Chapter 898: The Troops Protected by Charles
Lyautey thought it was militarily impossible, but he did not think it was politically impossible.
He believed that there was another possibility for the colonies to remain intact: the British and American Allied Forces would win on the battlefield, force Germany to surrender, and use this prestige to successfully retain their colonies.
If Britain's colonies had not been affected by Charles's new colonial policy, there would have been no reason for France's colonial policy to change.
Therefore, Lyautey placed his hopes on the struggle between Britain and Charles, hoping that Britain could stand up for the French colonies.
But he was disappointed after just three days.
Britain was defeated in Saarbrücken, and it was a crushing defeat. Initial estimates showed that the casualties were over 200,000.
More importantly, the casualties in this battle were not colonial troops, but local troops, the local elite.
This dealt a huge blow to the British army's combat effectiveness. It would take a year or two to reorganize these 200,000 local elite troops.
In this situation, does the British army still have the ability to fight back against Charles?
Realizing this, Leothe made a prompt decision and went to see Charles the next day.
…
Metz Headquarters.
Lyaute tried hard to maintain his composure, hoping to give Charles the impression of being neither humble nor arrogant.
Charles didn't think much about it.
He did not think this would be a problem: if the colonial consortium was not convinced and unwilling to accept, the colonial people would resist.
This is a political benefit.
No matter how much the colonial consortium hated Charles, no matter how much they wanted to rebel against Charles, no matter how unwilling they were.
Interests are eternal and have nothing to do with personal feelings or wishes.
The moment Charles offered "fraternity" and "freedom" to give the colonies autonomy, the interests of all French colonies were in Charles' hands.
The colonial consortium immediately changed from being an enemy to being Charles' friend, or more precisely, his subordinates.
Anyone who refuses to accept can just wait to be overthrown by the locals!
"What do you want?" Charles asked directly.
He knew that this was a negotiation between the colonial consortium and himself, and Lyautey was the representative.
Lyautey replied:
"We hope to preserve our interests in the colonies."
“What I mean is that if the land and minerals in our hands are to be transferred to the locals, they should buy them from us.”
"Of course, we will sell it at a reasonable price. This does not conflict with your policy..."
Charles refused without a second thought: "You know this is impossible. If we ask the locals to buy these back, how can we say 'give them freedom'?"
Lyautey was speechless for a moment: "But you are French, Lieutenant General, why do you have to stand on the side of the locals?"
Wouldn't it be better to turn a blind eye?
We are the same kind of people, and we have ensured that the interests of the French will be met in the future.
But Charles did not compromise. He smiled softly: "You are very smart, Lieutenant General, but don't treat me as a fool."
Leotai pretended not to understand, but a hint of embarrassment flashed across his eyes.
This was the pit that Lyaute had dug for Charles.
The reason why Charles could easily control the entire colonial consortium, including the colonial army, was because the ideas he proposed stood on the side of those who were colonized and exploited.
This puts all the colonies in jeopardy, with all colonial troops potentially becoming the Shire's army overnight, as well as all the civilians in the colonies.
But if Charles's stance is unclear, reforms are not thorough, and he continues to waver, the situation will be different.
For example, this seemingly reasonable negotiation condition: allowing colonists such as Lyautey to continue to own assets and allowing local people to buy these assets back.
Buy? How to buy?
What price is reasonable?
The original price? Or double, triple, or more? All of these could be considered "reasonable" by the colonists.
Also, can the colonists buy it back?
If so, will it develop into hype?
Even more land and minerals fell into the hands of the colonists because the colonized people had no money!
Nothing would have changed then, but Lyautey and other colonists could put the blame on the Shire.
They can say to the locals:
"See, this is what the Shire calls 'fraternity' and 'freedom'."
“Is it different from before?”
"Give up your illusions. Charles is French. He will always stand on the side of France and safeguard the interests of France."
…
As a result, Charles will lose all his prestige.
Once the trust of the locals is lost, Charles will not be able to control these colonies and will not have the capital to confront the colonial consortium.
On the contrary, it was the colonial consortium, whose control over the colonies and colonial armies was more stable at that time, that really made Charles worried about their ability to fight.
Therefore, policy making cannot be sloppy at all.
A seemingly ordinary sentence, a nod or signature on a whim, but the result is "one wrong move and the whole game is lost."
Charles began to preach to Lyautey:
"That's the local people's land and resources, Lieutenant General."
"My aim is to give all power back to the locals so they can decide for themselves."
"If it's sold and bought by them, it's obviously not 'yet', would you?"
Liotai wanted to struggle: "But what about our interests? We paid a price to obtain these assets..."
"That is the price paid by the country, Lieutenant General." Charles interrupted Leothe coldly:
"You are the army of France, and you are fighting for your country by shed blood and died in the colonies."
"Those assets are not compensation to you, they are assets of France."
"And I believe that over the years, you have gained a lot of benefits instead of paying a price!"
This is one of the reasons why military officers from various countries are willing to serve in colonies. While they exploit local labor and resources for their country, they can also obtain huge "intermediate profits."
Leothe wanted to say something else, but Charles didn't give him the chance.
"What I can give you is safety." Charles said, "I think this is the most important thing, what do you think?"
Ciel said this with a smile on his face, as if to say, "If you don't agree, try 'Insecure'."
Liotai swallowed hard, "Yes, Lieutenant General, of course."
It's not that Leothe didn't understand this, he just wanted to bargain with Charles to see if he could get some advantage.
Unexpectedly, Charles was fully aware of the current situation, and his refusal to retreat did not allow him to gain any benefit.
However, Lyautey was a little worried: "How can you guarantee our safety? You may not know that many capitalists have offended the locals, and there is hatred among them. Once the regime is released, the locals will not let these capitalists or even the army go..."
"It's very simple." Charles replied: "You obey my command and deployment, and I will tell them that this is my army, a garrison to protect them."
Lyaute understood.
Troops that do not obey Charles' command will not be protected by Charles.
(End of this chapter)
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