OOC:
France adopts a new currency, the ruidor, which equals five of the old francs. So far, nothing much has happened to France because of this, mostly due to the fact that the franc is still in use.
Actually, I meant to have it REPLACE the franc, with such a conversion rate. But meh, my government was never supposed to be competent.
Btw, what happened with Sicily? Will it be the Taiwan of this world - the last stronghold of the previous Italian government?
IC:
When Joseph Clebert woke up, the train was still moving. In fact, a few minutes after he woke up, the Spanish border signs appeared. The train stopped, and on the station, a Lance's Trains company representative negotiated with the Spanish border official. To Joseph Clebert, that official looked peculiarily... French, as if to remind him of the purpose of this journey. Ofcourse, he shouldn't have been surprised - it was just as well that a Spanish Frenchman, or a "Gaelic Spaniard" as they were officially termed, should be assigned to this region. Most "Gaelic Spaniards" lived here, unsurprisingly.
Once, Spain extended its reign as far north as Brittany, then (before the Iceni and other Bretons fleeing from Scottish oppression arrived there) called Armorica. That was before the Time of Troubles in Spain took place, with the end result of Spain being forced out of modern France and into its modern borders. He remembered reading, back in 1823, about a "renaissance" of "Gaelic Spaniard" culture, due to greater commercial ties with France. Some, perhaps, earned to become a part of France. And maybe some still do, though France... well, it wasn't in a satisfactory state right now.
Shaking the unpleasant thought aside, Joseph Clebert studied the well-maintained station. He and his room-mates got dressed, as Spanish officials entered the train, searching for something. Apparently, they were looking for "terrorists". Joseph shook his head at the neologism. Like any true historian, he was fairly conservative and preffered the "good old times"; in this case, the times of the rise of the Franco Republic. Back then... the only "terrorists" were in Asia, and were called the "darkshrowdists" instead. Humanity was trading one neologism for another, he thought with a smirk.
He overheard something about Madagascaris. Why would they of all people attack Spain? That said, ofcourse, there were some Madagascaris found in Britain last year... Or were they Battahirans?
Either way, the Spaniards didn't find anyone, the fee was paid in advance and so the train moved on. Up on his bed, Joseph Clebert was thinking over his theory. It was based on a fairly obscure Teutonic people called "the Franks"...
---
He first heard about the Franks - and the Frankish Theory - in August 13th 1825. Pharaoh Sheep Leo XIV was still alive, but Chris Horward already demanded that the Anti-French Party is outlawed, in a test of Egyptian resolve gone wrong. Tensions were rising, and so was patriotism. Joseph Clebert himself participated in a march to the Egyptian embassy, burning effigies of the Pharaoh. That was uncalled for; the Pharaoh himself had just two days to live left.
The Franks lived, originally, in Rhinterre, the easternmost part of modern France. They were related to the Aryans and the Teutonics. One Professor Charles Fomencaux wrote, mentioning reliable Kuyper and Roman sources, that these Franks often provided mercenaries to other tribes and civilized nations. And were there not some precedents of mercenaries taking over a state, or at least a small tribal confederation? After all, if they are well-led, well-armed and underpaid... It was possible. And here was the proof for Fomencaux's theory - some peculiar documents of different ancient states, documents that were thought to be but unproven as modern fabrications:
A Scottish ruler's decree:
"-Use Navy to dispatch settlers with 1/5 army to
France"
The quote of Emperor Cerveza (of Spain) in an ancient Spanish chronicle:
"Expand into northern Iberia and into southern
France, as well as race to take up as much of Iberia as possible, making the same offer to tribes I encounter as the one I made to the Basques."
A Roman report about the results of Senate debates; a decision was taken to:
"- Expand West into Southern
France"
Not many other documents survived from 5th millenium BC, but they all reffered to the land of modern France and Transpyrenean Spain as "Gaul" and its people as "the Gauls". But none of those were government documents, with the exception of a few that talked about the Gauls as a people, but not about the land of Gaul. So the obvious, to Fomencaux, conclusion was that while the popularily-used name for the region was Gaul, officially it was called France. Why? Because the local rulers, or at least those of the hegemon tribes, were Franks. Fomencaux also mentioned the Norse, that probably gave their name to Normandy and portrayed Normandy as an important stop on the route for America, the civilization of which was founded by the Norse (or, at least, the one of Nova Scotia; but that was where the USSA begun anyway).
