Chapter 135: Chapter 125: The First President of the Second French Republic

Paris, the Second French Republic
May 15th, 1806

Georges Danton skimmed through several important documents in his makeshift office near the National Assembly Hall when his secretary cautiously knocked on his door to earn his attention, "Mr. President, the American representative is here to see you."

"Bring him in."

The secretary nodded and returned several minutes later with a tall man of mixed Asian and white descent. He wore a nearly all-black military uniform, with a green hat perched on his head. President Danton was well aware of the man's identity and greeted him with a firm handshake, "Colonel Justin Kim, it is an honor to finally meet you."

"The honor is mine, sir," Colonel Kim replied in fluent French.

"Please, sit," Danton said awkwardly as he waved his hand towards an empty chair. He wasn't much of a conversationalist, but that allowed him to think deeply and critically compared to some of his peers.

The two of them settled into their respective seats and appraised each other for a few moments. The French leader didn't see any emotions from the colonel's face, but he knew that Colonel Kim was a bit... underwhelmed due to his ugly appearance. He was a huge man and charismatic, but he was not a sight to fawn upon. Yet here he was, the democratically elected leader of France that was forced to defend the nation against an upcoming foreign invasion. Which was why the American officer was here in the first place: to help Danton defend his homeland. The former members of the First Coalition were gathering their soldiers for a full, frontal invasion of France and Danton needed all the help he could get. This time, Britain was joining as well, basically ensuring that France would be surrounded and cut off. American merchant ships were allowed through, due to America's threats of armed neutrality, but it was a contentious situation.

President Danton was provided a report of the captain and his unit, the elite American military group called the "United States 707th Special Forces Battalion." The battalion consisted of two hundred members, all of them handpicked by the top military officers of the American republic and trained with an intensity that made him mentally shudder. President Hamilton, his American counterpart, was generous enough to provide some of the less classified missions that the men had been on and the Frenchman was suitably impressed. The 707th had a 94% mission success rate, and many of its missions involved infiltration, sabotage, intelligence-gathering, and "blitz" (he was told that the Americans used that term for quick and devastating military strikes that would leave the enemy scattered and confused). All in all, they pushed their physical limits to the absolute brink and overcame even the most difficult missions with a staggering amount of willpower and skill. Danton was no military man, he left that up to Corday or Murat, but he knew that the 707th was an elite unit that would put even the best units in France to shame.

Colonel Justin Kim was the leader of that battalion. The son of the American war hero and former president Samuel Kim, he showed extreme promise as a military leader. However, unlike his father, many of his actions were classified by the American government for a period of fifteen years and only a few of his missions were revealed to the public as of now. He was told that Congress had the ability to override any of these classified missions and release it to the public if necessary, but President Danton knew why such a protocol existed. If Spain discovered that the Americans had been penetrating into their Louisiana Territory in order to fight Indians in their territory, it would cause a huge diplomatic scandal. As a result, only a few missions that the 707th participated in on American soil were released to the public. President Danton only knew about this sensitive information because President Hamilton trusted him, or at least trusted him enough to send the entire battalion to France to help him in the upcoming war against the rest of Europe.

President Hamilton was shackled by his nation’s government. He was unable to authorize a direct military intervention, as Congress would have none of it. His deal with the other party of his coalition government meant that he was forced to focus on domestic issues. While France declaring another republic was an important international event, Congress was keener on dealing with America's borders and integrating the newly acquired territories of the United States. When the Dutch government was toppled by the Patriots and the Prince of Orange was overthrown within weeks (inspired by the Second French Revolution), the British immediately declared war on the newly declared Holland Republic. There were multiple reasons for this; chiefly speaking, the British were none too pleased that the Dutch saw an economic resurgence after the Bank of England's collapse and the ruling government despised republics. As a result, after the Holland Republic was declared on February 1st, the British declared war just two weeks later. Danton received only scattered reports about the war between the British and the Dutch, but he knew that the Dutch Empire was going to crumble from the war. Seizing upon the situation, the United States managed to affirm an ownership transfer provision written in the Treaty of Amsterdam and declared the Dutch Cape Colony under "American protection." The Americans hadn't annexed the territory outright, but it was quite clear that they would be occupying the Dutch Cape Colony for the foreseeable future. This meant that the United States was busy with its own issues to fully assist the French Republic, a situation that reminded Danton of the First Coalition War.

