IN WHICH BENELUX MUST PAY
It was a fine January morning in 1930, and our friend was riding down the Champs De Elysees, fetching some bread for his master. The day was sunny, but the wind was quite cold, our friend's face was the hue of a cherry. People were gathering around the street and it started to empty of automobiles and carriages, so M. Julien Thenardiér, curious as always, stopped his bike and walked up to one of them and ask what was going on.
He asked a jolly fat lady, she replied to him that Marechal Pétain and President Doumergue were leading a parade down the avenue to commemorate the founding of the Third International.
"God bless them" She said as she looked out to the road, glorious tricolours waving off every building.
Music started to play from the speakers above. It was particularly uplifting. While Julien was standing there, he noticed an odd man on the otherside of the road. He was wearing an old tarnished trench coat, and a newsbow hat. He had a cigar in his mouth and seemed quite nervous, shaking almost. Julien could perceive, that hanging out of the side pocket, was a belgian flag. This suprised our friend somewhat, but he did not do anything. The parade was about to begin.
The music dimmed down, and then, off the corner of your eye, one could see the Garde Republiqué marching in their stunning uniforms of dark blue. They chanted marching drills as they passed, and the people were ecstatic. The garde waved two military tricolours as they passed, and held their rifles to their chest.
"Vive La France!" The captain of the brigade called.
"VIVE LA FRANCE!!" cheered the crowd.
The people went overwhelmed with pride, men and women cried "Remember 25! REMEMBER 25!"*
Our friend too, found himself yelling with the rest.
Then, came the grand finale.
Marechal Pétain and President Doumergue. The crowd could not bare to control their happiness anymore. Some openly wept, others threw the tricolour into the air screaming praises for the revolution.
The automobile passed. Doumergue was seated, waving to the parisans, while Pétain stood up proudly, waving and yelling cheers. Flowers flooded the Champs de Elysees as the automobile passed. Overzealous citizens prostrated themselves on the ground as it went.
Julien kept his eye on Marechal Pétain, but then in that instant of which is to small to measure by time, a loud bang came from the crowd.
Julien, with his eyes fixed on Pétain, saw a horrible sight indeed.
The Marechal's head recoiled violently as the bullet hit him, right in his forehead. Blood was spouting from his mouth as his flailed in the air, trying to grab his head as his nervous system was being destroyed. He stumbled off the automobile, his dead body twitching here and there on the ground.
Everyone was shocked. The Marechal that had saved France, was no longer. The man who had held off the germans, was no longer there.
There was a hushed silence, as if the unbelievable had happened. Which it did. Then, came the denouncements.
'Traitor!"
"REACTIONARY!" a man cried in the crowd as he wept.
sounds of scuffling emmanated from the mass of people, and then, the belgian man of which we saw earlier, was cast out into the broad avenue, with a gun in his hand.
"Belgians!" Everyone proclaimed in a hush whisper in their head.
Doumergue was shocked most of all. He ran to Pétain's body, and then to the belgian man. The man tried to fire at Doumergue, but he missed. Grendarmes* rushed out with cudgels, and viciously beat the belgian man into submission.
They dragged his body off for interogation.
Doumergue proclaimed January 23rd of every year to be a day of national mourning.
Days later, it was announced, that the man had been a Belgian nationalist, and was secretly working with the Belgian government, The French had found other hitlists all throughout his coat.
On the list, were Germans, French, and even Dutch officials.
Doumergue and the Republican Commune sent off an ultimatum to Benelux, for the pain they had inflicted upon France:
- Benelux will cease to exist, and the nation of the Netherlands will be created.
- Belgium will pay massive reparations totaling 5 economy levels to France.
- Belgium will cede the French Congo to France, as well as Libya.
- Belgium will pay for half of the reparations by buying our Equatorial and West African territories back from the germans, with 3 economy levels, then upon purchase, return the land to France.
- Belgium will officially apoligize to France, and the world.
- If Belgium should not accept this ultimatum, then there would be grave consequences.
- Belgium will henceforth not be allowed to colonize in the future.
And off it went.
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Footnotes:
Grendarmes: Police.
25: 1925, the year of the revolution.