Chapter 67: Soldiers Are the Greatest Common Divisor

In the interview published by *Le Figaro*, when faced with the question regarding the double standard in granting hair-shaving exemptions to women who had given birth versus pregnant women who had not yet delivered, General Duval’s response was remarkably candid, entirely unselfish, and deeply considered.

"It is indeed unfair, and they are victims. However, to secure the future livelihood of our serving soldiers, if the day ever comes when the nation must face foreign threats and citizens step forward bravely, this is simply the only way it can be done. In any case, I am fifty-nine years old, an old soldier nearing retirement, and I do not care what kind of criticism my future self may face. For the sake of the veterans' livelihoods after discharge, the detractors can say whatever they please."

"General Duval, thank you..." A chorus of voices resembling a harmonious hymn of gratitude suddenly echoed from outside the city hall. Hearing this, Koman put down *Le Figaro* and walked to the window to look outside, where roughly several hundred soldiers in uniform were shouting their gratitude outside the municipal building.

Koman did not know which unit this was, nor whether they were about to be deployed to the Franco-German border, but the emergence of this scene evidently demonstrated the prevailing sentiment among the entire French military.

Compelling women to marry disabled soldiers in order to evade punishment, thereby establishing families to secure the future livelihood of these servicemen.

This process would inevitably provoke controversy, and it was entirely reasonable for French Communist Party leader Thorez to raise questions; from the standpoint of methodology, the tactics were indeed somewhat unseemly.

Yet in such matters, there were always theoretically better methods, but better methods existed only in theory. Koman’s victim-blaming tactic was undeniably despicable.

Yet undeniably, it was the method with the highest success rate and the quickest results.

Once the group of pregnant women was granted pardons, the only path left for the remaining women facing potential exile was to find a soldier, form a partnership, bear a child, and use the unborn life in their bellies to escape judgment, mirroring the pregnant women who had not yet given birth to their illegitimate infants.

Within a single day, the Paris City Hall welcomed six or seven waves of soldiers expressing their gratitude, which proved that just as women could empathize with one another, soldiers could do the exact same thing.

The war had not yet ended, and no one could guarantee they would return whole. Once discharged with missing limbs or broken bodies, the value of these soldiers would plummet drastically. Today, speaking up for disabled soldiers was simultaneously speaking up for themselves, preserving a future possibility.

"The greatest common divisor of French society is truly not the French Communist Party, but the soldiers." Koman acknowledged that his move involved a gamble, but this time, he had won.

From 1940 to the present, a cumulative total of three million serving French soldiers constituted the greatest common divisor. Together with their families, they outnumbered the French Communist Party, which was de facto the largest political party.

Moreover, far from opposing the measure, Thorez had merely questioned the double standard in enforcement and demanded an explanation. Even the armed factions affiliated directly with the Communist Party itself would not oppose this arrangement for guaranteeing the welfare of disabled soldiers.

It was believed that through this operation, the French Youth Division would reverse the negative impressions left by the previous purges of collaborators.

At the same time, the French First Army reinforced the Youth Division with an additional regiment composed of Lorraine veterans. General Dragoon had ordered this reinforcement because, considering that the Youth Division’s only notable combat achievement was the liberation of Marseille, its combat effectiveness remained a matter of concern.

The addition of the Lorraine Cross Regiment would vastly compensate for the Youth Division's lack of combat experience. By this time, massive numbers of French troops had advanced to the Franco-German border, and weapons and ammunition were continuously transported to the preset assembly areas for the offensive into the Saar. Koman also began receiving weaponry and equipment alongside his unit.

The armored units of the Youth Division were still predominantly equipped with British and American weaponry, employing a mixed configuration of Churchill and Sherman tanks.

After all, France’s metropolitan territory had suffered four years of occupation. Equipment that was barely serviceable in 1940 was entirely obsolete by 1945.

Aside from Soviet armaments, the French military of this period could be described as a hodgepodge of American, British, French, and German equipment, though the Youth Division's arsenal was relatively unified, consisting solely of equipment from the United States, Britain, and France.

"If we don't manage to appropriate the entirety of Germany's military-industrial complex, how long would it take us to catch up to the mainstream equipment standards of other nations?" Koman muttered to Martin and Alain, who had come over to welcome the Lorraine regiment.

Koman had also just been issued a new military uniform, discarding France’s idiosyncratic tall-capped dress uniform. The Youth Division's primary operational objective was to push deep into German territory and head straight for Germany's major military-industrial hubs.

During this process, the Youth Division would not fracture into small combat detachments; at most, they would split down to the regimental level. Otherwise, leaving aside whether they could handle the German army, what if some blind Allied unit inflicted friendly fire?

Such incidents had happened before and were entirely preventable. Therefore, utilizing British Churchills or American Shermans for armored units was not a drawback, as it made them far easier for British and American air forces above to recognize, thereby avoiding friendly fire.

As for the possibility of encountering Soviet forces, conscripting ethnic Russians was specifically prepared for that scenario, just as facing the Germans was met by the Lorraine Regiment, whose members resided along the Franco-German border. General Dragoon had anticipated virtually every major contingency.

At full strength and fully equipped, the French Youth Division numbered over twenty thousand men, with each regiment close to four thousand strong. Unless exceptional circumstances arose, they would not be quietly wiped out overnight.

As the sun sank in the west, Koman returned home. General Dragoon had already arrived earlier, and the family dined together. General Dragoon asked Koman, "How are preparations coming along? Have all your duties been handed over?"

"Very smoothly. I initially thought someone would speak up for those women, but fortunately, just as we judged beforehand, the sheer mass of mobilized soldiers undergoing active service outweighs any political party."

Taking a sip of water, Koman said with absolute confidence, "Now that there are no dissenters, we can use them to populate Algeria. The military has demonstrated public will this time, and I believe that hereafter, whichever political party comes to power will put more thought into guaranteeing military welfare."

General Dragoon nodded repeatedly, finally approving, "It is truly remarkable that you could devise such a method."

"In fact, soldiers are also the greatest common divisor in the relationship between metropolitan France and its colonies," Koman remarked, his conversational zeal fully ignited. "The Second Army contains a massive number of colonial officers and men. If future provisions for military welfare are applied universally, the interests of colonial soldiers and metropolitan soldiers will align entirely. If there is an institution capable of exerting long-term influence under the guise of treating colonial soldiers well, I believe the close ties between the metropole and the French-speaking world will remain unbroken."

Aside from having fought shoulder to shoulder as soldiers, Koman could think of no other area where metropolitan France and its colonies shared identical interests.

Race? Metropolitan France was white, while the French colonies were predominantly black. Religion? To say nothing of Catholicism at home, even under the broader concept of Christianity, it was entirely incompatible with Islam.

The single greatest bond was the current world war, in which hundreds of thousands of colonial troops had participated. By keeping these colonial troops firmly under control, one would seize the greatest common divisor across the majority of the colonies.

"Of course, there is no need to rush this; striving for it after the war concludes will still leave plenty of time." For the present, Koman still needed to focus his primary energy on military affairs.