The expeditionary force began to dominate Southeast Asia by recruiting defeated soldiers

The aftershocks of the Cannes Film Festival have barely subsided.

The "Le Procope" café has just opened.

Lin Zhenhua, Chen Siyuan, Wu Xinjue, and Zhou Xiaomei had already taken their usual seats by the window.

This was their routine morning meeting. Four things were laid out on the table: two cups of black coffee, one cup of coffee with milk, a large cup of hot chocolate, and a copy of Le Monde that had just been delivered.

As Chen Siyuan added the third sugar cube to his coffee, he casually flipped open the front page of the newspaper.

His hand stopped.

The sugar cube fell into the cup with a "plop," splashing up brown water droplets.

"What's wrong?" Lin Zhenhua looked up.

Chen Siyuan didn't say anything, but turned the newspaper around and pushed it to the middle of the table.

Front page headline, in bold black font:

General Dai resigns: Leaving the provisional government due to constitutional differences.

Subtitle: "A Complete Break Between the Constituent Conference and the Strongman Approach"

Below, in smaller print, were the following: "General de Gaulle delivered a radio address last night: 'Since the people of Gaul have chosen a different path, I will depart.'"

The four men stared at the newspaper and remained silent for ten seconds.

"Holy crap," Wu Xinjue exclaimed first. "He's already stepped down? Wasn't he a war hero? Without him, the Gauls would have been completely defeated in World War II. Their current status as a victorious nation is all thanks to him."

Zhou Xiaomei quickly scanned the text, her finger moving between the lines:

"The point of contention is the power of the president. General Dai wanted a strong presidential system, saying that 'the president should be the guide for the direction of the country.'"

The people at the Constituent Assembly insisted on a parliamentary republic; the president was merely a figurehead.

"Isn't this just..." Chen Siyuan thought for a moment, "...a showdown between strongman politics and the Senate. And the Senate won?"

Lin Zhenhua adjusted his glasses, ignoring the joke.

He stared at the photo of General Dai in the newspaper, the iconic tall, serious-looking man, a standard World War II portrait.

“The key issue isn’t his resignation,” Lin Zhenhua said in a low voice. “The key issue is the impact on us in Southeast Asia.”

The three of them looked at him.

"General Dai was the main driving force behind the Far East cooperation plan," Lin Zhenhua said. "Have you forgotten? The newspapers mentioned that he was the one backing us up in terms of technology transfer, joint research and development, and even some sensitive military exchanges between Gaul and us."

"If he steps down, all these plans will be in jeopardy."

Wu Xinjue's expression changed: "My supervisor's special alloy project was only approved three months ago."

"Not only that." Zhou Xiaomei closed the newspaper, her brows furrowed.

"Once the Fourth Gallic Republic is established and the new government comes to power, its primary task will certainly be to consolidate power and win over the people."

What is the most effective way for Gallic politicians to incite nationalist sentiment?

Chen Siyuan blurted out: "Return to Annam and restore the glory of colonialism."

“Yes.” Zhou Xiaomei nodded. “General Dai is quite pragmatic. He knows that after the war, Gaul will not have the strength to manage both its homeland and the Far East at the same time. But the people in the new government… for the sake of votes, they may have to bite the bullet and go back.”

The atmosphere suddenly became heavy.

The three kingdoms of Annam were located right next to Southeast Asia.

If Gauls were to return on a large scale, war would be on their doorstep.

-----

At 10:00 AM, a theoretical physics class at Huadu Higher Normal College.

The lecturer was Professor Morris, a left-wing intellectual.

Halfway through his speech, he suddenly put down the chalk and sighed.

"Students, did you read today's newspaper? General Dai has passed away."

A commotion broke out in the classroom. The French students clearly knew what was going on.

“I want to say,” Professor Morris said in a complicated tone, “that General Day was a great wartime leader, but his understanding of the peacetime republic… was somewhat outdated.”

He wanted to be a modern Napoleon, but the republic didn't need an emperor.

His departure may be a victory for democracy.

"Professor, I disagree!"

A bespectacled boy stood up. He was a supporter of General Dai and his name was Pierre. His father was a veteran of the World War II resistance movement.

"Without General Dai, Gaul would have been a disorganized mess after the war. He stabilized the situation, and now, let those politicians argue. I wonder how many years the Fourth Republic can last?!"