However, President Hamilton was not helpless and he had plenty of willing allies in Congress to re-introduce the "Armed Neutrality Act" to trade weapons and supplies to France. Not only that, but he managed to secure the deployment of the 707th into France (which was voted on by Congress behind closed doors). Despite France's precarious situation, Danton felt a tinge of hope when he heard the news. Even if it was only a fraction of what America had to offer, it was still a symbol of cooperation and friendship. And to him, that was all that mattered. Now, the unit was in France (awaiting in a hotel in Paris) and they were preparing themselves for the long war ahead.

Colonel Kim coughed to break up the silence, "My men are all accounted for and we will begin to carry out operations shortly. If you are willing, we can start our assignment right away."

Danton frowned, "But the Coalition has not invaded our territory yet."

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"Even so, they have already declared war on France. My orders were clear: we are to help the French military beat back any invasions and make the invaders' lives miserable. I intend to carry out the latter parts of the orders until the invasions begin."

"I am not a military expert, but wouldn't that hasten their preparations and move up the timetable of the invasion? My military is still working to organize itself and we are expected to fight on three fronts, four if Holland requests our protection."

"It is a difficult choice, sir. However, I believe it's the right one. If we do nothing and allow the Coalition to build up their forces directly on the French border with no harassment whatsoever... It can make the war more difficult later on. They already have a month's headstart on us, so this is a risk we must take."

The French president grimaced. France was still in... difficult situation There were no violent uprisings or civil war this time around, though the event was still called the "Second French Revolution" by many. When Brissott was unable to secure a majority in the Assembly and the opposition was unable to unify to form a majority bloc, King Louis attempted to intervene and appoint a minor noble as the new prime minister. That action earned him an armed uprising that saw thousands of National Guardsmen and civilians march to Versailles to remove the King from his throne. Predictably, the King fled with his few followers to Prussia, where he invoked the "Berlin Agreement" that drew the leaders of the First Coalition into the war. This time, Britain was assisting the Coalition. In return, King Louis handed them any French overseas possessions, something that Danton couldn't do anything about with the domestic situation. At the beginning of February, Austria, Prussia, Britain, and numerous nations declared war on France once again. However, the two sides were still preparing for the war as the revolution had (quite literally) ended in a day. The shock from the swift downfall of King Louis forced the other nations to take their time before attempting an invasion, as they were caught flat-footed (they expected King Louis to last a bit longer). While it gave time for France to prepare its defenses (and offensives), it also meant that the nation was being restructured to be on a war footing. Combined with the stress of creating a new civilian government, the nation was still in a delicate situation.

"Then do what you must."

"Do I have your word that you will allow some French soldiers to support us in some of our missions and training?"

"May I ask what these missions will entail?"

"Intelligence gathering. We're still blind about the entire situation in Europe, so we want to gather information as rapidly as possible. Once we have suitable intel, we will begin our "blitz" operations to rattle the Coalition forces. Additionally, it would be good for France to have its own Special Forces group in case we are forced to withdraw due to unknown circumstances."

Danton thought for a moment before replying with a nod, "Of course. I will arrange a suitable detachment to be under your command. However, I expect that you and your unit will take great care of the Frenchmen under your command."

"Of course, sir. And one more thing, President Hamilton would like to pass on a short message to Lafayette."

"By all means." Danton's face did not betray the mixed emotions simmering in his heart.

"General George Washington is dead. He passed away in January of this year."

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