Chapter 42: Sweeping Through Turin

The list provided by Martin contained only ages and names, making it clear at a glance. Evidently not the kind of bureaucratic document that takes half a day just to find the main points, it was entirely imbued with a military style.

"Hand these over to Trenlin; let him handle the settlement of these orphans." Koman glanced over it briefly, his eyes sweeping down the page in a blur, before tossing the list aside.

Martin hesitated for a moment before asking in a low voice, "Are we still going to take in orphans? This is a huge expense."

"No. We only needed to use these orphans to establish a pretext. There are still two hundred thousand illegitimate children back home; although the population loss from the war wasn't massive, there are bound to be orphans as well."

Koman answered decisively. He was not indulging in random acts of charity; he was simply using the orphans of Aosta Valley to acquire a justifiable pretext.

It was not entirely a matter of money. Koman still had a sum of funds temporarily deposited in British India, which he would retrieve when necessary, though he simply lacked the time to spare for it right now.

The annexation of Aosta Valley was precisely because the region was sparsely populated and entirely mountainous—holding little intrinsic value, but providing a plausible explanation to a wartime France. Attempting to annex the core territories of Italy would be out of the question; even if the French high command reached a consensus, the nation that fancied itself an offshore balancer would never agree.

Moreover, other regions did not share such deep historical ties with France, and Italy's military performance was reassuringly pathetic, leaving France without sufficient justification to persuade other nations to support its ambitions.

Having lingered in Aosta Valley for nearly two months, Koman was now ready to proceed with his next steps. As had been stated long ago, the work in Italy was merely a rehearsal for the annexation of the Saarland.

"We are preparing to move out. You and I will each take a city; you go to Genoa, and I will go to Turin. With the newly recruited French-Italian bilingual soldiers, we have three thousand men, so manpower will not be an issue."

As he spoke, Koman brought out his gathered intelligence. Over the past month or so, he had not simply been playing the philanthropist with orphans here; he had also engaged in some minor groundwork.

Turin and Genoa were hardly small towns; they could well be considered major cities in Northern Italy. Thanks to the accumulation of the traditional major leagues, Koman was already quite familiar with many European cities.

The fact that he had an impression of them meant these cities held value, and the collected intelligence confirmed this.

Holding the intelligence handed to him by Koman, Martin understood the purpose of leaving Aosta. The locations of Turin and Genoa were by no means backwaters like the barren wasteland of Aosta Valley.

Since they were major cities, they naturally possessed the grandeur of major cities. Northern Italy was the core region of Italy, and both cities possessed their own core industries.

Now, Northwestern Italy had already been occupied, and Germany retained control of only the four northern regions. However, the areas under German control happened to be Italy's traditionally most economically developed zones, encompassing the famous major cities of Milan and Venice. Judging by the halted offensives, it was estimated that capturing them within a short period would be impossible.

Before leaving Aosta, Koman had written a letter to General Dragon in Paris. Consisting of a total of three lines, it was purely to report that he was safe.

A day later, he led his troops straight south toward Turin. He had not forgotten to bring Bokassa and that contingent of African soldiers—did the Axis powers not constantly boast of the superiority of their master race? He was deliberately going to disgust them.

At the northern entrance to Turin, Koman addressed the soldiers of the Antioch Regiment: "Turin is currently under the control of the Italian Liberation Army and the 8th Infantry Division. Upon entering the city, proceed directly to the University of Turin and the Polytechnic University of Turin. Secure the archives and detain the faculty members of both universities. Remember, no humanities faculty or students."

Seeing that the soldiers had no objections, Koman continued: "Turin is the center of Italy's automotive industry. Occupy the car factories and secure the team of designers. Skilled automotive engineers are also what France currently needs."

At almost the exact same time, Martin, heading straight for Genoa, was repeating largely similar orders, though his targets were metallurgical plants and the shipbuilding industry. With different industries, naturally there were different priorities.

As for the museum collections, those were merely incidental. They had probably already been looted by the flames of war and interested parties, and were not part of Koman's plan.

The treads of French armored vehicles crushed Turin's wide streets, leaving deep gouges in front of the ancient palace of the House of Savoy. The city was already under control, but the conquerors' work had only just begun.

Wearing a mask, Koman stood before the gates of the Fiat factory, his fingertips tapping lightly against a list. His adjutant, the young Lefebvre, was directing a squad of combat engineers in dismantling the machinery.

"This stamping press must be transported intact," Koman said, his voice as calm as if he were discussing a dinner menu. "And the design blueprints—all models, especially those for armored vehicles and aircraft. Whether they are experimental models or mere conceptual drawings, I want all of them."

Italian engineer Rossi stood to the side, his face pale. His factory had been requisitioned, and now the French were methodically dismembering it.

"Officer, these pieces of equipment are crucial for Italy's reconstruction," Rossi tried to protest, his voice tight. "Fiat is the lifeblood of Turin."

Koman did not even look at him, simply lowering his gaze to check off an item on his list. "The cost of war, Engineer. France has lost a great deal; now it is your turn."

At the Polytechnic University of Turin, bilingual French-Italian guides newly enlisted in Aosta were leafing through documents in the archives.

Italian professors stood in the corridors, silently watching as the fruits of their research were packed into wooden crates, sealed, and prepared for transport to France. No one resisted—they, too, would be loaded onto trains bound for France to serve as "technical consultants."

In front of an anonymous royal palace, Bokassa laughed heartily, expressing his deep gratitude for Koman's patronage. Though he had no idea what era this palace belonged to, the bountiful harvest was a reality, and the soldiers he brought were busy carrying out crates of archives and artworks.

"Leave the non-technical equipment to the Italians; we cannot make our appetites look too unsightly. Our main focus must be the engineers and skilled technical workers," Koman said with a thoughtful expression before Lefebvre, seeming to show a measure of face to Italy out of consideration for them being fellow Catholic nations.

He did not know whether Martin's work in Genoa was progressing smoothly, but shipbuilding and metallurgy were equally important. Although the combat effectiveness of the Italian army was mediocre, they had still fought through years of a world war, unlike Vichy France, which was practically a blank slate.

Whether these screened and filtered individuals could successfully integrate into France's rebuilding system would ultimately depend on whether the domestic industrial engineers possessed the capability to absorb them.

Koman felt he was being quite merciful. He only wanted the technology and the talent, leaving most of the machinery untouched, save for the large-scale industrial equipment that appeared particularly valuable.

"Sir, you are too merciful," Lefebvre could not help praising, astonished that they were leaving machinery behind for the Italians rather than completely deindustrializing the occupied zone.

Their entry into the city had been purposeful and swift, but soon the Italian Communist Party became aware of the French occupation forces' sweeping operations in Turin. By the time Bokassa appeared before Koman with more than ten trucks loaded with artworks and cultural relics, representatives of the Italian Communist Party had already gone straight to the command post of the 8th Infantry Division, hoping to halt the pillaging of Italy.

Koman did not know, and even if he had, he wouldn't have cared. Their immediate reaction of seeking negotiation rather than resorting to force demonstrated that European-lineage socialist parties still lacked the resolve to throw caution to the wind.

At the command post of the 8th Infantry Division, Koman's superior, Major Celt, happened to be right there. Hearing the report on the purpose of the sweep just as the visiting Italians barged in made for a rather awkward situation, resembling a thief caught red-handed by the homeowner. Not to mention that Major Celt's moral standards were still a bit too high, causing him to actually feel embarrassed.