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I’m sorry for Pétain, but he really needs to be less noticeable.

“Your Highness, Corsica is our land! We absolutely cannot let go of Corsica.”

They were barely able to hold onto Algeria, and now they’re declaring they want to reclaim Indochina—if it’s their territory, they won’t let it go easily.

But you know, we have some things to say too.

“I have to ask, General Pétain. Does the Free French Exile Government have the power to reclaim the homeland right now?”

You don’t have the capability, do you? You’re just barely managing the Algerians as it is.

Being here seems more about seeing how things unfold than about any grand plans.

“That is…”

Seeing him go silent, you realize it’s impossible.

Pétain knows he doesn’t have the authority to call the shots anymore.

His position is so precarious, managing the revolutionary elements in Algeria while claiming he can reclaim France?

That’s just nonsense.

He knows he’s whining right now.

“Our Air Defense Treaty partners have fought against millions of Commune forces and suffered significant losses. Do we have the ability to compensate instead of the Commune government disappearing after the war? If the Commune resists, all our industrial facilities will be destroyed!”

Got nothing to say, huh?

If the Commune falls, the Free French Government won’t have to pay reparations. Vichy France had some legitimacy, but these guys don’t.

“Please, have mercy. This could lead the French people to bear a grudge against bloodshed. It would be inconvenient for us, as we have to liberate France from the Commune’s oppression.”

Pétain is just hanging onto our mercy.

And now he talks about making some last-ditch resistance.

But unfortunately, I have no intention of letting that slide, and before I could say a word, it was Hitler who got up first.

“Why must we pay reparations for our citizens who bled for the exile government? This exile government hasn’t been recognized as an official government in this war, and the mainland French Commune has fought valiantly as a collaborator with Communist Germany! Their government is flipped over at the slightest hint of revolution. Having witnessed the brutality of the Commune forces, we must tear France apart to ensure they cannot wage war again!”

That’s a fair point.

They say revenge begets revenge, but that only applies when you still have the power to take revenge.

Germany was reborn as Nazi Germany under the heavy chains of the Treaty of Versailles.

If you’re going to kill someone, make sure they’re dead. Leaving Germany alive led to another war.

I intend to strip France of its title as a great military power in Europe.

France is bound to take ages to recover anyway. Why would we need war-making capabilities under our order?

A broken France will just think about forming local militias.

And those will be nothing more than basic local defense forces—no more, no less.

This is something I need to discuss again with the White Army later. So for now, I can only side with Hitler.

“Here, Chancellor Hitler has absorbed the Commune and the Communist German allied forces whole. The Sudetenland is a real bloodbath, it’s a scene of slaughter. No matter what General Pétain says, the nations that have suffered will not sit idly by.”

Vichy France, which was under Nazi Germany, can’t even begin to compare, while here, the French Commune actively aided Communist Germany in the war.

If I let this slide, I could be in for quite a bit of backlash.

If they have no ability to compensate, wouldn’t they have to scrape together from the local territories they’ve pillaged to meet the costs?

I find myself agreeing with that point.

“So, does this mean France is going to be torn apart?”

Pétain slumped down like a puppet with its strings cut, his face filled with despair.

“The British are already brewing something. They’ve lost their army entirely due to France’s betrayal. The existence of the exile government doesn’t matter. Regardless, the French Commune controlled the mainland, and the reason they were able to mobilize such forces was that the French actively acknowledged the Commune’s rule. Unlike us, the UK’s sense of betrayal will be immense.”

They might have released the British soldiers who were stuck in Dachau and dragged to Berlin, but there weren’t even 30,000 of them.

The soldiers of the British Empire had become so skinny it was unbecoming. They had perished during their imprisonment by Communist Germany.

In light of this news, Churchill put on a show of charm, trying to claw his way through as Prime Minister of the British Empire to maintain his government.

From my perspective, hoping that the British will check the US with their Royal Navy in the Atlantic, I have some willingness to accommodate Churchill’s desperate wishes.

After all, the British strength comes from their colonies.

If they shed those colonies, they won’t stand a chance against Russia, which has over 200 million people, extracting tremendous resources and fielding a powerful military from the mainland.