Needless to say, this started quite a furor in the French cultural and scientific establishment. Some declared the Fomencaux was an Egyptian spy, who tried to weaken French national identity by saying that the French descended from backstabbing soldiers of fortune. Others said that he has finally discovered the ancient, noble roots of the French people. Third ones claimed that it was the rantings of a madman. Fourth...
But Joseph Clebert was excited by it like nobody else. He was always interested in how did the French come to be, before the Grand Enlightenment, before the Franco Revolution. And this... he felt this to be the truth. He was ready to argue with anybody to the death about this, to befriend enemies and to abandon friends and love interests based on their opinion of this theory. He even wanted to go look for Fomencaux and to help him... with whatever he needed in his crusade for historical justice and the Truth.
Yet all his plans were undone by a single bullet across the Mediterranean Sea. Louis Declerc, the scarred man he once saw when young, was standing on the western brink of the Nile, in the great city of Memphis, and studied the Pharaoh's carriage. Then he thought "might as well shoot now" and took out his sniper rifle. He aimed... The Egyptian police noticed him, tried to stop him... he presssed the trigger and jumped into the Nile, just after noticing panic, and shouts, and - or did it just seem to him? - a tiny spot of blood.
Pharaoh Leo Shep XIV was dead, and Joseph Cleberet read in the newspapers that Egypt blamed France. The crisis intensified. The new Pharaoh, Nubriyah I, was moving Egypt towards a decisive clash with France. Chris Howard, for his part, was moving France towards a decisive clash with Egypt. The infamous "ACE Letter-1944" was published in the French newspapers:
"To the world:
Egypt has sent the following message to its allies. The message was intercepted thanks in part of a foriegn power, in accordance to French spies.
Registered: Oct 2002
Posts: 1944
Attack Plans for ACE
The following is an attack plan for A.C.E. This is tobe carried out a.s.a.p.
Americas
Sioux The Sioux navy is to destroy Entente ships in the Americas, while the army is to move down from their southern border into French Mexico.
USSA The USSAarmy s to island hop through the Carrabean with the help of the Sioux navy. The USSA navy is to move around the Eastern Atlantic an help in the blockadeof Europe.
Italy Italy is to make raids accross the borders of France and the Teutons. Their navy is to participate in th blockade of Europe from the Meditteraean.
Russia Russia is to strike in South America from its colnies there and try and take French Scandinavia. Their navy is to blockade Europe from the North Sea.
Morrocco and Sahara Morrocco and Sahara are to nvade French Carthrage and Nigeria. Their navies are to help with the blockade of Europe.
Egypt Egypt is to send troops to hlp with the invasion of Nigeria and the defence of Italy. Its navy will to help with the blockade of Europe.
Arabia Arabia is t invade the Sychelles and the other archipeglo . Its navy is to keep Etente trffic from the Indian Ocean.
Sumer Sumer is to send an army against the Chinese. Their navy will also participate in the blockade of Europe.
Greece Greece will help with a pre-empive invasion of France itself. This is to coni\cide with the Italian invasion. Their navy will als participate in the blockade of Europe.
Japan Japan will invade China and take the Philipines. Their navy is to remain in Asia and constitute a blockade ofChina.
New Zealand New Zealand is to invade the Caroline, Marshall Islands and French South America Their navy is to control the Pacific, and later n goto help replenish losses in theblockade of Europe."
Egypt denied this, Pharaoh Nubriyah claimed it to be a fabrication, but it was clear to Clebert - the Egyptians were panicking. Their ploy to destroy the Frankish Republic of France has failed. Their accomplices - revealed. France was going to be ready.
But something went wrong. It wasn't ready enough. For on the 4th of July 1827, Italy and Teutonic Order invaded France itself. The Italians were quickly repulsed and sent running for their lives, all the way to Milan. The Teutonic war machine, weakened but unbroken by the Russian War a decade and a few years ago, has charged across the lands of ancient Franks, charged towards Paris. Chris Howard ordered the mobilization of the entire French population fit for warfare. 4,000,000 men were to be assembled and sent to the battlefields - in France, in Egypt, in Africa, in Italy, in Brazil... all over the world.
3,999,999 men were assembled. And alongside them, Joseph Clebert.
To be continued.
