.

"I served in Equatorial Africa, sir." Bokassa stood tall and chest out, clearly taking great pride in being a soldier. He did not show the slightest nervousness when facing the man who was scrutinizing him.

Once Koman heard this, he confirmed it in his mind. When the stars of the human race shine, although there are many such stars scattered across the world, French Africa still occupied a place of honor thanks to its outstanding contributions. In modern society, there were few monarchs left, but Bokassa would go on to become an emperor. Koman secretly envied him; he had been called a reactionary these past few days, but compared to the black soldier before him, his actions were nothing.

After a long while, Koman finally spoke again, this time with much more sincerity: "Your company performed well. I will request our superiors to have you operate with us. From now on, we are comrades-in-arms."

For a moment, Martin seemed to see an incredible miracle, though it was hidden by his mask. His eyes darted between Koman and Bokassa, wanting to confirm again and again whether this was reality.

"I will give you one day. Before the sun rises tomorrow, I want no trace left on the streets." Koman’s voice returned to its calm, gentle tone. Since the matter was over, there was no need to linger at the scene of the crime like a murderer.

Koman immediately began writing his summary report, putting the final nail in the coffin of this "looting and arson" incident. He wrote about how the Antioch Regiment had exercised the utmost restraint in the face of organized and premeditated violence. In the end, they had been forced by the painful necessity of protecting the people's property to bring the lumpenproletariat to justice.

After finishing, he handed it directly to his immediate superior, Major Kelt. Kelt was very satisfied and praised it to the other companies, saying, "This is called professionalism. This is the model of our military."

Walls have ears, and the hospitals and police stations were overflowing. It was inevitable that the high-ranking members of the Marseille Communist Party, who had been placed under house arrest during the previous raid, would find out.

When Koman appeared again, he experienced the passion of the leftist revolutionaries from behind the iron bars. He stood far enough away that he was not sprayed by Vincent Vulin’s spit.

"Mr. Vulin, this was unavoidable. It is better for the Youth Division to handle this than for combat units that have seen actual battlefield action to carry out the suppression." Koman’s advice was lukewarm; that was simply what he believed. "Everything must prioritize the victory of the war, and all other things must give way. Most French people are suspicious of the Communist Party’s armed presence in Marseille. This is not the Youth Division’s fault; you should find a way to make the French people believe that you are patriots."

"Just like how you collaborated with the German army to suppress the French people after the Franco-Prussian War?" Vincent Vulin’s gaze toward Koman was full of irony.

"Class divides, regardless of kinship. This sort of thing doesn't just happen in France." Koman shrugged. "I don’t know when you and the other Communist representatives will be released, but I believe we will meet again in the future."

Koman no longer had time to waste with these Communist comrades. The campaign against Italy would begin soon, and he had to head to the battlefield. If he had spare time, he would rather use it for psychological counseling for his own comrades.

"This is our unit’s first time stepping onto the battlefield. Everyone must be mentally prepared." At this moment, Koman introduced the platoon that had been transferred over, including Bokassa, to the comrades of his company. "They are brother units from Equatorial Africa, arranged to be integrated into our company for combat. From now on, we are all comrades-in-arms. We must trust each other on the battlefield. We must not let racial conflict cause problems; a divided army will surely face defeat."

"Then let’s not integrate. We can complete the mission ourselves, and that would avoid potential conflicts, wouldn't it? What can they possibly help us with?" Martin looked at the dissenting soldiers and spouted off.

Koman maintained his gentle image, saying half-jokingly, "Actually, haven't you noticed that they have more talent than we do when it comes to night operations?"

In an era without night-vision equipment, it was only natural that African soldiers should have an advantage in night fighting.

"We will absolutely not drag you down." Bokassa, sensing that his unit was being looked down upon, answered loudly, "Let us use our performance on the battlefield to prove whether we are just bragging."

"I emphasize unity between comrades once again, and I do not wish to say it a third time." Koman remained firm. If racial conflict was controllable, it would not necessarily affect combat effectiveness.

After a few days, the commotion in Marseille settled down. Compared to other units using heavy weapons to suppress the unrest, this incident had been handled quite mildly. The French Communist Party in Paris was certainly dissatisfied, but Koman was not in Paris to witness it firsthand, so he focused on the psychological construction of his troops.

Just then, Brigadier General Raphael of the 5th Mountain Division informed Koman to come to the 5th Mountain Division headquarters that evening. The offensive force against Italy had been reorganized into the French Fifth Army.

"General Delagon will call at seven o'clock." Upon arriving at the headquarters of the 5th Mountain Division, Brigadier General Raphael did not engage in small talk and immediately told Koman why he had been summoned.

A general with such far-reaching influence actually had the ability to place a call from hundreds of kilometers away to the command post of the 5th Mountain Division.

At seven o'clock sharp, the phone rang. Koman picked it up and heard the voice of General Delagon. "Father, how has Thorez responded to the matter in Marseille?"

"That is not important; it is over now." General Delagon hesitated for a long time before asking, "Your Youth Division's two battalions are going to participate in the war? If you..."

"This is a rehearsal for the offensive into the Saar region. We are occupying Italian land to test annexation; it will be used later in the Saar." Koman replied quickly, "I don't see much of a problem."

"The new commander of the Fifth Army is Leclerc." General Delagon sounded very hesitant, but finally said, "Be careful. The local terrain is treacherous. Although the local German-Italian coalition forces are currently the weakest units in the German military, but... in short, stay safe."