That means they can only follow our order.

At least, if they’ve leaned this far, surely they can bend a little. The British recognized that their hegemony has shifted to the US, and they will also acknowledge it has shifted to Russia.

On the other hand, France—as seen throughout its revolutionary history—is an unbelievable nation.

At least it’s a relief that libera is here.

Had Franco, who advanced to Bordeaux, been here, he would have been unable to act due to his ties with Pétain.

“Those who can’t maintain their colonies, tsk.”

Hitler openly clicked his tongue in disdain.

It seems these Frenchmen present here really bother him.

After all, during the invasion of Italy, the Algerian forces weren’t that many either.

Of course, from the perspective of the exile government, they must be pulling as much as they can. But right now, Free France is just an irregular entity in the war.

“So, let’s put Corsica on the table for further discussion later. Sardinia will be ceded to Spain without objections, right?”

“““No objections.”””

“Good.”

For some reason, Hitler is smiling contently as he looks at the map while saying he likes it.

I suddenly thought of something.

Could it be? This guy hasn’t gone off the deep end because I mentioned ‘Pando’, has he?

He’s been staring at the map madly since earlier, right from the moment I brought up ‘Pando’.

“And we will revive the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies in Southern Italy. We’ll elevate Ferdinand Pius, the pretender to the throne, to rebuild the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.”

This is something I’ve been thinking about for a while. The pretender Prince Ferdinand Pius supported becoming the King of the Two Sicilies.

“““No objections.”””

“The north of Italy will be effectively governed by the Danube Federation up to Venice. Additionally, Lombardy will have a Habsburg prince crowned as King, turning it into a puppet state of the Danube Federation.”

The land of the Lombardi-Venetia Kingdom officially became part of the Danube Federation up to Venice. Lombardy also gained independence in a puppet state manner, effectively transforming as it did in the days of the Austrian Empire.

It’s just wordplay; in the end, it’s practically territory of the Danube Federation.

“““No objections.”””

Hitler nodded, seemingly satisfied with the territories allotted to him.

Next up, we need to split up what’s left of Italy.

I intend to divide the remaining Italian territory into the Kingdom of Piedmont, the Papal States, and the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.

“Piedmont will reinstate King Vittorio Emanuele, the former ruler of the Kingdom of Italy.”

“““No objections.”””

Right. After all, we’ve already settled this matter.

I’ve sent someone to arrange things before coming here.

The Italian Communist Party? Given that the government itself is a criminal group, they don’t even have the right to protest.

By now, King Vittorio Emanuele must have been rescued, and Prince Ferdinand Pius should be here too.

“The remaining regions will be placed under the Papal States, reviving it. In consultation with the Papal States, we will establish a lower-level federation under the Papal States, including Piedmont, the Two Sicilies, with the Pope as the chairman.”

This will become the new Italian Federation.

Essentially, the Pope will be the figurehead, while the land will be entirely divided.

“““No objections.”””

In exchange for the division, it will be placed under the influence of the Pope.

Isn’t this a pretty reasonable arrangement?

After a while, in talks with Pope Pius XII, the central part of Italy was officially claimed by the Papal States, with the Pope taking the chairmanship of the federation consisting of the Papal States, Piedmont, and the Two Sicilies.

The rest of the Air Defense Treaty partners showed no significant opposition.

After all, Bulgaria has advanced as far as Serbia and Turkey to Suez, while Romania is merely supplying resources.

Even then, it wasn’t exactly a gift; it was sold for cash, so it was a benefit.

The federated nations agreed to send troops to join us in attacking the Commune.

In the first place, Italy’s military seemed to follow Mussolini in a slippery fashion and had little interest in Communism.

Italy was in a delicate situation even to embrace Communism.

But ultimately, they’ll have to spill some blood to cross over.

Though we’ve just resurrected the kingdom and the Papal States, I’ve started to split the soldiers’ ranks into each kingdom and the Papal States under our command so we can deploy them quickly.

I don’t expect much from Italy anyway.

Even with Mussolini’s debuff lifted, they were a bunch that only conducted minor battles. Generalization is a scary thing.