Another girl immediately retorted: "At least we have a new constitution. A strong parliamentary system can prevent dictatorship. General Dai's strongman politics will eventually lead the country back to the despotism of the ancient Roman Empire!"

The classroom instantly transformed into a debate arena.

The Gallic students split into several factions and argued heatedly.

Lin Zhenhua and Chen Siyuan sat in the back row, watching silently.

"Huadu is indeed an old GM server, the place where the Huadu Commune broke out before, everyone's enthusiasm is very high."

Lin Zhenhua did not laugh.

He quickly jotted down keywords in his notebook: left wing, Dai faction, social democrats, Red Party, colonial issues, Annan.

At the same time, in the metallographic laboratory of Huadu National Higher Institute of Mining.

Wu Xinjue is using a microscope to observe the crystal phase of a stainless steel sample.

His mentor, Mr. LeBron, a pragmatic old engineer, stood to the side with a grim expression.

"Bullshit politics," LeBron suddenly cursed.

Wu Xinjue looked up.

“I just received a notification.” LeBron slammed a piece of paper on the table. “The funding for the Nanyang-Gallic Special Alloy Joint Research and Development Project has been frozen. Frozen indefinitely.”

Wu Xinjue's heart sank.

He participated in this project for three months, mainly responsible for analyzing the ore samples provided by the Nanyang side.

If successful, Southeast Asia will gain access to more advanced alloy smelting technology, and Gaul will receive a supply of rare metals from Southeast Asia.

"Just... because General Dai stepped down?" Wu Xinjue asked.

“Otherwise?” LeBron took off his glasses and wiped them vigorously. “The project was personally approved by General Dai. The new government’s eyes are only on Annam. All resources related to the Far East are now being tilted toward returning to Annam.”

Industry? Technological cooperation? Those are all on the back burner!

He looked at Wu Xinjue, his tone softening slightly: "Wu, you're a good student. But this project... is off for now. I'm sorry."

Wu Xinjue shook his head: "Mentor, this is not your fault."

He hesitated for a moment, then tentatively asked, "Besides the alloy project, what other collaborations with Southeast Asia... will be affected?"

LeBron thought for a moment: "Too many. Machine tool technology transfer, joint exploration of mines in northern Siam, port cooperation agreements..."

Oh, and there was also a semi-classified maritime technology exchange, which reportedly involved some submarine and naval gun technologies.

It was all General Dai's strong push, and now it's all in jeopardy.

He lowered his voice: "I heard from a friend in the Ministry of Industry that the new government is already drafting the first phase of the plan to return to Annan."

They wanted money, ships, and soldiers.

All other overseas projects must give way.

Wu Xinjue silently made a note of it.

-----

It's 6:30 in the evening, at the usual small restaurant.

The steam from the onion soup rose on the table.

The aroma of beef stewed in red wine mingles with the wheat flavor of the baguette.

But none of the four of them had much of an appetite.

None of them saw themselves as international students who only needed to study; instead, they were full of a sense of ownership and felt that since the country had paid to send them to Gaul, they should do more.

Zhou Xiaomei spoke first, with a notebook spread out in front of her, listing the key points.

"Let me summarize today's information..."

As Wu Xinjue listened, he silently took a sip of soup: "But did the Gallic people, who just finished World War II, still have the strength to fight in Annam? They need money for rebuilding their homeland."

Lin Zhenhua put down his spoon and adjusted his glasses.

"Who will the Gauls turn to if they can't win?" he asked.

The three of them were stunned.

“White Eagle,” Lin Zhenhua continued, “White Eagle is now preoccupied with containing the Russian Bear. If Gaul cannot hold out in Annam, White Eagle may very well aid Gaul, or even… personally intervene, in order to stop the expansion of the Red Army in Southeast Asia.”

He paused, then uttered the most crucial sentence:

"Then, Annam could become a quagmire, dragging Gaul and the White Eagles into it, draining their national strength, their patience, and their blood."

The restaurant was noisy; the people at the next table were talking and laughing loudly.

But the four of them were eerily quiet at their table.

Zhou Xiaomei's pen moved quickly across the paper as she drew a relationship diagram.

"And what about us in Southeast Asia?" she looked up. "What are we going to do, stuck in this quagmire?"

"It's hard to say. How about we write a report and submit what we've seen and heard? The higher-ups need information to make decisions, right?"