Chapter 64 The Admiral's Viewpoint

Alain looked stunned, unable to guess what was going on inside Korman's mind, yet he still asked, "Isn't that an exaggeration? Citizens have always prided themselves on liberty, equality, and fraternity."

"Who can't throw around concepts? Go to Moscow, and you'll find entire sets of theories," Korman said with a wide grin. "The core ethnicity has no value. Listen to me, just ignore what they think, and you'll be right."

The core ethnicity truly possessed no united front value; with such a massive population, Korman could not afford to subsidize them even if he wanted to, and even if he did, people would simply consider it their due. What could be done about that?

Otherwise, mainstream countries across the world wouldn't all lean toward ethnic minorities to varying degrees. Did the US government not know that indulging zero-dollar purchases would disgust white rednecks?

Did the Soviet government not know that long-term favoring of ethnic minorities would lead to Slavic discontent?

No one was stupid. Both the US and the Soviet Union certainly knew, but due to objective reasons, they had no choice.

Because many problems were born with the founding of the state, and once historical issues lingered on like this, resolving them became exceedingly difficult. Forget the US and the Soviet Union—even having an absolute population advantage wouldn't change that.

If Korman were to use the Eastern giant as an example, then aside from the ethnic groups living on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the remaining fifty-five possessed no genuine united front value. But the groups living on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau certainly did; financial subsidies and educational bias existed for them. If anyone felt unconvinced, they could try undergoing a genetic mutation and moving there with plateau genes.

As for the rest? Some preferential policies were merely incidental, not because those ethnicities truly possessed the value of a united front. The plateau nationalities were the only real exception.

If France truly intended to annex Algeria, it was impossible for the so-called French nation in the metropole not to make sacrifices. Even to use brute force against the Algelrians, didn't one have to risk their life as a soldier just to suppress them?

Therefore, whether through a policy of appeasement or violent suppression, mainland French people had to make sacrifices—either by paying money or serving in the military.

Right now, Korman felt that the Imperial Russian immigrants after World War I were more valuable than the French, but this value was limited strictly to this war and the period of plundering Germany.

If they ran into the Soviet Red Army, Korman certainly didn't believe this Western Front army, whose battle lines hadn't moved for months, could engage them in combat.

Imperial Russian immigrants could help the French army avoid such a scenario, but the united front value of these Russian immigrants would automatically vanish after the war. To put it bluntly, they didn't truly possess genuine united front value either; it was just that Korman happened to find them useful at the moment, so he pardoned the handful of French traitors.

The 16th arrondissement of Paris was the primary residential area for Imperial Russian immigrants, specifically the Russian nobility. Aided by certain factors, such as the principle of rights following lineage, a recruitment station in the 16th arrondissement was established immediately, and the recruitment bulletin issued by the Youth Division made no secret of its efforts to enlist those of Russian descent.

"During operations within German territory, the French army may coordinate with the Soviet army. Russian-descendant soldiers can help both forces eliminate misunderstandings and conduct more favorable coordinated operations."

This explanation was entirely reasonable. Soon, Russian descendants, including those in the 16th arrondissement, appeared one after another in front of the recruitment stations. Up to this point, not all Russian descendants held French citizenship, but this recruitment drive was clearly an excellent opportunity to regularize their status. Consequently, they eagerly enlisted, quickly meeting the standards of the Youth Division.

Religious faith presented no major obstacle either. As a force originating from Syria, aside from the Maronites, the second largest Christian group in the region was the Greek Orthodox Church, so religious beliefs did not conflict.

Inside the Saint Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, a group of men and women were praying. This Orthodox church was the spiritual sanctuary for Russian immigrants in France. As a modern believer, Korman was quite capable of acting as an Orthodox Christian; bowing to whatever Buddha was near wasn't all that difficult.

With his gaze fixed on a young Russian woman, Korman failed to notice Lefebvre entering through the door. As soon as Lefebvre spotted the black tall military cap, he marched straight toward Korman's location. Other praying men and women noticed but did not speak out to disturb him, silently watching it all unfold.

"Officer, so you were here," Lefebvre's low greeting finally dragged Korman's gaze away from the Russian woman. "Martin has already arrived outside the church, but he didn't come in."

"His Maronite faith is quite pure, isn't it?" Korman muttered, standing up and following Lefebvre out of the church, where Martin was waiting nearby.

Less than two months had passed since their last meeting, and neither had changed much. Martin's purpose in returning to Paris was simple: fifteen thousand tons of tobacco, accumulated over several years in Syria, had finished processing.

During wartime, this was a massive fortune. Korman didn't trust anyone else; his own comrades-in-arms were the most reliable.

Knowing Korman was not a man for idle chatter, Martin briefed him on his investigation in the Piedmont region, briefly outlining the pedophilia case. It was deeply entangled, but as previously discussed, it was not made public; instead, the incriminating evidence was kept tightly in their own grip. "The Christian Democracy Party now enjoys the support of numerous religious figures in the Piedmont region, but the Italian Communist Party is simply too strong. Although the Christian Democracy Party has begun consolidating its supporters, the situation remains far from optimistic."

"Having a good start is already不错. As for the final outcome, we'll leave it to the test of time," Korman said after listening carefully, expressing his revolutionary optimism. "We've already made a good start for France, and the remaining issues depend on the provisional government. How did you get back?"

"I came back with the Fifth Mountain Division. Now only three low-ranking divisions remain stationed in Italy. Most of the combat troops in the Piedmont region have received orders to return home," Martin answered truthfully. "Along the road back from Marseille, I saw a massive concentration of artillery and troops."

General Dragon's First French Army comprised a total of twenty-one divisions, primarily divided into several components: former French Syrian colonial forces and French Foreign Legion troops, alongside Christian Maronites and Greek Orthodox believers, with Eastern rites forming a fraction.

The Alawites and Druze formed three divisions, which were mixed with Sunni enlistees to form another part.

The final component consisted of Christians from the Palestine region and Iraq. This faction was formed the latest, with all units from the 18th Infantry Division onward composed of these individuals.

At the French military headquarters in Paris, De Gaulle had just received a telegram from the Allied headquarters. Turning to Dragon and Tassigny, he said, "Eisenhower and Montgomery have jointly decided to launch a full-scale offensive against Germany twenty days from now. Our direction of attack will be a three-hundred-kilometer-long German defensive line, including the Saar region."

"I believe that to maximize the flight of Germans from the Saar region, we must use artillery clusters to subject the Saar region to devastating artillery coverage, requiring at least two hundred thousand tons of ammunition for a seventy-two-hour bombardment."

General Dragon spoke up, "That's just for the German garrison in the Saar region. The Rhine defense line is the primary defensive zone for the German army, so the ammunition consumption will undoubtedly be a terrifying figure."

"Devastating bombardment? Covering all settlements?" General Tassigny asked counter-offensively upon hearing this.

"Of course, including the Saar urban area," General Dragon gave an affirmative reply. "The forty divisions committed to the attack, numbering nearly nine hundred thousand troops, must ensure that the Saar region remains permanently attached to France after its capture. Only the more Germans flee, the greater that possibility will become."