Something makes me feel like they’ll mess things up again.

Honestly, I’m almost embarrassed to tear them apart given the sympathy I feel.

“So, are we now advancing further into France?”

Pétain, looking a decade older, asked with a face approaching that of a sage.

The remaining French forces seem eager to advance, but they have no hope.

“If we push ahead now, the damage will be significant. It will take considerable effort to catch those Reds who are dead set on blocking us.”

No matter how much we try, if they cling like cockroaches, it’s going to be tough.

How exactly do you stop these cockroach extremists?

“We will actively assist as well. After all, if we don’t take care of the Commune, our state won’t survive either.”

Then, should I start to reveal the bait?

This might lead to the destruction of Paris. I really feel sorry for Pétain, but it can’t be helped.

“I have a proposal for General Pétain.”

“What kind of proposal do you have?”

“Our Russia has developed a bomb capable of erasing an entire city, and we’ve conducted tests.”

This way, Pétain will become aware of the existence of nuclear bombs. I need to ensure he doesn’t push back against launching one initially.

If Pétain can reclaim even a fragment of the homeland, he will have no choice.

“Are you saying such a weapon exists?”

“Believe it or not, that’s up to you, but the damage would be enormous. If that happens, the Commune will have no choice but to surrender.”

Technically, it means the leadership capable of surrendering will be gone.

Torres, too, will likely feel the heat now but wouldn’t be able to withdraw from here.

“Indeed. If we capture the Commune leaders in Paris, this war will be over. We can take down both Torres and Goebbels.”

Hitler seems thrilled at the thought of capturing those Reds.

He must have quite a grudge.

“After all, the Communists should not even be afforded the luxury of being tried. They’ve barbarically executed people through their people’s court, and we must respond in kind.”

Of course, I won’t strike immediately.

It’ll only be when I offer them surrender a few times and they refuse that I’ll act.

“Then, do we have to make that decision?”

“That’s right. At least they claim to be the exile government. If we lend them that weapon and Free France removes the Commune in Paris with it, it can be framed that although we provided the weapon, it was the French who eliminated the Commune.”

I plan to treat Larocque like one of the few remaining supports of France in the future.

For example, when the exile government forms a new government on the mainland, we could put Larocque in that position to keep each other in check.

But before that, I’ll listen closely to Pétain’s choices.

“How cruel of you to ask me to destroy my territory and bombard Paris with such weapons. That’s rather brutal for a saint.”

One last comment, he seems to challenge the notion of whether I’m truly a saint.

Sorry, but I’m the Saint of Russia.

There’s really no reason for me to spare France.

“Yes, I’m the Saint of Russia, not Joan of Arc, the saint of France. What’s clear is that we can mitigate France’s suffering by trading it for the loss of one city.”

No matter how much the Commune forces are cockroaches, they won’t be able to bear losing a capital city.

“But what if the Commune still resists despite that?”

“That might happen. However, with the government gone, they won’t last long. If they witness that destruction, the soldiers will likely lose their fighting spirit.”

How many Reds would want to fight after seeing a nuclear explosion?

For the sake of world revolution! The ones fiercely holding out are the Torres faction, not the common soldiers.

Under the overwhelming vacuum of Russia, if Torres and his group are swept away by nuclear heat, what else could they possibly do?

“Hmm. I’ll think about it.”

There’s really nothing to think over.

Looking at how this war will go, I doubt the British will be sitting idly on their island.

Historically, they have failed spectacularly during the D-Day operation, after all.

Honestly, I’m concerned about that side right now.

If our Churchill happens to smack the Commune’s back during the time we’re distracted, the war will become much easier.

But Pétain will probably permit using the bomb since he wouldn’t know what the British could do upon landing on the mainland.

So I need to set the stage just in case.

“By the way, the British plan to annihilate the Commune and tear it apart. If the timing of our decisions is too late, it may result in a return of the Hundred Years’ War; please keep that in mind.”

Pétain, whether seen as a traitor or a pitiful figure who made an unavoidable choice to protect France, seems like a hero leading the Free French Government against the Commune.

However, reality is much harsher.

 

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